[Nivera’s POV]
“Let me fucking go. Do you even know who I am and what I can do? I’m a fucking hybrid, you psychopath,” I said, as the stranger with the familiar hand grabbed my arms and forced me to go with him.
“Oh, shut up. You’re nothing without that useless vampire, and guess what? He’s no more. I’ve gotten rid of him, and you’re mine now,” he said.
“Bold of you to assume that you can easily get rid of Lucien O’Hara. And I don’t belong to you. I am no one’s property,” I said to him.
He pushed me to the ground, making me fall to my knees, so that I now knelt before him, after which he began to drag me by the hair and kick me for no reason. I didn’t know why, but at that point, I was unable to make use of any of my hybrid abilities despite how hard I tried to.
“What did you do to me? Why am I so weak? Why can’t I use my abilities?” I asked, trying to break free from whatever was holding me back.
Even in the dim light, I could see a smirk appear on his face. “You should stop trying so hard. You can never break free from the hold I have on you,” he said.
I grunted, wishing there was a way I could kill him with the overpowering anger in my heart. “May I at least know why you’re doing this to me? What did I do that was so wrong to you?” I asked, unsure of why I was even in this predicament in the first place.
“Now, you’re asking the right questions. Do you really want to know what you did that was so wrong to me?” he inquired.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
Suddenly, the lights came on, and the last person I had expected to see stared at me right in the face and I shuddered… maybe it was the instant shock I felt or the memories I had from the man who had murdered me without thinking twice.
“The look on your face tells me you understand why you’re in this situation now,” Alpha Tyler stated.
For a minute, I couldn’t say a word and just looked at him, trying my best not to allow my emotions get the best of me. He awakened a hatred in me I didn’t even believe I had anymore, but I wasn’t going to let it show.
“No, Tyler. I don’t understand. You were the one who hurt me. What am I saying? You killed me! I should be the one kidnapping you and being all angry and upset, not the other way round,” I stated very strongly.
“You deserved your death, and you want to know the reason for my anger? For five good years, you hid my son from me. My own flesh and blood, Nivera! You hid him from me, and now, you’re going to pay with your life,” he said.
His eyes darkened and his claws and fangs sprung out from his nails and teeth. The next thing he did was to grab my neck tightly and begin to strangle me; his eyes laced with the strong determination to end my life for the second time.
I was coughing out loudly. “That… can’t… kill… me,” I managed to say, holding his hands and trying to lift them off me.
“I’m aware that I should rip your heart out to get rid of you, but you need to tell me something first. Where is my son, Nivera? Where are you hiding him?” Alpha Tyler asked.
I spat on his face, making sure he didn’t get any information whatsoever from me.
He cackled. “This is your last chance, Nivera. Where is my son? The vampire and the witch are no more. There’s no one to save you from me, and I won’t think twice about ending your life if you don’t give me the answer I want. Where is my son?!”
The last question he asked kept ringing in my ears even as I awakened, coughing out loud and realising it had all been a dream.
Lucien was right beside me, and as he helped me sit up, I realised he was the one who had woken me up.
“Are you all right? You’re fine, aren’t you?” I asked, looking at him all over and touching his face and arms, making sure he was right beside me.
“Of course, I am. Did you have a nightmare?” Lucien asked.
I nodded my head in the affirmative.
“What happened? You’ve not had one in years,” he noted.
“I don’t know, Lucien, but it seemed too real to be an ordinary nightmare. I’m scared. Lucien, I’m afraid. Things have been going too well for us. What if… what if it’s not yet over? What if we still have battles to fight? And what if we don’t come out victorious in the next battle? What if…”
“Ssh,” he hushed me up, placing an index finger on my lips. “Nothing bad is going to happen, trust me. If something does happen though, I’ll be right by your side, and you know nothing can go wrong when I’m right by your side,” he said to me, then placed a kiss on my forehead.
I smiled at him, even though my heart still raced from the nightmare. Lucien was right. Nothing could go wrong when he was right by my side, but how was I supposed to tell him that he was nowhere to be found in my nightmare? And then, I remembered the most important detail.
“Fuck, I forgot! Where is Luca? Luca needs to be protected at all costs. I can’t have anything bad happen to my baby,” I said, then quickly got up from the bed in order to check up on Luca.
“Babe, where are you going? Did something terrible happen to Luca in your…?” he asked, running after me as I hurriedly left the room.
I didn’t bother to hear the rest of it, and I was in Luca’s room the next minute, and he came in right after.
I heaved a sigh of relief as I saw Luca fast asleep, covered in his blanket, holding his favourite toy. My fears were allayed… for now.
I was far away from Tyler Jefferson, but somehow, I was afraid that what I had seen would become a reality.
“Henceforth, Luca would sleep with us, and don’t go anywhere without letting me know first,” I said, turning over to look at Lucien.
“If it would make you happy, then that’s okay,” Lucien said, stroking my hair.
“Thanks, baby. I love you,” I told him.
“I love you, too,” I said.
My husband and my son were in this room with me. My life was perfect. My family was perfect. I didn’t know what I would do if I lost either of them, so for the first time in five years, I said a prayer, hoping the joy I had now wasn’t snatched away from me anytime soon.