" Crystal, can I ask you a question?" She looked at her before nodding her head. They were having lunch in Crystal's office. She had an emergency at the clinic and Mercedes offered to accompany her.
" Uh... I dont- How should I say this?" she paused briefly, thinking about how to phrase her question. She was uncomfortable, but she really needed someone else's experience on the matter.
" I wanted to ask something personal. If you don't want to tell me, you totally don't have to," she says in a rushed manner. Crystal is surprised, but she nods again, anticipating her question. Mercedes bit her lip and fiddled with the hem of her dress. She wondered why she was reluctant to ask her. They were that close now and Crystal was not judgmental. She groaned inwardly and decided to take the bull on by its horns.
" I wanted to ask when you... were comfortable enough to mate with Jake," she said under her breath, but luckily Crystal caught it. A smile spread across her face. She thought that Mercedes was so cute and innocent. It made her happy and she felt like an older sister to her. She reminded her of when she was her age. So naive and timid.
Mercedes peered at Crystal through her lashes. She was not expecting to see her smiling. She thought that she had overstepped her boundaries, but it did not seem so.
" Is that what you want to know," Crystal asks in a teasing manner, making Mercedes's cheeks turn red with embarrassment. She nodded her head and her. Crystal leaned back on her chair and rubbed her belly. She was due soon and she and Jake were so excited about the arrival of their little one. They could hardly wait anymore. Crystal was taken back to the moment where she and Jake met. It came with so many suppressed unpleasant memories.
Her life was so pitiful and a mess. She was at the lowest point of her life, but like a night in shining armor, Jake rescued her and saved her.
Her eyes then focused on Mercedes. She could see and understand that she was facing the same thing she faced. She was feeling pressured to mate with her mare, but something was stopping her. For Crystal, it was different and complicated.
" Well, I won't lie to you. It took a long time for Jake and me to get there," she says with a sad smile. She felt like crying suddenly because of her hormones. Mercedes felt guilty for even bringing up the topic. She thought it was immature of her to even ask. Maybe she should have just checked on social media for other people's experiences.
" It's alright if you can't talk about it. Forget I ever asked," she tried to brush the matter off smoothly, but Crystal did not have it. She wanted to tell her if it was going to help her even in the slightest.
" No. It's okay. I can talk about it. Don't be silly. If I don't tell you, then who else can I share these kinds of stuff with," Crystal joked and let out a melodious laugh. With that being said, Mercedes felt relieved.
" Well, what do I say," Crystal murmured, thinking of how to begin the tale of her love story. She hadn't got a chance to talk about it before because there was no one to talk to.
" Jake and I met when I was at the lowest point of my life. Much like you and the Alpha, but much worse. Although I am the mate of a Beta, I am a low-rank wolf. Because of my low rank, I was mistreated by everyone in my previous pack. I was an orphan, so things were made difficult because of being all alone." She paused as moments of that came flooding her mind. Her heart ached because of the pain she so vividly recalled. While retelling her story, she omitted the fact that she was sexually abused by the males of her pack. She could not say it no matter how hard she tried to tell Mercedes.
" After suffering a lot, I thought of killing myself to end my miserable life, but on that day, the pack was attacked. I thought that there would not be a need to kill myself since I was going to die anyway, but I was wrong. The people who were attacking the pack were actually my saviors and, among them, my mate." Momentarily, a sad but warm smile was plastered on her face.
Even today, it still felt surreal to her. She had the fear that it might all be just one long beautiful dream, because at one point she was certain that no one would ever accept her, fate or not. Mercedes listened to her intently without asking questions. Through her words, she could almost vividly see her life. Both of them had a tough life growing up. Perhaps that's what connects them.
A knock was heard on the door, interrupting their heartfelt conversation. Before Crystal could signal the person to enter, the door opened and Jake was standing at the door with a smile on his face.
" Oh, im sorry. I didn't know you ladies were here. I can just come back later," he said, about to close the door, but Mercedes stood up abruptly.
" No need!" she exclaimed, walking towards the door.
" I can go and leave you two together. I need to go see Felix anyway so you can stay."
In no time, she was out of the room, giving the two some space.
In the pack house, Felix was busy with some paperwork. He tried so hard to concentrate but the thoughts of his mate kept distracting him. Yesterday he had such a hard time controlling himself. He wanted to mark her so badly but he had to restrain himself and respect her wishes.
When he woke up in the morning, he was all alone in bed but only her scent was left behind to fill the void in her absence. He was just happy that she at least slept with him in his room even though nothing happened. Still distracted by his thoughts, a portal appeared in the middle of his office. His senses heightened, and he jolted up his chair on alert.
Alexa came through the portal in an unsightly sight. The portal disappeared behind het as she fell to the ground. Felix rushed over to her to inspect her condition. He was shocked at the state she was in and had so many questions. At the moment, she was in no condition to answer any of them.
Felix gently prepped Alexa's head in his lap and moved her hair from her face.
" Alexa, what happened? Come on Alexa, open your eyes! " He said, patting her cheek lightly. He tried again but she already lost consciousness. He picked her up from the floor and went to lay her down on the couch. His heart was beating rapidly as he pressed his fingers into her neck to check for her pulse.
It was weak and thready but it was there. He walked over to his desk and picked up the phone to call Crystal. He thought of taking him straight to the clinic, but he didn't want to cause panic. After a ring, the phone was answered.
" Hello, Alp-"
" Come to my office immediately. Bring some medical supplies with you!" Crystal understood the urgency in his voice and dropped the call. Felix went back to Alexa and kneeled by her side. Many scenarios went through his mind, but the most plausible was that he had begun to attack. And it's only a matter of time before he comes to Mercedes.
At that moment, the door opened. " Crystal, thank God - Mercedes?" he said in surprise. Her expression was filled with dread when she saw the state Alexa was in. She ran inside and stood beside Alexa before turning to Felix for an explanation.
" What's going on Felix. What happened to Alexa? Who did this to her?"
Felix just stared at her dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say. Tell her the bitter truth about her cruel fate or continue to keep her in the dark about it. His emotions were mixed up, and he didn't know how to handle the situation, but looking at the consequences, time was something he didn't have. It was only right for him to tell her and prepare her for what was to come.
He swallowed thickly and said," Mercedes. I have something to tell you."