ALPHA STEINHART ALDENI loosened my tie with one hand while pouring myself a generous drink with the other. The amber liquid swirled in the glass. A deep exhale escaped my lips as I sank into the leather seat, the burn of the drink already warming my throat.“You really should slow down, Alden,” Alpha Jones said, calmly pouring himself a glass of whiskey before sliding two more glasses across the table—one for Michael, the other for Jessicah.I let out a dry laugh, bitter and humorless. “I don’t think we can slow down, can we?” I muttered, settling deeper into my seat. “Sooner or later… the meeting will have to happen.”“You mean the Union Conference?” Jessicah asked, her tone wary. “Still, what the hell are we supposed to tell them? That the great evil has emerged again? You know only those with the true Steinhart blood can see it.”“I still don’t understand why we shouldn’t just tell the boy,” Michael added, his brow furrowing. “Adrian has—”“Sshh!” I cut him off sharply, hand rais
SYRA.The room is classic.To be precise, it’s styled less like a meeting room and more like a luxurious private suite. Seven plush dining-lounge sets, each arranged with a casual elegance, wrap around the space. There’s even a sleek kitchenette tucked into the far wall—fully stocked, no doubt, for board members who’d rather dine mid-deal than leave mid-project.Everything in here screams wealth. Mr. Steinhart takes the seat directly across from me. It’s been two days since the last dinner. We hadn’t met again—he’s a busy man, and frankly, so am I.But still... was it rude of me not to call?Is he angry? Or... is this about something else entirely?Like asking me to join the Moonhart Pack?I draw in a quiet, nervous breath as refreshments are placed between us, the scent of freshly ground coffee mixing with the soft citrus from a cut fruit bowl.But what really started to itch at me was the presence of the two women.They hadn’t blinked once.Just kept staring.Like I was some stran
SYRA.The room is classic.To be precise, it’s styled less like a meeting room and more like a luxurious private suite. Seven plush dining-lounge sets, each arranged with a casual elegance, wrap around the space. There’s even a sleek kitchenette tucked into the far wall—fully stocked, no doubt, for board members who’d rather dine mid-deal than leave mid-project.Everything in here screams wealth. Mr. Steinhart takes the seat directly across from me. It’s been two days since the last dinner. We hadn’t met again—he’s a busy man, and frankly, so am I.But still... was it rude of me not to call?Is he angry? Or... is this about something else entirely?Like asking me to join the Moonhart Pack?I draw in a quiet, nervous breath as refreshments are placed between us, the scent of freshly ground coffee mixing with the soft citrus from a cut fruit bowl.But what really started to itch at me was the presence of the two women.They hadn’t blinked once.Just kept staring.Like I was some stran
ALPHA ASHER.“You have to obtain the contract no matter what.”That was what the two elders summoned me for. The command was sharp, unyielding. It’s only two months and some weeks until the full moon marking ceremony, and it will also be my anointing ceremony—if I prove myself worthy.Huh.To be honest, I really wish Syra was around. It pisses me off that she walked out just like that. No explanation. No damn warning. We had an agreement. She knew I was waiting for Kate. Our marriage was a strict business transaction, nothing more, so why the hell was she acting like it meant something deeper? And now, she’s working for Steinhart—the same bastard she ran away from all those years ago. What the hell is her problem?Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.But no matter what, I’ll get that contract.I slam my knuckles against the bathroom mirror, watching the tremor ripple through my reflection. The cold water runs down my arms, grounding me briefly before I twist the knob off. A he
ADRIAN“What the actual fuck… three fucking days?” I rose to my feet, fists trembling at my sides. “I have no fucking clue where I’ve been.”“Are you sure you have no idea?” Uncle Benard asked carefully, but I could hear the sharp edge under his calm.“Yeah, I’m freaking sure!” I barked, running a hand through my hair, my scalp damp with sweat. “The last thing I remember was being at the Industrial Area. We got a distress call—seven dead bodies over five damn days. Then this thing showed up.”I paused, heart racing, as images flickered in my skull.“It wasn’t human,” I muttered. “Black eyes. Rows of jagged canines. It was feeding on a body. A boy, I think. I don’t know if it was the boy or—fuck, it’s all foggy.”My fingers trembled against my temples. “There’s this fog I keep seeing. Not real fog—like, in my mind. It appears... then vanishes. But that day, it—God—it was like it possessed the boy, turned him into that thing. And then—”“Relax, son.” Alpha Brian’s voice was gentler now
