Metamorphosis- II

***Massive Trigger Warning ⚠️****

(The following chapter contains disturbing content, proceed at your own accord)

************Time skip ************

"The baby...???"

"He's safe..."

Raina sighed, she smiled a bit though her chin puckered up, it was an expression Josh hadn't seen before.

"You so ugly" Josh commented

"Shutup, I'm having a moment.." Raina said half sobbing and half laughing.

" Clara and I, we'll leave for the capital tonight...do you know what that means..?" Josh spoke with a dull expression.

Raina nodded wiping her tears with both her hands.

"Don't you atleast want to see him once?" Josh asked

Raina shook her head

" I won't be able to let go...if I see him.."

Josh understood, he reached his hand and placed it on Raina's hand. The ring on his finger sparkled under the roof lights of the room even though the world outside was pitch dark, it was just this room, that was lit up.

"Raina... We're leaving you, do you know what that means? If Ivan Strauss finds out the child was swapped with a still born... " Josh clutched on her hand being really nervous about it.

" I was prepared when I told you both to do so... Don't worry about me... " Raina held his hand in-between hers.

" Clara is a very good woman, cherish her, my friend and my child, I give both of my important people to you..."

Josh felt a tremble in his whole body, he lowered his head on their hand, pressing his forehead against the back of her hand and then kissed it.

"Again, you're saving me... I feel like one day my karma will catch up to me... "

" Don't jinx it idiot, fall in love, be happy, enjoy, do all those things I couldn't do, I'll be happy just knowing that you are happy" Raina's voice shivered as she said this

" I love you okay? Even if we are not actually related, you're my only family and I'm happy"

" I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" Josh ended up weeping for a while.

" Get up you ugly person, go to your wife and child now, before Ivan is back" Raina lowkey slapped him lightly as he was weeping on her hand.

Josh got up turning towards the door while still trying to fix his messy face.

"Joshua Hughes"

Raina mumbled for the last time, he turned to face her, she didn't look at him, rather she turned her face the other way.

" Raise my son well "

************Time skip ************

"This house is huge"

"Isn't it? It even has a secret basement"

Josh blinked a bit being dumbfounded.

" A certain birdy told me that my husband had a dream of having a lab of his own where he could make things that could help others" Clara spoke softly.

" Raina that little snitch " Josh clicked his tongue.

"Here, hold Alex" Clara came over and handed the little baby over to Josh.

"But where'd you get the money?" Josh asked taking the little baby carefully in his arms.

Clara didn't answer his question, rather she moved close up to him.

"Tonight, can I hold you?" She asked him with a blushing face and he lowered his head nodding with a heated up face himself.

If only time could have stopped there, he'd only wondered what did he do to deserve such bliss, something troubled him, he was afraid he'd lose this happiness in a blink of an eye.

Why did the head of Naoyuki clan let him marry her, what did she offer him in return?

What did she and Raina decide amongst themselves?

There were alot of unanswered questions that bothered him but Clara didn't want to answer them, so he didn't push her.

All he knew about her was that she was the first child of Nicolai Hughes, her father had a bunch of lands that he'd left her before his death. She had a younger brother who lived with her mother abroad after the separation of their parents. She often talked about him and how she missed him.

He often wondered why'd she stayed here even after her father's death and not go abroad to her mother instead.

But he was thankful she didn't..

"Hold...hold..it hurts"

He pressed onto Clara's shoulders.

"I'm sorry..." Clara stopped where she was, waiting for him to relax. He took deep breaths before letting her push further.

Baby Alex slept in his crib nearby.

"Just there, please don't move..." He pleaded.

"Take deep breaths" Clara told him " maybe we should have waited for your next heat..."

" It's fine..I couldn't have waited that long" He moved up and kissed Clara.

They made out for a while without really moving.

Until Clara moved off him, laying next to him, catching her breath.

"Next time... I'll do better..." She sighed covering her face with both hands.

"Don't get shy out of nowhere, you're making me shy too" Josh argued at her being flustered and got flustered himself.

"Well if you think about it, we're both no longer virgins, it's kinda embarrassing..." Clara whispered tightly covering her eyes.

" Ahhh stop, you don't have to say it!" Josh took a pillow and put it over his own face.

They both spent the rest of the night in post embarrassment.

************Time skip ************

"Five...Six..."

"Why don't you both take a break?"

Clara brought some pancakes and placed them on the table.

"Mom, he's driving me mad! I can't do that many pull ups!" Alex whined.

"Sweetheart, can't you go a bit light on him?" Clara tried to bargain.

