Chapter: The Beast Within

The pain in Austin’s arm burned like fire, but there was something deeper—something primal—that twisted in his chest. His wolf howled inside, urging him to move, to run, to protect.

Just as he stood from his chair, the door opened.

Ariana stepped in with a confident sway, holding a bottle of red wine, her lips painted to match. Her eyes glowed with satisfaction.

“Now that bitch is gone, I can finally get him,” she whispered to herself.

"Austin," she said sweetly, closing the door behind her. "You seem so tense tonight… Maybe I can help you relax a little?"

Before he could even reply, she was already beside him, sliding her hand across his chest, her body pressed close.

"Ariana," he said firmly. "Not tonight. Go get some rest."

But Ariana leaned in, ignoring his words, trying to kiss him.

That’s when the sound hit him—a distant howl, sharp and filled with pain.

Austin’s head snapped up. "What was that?"

Ariana tried to block his view. “Come on, Austin… it’s just a howl. It’s the full moon. It happens all the time.”

She leaned in again, lips barely brushing his neck.

But something inside Austin screamed louder than her whisper. His instincts roared.

He shoved her off gently but firmly. "I have to go."

And before she could stop him, he was out the door.

Ariana’s eyes darkened as she clenched her fists. “One way or another, you're mine, Austin,” she hissed.

At the garden, the rogue dragged her fingers slowly along Rosemary’s arm like a spider weaving its web.

"You took something that didn’t belong to you," she growled. "And now you’re going to pay for it."

The man held Rosemary down with crushing strength. Her breath was shallow. Her eyes were wide in horror.

She'd never seen creatures like them before. Their eyes glowed unnaturally. Their teeth—sharp, too long for any normal human—gleamed under the moonlight.

“You’re human, right?” the woman whispered as she twirled Rosemary’s hair between her fingers. “It’s such a shame. You’ve got such a pretty face…”

She raised her hand to claw it.

"Please..." Rosemary whimpered.

Then…

“Get your hands off her!”

The voice boomed from the shadows like thunder cracking through the sky.

The rogues froze.

From the darkness, Alpha Austin stepped forward, his chest rising with each breath, his eyes glowing golden with fury. Power radiated from him like heat from the sun.

The moment the woman turned, he slapped her so hard she flew back and hit a tree.

The male rogue lunged at him—but Austin caught him mid-air and slammed him into the ground with a roar. He threw punch after punch, blood splattering across the grass.

“Touch her again,” Austin growled low, “and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

The woman tried to crawl away, but Austin’s wolf had taken over now. His voice, his movement.

He stood over them, his body trembling as his wolf pushed forward beneath his skin.

Rosemary lay behind him, bleeding, whispering his name.

"Austin…"

The air in the garden turned deadly still.

The moment Austin’s wolf growled—a sound deep, wild, and furious—the two rogues dropped to their knees, trembling like leaves in the wind.

“Alpha Austin,” the man begged. “Please—it was a mistake. We didn’t mean any real harm. We’ll go now, no trouble at all.”

They tried to slink away, their heads bowed low in fake submission.

But Austin wasn’t done.

His voice thundered, “No... it’s too late!”

With a flash of speed, he rushed forward and grabbed the male rogue by the arm. With a bone-cracking sound, he snapped it, making the man scream and collapse.

The woman dropped again to her knees and pleaded through her tears. “Alpha Austin, please! I have a baby at home. He’s only a week old. Please... show some mercy…”

Austin’s eyes, still glowing with fury, stared her down. His chest rose and fell. His wolf snarled behind his skin, still craving vengeance.

But then… he paused.

He growled lowly, then pointed toward the edge of the woods. “Get out of here. Both of you. If I see you again—you’ll regret it.”

The rogues didn’t wait. They scrambled away into the trees like shadows running from light.

Austin turned back to Rosemary.

She was sitting in the grass, her clothes torn, her arm bleeding, her face pale with shock. She didn’t even look up as he knelt beside her.

With gentleness that didn’t match the beast he was moments ago, Austin shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“You humans…” he murmured, brushing hair from her face. “So fragile.”

He reached out his hand. “You’re safe now.”

Rosemary looked at him, still trembling. Her eyes were wide with fear, and confusion. Slowly, she placed her hand in his.

But the moment their skin touched—

They both screamed.

Not in pain.

But in something else.

A rush of energy surged through them, as if lightning passed from one to the other. The moon above glowed brighter, its light bathing them in silver.

Austin staggered back, clutching his chest. His wolf inside roared.

Rosemary gasped for air, her body shaking harder than before.