CHAPTER 8

MIA POV.
As I slowly opened my eyes, the blurry surroundings came into focus, revealing an unfamiliar room. I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my head, forcing me to lie back down. SHIT! I curse myself in my head as I clutch my head against the throbbing pain. How much did I drink last night? I wondered to myself as the first thoughts were of the club that I went to with my roommate, Emma.
No… wait a minute! My eyes shot wide as everything came flooding back to me. Looking for Emma at the club, the confrontation with the creepy guy and then… I gasp as my eyes landed on him. “Dominic.” I said lowly under my breath. His back was turned to me. His silhouette was wrapped in darkness by the light that flooded into the room from the window in front of him, but I knew it was him.
My heart started racing and I instinctively prepared myself for his angered outburst. But as he turned towards me, his expression was surprisingly neutral. He walked towards the bed; his eyes fixed on mine. I did not expect him to be so calm. I did cause him to crash his car after all. I flinched slightly when he reached out towards me as I assumed the worst, but instead, he held out my necklace towards me. The silver pendant glinted in the soft light of the sun that shone through the window. I looked at it, stunned for a moment. Was he really giving it back to me? I wondered. "Where did you get this?" he asked, his deep voice low. There was no sarcasm or a hint of malice in his voice. He sounded curious and serious.
I hesitated for a moment at the unexpected query about my necklace. My fear got replaced by confusion. Why was he asking about my necklace? I wondered. And how did I end up here, in this strange room, with him?
I tried to speak, but my voice was hoarse and dry. Clearing my throat, I managed out a response. "It...it belonged to my mother.” I spoke and his eyes narrowed at me, his gaze becoming intense. “Your mother?” He repeated and I nodded. “At least it is what they told me when I was younger.” I spoke again and he raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. “What do you mean? Who told you this?” he asked as he came closer, my necklace still hanging from his fingers. I sat up straighter in bed.
“The family that raised me.” I said and looked away from him and focused on the necklace instead. I have never told anyone else this, but I was adopted. My pack knew of course but outside the pack, I have never mentioned this to anyone because I already felt like an outcast and didn’t want people outside the pack to look at me the same way that my pack looked at me.
Dominic's eyes never left mine, his attention was on my every word. My adoptive mother said that they found me near the pack border, wrapped in a blanket with that necklace tucked inside it. “And what happened to your real mother?” He asked and I sighed sadly. “They said she died.” I said and I saw Dominic swallow nervously as though he feared the answer to his question. This puzzled me but then again, this whole situation was strange, so I continued telling him what I knew. “She said that they tracked the scent that was on my blanket until… they found her.” I said before taking a breath. “They said that when they found her, she told them about me, begging them to save me, not knowing that they had already found me. She told them my name was Amelia before she died.” I spoke and felt myself getting choked up with emotion. I haven’t really spoken so openly about my real mother because it was something that I couldn’t remember, but it still saddened me.
“Anyway.” I said and cleared my throat as I spoke again. “They said that it must have been a rogue attack and that she had left me there to save me as she led them away.” I spoke. I knew in my heart that it was the truth.
I saw a glimmer of emotion in his eyes before he took a deep breath through his nose and released it. He handed me the necklace and I took it gratefully and held it tightly to my chest. Finally feeling like I wasn’t naked anymore and relieved to see that he must have mended the chain whilst I was unconscious. I slipped it back around my neck, feeling Dominic’s eyes still on me and a shiver ran down my back as a feeling of vulnerability washed over me.
“What else do you know of her?” He asked and I shrugged my shoulders. “Unfortunately, I don’t know.” I said and that thought saddened me more. “This is all I have of her.” I said and held the pocket watch pendant in my hand.
“You really have no idea who you are, do you?” He said incredulously and I looked up at him in disbelief. Wasn’t that what I had just said? I thought sarcastically before he spoke again. “Mia, that necklace was given to your mother by Alpha Hunter Ryker, of the Crescent Moon Pack.” He said and stared deeply into my eyes. “He Adored your mother and gave her this necklace as a token of affection before you were born.” He said as he reached out to trace the round edges of the pendant with his finger. My breath caught in my throat. Alpha Ryker? I have heard of him – a powerful alpha who ruled with an iron fist.
“W-what?” I stuttered as my brain struggled to piece together what he was saying, but I needed to hear it from him. “You are the illegitimate daughter of Alpha Hunter Ryker. Amelia Ryker.” Dominic said. He was serious. There was no teasing or malice behind his words. “Your mother was human so that makes you a hybrid, Mia. Half human and half werewolf.” He said and my I closed my eyes as all the puzzles fell into place. That was why I felt different… why I felt like an outcast for not having the same sense of smell like the others.
Dominic studied me as I sat there in silence while my head whirled with thoughts. “If -if all this was true… then how did my mother and I, end up being chased by rogues?” I asked, looking up into Dominic’s dark eyes. Some emotion crossed his face, but he masked it before I could decipher what it was. “There was an… altercation at Crescent Moon Pack and your mother took you and ran away.” He said and continued before I could ask what it was that made her run. “The attack on your mother must have happened soon there after and you were taken in by your pack without them knowing who you truly were, all the while your father has been searching for you every day since.” Dominic said and I was shocked to hear this.
“He looked for me. But why?’ I asked as Dominic’s previous words echoed in my head. “I am the illegitimate daughter of an alpha, why would he look for me?” I asked and Dominic was silent for a moment as I could see him giving thought to what to answer me.
“There will be more time to talk about that later but right now, you are in more danger than you might think.” His words felt like a punch to my stomach. "If I hadn't found you at the nightclub last night…" Dominic said, his eyes locked on mine, "that man would have taken you. They would have used you as leverage against your father, Alpha Ryker." He spoke in all seriousness.
I shook my head in denial, trying to make sense of what he was talking about. "What men? What are you talking about?" Dominic's expression turned grim. "The night club you were at last night, belongs to Alpha Victor Octavious, of the Shadow Moon Pack.” He said and I knew this because Emma works there and told me this on a previous occasion.
“You should know that Alpha Octavious is a business associate of mine and that is how I know that he would not hesitate to gain power or double cross me in doing so. That is also how I know that he's secretly been trying to gain power over your father's pack for years. And with you as his hostage...he would have the upper hand." Dominic said and shifted from one foot to the other. “I promise you that I would reunite you with your father, Mia.” He added, looking at me directly.
I thought over his words. All this couldn’t really be true, could it. I wondered to myself. "Why would you do that for me?" I asked skeptically, my eyes narrowing slightly at him.
"You barely know me, so why would you help me?” I asked. “What's in it for you?" I added when he just stood there, looking at me. It looked like he was thinking over his words before he finally spoke again. “Because your father is a close friend of mine.” Dominic spoke. I sat there in shocked silence as she looked down at me from his standing position. “There is also another thing you should know.” He said before my mind could gather enough words to respond. “Your father and I made a pact that our children were to marry when they came of age. This was decided before the incident at Cresent moon, even before your birth.” He said and he had a sour pull around his mouth as though he didn’t like what he just had to tell me.
“W- what?” I spoke in disbelief. My ears heard what he just said, but my brain refused to believe it. “You are betrothed to marry my son, Mia.” Dominic said as the truth finally started to sink in.