2. KIDNAP

Suddenly she felt something jump onto her body and lunge at her.

Alpha fought. He fought the furry monster and defended Willow. Willow jumped back in time to save herself.

"Zoey!" Willow cried, suddenly remembering her daughter.

As Willow crawled to the stairs, she saw something very unnatural.

Alpha's body was crackling, growing. It wasn't normal growth, but it was getting bigger and bigger. So Alpha's stature was exactly the same as the monster in front of her, the only difference being that Alpha's fur was completely white.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed in horror.

All Willow could see were two mutant dog-like creatures.

They attacked each other and burst into the house. Alpha tried to protect Willow, who was pinned helplessly to the stairs. There was a loud crash. The noise was deafening. The furniture was smashed and destroyed. Then there was the sound of their clawing and biting each other and the howling they let out to each other.

As Alpha's body was dragged into the living room, blood splattered the floor. The ornaments on the cabinet were shattered as Alpha's body was thrown against it. As Willow watched, a dagger slid to the floor near Alpha's side.

Willow, an ordinary woman living a mundane life, who had never experienced conflict, developed incredible bravery. Seeing Alpha crouching and howling in pain from his wounds, Willow rushed over to pick up the dagger.

Distracted by Willow's presence, Alpha launched a surprise attack that sent the nasty fuzzy thing tumbling to the ground. Willow then drew her dagger and plunged it into the beast's left chest with all her might.

There was a howl of pain, and the creature's eyes were fixed on Willow.

Not long after, the creature was completely dead. Then its body transformed into human form.

Willow moved backwards, defenseless.

She stared in fear at Alpha, who had already transformed. Meanwhile, Alpha continued to stare at her with a horrible growling voice.

"You... what are you?" Willow squealed.

"Mom?"

Zoey's voice came from upstairs. Alpha's head snapped up automatically.

"Stay away from my daughter! I swear you'll regret it..."

The sound of breaking glass from upstairs cut Willow off. She turned her head to the upper floor.

"MOM!!!"

The scream sounded like a warning to Willow. Then Alpha jumped first and ran up the stairs to the top floor. Willow followed, terrified. The door to the room was smashed in. There was no Zoey; her daughter had suddenly vanished. All that was left was a broken window with shards of glass scattered on the floor. Alpha immediately jumped out of the window and ran who knows where until his figure disappeared.

Willow could only stand in front of the windowsill, stunned. Her tears broke out.

"Zoeeey!!! Zoeeey!!!"

***

Willow sat on the porch steps, her body wrapped in a thick blanket and her hands holding a cup of no longer hot tea. She wasn't trembling anymore, but she looked very frail. There was no one to keep Willow company. The neighbors just watched from the blinds, not daring to approach. It didn't hurt Willow; she'd never been much of a social person, except for Charlotte.

Several police cars were parked on the side of the road, and even a couple of officers came by to let her into the house. The ambulance had just left with Charlotte's body and the naked stranger who had died in the living room. None of the officers had questioned Willow yet, as she was still visibly shaken.

Out of the crowd of police came a tall, thin man. He was wearing a black jacket. He walked over to Willow, stood in front of her and held out his hand. Unwilling to make small talk, Willow ignored him.

"I'm Detective Shawn Jensen," the man said, then withdrew his hand. Willow gave him a quick look, then turned her attention to the yard. Shoe prints trampled the grass.

"Mrs. Willow Anberline. Can you hear me?"

"Clearly."

"I know this is very difficult for you, but I need to know what happened... so we can investigate your daughter's abduction. And the murder of Mrs. Charlotte Abraham."

"I already told you that when I called 911. You didn't hear that?"

"I was just making sure."

"Making sure I'm crazy?" Willow pressed.

Willow and the neighbors called 911 within minutes of the horrific incident. It wasn't long before the police arrived and then an ambulance. Willow, as a witness, described what she had seen.

But none of the officers showed a look of sympathy or trust. They looked at Willow as if she were a depressed single parent, lonely, and just trying to get attention by making up stories. The medical officer even offered to call a psychiatrist and give Willow a sedative.

All because she was telling the truth.

Then the detective in front of her wanted to hear the chronology of events. It sounded ridiculous to her.

What for? Willow thought.

If only after this, Shawn Jensen would be sitting in his office making fun of Willow over a cup of bland coffee and a cold doughnut.