" Can't do , physical education is as important as theoretical education, he needs to be strong to live in this world" Josh shook his head, moving over to eat.

" Dad I'm 7!" Alex said washing his hands.

"When I was 7, I could fight bears barehandedly!" Josh said and young Alex was completely mesmerized.

" For real?" He rushed to Josh to hear more about the bear stories.

Josh often used to make up events infront of Alex just to entertain the little kid.

Clara stood by and only laughed at every little description that was impossible but Alex believed in it.

"And then with the bear I-" Josh paused and grabbed his mouth.

"What is it dear?" Clara put a hand over his shoulder noticing he didn't look well. Though, Josh didn't say a word and rushed away from the table holding his mouth.

"Mama what's wrong?" Alex got worried.

" It's okay sweetheart why don't you eat your cake, I'll check up on daddy" Clara said and kissed the side of Alex's forehead as she went into the room.

"This morning sickness will be the death of me!" Josh whined using the mouth wash when Clara came in.

" Hang in there daddy" Clara spoke gently rubbing his back.

" So when are we telling Alex?" Josh asked.

" About the baby?" Clara asked.

" Well that too but I'm talking about giving him 'the' lecture" Josh said " He needs to be told about the use of suppressants and the difference between alphas and omegas"

" I think it's better we wait, I think he's too young, for now you're doing well teaching him self defense" Clara told him setting his hair side by side.

"Also you never told me.. you went back didn't you?" Josh asked in a rather interrogative manner.

" Just to deal with some old family settlements..." She answered in a vague manner.

" Then... did you meet Raina?" He asked rather nervously.

"She's doing well, infact Mr. Ivan Strauss bought a land in the city side" Clara told him and his face lit up.

" Then I'd be able to see Raina soon, ah but we gotta be careful about Alex.." Josh said excitedly, though his expression changed a bit "What about Akio, were you able to find anything about that kid?"

Clara shook her head "That kid  disappeared long ago, I highly doubt we can ever find him... Though I do know the young master is looking frantically for him, at this rate the Naoyuki family will fall apart"

" Well I hope he never finds him!" Josh said rather enthusiastically but then relaxed "but I hope Akio chan is fine too..."

Clara gently held his hands and kissed his cheek.

"I love you"

"Why is it that everytime I talk about this, you get all lovey dovey-" Josh was about to whine about it but Clara shut him up with a kiss.

"I can't wait for Alex to have a sibling"

************Time skip ************

"You can't touch it with barehands"

"Gloves then?"

"Um honey Rhea is crying"

Clara called Josh who was busy teaching the little boy about chemical reactions and safety in their little secret lab.

"Okay that's it for today, let's go play with your sister" Josh patted Alex's head and Alex did a huge yay before running upstairs. Josh winded everything up before closing and locking the lab.

"Is something up ?" Josh asked Clara who looked really stressed but nevertheless managed to smile for him

" It's just work..."

"Ah, you should just leave that job already, all it has given you is stress and dark circles, look your pretty face is turning all ugly"

Josh was annoyed while Alex was busy pretend talking to his cooing little sister.

"Hey did you just call me ugly?" Clara grabbed Josh's ear pulling it.

" Whoa whoa mom and dad wrestling!!! Rhea Rhea let's clap" Alex clapped playfully.

Clara and Josh pretended to wrestle for a bit. Though Josh ended up princess carrying his wife and swirling her around, she was always weak to vertigos so she gave in and raised her hand as a white flag admitting defeat.

"Mom lost ehhhh" Alex looked disappointed.

"Hey you little punk why are you disappointed!" Josh held Alex's little face in his hand while Alex laughed.

" Whose side are you on??"

"Mom's side, mom protect me!" Alex giggled hard to the point of crying.

" Here comes the mom slap!" Clara declared and slapped Josh's rear to which the latter ran after her while she ran around the house.

Though after running a little Josh went a bit white in the face and held his mouth. Clara came over to him though he just ran back to the bathroom.

"Wait no...Again????!"

************Time skip ************

"Your brother?"

"Mhm"

She spoke rather excitedly. Josh was holding two baby boys in his arms while Alex was holding the hand of a toddler girl.

They were having a family walk in the park when she brought the conversation of her brother coming back to the country.

Around the time their twins were born, Clara's mother had passed away. She couldn't have gone to see her last moments. Her brother dealt with the responsibilities of the funeral on his own. Though now he'd wrapped up everything.

He wanted to come back to his sister since she was his only blood relative that he could turn to.

