The Alpha's Mate (Alphas of Lair Series #1)

Chapter Forty-Nine

Damang-dama ko ang pagbaon ng bala sa ilalim ng aking balat habang patuloy ang pag-agos ng preskong dugo mula doon. My vision is blurry but my eyes are heating up. Tila nag-aapoy ang aking mga mata kahit na hindi ko maaninag kung ano ang nangyayari sa aking paligid. Ang tanging nagagamit ko lamang ay ang aking pandinig.

My hands trembled when I heard footsteps coming towards my direction. Gustuhin ko mang tawagin si Duke ay walang lumalabas na salita sa aking bibig. My mind is in haywire that I couldn't even function well to use my mind link.

Isang hampas sa ulo ang tuluyang nagpabagsak sa'kin sa lupa. I shut my eyes as I kissed the muddy land. Pakiramdam ko'y unti-unting hinuhugot mula sa'kin ang lahat ng lakas na mayroon ako.

"You want to know how did your father died?" ani Gustin habang lumalapit sa'kin. I wasn't able to respond. Gumapang ako palayo sa kanya habang pilit na inaaninag ang daan. I heard growls and screams all over the place but I can still feel Gustin's steps towards me.

Dalawang hakbang pa ay nakita ko ang kanyang demonyong ngisi sa aking harap. I would love to glare at him but my body won't cooperate. My energy continuously drains but my body is boiling. Hindi ko na naiintidihan ang mga nangyayari.

Nahawakan nito ang aking buhok. I grunted and stopped his hand when he pulled me up, ngunit sadyang malakas na ito kaysa sa'kin. Nang tuluyang akong makatayo ay isang kamao ang muling dumapi sa aking pisngi. I felt the blood gushing from my mouth as I dived into the land again.

My breathing is heavy and my heart beats rapidly. Sinubukan kong tumayo ngunit agaran din akong bumagsak sa lupa. Hinang-hina ang katawan ko ngunit ang malaman na hindi pa ako namamatay ang siyang nagpapalakas sa'kin.

"I won't show you, Gabriel! I will make you feel how your father died!" ani Gustin at sinipa ang aking tiyan. I rolled on the land, helplessly. May ilang metro ang nagawa ng kanyang pagsipa sa'kin dahilan kung bakit tumalsik ako mula sa kanyang pwesto.

My whole body is trembling. Maybe because of fear, of the cold air, or the thought of Gustin killing my own father. Hindi ko alam kung anong emosyon ang dapat kong unahin. I don't even know if I'm capable of feeling anything right now that I am in the state of dying. Pakiramdam ko'y isang bugso pa ng kanyang kamao ay matutuluyan na ako.

Nang makita ang paglapit nito sa'kin ay sinubukan kong tumayo. I am still alive. I am barely breathing but still, my lungs are working for me to live. I promised to myself that I will be stronger than anything in this world. I won't let history repeats itself, ever again.

Nang gumalaw ako ay siyang pagtigil ng aking katawan. I gasped when I felt something inside of me is twisting and turning. I caressed it with my shaking hand, at sa unang paglapat pa lamang ng daliri ko doon ay mas lalo kong naramdaman ang hindi maipaliwanag na paggalaw sa loob noon. I became stiff. Hindi ko alam ang dapat kong gawin dahil hindi ko alam kung ano ang gumalaw na iyon sa aking loob. Was it my wolf? Pero imposible. I am too weak to shift in my werewolf form. Ngunit ano?

Before I could even make a move, Gustin slapped me with his bare hands. He didn't give me enough time to recover. Agaran niyang hinawakan ang aking leeg at pilit akong itinayo. Tila isang lantang gulay ang aking katawan dahil sa paraan ng kanyang pagkakahawak habang iniaangat nito ako sa lupa. I tried to remove his hand on my neck but he keeps on tightening his hold.

"This is how I killed your father, Gabriel! Slowly and painfully! I killed him because he's a traitor, and because he betrayed me! At ano pa nga ba ang aasahan ko sa isang anak ng traydor kundi isang traydor din mismo?!" he shouted right in front of my face. His eyes are raging and the veins on his neck and hands are showing. He is furious and wrathful at the same time. Sa tingin ko'y kayang-kaya niya akong patayin anumang oras kung gugustuhin niya.

"Dapat sana ay pinatay na kita noon pa!" he angrily shouted and threw me in the air. Mabigat ang naging pagbagsak ko sa lupa pagkatapos manatili sa hangin ng ilang segundo. I felt nothing. I was stunned when I felt nothing. My body feels like floating even though I could feel the land in my chest. Ni hindi ko naramdaman ang sakit at ang lamig ng umaagos na tubig sa aking mga sugat.

