In the ALPHA'S CLAWS

The wolf and the sheep.

The darkness of the forest surrounded a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. From outside, the creaking of the wooden roof could be heard. The rain didn't cease and it started to flood the first step of the gate.

Inside the cabin, an old woman was kindling the fire in her chimney, and smoke could be seen from the outside. She knew that it would attract unwanted visitors, who could be dangerous for a defenseless woman. However, Lamya was not afraid, as everything that was about to happen was meant to be.

She diverted her gaze towards the door seconds before it was knocked down by a man. The old woman raised her hands in surrender and then looked towards that strange man. He had only covered his body with pants, while his back was bare, his muscles were tense and enormous. The veins on his arm bulged out of his skin. His breathing was agitated, so much so that it made his chest rise and fall with force; he seemed to have been running. The eyes of that man watched her, and for the first time, she felt afraid, since those eyes were so black that they seemed to have no end. There was no trace of brightness in them, as they were as dim as his soul probably was.

“You can tell the living from the dead, but it's much easier to see a dead creature in life. You look like someone who has lost everything,” commented the old woman with wisdom. She was going to continue talking, but before she could do so, the man grabbed her by the neck with force and slammed her against the wall.

Lamya watched that hand that was choking her; it was covered in blood. Some stains were dry as if they had been there for a while, and others were so fresh that they stained his skin. His claws began to protrude from him and slightly hurt the older woman.

“Do you know who I am?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

“You are Samael Grimmwolf, the famous alpha feared by all, the one who had the strength of a thousand wolves and the kindness of a little puppy. Your family name is not unknown to anyone in this forest, but now you have stained that legendary fame with dishonor. You were banished after killing almost your entire pack,” said the old woman as a smile formed on her face, as if she had said something funny enough to smile at that tense moment. The woman's laughter echoed through the walls and reached the ears of the furious man, who squeezed the neck of the old woman even harder, lifting her off the ground. Still, he could not silence her evil smile.

“Stop playing with me, witch,” he said, annoyed. “Do you want me to kill you?” asked Samael, feeling his anger increasing.

“I know you're not as strong as you used to be, Samael, but you still have enough strength to kill me, but if you do, you will never get what you came for,” she said as best she could, as her voice began to break.

Samael let her go, pushing her to the ground, and then sat in front of her. Lamya watched him as he stroked his neck.

“And what did I come for?” he asked incredulously.

The witch walked again towards the chimney and threw a red powder into it, causing the fire to grow, and the smoke began to change color.

“You came for revenge,” she replied as she looked towards the fire. “But destiny has not finished its work with you yet and has different plans for your future.

"I'm not interested in fate's plans, I don't care about the gods anymore. I just want revenge and I know you know where I can find those damn hunters," he said, clenching his fists tightly. Anger was starting to take over his body and that wasn't good, as he could turn, which was why the old woman called his attention before he lost control. "So do it before my patience runs out and I want to eat you."

"In two days, the youngest of Hamilton's family will run away from her home, and will run out of his protection. If you find her before your ex herd the Grimmwolf, you will get your revenge", she said meanwhile Samael got up and looked at her with a smile on his face. The evil reflected in that werewolf was enough to scare even the witch, who trembled for a few seconds.

"They're looking for her?" he asked surprised.

"They don't seek revenge, they have other interests in the girl. The Hunters will also be looking for her, which is why you must hurry if you want to catch her before those two groups, as now you are alone in this," she finished saying, hiding certain information, since she knew she still shouldn't tell the hungry werewolf the whole truth.

"When I find her, I will rip every limb off her body and send them one by one to her parents as a warning, because everyone in that family will have the same fate."

"Your whole body wants to kill her, I have no doubt about that," the witch began to say, catching his attention. "But if you listen to your instinct, you will know that the path you must follow is not to kill her," she finished saying and before she could speak again, Samael rushed out of the house.

