"Zen!" Aleah called out, her face lighting up as she spotted him outside. She’d been standing on the terrace, taking in the night sky sprinkled with stars and a bright full moon. There he was, standing in the garden, looking right at her. She didn’t know when he’d returned, but seeing him made her heart race with excitement. Without thinking twice, she dashed downstairs to greet him.
As soon as she reached the garden, she ran straight into his arms and hugged him tightly."Zen, what happened to you? Where’ve you been all this time?" she asked, her voice a mix of relief and curiosity. But Zen didn’t say a word; he just stared at her in silence."Why aren’t you talking? Did something happen to you?" Aleah continued, growing more anxious. Instead of answering, Zen gently pushed her away, leaving her confused."Let’s end this," he said flatly."Wait, what?" Aleah asked, completely caught off guard."This whole act,"Alpha Hunter!" Rafael and the rest of the task force called out in unison as Hunter stepped out of the highest-ranking General's office. It had been nearly a month, and they couldn’t believe he was finally here. They’d searched everywhere for him—even Guiller’s team came up empty-handed."Dude, what happened to you? You were gone for a week! Do you know how worried everyone was? Your family, Aleah especially," Rafael said, walking up to him."I don’t owe you an explanation for anything I do," Hunter replied coldly, catching everyone off guard."What? Are you serious right now?" Rafael asked, baffled. "Did something happen to you while you were away? Why are you acting like this?""Drop it. I’m not explaining myself to you. And for the record, I don’t need you meddling in my life. Have you forgotten I’m the Alpha, and you’re just a Beta? You shouldn’t be questioning my decisions.""But—"
Aleah didn’t believe Hunter would change so suddenly. Sure, he’d always been a bit of a grouch—even during their first meeting—but he wasn’t the type to just ditch his friends. Something must’ve happened to him when he disappeared. Deciding she couldn’t just sit around and mope, she resolved to find him. She asked Dennis for help, and together, they started their search.While looking for Hunter, they spotted Dr. Stuart at a shopping mall. Aleah figured it might be a good idea to follow him since Hunter had previously handled his case. She knew Hunter wasn’t the kind of person to walk away from something he was working on until it was solved.“Are we really doing this?” Dennis asked, munching on fries as they sat in a fast-food joint inside the mall. Across from them was a boutique where Kimberly had just walked in.“What’s the deal between you and Hunter anyway? Is he cheating on you or something
"I thought you promised to find a way to cut ties with your old friends. So why did I see you talking to your ex-wife?” Giovanni asked Hunter as they returned to the house they’d been staying in. When they arrived in the country, they all decided to live together under one roof while planning their strategies to execute their mission.When Hunter discovered his true identity and came to understand what Giovanni and Kimberly stood for, he realized that the life he thought he knew was all a lie. Joining their cause felt like the only way to piece together his fragmented sense of self. That’s why he chose to be part of their mission.Kimberly and Giovanni had been involved in the unrest in the countries they’d been to—Libya first, and then Myanmar. The chaos was a result of the falsehoods they had sown in the hearts and minds of local communist groups, inciting rebellions against the government. Though their actions went against the beliefs Hunte
"You saw what happened, right? What else does Zen need to do to prove he’s on our side?" Kimberly said as Hunter returned home after the operation. Giovanni glanced at Hunter, still unsure about his loyalty. But even he couldn’t deny the fact that Hunter had played a huge role in keeping the police and soldiers from discovering their plans. The guy had come up with the entire strategy and even set the trap that worked perfectly. "Okay, fine. You did well," Giovanni finally said. "Because of you, we managed to save a ton of money." "Exactly. So, can we drop the doubts now? I know what I’m doing," Hunter replied, leaning back confidently. "What else do I need to do to prove that I’m with you?" "You saw him shoot his former teammate, didn’t you?" Kimberly jumped in. "That should be more than enough proof that he’s with us now." "Alright, alright. But I’ve got one more task for you," Giovanni said, crossing his arms. "Do this right, and I’ll trust you—no questions as
"Z...en!" Aleah gasped, bolting upright from where she had been lying down. She blinked hard, taking in her surroundings. This was... her room? At Director Kim's house? Her eyes darted to the bloodstain on her shoulder. But there was no pain, no wound. What on earth? The last thing she remembered was Hunter pointing a gun at her head. That deafening gunshot still rang in her ears. Was this real—or was she dead and dreaming?"Lei! You're awake!" Elara’s voice broke through her confusion as she walked into the room, trailed by Guiller, Rafael, and Director Kim. "How are you feeling?"Aleah stared at them, bewildered. They all looked concerned, even... relieved? But why? What were they doing here, especially Guiller and Rafael? Her head was spinning."What’s going on?" she blurted, her voice trembling. "Where’s Zen? Is he okay? Did something happen to him?""Hey, hey, calm down," Elara said gently, sitting beside her and clasping her hand. He
