The Alpha's Omega Mate-Chapter 123: Despair.

~Dahlia’s POV~

By the time I woke up, it was already the early hours of the next day’s afternoon. The sun was out and bright—too bright, maybe that was the reason Amara seemed to glow under it.

I noticed her sitting on the probably scorching sand, her hair acting as a curtain around her small frame. She seemed busy drawing figures on the sand but from where I laid, I couldn’t make out what they were. She looked fed, clean too and my eyes instantly shot to our only supply bag, an exhale escaping my lips when I noted that she’d eaten, but contrary to the last time we’d been in such a situation, she’d not eaten everything.

And it was all my fault she had to experience something like this twice.

For some reason, the corpses of the men and wolves last night were no longer scattered around the foot of the cave, and there was no one else around besides Amara, so I knew that it was all her.

However, I had no idea how to ask my four but almost five year old how she’d managed to clear those off without confirming my suspicions, without believing that she was a freak just like I was.

Confusion gnawed at me and I bit my lower lip as I tried to rise to my feet. But just as I did that, I groaned loudly. My eyes tore open in shock and like a crazed animal, I lifted my dress, gasping when I saw the gaping holes on my flesh.

By the gods, I was still not healing... at all.

My injuries looked as fresh as they’d been the previous night, only that now they had some purplish hues surrounding them like the telltale signs of an infection. The large gash on my left thigh still bled whenever I tried to move, and hades, it hurt like a darn bitch to move.

Tears sprung into my eyes, and Amara, as if noticing the shift in my mood rushed over. I dropped my skirt before she would arrive by my side, and I winced, biting down on my tongue when she hugged my legs.

"You’re awake." She said with a smile, one that I immediately returned. Ruffling her hair, I nodded whilst stylishly peeking through her dress’s neckline to check on the injury on her shoulder.

Though I couldn’t see a darn thing, judging by the expression on her face, I figured that she wasn’t in any form of pain— or maybe she was pretending, just like I was.

That thought filled me with fear, but deciding to push it to the back of my mind, I crouched in front of her, wincing when that action sent several jolts of pain slamming into my body. I groaned again, ignoring the skepticism now flashing across Amara’s features, and then I asked; "Are you in pain?"

Amara shook her head no.

"What about your shoulder?" I asked again, forcing a smile when she pushed down her neckline to reveal smooth clear skin underneath. There wasn’t even dry blood on it.

The cleanness of her skin had me suspicious, so I continued with my one million and one questions anyway. I asked; "And did you wash up?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"There’s a small water there." She answered quietly whilst pointing at a distance.

I frowned for a bit, but after realizing that she was talking about a stream, or maybe a lake, my frown eased up. I nodded. "Okay." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

By the gods, I wanted to go there so badly. I wanted to clean up my injuries. Deep down, all I wanted to do was follow the distant sound of rushing water, but for some reason, I couldn’t. I was too weak and I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t healing at all, while my daughter was fully healed.

"You can go back to what you were doing." I said slowly to Amara. "Mommy would just eat some food then go clean up, okay?" I said, sounding as cheerful as I could despite the pain threatening to tear me limb for limb. Amara watched me quietly as if she could see through my lies, but probably decided not to push it— or maybe she’d believed me— she did as told.

I crawled back into the cave and helped myself to some fruits and a bit of bread, but the more I ate, the more nauseous I felt. My body trembled with the sheer will to keep the food down, and after realising that it was futile, I dumped them back into the bag and gave up.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. My lips quivered as I struggled to keep my tears at bay. I couldn’t believe that after all the struggles to keep my daughter safe, and after everything that’s happened just so that we could be free, this is how I end up.

Dead.

Absolutely forgotten in the middle of nowhere, with no one to fend for my little child but herself.

Despair sank its fangs deep into my heart and I closed my eyes reliving the past week, replaying the events that have all led to this moment. As much as I tried to delude myself into thinking that I had done what was right, I knew that I was wrong.

This wasn’t right.

Dying and leaving Amara behind with no one wasn’t right.

And do you know what was worse? The cloaking spell.

No one could find us even if they tried. This was the end. My end.

When the tears slipped out now, I didn’t try to fight it. I didn’t even hold back my sob from escaping my lips even as Amara turned around quickly to look at me.

I vaguely saw her stand but didn’t see when she began walking over. All I felt suddenly was her hands on my face, on my forehead, my neck, and then I heard her voice.

"Mommy, what’s wrong?" She asked in that cool angelic voice of hers, but I was too weak, too lost. I couldn’t respond.

"Are you okay?" She asked again, and this time, I forcefully opened my mouth, ready to bite out a lie, but my throat wouldn’t work. Words wouldn’t come out.

Amara soon began to cry, but that didn’t break my heart. What broke my heart however was the fact that I couldn’t console her. I couldn’t wipe the tears away from her face. I was stiff, weak, unable to move, unable to speak.

My vision was no longer blurry, it was simply dark. My eyes were open but I could no longer see.

This is the end... I thought to myself.

But I refused to acknowledge it. I refused to accept it. Because who would care for Amara?

Suddenly, I could no longer hear her voice nor her tears. I could no longer feel her warm hands on my face and body. My body felt cold despite the angry sun. My bones were chilly in a way that could only be attributed to death.

When the icy darkness finally came, I fought it... But I lost.

It was stronger.

It was more powerful.

And now, it was about to plunge my baby into a life more despicable than the one I’ve lived.