He had nothing left to do abroad so he was just wrapping up at this point.

"What's he like?" Josh asked her.

"He hates me" She replied, no more and no less.

Josh knew asking her any further than this would bear no answers because she only told him what she wanted to.

"Say...if one day I were to disappear... Can you protect all those whom I'd left behind?"

Josh's eyes widened, he became a bit angry

" Don't say such cursed things!! "

" I'm sorry, I just wondered... If one day, I'm not able to stand by your side.. would you protect everything I loved.. " She asked yet again, looking for him with hopeful eyes.

"You're really worrying me out here, are you okay, did something happen? " Josh asked her, not liking her tone at all " besides if you were to try to disappear in the first place, I'd follow you to the ends of the world"

She gave a gentle yet empty smile, it had Josh worried for a multiple reasons. Recently she'd gotten thinner, her eyes bags were more evident...it could've been because handling four kids wasn't easy but Josh was doing most of that too.

"Hey..you do know you can talk to me right..?" Josh offered yet again, hoping she'd share the burden she carried on her heart but she remained silent and gazed at young Alex walking with his little sister.

If only she'd shared....

If only... he'd known....

Could he have made a difference?

************Time skip ************

"WE HAVE TO LEAVE, NOW!"

"Clara? What's going on??!"

She frantically packed her bags whist putting the basic stuffs for the kids in her bags. It had happened after she'd received a phone call of an unknown origin.

Josh understood nothing yet he was made to comply with her..they loaded their cars, she sat with the children rather than sitting in the front seat and asked Josh to drive as far away as he could.

Josh followed yet occasionally he looked back from the front mirror hoping she'd say something but all he could see was her eyes bulging out from fear constantly looking back.

It was late in the night, the roads were empty... though at some point a car started moving behind Josh's car.

He'd noticed it.

"FAST FAST, DON'T LET THEM CATCH UP JOSH!" She frantically yelled and Josh stepped onto the paddle. The other car increased their speed too.

Josh dodged them at many points, he even got off road hoping he could get rid of them. Though the moment he came back on a road a car from the front banged into the side of their car. They paddled till Josh's car got dragged around. He tried to turn it over and get away but a fast hit from another side caused the car to flip over.

The next time he'd opened his eyes...he was upside down along with the children crushed in the debris.

His eyes widened watching his kids before him.

He tried to push himself out of that position.

"NO NO NO NO PLEASE NO PLEASE..." He cried while desperately throwing his hands, trying to get his hands to his children.

Clara gained consciousness, she  struggled her way out crying and shivering herself.

"No...no...nn...o..." She couldn't control her emotions as she screamed seeing the children.

Somehow she pulled the babies out...

They were.....

She used her fingers to open their eyes, to pretend they were awake, performed CPR on them...

Calling out to them but they wouldn't....

Everytime their eyes closed up she used her fingers to make them blink like little dolls, pretending they were just fast asleep...

Neither the daughter nor the twins were breathing and Alex was crushed under the debris. Clara frantically tried to push at the car while screaming but nothing worked.

"The children..." Josh murmured.

Though sounds of foot steps made them both quieten up in horror.

"No no no no stay away!" Clara crawled back, Josh could only see their feet and his wife on the floor.

"STAY AWAY STAY AWAY FROM STAY AWAY!!" He yelled throwing arms and legs, managing to somewhat free himself out. Despite a broken leg he grabbed at the man's ankle only to get kicked by him in the face.

"You b-tch!!!!!! Where is it???!!" One of them pulled at Clara's hair who screamed trying to claw and bite the guy but only got punched in the face.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!!!" Josh yelled.

"Mommy...it hurt...." A faint voice came from under the debris and both the parents turned that way.

" Baby...baby..are you okay??" The shine on Clara's face returned a little hearing Alex's voice.

Josh moved without thinking and punched the man who was holding Clara's hair, letting her free as she crawled towards the debris.

The man turned to Josh now, he punched him down.

Josh fell, he was bleeding from alot of places now, it was hard for him to even move when a guy grabbed him by the leg and dragged him forward. Another grabbed Clara towards him by her hair as she screamed.

"This is the guy right? The one they told about?" One of them asked and Clara spat upon him instead to which she got slapped in the face. Her whole face was a bloody mess.

"I WILL END YOU I WILL END YOUR LIFE WITH MY OWN HANDS STAY AWAY STAY AWAY" Josh yelled through the guy holding him down smirked.

" Ahhh, It's a waste to kill omegas honestly, they're high in demand and sell at good prices" One of the guy whined.