I didn't make any move. Pagod na pagod na ang katawan ko sa lahat ng sakit. Wala akong maramdaman sa labas ngunit tila nagkapira-piraso naman sa aking loob. It's contradicting. Like the cold air that brushes against my bare skin and the burning fire that crawls inside my system. Everything disagrees with me now. It had been and I think it will always will. Life will never be my ally.

I didn't dare to crawl and run and escape again. My body only wants to rest . Nagkahalo-halo na ang lahat at hindi ko alam kung ano ang unang pagtutuunan ng pansin. Pakiramdam ko'y kapag hindi ako mamamatay sa paraang gusto ni Gustin ay sa pagod naman titigil ang katawan ko. I am just laying my chest on the land as the rain continuously pours at my back. Nakatitig ako sa kawalan habang patuloy na umiikot ang aking paningin. For the second time, I feel helpless. Ang natitirang lakas sa aking katawan ay ginagamit ko na lamang sa mabagal na paghinga. And anytime now, my breathing will stop.

The growls still echoed in the place but I didn't mind looking for the familiar growl I am waiting before I could finally gave myself in. Unti-unti ay naaninag ko ang tindig ni Gustin na palapit sa akin. I didn't flinched when I saw him pointing his gun towards the direction of my body. Muli kong nakita ang ngisi nito na unti-unting pumuporma sa isang ngiting tagumpay.

I closed my eyes and concentrated with my head. I didn't mind any of my senses as I gather my remaining strength to wake my mind. Unti-unti ay bumabalik ang pamilyar na init na bumabalot sa aking katawan. The heat that is building inside of my system is slowly crawling towards my own palms. Ngunit sa halip na tumayo upang tumakbo ay nanatili ako sa ganoong posisyon. My mind is the only strength I have right now. I can feel my mind communicating with my surroundings without the help of my senses. Isang malalim na paghinga ang ginawa ko bago natagpuan ang isang tinig.

"Duke..." I called when I felt him inside my head. I can feel him. I can feel his warmth, his voice, his soul. A small smile formed in my face. I never thought I can still smile in this kind of situation. Ganoon ba ako kahandang mamatay para ngumiti na lang gayong ilang hakbang lang mula sa akin ay ang katapusan ko na?

"Wait for me, Dianne!" I heard him pleaded. Napailing ako dahil sa kanyang sinabi. I can see him through his eyes. He is surrounded by hunters and wolves away from me, and I don't think he could make it before I let go of everything. Maging sina Karleen at Lara ay ganoon ang sitwasyon.

"Fuck!" aniya. Mas lumawak ang naging pagngiti ko nang marinig ang malutong nitong mura na tila napipikon sa kung sino mang kaharap niya. I could almost imagine his creased brows and furious eyes in front of me. The eyes that captured my heart few months ago. The memory of meeting him for the first time flashed in my head. Tila pinapanood ko ang sariling nakatitig sa kanya sa gitna ng madilim na paligid habang nasa kanilang bakuran. For the nth time, I saw his dead eyes again. Tila kahapon lamang nang mangyari iyon. Ang lahat ng sakit at pinagdaanan ko simula noong makilala ko siya ay unti-unting nagbabalik. I don't even care if this is the hint that I am really going to die. I just want to look at his pair of sparkling and astonishing eyes. The eyes that gave me light when I was lost. The eyes that healed all my wounds. It's his eyes that taught me how to live.

I never thought that laying my eyes on his will change me this much. Sa segundong lumapat sa'kin ang kanyang mga mata ay nag-iba lahat ng pananaw ko sa buhay. The walls I built collapsed when I felt his hand on my skin. The promises I built to protect myself vanished when he showered me his kisses. The hatred and worry disappeared when I saw his genuine smile. The life I had with him is hard yet worthy. And if I will have the chance to repeat my life, I would still choose the life that leads me to where I am now.

"I love you more than I could ever guess." I said and broke the mindlink. Isang malalim na paghinga ang aking ginawa upang mabigyan ng hangin ang aking dibdib. Doon ko lang naramdaman ang presensya ni Gustin ilang hakbang mula sa aking nakahandusay na katawan.

"You let yourself suffer because of love. Kagaya ka rin ng ama mo." Aniya sa malamig na tono. I didn't bother his words. I only concentrated on my breathing. I calmed myself and let my system feel the cold air and droplets of rain on my body. I never thought that I will die in my favorite spot – in a land surrounded by tall trees while the rain pours. What a beautiful way to end my agony.

Few seconds after, the sound of a shot fired echoed in my ears.