ROMANCE: The Lion Wish (BBW Paranormal Lion Romance) (Paranormal Mystery Alpha Male Romance Short Stories) (12 page)

-The funeral-

The news of the brave soldiers who died hit the nation like a hurricane. It was just a day after the American government had announced of a very critical mission to ensure that they had flushed out the terrorists from their supposed hub and everyone was anxious to find out just what had come of it.

But then the day that followed, it appeared as though the mission had failed and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it seemed as though everything was going to work out rather correctly since at least they had a standby battalion that was ready to go in and destroy all of their enemies.

But that didn’t necessarily mean that the dead soldiers, their kith, and kin, were also going to be fine. Their hearts had been destroyed, and no standby battalion was ever going to heal the wounds in their hearts. As a matter of fact, it seemed as though nothing could be done to ensure that everything was sorted out.

The bodies were brought back, and even the president of the United States of America was present to make sure that he had delivered his speech, even getting to a point where he shed a tear or two in a bid to show solidarity. And once all of the ceremonies were over and done with, the soldiers were still dead, and nothing could be done to ensure that they had been brought back.

One of the special forces soldiers was Kendrick Oswald. He had been the team leader of that team that penetrated into the enemy territory but wasn’t that lucky enough to get back alive. His girlfriend, Nancy Hobbs, was one devastated girl. First and foremost, she didn’t seem like she needed to have anyone to take care of her. But as time went by, it seemed as though the news that her boyfriend was never coming back to her made her feel as though her heart had been torn apart and blown to smithereens.

For the entire ceremony, Nancy didn’t talk to anyone. In fact, all she wanted to do was to get over and done with it so that she could just go home and think about how life was going to be without Kendrick.

Even though they hadn’t been dating for a long time, that short time that they had been dating was so magical to that point where it appeared as though they had known each other for a very long time.

The person who was in charge of the sermon was a little bit too emotional, and he kept on condemning the war. And to some extent, the president was really at pains because after the preacher was done with his ranting, he was supposed to go right in front of people and explain to them once again why the war was necessary. But thankfully, he was the president and so he could pretty much say anything and people would clap.

Nancy was also feeling as though the war was pointless and to some extent, a way to reduce the population. But either way, it seemed as though they were going to have a tough time and the wounds inflicted on them by the war weren’t going to disappear anytime soon.

Nancy was still young and didn’t know how to cope with such kinds of situation. And that explained why she felt as though her life had come to an end. She knew that her mother was going to be there for her since she had been in the same predicament some time back. But either way, it was still very painful because men like Kendrick were very hard to find. She apparently didn’t know where the heck she was going to start with dating anymore.

Her friends and close relatives also made a point of attending the memorial since Kendrick hadn’t just touched Nancy’s life alone, but also the lives that he came in contact. They all surrounded Nancy during her time of need and despite the fact that they didn’t utter a damn thing, they knew that deep down, they were going to stand with their friend and family come rain come the sunshine. And needless to say, Nancy was more than grateful that they were there for her.

The memorial took way longer than expected. And many politicians who were granted the time to say something managed to use the opportunity to justify the war as well as the deaths of the soldiers. But all of this didn’t do a damn thing to console the families. Of course, there was a consolation price that was to be awarded to each family that lost a soldier. But that was just about it.

Finally, they were done with their speeches, and the president made a point of greeting all of the bereaved families before catching his limo, and he was out, so did the other politicians. Then slowly, everyone started leaving the stadium, leaving the families to take care of the dead.

Even to that point, she wasn’t saying a damn thing. It seemed as though everything was going on rather too fast for life and the only thing that she could have done to make things better would have been to keep her pain to herself. That was the best way that Nancy grieved. No one would ever get to understand the kind of pain that she was going through and needless to say, she had no intention to burden anyone with it as well.

“I know it’s a difficult time for you dear. But I just want you to know that despite everything, I will always be here for you no matter what. You understand me?”

Nancy nodded right before hugging her mother. Her friends came over and hugged her, patting her on the shoulder just to show that they weren’t going anywhere. It seemed as though words weren’t necessary for them to demonstrate their support. 

Nancy then looked over the casket that had been laced with a brand new flag for the last time before leaving. Kendrick, the love of her life, was gone.

