The Alpha who Stole Death

Chapter 5The Black Wolf

Aurora

The rest of the night passed in a blur.

Or maybe I just stopped trusting my own eyes.

A giant black wolf outside my apartment?

Sure, Aurora.

Next you'll tell yourself squirrels can file taxes.

I slammed the window shut, locked it twice, then stood there for a full minute.

"...You know what?"

I locked it a third time.

If paranoia had an Olympic event, I'd be bringing home the gold.

The shrill sound of my alarm dragged me out of bed four hours later.

I groaned into my pillow.

"I wasn't asleep long enough to deserve this."

My phone vibrated on the bedside table.

Ada: Morning, Sunshine.

I snorted.

Who are you texting? Because it can't be me.

Her reply came almost instantly.

Don't be dramatic.

Too late.

You're on the evening shift today.

I frowned.

I could've sworn I was scheduled for nights.

Schedule changed.

Great. Because this week clearly hadn't been chaotic enough.

By five-thirty that evening, I was back at St. Gabriel's.

The moment I stepped through the emergency entrance, conversations stopped.

Again.

I sighed.

"I miss being invisible."

One of the interns smiled nervously.

"Morning... I mean, evening."

"You're doing great," I said. "Pretend I don't exist."

He looked relieved.

Poor guy.

Apparently, surviving nursing school hadn't prepared him for awkward conversations.

The shift was surprisingly quiet.

A sprained ankle.

A toddler who had somehow managed to get a toy dinosaur stuck inside his nose.

Don't ask.

None of us had answers.

Not even the toddler.

Around nine o'clock, Ada dropped into the chair beside me.

"You've been staring at the entrance for twenty minutes."

"I have not."

"You blink every time the automatic doors open."

"I blink because blinking is healthy."

"Mmm-hmm."

She slid a chocolate bar across the desk.

"For emotional support."

I smiled.

"You know me too well."

"I know you're one weird day away from adopting six cats."

"I don't even like cats."

"You will."

By ten-thirty, the emergency room had settled into its usual rhythm.

I finally relaxed.

Maybe the nightmares were just nightmares.

Maybe the strange men had moved on.

Maybe...

The lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then everything went dark.

A collective groan echoed through the department.

Emergency generators hummed to life seconds later, bathing the hospital in dim yellow light.

"What was that?" someone asked.

"No idea."

The power outage lasted less than a minute.

Yet somehow...

The air felt different.

Colder.

Heavier.

The hairs on my arms stood up.

Then I smelled it.

Wet earth.

Pine.

Rain.

The same scent from the mysterious man.

I turned sharply.

Nothing.

Only patients.

Doctors.

Nurses.

And...

A man in a black hoodie standing at the far end of the corridor.

His face was hidden beneath the hood.

He wasn't looking at anyone else.

He was looking at me.

The second our eyes met...

He walked away.

Without thinking, I followed.

"Aurora!" Ada called.

"I'll be right back!"

"You literally say that before every bad decision!"

"I'll explain later!"

"If you die, I'm deleting your browser history!"

Despite everything, I laughed.

"I appreciate your loyalty!"

The hooded man disappeared through the rear hospital exit.

I pushed through the doors after him.

Cold night air hit my face.

The parking lot was almost empty.

Rows of cars glistened beneath the streetlights.

The man was gone.

"Hello?"

No answer.

I turned in a slow circle.

Nothing.

A loud clang echoed behind me.

I spun around.

A metal bin rolled across the pavement before crashing into a wall.

The wind.

It had to be.

Then came the growl.

Low.

Deep.

Too close.

I froze.

Another growl answered from somewhere behind the ambulance bay.

Then another.

Three.

No...

Four.

Shadows emerged from the darkness.

They looked like wolves.

Except wolves didn't stand nearly four feet at the shoulder.

Nor did their eyes glow a sickly red.

One stepped beneath a streetlight.

Its lips peeled back, revealing rows of unnaturally long fangs.

"Oh..."

My voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Those are definitely not dogs."

The creatures spread out, surrounding me.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Slowly, I backed away.

"Listen..."

I raised both hands.

"I don't know what you think I did..."

"...but I promise I'm very boring and soo definitely not delicious."

One lunged.

I screamed.

Before it could reach me...

A deafening roar shattered the night.

Something enormous slammed into the creature midair.

Black fur.

Massive claws.

Golden eyes.

The giant black wolf.

The one from outside my apartment.

It landed between me and the creatures, its body tense, every muscle coiled like a spring.

Its growl vibrated through the ground beneath my feet.

The red-eyed beasts hesitated.

The black wolf didn't.

With terrifying speed, it charged.

The first creature flew several meters before crashing into a parked car.

Metal crumpled.

Car alarms erupted across the parking lot.

"Well..."

I whispered, staring wide-eyed.

"Someone's insurance premium is about to go up."

The wolf fought with impossible strength, driving the creatures back one by one.

The parking lot became a blur of snarls, claws, and flashing teeth.

I knew I should run.

I couldn't move.

The black wolf glanced at me for the briefest second.

