The Chosen Alpha (Prequel to The Female Alpha)

Abhay's P.O.V

I woke up on my bed in cold sweat, my head throbbing, and my mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions.

"What?" I croaked, looking around the familiar yet unfamiliar room from my childhood, and it took me a good few minutes before realization dawned on me that I was no longer in the blood soaked sands of Gujarat where I had witnessed the unthinkable.

Instead, I was in my parent's house, in my childhood room and I was safe.

"Was it...all a nightmare?" I could hardly get the words past my throat, but even as I said it, I knew that I was only trying to fool myself into thinking that I wasn't living in a nightmare where humans could turn into wolves...and I'd fallen for a woman who had ripped apart and killed several falcons, that had then turned into men...

Ever since that morning a month ago, when my life had turned upside down, I had been living in my parent's house, hoping that it would give me some kind of a temporary respite from the nightmares haunting me every single day, like a child wanting to sleep with its parents at night in order to escape the monsters under its bed.

But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it was all a nightmare, I knew in my heart that what I had witnessed was very much real...and no matter how much I tried to hide it all, tried to pretend that I hadn't just witnessed something extraordinarily terrifying...I was only delaying the inevitable.

With a heavy sigh, I rose up from my bed and made my way towards the bathroom. My body was burning up and I needed a cool shower to douse the flames that threatened to consume me whole. It was a losing battle but I needed to stay strong and make sense of everything that had happened to me leading up to this very moment.

As the cool water cascaded down my body, I tried to ease my mind, letting go of all the fears and confusion that had now become a part of my life. It was a losing battle and every time I went out of the house, even bumping into familiar faces on the road gave me chills because I didn't know what terrifying secrets were hiding under that smile.

"I don't do this anymore..." I whispered to myself, pressing my forehead against the shower stall.

I stayed under the showers for a long time, willing myself to get my emotions under control because soon, I will need to go downstairs and face my parents, and knowing my mother, she would instantly figure out that something was wrong with me. So I tried my best to compose myself and not let my inner turmoil show on my face.

Sighing, yet again, I walked out of the bathroom, putting on a loose fitting t-shirt and pants as I made my way downstairs for breakfast. I found my mother and father already at the table, waiting for me. My mother welcomed me with a smile while my father was just indifferent, grunting at me with a look of suspicion on his face.

I had noticed that change in his expression recently, like he wanted to talk to me about something but didn't really want a confrontation. Or maybe it was me overthinking everything again?

"Good morning, beta," my mother smiled, serving me breakfast. "You're up early."

Momentarily, I forgot about everything else and focused on the food. The tantalizing smell alone had my stomach growling in hunger which just made me realize that it's been a long time since I had a proper meal, a home-cooked one that my mother had made. And this past month had been pure bliss since I got to eat her cooking more often.

"Thanks mom, this looks delicious."

Just as I was about to dig in, my father interrupted, his judging eyes piercing right through me and I knew he was about to have a conversation that I just wasn't ready for. However, I could no longer avoid the inevitable. "How much longer are you going to stay in this house?" he asked, his voice curt.

My mom gave him an eye. "Honey...our son hadn't been home for almost two years! And now that he is home, you're asking him to go back? What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong is that your son had a job in Mumbai!" he snapped. "So, unless he got suspended or lost his job entirely, no company would actually be giving him a one month vacation time!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" My mother snapped back. "Our son didn't lose his job! If he had, he would've told us! And even if that was the case, can you not be a bit more supportive of him? Why are you so eager to kick him out, huh?"

It wasn't often that I saw my mother get this angry but this was just one of the rare moments and it was scary to see because she was always a cool, calm and collected woman. My dad seemed to have triggered her the wrong way and now, looking at his face, I could see that he regretted it,

My parents loved each other very much, it was one truth no one could deny. And I hated the fact that I was causing them to argue. So I knew I needed to man up and face the challenges ahead of me, because I would never be able to forgive myself if I caused a rift between my parents.

"No Mom, it's okay. Please don't get mad at dad." I sighed. "Truth is...I've taken a short break because I just...I just needed a break. But dad is right...I can't hide in this house forever. I need to man up and get out and face all my problems." I said with a heavy sigh.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

Suddenly, the room descended into a heavy silence and I had no idea that the environment would turn this serious once I spoke the truth.

"Abhay, you are my son and you know that I would never lead you astray but I need to ask you one question." my father spoke quietly, almost secretively.

"Go on," I frowned, wondering why he was speaking in such hushed tones.

"Are you hiding from loan sharks or gamblers? Or are you involved in any kind of illegal activity?" he asked, worried evident in his voice.

Shit! I just realized that what I had told them might have come out a bit ominous and they had completely misinterpreted the scenario.

"God! No! Absolutely not!" I shook my head immediately to dispel that notion. "It was a slip of tongue. There's nothing illegal involved, I swear!"

"Are you sure honey? Remember we are here for you at all times, you don't have to keep anything hidden from us. We are your parents?"

My mother took my hands in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze as she silently assured me that everything was going to be alright. I loved their reassurance but at times, we needed to be brutally honest with ourselves.

And the truth was that I had witnessed something that I had no explanation for. But I wasn't going to be the one to burden my family with that truth. So all I could do at that moment was to lie and fake a smile and hope that my parents buy it. "I just needed a break from my monotonous life, that's all." I sighed. "I promise you, I'll be going back soon."

Silently, we ate our food without another conversation. After breakfast, I made my way towards the balcony to get some fresh air, hoping that it would help me feel a little better. The memories still haunted me, threatening to question my very existence, but I tried to hold onto my sanity as best as I could.

And then there was that dream...those snow covered mountains and that white wolf.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't erase that white wolf from my mind. Mikalya...a woman that I didn't even know...the woman that I had made love to, and the woman who had stolen my heart before shattering it to pieces. But why did that heart still beat for her? Why was I still worried about what had happened to her after? Where had she gone? Was she alright? Was she...thinking about me like I was thinking about her?

"What are these memories trying to tell me? What are you trying to tell me, Mikalya?"

I couldn't deny the fact that there was a message hidden within these dreams, a message I needed to decipher before it was too late. But what could it possibly be?

Looking down at the streets and the passing cars, I gave a small smile to a neighbor who spotted me and waved before disappearing from sight. As I continued to watch...a sudden sense started to gnaw at me...as if I was being watched by

someone.

Turning my head towards the corner of the road...I spotted someone I never imagined I would see again in this life.

It was the woman I had seen at the ruins that day, the one with the child. She stood there, her child held tightly in her arms as she continued to stare at me as if she had something to say.

"Hey..." I called out, trying to get her attention.

But as soon as she saw me, she suddenly looked terrified and started to back away from the road.

"What the hell?" I tried to wave at her. "Hey! Stop!"

But she didn't stop. She simply turned and ran, out of my sight.

Momentarily, I stood there stunned, wondering if my eyes had played some kind of trick on me.

Why did this woman appear here now? Was she even real or a fragment of my imagination?

But I was done second-guessing everything I saw. It was time to take some action and find out the truth. I guess there was only one way to find out...