The Royal Contract

"Nooo!!!"

No! He kept saying in his mind as he gasped for air. He felt like his chest was about to explode as his heart palpitated and his lungs squeezed the life out of him.

Fear gripped him. But the feeling was nothing new. He knew he had experienced it once before. And it was something he would never forget.

"No!" Alex had enough as he opened his eyes, grasping for air as sweat covered his forehead. It was just another nightmare.

It had been a while since he had remembered that scene. He did make it a point to bury the memory at the back of his mind.

He looked beside him, relieved that he did not wake up his wife. The last thing he needed was to make her worry about him.

Besides, it was nothing.

"It was just a dream." He silently told himself. Then, he walked toward the bathroom to splash water on his face.

But instead of returning to bed, he tiptoed out of the room and quietly walked down the hallway. He might as well make use of himself since he was already awake.

He entered the adjacent room, checking for sounds and movements. So far, there was none. He guessed he was still early or his son was late.

He checked his watch and figured that his son would wake up soon. It had been their routine for the last two weeks.

"At least you are getting a good sleep." He mumbled to his sleeping child, who appeared to smile as his tiny lips moved into an upward curve.

"I hope that is a good dream." He added, placing his hands on his son's gentle cheeks, careful not to wake him up.

Afterward, he sat on the empty rocking chair on the side of his crib, waiting for his son to break the silence.

At least this time, he could handle the situation before his son woke up his wife and the entire household. It would be nice if Dani would not need to wake up to deal with Ares.

He believed she had been through enough these past weeks. His wife needed a break. If he had experienced being haunted by their past due to the recent incidents, he would not be surprised to learn that Dani might have felt much worse.

But he could not blame his wife for choosing to help her brother. He had done the same thing with Edward. He could not abandon his cousin despite what he had done.

"Umh!" He exhaled deeply, expelling most of the air in his lungs as he tried to dispel the memories out of his head.

He did not need reminders of what happened in the past. Hopefully, it would never happen again. Gerald and the likes of Edward should have learned their lessons.

And like what he had expected. It did not take long for his son to make his presence known. The sound started as a whimper, a faint wail that could have easily turned into a full-blown roar if he was not there to stop it.

He took his boy in his arms before the little rascal could scandalize the entire household with his son's loud cries.

"Whoa, bud. I am here." He calmed his son down, wooing him, dancing him in his arms, and figuring out what he needed from him.

One thing he learned about his son. Ares was desperately asking for his attention because he wanted something from him.

After checking his diaper, temperature, and appetite, he finally determined he was hungry.

That was easy since Dani already stored a prepared breast milk for him. He just had to warm it up for a few seconds until room temperature. Then, it was good to go.

"Here you go, Ares, buddy." Alex pushed the bottle closed to his lips until he latched into the silicone nipples.

He knew Dani preferred to breastfeed their child, but she hardly had slept in the last days. He did not want to wake her up. Not when she was peacefully asleep.

"It is just the two of us tonight. We need to let mommy sleep." He whispered to his son's ears as he cradled him while rocking him gently back to deep slumber.

He was slowly perfecting his caregiving skills as he continued to care for his little boy. He guessed he was more confident now compared to a month ago.

"And there would be more of just the two of us. I hope that is alright with you." He thought of those moments when he would bond with his son and teach him things as his father.

He remembered the times he spent countless hours with his father throwing balls at the front lawn, fishing in the lake, hiking in the mountains, and hunting in the forest.

Those were moments he would like to have with his child. But not only Ares but all the children he would have with his darling wife.

"But you will have moments with your Mom, too, where I will not be around." He could not promise that he would always be present in his life.

"But I promise I will be there as much as possible during your special moments. And when you need me the most." He let his fingers glide on his son's growing hair, feeling its smoothness against his skin.

He wished he could watch his son grow up every minute and every second. He hoped to see his first walk, hear his first word, and say, Dad, Daddy, Dada, or whatever jumble of letters he would associate with him.

But he knew there were those moments that he would miss, just like his father missed some of his birthdays. Or the time that he won his first championship match in football.

However, that was how life worked.

He could not have everything, but he and his son would be lucky to share a few moments special. At least, that was his plan.

"Oh, you like that." His heart felt light and breezy, seeing his son's face lit up with his adorable smile.

Then, an idea occurred to him.

"I think you are right about that." He answered his son's unspoken words as he stared into his sleepy eyes.

"Maybe we should do that." He nodded in agreement, although his son only closed his eyes as he slowly succumbed to darkness.

He continued rocking his son until he felt his breathing even out. Ares was hardly moving, and his eyes had shut tight.

Slowly, he lifted him and carried him back to his crib, where he would sleep the rest of the night off. Hopefully, the next time his son would open his eyes, the sun would be glimpsing in the sky.

"Goodnight, Ares." He whispered, praying that his child would not experience the trauma he and Dani had gone through.

He would try his best to protect him. But as much as he wished to do more. He knew he did not control their fates.

He tried to deny that there was an external force working around them. That he held his fate in his hand, but lately, he wondered if that was even true.

Nevertheless, he would do anything to give his family a quality life, not just his time but everything. That was a promise he was willing to give.

In a few more minutes, he was back on his side of the bed, staring at his lovely wife's face. She was still beautiful even with her messy hair and skin bare of cosmetics.

"I think I know what we should do tomorrow." He whispered, careful not to be too loud. "But we can discuss it later." He smiled at his wife, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Then, he settled his head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds while filling his lungs with air. Then, he finally closed his eyes, willing for the darkness to take over.

He only hoped that the nightmares would finally stop. But he knew that it was a useless dream. There would always be people who would want to hurt him and his family.

There would always be someone who would want what was his. And the only thing he could do was to protect his family.

"Hmm!" He heard a soft moan come from his wife's lips. When she looked at her, she was still sleeping. It was probably just an involuntary reaction, or she could be dreaming.

Quickly, he pulled her into his arms, glad he was finally there to protect her. And he only hoped he could keep her safe even in her dreams.

"I love you," Alex whispered to her ears, hoping her subconsciousness would still pick up his message.

And when she wiggled her body closer to his, as if she could not get close enough, he knew she received the message loud and clear.

With that, his body relaxed, his mind cleared, and his consciousness floated with the clouds. Slowly, he knew that he had finally surrendered to the woman in his arms.