Tom had given me some of his clothes, including a black hoody to keep my identity hidden. I had also sprayed some perfumes on to confuse whoever my father hired to hunt me down. Blairs couldn’t stand fragrances, but I could, which made me even more suspicious that I was other than Blair.

We made it to the edge of the forest in the East, the borders between the supernatural world and the dwellings of the mortals. My ears picked up a screeching sound. Flicking my ears in all direction, I sniffed the air. The smell of rotting carcass insulted my nostrils. They were everywhere. They got even closer the moment we neared the borders. They seemed to be following us…but how come I’d just sensed them now?

I held Tom’s hand and stopped him from walking any further. “Can you feel them?”

“Don’t mind them. They can’t harm you as long as I’m around.”

“Who are they?”

Tom sniffed the air. “They’re the outcasts from my pack. I recognize their smell; they stink like rabid dogs.”

He dragged me forward and jumped over to the borders. In the air, my eyes widened as my jaw dropped to the ground. Three full grown werewolves leaped toward us. The one in the middle who appeared to be the largest among them unlocked its mouth and just as when he was about to snap my head off, we landed on the other side of the forest – on the edge of a road leading to town.

I fell heel first. Losing my balance, I twisted my right foot and I plummeted onto the ground. An excruciating pain slipped from my lips. I didn’t want to make a huge fuss over it, but it hurt so bad I couldn’t help but scream in pain.

“Argh…” I cried out, eyes clenched tight.

Against the deafening sound of my agony, I heard Tom’s roar scaring those beasts away. Then, he picked me up from the ground and slumped me on his back. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine.” I swallowed and held my breath. “Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

We got on the road and he waved his hand at the cars passing by to get some help, but they just drove past us. He cursed under his breath and ran toward the road, leaving me on the side. In desperation, he stopped a car in the middle of the road and pulled the driver out. He returned to me and brought me into the car. I felt sorry for the guy, but we badly needed his vehicle.

* * *

As soon as we got to the clinic, the doctor who was also a werewolf shifter specializing in forensic examination had asked me a million questions about my shifting ability and family backgrounds. I’d told him everything he wanted to know, including that I came from a woman and not an Alpha. I’d also mentioned that I was the son of Lord Blair, to which he found unbelievable. He knew my father well. They had an unfinished business…but that in itself was another story.

Tom took my hand and kissed it. I was shaking so bad my vision blurred. Seeing the needle spurting clear liquid out of its tip sent shivers up my spine. I hated getting pricked. The last time I got injected by a vaccine to boost my immune system, I passed out and didn’t wake up until two days later.

“Have you ever been bitten by an ant?” he asked, caressing my arm.

“Yeah, a fire ant…” I said.

He swallowed. “A fire ant?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, getting pricked by a syringe needle will hurt much less.”

Oh, please! I’d rather get bitten by a fire ant again.

The doctor brought his eyes toward me; they were empty of emotion. Dr. Culler, the name on his name tag, seemed quite familiar. I must have seen him before, but I couldn’t remember where and how…but his wrinkled face and grey hair flashed a memory from my past.

As Dr. Culler neared closer, his chubby face lit up. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had a patient from the Circle tribe. Most of my guests are immortals.” He grinned and his fangs protruded out of his mouth. They looked sharper than the needle he was holding.

I swallowed as beads of sweat dripped down my forehead.

“Alright…” He removed the lid and flicked on the syringe. “Ready when you are.”

Taking a deep breath, I reached out my arm, eyes squeezed tight.

Tom tightened his grip on me, his heart pumping against his chest, making me feel even more nervous.

In no time, the needle pierced inside me. I pursed my lips and held my breath. Then, everything felt neutral again. When I opened my eyes, tubes of blood were taken from me. I gasped for air the moment Dr. Culler pulled the needle out of me. He handed the tubes to the nurse to examine.

“It will take a couple of minutes before the results come out. Feel free to get some fresh air. There’s a cafeteria downstairs…”

Tom wiped the sweat from my forehead and dumped a kiss on my cheek. “Hungry?”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’m fine.”

