Alina´s POV
I was at home, but all the problems of the meeting still hung in the air, leaving the atmosphere gloomy, almost oppressive. It was as if the tension of that night refused to go away. I tried to distract myself with a book, but my mind was far away, lost in thoughts about everything that happened. An unsettling foreboding tormented me, as if something was about to happen and I couldn't help it. Suddenly, a sound interrupted the silence—a knock on the door, low but enough to startle me. My heart raced, and I walked to the door with hesitant steps. When I opened it, I came face to face with an unknown man. He was well dressed and had a serious posture that only increased my apprehension. “Good evening, Alina. I'm a friend of Sâmia's. She asked me to talk to you. May I come in? By the way, my name is Lucian” - said the unknown man. I really didn't know what to think. Something felt wrong. The way he said my name, and the feeling in my chest came back hard and I swallowed. “What do you want?” - I asked. “Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. Samia only asked me to make sure you were okay. She cares about you.” - Said the man looking at her with a cold smile. - But something in his gaze made Alina feel uncomfortable. He wasn't just there for Sâmia. Something else was at stake. "I'm really in no position to refuse anyone," although an uncomfortable feeling began to grow in my chest. I gestured to the sofa, suggesting that he sit down while I went to make some tea. I needed something to occupy my hands and, perhaps, warm the environment that seemed to freeze more and more. But the cold that enveloped me did not diminish; In fact, it seemed to grow, seeping into me in an almost suffocating way. “So… how do you plan to get the alpha off your tail?” - Lucian asked in a nonchalant tone, checking his cell phone. “I expected you to tell me that, after all, you came to help.” - But deep down she felt bad, because Samia had said that they were in this together, and now this man was questioning it as if she was the only one in the shit. “You know, maybe I'm not good enough for this, and it might not go down well if I tried to help a hybrid.” - He said in a tone that Alina could have sworn was slightly ironic. - And he stared at her. I went back to tea preparation, but anxiety was suffocating me. My hands trembled slightly as I tried to concentrate, but it was useless. I quickly pulled out my phone and sent a message to Samia: Alina (message): "Why did you send me this guy? Who is Lucian?" The answer didn't take long: Samia (message): "Get out of there now! I don't know this man and I didn't send anyone to his house." My blood ran cold. The message gave me a chill that went up my spine, making every hair stand on end. I looked up from my phone slowly, with a sense of increasing discomfort, and when I looked at Lucian, he was staring at me. His piercing gaze seemed to pierce my soul, and my heart raced. He then spoke in a cold, calculated tone: “So, you live alone. This is dangerous, especially for women with no family and... hybrids.” The mention of "hybrids" made Alina lose her patience. She couldn't stand it anymore that this was always the focal point when people talked about her. Without thinking, he fired: “What a drag! Does everyone now have to stress that I'm a fucking orphan? Fuck you, you piece of shit!” Before I could control myself, the man quickly stood up and advanced towards me. In a nimble movement I couldn't keep up with, the next thing I found myself pressed against the wall, her hand squeezing my throat with frightening force. “Listen here, you slut, you're full of spunk, aren't you? Let's see how long it lasts.” He pushed me to the ground with a jerky movement, and my head hit hard. The pain was instantaneous, but I barely had time to process it. I tried to compose myself, struggling to get up, but he kept approaching, his steps slow and calculated. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded more threatening, making my heart hammer against my chest. “Aren't you going to do anything? I thought hybrids at least begged. - He said, frowning.” “Why should I?” - I challenged him. With a sadistic smile on his face Lucian said: “So that's how it's going to be, baby? I thought we were going to spend some time together before I ripped your head off.” - And he pouted. I was breathing with some difficulty, my heart was beating so hard in my chest that I could feel my blood pulsing in my veins. But before I could answer, I had an idea. “Can I at least know who the contractor is?” He paused for a second, arching his eyebrow with a dismissive smile. “What for?” “Curiosity.” - I said calmly, but with a hint of sarcasm. And he let out a cruel laugh. “Curiosity? Do you think I'm going to tell you this now? There's no time for curiosity.” - Lucian said as he admired the knife he had taken from his waist. As he spoke, something inside me was changing. I felt a weight in my chest, as if something was trying to break free, something that had been contained for a long time. I began to pant and breathe hard, and to tremble as I felt my vision blur. I looked at him, now with a dark and implacable gaze, and my words came out with an intensity that surprised me: “I'm going to kill you.” Before he could react, I attacked with a speed that even I didn't know I had. I jumped on him, and with a wild and powerful movement, my claws tore him apart. The screams of pain were drowned out by the force of my blows and the brutal impact. In the blink of an eye, the man was on the ground, lifeless – or rather, what was left of him. I stopped, panting, feeling the weight of what I had just done pressing down on me. My eyes returned to their normal color, but the damage was done. I looked around, completely disoriented. What I had felt there, that brutal force, that uncontrollable power... It was something much bigger than I imagined. The room was in absolute silence, and the man's body was scattered on the floor. I swallowed, trying to understand what had happened, but my mind was in turmoil. I had just broken something inside myself. "What have I done?" he thought, still trembling. "What am I?"Caio´s POVThe room was shrouded in shadows, illuminated only by a few flickering candles that cast dancing lights on the walls. The Council of the Pack was meeting in secret, and I, Caio, the Gamma of Alpha Marco, was the bearer of news that could shake the foundations of our pack. The air was heavy with tension, and I could feel the gazes of the councilors upon me, waiting for me to speak.