7: Alpha Raguel

I backed away, stammering apologies, but my spine hit the cold brick of the dead-end alley.

“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered, backing away. “I was just leaving. I didn’t see anything.”

The three of them moved with that same terrifying grace. The boy they had been torturing didn’t hesitate. The moment their attention shifted to me, he scrambled to his feet and vanished into the shadows of the main street without looking back.

I was alone.

“How do you know about werewolves?” the leader asked.

They spread out slowly, closing the space and boxing me in.

My fingers curled against the wall behind me as I tried to steady my breathing.

“Stay back,” I said, but my voice came out thinner than I wanted.

Unconvincing.

The one who had spoken first—the one who heard me—tilted his head, watching me like I was something strange.

“Answer the question,” he said. “How do you know about werewolves?”

“I don’t,” I replied quickly. “I was just talking. I didn’t mean anything. Please, just let me go.”

“Doesn’t sound like nothing to me,” the one on the right said.

My eyes flicked between them.

“Please,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Just let me go. I didn’t see anything. I won’t say anything.”

They didn’t move.

The one in front—probably their leader—stepped closer.

“You said werewolves,” he said slowly, like he was talking to a five-year old. “People don’t just say that.”

“I do,” I said quickly. “I mean—look at movies, stories—people say it all the time.”

“Not like that,” he replied.

My throat went dry.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” I insisted. “I swear.”

Then the boy on the left leaned in slightly, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed.

I stiffened.

“What…” he frowned. “What is that?”

The leader didn’t look at him. “Shut up.”

“No,” the boy insisted, his voice louder. “Can’t you smell that?”

The leader finally glanced at him in annoyance. “Smell what?”

A chill crawled up my spine as the boy on the left spoke again.

“She smells… different,” his brow furrowed. “Unique.”

The leader’s gaze traveled over me, slow and invasive, dripping with a malicious intent. “I bet she’d taste and feel different, too,” he sneered. A cruel smirk spread across his face, revealing teeth that were definitely not human.

“Wait,” the first boy said, stepping back half a pace. He looked bothered, his eyes darting toward the street and then back to me. “Her scent. It’s not just human. There’s something… I don’t think she’s ordinary.”

“Who cares?” the leader snapped, his focus entirely on me. He reached out, his hand hovering near my throat. “She’s alone in an alley. She’s seen too much. We need to make sure she’s properly… entertained.”

“Listen to me,” I said, trying to summon a shred of the authority I’d felt back at the apartment with Aaron, but my voice was small and frail. “If you let me go now, I won’t report this. I’ll go home and forget I ever saw you.”

The leader laughed, a dry, barking sound. “Report us? To who? The human police?” He leaned in until I could feel the unnatural heat radiating from his skin. “We’ll make sure you don’t remember how to report anything when we’re done with you. And since you’re so curious about werewolves, you should find out how much better we can fuck than those human weaklings you’re used to.”

My entire body went cold.

“No—” I tried to move, but he reached for the hem of my sweater. I slapped his hand away, a surge of pure terror-fueled adrenaline hitting my system. “Don’t touch me!”

“Relax,” he murmured, stepping even closer. “You might actually enjoy it.”

“I won’t!” I snapped, panic breaking through completely. “Let me go!”

He tightened his grip. “Stop struggling.”

“Let me go!” I cried, trying to pull away.

The third boy, who had been silent until now, looked toward the alley entrance. “Maybe we should just go,” he muttered, his voice tight with nerves. “We’re forbidden from doing this to civilians. If the Alpha finds out—”

“The Alpha is miles away,” the leader cut him off, his eyes never leaving mine. “And this one is special. Aren’t you, pretty thing?”

The third boy hesitated, but as the leader’s predatory energy spiked, he seemed to succumb to it, his own eyes flashing as he moved to grab my arm. I struggled, kicking out and clawing at the air, but their grip was like iron.

“Stop it! Let me go!” I screamed, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would burst.

The leader’s hand was back on my throat, his thumb pressing into the pulse point just under my jaw. “Scream all you want. No one is coming.”

Suddenly, the air in the alley shifted.

The leader suddenly stiffened, his grip on my throat loosening.

Then, he was gone.

Like something had yanked him away.

The others followed.

Pulled back suddenly and violently, like invisible hands had grabbed them.

They hit the ground a few feet away with a thud.

I gasped, stumbling forward as the pressure around me vanished.

My heart raced frantically. “What—”

They scrambled to their feet instantly with fear flashing across their faces as they backed away.

“Alpha…” the third boy whispered.

The leader swallowed hard and for the first time since this started, he looked unsure.

I turned slowly.

And there he was.

Raguel.

Standing still at the entrance of the alley, silhouetted against the streetlights, looking every bit terrifying.

He didn’t look like the businessman in the suit or the man who had kissed my hand at dinner. He looked like a god of war. His eyes weren’t even humanlike; they were burning like live coals in the dark.