Chapter 2: REIS

My office was a freaking burning ozone.

It was hard for anyone to breathe in the tight air, thick with the smell of melted plastic and wires, mixed with the irritating sound of tiny wet firecrackers popping from different corners. Sparks burst out from computer systems and high-tech hardware, frying themselves into destruction.

Adding to my frustration, a low rumble kept vibrating in my chest.

"Let me out, Reis!" Keal, my wolf, growled.

Another spark shot from the corner of the room. Blue and white flickers jumped between two pieces of metal like tiny jagged lightning bolts, and an iron rod melted into a disgusting black liquid right before my eyes.

"Get it together, Keal. We are both suffering from this pain," I scolded.

In response, a sharp pain tore through me. The office lights flickered violently, and the room trembled as computers threatened to fall off their desks.

Keal was throwing these tantrums because the blood moon was approaching.

This was usually a time of freedom for wolves. They shifted, took full control, and ran wild to release everything building inside them.

But not Keal.

He was trapped inside me, all thanks to a generational curse the Moon Goddess had placed on my bloodline.

Aside from being one of the strongest packs in history, the Tartarus Pack’s alpha descendants were known for two things, never finding a mate and never shifting into their wolf.

And it wasn’t a peaceful fate.

It wasn’t just death. It was a gut-wrenching, excruciating pain that returned every full moon and blood moon, especially the blood moon. It was the kind of pain that made me understand what these burning systems felt like. My bones felt like they were being fried from the inside, like I was being torn apart slowly.

It felt like lifting a thousand pounds with each arm, every second stretching longer than the last. 

The pain I went through every full and blood moon would crush anyone into dust. But I wasn’t just anyone. I was Alpha Reis Throne. I was practically indestructible. But until I find my god-damn fated mate, I would suffer this pain from the blood moon till death. 

"Alpha, you're not getting any younger. If you can't find your fated mate, you can choose one and produce an heir, so the Tartarus Pack will have a future leader to look up to," one of the pack elders I was having an online meeting with suggested. The other elders on the call nodded in agreement.

I could never escape this damned topic. It was how my generation survived. The Moon Goddess had made finding our fated mates nearly impossible. At this point, I didn’t believe they even existed.

I mean, who would give a true mate to an usurper?

The room suddenly turned blue, and a siren blared and the call automatically disconnected.

*Unauthorized party accessed. Tighten security*. The monitor alarm echoed through the office.

Shit.

This always happened every year. When the blood moon approached, rival packs used it as an opportunity to attack, knowing I wouldn’t be at my strongest.

"Vane!" I barked.

In a matter of seconds, my beta was already in front of me. He was almost as tall and as jacked as I was, dressed in an ash-colored suit, his hair pulled into a short ponytail. A claw-like scar ran across his left eye.

"Inform the technologists. The rivals are trying to bypass the firewalls. Tell them to activate extra security mode," I ordered.

"Yes, Alpha," he nodded, leaving immediately to carry out my command.

I walked toward the giant monitor in the center of the office, tapping on the virtual keys to work as quickly as I could, when Keal struck again.

The pain was sharp and vicious this time. It felt like he had sunk his claws deep into my stomach and twisted, like he was trying to rip his way out from inside me.

Angrily, I connected my fist to the wide screen in front of me, disabling it instantly.

The room shook harder this time. The lights flickered repeatedly, and several systems sparked violently.

Alert! Alert! Software and hardware compromised!

The system alarm blared as every monitor in the office was suddenly covered with a red, triangle-shaped warning sign.

"Are you happy now, Keal?" I yelled at my wolf.

I didn’t know why he was extra moody today, but he had just successfully taken down the main security system protecting the Tartarus Pack from rivals.

I was furious, and even more furious that I couldn’t take it out on Keal.

"Vane!" I barked once again, marching out of my office.

With every step I took, wolves were pushed aside like an invisible force surrounded me, like I carried some kind of external pressure.

"Yes, Alpha!" Vane was in front of me.

"Our main security system just got fried. Rival packs could be here any second. I need outside security tightened immediately. And whoever is fixing the software; tell them I need that system up now!" I barked, my voice sharp with anger.

Vane understood. He didn’t question me, didn’t even look fazed. He simply nodded and left to carry out my orders.

But I couldn’t wait, not even for a second. My body moved at hyper speed, and in the next moment, I found myself somewhere I've never been before, since the ruling of this pack.

The omegas’ workspace.

A growl rumbled deep in my chest again.

"She’s here," Keal growled impatiently.

Before I could process what me meant, the door burst open violently, tearing off its hinges and crashing against the wall, glass shattering in the process but I didn’t care.

Something had pulled me here. Something strong… something I couldn’t explain.

Everyone dropped to their knees, trembling, as expected. Who wouldn’t fear a warlord like me?

But I thought too soon, because someone sure as hell wasn’t afraid. I should be mad at the young woman, still on her feet like she my graceful presence meant nothing to her, but the moment my gaze landed on her, a strange rush washed over me.

The young lady was dressed in a worn-out PPE suit, her hair messy, goggles resting over her eyes. Still, they didn’t hide the soft blue of her gaze. She held a micro-soldering tool, looking completely confused.

She was supposed to look like a mess. But instead… she looked like a damsel in distress.

Something electric surged through my bloodstream. My vision shifted from brown fading into a glowing gold. My canines extended, and my nails lengthened into sharp claws.

And as we engaged in the intense staring contest, I felt something no one in my bloodline had ever felt before.

I didn’t know this woman but something dark and possessive rose inside me, urging me to pull her close to me, rip off her clothes and claim her… right there, right now.