Kristine’s pov
A whole day gone and still not a message from Dominic. Even my plenty of texts went unreplied. My calls went ignored too and soon, they weren’t connecting anymore.
I’m spending the whole day in bed, sobbing my eyes out. There’s nothing else I can do. I’ve done the lowest. The only thing left is running over to his house and threatening to end my life he doesn't take me back.
I’m seriously considering it and if he refuses, then I just may go ahead and do it. Life without him isn’t worth living anyway. I just may go ahead and end it. Take this pain with me. It’s been just a day but it's slowly draining the life out of me already. I don’t know if it’s the shattered mate bond or my poor heart that has been cruelly crushed.
“Kristine!” Noah’s voice echoes in the room just at the same time that the door opens.
I have my head to my legs covered with a duvet. My head is resting on a pillow and I don’t even budge even after I heard him calling.
I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone. Not even him. He may be my best friend and the only family I’ve had ever since my father died, but right now, I’m just too heartbroken to hold a civil conversation.
I hope he understands that and leaves.
But he doesn’t. Instead, he drags the duvet off my body, throwing it on the floor.
“Stop this madness, Kristen. Get off the bed!”
“Leave me alone, Noah.” I whimper, trying to pick up the duvet. He takes it away from my grip, tossing it to the door.
“The hell I will! You’ve been like this all day. You haven’t eaten. You haven’t taken a shower. All you’ve done since yesterday is cry. How the hell am I supposed to leave you alone when it seems like you’re trying to kill yourself?
“I am trying to kill myself. What else is there to live for?!” I yell in tears, pulling the strands of my hair maniacally.
“What a nice thing to say to yourself.” He scoffs, visibly pissed. “I bet your father is leaping for joy in his grave hearing his daughter say that she wants to die because of some reckless jerk she fell in love with.”
“He’s not a jerk!”
“Then why the hell are you crying because of him?!” he retorts back. “only jerks make the girls who love them cry.”
His words strike a nerve and I fall back on the bed, wailing my eyes out.
“Kristine, please stop doing this.” He settles next to me on the bed. His hand runs in my hair but I have my face pinned on the bed and I refuse to look at him.
“Leave me alone…”
“I will, when I’m sure you won’t keep crying over him. Look at how puffy your eyes are. You’re gonna fall sick if you keep up with that. That means you’ll be giving me more reasons to hate that bastard…”
“He’s not a bastard,” I defend rashly, looking up. “He’s two years older than you are so give him a bit of respect and stop calling him nasty names!”
“Respect?” he repeats, getting on his feet. “What the fuck are you talking about? How can I respect a guy who got your hopes up only to break your heart and reject you? How the hell are you even still defending him? That guy was a walking red flag from the start. I warned your stupid ass but you wouldn’t listen.”
I can’t even argue anymore. I’m too much in tears to banter words with him. Noah may be the kindest guy out there but he’s too blunt for his own good.
Being a rogue hunter, just like my father, makes him too stiff too. He was trained by my father and I’ve watched him grow into a very stern and strict guy.
He loathes Dominic too and blatantly shows it. He always says Dominic seems like a man with a lot of layers and that he’s hiding something. He also says Dominic doesn’t seem as in love with me as he claims.
Now I hate to think he’s right. No, I’m not gonna even gonna think about it. That will mean giving my heart more severe injury.
“…I told you countless times that he wasn’t in love with you…”
“Dominic was in love with me! Dominic loves me! Stop saying that! Please.” I curl in the bed, wailing my eyes out.
Reaching for my phone, I check again if there’s a call or text from Dominic. Nothing.
Noah snatches the phone from me. I lunge forward to snatch it back but he raises his hand higher, away from my reach.
“Give me back my phone, Noah!”
“Get a grip!”
“Give it back!!!”
“No, I won’t!” he yells back. “Are you waiting for his calls? Are you being so stupidly hopeful that he would regret his actions and call you? That makes you double stupid…”
“Of course, I’m waiting for his calls. I might be stupid but he’s the only guy who’s ever made me feel loved and important. Why won’t I give him the benefit of the doubt? Why won’t I wait for his calls? Why?!”
I swipe my hands over my eyes, staining my face with the tears and not giving a care about it.