Those golden eyes...

They weren't filled with rage.

They were filled with concern.

As if making sure I was still alive.

Then one of the red-eyed creatures broke away from the fight and charged straight at me.

I stumbled backward.

There was nowhere left to run.

The beast leaped—

A gunshot cracked through the night.

The creature twisted in midair and disappeared into the darkness with a howl.

Several more shots followed.

The remaining beasts retreated.

Within seconds...

They were gone.

Silence fell over the parking lot.

I looked for the black wolf.

He was already disappearing into the trees beyond the hospital fence.

He stopped only once.

Turned his head.

Met my eyes.

Then vanished into the darkness.

Leaving me with one impossible question.

Why did it feel like... he already knew me?

That was wierd right? Yup, definitely wierd. Why would I even think that.

For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.

The parking lot was eerily silent, save for the shrill chorus of car alarms.

The creatures were gone.

The black wolf was gone.

And I was standing in the middle of the chaos with my heart trying to punch its way out of my chest.

"...Did that actually happen?"

"You tell me."

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Ada came running toward me from the hospital entrance, followed by two security guards.

She looked from me to the deep claw marks gouged into the asphalt, then to the crumpled side of a parked sedan.

"What," she said slowly, "did you do?"

I stared at her.

"What I did?"

"I'm just asking questions."

"I got attacked by... by..."

My voice faltered.

By what?

If I said giant wolves with glowing red eyes, she'd have every right to call Psychiatry.

"...Large dogs?"

Ada folded her arms.

"Large dogs that can dent a car?"

I looked at the mangled vehicle.

"...Very large dogs."

One of the security guards crouched near the claw marks.

"Sir..." he called to his partner. "You need to see this."

The second guard joined him, both exchanging confused looks.

"I've worked security for fifteen years," one muttered. "I've never seen tracks like these."

Tracks?

I hurried over.

Pressed into the damp concrete were enormous paw prints.

Far too large for any wolf.

Far too perfect to be fake.

One set led toward the trees.

The other...

Simply stopped.

As though the creature had vanished into thin air.

"You should get checked out."

Ada's voice softened as she looked me over.

"I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You have dirt in your hair."

"I fell."

"There's blood on your sleeve."

I looked down.

A long streak of crimson stained my scrub top.

My stomach lurched.

"I'm not hurt."

"Then whose blood is that?"

I didn't have an answer.

Because I already knew.

It wasn't mine.

It belonged to the black wolf.

Maybe I really should get checked out.

The emergency department buzzed with speculation.

Someone claimed a bear had wandered into the city.

Another insisted it had to be escaped zoo animals.

The elderly porter shook his head.

"I've lived here sixty-eight years."

He lowered his voice dramatically.

"That wasn't any animal."

One of the interns laughed nervously.

"What, then?"

The old man simply smiled.

"There are older things in these forests than people realize."

The room went uncomfortably quiet.

Ada leaned close to me.

"I liked him better when he only complained about parking."

I couldn't help smiling.

"Me too."

After midnight, I finally escaped to the staff restroom.

I splashed cold water across my face.

"You are officially losing it," I told my reflection.

My reflection looked unconvinced.

I sighed.

"Traumatized."

Still unconvinced.

"...Sleep deprived?"

That sounded more believable.

As I reached for a paper towel, a sharp sting shot through my left wrist.

I hissed.

The pain spread up my arm like liquid fire.

"No..."

Rolling back my sleeve, I watched in horror as the black crescent appeared once more.

Only this time...

It didn't fade.

Thin silver lines spread from the mark like glowing veins before disappearing beneath my skin.

The bathroom lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then every light went out.

Darkness swallowed the room.

My breathing quickened.

"Hello?"

No answer.

A whisper drifted through the darkness.

"Aurora..."

I froze.

It sounded like a man's voice.

Deep.

Calm.

Strangely familiar.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

Then—

"Run."

The lights snapped back on.

I spun around.

The restroom was empty.

Every stall door stood open.

I was alone.

Or at least...

I hoped I was.

Back in the nurses' station, I found Ada eating my chocolate bar.

I stared at her unbelievably.

"...Really?"

She looked genuinely offended.

"You disappeared."

"For five minutes."

"I got hungry in four."

"You owe me chocolate."

"I'll buy you two."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Make it three."

She sighed dramatically.

"You're exploiting my guilt."

"I learned from the best."

Before she could reply, the automatic doors slid open.

A cold breeze swept through the department.

Every conversation stopped.

A tall man stepped inside wearing a charcoal-gray coat.

His dark hair was damp from the rain.

He looked around the emergency room with calm, calculating eyes.

Then...

His gaze landed on me.

For one heartbeat...

The entire world disappeared.

Something inside my chest tightened.

The crescent on my wrist burned beneath my sleeve.

The stranger's expression changed.

Not surprise.

Recognition.

As if...

He'd finally found the person he'd been searching for.

Then, without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

"Who was that?" Ada whispered.

I didn't answer.

Because deep down...

I already knew.

He wasn't here for the hospital.

He was here for me.