The Alpha Who Marked Me Before I Was Born

‡ DRESCENT PACK ‡ †Melissa’s POV† “Nooooooooo” The scream was ragged, it wasn’t my voice, and a tear dropped from the stabber and onto my burning skin as the sword cut through my shoulder down to my heart. There was a minute of void; I felt nothing. Then it came rushing, all my insides were burning, my heart, my skin were racing. I could feel the pain, the burning, the agony. I stretched out my hand and tried to raise my head to look at the person holding the sword that had destroyed me, but the pain was severe, and I couldn't hold it anymore. I screamed out loud, so loud I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't feel anything. Until… “Melissa, Melissa,” it was my mother's panicked voice. She shook me vigorously till I woke up. I opened my eyes, all sweaty, trembling, and my heart was racing. “Mama,” I said, trying to catch my breath, but then she pulled me up and into a tight hug. There was no explanation needed; she knew it was just another bad dream. “Are you okay?” she asked into my ear as she held me for a minute. It was just a dream, it was just a dream. I kept trying to help my body believe that, but as much as I wanted to deny it, my shoulder was aching badly, burning me from the inside, and I tried to withhold the pain. “Yes, unless you are squeezing me far too much, I might end up not breathing anymore,” I said as a joke, and she disengaged from me. “You were screaming so much, Mel,” she said and cupped my face. “Was it something different?” she asked with concern, but I forced a smile. I’ve had the worst nightmares. “It was just a dream, Mama,” I said, then sat up properly. “I'll be fine. Ain’t you going to the market?” I asked because my mother leaves the house as early as possible. “Yeah, I am. I was already on my way when I heard your scream,” she said. “Get going, I am a grown-up… you always forget,” I said, smiling. “You're still my baby,” she stood up from my bed. “Stay safe, okay?” she warned. “I'll be, Mama,” I replied, then watched her go pick up her basket before leaving my room and the house. I then stayed back in bed, the pain coming back as usual. Yeah, it was the constant pain I get from my birthmark after every nightmare. I had a birthmark at the exact place that I had been stabbed, and it itches me a lot after every nightmare. Sometimes I wondered if I had killed Selena’s first child for me to be met with so many misfortunes in this life. As it itched me, I proceeded to scratch the spot while crying softly. That was the part my parents never knew, and I never told anyone just how much pain I get when my birthmark begins to act up. I cried myself to sleep again, this time with no nightmare, and when I finally got out of bed to clean up, I brushed past my mirror, and for the briefest minute, I could swear I saw a man staring at me. My blood stood still, and I turned; my window was still shut. I wanted to believe it was my illusion again, or so I forced myself to believe, and just proceeded with my day: cleaning up, having lunch as it was past breakfast, and then staying indoors while reading some old books of my father. My reading was cut short by a knock on the door, and I went out to find a form by the side of the door. I picked it up and went back inside while reading it. It was a form to go work in the palace. I was excited because that opportunity found me at home. I have always wanted to work just like everyone else, but my parents always played the “you're still fragile” card: “Wait until you shift, you can't be like everyone else. You're different.” I get it. I didn’t shift when I was 11 like other children, neither did I shift when I was 18 or 20, but one day, I would. I was a lone wolf, and that was my biggest insecurity. I had to stay inside to avoid being asked questions; I stayed away from friends to avoid discussing first shifts because I was one who had never experienced it. I believed once I got marked by my mate, I would shift because I had tried everything I could and had never shifted. I was glad that in this chaos, I had a mate, someone who was risking his life to stand by me because mating with a lone wolf in the Drestcrest pack was a crime, and he'd be punished, so I was in a secret relationship. My relationship aside, I wanted this job, and this time, I wasn't going to let them win because it was sad having to stay at home all day doing nothing. When I get excited, I tend to work, and so I went into cleaning the whole house even when it was clean. Then I started practicing how I would deliver the news of my job to them, and I would stand by my words. -+- Soon it was evening. My mother got home rather tired from the market stress, so I had to give her space to rest. I waited for when my father got back, and we were sitting at the back of our house like we used to, just the three of us, when I thought it was right to give them the juicy news. “Mama, Papa, there's something I want to tell you,” I started, wondering how they would take the news, and I knew really well that I wouldn't agree to their words today; I would let my will be done. “Are you okay?” my mother asked, suddenly turning worried again. “Take a breath,” my father touched her before turning back to me. “Go ahead.” I loved my parents; they were old and had me at their older age, but they were filled with love. “Well, I got a job,” I said.