Becky's POV:
"Please…let my mother go. She's innocent. I don't have any business with Drey," I begged, my voice breaking, barely hanging on from crumbling completely.
Why did it always end like this? Why was I always dragging innocent people into my cursed life? I had stepped into a dangerous world I didn't know anything about, and once again, it was the people I loved who would pay the price.
The man in the mask tilted his head, watching me like I was a mouse caught in a trap. "Then you have no choice," he said coldly. "Work for me, or your mother dies. There's nothing else."
My eyes filled with hatred for this man as something inside me snapped. My chest burned and my blood boiled; that strange energy was coming up again, surging through my veins like fire. My vision began to blur red, and before I could think, I was charging at him.
"Stay back!" one of his men shouted, pulling a gun. The sound of gunfire rang out, but it didn't stop; only the pain tore through my shoulder. The bullet only seemed to fuel the beast clawing inside me. I slammed into him, ripping the weapon from his hand as he screamed, crumbling under my strength.
Another man lunged, and I twisted, faster than I thought possible, sending him crashing into the wall. Their groans and cries filled the room, but I wasn't myself anymore. My hand trembling at my bloodied hand, I was something else, something terrifying. I stumbled back, my breath ragged. I was in disbelief. I had moved like lightning and fought like a beast. This wasn't me. This couldn't be me.
"What's happening to me?" I gasped, horrified at the raw power I possessed. I was fighting hefty men.
"Stop… stop…" I sobbed, clutching at my chest.
My body shook violently, too much energy and rage, and it seemed I was beginning to wear myself out as tears slipped out of my eyes.
All I wanted was the black wolf again.
Then suddenly…
The fire in my veins vanished, leaving nothing but weakness. My knees buckled, and before I even hit the ground, everything went black.
Alpha Drey's POV
Sleep never came to me that night. My wolf was restless, pacing, clawing, and howling inside me like it sensed something. Like that day at the cliff with the new girl.
"She's in danger," it whispered. "The girl. The blonde."
She was supposed to have left the city. That would have been better, safer. Yet… my thoughts kept returning to her. To her blood-soaked body that was dangling from the cliff. To the way her eyes had locked with mine before she fainted. I told myself to forget her, but the city itself refused to let me.
I stepped outside, and it was getting dark. I felt a gust of wind. The moon was full again, but this time, its glow, like that day, also deepened into crimson. Blood-red. My chest tightened, every nerve in my body active.
"She's such a trouble," I whispered, though no one was there to hear me.
My wolf pushed, demanding control. My pulse thundered as I followed the pull of the red moon deeper into the outskirts of the city. I wanted her to be safe; a part of my heart was bleeding since I set my eyes on her. She was annoying, but I couldn't even hurry her. My senses sharpened, leading me step by step until I stood before an old, abandoned building.
Her scent hit faint, but I knew it was her, but I also smelled blood, which made my wolf cry out in pain.
I didn't hesitate. The second I stepped into the building, the stench of blood and gunpowder slammed into me. My wolf surged forward, demanding release, but I forced it down. I couldn't fight in my wolf form; this wasn't our territory.
A guard turned the corner as he spotted me, his eyes widening. Before he could reach for his weapon, my fist connected with his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. Another rushed at me with a blade, but my reflexes were good. I caught his wrist mid-swing, twisted, and heard the sickening crack of bone before I shoved him aside like he was nothing.
More came. They were strong for humans, but against me? They didn't stand a chance. I moved like shadow and storm, every strike aimed at their vitals. I wanted to appease my anger, every movement fueled by something primal. Within minutes, silence returned to the hallway, bodies groaning and sprawled in defeat.
Then I saw her.
Becky lay crumpled against the wall, her wrists red, showing she'd been tied with rope, her face pale, blood seeping from her shoulder where the bullet had grazed her. But it wasn't just that. I felt a strange surge of energy from her, but she looked helpless. What did you want from her? My chest tightened. What are you, Becky?
"Why do you keep lurking around trouble?" I muttered to myself.
I knelt and scooped her into my arms. Her head against my chest, her breathing shallow, my wolf whimpered inside me. I needed to get her treated quickly. I could feel the smell of someone stronger that wasn't here. Was he their boss? He was a coward for running away after bullying a harmless girl.
I couldn't take her back to the pack. They would ask questions. They would scent the change on her, sense the power. I'm sure she knows nothing about the energy surging in her, and if the pack thought she was a threat… she wouldn't survive it.
But I couldn't let her go either. She was the first girl who ever called me through my wolf. And the red moon had led me to her, not when every instinct screamed that she was bound to me in ways neither of us understood. I looked down at her sleeping face, torn and vulnerable. "You don't belong in my world," I murmured, tightening my grip, pressing her to my chest. "But I can't let you go, either."
So I turned away from the pack lands. I would protect her from this world and from the questions, from the danger of what I was. I carried her toward the only safe place I could think of, which was an elder who had accommodated my mother and me the first time she ran when she had issues with my father.
For now, she was mine to protect… even if it meant betraying myself and lying to my pack.
Just across the building, there was a pair of watchful eyes. The shadows within the building shifted.
A tall figure stepped forward, his mask glinting faintly in the moonlight. "We got a catch." His voice was low, amused. "Boss," one of his men whispered, emerging from the corner where he'd been hiding. "I didn't expect he would show up."
"Did he leave a scent on her?"his boss asked.
"How was he able to track her? Did he know his little girlfriend was planning to run from this place?" another man asked
The masked man chuckled darkly, folding his hands behind his back. "It seems our great Alpha Drey has finally found himself a weakness."
The henchmen laughed . "Then we can use her to bring him down."
Their laughter filled the empty building, which was filled with hatred and cruelty, as they melted back into the darkness.
"Leave them for now," the masked man murmured, his eyes gleaming. His tone was calm, but his smile was venom. "The game has only just begun."
Their laughter faded as they melted back into the shadows, leaving only silence… and the red moon watching from above.