ADRIANWhen I came to, the world was quiet—eerily quiet.I was lying in the middle of a vast grassland, the blades tall and whispering as the wind slithered through them like breath over skin. The sky stretched above me in endless gray.My head throbbed. Every pulse was like a hammer against bone.I sat up slowly—naked from the waist up, skin streaked with dirt, blood, and sweat. My hands trembled as I looked at them. Bloodied. Not mine.The scent curled into my nostrils.Human.But there was no body. No screams.No scent trail leading away. Just... nothing.The emptiness of it all unsettled me more than any battlefield.I staggered to my feet, the breeze prickling my bare skin, and scanned the endless field. No buildings. No paths. No signs of life. Just the distant, melodic murmur of a stream nearby.Drawn by instinct more than thought, I followed the sound.The stream was narrow and clear, weaving through a bed of stones like silver thread. I crouched beside it, scooping water into
ADRIANMy wolf howled—a bone-deep, marrow-chilling cry that tore from my chest like a war drum’s echo in a hollow battlefield. My blood boiled, thick and molten, as red flooded my vision. Every breath I took was laced with rage. With purpose. With instinct.“Four bodies at most,” Dr. Richmod muttered behind me as we stalked through the blood-soaked warehouse. Old blood. Fresh death. And something else—something twisted. There was a foul, slithering stench hanging in the air. A fog, black as ink, coiling like a living thing across the rafters. A shiver crawled down my spine.Then—movement. West.In a blur, I lunged.And there it was.Not a wolf. Not anything that belonged in this world. A malformed creature crouched over a twitching body, fangs buried in her torso. The woman was still alive—but just barely.The thing turned, lips peeled back in a snarl that revealed too many teeth—jagged, layered like a shark's, soaked in gore. Its eyes were bottomless pits of obsidian, void of any
SYRA“You two are absolutely insane, you know that?” Neema chuckles, tossing a teasing glance over her shoulder. “I swear, I might lose my mind just listening to this.”It had been three days since that stupid, impulsive declaration I made. Three days since Adrian left on some business trip. And would you believe me if I told you I missed him?Pathetic, right?I grip the edge of the cart tighter as the thought hits me. It’s getting worse—this feeling. It’s like he's carved himself into my system without permission, and now I can’t shut it off. “But it’s so interesting,” Agness pipes up, her voice giddy with mischief as she pushes her trolley into the next aisle. Her thick braids bounce with every step. “That feeling that just consumes you. So… how are you planning to avoid, you know—” she smirks and tilts her chin at my belly.“I mean, clearly, you can’t keep pretending you won’t end up in his bed again,” she finishes slyly as Neema pauses at the shelves, plucking up a couple of skin
SYRA“Oh my God,” I rasped, my voice a breathless whimper as his fingers plunged deeper, stroking with unrelenting precision.He moved harder—faster—each thrust dragging an involuntary moan from my lips. His other hand didn’t falter, fingers finding the peak of my breast, pinching and tugging my nipple through the thin fabric of my dress until it ached with pleasure.It was too much. Too good.I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth in desperate resistance, but my body had already betrayed me. My hands slipped from the table’s edge and tangled into my hair, tugging harshly as if pain could anchor me, hold me back from unraveling.“Oh—fuck,” I cried out, the sound ripped from my throat as the pressure coiled and snapped.“Yes, Sunshine,” he growled, his voice dark. “That’s it… That’s the sound I wanted. You want me to take you harder? Then say it. Say the fucking words.”My legs trembled, buckling inward, but his body kept me wide and open, vulnerable to his every touch. I could feel it—