THE MONSTER WITHIN

MAYA

"Did I kill him?"

The question had been burning in my throat since they dragged me to the cells hours ago, my hands still stained with dried blood.

Kaden stood outside the silver bars, his face unreadable in the dim light.

"Yes," he said finally, "you tore out his throat."

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the shaking.

"I don't remember any of it. One moment I was in the guest house, the next, I woke up covered in blood."

"That's what you said last time."

"Last time?"

He moved closer to the bars, his eyes hard.

"Before you died, before Sera died, there were incidents, animals found torn apart, a rogue wandering too close to our territory."My stomach twisted.

"You think Sera was having blackouts, too?"

"I think whatever killed her is inside you now, waiting."

"Then kill me," I said, the words coming out desperate, "if I'm that dangerous, if I can't control it, just end this."

Something flickered in his expression.

"I can't."

"Why not, you said yourself I murdered one of your pack."

"Because you might be the only person who can tell me what really happened the night Sera died."

He pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the cell door.

I pressed myself against the back wall.

"What are you doing?"

"Making you a deal," he said, stepping inside, "you stay here, let me teach you control, and I'll help you find answers about your blackouts."

"And if I can't learn control?"

"Then I'll do what needs to be done."

The threat hung between us, clear and final.

"Why would you help me after what I did?"

"Because that boy's death is on my hands too," his voice roughened, "I let you stay, I didn't lock you up when I should have, I wanted to believe you were harmless."

Guilt crashed through me.

"I'm sorry." 

"Sorry doesn't bring him back," he said, then held out his hand, "but maybe we can stop it from happening again."

I stared at his hand, torn between hope and fear.

Finally, I took it, his grip warm and steady.

"We start training tomorrow at dawn," he said, "you'll learn to recognize the signs, learn to fight the blackout before it takes over."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then at least we tried."

He left, locking the cell behind him.

I sank onto the narrow cot, exhaustion pulling at me.

But this time, when I closed my eyes, sleep wouldn't come.

I was too afraid of what I might do if the darkness took me again.

Dawn came too fast.

Kaden appeared at the cell, his face drawn like he hadn't slept either.

"Let's go," he said, unlocking the door.

He led me to a training ground behind the pack house, a wide clearing surrounded by

trees.

"Strip down to your tank top," he ordered.

"What, why?

"I need to see how your body reacts when the wolf tries to surface. Clothes will just get in

the way."

Heat flushed through me, but I did as he said, pulling off my jacket and outer shirt.

His eyes lingered on my shoulder, on the crescent birthmark."Focus," he said, shaking his head, "close your eyes, tell me what you feel right before a blackout starts."

I closed my eyes, trying to remember.

"My head gets heavy, like someone's filling it with cotton, then my wolf rises, stronger

than normal.”

"Good," his voice came from right beside me now, "when you feel that, I want you to push back, force the wolf down, think of something that grounds you."

"I don't have anything that grounds me, I can't remember my life."

"Then find something new," he said, "something in the present, something real."

I opened my eyes and found him inches away, his storm gray eyes locked on mine.

The mate bond flared between us, that invisible thread pulling tight.

"Like what?" I whispered.

"Like this."

He grabbed my hand, pressing it against his chest where I could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady.

"When the blackout comes, remember this, remember you're not alone."

My breath caught.

The air between us crackled with tension, with something deeper than just the bond.

"Again," he said, stepping back, "close your eyes, find your wolf, then push her down."

We trained for hours, him pushing me harder each time, until sweat soaked through my tank top and my muscles screamed.

But something was working.

I could feel the edges of my control sharpening, could sense my wolf before she surged."Better," Kaden said, breathing hard himself, "much better."

A slow clap echoed across the training ground.

I spun around to find Lyanna watching from the tree line, her ice blue eyes cold.

"How touching," she said, moving closer, "the Alpha training his little pet."

Kaden's jaw clenched.

"What do you want, Lyanna?"

"Just checking on our guest," she smiled at me, "making sure she's not causing any more

trouble."

"She's fine."

"Is she?" Lyanna's gaze swept over me, "because I heard about the dead sentry, heard she tore him apart like an animal."

Shame burned through me.

"It was an accident."

"Accidents don't rip out throats," she moved closer, "accidents don't leave bodies drained of blood."

Something in her tone made my skin crawl.

"How do you know he was drained?" I asked.

She smiled, cold and cruel.

"Everyone knows, darling, news travels fast in a pack."

Kaden stepped between us.

"That's enough, go back to the house."

"Of course," she said sweetly, "but Kaden, don't forget we have the pack dinner tonight, everyone will be expecting to see their Luna and their Alpha together."

She left, her silk robe flowing behind her. I looked at Kaden.

"Pack dinner?"

"Monthly tradition," he said, not meeting my eyes, "all the high-ranking pack members

gather, it's expected."

"And I'm supposed to stay in my cell while you play happy couple?"

Pain flashed across his face.

"You're supposed to stay safe."

Before I could respond, a commotion erupted from the pack house.

Voices shouting, people running.

Kaden's head snapped up, his body going rigid.

"Stay here," he ordered, then ran toward the noise.

I followed anyway, my heart pounding.

The pack house dining room was chaos, and people crowded around someone on the floor.

I pushed through the crowd and froze.

Marcus, Kaden's Beta, lay on the ground clutching his chest, his face twisted in pain.

A shattered glass lay beside him, wine spreading across the floor like blood.

His eyes found mine and went wide.

"Sera?" he whispered, his voice choked.

Then he collapsed completely, his body going still.