Alpha Of Darkness And The Half-Breed Healer

GAEL’S POV

My body felt heavy. After such a long time staring into space like a zombie, I finally became conscious of my environment and myself. The first person I saw was Nia, and I thought I was dreaming until I grabbed her hand, and it turned out to be true. She had yanked my hand off her and warned me never to touch her again. I did as told and kept my hands to myself.

Ezra informed me that she had saved me from the clutches of death when she could have refused. I will forever be grateful for that. But I can’t seem to wrap my head around that he agreed for us to leave the minute I could move around by myself. It is the sixth day of us being here, according to him, and we will go today. I don’t think I am ready to do that just yet.

The door opened, and for a second, I thought it was Nia. It was Ezra; to my disappointment, since the day I had held her hand, a lovely old lady had been the only one attending to me. Nia must be avoiding me at all costs. I don’t blame her; no one will forget such a horrifying night so easily. Every time I remember, I find myself cringing at the thought.

“Hey, big man. You ready to go home.” He grinned widely.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“No,” I replied sternly, sitting up with a grunt.

“Why? Do you still feel any discomfort? Let me know so I can get Dr Reed to check you.”

“So even if there was something, Nia won’t come to see me?”

“She has done her job treating you, and we had an agreement. Why would she come? If you were in her shoes, would you have shown yourself? You are hale and hearty. I have healing potions to seal off the unusual disease, so you have nothing to worry about.”

I sniffed, keeping my butt glued to the bed. “I don’t think you heard what I said before. I am not going home. Not until I talk to Nia.”

“Are you crazy? I am sure you heard correctly the instruction she gave that I gladly agreed to for the restoration of your health. Do you intend to make a fool of me?”

“I would be considered the most foolish person to ever exist on Earth if anyone discovered I blew this second chance. Have you forgotten that I gave up on ever finding her or seeing Nia again? Now that the goddess has brought me here, the best I can do is use it well. You can return to the pack. All I need is my card to sort myself out. My point is just in case it is not clear to you yet. I am going to see and talk to Nia. I don’t care how long it would take.”

“Are you being like this because she is pregnant?” He questioned.

My lashes fluttered as his words sank in. “Nia is pregnant?”

“You didn’t know? I thought that is why you are insistent on staying back.”

“No, I didn’t even know that. Nia had her back turned to me that day. I am just expressing how much I want to seek her forgiveness, that is all. Oh, my goodness.” I gasped in disbelief. “She is carrying my baby.”

Ezra huffed, pulling at his hair. “Nia wouldn’t like this when she finds out.” He said.

“I am not going to stay put right here. Is there another way to access this place besides the main house?”

“Yes, it is just the same as the clinic back at home. There is a main door where the patients come in through. Only the house members get to take the private gate here.” Ezra explained.

“That is good enough. I will take it from here.” I said with a hopeful smile. I will do everything it takes to take my woman back home with me, even if that would involve me adjusting to the lives of the humans.

“How long do you think you can hold up? Don’t forget you have a pack to rule.”

“I still have to try my best no matter what. I still love Nia. I know I haven’t been sincere over time, but I mean every word now. I would do whatever it takes to make her notice me.”

“Listen, Gael. I am not trying to discourage you, but then I have a sister, and I can assure you that if Perry had gone through the same thing you put Nia through that night, I would have you beheaded before you could get close to my sister. Forget about her being pregnant; what if she still refuses to get back with you after everything you say?”

“Then I will take it all in good stride. I want Nia to hear me out. I need to share my thoughts with her and, most importantly, apologize for being a dick. I know this might be a lost cause, but I will try for both of our sakes. I need to rectify my actions. Please understand me, Ezra. I want to make a change that starts with acknowledging my past mistakes. I also need to thank her for saving me.” I said.



He gave me a suspicious look. “Don’t try to play funny. If Nia gets hurt again, you will have me to contend with, and I mean it.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” I assured.

He sighed loudly. “All right, let’s get you settled then. I need to return to the pack as soon as possible. With you staying back here, I have a lot on my hands to deal with. Let’s go before we get thrown out. We don’t have much fans here.”

Standing up, I walked by his side, and on our way out of the building, we bumped into the old lady looking after me after Nia warned me off. She smiled brightly at Ezra and only gave me a brief nod and a stiff smile. “You are leaving, Ezra. It’s so nice to meet you.”

Ezra hugged her briefly. “Thank you so much for your hospitality. I appreciate it. I would say hello when Perry returns from her trip.”

“We would love to have you. Have a safe trip back home.” She gave me an almost cold glance before walking away.

“I thought we had a thing going while she treated me. What’s with the sudden attitude?” I asked Ezra as we headed to the car.

