Forbidden - The heiress and the alpha

When I got off at the airport and saw the sign with my name on it in the hand of a man in black, I just waved. My heart felt like it wanted to jump out of my chest, but I kept my head up. The weather in the city was freezing, and not even the battered cloak that I wore over a black blouse with a drawing of a woman's hand giving a finger and completely torn black jeans helped me against the cold. I wondered if I was in Alaska since I had never even heard of that small town. I sighed.

"Anubis Hernandez?" The man asked, his listless face in contrast to his completely white skin and greenish eyes.

I shook my head in affirmation and he turned following me out of the airport in a silent warning that I had to follow him. Outside a Maserati Levante was waiting for us, the stranger opened the door for me to get in and followed to another car in the back. It was just me and the driver and I wondered what the fuck was going on! We stayed on the road for about thirty minutes and soon a huge house, which I swore was some kind of white house, appeared in front of us. It was completely walled and seemed to mark the end of the town. A large barred gate led to the entrance, it was wine-colored like the color of the big house. I closed my mouth because I knew I looked like a fool. We passed a huge green area in front of the house, with a greenhouse on one side and a maze on the other. The car stopped in front of the big house, and before I could think to open the door, a man opened it for me. I was too embarrassed to have any reaction.

So I just followed him up ten steps to the front door. I didn't remember that place, although I remembered almost nothing from my childhood. It was when we went through the front door that my jaw really dropped. Every room was covered with blood-red furniture, and the ice walls were the only thing clear in the house. I sighed, observing everything around me. A huge L-shaped sofa took up the living room, facing a huge movie theater-style TV that looked as if it had never been turned on. On the wall there were pictures of the family, and I approached them to look at them, and there he was... Dominique, or better, Dom - as my mother called him. My father. He was impeccably handsome, as he always was in my memory, with a charismatic smile and the twinkle in his eye of a young man, as he always appeared to be. He didn't seem to age, he used to tell me that he was immortal and so nothing would ever take him away from me, I believed. Until life showed me there are no such things as tales of life and people lie. I swallowed the urge to cry, in the worst ways I learned not to show weakness.

When I turned around, such was my shock to find a man in front of me, he was very young, white as paper, blond and blue-eyed, did everyone in that town have the same face?

I wondered how he had gotten there so quietly.

"You almost scared me to death!" I said, running a hand over my forehead and sighing.

"I apologize, dear. I am butler Velch. And it will be my pleasure to serve you." He said watching me.

"Aren't you too young for a butler?" The question slipped from my lips, making me shake my head and mentally curse myself. "Sorry, it's just that usually butlers are cute, pudgy old men."

He smiled. As if he agreed and found it ironic at the same time.

"Yes, that's true. But I'm quite experienced and age in this family is just a detail. Mrs. Hernandez needed to travel and has asked that I serve her breakfast and introduce her to the house and her room so she can rest. I know it was four long days of connecting and arriving."

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." I replied. "Could you take me to my room? Apparently we will have countless days for a tour and this here looks like the white house." I grumbled.

"Sure, your request is my command." He nodded and headed toward the right side of the stairs.

Yes. There were two huge staircases in the living room, one on each side, and the two joined to form an arch at the top, the whole house seemed to be made of wood in wine. I climbed the stairs feeling exhausted. It had been the most exhausting four days, as I had to take a two-day bus accompanied by a CDJ agent, and two different flights to be here, the last one alone with permission. We followed a corridor that seemed to have no end, and from a distance you could get the impression that it was getting lost, as if it turned somewhere. I found it strange, but preferred to keep quiet, after all, I was the intruder in the situation. He stopped at the third door of seven and opened it.

"This is your room." I said and all my breath went away as I entered.

The place was beautiful. An all white and wine decoration stunned me. A huge bed in the center, in front of it a TV on the wall, pictures and more pictures on one wall, two doors on either side of the TV, and a huge glass door that showed a balcony.

"On this door..." He pointed to the door on the right. "That's your closet. And this one..." He pointed to the left one. "That's your restroom."

I nodded trying to catch my breath.

"I'll be downstairs, there's any time you need me, just call my name and I'll be right here." He said.

That sentence sounded strange to me, so I turned to answer and he was no longer there. His departure was like a breeze blowing past me and closing the door. I ignored the feeling that this had caused me and went to the closet, I wanted to see if there was anything comfortable, because I had showered two days ago and was completely stinky, not to mention how cold it was.

