Alpha Dreys POV:
I could feel my wolf calling out to her; he was always restless. If I was a bit late to saving her, I felt like my heart wouldn't survive it. She was annoying and unpredictable, always where there's trouble yet my wolf yearned and howled for her and for the red moon. I can't figure out what she really was.
"Alpha, where have you been?" Anita's voice snapped me out of my thoughts just as I stepped in.
"I'm back now. Is there anything you want to report to me?" I asked. My wolf had disliked Anita ever since the day she pushed Becky off the cliff, not like she had been entirely wrong.
"Look who we have here, the alpha that neglects its pack," my brother voice rang from behind me.
I snarled at him, walking past him as we both brushed past each other. His scent made me pause, but I couldn't tell what was different about it. I decided to mind my business.
I had to go and see my people. Although I never wanted to be their Alpha, my father's sickness had forced me to step up, and even though I had never wanted the title, it was mine to bear.
Tomorrow was the full moon. I wouldn't be able to see Becky. I'm sure she hates my kind. I can't see her; I won't drag her into this world.
- - -
Becky's POV:
I woke up with my head seething with pain. I remembered the old man's words: I had to avoid Drey, but first I had to get a phone to see if I could reach the hospital. I could feel a strange sense of power surging in my veins, like I was about to snap open. I could hear every sound of birds; my senses heightened. I was scared I didn't want to become a monster. Was I like a wolf, or what if I was something worse? I curled up in the bed.
It was almost getting dark. I haven't left the room since, and I haven't seen the old man, so I walked out. Drey hasn't even returned to check up on me. Then I saw the moon. It was red and fascinating, and it looked like it was calling me, trying to warn me of something, but I just stood there enjoying the scenery. The red moon somehow comforted me .
Just then the air changed. I felt something strange. I decided to go inside. This place was beginning to get eerie, but I was blocked by a van, and different men jumped out of the car. I panicked instantly. I tried running, but they surrounded me. "You escaped last time, but this time my boss has everything planned out, one of the men said.
"So you were the ones who kidnapped me the last time," I said as my heart skipped. I should have left. Why did I wait for my wound to heal a little? "Ah, so you are scared now," one of them asked
He was fat and ugly.
I hissed, "Ugly dude, you men only dare to bully a weak girl like me."
"Yes, so what can you do?" one said, closing in on me while brandishing sticks.
Just then the old man ran out, "Get out from my property, you rascals!" He spat at them in anger.
This only angered them more. "Old man, we are warning you because you're an elder. Our boss told us not to touch you." As he tried to reach me, he was pushed and fell hard with blood dripping from his leg.
"See yourself, you're so weak; don't let us kill you, the fat man said
I screamed at him, "You are so heartless, not even respect for an elder."
"If you leave quietly with us, then we'd guarantee his safety; otherwise, don't blame us," their leader added.
"Fine! "I'll go with you," I said, tears almost falling from my eyes now as I shivered from the amount of cruelty these people showed. "No, child, you can't go with them; it's almost full moon," the old man said, looking at me with a strange concern.
"What does the full moon have to do with me? Do you want them to kill you, old man?" I asked, now clearly annoyed. Without giving him another glance, I climbed into their van and left with them.
The van drove on the rough ground for what felt like forever. I sat between two men who smelled of sweat and smoke, my wrists trembling in my lap.
We finally stopped at an abandoned warehouse. They dragged me out and down a corridor lit by a single flickering bulb.
At the end of the hall, a man sat in a chair. He was wearing the same mask as that day. Everything about him felt dangerous, the way his eyes followed me.
"Well," he said, his voice calm, "you've caused me a lot of trouble."
My heart hammered. "What do you want from me?"
He gestured, and a door opened. Two guards led in a woman with a sack over her head. When they pulled it off, I saw a familiar face: the nurse at the hospital from when I got injured from the cliff. Her face was pale, lips cracked, and eyes wild with fear.
"Let her go; she's innocent," I shouted at him. "Yes she is innocent; that's why I brought her. I'll make you watch how I destroy everyone who gets close to you"
" Next would be your mother, that's if you keep being stubborn," he added, his voice tainted with mockery.
"She's alive," the man said smoothly. "But for how long depends on you."
"What are you talking about?" My voice broke.
"You're special. Even you must feel it by now. The red moon calls to you. I'm giving you one last chance. Work for me, do what I tell you, or your mother dies. It's that simple."
My knees nearly gave out. "Why me?"
"Because you're the key," he said, leaning forward, eyes glinting. "And you already know what you are, don't you?"
I shook my head violently, tears blurring my sight. "I'm nothing…"
The man tilted his head at me, eyes cold. "You still don't believe me?" he asked softly.
I shook my head, clutching my stomach. "Let her go, please…"
Then he made a move with his finger, and one of his men brought out his blade and placed it on her neck.
"No…" My voice cracked. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"It's your fault you killed her," the man said, taunting me.
Before I could move, before I could even scream, the guard's blade slid across her throat. The sound was a wet gurgle, and then the nurse fell to the floor.
My knees gave out. "Stop! Stop it!" I howled, my voice raw.
Somewhere above us, the red moon rose higher. I felt it burn against my skin. The clock on the wall hit midnight. Full moon.
Pain ripped through my body, deep and electric. My fingers spasmed; my nails blackened and grew out into claws. My spine arched as if something inside me was breaking free.
"No… no, I'm not a monster…" I gasped, clutching my head.
And then a voice that was not mine but inside me, "Control it. Don't get thirsty for blood. Control it." "You finally woke me. Control your thirst for blood, my alpha," the voice rang in my head again. The men backed away, their bravery faltering as they saw my eyes flash a color they'd never seen before. I could smell their fear as sharply as their sweat.
Another wave of pain hit. I fell to my knees, claws scraping the concrete. My heartbeat sounded like a drum in my skull.
Control it, the voice whispered again. Or you'll lose yourself.
I could feel their eyes on me, their fear like a hot wind against my skin. I was shaking, not from terror but from the fight to stay human.
I raised my head. My vision swam red; my breath came in snarls. I'm either going to save my mother, I thought, or become the monster they want me to be.
That was the last thing I remembered before the room exploded with screaming.
- - -
Back at the hut, the old man paced the floor like a caged wolf. His wound still bled but he barely felt it. The girl was gone, taken again.
His hands shook as he reached for the old phone hidden under the floorboards. He could call Drey. He could tell the Alpha what happened.
But then he saw the moon rising outside, red as blood. The prophecy echoed in his mind.
He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to dial. Maybe keeping them apart was the only way to keep them both alive.
He pressed his palms together and whispered a prayer instead. "Forgive me, child. Forgive me, Alpha. I'm only trying to save you from yourselves. I hoped she can fight them herself."