Four: The Female Alpha

SORAYA

This is the loudest I have ever screamed in my life. The last time I screamed like this was when I was a teenager, when I saw Rihanna’s Met Gala outfit at the 2018 Met Gala. But that was an excited scream; this is an I’m-scared-as-fuck scream.

“Please calm down.” This tall man says to me, and I remember him; I remember the colour of his eyes. He’s a werewolf and the other guy too. I was attacked by a werewolf, and I, I remember what I did to those vampires.

How?

How did I do that? What did I turn into?

“Who are you people and what did you do to me?” I cry out. “Where are my clothes? What did you do?” I ask the tall one specifically.

“Whoa! Nothing, nothing happened,” the other one says.

“My dear, calm down, please. We will explain everything to you if you just calm down,” an older woman says to me, holding me down, and suddenly I feel calm, almost calm. At least there are two women here.

“I need a drink.” The other woman rolls her eyes and walks away.

Okay, there’s just one woman here.

“Hey, you’re okay, you’re safe here, I promise you, Mi Amor.” She smiles, and she moves some of the curls on my head out of my face. I just face her, and I begin to calm down. I am no longer shaking like a mouse cornered by a bunch of cats.

But I am cornered by a bunch of wolves. Is she a werewolf too? Werewolves exist? Vampires too? What the hell is happening?

“Vam-vampires, I was-”

“Yes, you were attacked by vampires, sweetheart, and you didn’t deserve that. My son and my nephew saved you.”

I look at the two handsome men. The other one waves, but the tall one just looks at me with his arms folded; he’s probably still pissed that I insinuated that he assaulted me.

But why am I naked?

“Why am I nude?”

“Well.” The woman clears her throat. “Let’s get you some clothes first, and I’ll explain.” She gets up.

“No!” Everyone flinches except the tall guy; he thinks he’s tough, doesn’t he? “I need answers now. Why am I naked? Where are my clothes?”

My fashionable clothes, where did they go? What the hell is happening? I could just start crying.

“Okay, firstly, let me introduce myself. I’m Rosalia, and this is my son Jose, and that’s my nephew Miguel. You are?”

I look between them, and I think they’re crazy as fuck. I’m trying to get answers as to what the hell happened to me, and they’re asking me for my name? What the fuck is this? Is this a cult?

I think she’s trying to get me to relax so I breathe in and out. “I’m Soraya, and please, I need answers.” I’m barely relaxing right now.

“Of course, uh, nice to meet you, Soraya. I know this is strange and scary for you, and trust me, I get it. We’re the Menendez, and we are werewolves.”

“Yes, I think I got that.” I really don’t mean to be rude; I’m just so fucking confused.

“Right, and we werewolves are the good guys; we protect humans from creatures of darkness. It’s the role that was handed to us when the shifter turned the first human into a werewolf.”

“What is a shifter?” I ask. Oh my God, this is crazy; this is so fucking crazy.

“A shifter is the original werewolf. They have the power to shift into animals, but the most common shifters were the Akwari werewolves, the ones who created the werewolves that exist today, and for years we thought they were extinct because the hunters killed them for cursing humans. That’s until you.”

I hold the blanket that covers my nakedness tightly, and I just stare at them all.

“Me? What do you mean by me?”

“You are an Akwari werewolf, a shapeshifter. That explains why you’re naked; you transformed. You killed those vampires,” she says proudly, like that is really something to be proud of.

“No, I can’t- I can’t be,” I say quietly, and I remember destroying those vampires, ripping them apart. Oh my God.

“Oh, my God!” I say loudly, and I start to freak out. I pant, and I breathe in and out; I might just explode. The blanket is coming down, revealing my breasts, but I don’t care; they’ve seen it all, they’ve seen my nakedness.

THEY’VE SEEN ALL OF ME!

“Hey, hey, calm down.” The other hot guy, Miguel, says to me, and he has his knee on the ground; he covers me well with my blanket, and then he takes my hand and smiles at me. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he says. And I just look at him; I don’t know there’s something about him that’s strange. It feels like we’re bonding.

