Chapter 4 It's him

It was nighttime, and we hadn't reached our destination yet. My dad drove straight ahead, and the car light screeched ahead. It was silence, and the whispering of wind was the only thing one could hear. Well, I wasn't hearing anything-I was lost in my own thoughts.

My body had calmed down, but my mind hadn't. I still had questions I needed answers to. My mind was spiraling.

My dad urged me to sleep off,

but I couldn't sleep-not after everything I heard. I closed my eyes and wished that sleep would come, but it didn't.

"I would still be here to explain everything in detail. And besides, this is too much for a night. Especially on your birthday," he said.

"Happy birthday to me," I cussed beneath my breath.

"After tonight, you are going to wake up in a different world, Trisha." His eyes gleamed, full of delight.

I didn't have the energy in me to ask about the world he's talking about.

I wished everything was a dream. This was my 20th time wishing that. The truth hurts, but this did more than hurt-it turned my whole life upside down.

I turned my head to look at Dad. He turned slightly and brushed his hand against my head with his one hand on the wheel.

"I'm not your little girl anymore," I swat his hands away. I could tell he was hurt when the gleam in his eyes vanished.

Why did you abandon me?

You said you never left-so did you watch as I got beaten every night?

Every night I thought I'd die.

Do you know how hard it was?

I had to go through it again and again and again! Where were you, if you claimed you never left? If you didn't abandon me, then why did it feel like it?

I didn't say it out loud. Anger surged through me. I didn't know I had held in so much.

His eyes softened as he turned to me, his face full of remorse.

"Baby girl, I-"

Banggg!!

Oh, and here I thought that my birthday couldn't get any worse.

We hit something-or it was like something threw us off entirely.

The impact threw us off while my dad held the wheel tight and made sure the car was steady to keep us alive.

The car was somersaulting, the light swirling. My eyes were going round in circles, and my head hit the window glass so hard, a drop of blood dripped from my forehead to my mouth. The car landed back on its wheels. I felt dizzy and lightheaded.

My eyes darted to the side window, and I saw a brown wolf crawling its way to the front of the car. I blinked, thought I was seeing things. I blinked twice, the blood blurring my vision. It was getting closer. It snarled and lynched, trying to break the glass. Its red eyes, full of murderous glint, burned into mine-ready to tear me apart any second from now.

My eyes widened. I was in a life-and-death situation. Whatever was happening was real. I pinched myself to see if this was one of the dreams...

My dad tried to start the car, but the car was dead. Fear erupted within me when it came face to face with me, and the only thing keeping that beast from tearing me apart was the cracked windshield-which was going to break anytime soon.

I closed my eyes tightly, thinking this was my end. Before I knew it, my dad had thrown the brown beast off the car.

"Dad!" I screamed, getting out of the car. What's he thinking?

"Get into the car!" he yelled back.

"Dad!"

"Now!" he screamed.

I stayed in the car and watched as my dad battled with the brown beast. Tears poured down my cheeks.

What now? Why is this happening?

"Dad!" I screamed at the top of my voice when the wolf lynched on him. It tore his flesh, and a cry ripped out of my throat-a shrieking one that echoed throughout the streets. But it wasn't a cry-it was more like... a howl.

Wait.. what?

What was this sound? This wasn't me.

The brown wolf immediately stopped and ran off.

Did I scare him off? I didn't know what was going on. It ran into the woods full speed without stopping. I stepped out of the car, and I froze. Something was behind me. I couldn't turn-its aura was demanding.

An enormous black wolf appeared in front of me with its menacing presence. I stepped out, trembling. Something was behind me. I felt it before I saw it.

A black wolf. Enormous. Regal. Its aura pressed against me like gravity. Golden-brown eyes locked onto mine.

It stepped forward-slow, deliberate. I didn't move. I wasn't afraid. I should've been. But I wasn't. I knew it wouldn't hurt me. I didn't know how. I just knew.

"It's him," a voice spoke softly and low.

What? Did the wolf just speak?

"It's him," it came again. This time, final and louder than the first.

It was in my head. The voice was in my head, but I wasn't the one saying it. I could hear it, but it wasn't me.

My vision became blurry. The headache that was nudging me had finally taken over. I couldn't stand still-I staggered back. I was going to fall. My eyelids fell too heavy to lift. As I was about to collapse onto the floor, a pair of arms caught me. My eyes were closing, but I saw a set of golden-brown eyes. It was beautiful. That's the first thing that came to my mind as darkness overcame my world.

Just as I was slipping away, I heard the voice again-this time low and almost non-existent.

"It's him," less than a whisper.

Who, I asked?

"Your mate, Alpha Cri..." I drifted into the abyss.