-Julien Grayson:
The road that curved toward the border stretched out ahead of me, quiet and nearly empty, the pale morning light spreading across the pavement in long, thin strips through the trees. The motorcycle vibrated steadily beneath me as I rode, the engine humming in a familiar rhythm that usually helped calm my thoughts.
But today something felt… wrong.
The wind pushed softly against my clothes as I continued down the road, the fabric of my skirt fluttering lightly against my thighs. The forest on both sides looked the same as always—tall pine trees standing close together, their dark green needles rustling quietly in the breeze.
Normally, as I got closer to the checkpoint, I would start seeing movement.
Guards walking along the edge of the clearing. Someone is leaning against the small guard post. A few wolves standing in pairs, scanning the tree line.
But as the road slowly opened into the clearing near the border, I noticed something that made my stomach tighten.
No one was there.
I slowed the motorcycle instinctively, easing my grip on the throttle as the bike rolled forward at a slower pace. The tires made a soft grinding sound as they moved over loose gravel near the checkpoint.
My eyes moved slowly across the area.
The small wooden guard post stood beside the road, its narrow window dark. The metal barrier that usually marked the checkpoint was still lowered halfway across the path, just like it always was.
But the space around it looked strangely abandoned.
No guards.
No patrol wolves.
No voices.
Just silence.
That's so strange and dangerous. They should not leave the pack borders unguarded. Where could they possibly have gone?
The uneasy feeling in my chest grew heavier as I rolled the bike forward a little more before finally bringing it to a stop near the edge of the clearing. The engine continued to rumble beneath me, a low mechanical vibration that suddenly sounded much louder in the quiet surroundings.
For a moment, I didn't move.
I just sat there, staring.
Something wasn't right.
There should have been guards here. Even during quiet shifts, there were always at least a few wolves stationed at the border. After the rogue attacks, they had doubled the patrols.
So where was everyone?
Slowly, I reached forward and turned the key in the ignition.
The engine cut off immediately, the rumbling sound disappearing into the still air. The silence that followed felt almost unnatural, thick and heavy in a way that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
The motorcycle ticked faintly as the engine began cooling.
I swung my right leg carefully over the seat and stood beside the bike, my boots touching the gravel with a soft crunch. With one hand still holding the handlebars, I tilted the motorcycle slightly to the left until the metal kickstand dropped down with a small click.
I lowered the bike slowly until its weight rested securely against the stand.
Once it was stable, I lifted both hands to my helmet and unfastened the strap beneath my chin. The clasp popped open with a quiet snap. I pulled the helmet off my head and shook my blond hair loose, letting the cool morning air brush across my face.
The breeze carried the scent of pine trees.
And something else.
Something metallic. I could not tell what it was exactly because I'm an omega and my senses are not very heightened to be able to detect things like this.
I frowned slightly as I slipped the helmet onto the seat of the bike, sliding the straps of my backpack down my arms. I put the bag on the seat alongside my helmet and looked around, trying to find anybody.
But there was nobody.
"Where is everyone…?" I murmured.
My eyes moved across the clearing again, searching for any sign of movement. The guard post stood silent. The forest beyond the checkpoint looked dark and still.
A strange uneasiness settled deeper into my chest.
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over the screen. I'm going to call Pops. Something about this didn't feel normal.
But just as I was about to unlock the phone, a faint sound reached my ears.
I froze.
At first, it was so quiet that I thought I had imagined it.
Then it came again.
A soft, broken noise.
Like someone trying to breathe through pain.
My head turned slowly toward the trees on the far side of the clearing.
The sound came again—weak and strained. A quiet whimper.
My heart began beating faster.
Without thinking, I shoved the phone into my skirt's pocket and started moving toward the sound.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice uncertain.
The gravel crunched under my boots as I walked quickly past the guard post, my eyes scanning the ground and the surrounding trees.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
The smell hit me first.
Blood. That metallic smell I caught earlier was blood.
The scent was strong, thick in the air in a way that made my stomach twist.