Miguel stands at five eleven with an athletic build, broad shoulders, muscular arms, an oval-to-oblong face, defined cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes, medium lips, a neatly maintained moustache and short beard, and thick wavy brown hair.

His eyes go from deep brown to golden, and they’re the most beautiful I have ever seen, and suddenly we’re no longer inside; holding him feels like I’m surrounded by nature and we’re running down the meadows, fields, or the woods together.

I look into his eyes, and I see a perfect gold, but when I look at my reflection, I see that my eyes are no longer brown either, but they’re ruby red.

I gasp, and I take my hands from him.

“Wha-what happened to my eyes?”

“They turned red, which is the eye colour of an alpha. You’re not just a shifter, Soraya; you are an alpha,” the woman says with a smile, and I look at the other man, and he just rolls his eyes and looks away.

I look at Miguel.

“What was that? That was beautiful.”

“It’s a kind of bond that werewolves have with their alphas. Alphas don’t just calm their betas down; the betas can also calm their alphas down. It’s called the silver moon bond.”

“Whoa.”

I still cannot believe this is happening. I'm a shifter? Not just a shifter but a werewolf. This is confusing and scary at the same time. I turned into a wolf; I can turn into a wolf! This is crazy.

Does dad know? Did mom? Are they also shifters? How come I’m just shifting now?

“I know you have loads of questions, but please let’s get you something to wear. I’m sure you’re uncomfortable.” She helps me get up, and I mean, I was uncomfortable, but after what happened with Miguel and me, I don’t feel uncomfortable. I feel like running down the woods naked all of a sudden.

What the fuck is even happening to me?

Rosalia leads me to her room and tells me to choose whatever I want, and she leaves. I am in the middle of a large room in a penthouse right now. There are three werewolves outside. And I am a shifter, an Akwari werewolf. This is crazy; this whole thing is crazy.

This room is beautiful, though; the whole penthouse is.

The sleeping area has a large bed with a tufted, neutral-toned headboard. Crisp white and beige linens, and a bench positioned at the foot of the bed resting on a large patterned area rug.

Warm ambient lighting from central chandeliers, recessed ceiling lights, wall sconces and bedside lamps enhances the soft, opulent atmosphere. It’s also equipped with a vanity table surrounded by Hollywood-style light bulbs around the mirror.

This is the kind of room I have always wanted to have. It’s so beautiful.

The walk-in closet is what grabs my attention. I immediately walk into it. My jaw falls to the ground. Suddenly, I have forgotten about all that happened before as soon as I set foot into this space.

“OH-EM-GEEE!” I say, looking around.

This beautiful walk-in closet features a glass-topped display section for accessories and jewellery along with a built-in storage drawer below.

A round, tufted push ottoman sits in the foreground. It’s positioned at the back, featuring a backlit oval mirror, side sconces, built-in drawers, and a vase of white flowers.

Integrated LED strip lighting highlights the open shelving, recessed ceiling lighting provides ambient warmth, and a modern crystal chandelier hangs.

Custom open cabinetry lines both sides, showcasing neatly arranged clothing, designer handbags, folded garments and shoes.

I look at all the luxurious clothes, shoes, hats and jewellery. If I had this walk-in closet, I’d sleep in it, and I’d hold my Prada bag closely like it were a pillow.

I wish I could just try all these fits, but I don’t have time for this, unfortunately.

I just pick a dress, and I drop the blanket around me, and I start wearing it. I pick a Zac Posen emerald green, floor-length gown featuring a V-neckline and short cap sleeves, that’s not really my style but who cares. I put it on, and then I put on some flats.

God, this is the most unstylish I’ve ever been.

As soon as I get dressed, I run out of the closet and I head straight for the window, then I open it.

I have to get the fuck out of here. And if I am a shifter, then I should come down this tall building with ease.

I look down, and I feel like throwing up.

“Oh no.”

Am I actually considering jumping from balcony to balcony until I find my way out?

Yes, I am. I just can’t stay here; I have to escape, so I throw myself out of the window.