-Moving on-

“Baby girl, you need to try and move on. We know you loved him, but Kendrick isn’t here anymore. He is gone. And I know that he would want for you to find happiness.”

“I know mom. But where the heck am I supposed to start? I have no idea.”

“Maybe you should try coming to church. I am sure there are plenty of good men who won't even think twice when they have a shot at dating you.”

Nancy wanted to say something, but her mouth just swung open as the words she wanted to say failed her. From the look of things, it seemed as though it was difficult for her to break her mom's heart by telling her that she was never going to church again.

The last time she went there, all the good brethren were staring at her in a suggestive manner despite the fact she was on another man’s arm. It even got her doubting if the flock of sheep going to church had transformed into a pack of hyenas. Her mother saw her shock and immediately knew what was going through her daughter’s mind and so without further ado, decided to change the topic almost immediately.

“The bottom-line is that you are still young, you have your whole life ahead of you. And as a mother, I won't sit back and watch you crash and burn. What happened to your boyfriend was atrocious for sure, but what is going to happen to you if you don’t get over him would be worse.”

“Mum, I think I know that I am crashing and burning already. You don’t have to remind me of my sorrows and challenges.”

“Baby girl, I am not trying to remind you of the pain. I would rather you hate me for being a good mother who doesn’t hide the pain to her daughter and makes sure that she is being told nothing but the truth that massages it. I went through a bad time when I lost your father. Now, I will not stand here and watch you go through what I went through.”

Nancy’s mom had just stopped by to check up on her daughter on the way to the hospital and so she didn’t stay for as long as she wished. And Nancy seemed a little sad to see her mom go. She was her source of strength and every damn time she came over, despite the fact that they kept on disagreeing on virtually everything, she always left her feeling a hell lot stronger than she found her.

And that meant a lot to Nancy to the point that she even looked forward to their disagreements since what mattered the most was that her mom made the time to show up. After Nancy had seen her mother off, she came back to her cold, lonely house to a buzzing phone. And when she picked it up, she saw that the call was from lavender, and that was when she remembered that they had a girl’s night out!!!

***

That evening, Nancy made a point of hooking up with some of her best friends, and it seemed as though it was some coincidence because they embarked on the topic that her mother was trying to talk to her about the same. It was a little bit freakish, but Nancy decided to give them a chance since he had no other choice.

Nancy might have been trying to dodge that topic. But in the end, she managed to put her clouded judgment aside and made sure that she was listening to whatever they were saying because, honestly, when her friends got a little tipsy they became award-winning blabbermouths. But despite all of the yip yapping that was going on, they still had a very valid point with them, and that was, in so many words, that their best friend needed to move on.

Nancy smiled for a bit. It seemed as though no matter how hard she tried to push her friends out of her business, it only seemed as though it got them all entangled into it further. And that was some crazy stuff since Nancy couldn’t do a damn thing about it. So she did what she did best under such circumstances – just kick back and sip on her drink and let her friends enjoy themselves as much as they wanted.

It looked as though everything was going to work out rather perfectly if she tried to change the story. And so Nancy quietly decided to look for an excuse to change the story. And as she did so, her friends made sure that they were getting to go through her life without even a single shred of mercy.

They talked about all the men that have had an interest in her for the past year but in the end; she always found a way to push them all away without even thinking twice about it.

“Hey, did you know that the boss was smashing her secretary?”

“Yes, we know. As a matter of fact, we hooked her up with the boss, and they all seem happy. You realize that you are never going to change the story no matter how hard you tried, do you?”

Nancy smiled. And just like that, she decided that maybe it was about time for her to just kick back and pretty much ensure that she was enjoying her drink. Nancy was almost finishing the one in her glass, and so she stretched her hand and got hold of the bottle, opened it slowly and poured herself another drink. And as she was doing all of this, she had a smile on her face – something she hadn’t had the pleasure of enjoying in a very long time.

“All of you have spoken a hell lot tonight. But to be honest, not one of you has had the balls to come up with a solution. So, what the heck am I supposed to do or better yet, where the hell can I get the perfect man that you all are talking about?” Nancy finally asked the question that all of her girlfriends had been waiting for her to ask. And from the look of things, all of them smiled and glanced at lavender.

“Well, I think I might have the perfect guy in mind.” Said lavender with that naughty smile that they all knew only too darn well.

