Alpha Of Darkness And The Half-Breed Healer

NIA’S POV

Gael looks so peaceful when asleep. No one would think he is capable of causing any trouble. Checking the alarm clock, it’s past our usual waking time. I guess Gael intends to sleep in late today. Placing a kiss on his cheek, I headed out. I was halfway to getting ready for the clinic when my phone rang loudly.

Shit! I knew I was supposed to take care of something. It’s Perry calling, and I am sure she is about to give me an earful. I didn’t tell her anything about my consumption of poison and only mentioned it casually in a text, just like it had taken me a while to say to her about me and Gael.

She didn’t hesitate to rebuke me the last time, and I am sure this won’t be an exception. Clearing my throat, I bite down on my lip, trying to prepare myself mentally for her next raging attack. My wolf seems to be in as much discomfort as I am, too. Perry can be terrifying, and I feel sorry for her mate and children. They would have no choice but to deal with her daily excesses, just like I am stuck here.

“Hey, girl.” I drawled in a high-pitched tone.

“Switch the damn phone to a video call, and don’t you dare try to play nice with me.” She gritted.

Swallowing hard, I did as told. “Hi.” I cooed, showing all of my teeth.

Perry slapped her forehead, “you have a thing for always getting on my nerves, don’t you? Nia, I thought I was your friend?”

“You still are-”

“Let me finish.” She cut me short. “it’s bad enough that I wake up worried every day because of how unsure I am about your new relationship with Gael. I know you will try to defend Gael and say he is true to his feelings. But what about Gemma? Would she be happy to know you have occupied her space? I am sure she had something to do with the poisoning.”

The worry on her face was too evident. Guilt tugged at my heartstrings, and I should have known Perry would feel left out. I was just concerned about bothering her. I don’t like being a burden to others. “I didn’t want to trouble you. Also, it wasn’t Gemma. Stephanie did it.”

“Trouble me all you want. I won’t complain. I need to know if you are fine; you mean a lot to me, Nia. I don’t think I emphasize this enough. That bitch mother of yours needs to take a piss. She is lucky I was not there; I would have pulled out her hair and taught her a bloody lesson. No one deserves you in that place. Why don’t you just come to New York? Forget about these horrifying people.”

I sighed, settling on the edge of the bed. “It’s not that easy, Perry. I must fulfill my obligations here.”

She hissed, “You are always saying that. But then you almost lost your life for these said people. How does that make any sense? What use is saving them when you won’t be alive to do so?”

“That is all in the past, Perry. No one would do anything to harm me anymore. I am sure of that.”

There was a bit of movement in the background.

“How are you so trusting of Gael, baby? You have only just met him. Are you sure he could protect you with everything he has?”

I scrunched up my face, wondering what Perry was all about. “Perry, is there something you aren’t telling me? Why are you so against Gael?”

“I am not against him. I am only looking out for you, and if that looks like me being against him, then so be it. Gael has an erratic side to him. He doesn’t know how to take his time to figure out situations and goes cold. I don’t want you to be at the receiving end of his sour attitude. Please.”

Goosebumps suddenly rose on my arm, and I felt discomfort in my belly. “He has been nice to me since we sorted our differences. And I have told you countless times that he acknowledged his wrongdoings. I know you never liked him much. But can you be at least nice when you talk about him? I am in love with Gael.”

“What about Gemma?”

Now, I was beginning to get tired of the conversation. We keep moving in circles continuously, which is getting on my nerves. It’s too early for me to be in a sour mood. “what about Gemma? Are you worried because she is your cousin?”

Perry scoffed, “Not on your life. You and Ezra are the only ones that matter to me in that pack. Well, my uncle, too. He has been caring towards my brother and me. Now I am going off-topic.” She said quickly, ruffling her hair. “listen to me, baby. I have had this odd nightmare of your wolf crying out for help and me trying so hard to locate your howl. Before you claim, that might be my crazy thoughts before bed. It feels real every time, and that bothers me. I need you to be careful. Gemma being quiet makes me feel cold.”

“Gael already talked to her, and they are cool with each other. I am getting tired of this conversation. I still feel like you know something that you aren’t letting on. If you don’t tell me, we should forget this conversation.”

She smacked her lips while holding my gaze. “When we were young, I had slipped down the stairs with one of Gemma’s toys during a visit to their home. I twisted an ankle, and her toy broke. I remember my mum pleading with her profusely, and she smiled all through it, claiming to be fine. I ended up in the bed, nursing my wounds. Only for her to come around when the adults weren’t close by, and she looked me coldly in the eye, held my bandaged leg, and twisted it until I had another fracture while telling me that was her payback for ruining her toy. I was in an excruciating pain for two weeks. Thankfully, being a werewolf helps you heal on time.”

I felt guilty to have made her sound like she was just being bitter. “Is that why you hate her?”

“It would be petty if I hung onto that incident when we were just children. But accepting apologies with a smile and returning to harm the person twice as much became her strategy, and I saw her do it to everyone who came close. I was glad to have seen that true side to her. Not only is she petty, she is unforgiving. I am worried she would hurt you, and I will never forgive myself if something worse than the poison happens.”

My heart thumped in fear. I chuckled awkwardly. “I promise to be on the lookout from now on. Don’t worry, and I plan to be in your life for as long as possible.”