He took me out of the room. We stood on the balcony overlooking the beautiful scenery. Green hills and a beautiful small lake. Birds twitted in the blue sky as the wind whirled past us. Inhaling the fresh air, I felt free and in control. We stood there for a good half-an-hour or so…not saying a word, let alone to absorb the rays of the sun into our skin.

Then, something happened.

All of a sudden, my stomach heaved. I felt a strange craving. I looked at Tom; his gaze was afar. His eyes were full of thoughts. I looked away and tried to calm this strange feeling that was slowly crippling me down. I couldn’t control it as if somebody had overtaken my body.

I held onto the railing and let my saliva drool from my mouth.

“What’s the matter, Aiden?” Tom sounded so anxious his anxiety crept into me.

Saying that I didn’t know what was going on would further freak me out. “I’m hungry,” I said instead.

“I thought you weren’t?”

“That was earlier,” I snapped.

“Okay, okay… I’ll take you to a nearest buffet after this.”

“But I’m freaking hungry!” I growled, completely out of myself.

“I know. But we can’t just go without knowing the results.”

Just as when I was about to speak, the door of Dr. Culler’s clinic swung open. Tom turned his head to where my eyes were. Just by looking at the old man’s face, I knew they’d found something they didn’t expect. He looked around, trying to find where we were. We were a few meters in front of him.

Tom headed first.

“There you are!” Dr. Culler said. “Where’s Aiden?”

I stood behind Tom. “Right here.”

“We have to talk privately. I’ve got some big news for you.”

I frowned. Big news? He sounded excited, but I wasn’t so sure if it was something that would make me jump from my seat. With a firm look on my face, I stepped forward, readying myself to what I was about to hear.

But then Tom pulled me back and stepped in front of me. “I’m coming with him,” he said aggressively.

“I’m afraid it’s a violation of the patient’s privacy. We strictly follow rules around here. Now, if you can’t comply with them, you may leave.” Dr. Culler’s gentle complexion vanished, replaced by a common fierce look of a Falston. He was one after all.

There was no way Tom would listen to anyone. I nudged him aside and stood next to Dr. Culler. “Just wait here,” I said firmly.

“But Aiden–”

“I’ll be fine.”

I pushed the door open and walked in. Then, Dr. Culler followed.

“He’s really into you, isn’t he?”

My cheeks reddened. “I guess. He can be a little handful at times.”

“Patience is the key to a long-term relationship. When you love someone, you’ll do everything for them, and I can see in him…” He sat on one of the guest chairs before his desk and gestured me to do the same. He clasped his hands together and tucked his lips in. “So… where do you want to begin. Bad news or the good one?”

I didn’t think; I just said, “The good one.” I’d had so much bad news so a good one should at least make me sigh in relief. Or so I hoped.

“You’re pregnant,” he said calmly with a smile stretching to his ears.

My ears tingled. I didn’t know whether I should feel happy or devastated. It felt as though my world shattered into tiny pieces of glass, annihilated by the fact that the child inside me was Tom’s – and he was a Falston and I was a Blair – that made our child a hybrid, which was an abomination in the Circle tribe. With a burdened heart, I couldn’t do anything but sigh… I buried my hands on my face and quietly wept for the future of my child.

How could things escalated so quickly?

Tom knocked on the door, punching it to the extent that it would break from its place. He must have sensed it. He must have sensed that his blood was running in the veins of a being inside me.

Dr. Culler grabbed hold of my hands and smiled, his eyes shimmering of sympathy. “You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he said.

Was he mocking me? He knew that I was the son of Lord Blair so how could he say I had nothing to worry about, as if he knew what I was going through. Running away had already put half of my body in the grave, and bearing a child had just secured my death. No, not just mine, but more so my child’s.

“I have to go,” I said in a disheartened tone. I got on my feet, but he pulled me back down.

“You’re not a Blair, Aiden, you’re a Falston.”