THE ALPHA'S FATED SOULMATE

THE ALPHA'S SOULMATE Chapter 1 Azanothe Zungu I'm walking in the woods alone. No one is here to protect me and I'm scared. There's a heaviness in my heart. The trees are tall and dark. Very dark. In a scary way. All I hear is my own breath. It's too quiet. But there's another presence. Something. Someone. I can't see it, but my heart knows I'm not alone. My heart beats fast. "Mama, baba, Lungelo," I shout. I look around but no one answers. There's movement behind me. I look back. In the dark I see a shadow. I can't tell if it's a person or an animal. I keep screaming for my parents and brother. I don't remember why I came here. My grandmother told me to come fetch something. But I can't remember what it is. "Azanothe, Aza wake up." That's my mother's voice. She's calling from far. This thing is moving closer. Its eyes are scary. "Aza vuka, you will be late." I force my eyes open. My mother is standing over me, worry in her eyes. My heart is still beating fast and I'm sweating. She sits on the bed. She knows. This dream didn't start today. It started when I turned 18. On my 18th birthday. Since then, not one night passes without the same nightmare. We can't call it a dream. The person who sends me to the forest in that dream is no longer alive. My grandmother. She died when I was 15. Gogo is still alive though. Maybe I should go home and ask him to help me. Why have I had this nightmare for years? Mother Mary - I mean my mother - doesn't believe in anything about ancestors. She only does ceremonies because she's my dad's wife. She respects his beliefs, and he respects hers. "The same dream again. Maybe it's time we do something about it. It's been years." Now she's starting to understand it's serious. This woman has been taking me to church. Praying for me. In her world, everything she doesn't understand is demonic. She once said they're trying to initiate me through my dreams. Church ladies came home once. They prayed for me. Sprinkled holy water and oil on me. "What will you do? Pray the nightmare away?" I ask, getting off the bed. I have a client meeting this morning, then I must meet my boyfriend. "Hawu MaZungu, where is your faith?" "Faith ma? Does it even exist? Look at me, jumping from one relationship to another. I'm becoming a laughing stock." She sighs. I know this worries her too. No mother wants to see her daughter rejected by men. But I'm used to it. If they paid me for it, I'd be rich. "Prepare for work. I will talk to your father and see what to do. Go bath. I will make breakfast." I thank her. She walks out but I see the worry on her face. I make my bed and walk to the bathroom. I have 2 hours before my meeting, so no rush. My meeting ended early. So I called Bruce, my boyfriend, to have brunch. He said he wanted to see me anyway. So here we are. He's been avoiding my eyes since we sat down. I can see he wants to say something. My heart drops to my stomach. It can't be what I'm thinking. Not again. Not when we just hit 4 months. He puts his hands on mine and sighs. Whatever he wants to say is hard. "There's no easy way to say this, but I think we should end this." No, satan can't win again. Haven't I suffered enough? "What do you mean, Bruce?" My voice shakes. The restaurant suddenly feels small. He moves his hands away and shrugs. He looks everywhere but at me. "Answer me. You can't just dump me." "I just can't feel you anymore, Aza. It's nothing personal." Really? It's not personal? He chased me. I gave him a chance. 4 months later he "can't feel me"? There's nothing left to say. Let me take my legs and walk out. He's full of himself. "I wish you were honest instead of wasting my time. Good thing I don't love you and your weapon is small." He gasps and holds my hand tight. I pull it away. "You're just saying that to feel better. I know I'm big." Of course he is. But in my head he suddenly became small. Why praise a man who just dumped you? I'm not answering him. I take my purse and walk out without looking back. Honestly, I think I should quit dating. Maybe I'm meant to be the family auntie. The one who never marries and minds everyone else's business. I'm throwing in the towel. At 29, I've tried and failed. My mother tried matchmaking me with church men. I wasn't interested. I want someone dangerous. Someone who looks at me and makes my stomach dance without touching me. Not these "I have money" men, like the one I left in the restaurant. He brags about his family's money. At some point I had to tell him it's not HIS money. Why am I wasting time thinking about an ex? I'm lying. My heart isn't broken. My sisters and cousins are married. Some married at 25. Here I am, almost 30, with no serious man. Who did I offend? Maybe it's time I talk to the old ones buried in KwaNzimakwe. They can't sleep while I'm struggling to find them a son-in-law. They must do something. My mind was busy. I didn't notice I'm already at the gate. It's a miracle I didn't crash. The gate opens. I sigh, seeing my dad's car in the driveway. He still treats me like his little girl and it irritates me. I hope he's in his