MY NEMESIS,THE BEAST IN MAN'S FORM

DAYA’S POV

“Daya,”

I heard his voice in my head the moment my foot touched pack ground.

Without hesitation, I blocked him off, shoving him out of my mind. I knew he hated it every time I did that  and would surely be punished for that act of rebellion, soon at that. 

Slowly, I emerged from the clustered trees at the edge of the pack into the heart of the town.

“It’s the Alpha’s Shadow,”

The hushed voices of young pups reached my ears as they played with rocks, their tiny heads snapping toward me — excitement tangled with fear flickering in their innocent eyes.

“My mum told me she feeds on hearts and brains of naughty pups,” one of them whispered in awe.

I glanced at the little girl who had just spoken. She couldn’t have been more than ten wolf years old.

Sliding my hand into my pocket, I approached them with slow, deliberate steps. Their wide, round eyes followed my every move like prey cornered by a predator.

I pulled out a small pink sachet filled with sweets and squatted before them.

There were four pups in total. With my other hand, I removed my cap, letting my long silvery-white hair spill freely over my shoulders as I offered them a warm smile.

“Would you like some?”

I opened the sachet, pouring the colorful sweets into my palm, holding it out as my gaze remained locked on theirs.

They froze for a moment, hesitant — unsure whether this was an act of kindness or a trap.

The little girl was the first to dart forward, her small hands snatching a handful of sweets so quickly it almost made me laugh.

One after the other, the pups followed her lead, carefully sniffing the candy before popping them into their mouths.

I had won their trust to some extent and in no time they slowly warmed up to me. The little girl reached up, her tiny fingers brushing my hair.

“Why is it so white?”

I grinned, “My mama fed on snow when I was in her womb,” 

“Ooooh!” they chorused, fascinated by my answer.

“Nadia, Zoar, what are you—?”

A dark-haired woman, likely around my age suddenly appeared,  a slight frown on face and hurried steps as if she had been looking all over for them. The moment she saw me, her eyes widened, and she quickly bowed her head low.

“Alpha’s Shadow. I’m so sorry, please forgive them,” she murmured, keeping her head lowered in submission.

I tsked within me, covering my hair back with the cap.

“You just had to come at the wrong time, didn’t you?”

Standing up briefly disgusted by the thick scent of her fear which was clinging to my skin like damp smoke and was beginning to unsettle the pups. I watched as they instinctively huddled beside her, though they were far braver than she was.

With a casual wave of my hand, I bid them goodbye and changed my direction toward the bar. A few hands waved nervously in response; I could feel the woman stiffen even more behind me.

I picked up my pace slightly, having already come to peace a long time with that fact that my presence would always stir fear, no matter if I was just even simply sharing sweets among the pups.

I decided to waste a little more time before facing Alpha Night purely out of spite. I was already going to be punished so why not just enjoy my free time for a while.

And then here I was, indulging in the rowdy atmosphere of the bar, a den overflowing with debauchery and sin, while I managed to convince the ever upright Beta Conrad to give me more time.

That’s when I saw it.

A brute of a wolf attacking one of the bar attendants.

She wasn’t my favorite, but I never forgot a name or a face.

I had dealt with wolves like him more times than I could count — those with swollen muscles and hollow brains. Afterall this was my job.

And unluckily for him, I was already in a very sour mood and was quite irritated.

Not bothering to waste my energy on him, I went straight for his heart.

“I wasn’t asking, motherfucker,”

I relished the look of agony on his face as his hand released the thin neck of the bar attendant.

I moved in closer, my face inches from his, watching with suppressed glee his contorted features twitching in fear.

“Next time you talk big, make sure you have the power to back it up,”

I squeezed a bit harder for emphasis, feeling the frantic thrum of his heart beneath my grip, before releasing it abruptly and wiping his blood on my brown troussers in disgust.

He bent forward, wheezing violently, before collapsing to the floor.

The bar, which had been loud moments ago, had now descended into complete silence with every gaze locked on me.

I turned my back and walked out, my expression empty of emotion.

He wouldn’t die — but he would need several days to recover.

“Two minutes. Two minutes to bring your scrawny ass back here,”

His sadistically calm voice slipped into my mind as I exited the bar.

I could almost see the anger flashing in his eyes. He was at the end of his patience, not that he had much of it to start with. I’ve known this man for twenty-seven wolf years and in human years that could easily add up to fifty-four years.

I glanced back at Conrad, who followed closely behind.

“Try to catch up,”

Then I ran, swift and silent like a cloud quickly covering up a sunny day.

I reached the pack house and made my way toward the story building behind it.

Opening the door, I stepped inside — and instantly knew his mood had soured.

Taking a slow, steady breath, I mentally prepared myself.

I breezed past the workers, who bowed respectfully but without fear. They were used to me.

Finally, I stood before the black-coated mahogany door on the first floor.

I could smell it before I even entered.

Wrinkling my nose, I opened the door, double-checking that my face only carried mild irritation. Not too much, never too much emotion when dealing with Night.

The moans assaulted me first, even before my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the room.

And there he was.

My nemesis, a beautiful beast of a man. His skin glistened with sweat as he powerfully thrust into a buxom woman bent on all fours beneath him.

One hand gripped the back of her neck, forcing her still as he pounded into her mercilessly.

His eyes found mine instantly, a slow, satisfied smirk curving his lips.

“Get a seat, love. And watch me.”

Without hesitation, I slid into the comfortable sofa facing the bed, crossing one leg over the other as I removed my cap. Resting my hands on the armrest as I watched him like he asked.

After all, this was my life as the Alpha’s Shadow.

Doing whatever he asked, even when it ate at me.