Chapter 12: Chapter 12

The eerie impression made the hairs on my body rise, and a shuddery sensation flowed down on my spinal cord. I bit my inner cheeks, trying to calm myself. I don’t even know where I gathered the courage to go down here. The place ricks, and you couldn’t see anything clearly, even using a flashlight.

I almost stumbled on the stairs when I finally reached the ground floor. The wooden stairs made a screeching noise, making my ears hurt. I shivered when I darted my eyes around the area where the light was hitting. Why do I feel like something is watching me down here? I took a step forward, trying to shake the negative thoughts away. If we are going to live here, we should know what kind of place this is.

I gulped down, tension forming in my throat, then tried to sense what chilly area. Even though this is a basement, the sensation down here feels like you are walking inside a large icebox when you set your feet. I jerked from my spot when something caught my eyes, and at the same time, I dropped the flashlight to the ground. It created a loud thud causing my heart to accelerate.

I was gasping to catch my breath. I followed my gaze on the flashlight rolling on the floor until it stopped when it hit something. I slowly walked up to it to pick it up when I felt a presence behind me. My eyes widened in fear when I slowly looked at it, and I shrieked when I saw a phantom of a person towering over me. Its death stare was piercing right through my soul that weakened my muscles.

“NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!” I didn’t realize I was punching and kicking it with my flashlight. I closed my eyes as I did this.

“Natasha! Stop! It’s me!”

Someone caught my arms before I could throw another series of punches and kicks. I was hyperventilating when I opened my eyes and saw Ethan was. The flashlight was directly pointed at his face. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

“You fucking scared me,” I mumbled. Ethan shook his head then he took the flashlight from me. He roamed his eyes somewhere, probably looking for the main switch to turn on the lights. Ethan walked beside the staircase, clicked on something, and suddenly the whole place lit up.

“What are you doing here all alone? You should have called me to guide you here.” Ethan scolded me, but I didn’t listen to him as I looked around the area.

I could have sworn I felt like someone was here before Ethan came. The basement looks nothing special. Some piles of junk were scattered on the floors, and some objects that were destroyed were brought here. I caught Ethan putting his arms above his torso, shaking his head slightly from the scenery. He doesn’t like the place since it’s covered with dust.

“What do you have to say, Natasha? Hmm?” Ethan was waiting for my answer when I fixated my eyes on the ground, nodding.

“Yes, dear. I will ask for your guidance next time. I can walk, you know?” I rolled my eyes and walked past him to go upstairs again. I don’t have the time to stick around and watch broken objects all day. Also, Ethan is mad. I know he can be a little overprotective sometimes, but this is too much.

“You can only roll your eyes when I am fucking you, Natasha. But right now, what if there is something-” Ethan suddenly ceased talking, and I figured he must have noticed it’s not funny to say stuff like that. I shrugged it off since I was not mad and continued to stroll up when Ethan grunted as if he was in dreadful pain.

“Ethan, what’s-” my eyes dilated in pure terror, and I almost fell on the stairs just to rush down to his side when I saw him fighting over something. Ethan crawled on the floor, bailing out all the painful sensations he felt. My hands were trembling when I tried to embrace him.

“Ethan! What’s wrong?!”

The lights suddenly flickered, turning on and off. I screamed and panicked, not knowing what to do! I stood up straight and tried to carry him to get him out of this room when I heard voices.

“Who’s there?!” I looked around, trying to find where it was coming from, when Ethan suddenly burst out. I was pushed to the ground, and my elbow hit something. I winced from the pain. I glanced back at Ethan, who was slowly turning into a wolf.

“Ethan! Fight it! I know you can do it!” I yelled and cheered for him, hoping nothing went wrong since I could see he was doing his best to fight it. Ethan slapped and punched his head, shaking it to let go of something, when he suddenly looked up, and a light came out from his eyes and mouth, blinding my vision.

