FEAR
1268 Words
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VALERIE.
Joy stared at me, unmoving. Her laughter had vanished, replaced by wide, stunned eyes and a face draining of color. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, trying to ignore the sour taste still lingering in my throat. "What?" I asked, my voice dry and hoarse.
She stepped forward slowly, blinking hard. “Say it,” she whispered, almost in awe. “Say you’ve missed your monthly moon cycle.” My heart skipped. My fingers curled instinctively around my stomach. I hadn’t even noticed.
I blinked rapidly, counting the days back in my mind. The beat of my pulse quickened when I realized Joy might be right. No blood. No pain. Nothing. “I—I think so,” I murmured.
The silence between us thickened. Joy let out a slow breath, her eyes softening. “Oh moon goddess,” she whispered, one hand covering her mouth. “You’re carrying their child.”
Her words hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled, and I sank onto a stool, unable to form a coherent thought. A child. Their child.
I wrapped my arms around my middle, unsure whether to feel terrified or amazed. This life inside me… had come from a night I hadn’t even wanted. Or had I?
I didn’t have time to figure it out.
The rest of the day passed in a daze. Joy wouldn’t stop watching me like a hawk, barely letting me lift a finger. Word hadn’t spread yet—it was still our secret. For now.
That night, I lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. I should have felt peace, maybe even pride. But instead, all I felt was a crawling sense of dread that wouldn’t let me rest.
Something wasn’t right.
My fingers gently traced the curve of my belly, even though it hadn’t changed much yet. I was growing life. But death was close. I could feel it.
The following morning, I woke up to murmurs outside my door. I wasn’t meant to hear them, but I did.
“I thought she would’ve bled out by now,” said a female voice—sharp, hushed, venomous.
“She’s tougher than she looks,” came a man’s voice in return. “But it’s only a matter of time.”
“She’s pregnant now. You think the twins will still go through with it?”
The male voice chuckled darkly. “Not if they don’t know. But they’ve trusted us this far, haven’t they?”
My blood ran cold.
I didn’t recognize the voices, but that didn’t matter. They wanted me dead. The child growing inside me was a threat. And worst of all—their words made it sound like someone close to the twins… had agreed to this.
I clutched my chest, forcing myself to breathe quietly.
I couldn’t stay here.
Later that day, I feigned weakness so I could be alone in my chambers. As soon as I was sure no one was watching, I grabbed a bag and stuffed it with essentials: water, bread, a spare cloak Joy had brought me one evening.
I didn’t cry.
I didn’t even shake.
Fear had gone cold inside me now—calm, focused. I waited until nightfall, when even the castle guards grew drowsy from mead and boredom. Then I slipped out, using one of the hidden passages Joy had unknowingly revealed during our strolls.
I knew the punishment for running would be brutal.
I also knew staying would kill both me and my baby.
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The forest was endless.
The moon hung high above, casting a pale silver glow through the trees. My cloak flapped around me as I ran, feet crunching on dead leaves. My body ached, and my vision blurred at times, but I didn’t stop.
I didn’t look back.
Branches clawed at my arms. Roots tripped me. My legs screamed in protest. But something stronger than fear kept me going—instinct, maybe. Or fate.
I didn’t know how long I ran before I stumbled into a different clearing—unlike anything I’d seen before. The trees here were darker, taller, and the air thrummed with power.
And then I saw him.
A man stepped from the shadows. Tall. Cloaked in black, silver markings lining the trim of his armor. His eyes glowed gold even under the moonlight.
A wolf. No—something more.
He took a step toward me, and I backed away, panting. “Stay back,” I warned, though my legs trembled beneath me.
He raised both hands slowly. “I mean no harm.”
His voice was low, gravelly, but steady. Commanding.
“Who are you?” I managed to ask.
“King Dorian,” he answered simply. “Of the Western Werewolf Realm.”
My heart skipped again. I’d heard the name whispered in fear. A king powerful enough to keep the Lycan twins at bay. A warrior and ruler. But… why was he here?
His eyes drifted to my belly, and something softened in his gaze.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said quietly.
I stared at him. “What…?”
“I didn’t know it was you,” he added. “Not until now. But I’ve searched for my mate for years. I would recognize your scent anywhere.”
My knees gave out. He caught me before I hit the ground, strong arms enveloping me like warmth.
I didn’t resist.
Not because I trusted him—but because I was too tired to fight.
I woke up wrapped in furs, lying in a soft bed carved from stone and vines. The air smelled of herbs and burning incense.
I tried to sit up, but a firm hand stopped me.
“Rest,” said a gentle voice. Dorian.
He sat beside me, watching with concern.
“You’ve been asleep for a day,” he said. “You were cold and barely breathing when I found you. But the pup is safe.”
I flinched at the word pup, but didn’t respond.
“Why did you run?” he asked softly.
I swallowed. “They want me dead,” I whispered. “Even though I’m carrying their heir.”
His jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak for a while.
“I don’t care whose child it is,” he finally said. “If it’s inside you, it’s mine too. And no one will touch you here. Not unless they go through me first.”
I stared at him.
I didn’t trust easily—not anymore—but something about Dorian’s presence soothed the storm inside me. He didn’t speak like the twins. He didn’t demand or threaten. He… offered.
That terrified me more.
Over the next few days, I learned what peace felt like.
Dorian’s realm was quiet, earthy, and warm. I didn’t hear screams in the night. No one looked at me like I was filth. I was treated with respect.
But I couldn’t relax. Not fully.
Because I knew this wouldn’t last.
The twins would come. And when they did, blood would be spilled.
One night, I stood on the balcony, gazing up at the moon.
It felt different here—stronger. My body vibrated with strange energy. My dreams had become twisted lately—visions of fire, war, blood-soaked snow… and a woman’s voice calling my name.
“Valerie…”
Sometimes I woke up crying, clutching my stomach as if trying to protect the child from something even I couldn’t see.
Something was coming.
Bigger than the twins.
Bigger than Dorian.
And I was the center of it all.
- Writer
