Chapter 3 | The Monster

SIENNA

I thought I was going to die.

That was the only thing in my head. The wolf. The blood. Those red eyes and … Cassian on ground in pain-  Everything blurred together until I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. And then-

“Sienna!” I heard a familiar loud voice that belonged to …. My brother. My head snapped toward the sound, my heart jumping violently in my chest. “Dax…!” My voice broke as I tried to stand, my legs shaking so badly I almost fell again.

He was running toward me. Fast. Too fast. And behind him- were more men. Maybe his security but I didn’t care. I ran. I didn’t think about anything else. I just ran straight into him. “Dax!” I cried, throwing my arms around him, clinging to him like he was the only thing keeping me alive.

He caught me instantly, holding me tight. “I’m here,” he said quickly, his voice firm but soft at the same time. “I’m here. You’re okay.”

“I- I saw-” I couldn’t even speak properly. My words came out broken, tangled with my sobs. “There was a wolf… it attacked the car… the driver-”

“Hey, hey…” He cupped the back of my head, pulling me closer. “Look at me.” I shook my head, burying my face into his chest. “I’m scared…” I whispered. “I know,” he murmured. “I know, Sienna.”

His hand moved slowly over my hair, trying to calm me down. But it wasn’t working. Because I could still feel it. That terror. My fingers tightened in his shirt as I whispered shakily, “He killed it… with his hands…”

The moment those words escaped my lips, Dax went still. Just for a second. But I felt it. “Who?” he asked quietly. I swallowed hard, my grip tightening even more.

“H-he-” I whispered. “He was… there… and his eyes-” I stopped. Because I remembered. The same scene flashed in front of my eyes. Eyes. They were red. My breath hitched. “His eyes were red,” I said softly, my voice trembling.

The atmosphere was now filled with heavy silence. Dax didn’t respond immediately. Instead, his hold on me tightened slightly. And that scared me more. Why wasn’t he saying anything? Why did it feel like- Like he already knew?

Before I could ask anything else, movement behind me caught his attention. I turned my head slightly too and I saw him. He was still on the ground on his knee, his body tense, his head lowered slightly as if something was… wrong.

Another man rushed toward him quickly. “Alpha!” he said urgently, crouching beside him. “What happened?” Alpha…? The word echoed in my head. What- why would someone call him that-

I blinked, confused and my fear momentarily mixed with something else.“What’s wrong with him?” I whispered, clutching Dax’s arm. Dax didn’t answer. His jaw tightened slightly as he looked past me- at Cassian.

“I told you not to come alone,” Dax muttered under his breath, more to himself than to me. I frowned slightly. “Huh?” I asked, my voice small.

Dax finally looked down at me. Something in his expression changed. “Stay behind me,” he said quietly. My heart dropped. “Dax… what’s going on?” But he didn’t answer. Instead, he gently moved me behind him and stepped forward towards Cassian.

“No-” I grabbed his arm quickly, panic rising again. “Don’t go near him!” Dax paused. Then turned back to me. “Sienna,” he said softly, “he’s not going to hurt us.” My eyes widened.

“How do you know that?!” I almost yelled, my voice shaking. “He just- he killed that wolf like it was nothing! That’s not normal!”

“I know,” Dax said calmly. That made everything worse. “You know?” I repeated, my voice rising. “What does that even mean?!” He didn’t answer again.

Instead, he turned away from me and walked toward Cassian. Like this was normal. Like everything that just happened… made sense. My chest tightened painfully. “What is happening…” I whispered to myself.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I just stood there, watching as Dax reached him. “Cassian,” Dax said, his tone low. Cassian didn’t respond immediately. He looked… different now. Like he was holding himself together by force. “I told you to stay out of this,” Dax continued. Cassian let out a rough breath, his head lifting slightly.

His eyes-  They flickered. For a second, I thought I imagined it. But no. They weren’t fully red anymore. They were back to normal- humane but still darker. Was this all my hallucination-

“I had it handled,” Cassian said, his voice deep and rough. Handled? I stared at them in disbelief. What were they even talking about? “You call this handled?” the other man snapped. “You’re bleeding-”

“I said I’m fine,” Cassian cut him off sharply. But he didn’t look fine. At all. Something about him looked… off. Wrong. Like he was in pain.

My brows furrowed slightly. Why did he look like that? Why did it feel like- No. I shook my head.

No. I shouldn’t care. He scared me. He terrified me. He hated me. And yet… I couldn’t stop looking at him. Couldn’t stop remembering the way he stood in front of me. The way he-

No. Stop.

I wrapped my arms around myself again, trying to steady my breathing. “I want to go home,” I said suddenly, my voice small but firm. Dax looked back at me immediately. His expression softened again.

“Of course,” he said. “We’re leaving.” Relief flooded through me instantly.

Finally, Finally, I could get away from here. From all of this. But as Dax walked back toward me, I felt it again. That pull. That strange, uncomfortable feeling in my chest. Like something was wrong.

My eyes lifted slowly. And I realized- Cassian was looking at me. Not just looking, but he was staring. His gaze locked onto mine like he couldn’t look away. My breath caught. There was something in his eyes now.

Something different. It was not just coldness, not just anger but something… darker. Something that made my heart race for reasons I didn’t understand. I took a step back instinctively. “Dax…” I whispered.

He followed my gaze. And for a second- The air between them changed. “Stop looking at her like that,” Dax said quietly. Cassian didn’t respond and neither did he look away. “Cassian,” Dax warned.

That’s when Cassian finally spoke. “She shouldn’t be here.” My brows furrowed. “What…?” Dax’s expression hardened. “She’s my sister,” he said firmly. “I know exactly who she is,” Cassian replied. His eyes never left mine.

My stomach twisted. The way he said that- Like it meant something more. Like he wasn’t just talking about who I was. But what I was. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He didn’t answer. But his jaw tightened. And for a second— I thought he looked… angry. No. Not just angry. Furious. At me. For no reason. Again. Just like before. Something inside me snapped slightly.

“I didn’t do anything to you!” I said, my voice breaking. “Why do you always act like this?!” That’s why I did not want to come back but couldn't he be a bit nice since I had returned. Tears slipped down my cheeks as my heart ached. 

Dax stepped slightly in front of me again. “Enough,” he said firmly. “Not tonight.” Cassian’s gaze flickered to him briefly. Then back to me. Like he was fighting something. Something I couldn’t see and especially I didn’t understand.

“Take her,” he said finally, his voice low. “And don’t bring her near me again.” The words hit harder than they should have. I flinched slightly. Of course- Of course he didn’t want me here. What could I even expect from him- but Why did that still hurt? Even now?

“Gladly,” I muttered under my breath, turning away quickly. I didn’t want to look at him anymore. I didn't want to feel this. Whatever this was. “Let’s go,” I said to Dax. He nodded and gently guided me toward the car.

I didn’t look back. But I could still feel it. That dark gaze burning into my back. Watching and following.  And something told me… He wasn’t going to let me go that easily anymore.