I Belong To The Feral Alpha

Chapter 2 -Flames

Henry navigated the city's evening streets as the urban symphony enveloped him. Passing cars zoomed by, their engines humming like a chorus of bees. Horns blared intermittently, adding sharp notes to the melody of the city.

"Another pathetic attempt," muttered Mei, her voice cutting through the soundscape.

Henry, his eyes adjusting to his enhanced vision, remained focused on the road ahead. His keen senses registering every detail and he had to take his time filtering out the unnecessary content and colors. The perils of having enhanced vision.

Much to his chagrin, neon-colored lights from commercial stores painted the surroundings with warm colors, while the traffic lights at junctions changed rhythmically, casting an eerie glow on the asphalt. It was like he was driving in a kaleidoscope. He hated it.

"Is that why you brought me tonight?" Mei asked, her glare matched by the red and green lights flickering in the periphery.

"I did take you, didn't I?" Henry replied, his voice blending with the distant rumble of engines.

"Yeah, you did," Mei said sarcastically.. "And you kept throwing glances at her while we danced? You thought I didn't see you?"

Henry growled, his eyes flickering momentarily as he filtered out the excess sensory information. "There were a million people in that club," he countered. "I could have been staring at anyone."

Mei laughed sardonically, her laughter competing with the car horns in the distance. "And out of those million people, she was the one you zoomed after to protect just because you thought that guy was harassing her. Way to go, knight in shining armor."

"Enough, Mei," Henry growled. "I'm no knight."

"Well, I'm glad you at least know that," Mei said, her words blending with the city's ambient noise. "You're a creature of the darkness. And that's who the family needs right now. The last thing we would want right now is you living in a delusion."

"My head's in the game," retorted Henry, his vision adjusting to the shifting scenery outside the car. "Get off my back."

"Is it?" Mei questioned, her voice now softer amid the urban cacophony.

Then, after a moment's hesitation, she asked, "So what are you going to do about the girl?"

Henry's jaw tightened as he replied, "I'll handle it."

"Henry," Mei said, her words rising above the distant roar of traffic. "You can't deny it. She's a problem. You need to cut ties with her completely."

Henry sighed, his fingers gripping the steering wheel as the cityscape unfolded around him.

"It's complicated," he said, his voice blending with the symphony of the night. "We have history."

"History that could have cost you your life, Henry," Mei countered, her words accompanied by the rhythmic blinks of the traffic lights. "She's so obsessed with you, and it's putting you and her—in her case, mostly her—in danger."

"I can handle myself," Henry said, his enhanced vision allowing him to perceive the intricate details of the buildings they passed.

"Maybe," Mei said, her voice fading in and out with the passing vehicles. "But let's not forget she almost had you with that silver stake tonight. How many close calls are you willing to have? And on a solstice too. You know that's the thing that really confuses me too. Why do you go out to party at night, on practically every solstice? It's like you're asking for everyone to gun for you."

"I fear no man," Henry stated, his gaze scanning the corners and intersections they passed. "Nor woman."

Mei scoffed, her disbelief mingling with the city's noises. "That's just unnecessary bravado."

Henry fell silent for a moment, his enhanced senses taking in the city's vibrant but overwhelming scene.

"She's going to keep following you around, Henry," Mei persisted, her words rising above the urban hum. "I could...I could get rid of her if that's what it takes."

Suddenly, Henry slammed on the brakes, the screeching tires adding a discordant note to the urban symphony. Mei's face lurched forward, but Henry's quick reflexes prevented her from colliding with the dashboard.

"Are you craz—" Mei began, but her words trailed off when she felt Henry's hands slide down to her chin.

Henry emitted a low, inhuman growl as his enhanced vision focused on her.

"You'll get rid of who?" he demanded.

Mei cowered back, swallowing hard before she stammered, "N-no one... Please forgive me."

He held her under his intense gaze, his eyes glowing ochre yellow against the passing lights.

"You've forgotten who you're talking to, Mei?" he growled. "Who am I?"

Mei hesitated but eventually whispered, "Alpha," her eyes tightly shut.

"I didn't hear you," Henry growled, his fingers digging into her skin.

"You're the Alpha!" Mei cried out, whimpering as his fingers continued to dig deeper.

Just when she thought he might pierce through, he stopped. With a sigh, he patted her cheek forcefully.

"That's right," he said. "I am the Alpha. And I know my place and purpose. Trust me, I have zero delusions whatsoever—I understand that this is the wrong time for that. So yes, I know my place. I only ask that you remember yours. Understood?"

She nodded quickly, and the city's sounds seemed to recede into the background.

Until Mei began to sniff.

Henry's head turned to her with reluctant curiosity.

"What is it?" he asked.

Mei's eyes finally met his, urgency reflecting in her gaze.

"Dae—" she started to say but was interuppted by a set of colossal headlights that abruptly sliced through the darkness, bearing down on the car from the left.

Henry's enhanced senses went into overdrive, his eyes struggling to adjust to the blinding intensity of the oncoming light. Colors and shapes swirled around him in a chaotic dance of disorienting brilliance.

A split second felt like an eternity as he gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity. The city's symphony, once a familiar background, now became a discordant crescendo of chaos.

In that heart-pounding moment, the world outside the car seemed to slow down, each passing detail etching itself into his mind—the reflection of the truck's grille, the glint of metal, and the sheer mass of the approaching juggernaut.

The truck's horn erupted with a deafening, blaring blast, its resonance shaking the very foundations of the night. But the sound was nothing compared to the chaos in his head.

He cursed himself inwardly for letting his argument with Mei cloud his senses and simultaneously tried to think of the best way out.

“Change!” he yelled to Mei.

“What?’ she yelled back.

He tried to scream at her again but it was too late.

With an ear-splitting crunch, His world exploded in an orchestra of twisted metal, shattering glass, and the reeling sensation of the car being hurled through the air.

Then everything went dark.