“The only guy?” Noah repeats with a scoff. “You disappoint me, Kris.”
He drops my phone on my table and leaves, slamming the door angrily.
I hug my legs, going back to sobbing. But I spot the file he’d forgotten on my table and I get out of bed to take it.
It's a customized file, meaning the things inside are top secret to the rogue hunters. I may not be one but my father was. And after he was killed, the remaining rogue hunters made me an honorary member. So I can attend their meetings and know what they’re on about.
I take out three photos that are inside the file. They are backside naked torso photos of a man. Buff. Filled with tattoos. Strangely, those tattoos look very familiar.
Noah walks back inside, trying to snatch the file away. I hold it back, as my head spins.
“What are these photos?”
“The hunters found him in the woods. He was scaling the walls of the Packhouse. They chased him but he was quick. We’re still searching for him. We need to find him before he does any more damage to our Pack.”
“Why was he scaling the walls of the Pack?”
“I think he was spying. We have every reason to believe he’s the Rogue Alpha.”
“Ro— Rogue Alpha?” I stutter in disbelief. “The same one who killed my father?”
“Yes. Him.”
I stare again at the picture in sheer terror. The Rogue Alpha that killed my father has been a nightmare for me. The man I hate the most in the world.
But why does he have the same tattoos that Dominic has? I can’t be mistaken. I’ve seen him naked a lot of times. I’ve explored his body with my fingers. I fell in love with his tattoos and memorized them. So why….?
“Is there a problem?” Noah asks, snapping his fingers in my face. “You’re zoning out.”
Yes. There’s a problem. My whole life seems to have been manipulated.
My gut feeling crashes hard with the glaring reality in front of me. Something in my head snaps and twirls, filling it with darkness.
I lose my footing, aiming for the ground. My head bumps hard on something stealing consciousness from me.
Noah’s screams are the last thing I hear.
The beeping sounds in my dream bring me to reality, causing me to slowly open my eyes. White ceilings come into sight in a blurry effect. I shut my eyes again, trying to adjust my vision to the environment.
I try again, opening my eyes, and this time, my vision isn’t so blurry. I look around, taking a while to understand where I am.
The beeping machines. The room where I’m lying in. The bed. The hospital gown. It’s all pointing to the fact that I’m in a hospital.
What happened? I try sitting up but there’s a painful spasm through my knuckles, that keeps my back pinned on the bed again.
My fingers rub the spot that’s hurting. Footsteps approach the room and then the door opens, ushering in Noah and Dr. Liam.
I turn my head in their direction, trying to figure out what they are saying. Noah looks very bothered, with his hands in his pocket and taking thoughtful, slow steps while he listens to the doctor’s mind-link. It has to be. Because they are not moving their lips, but deem to be conversing.
Are they trying to keep something away from me? What can that be?
Noah sees me staring and signals at Dr. Liam. He turns too and puts up a warm, etiquette smile.
“I see that you’re up, Kristine. How are you feeling?”
“Weak,” I notice Noah avoiding my gaze. The last time someone did that to me, he dropped a piece of devastating news afterward. I don’t wanna know what he’s hiding but not knowing is making me anxious.
“Alright. Uh…” Dr. Liam glances at Noah and then at me. “Congratulations, Kristine…”
“Huh? For what?”
“You’re a few weeks pregnant.”
What? I almost choke on my breath, meeting Noah’s stormy eyes. Tears well in mine. How can this be happening to me?
How can I be unfortunate enough to carry a rogue’s heir? Why am I being treated so miserably?
Noah taps into our mind link. ‘That bastard left you hurt and pregnant. I’ll kill him if I ever see him again.’
Tears pour down my eyes. I’m still trying to comprehend everything that’s happening.
‘Make a choice, Kris. Are you keeping that child or do you wanna get rid of it?’
I stare horrifically at him. Then at Dr. Liam, who’s giving me a knowing look. They already discussed it. They are just awaiting my approval so they can get rid of the child.
But can I really do it? Can I get rid of the one thing that’s left of my once beautiful bond with Dominic?
The child may be a rogue. But he’s still Dominic’s child, and mine.
Can I get rid of it?