Giovanni found out that the guy Hunter shot and Aleah were still alive. This made him furious. To vent his anger, he told some rogue gang members to attack Hunter’s old crew. The ambush left them beaten badly and sent them to the hospital. Hunter heard about what happened and figured out Giovanni was behind it. He stormed over to confront him. “What did you say, Zen?” Kimberly asked, surprised, after hearing Hunter accuse Giovanni of playing dirty. “You don’t like what I did? Then why did you lie to me? You made me believe you killed that guy, and even your wife’s death turned out to be fake. So yeah, I decided your men should pay for your lies. You think you can just walk away from this?” Giovanni snapped. “Zen, is Giovanni telling the truth?” Kimberly asked, her tone confused. “So what if I didn’t go all the way? Scaring them was enough to keep them in line,” Hunter replied casually. “Are you seriously going to keep lying to me? You really thought I w
He got a message from his brother, Francis, saying their mall was under siege with a bomb threat. And if that wasn’t bad enough, one of the Guevarra hotels had also been hit by guys carrying explosives. "Giovanni really planned this one out," Guiller said, shaking his head. "He didn’t just start one mess—he’s got four different disasters lined up to make sure you can’t make a move." "And this isn’t just random chaos," Rafael added, scrolling through his phone. Hunter frowned. "What are you looking at?" he asked, watching Rafael’s expression darken. "Check this out," Rafael said, holding up his phone. It was a video, already blowing up online. The clip showed Aleah, sitting down with a bomb strapped to her body. A distorted voice in the video declared that once the timer on Aleah’s bomb hit zero, all the other explosives—in the shopping mall, the hotel, and the Astral Guardians’ HQ—would go off at the same time. The video had already reached Hunter’s and Alea
Suddenly, everyone was stunned when a live stream popped up online. The video showed Hunter making his way to the roof deck of the building. At the same time, another stream showed Aleah, strapped with a bomb, with the countdown ticking away. The situation quickly caught the attention of the media, who rushed to the Bryant building for live coverage of the unfolding events.The emergency response team Guiller had called showed up right on time, while Rafael dashed inside the building with a squad of SWAT officers, ready to back up Hunter.Hunter raced up the stairs until he reached the door to the roof deck—only to find it locked tight. Heavy-duty chains wrapped around the handle, the kind specially designed to hold back people like him with enhanced abilities. Stronger than regular mortals? Sure. But breaking through these? Not so much."Aleah! Are you in there?" Hunter yelled, his voice booming through the corridor."Zen!" Aleah’s shaky voice called
"KIA? What do you mean KIA? Who’s KIA?” Aleah’s voice cracked as she stepped into the living room, her eyes darting to Rafael, who was mid-conversation with Sebastian. Charles and Michael were also there, but their usual easygoing demeanor was replaced with somber expressions. It was as if a dark cloud had settled in the room.Hunter hadn’t been home in two weeks. Every time she went to the camp, the soldiers would block her path, telling her the Alpha wasn’t accepting visitors—not even her, his wife. She had tried to be patient, to understand, because deep down, she knew she still had a lot to make up for. But now… this? Her chest tightened as if the air had been sucked out of the room.“Aleah, dear…” Sebastian’s voice was calm but carried the weight of something heavy, something she wasn’t ready to hear.“No, no,” Aleah said, shaking her head as she took a hesitant step forward. &l
"Zen!" Aleah called out, her voice trembling slightly as she followed him off the bus. The weight of his silence during the ride there still hung heavy between them. Even his men, usually talkative, hadn’t dared to utter a word. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and everyone could feel the storm brewing within their Alpha."Alpha Hunter," Aleah tried again, grabbing his hand gently to stop him. He froze at her touch, and for a moment, everyone else around them seemed to hold their breath.“We’ll head inside first,” Charles said, offering a quick salute. The rest of the Astral Guardians followed suit, their movements sharp and disciplined. Hunter returned the gesture with a curt nod, still silent."I’ll prepare the report," Rafael chimed in, saluting his friend. Hunter barely glanced his way, giving a small nod of acknowledgment before they all began filing into the camp.Aleah watched as Hunter pulled his hand from he
Aleah hunched down inside the van, trying to avoid the bullets tearing through. Two men hit the ground, lifeless. Chatles, perched on top of the bus, joined in firing at the attackers. Rafael and Hunter weren’t holding back either.Soon enough, Aleah's kidnappers started dropping one by one. The driver and his buddy in the passenger seat didn’t stand a chance either. Out of nowhere, Aleah gasped as someone yanked her out of the van."Stop! Stop firing!" a SWAT officer shouted, raising his hands. Carlos and his team noticed the man dragging Aleah and signaled for everyone to hold their fire."You piece of—!" Hunter growled, barely keeping his rage in check as he watched the man use Aleah as a human shield. The man dragged her further away from the van, pointing a gun at her head, facing off against Hunter and Rafael."What do you think you’re doing?" Aleah shot at him, her voice steady despite the fear in her chest. "You think they’re
