The Alphas' Forbidden Possession

EVERLYN The room was cold, the walls were rough and stained, and chains held my hands and feet in place. In the cell beside mine, I could hear other kids my age whispering and crying. It had been almost two months since my father sold me to a high-ranking official. I stopped keeping track of the days once I realized no one was coming back for me. The guards only appeared to pull us out for inspections or to push food through the metal slot in the door. One morning, they took me out of the cell and brought me to a lab. The air smelled like chemicals, and people in white coats moved around without paying attention to me. They strapped me to a table and hooked machines to my arms. I didn’t know why they had selected me until I saw him. A boy around my age was lying on another table. He looked sick—thin, pale, and barely breathing. They were using my blood to treat him. Every time they took more, I felt weaker. He watched me with tired eyes, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t. During one of the tests, when the guards stepped out, he turned his head slightly toward me. “I don’t know how long I’ll stay alive,” he said quietly. “But I’ll return the favor one day.” I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure if it was something he could keep. But he said it again, steady and sure. “I promise.” Gunfire echoed through the tunnels when I woke up. The man was running fast, carrying me in his arms, my weak body wrapped in a thin blanket. The tunnel beneath the lab was narrow and damp, the air thick with smoke and dust. Far ahead, a faint light glimmered. We were close to the exit. Despite my exhaustion, I held onto him tightly. But before we could reach it, another round of gunshots exploded behind us. He groaned softly, his pace slowing. I knew he had been hit, but he didn’t stop. He kept running, determined to get me to safety. “Listen to me carefully,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. I don’t know him, but I felt a familiar connection with him. “No matter what happens, I’ll get you out of here safely.” He gently set me down when we reached the end of the tunnel. A heavy steel door stood before us. The air smelled of blood and metal, and I could feel danger drawing closer. “This is as far as I go,” he whispered. “Do you remember what I told you—that I’d make it up to you?” He met my gaze and gave a bitter smile. My mind fell silent when the image of the little boy drifted into my thoughts. How could he…? His face, his arms, his legs—every part of him was changing right before my eyes. I tried to process everything, but nothing made sense. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand what was happening. “Run. Don’t look back,” he said firmly. I hesitated to move. His blood was already dripping onto the ground. “Now!” he shouted, shoving the door open. I stumbled through, tears blurring my vision as the heavy metal door began to close. “Fate may have denied us the chance to be together now, but I promise—the right time will come,” he said bitterly. And the last thing I saw was his silhouette framed in the fading light and the next, the deafening burst of gunfire. Then, silence. Only the echo of my heartbeat and the smell of blood thickening in the air. And somewhere beyond that door, a final gunshot. ***** The gentle scent of the breeze greeted me as I opened my eyes. Today wasn’t just another morning—it was my eighteenth birthday. I slid into my slippers and reached for the door, but it swung open and bumped my forehead. “Oops, sorry! I didn’t know you were there, my dear little sister,” Avis said with a teasing smirk and brushed his fingers against my forehead. Avis Dunsforth, my adoptive brother. Even if we weren’t related by blood, he had never treated me like an outsider. “Whatever! I’m going to be late for class, so please move aside if you’re not planning to do anything nice!” I glared at him. Just as I was about to leave the room, he pulled something from his pocket and pinned it into my hair. I halted and gave him a suspicious look. “What is it this time?” I asked sharply. “Happy birthday to my beloved little sister,” he said softly, releasing my hair. The sincerity in his eyes caught me off guard. In all eight years I’d known him, I’d never seen this side of him before. Maybe he’d eaten something weird this morning and it made him nice. “I knew that would suit you,” he said with a smile before turning away. “Hey! Do you have a minute?” I tugged on the hem of his shirt. He looked back, confusion flickering in his silver eyes. “Is something wrong? Don’t tell me you can’t feed yourself. Goodness, you’re already grown up. Can’t you take care of yourself for once?” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that I…” I trailed off, lowering my head in embarrassment. I’d been meaning to tell him something, but I never had the courage. How could I, when he always looked at me with those interrogating eyes? “What are you trying to tell me?” he asked, leaning closer. “I want to get married!” I blurted out and immediately shut my eyes tight. I bit my lip, waiting for him to explode. But instead, silence filled the room. That was worse. I could feel the tension building with every second. “Forget it! I was just joking,” I said with a nervous chuckle, lifting my face. I turned away, hoping to escape the moment, but his calm voice stopped me in my tracks. “He isn’t good for you. I don’t care if he’s your fated one. If I have to rewrite destiny itself, I will, Eve.” His voice was firm, but a faint tremor ran through it. “What do you mean by that? Don’t you want me to be happy?!” I shouted, clenching my fists but he was already gone. I lowered my head as my vision began to blur when something slipped from my hair, a hairclip adorned with a crimson butterfly. ***** I was still upset with Avis, so I decided to go to the academy alone. We usually walked together every day, but not today. Honestly, it felt strange. My morning felt incomplete without him beside me. I’d gotten used to his constant teasing, to waking up and seeing his face first thing in the morning. “Out of the way.” My entire body froze like ice. That voice, I knew it. My heart raced as I looked up. “I-I’m sorry!” I stammered, bowing slightly with my eyes shut. I didn’t know how to face him. I hadn’t expected our paths to cross like this. “I don’t need your apology. Just get out of my way before my vision goes dark,” he growled, his tone sharp and dangerous. Lucien Greystone, one of the most well-known elite students at Silver Crest Academy. A special school built for wolves and other supernatural beings. It’s where young ones learn to control their powers, train for leadership, and find their place in the pack. But his fame wasn’t just because of his power. Lucien was known as the ruthless next-in-line Alpha of the Crimson Moon Pack. He was always in the headlines for the wrong doings, fights, scandals, and worse, rumors of women he had used and discarded. Some even claimed he’d abuse them. “What are you still standing there for? Didn’t you hear what I said?!” he barked, making me flinch. “I’m not moving until you talk to me, my mate.” I raised my head and met his gaze squarely. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, but I acted as though they didn’t exist. Fate had brought us together, and I wasn’t going to waste this moment. “What did you just say?” His voice was low and heavy. “You are my mate,” I said again, this time with emotion, not fear. “Mate, you say?” His mocking laughter echoed through the hall. “Are you serious? Do you even know what that means?” His deep blue eyes flashed crimson, blazing with fury. “Of course, I do. We’re meant to be together, aren’t we?” I tried to stay calm, but his glare sent shivers through me. Still, I held my ground. “Believe it or not, I’ve loved you for a long time. And the more time passes, the more I love you. I know it’s sudden, but I’m telling the truth. I love you, and that will never change, my mate.” “What a foolish woman.” He stepped closer, seized my face, and forced me to look at him. “You and your so-called mate will bring forth heirs to strengthen your kind. Tell me, do you truly believe someone of my power would grant you such honor?” His face loomed over me, eyes blazing like fire. “Let me tell you something to ease your delusions,” he hissed, his fingers digging into my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut, the pain spreading through me like fire. Tears welled up, but I refused to cry in front of him. “I don’t believe in fate,” he said coldly, “and I don’t believe in love either,” he stated firmly and released me. His words shattered me entirely. I was frozen in place, as if invisible chains held me down. ****** I had no choice but to go home alone. I was sure Avis was still upset with me. And now that word had probably reached him about what happened earlier, I didn't even know what kind of face I should show him. It was still early, so I stopped by town first. I bought a box of chocolate cake, Avis and Cassidy's favorite. Despite everything, I still had the right to celebrate my birthday, even just a little, with the people dearest to me. It was past seven in the evening when I finally headed home, the traffic along the road had been terrible. I hugged myself tightly when a cold breeze brushed past me. I had forgotten to bring a jacket in my rush earlier. I was a few meters away from the house when I noticed a white van parked in front of the gate. Moments later, five armed men stepped out. My feet froze, my knees trembling. I hid myself in the dense shadows of the corner and ran toward the house when the armed men finally left. The entire place was pitch dark. My heartbeat thundered in my chest as I slowly pushed the door open. The box of cake slipped from my hand the instant I saw Cassidy. Under the light of the crimson moon, a stream of blood flowed across the floor. A strangled sob escaped my lips as I covered my mouth with trembling hands. My knees gave way as I dropped beside her, tears streaming down my cheeks. I didn't know what to do. I could only cry and stare helplessly at her body until one thought hit me. I sprang to my feet and searched the entire house, but Avis was nowhere to be found. I activated my commlink, channeling my mind through the crystal core to reach him. When suddenly, a chilling presence loomed behind me. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, my whole body trembling as the metallic scent of blood thickened in the cold night air. I swallowed hard and turned around, my voice barely a whisper. "Avis…" My eyes widened in horror. His eyes glowed a deep crimson, burning like blood. His white shirt was soaked with blood, his face, his arms, his entire body. My gaze fell to his hand, he was clutching a gun. I looked back up at him, countless questions swirling in my head. But he only stared at me, blankly, lifelessly, as if he was no longer in his right mind. “You’re finally home, my dear little sister.” A sinister smile curved across his lips. “Don’t you ever wonder how you survived?” he asked, his voice low and heavy as he tilted his head. "You owe me your life. If it weren't for me, you would've been turned into a beast long ago. Or worse, your bones would've been dust by now." He stepped closer, snatched the gun, and pointed it directly at my head. My entire body trembled even harder. A cold numbness spread through every vein. "Everything that happened was planned from the very beginning," he growled, his crimson eyes glinting with rage. Fear consumed me until I could no longer hold back the tears. I thought I had escaped that nightmare, that I had finally left the darkness behind. But it turned out, I had only run straight into the place meant to be my grave. "Now, it's time to collect my debt, and you are the payment." The deafening gunshot came before I could move. Warm blood seeped through my chest as my vision blurred. My body grew weak. “Avis, why?” My knees hit the cold floor as I stared at him. “Why? Tell me, why did you do this?” My voice broke, echoing through the silent room as sobs tore from my throat. Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Avis? Why was it always the people I held closest who ended up betraying me? “We were meant to be together,” he whispered, voice low and trembling with fury. “If you can’t be mine, then it’s better that you die.” My knees buckled as fragmented images of a man flickered through my mind. I couldn’t make him out clearly, but a gnawing certainty told me I had seen him before. It felt as if something unseen was holding back the rest of the memory, refusing to let me remember. “On the count of three, run. Otherwise I’ll kill you.” He raised his gun, flat and calm. “One…” His voice was steady, lifeless. “Two…” “Three…”