My steps slowed.
Then I saw him.
One of the guards lay crumpled on the ground near the edge of the clearing. At first, my brain struggled to process what I was seeing, the image in front of me refusing to make sense.
His uniform was soaked in dark blood.
His body looked… wrong.
When I stepped closer, the full horror of it became clear.
One of his legs was missing completely.
Not injured.
Gone.
The torn fabric of his pants ended in a mangled, blood-soaked mess where the limb should have been. Blood had spread across the dirt beneath him, soaking into the soil in dark patches.
One of his arms hung twisted beside him, bent at an angle that no arm should bend.
A weak, broken sound escaped his throat.
He was still alive.
"Oh my god—"
I rushed forward and dropped to my knees beside him, my heart hammering wildly in my chest.
"Hey! Hey, can you hear me?" I said quickly, leaning closer.
His eyes were barely open, unfocused and glassy with pain.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my attempt to stay calm. God, why am I asking this stupid question? The guy is literally dying and has a missing limb.
He tried to move his head toward me.
When he opened his mouth to speak, a wet choking sound came out instead. Blood spilled from between his lips as he coughed weakly.
"I… I c-couldn't…" he stuttered, his voice barely more than a whisper.
More blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth.
"I couldn't do anything… he j-just…"
His body shuddered violently as another cough forced its way out of him. Dark red blood splattered across his chin and uniform.
"Hey, don't talk," I said quickly, my hands hovering helplessly above him. I had no idea where to even touch him without hurting him more. "Don't talk, okay? You need to stay still. I'm going to go get help."
But he kept trying to speak.
"H-he… he came out… o-out of n-nowhere…"
His breathing was shallow and uneven.
"He came at us… we… we didn't—"
"Please stop talking," I said desperately. "You're losing too much blood. Just stay with me, okay? I'm going to call my dad. He'll send help."
I reached for my phone again.
But suddenly his hand grabbed weakly onto my hand.
His fingers were slick with blood.
"You… you sh-should go…"
My heart skipped.
"What?"
His eyes widened slightly as he struggled to breathe.
"You h-have to l-- leave. H-he's… st-still…"
"I can't leave you like this," I said quickly, leaning closer. "Still what?"
But the words never came.
His grip on my hand loosened.
The tension in his body faded.
And just like that…
He stopped breathing.
For a moment, I simply stared at him, unable to understand what had just happened.
"No…," I whispered.
My chest tightened painfully.
"No… no, no…"
But he didn't move.
He didn't breathe.
He was gone.
My hands trembled as I slowly pulled them back, my eyes dropping to my fingers.
They were covered in blood.
Dark red smeared across my skin, sticky and warm.
A sudden wave of panic rushed through me. My breathing became sharp and uneven as my chest began rising and falling too quickly.
I forced myself to look up.
And that's when I noticed them.
Bodies.
All across the clearing.
Guards were scattered across the ground, some near the trees, some closer to the road. Weapons still clutched in their hands.
None of them moved.
Some had missing limbs.
Some were torn open.
Blood covered the ground in dark patches.
The realization crashed over me like a wave.
My legs suddenly felt weak.
I stumbled backward before collapsing onto the dirt, my vision spinning as I struggled to breathe. My chest felt tight, like the air around me had suddenly become too heavy to inhale.
Then—
A sound.
A twig snapped somewhere behind me.
My head snapped toward the forest.
Slowly, my eyes scanned the tree line.
And then I saw it.
Far away, standing between the shadows of the trees, was a wolf.
A massive wolf.
Even from this distance, I could tell it was enormous—far larger than any wolf I had ever seen before.
Its fur was black, darker than the shadows around it.
And its eyes…
Even from so far away, I could see them clearly.
One half burned a deep, glowing red like my Pops'.
The other half was black.
But inside that darkness, thin streaks of silver glimmered faintly, catching the light like sharp fragments of metal.
The creature stood completely still.
Watching me.
My breath caught sharply in my throat as terror spread through my chest.
"Oh… shit."