TWO

“Load them up!" the general roared at the soldiers, who immediately sprang into action, forcing the humans into a straight line and beating the rebellious ones into submission. They pushed the last of the villagers into the awaiting trucks, shutting and locking the doors behind them.

The door to a cabin was pushed open rather roughly; it almost fell off its hinges. Black combat boots stepped out onto the snow; with each step he took, the snow crunched under his feet, leaving behind large footprints.

The general inclined his head in submission when the man came to stand in front of him.

"Alpha Orion," he bowed in greeting.

"Was that the last of them?" the Alpha asked in a gruff tone, nodding towards the trucks.

"Yes, Alpha," the general replied quickly, folding his hands behind his back. The Alpha hummed and nodded.

He gripped the small silk scarf he'd been clutching and brought it to his nose; taking a long inhale, he shut his eyes. Cold grey eyes snapped open, a growl rumbling from his chest.

"You missed a few," he snarled at the general, who paled. The Alpha took off in the other direction, only stopping when he smelt blood. Taking slow, calculated steps, he came upon the body of a wolf whose belly had been ripped open. He growled lowly when he sniffed and came upon the same scent he'd found in the cabin.

It led him towards the tree line and then into the woods; he manoeuvred through the trees, coming upon a frozen lake. He sniffed, and there it was again, that intoxicating scent.

He continued to track the scent deeper into the woods, pausing when he heard whispers.

Rey continued to walk with Beau by her side, oblivious of the threat looming just behind her from the trees. The loud crunch of snow made her pause, gripping the dagger and turning to investigate.
She found nothing, but she had a feeling they weren't alone.

"You run when I tell you to, okay?" she said, kneeling before him and gripping his shoulders firmly. Beau vehemently shook his head, tears starting to stream down his olive cheeks.

"I won't leave you, Rey," his lips quivered, but Rey shook her head and swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't show him she was just as scared as he was.

"You have to. Now go!" She pushed him in the opposite direction and turned just in time to see a man coming out from behind a tree.

This was no ordinary man, she noticed; he was really tall and built to the hilt, with powerful long legs clad in dark pants, a white shirt, and a black coat. She took a step back, clutching the dagger for dear life. He sniffed the air, and his hooded eyes snapped to hers, narrowing to slits.

He growled, clenching his fist; his shoulders shook as though he was trying to hold back a shift. Rey trembled and took another slow step back; he noticed and growled lowly.

She knew she sure as hell couldn't take him in a fight, but she wasn't about to give up just yet.
He started taking large strides towards her, and she stood her ground, refusing to show fear, and pointed the dagger at him.

"Stay back!" she screamed frantically, shuffling backwards. He paused, cocking his head to the side, and watched her for a second, the corner of his lips quirked into a lazy smirk.

He was a little surprised the filthy little human still stood her ground; he half expected her to have taken off the minute she saw him. He would have loved the chase, he thought grimly.

The second he came in front of her, she swung the dagger, cutting him right across his left biceps. He hissed as the silver sizzled against his skin, growling angrily when he registered what she'd done.

She took a step back, still wielding her little weapon, and he followed, but this time his hand caught her wrist before she could do any real damage. Twisting her arm behind her back, she released the dagger, and he kicked it far out of her reach.

"Let go, you stupid mutt!" she screamed, and he growled at the insult, tightening his hold on her arms, but she continued to struggle.

She stomped hard on his foot; he growled, his hold loosening on her momentarily. She took off, but almost immediately a force sent her slamming down face-first in the snow. Scrambling to sit up, she found him standing above her, but this time his eyes glowed a deep amber. She quivered in fear, slowly trying to back away, but he caught her by the throat, lifting her from the snow-covered ground.

Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as he cut off her air supply. He slammed her back against the bark of a tree, his fist tightening around her neck and choking her. She clawed at his arm frantically for him to let go as black dots started to cloud her vision, and her feeble attempts to remove his hand slowly died down.

Something snapped inside of him at that moment, and he quickly let go of her neck. She fell on all fours, desperately gasping for breath and greedily inhaling precious air. She scrambled away from him quickly, clutching her neck and trembling, but he just stood there, staring at his hand before looking back at the human with a surprised expression, almost like he didn't know the extent of his own power.

He took a step towards her, but she scrambled away from him; that didn't stop him, though. She tried to run again, but he gripped a fistful of her lush curls, pulling her to her feet and holding her head back.

"No!" She screamed and tried to claw at his face, but he only tightened his hold and angled her head so her neck was bared.

His eyes darkened when her scent hit him; burying his nose in her neck, he inhaled deeply again when he realised it was her scent that had nearly driven him to insanity. He could feel his control slipping, and Alpha Orion never loses control. His fangs scraped against the hollow of her neck, and what he craved more than anything at that moment was to bury his fangs there.

"P-please," she shuddered in fear when she felt the sharp edge of his fangs; this wasn't how she envisioned her death. She thought it would be a lot less brutal and that Beau would be safe; she hoped he was.

He heard her pulse quicken, and it gave him a rush; his tongue darted out and licked a certain spot on her neck, and she flinched when she felt his tongue.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Stop!," she quivered, her struggle resuming. His chest rumbled in warning, but she continued to thrash against him.

"You're mine," he growled, slamming her against the bark of a tree and knocking the wind out of her.

"No, please no," she felt fear, real fear this time. She'd heard stories, but this couldn't be it, could it? Stories of how they'd tear humans apart, she'd seen the aftermath of their rage, lived it but now that she was on the receiving end, she would make peace with the fact that this might be it for her.

The world stilled, held its breath as she shut her eyes, waiting for the pain. But it never came.

Instead she heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind them and her eyes snapped open.

"Help!" She screamed, hoping it would be human hunters, but how wrong was she.

He growled angrily at the thought of her leaving him and sank his fangs into her neck; she heard a loud piercing screech before she registered it was her own voice. The pain she felt at that moment was worse than death itself, like molten lava pulsing through her veins. She hoped she'd die just so the pain would end. His fangs plunged deeper into her neck, his fingers gripping the mass of curls on her head; she pushed and scratched at his neck and shoulder, but he wasn't about to let her go.

Rey felt her consciousness slipping; she was glad she couldn't feel the pain anymore; she felt numb then. After a moment, she felt him faintly withdraw from her neck and then lick her. She couldn't hold her weight anymore and slipped when he let go, but he caught her and held her body against his.
Her half-lidded eyes met his cold grey ones, and gripping her jaw firmly, he said;

"You're mine, and there's nothing and no one on this realm that would stop me from taking what is rightfully mine."