A Neotide

Time stopped as I stared, shocked at the figure seated in front of me, a massive grin on his face.

“I never imagined a day would come when I’d get to see this expression on your face, let alone be responsible for it,” he mumbled lazily. “What, cat got your tongue, sweet Kara?”

I was at a loss for words. My lips parted, yet nothing came forth. Confusion was apparent in my countenance. Undoubtedly, this conversation would be a long one.

“How did I get here?” I questioned, staring into his eyes without fear.

Rodrigo was one of the biggest drug dealers in the country. However, he walked freely because nobody had been able to prove it. Yet I knew who he was—Rodrigo Aragon, an American-born Italian, twenty-nine years old. I had been pursuing him for two years after he was declared wanted by the ASA for a multi-billion-dollar drug shipment the agency detected. However, he was able to buy his way out of the case, and since then, I had kept my eyes on him.

“By car. Surely, you didn’t walk here,” he replied with a chuckle.

“I’m not here for jokes. What the fuck is happening?” My voice was slightly higher than normal, earning everybody’s attention.

“Do I look like a joke to you? Listen up, none of us planned this. I would rather stay far away from you, yet here we are.” Rodrigo’s tone was serious this time.

“Please explain everything to me. Did you help bring me here?” I mumbled, confused. My head was in turmoil. A lot had occurred in the last few hours, and I understood that my life was never going to be the same again.

He sat back in his chair, head up, eyes shining. Those dark hazel orbs pierced into mine, and I felt as though this man could see into my soul as I stared back at him.

“You’ve been unconscious for three days.”

“What?”

“Yes, you heard me correctly. I found you on the highway, on the outskirts of the city, lying unconscious on the concrete.” I listened carefully as he continued. “I realized it was you and brought you here to my beach house. I had my personal doctor check on you and take care of your injury,” he finished, his gaze flicking to my bitten ankle.

My heart skipped a beat. A doctor had checked on my injury—he would know it was a bite wound. I gulped hard as Rodrigo’s eyes lingered on my leg. For a moment, I could have sworn the color of his irises shifted from hazel to black before returning to normal.

“Why did you help me?”

His brow furrowed slightly, almost as though my question upset him.

“I know you don’t like me. I’ve been investigating how to lock you up behind bars, and yet you still helped me. Why?”

“Don’t get flattered, sweet Kara,” he said, his demeanor shifting back to the Rodrigo I had always known. “I only did what I did for a reason.”

“Which is?” I was curious to know why he hadn’t just dropped me off at a hospital but had instead brought me to one of his mansions and taken proper care of me.

“Because you are now one of my kind. And as the leader of my clan, I will never forsake my own, especially a newbie like you, sweet Kara.”

My brows snapped together as I stared at him. His words only added to the confusion already clouding my mind.

“One of your kind? What are you talking about?”

“I understand that my words confuse you, but rest assured, in a few hours, you’ll figure out why all of this is happening.”

“Tell me now. I need to understand everything right now.” I was losing my patience. I deserved clarity—or I might as well lose my fucking sanity.

“Gigi, please do the honors of explaining to Kara what happens when a human survives the bite of a shifted wolf.”

My breath caught in my throat. Did he know about the bite?

Rodrigo beckoned to Gigi, his eyes still locked onto mine. I noticed her setting her notepad down on the table. All eyes were on me now, tension thick in the air. I had a feeling that whatever I was about to hear would change everything.

“The venom of a pure-blood wolf is potent enough to eliminate a human. In certain cases, some humans survive when bitten by a wolf. But—”

“But what?” My voice came out as a whisper.

“A bitten human who survives the bite of a wolf turns into one.”

My eyes widened at Gigi’s words. “Turns into one? What exactly do you mean?”

“What she means,” Rodrigo interjected, his gaze flicking once more to my ankle, “is that a human who survives the bite turns into a werewolf. And that injury on your ankle shows you were bitten by a shifter. Which could only mean one thing, since you’re alive.”

“No. No, that’s not possible. There’s no way I’m turning into a beast!” I yelled, standing abruptly. My breath came in harsh, uneven gasps.

“Sweet Kara, you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Be glad you survived the first stage.”

“You’re playing games with me. I don’t believe a word you say,” I argued.

“You already smell like one. Your senses are heightened. All of this—and the fact that you’re still alive—proves that you are transforming.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, startling me. I was crying.

Standing among unfamiliar people in an unknown place, I imagined how my perfect life had crumbled into this.

Me, a werewolf?

“How do you know this? You know too much.”

“I can smell it on you. A werewolf’s scent changes a few hours after being bitten. When I rescued you, I doubted whether you’d make it. But you did.

Kara, I know you’re scared and confused, but you have to understand—once you got bitten, your life changed.”

“Yes. You all are scaring me,” I admitted. “But how do *you* smell me as one of them?”

“Because, just like you, I was bitten. And as luck would have it, I survived. But I turned into a *Neotide*.”

“What is a Neotide?”

“A bitten werewolf. We are called Neotides because we were born human and turned from a wolf’s bite.”

“Prove it. I need to see more to believe it.”

Rodrigo chuckled at my request. He stood and walked toward me, his demeanor shifting once more.

Then, before my eyes, he began to transform.

Fangs grew from his mouth. His fingers elongated, morphing into claws.

I stared, stupefied, as he partially shifted. Tears streamed down my face as flashes of that night came rushing back to me. My lips quivered as I relived that horrifying moment.

A piercing scream tore from my throat as I stumbled backward.

“Please… don’t hurt me,” I whispered.

My vision blurred. The room spun.

Then, everything went black. Again.