He snickered. “Doctor Reed is Nia’s grandmother. I hope you can connect the dots.”

“Grandmother? How is that?”

“Well, thanks to you throwing her out. She got to find her father’s family. Remember, she is a half-breed.” I could sense the mockery in his tone.

“Do you always have to be so stupid?” I inquired, kissing my teeth. He only laughed, making a silly face.

I rolled my eyes and sat in the car. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Nia peeping from the house window. We would get to see again. I will make sure of that.

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

NIA’S POV

Nurturing Gael back to life and seeing him move around, looking as healthy as ever, is one of the most soothing experiences I have had in a long while. As much as I feel very reluctant to admit it, I was pretty excited throughout the four days I spent checking up on him. I had to stay back and have my grandmother handle his health when he held me in a bid to talk to me. At that moment, I wasn’t sure about what I wanted, which prompted me to shun him.

My wrist tingled for days before I finally shook off the longing thought. When Gael got discharged, I had mixed feelings seeing him leave. Just when I thought it was over and our paths would probably never cross each other again.

Two days after his discharge, Gael began visiting the medical center daily and waiting for me to talk to him. I thought he would give up by the third day when he realized I didn’t want to speak to him. I had to stop visiting the medical center to avoid him. I even called Ezra, and he said Gael was adamant about not returning until he got to talk to me.

It’s been almost a week, and he is still here, always showing up in the most visible spot between the medical center entrance and the house. Whether I turn left or right, I must see his face. It’s beginning to affect my concentration. I can no longer go a day without thinking about him, and this must have been his intention. I thought my harsh words were enough to turn him away, but he seemed adamant.

“Do you need me to bounce him out? I know I shouldn’t since it’s not like he is trespassing, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we must do something about it.” Catelyn said behind me while she knitted.

“The problem here is he needs to rest as much as he can after going through such rigorous body transformation. Yet, he keeps exposing himself to the cold to see me.” I said with concern while stretching my neck. It’s a Sunday, yet he still came by.

“Would you see him then?” She suggested.

“No!” Perry yelled from the other end. I had placed her on a video call so she could see Gael while I stood at the window. “Why do you need to see him? He would only flood your mind with those awful memories. I think you are fine this way; don’t let him get into your head.”

My grandmother cleared her throat when I returned to the couch. “I know I have little knowledge about what ensued between you both. But I don’t think an unrepentant man would stand outside a lady’s window for days to talk to her. He has become a close pal of the older patients, bringing them goodies so that he would have a reason to hang around, and they already took a liking to him. My hands are tied to send him away because he isn’t bothering anyone in any way. Even though he knows

Nia might never hear him out, but he persists. I would advise you to think it through. Make up your mind if you want to talk to him or not. Either way, you are the only one that can make him leave. I think you also need to move on.”

Perry blew Raspberry into the phone. “I hate to say Granny Catelyn is right. It won’t resolve until you tell him how you truly feel about everything. The closure is much needed. It would have been better if you never saw each other.”

I inhaled deeply and leaned into the chair. Throwing my head to the back, I rubbed slowly on my bump. That doomed night memory returned to me; the distant look in his eyes haunted me and sent cold shivers down my spine. What confuses me the most is how he moved from being so loving to such an unapproachable person.

At the same time, I can’t tell what I would have done if I was in his shoes. Still, it doesn’t give him the right to do what he did to me. However, I am pretty curious to hear what he has to say. Maybe it is the tingling feeling I feel whenever I remember him. I can’t tell.

On second thought, I think of waiting until he loses his patience and leaves for the pack-that way, we never get to meet again. But the realistic question is: what do I want?

“What if he is only here because of the baby?” I mumbled.

“Then you will only find out when you talk to him. You have every right to decide on what is best for you.” Catelyn said. “For humans, it is considered very healthy when one is curious about what happened to them, which is what brought about closure. Many times, it only leads to regrets when one forcefully finds it. However, yours is different because it is at your doorstep. Seize the chance, or you might curse yourself for being a coward. I know you want to; courage is all that you seek.”

“Just put an end to it, Nia,” Perry added.

I inhaled slowly, feeling my eyes water. I don’t know what scares me the most. Realizing that Gael is only here for the child will break me apart. I want to play cowardly until the end and send him off. For someone who moved on so quickly with Gemma the minute I left the pack, his love for me isn’t as much as mine. That alone is a big red flag for me. Gripping the couch tightly, I gathered courage and headed out of the house, walking with determination to meet with him.

As I neared where he sat with his back, my legs became very weak. What if I end up stuttering in front of him? He might end up mocking me to my face and remind me just how soft at heart I am. Gulping hard, I ignored the excitement of my wolf at the sight of him and cleared my throat.

“What do you think you are doing?” I said in a distant tone.