When I opened the closet tears came to my eyes, I dreamed of this one day. Dad said that one day I would, like the princess that I was, inherit a castle. When he died, I erased from my memory all hope of one day actually being a princess because princesses need a man to solve their problems and I had so many that I had to learn to solve them on my own. The place had a spectacular decoration in wine, doors and more doors with names carved in gold. I wondered if it was gold indeed. I wiped my tears and went out, opening door by door, designer clothes, ball gowns, blouses, pants, luxurious underwear. A single door held more than ten different coats from discreet to gaudy and warm. Another door contained several options of pajamas and nightgowns made of silk and expensive cloths. Things I had never owned in my life. Especially during the last year. On the other side of the closet I opened a sliding door and was confronted with several shoes, in different styles, from the most luxurious to slippers. In the center a square mirror held my image from head to toe. And on the other side, jewels and more jewels were waiting for me, as if inviting me to touch them, gold and more gold. No silver.

I felt for the first time in paradise, but the price was not worth it.

When I opened my eyes the sun already seemed to be setting over the horizon.

After a warm shower in my huge bathtub and a completely mirrored bathroom, I had put on a pair of pajamas of pants and a blouse and sank into bed armed with a thick thigh. That was all I needed. I slowly stretched out watching how beautiful the evening was from the glassy balcony. I sat up in bed and heard my stomach rumble loudly.

"I huffed, realizing that I was almost starving to death.

I got up in a huff and the floor was extremely cold, so I put on slippers, a thick hoodie and climbed down. I was feeling extremely comfortable and was afraid that I was just dreaming and would soon wake up in the hard bed of the CDJ. I ignored my thoughts and went downstairs in search of the kitchen. Opposite the living room was a huge dining room with a gold-plated chandelier with several candles. It was magnificent and caught my attention. A table seating at least thirty took up the room, and I walked over to see that there was a door on the other side. I headed for it.

It was a kitchen. A huge kitchen. Which would make two of my house.

"What's the need," I grumbled.

"It's just that we hold many dinners for many guests, Madam." A female voice was heard as if carried on the wind, completely chilling me. I turned around a woman was standing in front of me with a smile on her face, I narrowed my eyes.

"Where are you from..." I let the word die in the air, when she sighed coming towards me and already speaking.

"I went to pick some herbs for dinner." She justified. That wasn't really my question, I hadn't heard the footsteps. "I left something prepared for the Miss. Would you like to eat?"

He asked already placing a basket on the counter. A basket. Who still uses a basket? Do you harvest herbs?

"The foods get tastier, the basket is more cultural really. I was raised that way." She replied and I grimaced in surprise and then cursed myself in various ways mentally.

"Sorry, it wasn't a judgment per se, I didn't realize I had spoken." I cracked a fake smile.

She continued putting away the herbs from the basket.

"If you like, you can sit at the table and I will come over and serve you." She said grabbing something from the huge refrigerator.

"Can I sit right here?" I asked staring at the table in the corner of the kitchen. I figured that's where the employees ate.

"Of course, whatever is most comfortable." He replied.

I wanted to ask his name, but settled for just waiting for the plate of vegetable soup that came in less than five minutes. I gasped to stave off the pain as I visualized the dish in front of me. It was my mother's favorite recipe. And at the first bite, I felt a taste of home. For the first time in a year and some days. I took all the soup and decided to wander around the house.

"Valch." I whispered trying to remember the name of the butler from earlier so he could introduce me to the rooms, I didn't want to be inconvenient and go off walking into places that were none of my business.

"You called me?" I jumped at Valch's voice in my ear, I turned around and he was there, standing by, both hands interlocked in front of his body.

"Damn... Go scare the dog!" I mumbled closing my eyes and taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

"Didn't you call me?" he asked with his always charismatic expression on his face. Which made me afraid.

"Yes, yes. I did." I nodded with a dismissive gesture.

"Then I'm here." He smiled. Teeth impeccably white.

"Okay. Could you show me around?" I asked.

"Your request is my command." He said nodding.

Then he began a short tour of the right staircase wing.

In the sequence of five doors were guest rooms, mine being the third, the sixth door was my aunt's room, and the seventh door he didn't say what it was. He just returned as if it didn't exist. I didn't ask either, even though I felt curiosity like a little devil nudging me to enter the forbidden.

The left staircase led to the meeting room, gym - YES, AN ACADEMY -, and a HUGE library. I was fascinated by that room with rows and rows of books, containing tables and chairs for study.

"Wow..." I whispered.

