CHAPTER 005: Nightmare

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The half moon hung lowly above, casting a soft glow in the eerie darkness. The tree leaves danced lightly to the cool breeze and maybe, to the sound of the crickets. We were far from the pack — very far, and any more steps, we would leave the pack territory and into the forbidden area. I was just ten, but I knew, yet I couldn't help but ask again.

“Papa, we would be breaching the Pack's law if we went further, right?" My small voice drooled out, mingling with the darkness.

“You know too much, Val, and it's bad...” My father complained, tightening his grip on my wrist.

“Anymore questions from—”

He hadn't finished speaking when two big black wolves rushed from the shadows. One with grey patches and eyes, the other, black with eyes the same colour as its fur — dark, empty, and devoid of warmth. Their claws were tainted with fresh blood, stares deadly, intense, as they trudged fast toward us.

The grey-patched wolf suddenly yanked my dad from my grip, flinging him to the side before he could shift, while the other sneered loudly before me, his eyes narrow yet dangerous, mysterious, drawing me in like a magnet.

I should have screamed, should have run because that's what we were told to always do as kids born to an omega when we see a predatory wolf, but I didn't. Instead, I stretched forth my arms, ready to pat it head until it suddenly opened its mouth, grabbing my cloth so hard—

A loud wail left my lips and fear washed over me...

"Are you okay?" A voice pulled me from the nightmare. I sat up, heaving loudly, my eyes darting around the unfamiliar space— until it landed on a petite lady in a blue uniform by my side and my hands grabbed her tightly.

"He...help...me" My voice cracked, clinging to her gown like it was a safety net from the horrific dream; the dream that had always tormented me after that night.

The night I became fatherless.

The night I was given the name 'Cursed.'

The night everything started.

"Help me," I muttered again, my voice dry and croaky.

"It's okay," the young lady said, bringing a cup of water to my lips.

Afterwards, my breath steadied and I became aware of where I was. The white ceiling, large bed, and fluffy blanket. I wasn't in my pack.

The Hallow Wood pack.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I pulled the thick blanket from my waist. A golden gown graced my body. My eyes lifted to meet the lady and my neck burned gravely, reminding me of how I came here.

I glanced around the room again, my breath coming out at a fast pace. The moment in the branding room hit my memory like a wave, and dread pooled in the pit of my stomach.

The room was big, bigger than even Jayden's room at the pack house, yet my breath felt constricted, like a huge block was sitting on my chest, while the lady looked calm, her face unreadable, with her eyes just watching my frantic movement.

“Where am I?” I finally spoke, clutching the edge of my gown. Of course, I know I would probably be in the pack of Alpha Ryker but I wanted my thoughts to be wrong.

“Welcome to Grim Howl pack.” A soft, creeping smile grazed the face of the young girl who was probably a maid.

I moved toward the edge of the bed, shaking my head lightly. “No…it can't be," I hollered, laughing hysterically but the maid didn't waver.

“Where's Alpha Ryker?”

“He demands your presence in his room,” she said, walking confidently out of the room.

His room?

I dashed out immediately, tailing carefully behind the maid who took a turn to the right before stopping at a gigantic wooden door — brown with stripes of grey.

The door opened to us, like it heard some silent whisper, or magic but as I looked behind, the maid was gone, leaving me to walk into the devil's lair, alone.

The inside was dimly lit with just a streak of light seeping through a window, decorated with grey, ornate curtains.

He has to be team-grey.

I adjusted my sight to get a better view of the room. Grey ceiling, a large alpha-size bed in the middle, a three-legged table, and of course, a grey sofa at the side of the wall that I didn't notice earlier.

My breath halted.

“For someone unconscious, you sure have thick guts to just look around,” Alpha Ryker whispered, standing from the sofa with a wine glass in his palm. His daunting, precise muscles spread magnanimously. He didn't make any movement, just smiling with a sharp stare that made my skin burn.

“Come here,” he muttered hoarsely, sending a tremor down my spine, before setting the glass on a stool beside him.

“Me?...”

“Who else, or did the silver affect your eyesight?”

I took a step forward, my heart pounding within my ribcage. I took more steps, standing a foot before him, my head bowed lightly.

“Valkyrie, right?” My name drew out of his lips — low, sleek, like a murmured prayer. He closed the tiny space between us, snaking his palm around my throat, raising my head. I winced from the impact of his hold as the pain of my branding throbbed with unbearable heat.

“You're hurting me.”

“That's what happens when you don't have a wolf.” He simmered, his thumb pressing harder on my wound.

“Please…" I begged.

“Why don't you have a wolf, Val? Why do you have to be so… human?” He asked, his voice low, then his grip loosened, to my surprise. He was acting like he was high on whatever was in the glass he was holding earlier.

Next, he brought his lips to my neck, trailing lightly to my shoulder, and down to my collarbone. For some reason, my body quivered, shaking with unexplainable need. I lay forward, pressing my bre@st to his chest, and I felt the fast beat of his heart.

His hands didn't hold back either — they moved over my back, waist, and hips, kneading, touching, as if memorizing the sketch of my curves… until he abruptly stopped. I pulled back immediately.

“I... I'm sorry,” I blurted, fiddling with the thread of my gown. I watched as he lay back on the sofa, replacing that desire I saw in his eyes with cold stares.

Stretching forth his arm, he collected the wine tumbler from the stool, brought it to his lips while his gaze still settled on me. I gulped loudly, loosely, and I had to bite my tongue to prevent the heat pooling beneath my gown.

“Strip!” Ryker's voice boomed within the room, slicing through the cold moment like a sharp ice.

“You say—?" I bent lightly, hoping to hear differently.

No, this wasn't happening.

It can't be.

“Would you prefer I repeat my statement or... Do it myself?”