Perry finally let out a laugh. “I am glad to hear that. Please take care of yourself for me, Nia. You mean so much to me, and that is the truth. I will let you off now to work. Talk to you later. Bye, I love you.”

“I love you too,” I mumbled, staring blankly at the phone screen when it went off. I can feel the discomfort in my chest now. Perry is probably right to be worried.

**********************

GAEL’S POV

Everyone seems to be in a good mood. One thing about members of the Sunset pack is how much they love to party. I feel the same, too; any chance to see ladies dressed in breathtaking outfits and have them warm my bed at the end of the day. I am all in. But it is different now; the only person I want to see dressed is Nia. I can envision her right now in a figure-embracing dress. A small smile tugged at my lips.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

“Someone looks happy. Are you daydreaming?”

Ezra’s ever-annoying voice drawled in my ear. The fact that he now gets to sit next to me as the Beta irks me so much. It is his everyday chance to get on my nerves.

Flaring my nose, I glared at him. “Breath down my precious neck again, and I will have your head swinging down a pole.”

He held out his tongue after ensuring none of the council members were watching. “You won’t do anything.”

Omega Harold cleared his throat to call our attention. “Pardon me, Alpha Gael. We have all decided that the party should be in honor of former Beta’s Ezekiel for his service to the great good of the Sunset pack; we think it should also be a means to usher in the new Beta. Many people do not know of his new position just yet.”

I exchanged a look with Ezra. I intended to taunt him, but he looked remarkably unfazed, to my disappointment. “Fuck you.” I mouthed while holding up a fake smile to Harold. “It’s all good. Since it’s agreed on, send out the invites and make the preparations. It should be held this weekend, right?”

“Yes, just in time for his recovery. We don’t want the old man stressing.” Omega Harold replied as he laughed along with the others.

“Let’s call it a day then. If you need anything, you can reach out to Ezra. He would help you out.” I instructed. They all rapped out their appreciation before walking out of the hall, leaving me with my all-time nemesis. “What is it?” I grunted.

Ezra snickered while staring at me in amusement. “You tell me. What’s going on in that dirty mind of yours? Even though you try to act like there is nothing up. I can read through you quite well.”

“This is why I despise you so much. You shouldn’t know that much about me. It’s unhealthy.”

“Stop whining about your insecurity, and let me know your secret.”

I smiled shyly, turning my face away. Ezra is such a pain in the neck, always wanting to know. But I admit that I secretly admire how concerned he is always about me. He was the only one before, and it made me feel safe. With Nia now, I know I have nothing else to worry about. Despite my bad attitude, the goddess has chosen to reward me. Standing up, I folded my hands behind me, staring at the window.

“Do you know something, Ezra? I never thought I would get to feel love at its core. When I rejected my mate, I felt the pain for some time. She was beautiful, and my mate had the most piercing blue eyes ever. But my ego got in the way. I thought too hard about what people might think of me. I didn’t want to be considered the Alpha who let go of his duty and let love take over. We all know love is sometimes the death of duty. I rejected her and turned my back on her. My wolf howled sadly for weeks. Why was I exactly pained? You might ask. Well, for the fact that I rejected her myself. The truth is, I felt pity for my future self. I feared never finding a woman who would love me like my mother loved my father. It is a shame that they ended up like that.”

“You weren’t the one who got hurt. But you held the longest grudge.” Ezra reminded me.

I sighed, dipping both of my hands in my pocket. “I am not going to deny that fact. I hated and loved my father at the same time. Even though he was the reason our family went sour, I still kept up his legacy of hating the humans. For a long while, I thought I was living my best life. However, this time, I am in my exact best life. I can no longer see myself living it on my own. I want to spend the rest of my life with Nia. Ezra, I think I am ready.”

He shifted the chair, getting up. “Are you sure of what you are saying right now?”

I nodded, “Yes, I am very sure. I plan to ask Nia to be my Luna this weekend at the party. I have never been this certain in my entire life. Waiting for more time will be a waste because I don’t need anyone to tell me I have found my soulmate. So I will be popping the question in a few days, and I need your help.”

Ezra stared at me in awe. “what have they done to you, my friend? What spell has Nia cast on you? I love every bit of the new you. We will finally be joining the leagues of packs with a Luna and a remarkable one at that. She would help you grow the pack into the best of its kind. I am so happy about this.”

I chuckled, getting affected by his excitement. “why are you seeming happier than I am?”

“I have waited for you to say those words for ages.”

“But you haven’t engaged yourself.”

“Yeah, still, I didn’t sign off love. I have always desired to experience it at its peak. You choose not to involve yourself and even went to the extent of keeping many women by your side without holding them to heart. Nia came and swept you off your feet; now that is no doubt a wonder woman. She has you right where you are to be.”

“If you keep rambling like this, I might change my mind and not do anything,” I warned playfully.

He wiggled his brows, doing a stupid dance step with his legs. “you wouldn’t dare to do something like that. That reminds me, we need to get a ring. I am sure you would rather not present yourself like an idiot without showing her evidence of your desire.”

“You lost me at the two last sentences. Are you still in the right state of mind? You are rambling, man.”

“Shut up. Don’t ruin the moment. Let’s get on with it.”

Ezra didn’t let me get my words together before he dragged me out into the hallway. For some reason, I began to laugh heartily. It’s been so long that I have almost forgotten what it feels like to be happy.