Barely Breathing

I was standing in the middle of a pastel pink room. The walls were painted pink. Pastel pink roses in different sizes from bud to
fully grown roses decorated the floor tiles. Lovely.
The bed at the center seemed too small for a grown-up, probably this room belongs to a little girl. I let my eyes roamed around
and noticed some stuffed toys and dolls in the right corner above a long drawer. It seemed my assumptions were correct.
My eyes caught a painting situated above the lampshade beside the bed which had quite gotten my interest. It was a messy
painting of a wolf, a scarlet wolf with white hollow eyes.
I took a step closer and examined it. The wolf's eyes look like real ones staring right through me which gave me goosebumps. It
has drawn me into it.
It felt as if my wolf was communicating to that wolf. It looks familiar though. Where did I ever saw that wolf before?
Then it dawned to me that everything in this room was quite familiar too. I just can't figure it out but somehow, I know everything
and every little thing in this room. I searched my mind for an answer but found nothing helpful. It was like my mind was blocking
some memories, if for my own will to forget or I simply forgot, I do not know.
A quiet sniffing had taken me back to my senses. I thought I heard someone sniffed as if he or she was holding a long sob and
then there it was followed by a gasp and a meek cry. Looking around the room my focus suddenly caught a closet placed corner
left.
I felt her. For some unknown reason, I can see her hiding behind some clothes on a rack inside the closet. She's just a child
probably four or five. She was rocking herself back and forth while holding tight bear stuff.
She looked so vulnerable...
So broken...
So terrified at something or someone.
My heart was constrained at the sight of her. I felt her pain. Her sorrow. Her fear as she looked at me with innocent teary eyes.
Her tears got into me as my tears drew a moist path on my face.
I felt the urge to go to her, to embrace her tight and tell her she has me, I'll protect her. I'll protect her against whoever or
whatever she was terrified.

‘Who makes her scared and into hiding?’ I wondered.
Tap. tap. tap.
Footsteps echoed outside the room and the sound gets nearer and nearer. Whoever it was, he or she was now ascending the
stairs and I saw the child shook violently, cupping her little hands on her mouth to suppress a cry.
I glared at the door. Rage consumed me for he was scaring the child. Seconds later whoever was that has gotten near the door.
My arms and legs automatically stretched in an attack position ready to defend the little girl, I heard the knob clicked. Whoever
he was, he will not hurt her as long as I'm here. The door slowly opened and I lunged with a cry.
" What the hell Willow Ellis! " A high-pitched voice boomed, that wake me up.
I waited for my sight to adjust and saw my best friend Tasca being strangled by none other than me on the floor. The look on her
face made me laugh and she blew her bangs, annoyed.
"If you don't release me, Willow I swear, I'm going to--"
"Fine, fine, no cursing." I released her and she immediately fixed her sky-blue sleeveless dress that ends mid-thigh.
"Urgh! I came here to wake you up because I am this super nice and pretty best friend that doesn't want you to be late at the
Mate Hunt and here you are attacking me?"
Mate Hunt. Great. That changed my mood easily. Guess I can't escape it anyhow.
"Sorry 'bout that Tash."
Sighing, I took a towel on my way to the bathroom leaving my best friend blabbing about who cares.
"...and my mom gave me this super cute dress because she said I should look pretty and presentable. Not that I'm not already
you know. Ha-ha! Hey, are you listening? And do you even have something to wear?"
"I'm listening Tash and yep, I know exactly what to wear." I opened the shower and hopped inside, loving the coolness on my
skin.
"I'm so excited! Can you believe it? We'll be going to meet our chosen. I can't wait."

"You mean the one who chose us," I shouted through the shower.
"And we will choose."
"We don't have a say on it." I can't believe she finds all this mate hunting amusing.
"Willow you are spoiling my happy ending!"
"The males were the ones choosing." Nope, no spoiling because there is no good from anything that comes with forcing.
"I hate you." I can imagine her pouting, like a brat.
"I love you too." I sing-sang.
"Oh, I know you do. I’m the best!"
We both laughed at that and I was shaking my head at her stubbornness. I hope she finds her chosen though. If that would make
her happy.
You see, Tash and I are different. She is that girl with overflowing confidence and knows her worth. She’s so girly too. And I love
her for that. While I am the exact opposite of her. Safe to say, we balance each other.
"Hey, Tash, how did you even know I'm in a much need for waking?"
"Duh! I'm your best friend so I know exactly what you did last night." She snorted, so unladylike. “I’ve brought food too; can’t let
you go there hungry now, can we?”
"You’re the best." I’m starving. I hadn’t had my dinner and it's past lunchtime already. I had slept all morning.
"Uhm, Willow?"
“I’m listening,” I called back.
“You can’t possibly escape him you know.” She said more of a whisper, thanks to my werewolf hearing I can hear her perfectly
fine. There’s the sadness in her voice I couldn’t’ ignore. She knows my plans.
I stopped the shower and leaned on the tile wall. So many thoughts swirling in my mind.

“I’m just saying, what if, what if it isn’t so bad being with him?” Tash continued. “I don’t know, I just can’t bear seeing you so
miserable like this Willow. And I think, maybe, just maybe, he is the one you need.”
“What if you are wrong? What if he won’t even come to claim me?” Words just get out of my mouth, before I can even process
them.
I heard Tash chuckled. “Willow, we both know that’s a lie! There is something you still don’t know about the alpha. When Xyrus
wants something, no one can stop him.”