Maid for the Alpha

Chapter 32

Rising slowly out of a nightmare, the battered beast revealed his new form. Turning towards her, she nearly gagged at the sight. Blood oozed from the missing half of his face. Remnants of an ear dangled from a tangle of shredded skin and veins. And swinging loosely below his chin was his other eye. Somehow still alive, this was the kind of monster that haunted other monsters. It was viler than anything she could have ever imagined, and was far worse than how the beast appeared in her prophetic dream.

With no more humanity left, all that remained of the Rogue was a pernicious primitive monster, malignant and powerful. Rage fueled him. Hatred embodied him. All he could see through his one bloodshot, burgundy eye was his enemy - Liz. His remaining lip sneered painfully in triumph. He would enjoy ripping this pitiful human to shreds.

Liz knew she was about to die. There was no knight in shining armor to save her, no one riding up on a white horse. She was all alone – with nothing but her regrets to comfort her. Why did she run from Leland? All this time she kept her nose down, tried to stay out of trouble, to focus on school. Tried to be something her mother would have been proud of. All for nothing. She's about to die without any hope, without anything in her life worth mentioning. To die with nothing, no future, no love. Her life flashed before her eyes, and she realized the only moments that ever truly brought her any happiness was when she was with Leland, even when he was driving her crazy. And the craziest part was that it took being faced with death to realize that her love for Leland was more important than her fears of failure.

I can't die, not yet. She pleaded to the Universe, hoping that something or someone was listening to her.

She needed a miracle.

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"It's a miracle," the woman sighed. Little Leland felt her soft hand holding his. He felt her presence, knew her voice, and smelled her scent of Lilacs and fresh cut grass mixed with the scent of another's – a male's. Yet he'd never seen her or ever met her before in his life.

He also felt the others in the room. The male with the deep voice that he somehow knew was the woman's husband. He faintly smelled of her with his own scent of dried grass and mud lying over top. And then there was the other male, smaller in stature than the other, but more powerful. He felt his presence like a rising pressure on his chest. The male smelled of power, blood and stone. It was this male that pulled to him, called to an instinct that was buried deep, but clawing its way to the surface.

Then this powerful male spoke, "Open your eyes boy."

And little Leland obeyed. He finally looked at those whose presence he felt, who he already knew.

The woman gasped, her short, curly blonde hair bounced around her hazel eyes, "My goodness child, you have the bluest eyes I have ever seen." Her smile was warm, inviting.

"Stand up," the powerful male ordered. And little Leland obeyed. This male scrutinized him with his dark brown eyes, and though he was shorter than the other male, he was more intimidating. Muscular, wide-shouldered, dark, bushy eyebrows, and a shaved head, made him look like the leader of a gang. Leland gulped and immediately looked down, unable to look into those hardened eyes. "He's learning already. Good." The praise sent a shiver down Leland's spine.

"Do we have to start training him so soon?" the woman asked.

"Hush Lilah," the deep-voiced and taller male said. He was powerful as well, but not like the leader. He had the essence of a second-in-command. How young Leland knew that, he was not sure. But he eyed the tall male, who sported the same features and eye color as the more powerful male. Sniffing, Leland confirmed his suspicions, brothers. Another fact he didn't understand how he knew.