The Alpha's Woman

Waiting for help

Olivia paced up and down the dimly lit space, restless and apprehensive. She wished there was a window she could peer through to see what was going on outside, but there was none in the underground bunker. Even if someone was approaching, there was no way that she could tell. The bunker had everything a proper room would have, but for any windows or doors. The only entrance and exit from the room was an opening far up above and she would have to climb up a tall ladder to reach it.

Olivia had been hiding there for three long days and the more time went by, the thinner her hope dwindled. She was swiftly loosing faith and beginning to doubt that anyone was coming to their rescue, she and the baby. She walked over to where she had laid the baby down in a makeshift cradle by the unlit fire place. He was fast asleep, his little face was peaceful and relaxed in sleep. Olivia smiled as a warmth filled her chest. She bent over the cradle and brushed a small kiss across the face of the sleeping child. The child shifted and yawned, but then it remained fast asleep. Olivia smiled again as the warmth in her chest swelled.

"You keep hanging in there little one. Help is coming. We will get out of here soon, I promise you." Olivia whispered to the sleeping child, then she sighed.

That baby was the only ray of hope that had been keeping Olivia strong and sane for these three long days since she had been hiding in the underground bunker. Her will to make sure that she brought this child to safety as she had promised her older sister Susan, was the one thing that kept Olivia going. She had barely had anything to eat in the last three days, and she hadn't had any proper sleep too. Yet, she felt strong, energized and adrenaline pumped through her system and through her veins. She was determined not to let herself feel any pain, fatigue or hunger until she had successfully brought this child far away from this land and far from all the dangers from those who sought to end it's young life.

Olivia sighed again as she looked up at the ladder which led to the exit of the bunker.

"How much longer must I wait?" She wondered.

She reached into her duffle bag and brought out an almost empty bottle of milk. The quantity in it could only last to feed the baby for the night.

Olivia's brows creased in worry. She felt restless. She had to do something soon. Help didn't seem to be coming and she couldn't keep hiding down here in the bunker with the baby, forever. They needed food, and although she was trying to be strong, she needed to eat soon. If she starved to death, there was no way that she could keep her promise to Susan, and if the baby died of starvation, then of what use was her sister's sacrifice to begin with?

The bottle of milk was the only food she had left in her backpack. She had been in too much of a hurry when she was escaping from the house, to pack up enough food. She had not been thinking of any food for herself and had only grabbed a bottle of milk for the baby, a few packaged meals her hands could reach and bottles of water. And now, she had run out of both food and water. The milk was all they had left. She regretted her actions now, but there was nothing else that she could have done in the situation. She was on the run for her life, and besides, she had not expected that she would have to stay this long in the bunker. Kyle, Susan's boyfriend and the father of the child, had promised her that someone would come for them soon enough.

"Here, take this number." He had said to her, scribbling hurriedly on a piece of paper. "Call the number. He is my brother. Tell him his brother, Kyle sent you. Tell him that you are in Houston. Ask him to find you at the safehouse in Houston, he will know where to find you." He had instructed Olivia, then he had handed her a map through the woods where she was to find the safehouse and he wrote down the combination code to the door.

"You'll be safe inside that bunker. Only people who know this combination can access that room, and only my family knows this combination. My brother will come to you as soon as possible, just let him know I sent you." Kyle had assured Olivia. "Here's a burner phone. Contact him through this phone, he will know that I truly sent you." Kyle had said, handing the phone over to Olivia. Then he had kissed his little baby passionately. "Take care of my little wolf." He had begged Olivia, then he had gone out to draw the hunters away, while Olivia escaped with the baby through the backdoor.

Olivia had done exactly as Kyle had instructed her. The moment she had arrived at Woodland, Olivia had called the number which Kyle had written down for her before she went into the woods, because she had guessed that the reception in the woods would be too poor to host a call. She had called the line severally, but there had been no response. So she had left a message, hoping that Kyle's brother would see it at some point and come for them. Maybe that was why help was taking too long in coming. Maybe Kyle's brother still hadn't gotten the message. Maybe that was why he wasn't coming for them yet.

Olivia reached into her duffle bag again and this time, she brought out the burner phone which Kyle had given to her. She turned it on. It was still charged, but the network bar was empty. Olivia sighed in frustration. She put the phone up above her head in different angles to see if she could get any signal, maybe she could try calling the number again. But it was hopeless. The network bars remained empty. Olivia groaned. She switched the phone off and shoved it right back into the duffle bag. She gritted her teeth in determination and resolve. She would leave the bunker by the next day. She couldn't keep waiting around like this, until when? Until both she and the baby died of starvation? She had not had her bath in three days!

She had better chances being out there than remaining down here. Out there, if she was careful enough, she could avoid all the hunters, and make an escape. They wouldn't find her. If she got lucky, she could escape the land for good. But in here, there was no option for her. She couldn't continue like this! She was decided.

As Olivia began to replace the bottle of milk in the duffle bag, she heard sounds above her. She paused and listened closely, just to make sure that she wasn't hearing wrong. She wasn't wrong. She heard the sound again, it sounded like someone was tampering with the outer door of the bunker. Hope began to surge in her heart as the noise persisted. But then, fear suddenly gripped her too.

What if the hunters had found them? What if they were trying to force the bunker door open since they did not know the combination code? Kyle's brother knew the combination right? Why then was it taking him so long to unlock the door?