“What the-?” I slowly uncovered my eyes and dropped my hands to see what was happening. I narrowed my eyes, and I slowly stood up while looking up the moving series of pictures. When I looked at Ethan, he was already unconscious, lying on the ground, but the light remained above him.

“Ethan!” I kneeled down, shaking his shoulder to wake him up, when I heard a voice coming from the light.

“It’s the Alpha! Bow your heads!”

My brows knitted into a straight line when I saw gatherings of humans running, but in their perspective, they were half-naked. My jaw hit the ground when they formed into a straight line, and they all bowed their heads, kneeling on the snow. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath, anticipating what would happen next.

A towering man suddenly came into the scene, chin up and standing proudly while looking at his people. The way the man stood there screams authority and power. Even I slowly back away from its intimidating presence.

When the man suddenly looked through my eyes, something familiar caressed my soul as if I was used to it. It somehow reminds me of someone dear to me. Someone, I would sacrifice my everything.

Ethan…

The man smiled and bowed his head a little. There were tattoos covered on his upper body. His people stood up in a straight line, giving the so-called Alpha a path to walk. He put his hands behind him, nodding and acknowledging his people. He looks like someone who is really a great leader. I squinted my eyes when I saw something behind him. The crowds suddenly bowed down their heads again, but their forehead was reaching the snow this time.

"It's the Alpha's Mate."

"She's gorgeous."

"What an amazing family."

A woman appeared suddenly, and I was lost for words when I saw what her face looked like. She was stunning, and her hair was half white and half black. There were tattoos on her cheeks while she was looking straight ahead. The wind had an astounding effect on her appearance. The Alpha stopped in his tracks and glanced from his shoulder to see his wife, I assumed. The man's side lips curved up a little, and he waited for the woman to reach his side. I couldn't help but get veneration from the sight I was seeing.

"They are awake." the woman's pacifying voice exclaimed then they both looked down on cue. I tilted my head when I couldn't see what they were looking at. When the crowds abruptly uproar, I realized the woman was carrying two babies in her arms. My eyes widened, and I couldn't grasp what I wanted to say.

They were twins.

I looked down at Ethan, who was still sleeping soundly. If I wake him up, will this light of projection go away? I was almost startled in a daze when the prevision suddenly sped up like a movie that was being fast-forwarded. However, you could still see what was happening.

The twins grew up and turned out to be both males. Their father disciplined and drilled them to become the next Alpha, but it seems like only one Alpha should be picked. The twins then fought with each other, and one of them died. After days, the remaining sibling who became the Alpha saw his father, the previous Alpha, get shot in the heart when a group of hunters saw them. His mother was killed, and before he could escape along with his people, his dying father gave him something.

It was a jar with blood, and a symbol of fangs was carved. The twin doesn't want to leave his father, but the hunters outnumber them. The current Alpha had no other choice but to leave his home. The light fasted forward again, and I couldn't catch up to the scenes this time. My vision was spinning, and my head hurt suddenly, causing me to step back and fall to the ground on my buttocks. I winced but stopped since this time I heard voices once again coming from the light.

"I don't want to become the Alpha anymore."

The man dropped down his necklace, which I remember belongs to his mother. He was talking to a woman that was wearing a long black cloak. I couldn't see the woman's face since it was covered by the cloak's hood. Behind the man was his people, and I was in a haze to see his people injured. And some of them are barely even standing.

"Hmm…state your concern." the woman gestured to the Alpha.

He sighed, he looked scared, but he chose to fight it and took a step forward.

"My people don't deserve to get treated like this. Many hunters for the past years are hunting us to kill our kinds. I know I should be the one protecting them, but I can not afford to see them get killed before me. I heard you can cast spells, and I am here to make a proposal."

The woman smiled wickedly, then she raised her hands to remove the cloak's hood. When I saw her eyes glimmered mischievously, the woman offered her hand to the Alpha.

"My pleasure."