The Alpha, My Salvation

Numb

~Numb~

Maria struggled to sleep that night. She lay in her bed cocooned inside the comfort of her thick blankets, eyes trained on the ceiling. Moonlight streamed through the open curtains, illuminating shadows within the room. Exhaustion gnawed at the back of her mind, a stronger part kept her awake. The moment her eyes slipped shut, haunting visions of Dimitri turning into a beast, much like the ones she found on the internet flashed through her mind. Not human. Not a man. Something else entirely, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Maria sat up from the bed and moved to the glass sliding door, pressing herself against the cool surface as she stared at the line of trees in the distance. Was he out there? Waiting, biding his time, ready to pounce once she left the walls of her home? Maria's eyes slipped shut, her mind finally shutting the rest of her down. Nightmares swirled through her mind, shadowed men in the woods following her every move with glowing eyes.

The sound of a car engine shuddering to life jolted Maria out of her twisted dreams. The sun was beginning to rise, sending an array of reds and pinks across the skyline. Light was shining from the courtyard directly into Maria's room. It was early, too early for there to be movement in the courtyard. Prying open the sliding door slowly, so as not to draw any attention. Maria slipped outside, shivering as the early morning air suffocated her senses and huddled, once again behind the flower pot. Maria watched unperturbed as her Father stormed from the house, two guards following suit. She watched with narrowed eyes as his lips moved rapidly, whispering orders to the guards. Maria's heart skipped as he pointed directly at her balcony. She dropped her head and prayed he didn't notice the open door. Several moments passed before Maria deemed it was safe to peer around the pot once again, the new addition to the group had Maria frowning in confusion.

Her Mother, standing beside her Father, head held high and a steely look in her eyes as she stared down the guards. Maria had not once in her life seen this side to her Mother, he unruly dark tresses were pulled into a tight, professional bun. She was not wearing a skimpy dress or sky high heels, instead she had traded them for a dark pencil skirt and blouse, her heels were short and sensible. It was as if someone had taken ahold of this wayward woman and shaken the nonsense and alcohol from her system. Maria briefly wondered if this was the woman who her Father married, the woman who gave birth to her. Her Mother and Father got into an SUV with the windows blacked out and sped off, soon followed by two more, no doubt filled with their most trusted men. 

The instant the cars disappeared from sight Maria scrambled back into the warmth of her room. She was alone, again. Maria mulled over the current situation in confusion, not once in her life had Maria's Mother ever attended anything even remotely business inclined with her Father. Now she was dressed as if she were planning to become CEO? It didn't make any sense. None of it made any sense.

Maria didn't leave her room, she sat by the window and watched the sun rise only moving from her spot once it hung high in the sky, a golden orb of light, that did nothing to prevent the onslaught of winter. Her phone buzzed beside her once again, it had been a vicious cycle of ignored phone calls all morning. 

Audrey. Liam. Jayden. Dimitri. Repeat.

When the phone began to skitter against the floor for the fiftieth time, buzzing painfully loud, Maria gripped it in her hand, stormed to the balcony and threw the device as far as she could. She watched it land in the courtyard, a satisfied smile crossing her pale face as her chest heaved with a thousand pent up emotions. Her back ached, she pressed her palm to the tender spot and wondered just how long it would take for the pain to fade. Maria slunk through the silent house as if she were a spy, darting through the hallways and down the stairs quickly and silently. She shuffled into the kitchen, eyes wandering over the vast space as her mind calculated just where the object of her desires might be hidden. It didn't her long to find exactly what she looking for, her Mother was no where near as bright as she thought she was. Maria's fingers curled around the smooth neck of the bottle, she pried the cork from the top, jumping in fright as it popped loudly, echoing throughout the silent house. It tasted awful. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could find an 'earthy chocolate tone' in the vile concoction. The more she drank the less she tasted, the less she felt.