—Caio, — began Councilor Eldrin, his deep voice echoing in the room. —What do you have to tell us?I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to say would not be easy. —Alpha Marco... he killed another member of the pack, a sixteen-year-old boy, — I declared, watching the reactions. Murmurs of unease spread among the councilors. —I had to hide the remains myself. I buried the pieces in the swamps to the north. Everything has been documented.I opened my leather bag and extended a vial with congealed blood and a piece of fabric bearing the pack's emblem. —But there is something more concer
Samya´s POVThe mirror gave me back an image I hardly recognized. It wasn't Samya, the vibrant, dreamy she-wolf who longed for her predestined mate. She was a porcelain doll, meticulously adorned for a sacrifice. The midnight blue silk dress, hand-picked by my father, tightened around my waist to the point of suffocation, and the diamond necklace, heavy and cold, felt like a collar around my neck. Each jewel, each strand of perfectly arranged hair, was an invisible chain, binding me to a destiny I hadn't chosen.My hands trembled as I tried to apply my lipstick, but the image of Alina, pale and frightened, invaded my thoughts. Ever since my father had fired her and I had cowardly walked away, a knot of guilt had tightened in my stomach. I knew she was going through something terrible, something I could barely imagine, and I had left her alone. My father's voice, icy and authoritative, echoed in my mind: "You will not mix with that hybrid. She's a distraction. Your duty is to the famil
Alina´s POVThe next thing I knew, I was strapped to a stone chair. The leather straps tightened around my wrists and ankles, as if they wanted to keep me there, immobilized, at the mercy of something I didn't understand. The room was a little dark, except for a single circle of blue light that illuminated my body, creating a surreal contrast with the shadows that danced around me. Drawings pulsed in red all over the place, like fiery serpents, and they made my head spin. I couldn't think straight, every thought was lost in the confusion.That woman, whom Marco called “Dila”, entered with an air of authority. She placed a thick, heavy book on a table in front of me, open. The pages were old, stained and marked with symbols that changed shape before my eyes, as if they were alive. But it was no use, I didn't know what it was. The feeling of helplessness consumed me.- Take a deep breath - Dila instructed, her voice calm, but there was an underlying tension that I couldn't ignore.- Ma'
Dila´s POVI prepared the room in a hurry, but with precision. Every trace, every rune carved into the doors, walls and floor, every ancestral whisper pronounced with the tip of my soul. Time was short and Marco was impatient. His eyes burned with that obsessive gleam - the kind of spark I've only seen in Alphas on the brink of madness. He wanted answers, he wanted control, he wanted the hybrid awake. But certain powers can't be forced. They are provoked. And they pay.I traced runes of restraint on the wood of the chair where Alina was supposed to sit. I placed a sealing stone from the mental plane under the seat, to block astral leaks. I touched the wood with dried phoenix blood, channeling the ancient oath of those who look beyond the veil. Everything was ready. All that was missing was her.When the door opened and Marco dragged Alina in, the air changed. It vibrated as if space itself was whispering danger. She didn't just seem human, she didn't just seem like a wolf. That thing
Alina´s POVI woke up with a sour mouth and dry lips, as if I'd swallowed dust and slept for days. The light coming through the gaps in the curtains hurt my eyes and, even before I moved, I knew something was wrong. My limbs felt as if they had been buried. My head throbbed in muffled waves. The atmosphere smelled different - aged wood, burning incense, an essence too sweet to be natural. It wasn't my home. It was nowhere I recognized.My body didn't obey immediately. My body broke out in a cold sweat, but my skin burned. A buzzing sound echoed in the back of my head, mixed with voices I didn't recognize. Everything was wrong. Everything. And then I remembered.Marco.I tried to stand up, and a sharp nausea hit me. My knees gave way and I had to lean on the side of the bed. It was too big, too sumptuous. The walls had cool tones and there were tapestries of symbols I didn't understand. I was in pack territory. I was taken.Mila.The memory of her hit me like an electric shock. Where w
Marco´s POVThe video was short, but enough to make my stomach churn.A distortion in the hallway of her house. Something dark, fleeting, thick as smoke... and clever enough to disappear before the camera could focus sharply.Josh was right to be nervous. There was a presence there. And with each passing day, it grew stronger. Or bolder.I didn't wait for answers.I woke up with a certainty in my bones: if I didn't get her out of there soon, I would lose control of whatever was to come. And losing control was not an option.The door to her house gave way with a dry thud. Her scent hit me immediately - warm, sweet and vibrant. As if her essence was scattered around every corner.Alina appeared at the top of the stairs with a hard expression. She didn't seem surprised to see me there. There was the same look in her eyes that she had given me at the blind dinner, when she pretended to be Samia. As if she had known since then that I was around.I was.- What are you doing here? - she aske