Secrets Of The Alpha: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (His Secrets Series Book 1) (14 page)

“Ophagia? What’s going on? It’s late,” I said as I sat up in bed.

“It’s Vincent…he has changed and…” I shook my head confused.

“Wait, what do you mean he has changed?” I interjected.

“He is in wolf form and he has gone out on rampage in Angel’s Knoll Park,” Ophagia said.

“What?” it was more of an exclamation than a question.

“We need to calm him down and get him home…that is the only way…Oh God, Winnie. I am worried,” Ophagia sounded so scared and on edge. “Please come to the park. It’s the only chance we have of getting him home.” I needed no second bidding.

“I’ll be right there,” I said before I hung up.

I walked to the laundry hamper and pulled on a pair of tights and long top I had on the previous day. I pulled on a jacket and raced downstairs. I was just about to leave when I noticed that I didn’t have any shoes on. I raced back upstairs and grabbed a pair of sandals before running back down the stairs. I grabbed my car keys and ran out of the house. When I got into the car, I quickly buckled myself in and tried to get my key into the ignition but my hands were shaking too much. “Come on…come on!” I cried out as I tried getting the key into the ignition.
Yes!
I thought as I finally got the key into the ignition. I was breathing so hard and fast as I pulled out of the parking lot and began driving down to the park. As I drove, I was making a million prayers. I just wanted Vincent to be okay, to be safe. But I could not help but wonder what had prompted this rampage.

Hold on baby. I’m almost there,
I thought as I cruised down the street. I was glad I never bumped into any traffic police, because I would have most definitely gotten a ticket given how fast I was going. When I finally got to the park, I could see people running out towards me. I immediately felt a panic go through me. Was it really this bad? I pulled over to the side of the road and unbuckled my belt and climbed out of the vehicle. I saw a panicked Ophagia and Fran standing by the sidelines, watching what I realized was Vincent wreaking havoc in the park. I caught my breath when I saw Vincent growling and running around. There were scared people running around the park and all because of my man, my Vincent.

“Winnie! Thank God,” Fran said as she ran towards me.

I looked at her and then at Vincent. I was feeling scared and anxious at the same time. I could not walk or even talk. Fran was talking to me, that much I could tell but I wasn’t really hearing what she was saying. I was just looking at her and wondering what I was supposed to do. My eyes felt teary and every limb in my body was suddenly too heavy for me.

“Winnie! Snap out of it,” Fran was holding me by the shoulders. Ophagia had already walked up to where I was and she was holding my face. “Winnie!” Fran cried out snapping me back to reality. I blinked a few times and took a deep breath.

“I’m okay,” I said in a low voice. “I’m okay.”

“Good because we need you to calm him down. It’s the only way he is going to come home today,” Ophagia said. I looked at her confused.

“But…how?” I asked as I looked at her.

“He loves you, Winnie. If there is someone who can get through to him, it’s you,” Fran said.

I nodded and began walking down towards the center of the park, where Vincent was. I was scared when I saw several people lying down writhing in pain. The tears that I had fought so hard to keep from falling down my cheeks finally did.

“Oh my God, Vincent…what did you do?” I muttered under my breath as I looked at him.

It was as if he heard me, because he suddenly turned around and looked at me. I stopped in my tracks and those big, beautiful green eyes were looking right into me. I slowly took small steps towards him, but stopped as soon as he growled at me.

“Vincent?” I asked in a small voice as I looked at him. “It’s me baby, it’s okay. Everything is okay.” I was now so close to him, but I was still scared.

He growled again and I wanted to run away. I opened my mouth to speak but someone on the other side threw a rock at him, making him turn around angrily. The quick action caused him to literally throw me to the ground. I almost heard Fran and Ophagia gasp in fear when I fell down. I brushed off my tears and pulled myself up. My hip stung where I had hit the ground. I breathed hard as I walked towards him again. He was no longer calm. I looked at Ophagia and Fran and shook my head.

Oh God…I can’t. I can’t do this,
I thought as I looked at him. If ever there was a hard task that I was supposed to do, it had to be this one right here. It was like trying to take a walk across a jungle. For the first time since I met Vincent, I feared for my life. I was afraid at what would happen. I looked at him and took another deep long breath. I couldn’t give up, not now. I was his only chance at redemption. I walked towards him again. I could feel another tear rolling down my cheek.

“Vincent! Stop it!” I cried out as I looked at him but he went on growling and literally throwing everything around.

I was now sure that he did not have any idea how bad everything was. “Vincent!” I was now running towards him. I don’t know what happened next, but I was running towards him one minute and falling the next.

“No!” I cried out in defeat. I was lying on the ground sobbing when Ophagia walked up to where I was and put a reassuring arm on my shoulder.

“I can’t do this, Ophagia…I just can’t,” I said in a small voice. She shook her head and pulled me up.

“Come here, child,” she said as she cradled me. Fran had also walked up to where I was and knelt next to me. “Believe in yourself,” she said in a low voice.

I shook my head. How was I supposed to believe in myself? If ever there was a time that I had little to no faith in myself, it was at that very moment. I looked at her and shook my head.

