The Two Alpha's Are Obsessed With The Human Girl

CHAPTER ONE THE STRANGER IN THE RAIN The night Mia Carter met the man who would destroy her ordinary life, the sky was bleeding. She didn't know that yet. All she knew was that she was late. Mia tightened her grip around the steering wheel as rain hammered against her windshield. The wipers struggled to keep up, sweeping frantically from side to side while the headlights carved a narrow path through the darkness. “Come on,” she whispered. “Just get me home.” The old sedan coughed. Mia's eyes widened. “No. Don't you dare.” The engine coughed again. Then died. The car rolled to a stop. For several seconds, Mia simply stared through the windshield. Rain. Trees. Darkness. Nothing else. “You've got to be kidding me.” She turned the key. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Mia dropped her forehead against the steering wheel. It had been a terrible day. Her manager had fired her that afternoon because she'd refused to take responsibility for money she hadn't stolen. Her landlord had sent her another warning about the overdue rent. And now, on the one night she desperately needed her car to work, it had decided to betray her. She grabbed her phone. One percent battery. “No.” The screen went black. Mia stared at it. “Of course.” She had two choices. Stay inside the car until someone passed by— or walk. Neither option was particularly comforting. The road was almost deserted, but there was a small town about twenty minutes away. If she walked fast, she could probably reach the nearest gas station. Mia pulled her hood over her head, grabbed her handbag, and stepped into the rain. Cold water immediately soaked through her shoes. “Perfect.” She locked the car and started walking. Five minutes later, she regretted every decision she'd made that evening. The road seemed longer on foot. The trees on both sides were unusually thick, their branches twisting together above her like skeletal fingers. There were no streetlights here. No houses. No passing cars. Only rain. And silence. Mia's footsteps splashed against the wet pavement. Then she heard something. A low sound. She stopped. Her heart began beating faster. “What was that?” Nothing. She looked behind her. The road was empty. Mia swallowed and continued walking. Then she heard it again. A groan. This time, it came from the trees. She froze. There was something in the forest. Every sensible thought told her to keep walking. Whatever was there wasn't her problem. But another sound followed. A man's voice. Weak. “Help…” Mia's stomach tightened. She stared into the darkness. “Hello?” No answer. She took one cautious step toward the trees. “Is someone there?” A faint groan. Mia hesitated. She should leave. She knew she should. But she couldn't. She had spent too many years learning what it felt like to need help and have nobody come. So she stepped off the road. Branches scratched against her arms as she pushed deeper into the forest. The rain became softer beneath the trees. And then she saw him. A man lay against the trunk of an enormous oak. Mia stopped breathing. He was young. Maybe late twenties. And impossibly handsome. His black shirt was torn across the chest, revealing a body that looked as though it belonged to a man who spent his entire life fighting. His broad shoulders were slick with rain, and blood soaked one side of his shirt. His head hung forward. “Sir?” His eyes opened. Mia almost stepped backward. His eyes were not normal. For the briefest second, they seemed to glow gold. Then the strange light disappeared. “Don't…” His voice was deep and strained. “Don't come closer.” Mia frowned. “You're bleeding.” “I said stay away.” “You're also lying in the middle of a forest during a storm.” He looked at her. Something changed in his expression. Not relief. Not gratitude. Shock. His nostrils flared. His entire body went rigid. Mia noticed. “Are you okay?” The man stared at her as though she were something impossible. “What is your name?” Mia frowned. “Excuse me?” “Your name.” “Mia.” The moment she said it, the man's expression became unreadable. “Mia…” He whispered her name like he'd heard it before. Mia stepped closer. “Can you stand?” “No.” “Then I'm calling an ambulance.” “You can't.” “Why?” He didn't answer. Mia crouched beside him. Up close, the wound looked much worse. A deep s***h ran across his abdomen. But something about it bothered her. There was no ordinary blood. The wound seemed to be closing. Slowly. Right in front of her eyes. Mia blinked. The skin moved. She stared. The man immediately grabbed her wrist. His grip was painfully strong. “Forget what you saw.” Mia's breath caught. His eyes had changed again. Gold. Bright, unnatural gold. “What are you?” The man released her instantly. His face tightened. “Leave.” Mia stood. For the first time, fear crawled properly beneath her skin. She should go. She turned. Then she heard him whisper: “They found me.” Mia looked back. “What?” He tried to stand. His knees buckled. Mia