Chapter 3
863 Words
“Move!”
The alpha’s roar shook the alley hard enough to rattle the fire escapes overhead.
The wolves snapped into motion immediately.
Two shifted mid-jump, bones cracking violently as massive black wolves landed between Midnight and the mouth of the alley. Another disappeared onto the rooftops.
Hunting.
Or preparing to die.
Midnight could barely process any of it.
Her entire body burned.
The thing inside her was no longer scratching at the surface.
It was crawling out.
The alpha grabbed her arm and hauled her against him just as another howl split the night—closer now.
Too close.
“What is that?” Midnight whispered.
His grip tightened painfully.
“You.”
Before she could respond, the shadows at the end of the alley moved.
Not a person.
Not a wolf.
Darkness itself unfolded from the night like it had been waiting there the entire time.
Tall.
Massive.
Wrong.
Glowing crimson eyes opened first.
Then claws.
Then a smile filled with teeth far too sharp to belong to anything born on Earth.
One of the wolves growled low beside them.
The creature’s gaze shifted lazily toward him.
The wolf exploded into the brick wall.
Midnight screamed.
There had been no movement.
One second he was standing there.
The next—
Blood painted the alley.
The alpha shoved Midnight behind him instantly, silver eyes glowing bright now.
“Don’t look at it.”
But it was too late.
The creature looked at her—
—and Midnight felt something ancient snap tight inside her chest.
Recognition.
Home.
Mine.
The demon inside her surged violently with pleasure.
The alpha must have felt it too because rage twisted across his face immediately.
“No.”
The creature smiled wider.
“There she is.”
Its voice slithered through the alley like smoke over skin.
Midnight’s stomach twisted.
She knew that voice.
Not from real life.
From her dreams.
The blood-soaked forests.
The glowing red eyes watching her from the dark.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
The alpha stepped forward slightly, shielding her.
“You don’t get near her.”
The creature tilted its head.
“And yet your mate bond says otherwise.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Midnight blinked slowly.
Mate?
Her gaze snapped toward the alpha.
His expression turned murderous.
Interesting.
The demon’s smile deepened.
“You scented it the moment you touched her, didn’t you, little wolf?” Its crimson eyes glittered. “Fate does have a sense of humor.”
Midnight’s pulse thundered.
Mate.
This terrifying, silver-eyed alpha was her mate?
Impossible.
Except her body betrayed her instantly.
Even now, terrified and shaking, she could feel him. Every breath. Every movement. The overwhelming pull dragging her toward him despite the danger pouring off his skin.
And worse—
The thing inside her wanted him.
Badly.
The alpha’s voice dropped lower. Deadlier.
“She’s not yours.”
The creature looked amused.
“She carries my blood.”
Midnight froze.
The alley suddenly felt freezing cold.
No.
No, no, no—
“What are you?” she whispered.
Crimson eyes slid toward her slowly.
Something almost gentle crossed the monster’s face.
“I am the reason you survived your first shift.”
Midnight stopped breathing.
“You’ve been inside me,” she whispered in horror.
A soft laugh echoed through the alley.
“Not inside you, little hybrid.”
The creature took one slow step forward.
“I made you.”
The world tilted sideways.
Midnight stumbled backward.
The alpha caught her instantly, one arm wrapping around her waist before she could fall. The contact sent another violent pulse through the bond between them.
Fire.
Possession.
Hunger.
The alpha visibly fought it, jaw clenching hard.
Midnight could barely think through the panic crashing into her.
Made her?
What the hell did that mean?
“You’re lying.”
The creature’s smile vanished completely.
“Ask your mother.”
Pain flashed across Midnight’s chest so suddenly she nearly collapsed again.
“My mother is dead.”
The creature said nothing.
Which somehow felt worse.
The alpha went completely still behind her.
Midnight slowly turned toward him.
The silence on his face told her everything.
“Oh my God…”
The alpha avoided her eyes for half a second too long.
And that was answer enough.
Rage exploded inside her instantly.
The shadows around her burst outward violently, smashing windows up and down the alley. Every wolf dropped low instinctively.
The alpha grabbed her shoulders.
“Midnight—”
“She lied to me?” Her voice cracked unnaturally, layered now with something darker beneath it. “My entire life?”
The demon creature watched her carefully now.
Patiently.
Like this was exactly what it wanted.
The alpha noticed too.
“Don’t lose control.”
Too late.
The hunger returned full force.
But now it wasn’t hunger for blood.
It was destruction.
The alley lights burst one by one.
Darkness swallowed the street.
Midnight’s breathing deepened as black smoke curled fully around her body now, thick and alive.
The wolves backed away.
Afraid.
Of her.
The creature in the darkness whispered softly—
“That’s it.”
And somewhere deep inside herself—
Something monstrous opened its eyes completely.
- Writer