"No one said you were crazy, Mrs. Anberline." Shawn shook his head and looked worriedly at Willow. "I'm here to help you."

"Just find Zoey and find out where she is. That's what I call help."

A heavy exhalation came from Shawn's breath. "Alright. I'll talk to you again when you're a lot calmer. Do you have a relative or someone to keep you company tonight?"

"What for? I don't have anyone else." Willow wiped away the tears that had suddenly rolled down her cheeks.

Shawn nodded only briefly. "I'll take you to a hotel where you can rest and be safer. You can take the things you need. That'll be okay, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Willow rose, leaving the blanket carelessly on the porch steps. She walked lazily into the house, closing her eyes slightly as she passed the spot where Charlotte had died, and then went upstairs. Shawn followed close behind.

As soon as Willow looked up at Zoey's room, her emotions could no longer be contained. Willow crouched down and burst into tears .It was Zoey's birthday and Willow had forgotten. Willow's mind was filled with regret. If only she had gone home sooner and taken Willow with her to the town. Maybe Zoey would have survived. Maybe even Charlotte would still be alive.

And Alpha.

Willow was silent for a moment. Who exactly was Alpha?

Could it be that he was the one who had been the target all along, the one who had torn Willow's little family apart?

"Mrs. Anberline." Shawn called in a soft voice. "Are you all right?"

Willow looked up and nodded briefly. She got up and walked into the room, stuffing clothes haphazardly into a travel bag. This time Willow was angry. She had to find out who Alpha was and who the strange man was who had turned into a monster. After carrying her bag, Willow hurried out of the room.

"Shall we go now?" asked Shawn.

"Yes, now, Detective Jensen," Willow nodded.

***

Shawn Jensen didn't rush off after dropping Willow off at the hotel. Contrary to Willow's expectations, he would probably be gossiping around the office. Instead, they had coffee together in a restaurant across from the hotel, and Shawn even ordered hot pancakes for Willow. And unlike a man with a title, Shawn didn't seem to mind. He was mostly silent while he ate. Not a word, not even a glance at Willow's movements. Very quiet, and that made Willow feel quite comfortable.

"You didn't go to..." Willow choked, but managed to continue, "...to the crime scene? I mean, my house. Or maybe the office?"

"After I made sure you ate enough and got back to the hotel safely."

"You're not like most cops."

Shawn tilted his head slightly. "Do you have much to do with the police, Mrs. Anberline?"

"No, I don't. I've seen it on TV."

The detective couldn't help but laugh, and he chuckled softly. The man didn't answer right away, just nodded briefly, then sipped his coffee. Then both hands rested on the table.

"To be honest, we're just normal people with a job to do. Just like anybody else." Shawn said.

"You heard my witness, right?" Willow suddenly changed the subject.

"Yes. Although I didn't hear it directly from you."

"I'm not going to change that, because it's the truth."

"That man was stabbed in the chest by you."

"He's a monster! I didn't know he was a man before. Because he was hairy, and his body was almost twice as big. With claws and..." Willow couldn't go on. She remembered Charlotte being torn apart, her back gaping.

"Werewolf," Shawn said suddenly.

"What did you say?"

"The description of the creature says it's a mythical werewolf."

Willow just stared at this slightly different detective. He was quite tall, with dark hair and darker skin than most light-skinned people, like an Indian.

"Some say a lycan. Or a skinwalker." Shawn added.

A small sigh escaped Willow's lips. "You think I'm making this up?"

"That depends. I need to see the autopsy results and compare them to your story." The man met Willow's gaze. Not hard, but deep enough. "Or I could just assume that your story is true. It takes time to find out the truth."

"Until when? I'm worried about Zoey."

"We will do our best to find your daughter. You don't have to worry."

Willow didn't finish her pancake, only touching a few bites. She just nodded, wiped her lips and stood up.

"I want to go back to the hotel," she said.

Shawn said yes and got up. Then he put several dollar bills on the table, including the tip. After that, the two of them left the diner in silence. There weren't many people in town; it was quiet.

They stopped at the entrance of the hotel; Shawn nodded politely to Willow to say goodbye. Then he hurried to his car. He was on the phone with someone and looked very serious.

Meanwhile, Willow went straight to the hotel. As Shawn's car pulled out of the hotel parking lot, a mysterious figure emerged from the shadows of the trees not far away.

The man's eyes stared intently at the hotel building. Then he turned and disappeared back into the darkness of the night.