ORTEGA: THE ALPHA’S HUMAN MATE

The sun peeked through the clouds which spread like draperies in the sky, smiling down at the earth vigorously. Different kinds of bird could be heard chirping as they flew around, preparing for a new day-another busy day.

Ortega’s eyes slowly opened as the sun shone on her face through the open blinds, and the first thing she saw was a white ceiling.

A soft groan escaped her lips as she managed to sit up.

She glanced around her to see various types of modern medical equipments and king-sized beds.

“Where am I?” She muttered as she kept glancing around.

“You’re finally awake.” She heard a feminine voice and she moved her gaze to see Agatha walking towards her with a tray of food.

“Who are you?” She asked as Agatha dropped the tray of food on a table beside her bed.

“My name’s Agatha, Whitestone’s healer.” Agatha replied as she sat down beside Ortega on the bed.

“Healer?”

“You can just call me a doctor.” Agatha said.

“Are you also a werewolf?” Ortega asked.

“I’m an half werewolf and half witch,” replied Agatha, “My father was a werewolf and my mother was a witch, and that resulted into me being a werewitch.”

“Oh!” Ortega exclaimed in a low tone. “So you have both the powers of a werewolf and a witch.”

“Yeah.” Agatha nodded with a smile on her face.

“And where is this place?” Ortega asked, glancing around.

“The royal clinic.” Agatha replied.

“But how did I get here?” Ortega asked, and Agatha raised a questioning brow at her.

“Don’t you remember what happened to you last night?” Agatha asked back.

Ortega gasped when she started recollecting everything that happened in alpha Derrick’s chamber the previous night.

She remembered how she broke a jug, she remembered alpha Derrick’s red eyes and long claws. She remembered how alpha Derrick gripped her neck and almost sank his claws in her chest. She also remembered that she suddenly fell on the ground and then she blacked out.

“But what happened?” She muttered with a confused expression on her face. “I should be dead by now because the alpha was really serious about killing me, so how am I still alive? Did he perhaps change his mind at the last minute?”

“No, alpha Derrick didn’t change his mind about killing you. Someone rescued you.” Agatha said.

“Someone rescused me?” Ortega asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

“Yeah, lord Merrick rescued you.” Agatha replied.

“Who is lord Merrick?” Ortega asked with furrowed brows.

“Lord Merrick is Alpha Derrick’s twin brother.” Agatha replied.

“I think I have seen him before. He is the gentle one right?”

“Yeah.” Agatha nodded.

“I’m glad he came to my rescue or else I’d be dead by now.” Ortega said with a wide smile on her face. “I owe him a big thank you.”

“So, who are you and where are you from?” Agatha questioned.

“My name’s Ortega and… I I’m from Brimstone Kingdom.” Ortega replied.

“What are you doing in this kingdom?” Agatha asked, and Ortega let out a soft sigh before saying,

“I was banished from my Kingdom because I’m a human and not a werewolf.”

“What about your parents?” Agatha asked.

“My mother is dead. She was a human and she died after giving birth to me,” replied Ortega with a sad look on her face, “My father is a werewolf but he doesn’t care about me.”

“It’s okay.” Agatha patted her back. “You’re welcome in this kingdom. We don’t send humans away.”

“But why is this kingdom different?” Ortega asked. “Why are humans accepted here but banished in other kingdoms?”

“There’s an enmity between humans and werewolves and it’s true that humans and werewolves aren’t supposed to live together, but lord Merrick made a law that any human who comes to this kingdom to seek refuge should be accepted.” Agatha replied.

“Really?”

“Yeah, although the former alpha and Alpha Derrick didn’t agree with the decision of accepting humans to live among us, but lord Merrick convinced them in several ways untill they agreed with him.” Agatha explained.

“Is there a particular reason why Lord Merrick made the law that humans should be accepted in this kingdom?” Ortega asked, and Agatha nodded affirmatively.

“Yeah, lord Merrick has a reason why he made that law.” she replied.

“And do you mind telling me the reason why?” Ortega asked.

“Lord Merrick told me he made that law because a human girl once did something brave for him.” Agatha replied.

“The human girl must have really done something brave for Lord Merrick to have made that law.”

“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me what she did for him.”

“With your explanation, Lord Merrick must be a kind-hearted man.” Ortega said, smiling.

“Yeah, he is.” Agatha nodded in agreement.

“Back when I was in Brimstone kingdom, I read a lot about this kingdom and I learnt that humans do come here every year for tourism. Is that true?” Ortega asked.

“Yeah,” Agatha nodded. “Humans come to take a tour around our kingdom because of it’s beauty and fame, but the humans who come for tourism don’t know that we are werewolves.” She paused for a while, then continued: “Only five percent of the human population are aware of our existence while the remaining ninety-five thinks werewolves are nothing but a myth.”

“Let me guess, lord Merrick was also the one who gave humans the permission to come take a tour around this kingdom, right?” Ortega asked.

“Yeah, he has soft spot for humans.” Agatha replied with a smile.

“I wish he was the Alpha and not his twin brother.” Ortega said, and a frown appeared on her face when she remembered Alpha Derrick’s face.

“Lord Merrick would have been the Alpha if he was mean like Alpha Derrick and not softhearted.” Agatha said.

“Did someone mention my name?” Came a masculine voice from the doorway and they both turned their gazes to see Merrick walking in, dressed in a blue robe which fitted him perfectly.

Agatha immediately rose to her feet and she bowed.

“Good morning, Lord Merrick.” She greeted respectfully.

“Morning Agatha, trust you had a good night.” Merrick replied.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Yes, my Lord.” Agatha smiled, and Merrick moved his gaze to Ortega who was staring at him.

Ortega was lost staring at Merrick’s face. She had seen his face when she first came to the kingdom, but he looked more handsome from up close and she couldn’t help but to admire him.

His brown hair, his thick brows, his brown eyes, his straight nose, his nicely shaped lips and his perfectly built body.

Ortega admired all these features and she kept staring at him until he cleared his throat.

“G… good morning, lo… lord Merrick.” She stuttered, smiling nervously.

“Morning ummm…” Merrick paused because he didn’t know Ortega’s name.

“Ortega.” She completed his statement for him. “My name is Ortega, and I’m glad you came to my rescue last night. Thanks a lot, lord Merrick.”

“It’s nothing.” Merrick replied with a smile and he turned his face to Agatha who was standing beside him. “Can you please give us some minutes, Agatha?”

“Alright my Lord.” Agatha bowed before walking out, then Merrick sat down beside Ortega.

An awkward silence fell between them as they stared at each other’s face without saying a word.

Ortega felt shy because of the way Merrick was staring at her face, so she she quickly looked away.

“Have we met each other before?” Merrick finally broke the long silence.

“No, why?” Ortega asked in reply.

“You look familiar, and I feel like we’ve met each other before.” Merrick replied, and Ortega chuckled.

“That’s impossible.” She said.

“Why?” Merrick asked.

“I have been living in Brimstone kingdom since I was a kid and you are in whitestone, so there’s absolutely no way we have seen or met each other before.” Ortega replied.

“But you look so familiar, and I have a feeling that we’ve met each other before.” Merrick said in a serious tone which got Ortega thinking where and when they met each other.

“But I don’t remember your face, nor do I remember meeting you anywhere, not even in my widest dreams.” Ortega replied, and Merrick shifted closer to her.

Ortega’s heart started beating fast at their closeness. Their faces were inches apart, and Ortega swallowed hard when she shifted her eyes to his lips.

His lips were pink and tempting, and she felt the urge to kiss them.

They held each other’s gazes in silence, then Merrick started leaning closer to kiss her.