Olivia began to fret. What could she do now if those were truly hunters above her? There was no where that she could escape to. This bunker didn't have a backdoor or any other form of exit at all except up. They were trapped!

Instinctively, Olivia quickly but gently picked the baby up from it's temporal cradle, then she strapped him across her front. The noise continued above her. She picked up her bag and in the corner of the room, she found a log of wood which she picked up and held unto, as a weapon of defense should the enemies show up for real. She knew that if it was truly the hunters coming, she would be greatly outnumbered and wouldn't stand a chance against the skilled fighters with a mere log of wood. But she was determined to try anyway, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The door of the entrance swung open and Olivia quickly hid to a side of the room, from where she could clearly observe the intruder first, without being seen. She waited patiently as the intruder descended the ladder, holding her weapon up in readiness to attack should the need be. There was a thud, indicating that someone had jumped down the ladder. It was only one thud, Olivia observed. Her heart became hopeful again, it was probably their helper after all. The hunters would have come in packs. Yet, she remained in her hiding position, observing carefully.

Slow footsteps approached cautiously, and soon, the intruder came into full view. Olivia became doubtful again if this was the promised savior, because he looked nothing like Kyle. They were supposed to be brothers, right? This man was nothing like Kyle. In contrast to Kyle's small and fragile frame, with curly blonde hair and gray eyes that made him look like every highschool girl's dream boy, this intruder was built like a mountain! He was tall, with broad chest and thick biceps. The plaid shirt which he wore over denim pants was halfway open, revealing his hairy chest, as if he had hurriedly put it on and had no time to button it up properly. Or maybe, he had tried to button it up, but had failed. His muscular chest pushed through the shirt, threatening to tear it up and break free, even as it was not properly buttoned up. The man was firmly built and thick, from neck to thighs. His rich black wavy hair was a mess and fell carelessly across his face, forehead and the back of his neck. It looked like it had just been recently ruffled by the wind. His grey eyes, which was his only feature that bore any resemblance to Kyle, scanned the room intensely and his square jaws were clenched with caution. He too seemed apprehensive.

Olivia had not fully decided whether or not it was safe enough to step into the light when his sturdy eyes fell on her, and his gaze locked in hers. Olivia froze, unsure of what to do. She was still holding the weapon in her hand, but then, her hands had suddenly gone numb.

"Stop lurking in the darkness. Step into the light." The intruder spoke in a hoarse voice, with a rich and resounding baritone that made his statement sound like a command even though it wasn't exactly a command. Olivia hesitated.

"Who are you?" She asked. Her voice came out in a small whinny tone and she grinded her teeth in embarrassment. Now, the intruder would really think that she was feeling intimidated. But again, wasn't she? She sighed and held her ground, determined to have the upper hand no matter what.

The intruder gave a small laugh that sounded like a scoff.

"I should be asking you who you are. You are in my family bunker." He said.

"You should introduce yourself first. I was here first, you are the intruder here." Olivia insisted.

The intruder laughed again, this time he sounded more irritated than amused.

"Lady, I didn't break in. I used the combination code." He said with a drawl in his tone.

"I didn't break in either, I used the combination code too, and it's not even my family bunker." Olivia said.

The man laughed aloud this time, and the laugh didn't sound too happy. It sounded a warning roar. But Olivia still didn't budge. She stood in the shadows, peering at him. The man stopped laughing and glared at her for a moment. Then he sighed.

"Okay, you've got a point there." He drawled again. "So let's get things right. How about you step into the light so that I can see your face for starts?" He asked.

"How about you clarify who you are, we could start from there." Olivia insisted stubbornly. She could already tell that the man posed no harm, but her stubborn wit didn't want to be the first to cave, especially as the man kept sounding arrogant.

The man gave a heavy sigh, then he shrugged visibly.

"I am Dylan. Kyle's brother. You reached out to me a few days ago, remember? You said my brother Kyle sent you to me, you reached me through his burner phone. You begged me to come to your rescue!" The man said.

"I sent you a message three days ago. What took you so long?" Olivia fired at him.

"Woman, I don't even know who you are. Bold of you to think you have any rights to question me. Would you step into the light now or should I just leave?" The man said. Olivia sensed the annoyance in his voice. She remained still for a few seconds, then pushing the voice of pride aside, she slowly stepped into the light.

Dylan took one look at Olivia and his mind went blank. All of the rage and anger that had been mounting in him immediately vanished. The woman standing before him looked like an angel, standing in the small ray of light that fell on her, bouncing off her copper brown hair and giving it the blaze of fire. She shone like an angel and her hair burned bright like the flames of hell. She looked so fragile, yet so fierce. Her figure was so small he could contain her in his palms. He suddenly felt protective of her, even though he still didn't know what she was running from.

Dylan had seen Olivia's eyes burning bright through the shadows, but now that she stood in the light, he could see how beautiful and bright they were. They were so big and round, yet they fit in her small round face perfectly. Her nose was small and thin and her lips were rosy. She didn't look clean, but he could tell that her skin was perfect. Her small hands were still gripping the log of wood that she had been holding for protection. When Dylan's eyes went to the log, she let it go and it fell with a clatter to the ground.

"I am Olivia." She said, bringing Dylan out of his reverie. Then she put her arms around the baby that laid sleeping against her chest. "This is Kyle's baby, your little nephew." She said.

"Wait! What?" Dylan cried in horror as his eyes widened in disbelief and bewilderment.