On the other side of Vermont, in one of the most luxurious houses in town, is the home of the Hamiltons. There rested a young woman with platinum hair and eyes as blue as the sky. Suddenly she woke up in the middle of the night, very frightened, and put a hand on her chest as she struggled to breathe. She desperately searched in the darkness for that creature that attacked her in her nightmares, but she couldn't find it. She could feel that beast trapping her between its claws and tearing her heart out with force. That nightmare was so real that she was still scared, which is why she got up and ran to the door of her room to turn on the light switch. When she turned on the light, she looked at every detail of her small room, which contrasted completely with the luxurious house she lived in. Her room had walls that were peeling due to humidity, since she lived in the basement, and the cold was usually so strong that she had to sleep warmly and still got sick a lot because of it. Her bed was small and uncomfortable, perhaps that's why she could hardly rest at night.

"Abby, don't be a coward, you're already an adult, it's your birthday today. I won't let you start it like this," she said to herself, forming a smile on her face. She walked to her bed and put on some slippers before leaving the room and heading to the kitchen. As she climbed the basement stairs, she tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake her parents, but more importantly, not wanting to wake any of her five siblings because they would be very upset if she did. When she heard the small creak of the wood, she closed her light blue eyes and sighed with fear. Despite being a small sound, her family had a talent, and that was having a great sense of hearing. The hunters had that very developed sense due to their job, as they used to face the most terrifying creatures.

Upon reaching the kitchen door, she carefully observed her surroundings to make sure no one was there, and when she confirmed it, she entered with fear. She walked towards the cupboard and sighed, trying to relax. She knew there was no better time to make a cake than now when everyone was asleep. In the morning, it would be impossible to do it, which is why the risk was worth it. It was stupid to do it, but she had promised herself that on her twentieth birthday, she would finally do it, and she would do that even if it meant danger to her. She smiled, trying to hide her fear, and then took all the ingredients to start preparing the recipe.

After a long time, she was finally about to take it out of the oven when an image suddenly appeared in her head, that of the beast she had dreamed of. In that memory, she could not see it in its full body, but rather its face and, above all, the red eyes of that creature, which watched her with so much hatred that fear overtook Abby in such a way that she trembled, causing the tray she was holding to fall to the ground. The sound shook her so much that she couldn't help but look towards the door that led to the bedroom hallway.

"Maybe they didn't hear," she whispered, picking up the tray from the floor and placing it on the table. Her instinct told her to run to her room, but the promise she had made to herself was stronger, which is why she silenced her thoughts and took a seat in front of the cake. She gave a smile on her face, and as she didn't have a candle to put on it, she just imagined it. Abby was a dreamy young woman even though her life was a constant nightmare, and today would be no exception, which is why she closed her eyes and, for the first time in her life, allowed herself to make a wish. She was well aware of what she would ask for, which is why it took her only seconds to do it, but when she opened her eyes, the smile on her face disappeared, as her two older brothers were in front of her.

The twins, Kenyon and Jayden, who were only two years older than Abby, but were much larger than her, as their physique was worthy of a hunter, something that never developed in the young woman. Unlike her family, she was small and thin, which made her an easy prey for predators, and that generated rejection from her family. Everyone in the house used to call her "Useless" or "Rat." Even Margot Hamilton, her mother. Nobody in the Hamilton family was kind to Abby because, for them, the girl's weakness represented dishonor, or at least that's what they told her.

"Hey, whose birthday is it, rat?" asked Kenyon, adjusting his blonde curls.

"I'm sorry," Abby said, lowering her gaze. She stood up and tried to run to her room but was stopped by Jayden.

"What are you sorry about? For waking us up in the middle of the night, or for not inviting us to this pathetic birthday?" asked her brother, smiling as he put his arm around the young woman.

Abby continued to look at the ground, afraid to look up, feeling her heart about to burst out of her chest as her legs trembled.

"Leave her alone, you're scaring her," said Kenyon, pushing his brother and then seeking his sister's gaze, who continued to look at the same spot. "You know I hate it when you never look me in the eye. That's completely pathetic, even for you, useless rat," said her annoyed brother. She was about to lift her gaze when Kenyon's hand firmly grasped her platinum hair.

"Now I don't want you to look at me. In fact, I want you to keep looking at the ground," he said, as Jayden took the cake and passed it to his brother, who threw it to the ground and then crushed it with his foot.

"You were going to eat this whole cake by yourself, weren't you?" asked Kenyon. Abby began to cry silently, her cheeks started to moisten, but she made no sound.

"Isn't that right?" Kenyon asked again, this time shouting.