“He is shutting me out…I can’t get to him. Not like this,” I said again. Fran took my hand in hers and looked at me. It was surprising how cool and relaxed she looked considering everything that was happening.

“Listen, sweetie. Before you came along I never thought anyone could ever love my brother given what he is and all but you did. You saw past the darkness,” she said. I looked at the wolf in the distance who was supposed to be the man I loved and felt a fresh flow of tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Fran…Ophagia…this is the hardest thing I have ever done and…” my words trailed off and Ophagia held me close.

“If you don’t believe in yourself then we will do it for you,” she said in a soft voice. I pulled away and looked into her eyes. She gave me a comforting smile.

“We both do, Winnie,” Fran said.

“Go out there and bring back Vincent,” Ophagia said.

I took a long deep breath and slowly began pulling myself up. Fran helped me up when she saw that I was struggling. I wiped off the tears and began walking towards Vincent. When I got to where he was I stood right in front of him and he growled at me. He looked like he was ready to charge and I was not sure if he could see it, but I was scared out of my mind.

“Is she crazy? Hey, lady!” I heard some of the people calling out to me but I was not going to move. The only way I was leaving that park was with Vincent or in a body bag. He growled at me again but I stayed put.

“Baby, you can either come with me or kill me because I am not leaving you here,” I said in a voice calmer than I had thought possible. His piercing green eyes were looking into mine. “Vincent, I know you are in there.” My voice was shaking as I talked to him. “I miss you baby, come back to me.” I pleaded with him.

The big creature in front of me was no longer growling. I knew what I intended to do next was a gamble, but I didn’t really care. I had absolutely nothing to lose. Vincent was my whole world and if I lost him then I might just have lost myself. I took a step toward him and he gave a low growl and stepped back. I took another step and held him. I could not help but notice how different it was talking to him in this state, touching him in this form. I was breathing hard as I looked at him.

“I love you, baby,” I said in a whisper.

I think that was all he wanted to hear because he immediately began transforming right before my eyes. I sighed in relief and sunk to my knees holding him tightly. I looked at him and held him in my arms tightly. I never wanted to let go. He was panting and it was almost like his whole body was feverish. Ophagia and Fran ran towards us and Fran helped me get him to his feet.

“We have to go, now!” Ophagia said.

We helped him walk to my car and Ophagia got into Fran’s car. As I drove, I kept on looking at Vincent from the corner of my eye. I was not sure I understood anything at that moment. I had so many questions that needed answers. Was this what he had been doing every single time he disappeared in the middle of the night? And if it was, what had caused it? Could I have helped if I knew what was going on? Vincent was quiet all the way home. He had his head leaning against the window and he looked exhausted.

I wondered how long he had been in that state. Could it have been an all-day affair? But there was no moon during the day…I was confused. When we finally got home, I helped him out of the car and into the house. Fran and I took him upstairs to his bathroom. He sunk to the floor and I cleaned him up. He was a mess…blood and soil all over his body. It took a little long but I didn’t mind. At least he was here, with me where I knew nothing could happen to him. When I was done, I helped him into a pair of sweat pants and then draped a towel on his shoulders since he wouldn’t let me help him into a t-shirt.

“Come on,” I said as I helped him up.

He looked at me and dug deep, using the last of his energy to get himself up. I looked at him as I helped him out of the bathroom and into bed. I sighed when I finally tucked him in and propped up his pillows. He looked at me and I held the back of his neck. I wasn’t sure if he knew that he had just given me the scare of my life. I pressed my lips to his forehead and then pulled back.

“I’ll go get you something to eat. I’ll be right back,” I said before I got up from the bed and walked towards the door.

As soon as I was on the other side of the door, I sunk to the floor and clasped a hand over my mouth. Every emotion I had was finally coming undone. I was crying, sobbing silently. Fran, who had been waiting outside gave me a piting look and then walked to where I was. She pulled me to my feet and helped me down the stairs, where she held me tightly. I could not remember the last time I had cried this much. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying at that moment. The danger had passed. Vincent was okay. He was here with me. I pulled away from Fran and she looked at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice.

“Don’t be. It must have been scary for you,” she said.

I shook my head and tried speaking but I was still in shock. She rubbed my shoulders and led me to a chair at the kitchen counter. She looked at me and gave me some water.

“Here. Have this and then go freshen up. My brother needs you,” she said.

I nodded. She was right. I downed the water and then walked to the room I first had when I came to the Muse mansion. I walked to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face before I brushed my hair. It was all over and there were small sticks in it. I thought I looked like a living nest when I first saw my reflection. I then made my way to the kitchen and heated a bowl of leftover stew. I put a bottle of water and the bowl on a tray as Ophagia mixed up what looked like an elixir. I wanted to ask what it was but something told me that I was better off not knowing.

“Don’t worry, Ophagia knows what she is doing,” Fran said as if she read my mind. I nodded as Ophagia began going up the stairs.

“I hope this will be enough,” I said as I looked at the tray.

“All he needs is something to get his energy levels up. You are off to a great start, Winnie,” Fran said as we walked up the stairs. When we got to the bedroom, Ophagia had just given the elixir to Vincent. He already seemed so much better than he had been a few minutes earlier when I was there.

“Make sure he eats it all,” Ophagia said sternly making me smile.