" Can't do, we're ordered to kill them, no exceptions, not following the order means betraying boss" Another guy argued.

" Ah! Still such a waste, what if we ruin his face and then sell him?" The guy suggested.

" An omega's face is everything, he wouldn't sell at a good price" The other guy told him.

" Don't you dare!!!" Clara Hughes lurched forward attacking and the man who kicked her in the ribs while two others held Josh down as he tried to reach his wife.

" Well....atleast let's try him once, you wouldn't get a free omega like that anywhere, it takes too much money just to hire one"

Everyone nodded in agreement to his horror.

" Don't come..." Josh kicked and tried to move away but the guys held him over the ground.

One of them started to strip Josh making him even more horrified, he tried to push the guy off him though the man punched and slapped him, nevertheless Josh struggled till he'd scratched the whole face and chest of each of his attacker till he couldn't no more.

"Stop! Stop ! Don't ! Please PLEASE" She turned to screaming and begging but they'd already begun.

The more Josh struggled, the more he got beaten up and the more they enjoyed forcing themselves in him.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

Clara wept, he tried not to give in for her sake and kept struggling even though he felt like screaming and crying on top of his lungs but seeing her shatter to pieces before him...

It was the first time... he'd seen her like that... a strong and kind person like her.... fall apart....

....he just couldn't even cry....all he could do was desperately try to have her not look his way....

" Don't..look Don't look!!" He spoke in a begging tone as she lowered her head sobbing in an apologetic manner, letting him have once last ounce of pride that he had left.

"Hey, watch the show carefully, you're our guest of honor today" One them manhandled Clara's head, forcing her eyes open as she shut them, making her face him.

They made her watch the whole horrific scenario.

The moment she tried to pull her head down they used her hair to pull it back even if it meant breaking a handful of her hair.

Infront of her lied the lifeless three bodies of her children, with the fourth one crushed as they took turns on her husband while making her watch it all.

Josh had lost all senses, he'd frozen up , he could only look in Clara's direction with his eyes wide open. Watching her sob and shake her blood soaked face.

One...two..three...four...five...six..men..

Took their turn leaving his lifeless body over the floor while he was covered in a pool of his own blood that trickled down from his legs mixed with a cruel white hue...

The whole time Clara struggled to move out of their grip and get to Josh, but the moment they did let her loose.....

...they used a baseball bat from the back to bash Clara's head infront of him....

She fell onto the ground with her face infront of Josh, finally being able to reach him....both of them looking into each other's eyes up close as she whispered those last three words

"I love...you.."

The third swing on the back of her head made her eyes bulge out to their extreme...

He watched the light in her eyes fade away...

The pool of red under her head.....

He kept staring at her life less eyes as they poured gasoline over their bodies and on to the car...

Hoping that probably at some moment... she might blink again...her eyes might shine again...

He'd always found her eyes beautiful... infact, her eyes were the first thing he fell in love with her....

However....those eyes weren't the same anymore...

The moments slowed down... everything moved in slow motion...

Everything... rewinded in front of his eyes, every moment ,every smile of hers, every argument they'd had, every firsts they'd shared.....

It was almost a reel that played in reverse and it all ended on the very first moment his eyes met with hers...

" Too....lo...ve...too...."

Everything had frozen... before it started moving again.....

He could hear the steps of those people walking away, leaving the two of them holding onto each other.

The burning smell of gasoline and the fire slowly lighting along the trail.....

'Say...if one day I were to disappear... Can you protect all those whom I'd left behind?'

He heard the dead body of his wife ask him that unanswered question again with her eyes bulging out...

It's as if she pushed him away even though she laid motionless there....

His fingers finally moved...

He pushed.....

He had to.....

He crawled, he crawled with all his might... pushing the debris with all his might and pulled the child while using his hands to crawl forward.

Everything behind him caught fire, even he too was on fire... Yet the child he dragged forth was safe...

He didn't dare look back at the bodies of his children or his wife... All he could do was crawl forward....

"Daddy it hurts... It hurts" The young child painfully cried out getting his whole skin bruised up by being dragged against the road.

He didn't care half his back had been burnt along with his legs and an arm...

Yet he dragged until he couldn't no more...

He dragged till he couldn't smell the flesh of his young ones burning...

Till his wife's bulging eyes couldn't mortify him anymore....

Till his whole life burned in flames...

He dragged... without looking back...

He dragged till everything went from orange to pitch black...

...till he got enveloped into the darkness and crawled out into the moonlight .....

.....a hideous creature of the night....

The beginning of the metamorphosis