Abby continued to remain silent, and that was when Jayden pushed her, making her fall to the ground.

"Eat your damn cake, rat," said Kenyon. Abby's trembling hand approached the cake, and she began to eat it while hearing her brothers' laughter.

"Happy birthday to you," whispered Jayden as the poor girl continued to eat that cake. Her tears fell down her cheeks, moistening her food. It was not the first time they humiliated her, and she knew it would not be the last, but she could never get used to the mistreatment of her family.

"Stop crying, I can't stand it when you do," said Kenyon, raising his hand to slap her, but before he could do so, he was stopped by his father.

"What the hell is going on here?" asked Maximilian, his father's voice putting the three children on alert. All of them feared the patriarch of the house.

"It's all the rat's fault," Jayden said quickly, watching worriedly as his father still held his son's arm.

"Maybe it is, but what woke me up was the laughter of some idiots who should be resting, because a hunter with no sleep is a future prey," commented Maximilian.

"You're right, Father. We're sorry," said Jayden, approaching them. He put a hand on his twin brother's back. The only thing that distinguished them was the length of their hair, as Jayden had short hair, while Kenyon had a long mane that he used to braid.

"Go to sleep," ordered Maximilian, releasing his son Kenyon, and the twins quickly left the room. It was then that Maximilian looked at his daughter, who remained kneeling on the ground, immobile, feeling so afraid that she did not know what to do.

"You're so weak that everyone beside you feels strong," whispered her father, looking down at her.

"I'm sorry," Abby said with her trembling voice.

"You're so weak that I should kill you, so you stop being a disgrace to this family. If I could, I would let the creatures kill you once and for all, but do you know why I don't?" he asked, taking the girl's arm and forcing her to stand up.

Abby kept her gaze low while she felt Maximiliam's fingers digging into her skin.

"I come from a family of legendary hunters. All of my ancestors were able to keep their peers safe and I won't be the exception. I won't let you humiliate me with your death, but believe me, I will enjoy every second of my life humiliating you because you deserve it," he said, twisting her hand so hard that Abby couldn't help but groan in pain.

Maximiliam brushed one of the hairs covering the young girl's face and looked directly into her sky-blue eyes. He leaned in so close to her face that Abby was surprised.

"You're finally two decades old," he whispered, gazing at her lips. "This year, you'll be useful for the first time in your life," he said, caressing her cheek. Abby felt a slight shiver down her spine; the moment was becoming more and more uncomfortable. "Believe me when I say I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"I'm sorry to be a disappointment, father," she said, catching Maximilian's attention. Hearing the word 'father', he suddenly let go of her.

"Clean all this up and then stay up to prepare breakfast for all of us," he said, looking at her with disgust. He finally left the room while his daughter looked at the bruises on her arm. Bruises were nothing new to her, but the words her father had spoken caught her attention.

What did he mean by finally being useful? Abby wondered as her thoughts attacked her over and over again. Fear overtook her once again, and she couldn't help but tremble at the answers to her question.

She looked at the smashed cake on the floor and knew. Tonight was the one she had been waiting for her whole life, and she couldn't stay one more day in that house, as she didn't want to find out her father's future plans, let alone her brothers'. She gathered her courage and ran to her room to get her clothes.

Today, Abby Hamilton will finally be free or she will be killed trying. Was she afraid? Of course she was. But that wouldn't stop her because fear was a common state in her life. She went to sleep with fear and woke up with even more, but for the first time in her life, she would go in search of feeling something more.

She would run towards freedom without realizing that she was only approaching a trap, a trap that destiny had prepared for her. Outside, nothing good awaited her because as soon as she felt that she was beginning to breathe freedom, she would find herself in the clutches of a werewolf. Although that didn't seem like a good thing for her life, the gods' plans had a great future for her, if she managed to survive against all those souls who sought to end Abby Hamilton's precious life. Even though she felt like a slave, she was much more important and powerful than she imagined in her wildest dreams.

This story arises from the deepest hatred, one that only two enemies could have, but love tends to bloom from the most unexpected places. Like in the broken heart of a werewolf or in the desperate and injured heart of a young girl.

The wolf and the sheep by nature couldn't fall in love, but that wouldn't stop Samael from getting lost completely in Abby's magical eyes.