The Dark Alpha

Chapter 16

"You're squeezing the life out of me, Pearl," I wheezed out as I broke out of her arms. Pearl had snuck into my room last night, climbed into my bed, wrapped her arms around me and slept like a baby. I wouldn't have minded, if she wasn't squeezing the life out of me.

"I'm sorry," she apologised and I turned my head to look at her, seeing that she indeed looked much sadder than she did last night.

"Are you ok?" I asked her softly as I fluffed up my pillow and pulled the blanket up to my chin, interlacing my legs with hers as we both looked at each other.

She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Everything. I'm scared of being a mother. I'm scared of mum and dad finding out. I'm scared of Isaac finding out."

"He doesn't know? How could you not have told him?!"

"He wanted to get serious. He wanted to get married, he wanted to meet mom and dad, he wanted to become one big happy family and... I can't have that."

"Why not, Pearl?"

"I can't have that with him. Look at Isaac. He's everything I've never wanted in a man. If I were to walk down the street and see a man who even looked like him, I would've turned my nose up at them and carried on walking, but for some reason when it comes to him. I don't know, but...he just does something to me. I can't help but become silly and every wall of mine just vanishes when he's there," she paused, "I was going to leave, Diamond. Actually, I did break things off with him. Which is quite funny because we weren't even together, but we were together. Does that make sense? Anyways, I told him I was done with him and we couldn't carry on doing whatever it was that we were doing. I told him that as much as I cared about him, he wasn't the person that I wanted to settle down with. I have other suitors and they're much more fit for me than him. In this day and age, it's not about love anymore."

"And?" I asked eagerly, wanting to hear more.

"I couldn't tell him to his face, it was like I could hear my own heart break when I said those words to him. I was a coward for breaking up with him over the phone, but it's all that I could do. He didn't even say a word, it was silent on the other end of the line and I just cut the call when I was done. A few days later, I'm sitting in the doctor's office and he's smiling and saying that I'm pregnant..."

"...are you going to keep...the baby?" I asked her.

"It's not a baby yet," she snapped, "don't make it sound like it's a person," she closed her eyes, "I-I-...maybe?"

"Once mum and dad hear who's the father, you know they won't let you keep...it."

She nodded, "I know."

"Are you going to tell him?"

She bit her lip, "what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

I didn't know what to say so I just kept quiet and fell into silence. Afraid of the conversation that we were having.

"I need your support, Diamond," she said to me, breaking the short term silence. I looked at her just to see her looking at me with a desperate look in her eyes.

I let out a weak smile as I nodded, "I'll always support you, Pearl. You can always count on me."

"Thank you," she blinked twice before a smile grew on her face, "why don't you show me around New Cresthill today? I'd like to see more of this place."

I nodded eagerly, "oh yes. Let's go shower, and we'll go out for breakfast and then explore."

~~~

She was different now, I could see it, or maybe this was all being played out because of what she's told me but she's changed. She's not the same person that she was before, and I realise this happened a long time ago. I just wasn’t paying attention.

"So are you ever going to tell me who you were going on a date with last night?" Pearl giggled as she wiggled her eyebrows at me, bumping her hip against mine.

I felt myself blush, "oh, uh, well-"

"Come on, you can tell me. Who's the lucky man?"

She and I were walking through the busy bodies of the people as we walked through the hotspots of the town. Passing cafés, passing musicians performing on the corners and restaurants where the various scents wafted to our noses.

"His name is Arthur Charlesworth."

"Ooh, fancy. Is he a royal? Who am I kidding, it's New Cresthill. Let me guess, some...maybe principal or...doctor? Ok, a musician? Oh God forbid, tell me it's not some poet?"

I rolled my eyes, "well, no. You're wrong. He's actually the mayor's son."

"The mayor's son?" She repeated, sounding highly impressed, "oh that's fantastic to hear! Why haven't you told me about him? Have you told mom and dad? They'd be more than happy about your choice."

I shook my head, "I don't know why. I guess I know how picky mum and dad can be and I just don't want them getting involved. It's fun to fall in love on your own, and have your own adventure."

She looped her arm through mine after she was done eating her ice cream, "certainly. So when can I meet him? I promise not to judge him, or say anything mean. I'll be on my best behaviour. Is he good looking? On a scale of 1 to 10 how handsome is he? How's the s*x? Is it good?"

"Pearl," I scolded, feeling my heart still when she asked the question loudly and I swear I saw several people whose heads looked in our direction, "stop it."

She leaned down to my ear, "oh it's that good huh?"

"Ew no. No, we certainly haven’t slept with each other," I said quickly, embarrassed that my sister would ask me such.

"Woah there, baby sister, you're no virgin mary," she laughed as she teasingly tickled my neck and I groaned, but ended up giggling because my neck was my weak spot.

"Can you stop asking me about that?" I snapped softly as I looked around, shooting looks of apology to those who were looking at us because of my sister's loud laugh.

"Can I meet the man at the very least?" She asked me and I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Yes you may meet him, on the condition that you don't make him feel uncomfortable."

"What? Me make a man feel uncomfortable? Well you can certainly count on me doing that," she said as she threw some money into the empty can of a musician playing the guitar. 

"I'm serious. Please don't interrogate him, or ask him about his achievements."

"You're asking me to let the man be a bum?"

"You're not going to sit there and judge him when you're the one who was with..." I drifted off, biting my tongue and remembering the kind of person my sister was. When she felt attacked, she'd make sure she held nothing back.

"Isaac has many things against him, but he's not a bum. He's got a degree in finance and he's got a job, that though may not be very ideal, but he earns more than a million in a month. He knows over 11 languages, and he's helped me both close big deals that cost hundreds of millions as well as helped me get rid of competition. Yes I realise that I've now told you that he's helped me in...well you know what, but he's very well achieved. Again strange to say, but it's true. And that's what I want to know from this man. Is he earning? If so, how much? What has he studied? Where has he studied? His future plans? What he thinks of you? And from there I'll determine the more important result and that is of what benefit will he be to the Louise family."

I rubbed my temples, "you're a headache, Pearl. Just don't be overbearing, and just give him space to breathe. Him and I are not very serious, so there's no need for you to ask him such heavy questions."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you happy. May I meet him?"

"I know you won't take no for answer."

"You're very correct. So tonight? Tomorrow night?"

"How about I speak to him first and then let you know?"