"This house was once full, and here was the family's favorite environment." Valch said thoughtfully.

"It's a beautiful place." I replied still observing everything around me.

"Velch... Can you tell me when my aunt will be back?" I asked curiously.

"In a few days, Ma'am. But don't worry, I will take care of you until then." He replied.

I just nodded and he continued standing there explaining everything to me while I walked from shelf to shelf. When I finally got tired, I decided to go down again.

"Before the trip, your aunt left everything prepared for you. She told me that I could accompany you on outings, asked me to introduce you to the town and the school where Madam will study."

"Could you not call me Madam?" I asked interrupting him. "It's just that it doesn't make much sense."

"What do you wish me to call you, Ma'am?" He asked as if ignoring my comment. I snorted.

"You, that's fine." I replied.

"Would you like to have dinner?" He asked.

"Ahhhh" I smiled. "I already ate. But thank you. I'm going back to my room and get some more rest."

"I'll be available, if you need me, just call me." He said nodding.

I smiled. Literally, apparently. I went to my room still digesting everything that was happening in my life. I hadn't stopped to think about my family for a year, I had simply erased everything from my memory, because everything took me to one place, one night. But now, now it hurt, because I was there, in an unknown house, of an aunt that I didn't even know existed, where everything reminded me of my father, and consequently of the woman I wanted so much to forget. My mother.

∞

"Mama..." I shouted. "Mom, where are you? I'm home." I wondered at the fact that my mother was not answering. I followed her up the stairs opening her bedroom door, nothing. I went downstairs to the kitchen, nothing. "Mom." I called again. A bloody hand on the wall caught my eye, my heart beating harder, out of rhythm, I continued on to the door to my room. She was there. Lying on the floor, completely bloodied, but with her body in my lap, was me. Crying. I visualized myself, crying out, screaming...

"No" I screamed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry..."

She was smiling at me as if she had already forgiven me before I even asked.

"I love you, my Ann, I love you. It's okay, I already knew." She said and that broke my heart in two.

Her hands loosened in mine, her body softened, and her eyes lost their sparkle. I screamed louder for someone to listen. I cried out to all the gods on earth, to that mother moon she spoke of. But nothing happened. Only a car arrived seconds later.

I left my desperate body on the bedroom, watching the policemen patrolling the house and commenting among themselves about what had happened.

"Do you think she killed her own mother?" One of them asked.

"That's what it looks like." One of the policewomen replied still thoughtful about the fact.

I pulled in my breath hard feeling my chest hurt, I ran my hand over my face and felt the tears. I had cried in my sleep. My heart was in pieces again, I was gasping for breath and my heart was racing. I had spent a year locking away any and all memories of that night, the worst night of my life, but it was there again, all cascading down and lashing out at me as if I were a slave to my own mind, to my own past. A migraine had taken over me and my vision again seemed to fail.

"My medicine..." I whispered. I stood up in search of my backpack, the only thing that had accompanied me, I searched for the bottles, and found them. "Damn!" I replied. They were empty, the only medication that would stop my seizures had run out, and now I would have to see how to get more. I felt my throat choke, and searched for my glasses at the bottom of my backpack. I swallowed the tears, I couldn't let myself be trapped anymore. I threw all the remnants of the nightmare into a dark corner of my soul, and forced myself to forget, or at least pretend.

Feeling exhausted, I proceeded to the shower. After a long, relaxing bath, I got dressed, put on my glasses, and went downstairs for breakfast. Fried potatoes with bacon and cheddar accompanied by fried yucca, it was a long time since I had eaten so well. When I finished, I thanked him and went to the library. It had been two days since I had been in that house, and everything there was extremely ghostly, I found myself bored while finishing the book I had chosen.

"Velch" I called as I closed the book tightly and left it on the table.

A strange breeze blew past me.

"You called me?" he asked seconds from where I was standing.

"If you keep showing up like this, I'm going to believe you're a ghost." I grumbled.

"I have no problem looking like one. So you wear glasses." He smiled, a mischievous smile. It seemed more like an affirmative than a question.

Velch was always very charismatic, helpful, but also very quiet, it was as if he was part of the house. I imagine this is an order since the cook is also like that, or they were as bored as I was, because of the empty house.

"Sometimes. Is the house always empty like this?" I asked.

"No." He denied. "It's just that you've arrived on Mrs. Hernandez's way out, when she's here, it's like a party, or a storm." I said thoughtfully.

"Um." I sighed scratching my head. "Can you take me out?"