caught him. He was heavy. Far heavier than he looked. “Wait.” She wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I can't leave you here.” “You don't understand.” “Clearly.” “You need to go.” “Clearly,” Mia repeated, “you need a hospital.” He almost laughed. Almost. Then something howled in the distance. The sound was unlike anything Mia had ever heard. It wasn't a dog. It was too deep. Too powerful. The stranger's face changed instantly. “Run.” Mia's heart slammed against her ribs. “What?” “RUN!” A second howl echoed through the forest. Closer. Mia looked into the darkness. Two pale eyes appeared between the trees. Then another pair. Then another. Her blood turned cold. “Dogs?” The injured man stood. Mia stared at him. He had been unable to move seconds ago. Now he was standing in front of her. His body was tense. His eyes glowed gold. “Mia.” It was the way he said her name that frightened her most. Not like a stranger. Like someone who had been waiting for her. “Get behind me.” Something moved in the darkness. Fast. The stranger stepped forward. A terrible growl came from his chest. Mia stumbled backward. The sound couldn't have come from a human throat. “What are you?” He didn't answer. Instead, he looked at her one last time. And said something that made no sense. “Whatever happens tonight, don't let them take you.” “Take me?” His expression suddenly changed. He looked past her. Mia turned. A black wolf stood in the middle of the road. It was enormous. Not large. Enormous. Its shoulders reached almost to Mia's chest. Its eyes glowed an unnatural silver. The wolf stared directly at her. Then it lowered its head. Not to attack. To bow. Mia couldn't breathe. The injured stranger whispered behind her. “No…” The wolf suddenly lifted its head and howled. The sound shook the trees. And somewhere far beyond the forest, another howl answered. Then another. Then dozens. Mia's legs went weak. The stranger grabbed her hand. “We have to go.” “Where?” “Anywhere but here.” He pulled her toward the road. Mia stumbled after him. But before they reached her car, headlights appeared in the distance. A black SUV came flying down the road. It stopped so violently that water sprayed across the pavement. The doors opened. Three men stepped out. All dressed in black. All carrying weapons. But none of them looked at the injured stranger. They looked at Mia. The first man's face went pale. “The scent…” The second man stared at her. “She's human.” The stranger beside Mia went completely still. The three men exchanged terrified glances. Then one of them whispered: “Impossible.” Mia looked between them. “What is going on?” Nobody answered. The injured man stepped in front of her. “Don't look at them.” “Who are they?” His jaw tightened. “My enemies.” The man in front of the SUV suddenly lowered his weapon. Not toward the injured stranger. Toward Mia. “You need to come with us, girl.” Mia took a step backward. “No.” The man's expression hardened. “You don't understand what you are.” “I said no.” Then a voice came from the darkness behind the SUV. Cold. Commanding. Terrifying. “Put the weapon down.” Everyone froze. The three men immediately dropped to one knee. The injured stranger closed his eyes. Mia looked toward the road. Another black vehicle had arrived. A man stepped out. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in a black coat. He looked young, but there was something ancient in his presence. His eyes were cold enough to make the rain feel warm. He walked toward them. Then another man stepped out of the vehicle. Identical. Same face. Same height. Same dangerous presence. Mia stared. Twins. The first man looked at the injured stranger. Then his gaze moved to Mia. He stopped. His expression changed. For the first time, the cold Alpha looked afraid. Beside him, his twin suddenly inhaled sharply. Both men stared at Mia. Neither spoke. Then, from somewhere inside the forest, a wolf began to howl. The two twins' eyes flashed gold. And both of them said the same words at exactly the same time. “She's our mate.” Mia's heart stopped. The injured man looked horrified. “No…” One of the twins took a step toward her. The other did the same. Mia backed away. “What did you just call me?” Neither Alpha answered. They were staring at her as though they had just found something they had spent their entire lives searching for. Then the first twin whispered: “She can't be human.” The second looked at Mia's terrified face. His voice was barely audible. “Because if she is…” He glanced at his brother. “…the prophecy has begun.” Mia didn't understand. But she understood one thing. These men knew something about her. Something she had never been told. And before she could demand an explanation, every wolf in the surrounding forest began to howl. At the same time. The sound rose into the night like a warning. Or a declaration. And for the first time in twenty-two years, Mia Carter wondered if the life she'd believed was hers... had ever truly belonged to her at all.