-First date-

Well, as soon as lavender got the green light, she didn’t seem to hesitate even for a single bit. She immediately made a point of going in for the kill almost immediately. She made a point of hooking her up with an alpha male, the kind of man that was going to make Nancy forget all about the sorrows and misfortunes that had marked her life the past couple of months.

His name was Derrick. Derrick was a former Marine, who was also a billionaire in his right. He was a bad boy alright, and that explained why many women wanted to be with him – even if it meant for just a single night. Lavender was his best friend, and so she thought that if she hooked them up and it turned out marvelous, then they were going to owe her for the rest of their lives.

And for a moment, it seemed as though it was going to work out. And that is why lavender made a point of getting them hooked up. It didn’t take that long for them to have that spark and that was when she decided to let go. Derrick was in good shape and needless to say, he was the kind of guy that any woman would kill for. And then there was Nancy, this incredibly hot, incredibly witty and most of all, incredibly funny woman who could make him laugh all the time.

So the chatting went on for a while and then it was finally time for them to meet up and have a date. Derrick told her not to worry since he had everything else planned up. And all that she needed to do was to dress up and show up without a doubt. And that was what she did, exactly. And eventually, they made the necessary preparations to get things done rather immediately.

***

“Well, what can you tell me about yourself Derrick?”

“I don’t know where to start Nancy. There is so much to me that I…”

“No, just tell me anything about yourself.” Nancy cut him off before he could give an excuse

Derrick Moss smiled a little and then took a sip from his tumbler. Well, he wasn’t lying when he said that he had a bunch of stories that he could tell her. And once he was done sorting them out, he decided to go with the military stories.

“You know, before my business became way too successful, I was in the army, and I let my family run it for a while. And so one of those cold nights, something incredibly screwed up happened. A rookie was looting some food from the kitchen and, we don’t even know what happened, he stepped on a mine that had been placed by the insurgents.

“We were all woken up just in time before a looming attack and we were saved, just like that. And you know what was more incredible than his amazing save? The soldier didn’t even get injured. According to the forensic scientists, it seemed as though the mine was cold for a couple of seconds before it went off.”

The story was hilarious. But from the look of things, it seemed as though Nancy wasn’t all amazed by any military stories and thankfully, Derrick was such a quick study and made sure that he was avoiding any military stories.

“I am very sorry about that. I hadn’t told you that my last boyfriend died at war last year, and the memories are still too fresh.” Nancy finally confessed.

“I am sorry about that. I didn’t know. But not to worry, I have plenty other stories that I can tell you that don’t include war and all the terrible experiences that include it.”

And immediately after that, it seemed as though their favorite jam dropped and they just couldn’t help but get on their feet. And it was a coincidence because they hadn’t discussed anything to do with both of their favorite dances and now, from the look of things, it seemed as though they were in a position to just kick back and pretty much enjoy it without a doubt.

“Oh hell no! You mean this is your favorite song!”

“Who doesn’t love Lil Jon?”

And with that, they all embraced and danced. At first, Nancy couldn’t believe of that coincidence. It was just too good to be true and for a moment, all that she wanted to do was cry. And all of this was getting to happen because of lavender. At that point, all Nancy wanted to do was call her and thank her once again, but then it occurred to her that she was dancing with one of the most handsome men in the world. And thus, the decision to postpone that thought for a while longer.

The night was still young and since they were looking forward to having the time of their lives, Derrick told the deejay to keep the hit songs coming and needless to say, they danced for the better part of the date.

As soon as they got to the car, Derrick lets go of her hand, and they faced each other. And for a moment, it seemed as though they didn’t have a damn thing to say to each other but just look into each other’s eyes. It was indeed one helluva date, and they clearly had fun. Even though Nancy didn’t want to admit it, she wanted to go for the second time, and a third one and Derrick knew all about it since he could see it in her eyes.

“Well, I had too much fun. I hope we would get to do this more often.”

“Yes, we should.”

And then again, the two went into that state of trance and got to look into each other’s eyes one more time. There was no denying that Derrick was a bad boy because he was getting to make her get all of these incredibly sassy sensations by just glancing into her eyes. And it was at that moment that he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, making her feel all weak in the knees.

And with that, he opened the door for her and the chauffeur drove her away in the custom made Rolls Royce.