"Of course." He nodded. "Where would you like to go?"

"I don't know. I just want to get to know the city a little." I replied.

He soon guided me outside after I put on a huge coat over a black knit dress that fitted my body, and sneakers that were also black. The Maserati Levante stood ready as if it had been waiting for me the whole time. I entered and he entered next, I observed his features, he seemed to be under thirty. How could a thirty year old man be a butler? He was handsome, his face was angelic and his lips were thin, he could be a model if he wanted.

He turned his face away and I could see the hint of a smile, I wondered if he had said that out loud too, but no... Even though it looked like he had read my thoughts. I ignored my daydreams when the view of a busy city caught my eye, people coming and going, stores and more stores, a snack bar, a park, more stores, and another park. My migraine kept tormenting me. We kept driving away until we seemed to be in the center of town, then a different place caught my eye.

"Can we stop?" I asked on automatic.

"Sure." He nodded and motioned for the driver to stop.

"What is that place?" I pointed to the reason for my curiosity.

"Ahh, Mistress..." He thought for a moment about what to say, he looked disgusted. "That's the mystical library Lennon"

"What's in there?" I asked still staring at the place. Interesting name.

"It's a sort of mystical library. Like the name." He spoke disinterestedly.

"I want to see." I spoke already getting down from the car, I felt Velch following me.

When I entered the place, it lived up to its name. But there was something strange in the air, or maybe it was just the fact that I hadn't taken my medicine, I couldn't have a crisis at that moment, so I just ignored it. It was a huge library, with very little light, everything was very dark. I went inside with Velch following me. I couldn't see much, so I just went through the shelves, and found it extremely amusing that it was like a labyrinth. I kept following, amused by the drawings of moons, wolves, witches, vampires, elves, they all seemed to glow.

"Wow..." I whispered. "Fun, isn't it?" I turned to talk to Velch and he was gone.

I didn't know how to get back.

I followed the shelf in search of something that would give me a clue, my heart was racing, but the adrenaline was good. I could feel the challenge in my pores, urging me to go forward. To see what was on the other side. Until turning a shelf I saw a drawing of a wolf on a door, it was white coated, it was in an alpha position, I was tempted to go to it.

"Did I get to the end?" I grumbled.

The closer I got, the darker it got, with only the wolf glowing in front of me, as if inviting me to come closer.

"Are you lost?" A voice whispered behind me, my body shivering in response, and something different happened. A smell overtook my senses making me turn to whoever was in front of me, I could see his silhouette. He was bigger than me.

"Yes..." I whispered trying not to give way to the tension that was taking over me. What was that smell? "It's just that I was letting the place take me."

"Are you new around here?" he asked. His voice was imposing, but sweet at the same time.

"Yes, sorry. Are you the owner of the place? I was accompanied by my butler, the..." He seemed to move even closer.

"If you want, I can take you back." I said, his scent intoxicating me more and more.

"Sure, sure. Please." I replied, I wanted to get out of there because his presence caused something unfamiliar in my body, a tingling, and the place seemed to shrink by having him there.

He followed and I followed behind him.

"We have arrows at the top." He said as we reached another path, and his silhouette moved as if he was pointing to the top of the shelf. Only then did I realize that on the walls there were indeed arrows pointing to which part to go, and none pointed to the side I went.

"Sorry, I was so distracted I didn't realize..." I mumbled.

"No problem." He turned back for a moment, just as we passed a witch lit by Leds.

His eyes met mine, the Sahara desert, the color of his eyes was an extremely light brown like the sands of the Sahara. He paused for a second as if he recognized my face, as if I was calling him, and indeed I felt that I was calling him. The tingling increased, my heart raced, my breathing became labored as if I was short of breath. I stepped forward as if it was automatic the desire of my body to fill the space between us. The outline of his face now turned to me in a half moon, his fists clenched as if fighting against something invisible. It was frightening, but at the same time, warming, familiar. His breathing sounded loud.

"Are you...are you okay?" He whispered.

"I..." I whispered in response. And there it was again, the feeling that had taken over me for some days, the scary feeling of being out of control, wanting something unknown, feeling an insatiable desire. "Han...Yes. Yes." I nodded.

He took another step in front of me, now facing me, sighing, everything around us seemed extremely hot. As if we were in a sauna. His square, impassive face now watching me, analyzing my features as if I were familiar to him. There was no way to be, he looked like he was only twenty-five. Or less. His expression was soft, his lips thick. I gasped, almost losing consciousness as I stared once more into his lips.