"You’re being reckless again,” Hunter said, pushing himself off the hospital bed and letting go of Aleah’s hand. “You’re shaking, but here you are, worrying about everyone else’s safety instead of your own.”Aleah didn’t reply, but Hunter could see it—she was scared, terrified even. Yet, knowing her as well as he did, he knew she’d never ignore the injustices she witnessed.“What the hell are you doing? Get over here already!” the armed man barked at Aleah, his patience wearing thin. Aleah glanced at him briefly, then turned back to Hunter. The tension in the room was palpable; everyone inside seemed to be holding their breath.“Rafael, are you hearing me?” Hunter said into the device clipped to his ear. He’d been in the emergency room all along, tipped off that Shadow and the Iron Maiden’s operatives might target Claire after learning about Taniya. It had been days of stak
Everyone in the emergency room—doctors, patients—turned their heads in shock at the deafening sound of a gunshot. All eyes shifted to the glass door just as a security guard collapsed outside. Moments later, a man in tactical gear stormed in, dragging another guard who was clearly his hostage.The room froze. Nurses and patient companions panicked, racing toward the door leading to another section of the hospital. But their escape was short-lived as more men blocked the exits, forcing everyone back. With every way out sealed, tension filled the air.“If you don’t want this to be your last day alive, you’ll do exactly as we say,” the masked man barked. His grip on the hostage tightened as he scanned the terrified crowd. “Nobody leaves until we get what we came for. Got it? And to prove we mean business...watch this.”Without hesitation, he jammed a syringe into the neck of the hostage. The guard's eyes widened in terror a
"Claire! Watch out!" Aleah yelled as a woman suddenly dashed onto the road. Startled, Claire slammed on the brakes, sending both of them jerking forward. Luckily, their seatbelts kept them in place. Once the shock wore off, Claire turned to Aleah with wide eyes."Aleah, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" she asked, clearly worried."I’m fine," Aleah said, brushing it off. "But… I think we might’ve hit someone.""I swear, I didn’t mean to!" Claire blurted, panic creeping into her voice."Let’s go check," Aleah said, already getting out of the car. Claire followed quickly. As they rounded the front of the car, they saw a young woman sitting on the road. She looked terrified, her blonde hair and blue eyes immediately marking her as a foreigner."Are you okay? I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you—" Claire said as she approached the woman."Help me," the woman whispered, her voice shaky. Aleah and Claire exchanged une
"Alpha’s not with you?" Claire asked as Aleah walked into the hospital for her check-up. Yesterday, her cousin’s appointment got canceled because of that hostage situation. She was sure Hunter would be with Aleah this time, but seeing her alone was a surprise."He’s busy at work. Don’t worry, I’m fine. My belly’s not that big yet, so I can manage. Besides, I just came from work myself," Aleah said with a light smile before glancing over at the doctors talking to Uncle Luis. "New faces over there?""Yeah, they’re researchers from Scotland. They’re teaming up with the medical staff here to work on a new medicine," Claire explained, stealing a quick look at the doctors chatting with her dad. Just as she finished talking, the group started walking over."I’d like you to meet my doctor, Dr. Claire Ramirez," Uncle Luis said, beaming. "She’s one of the best surgeons we’ve got in this hospital. And I’m no
Oh, Alpha Hunter. Have you been here long?” Trisha asked with a curious look as she walked in, files in hand.Hunter glanced at her briefly before speaking. “No, but you're right on time. I need you to grab the test results from forensics—the one for the new case we're working on. It’s important.”Trisha nodded and headed off without hesitation. Hunter watched her leave for a moment before focusing back on the task at hand.Yesterday, he’d been pulled into an emergency meeting with the Alpha King and Navy Vice Admiral. It had been about the chilling discovery of street kids’ bodies in an abandoned building. The Vice Admiral thought the case tied into Hunter’s earlier work involving the Iron Maiden and a band of pirates.Months ago, Hunter had been sent undercover to an island suspected of being the pirates’ lair. It turned out to be much more than that. The island, dubbed “Death Island,” was actual
“Is there anything you’d like to eat?” Hunter asked, his tone soft and thoughtful as he looked at Aleah. She shook her head lightly, her lips forming a faint smile.“Please, don’t worry about me. I’m really not hungry yet,” Aleah replied, her voice gentle as she turned her gaze toward Jestina and Dave.“That’s a shame. Alpha’s cooking shouldn’t go to waste,” Dave remarked, eyeing the dishes before them.“Don’t mind me—enjoy the meal,” Aleah said simply.“Are you absolutely sure there’s nothing you’d like?” Hunter asked again, his fingers brushing hers gently as he reached for her hand. Jestina and Dave exchanged a glance, quietly noting the intimate bubble the couple seemed to share.“Tama si Alpha Hunter,” Jestina chimed in cheerfully, leaning forward slightly. “It’d be such a waste if you don’t eat. If I were