study. I'm not in the mood today. If he asks about my day, I might cry on his lap. I know I said stop treating me like a child, but his hugs are the best. After parking behind his car, I get off with my bag. No need to show the world I got dumped today. Head high, I walk to the house. And there he is, standing at the door waiting. "Sawubona MaZungu, ukahle?" He knows me too well. It's in his eyes. My last-born side wants to come out. No Aza, breathe. Act like a big girl. "Sawubona baba, ngikahle. Unjani wena?" I force a smile. He doesn't buy it. "Come tell ubaba who made you sad." We walk inside. My mother must be in the kitchen. She loves that part of the house. We grew up bonding there. Baking, cooking, trying new recipes. "It happened again, Zungu. I think I need cleansing. Not the chicken one. This curse needs a big fat cow with big horns." Why is he looking at me like I'm dramatic? I'm the one wearing tight shoes. "Cleansing, you say? Imagine cow dung all over you. Are you okay with that now?" My body cringes. I hate cleansing. I only do it for ceremonies and funerals. "Or maybe I need the blood of Jesus. Do you know where I can find it?" He laughs and shakes his head. "You don't believe in church things. We will go home this weekend and forget about the boy. It's his loss." I want to shout "No old man, who will give me orgasms?" But this is my father. We respect boundaries. I need to talk to Nkanyezi. I hope she's not under her husband. I need to vent. She's my unqualified therapist and she knows how to cheer me up. The first born is strict. She's 40. Last time I told her about this she said "Ngeke Anothe, just give up. There's a jealous male spirit in you." Can you imagine? Worst advice ever. What would a spirit want with me? "You are disturbing me," Nkanyezi answers the phone. My sister is a freak. "Azanothe, speak," I hear her husband whispering. She giggles like a child. "No, it's fine. Call me back." I drop the call and throw myself on the bed. I'm not going to office today. You're wondering what I do, right? Nothing special. I'm just a designer. I don't have my own office yet. My father gave me one at his company. That's where my team and I brainstorm. Most times we're out, turning clients' houses into warm homes. I already have a building. It's being renovated. I don't want it to collapse on us. It hasn't been used for years, so there's a lot to fix. My phone rings. I just want to sleep. I want to forget my problems. But sleep means the nightmare again. When will I rest? "Ngcino, I have a meeting tomorrow. Come with me, sis wami." Lungelo hates peace. Why is he in my room without knocking? "What if I was naked?" He's always serious. "Sorry. So will you come tomorrow?" "Why? I'm not into construction." "But the person will need an interior designer. That's you. Or should I give the job to someone else?" He wouldn't dare. But this is my brother. He's unpredictable. "Fine. I don't have much to do tomorrow." He nods and walks out. "Wait, who are we meeting?" "Busani Killian Mngomezulu. Owner of Zulu Minerals. The mine magnet." No, it can't be. No one has seen that man. He lives in the shadows. People tried to find his face but he's like a ghost. Maybe he's ugly, no teeth. We know his brothers from TV and magazines. Women are crazy for them. The family has old money. Unlike people who shout "I'm rich". We see it for ourselves. People say many things about Killian. Some say he lives in the woods and no one knows his face. Others say he doesn't exist. He died long ago and the family is holding on to his things. That last one makes no sense. So tomorrow I'm going. I just want to see why the secrecy. Why so much privacy? Maybe he has a disability. But that's nothing to hide, right? Let me not stress my brain. Look at me thinking about a ghost when I got dumped hours ago. Maybe I need a new heart. This one doesn't hurt after rejection anymore. "Pastor Zibuyile is coming Sunday. You must come to church." No, not matchmaking again. What will I do with a pastor? Do we pray before everything? They might even pray before s*x. I wouldn't survive. I have nothing against pastors. They just act too perfect. I don't like fake people. Be you. "Why ma, is he coming for Ngcino?" Lungelo raises his eyebrows. She pushes her plate away. We're having dinner. "He's a good man. I wouldn't mind if he becomes my son-in-law. He's humble." "You're allowed to dream, mkami. Keep dreaming." Baba doesn't talk much. That's just him. "Keep defending her. She'll reach menopause before giving us grandchildren." She's fighting me. Why think that far? "And you already have 5 grandchildren. Leave my child alone." If we don't stop, they'll argue till midnight. My mother doesn't give up. I guess that's where my sister got her stubbornness. Her husband just lets her win. My name is Azanothe Zungu. I'm 29. I'm an interior designer. I help at my mother's orphanage too. I'm single. Well, I became single this morning. That night, the nightmare came again. But this time was different. This time, when I turned around in the forest... The shadow had eyes. And they were his.