The Alpha's Forbidden Human

The Dream

She ran.

Her legs burned as she raced through the dark forest, desperately trying to escape whatever was hunting her. Branches scratched her exposed arms, and dry leaves crunched beneath her feet.

Something was following her.

Something enormous.

A deep, ferocious growl echoed behind her, sending chills down her spine. She didn't dare look back for too long. Whatever was chasing her wasn't human. She could feel it.

A beast.

A dangerous one.

The pale moonlight filtering through the trees was her only source of illumination. She kept running, her hair flying across her face as the cold breeze slapped against her skin.

Suddenly, she glanced over her shoulder.

The growling had stopped.

Had she finally lost it?

Before she could celebrate, her foot caught against an exposed tree root. She stumbled and crashed onto the forest floor with a painful thud.

A gasp escaped her lips, but she quickly clamped both hands over her mouth.

Silence.

She remained on the ground, barely daring to breathe. Her ankle throbbed painfully, but she ignored it, listening for any sign of the creature.

Nothing.

Perhaps it had gone.

After several minutes, she slowly pushed herself upright and glanced around. Seeing nothing unusual, she struggled to her feet and began limping through the trees.

She needed to get out of there.

Now.

A low growl suddenly sounded behind her.

Her blood turned cold.

She spun around, but all she saw was darkness.

Then, as she turned back, her entire body froze.

A massive grey werewolf stood directly in front of her.

It was enormous, easily five times the size of an ordinary wolf. Its golden-yellow eyes glowed menacingly as it stared down at her. Its lips curled back, revealing long, razor-sharp canines.

She fell backwards, her hands trembling against the ground.

Was this what had been chasing her?

Oh, God!

Was she going to die here?

The creature took another step towards her, releasing a threatening growl.

She tried to move, but her legs refused to cooperate.

Suddenly, the werewolf raised its head towards the moon and released a deafening howl.

That was her chance!

She attempted to scramble away, knowing perfectly well that she wouldn't get far with her injured ankle.

However, before she could move, the creature lowered its head and looked directly at her.

Something changed.

Its golden eyes turned completely black.

Her breath caught as it opened its enormous mouth and lunged towards her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the unbearable pain of its teeth sinking into her flesh.

But nothing happened.

Seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

The werewolf was gone.

In its place stood a tall man, probably six feet tall, wearing a torn shirt. His face remained hidden in the darkness, but his golden-yellow eyes shone brightly.

She stared at him, unable to understand what had just happened.

Before she could utter a word, his deep voice broke the silence.

"Mate."

Her eyes widened.

And then she woke up.

~

"Hey! Did you hear anything I just said?"

Muna blinked as Danielle waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Sorry, what?"

Danielle frowned. "Where were you? I've been talking to you for almost five minutes."

"Nowhere," Muna replied, stuffing some popcorn into her mouth.

Sharon glanced at her. "Another dream?"

Muna paused.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Of course," Sharon answered. "You saw him again, didn't you?"

Muna sighed and nodded. "Yes. The same werewolf. And he kept saying the same thing."

"Mate?" Danielle asked.

"Exactly."

Sharon grinned. "Then you already know what that means."

"Oh, please. Don't start."

"What? I'm just saying that you might have found your destined mate."

"I'd rather die than become the mate of a werewolf," Muna muttered.

Sharon raised an eyebrow. "Still holding on to that hatred?"

"Can you blame me? Those creatures took my parents away from me. I have no reason to love them."

Danielle shot Sharon a warning look, but Muna had already lowered her gaze.

For a moment, the excitement at the table disappeared.

Sharon eventually shrugged. "Well, every girl dreams of having a powerful Alpha as her mate. You might be the luckiest among us."

"Speak for yourself," Muna scoffed. "I'd rather have a handsome vampire. At least they're much more appealing."

Danielle suddenly pointed towards the far end of the café.

"Speaking of handsome vampires, what about that guy?"

Muna followed her gaze.

A young man sat alone, scrolling through his phone.

Her lips parted slightly.

"Oh my God. Who is that?"

Danielle giggled. "The new guy I was telling you about earlier. Apparently, he's the hottest vampire in school."

Muna couldn't take her eyes off him.

As if sensing her stare, he briefly lifted his head.

Their eyes met.

Red.

His eyes were a striking shade of red.

"A vampire," Sharon commented casually.

"An incredibly handsome one," Danielle added.

Muna smiled dreamily, but before she could say anything else, the young man stood and walked out.

"Bless the Moon Goddess," she whispered.

Danielle laughed. "Don't tell me you're already crushing on him."

"Can you blame me?"

"What about your mysterious Alpha?" Sharon teased.

"He's not my Alpha, and I don't care. I'm allowed to admire handsome men."

~

After School

Muna was closing her locker when she noticed someone leaning against the lockers a few steps away.

It was him.

The handsome vampire from the café.

"Hi."

She jumped, placing a hand against her chest.

"Jeez! You scared me!"

He chuckled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to."

He pushed away from the locker and approached her.

"Did you always react like that when someone greeted you?"

"Only when they appear out of nowhere."

His red eyes briefly travelled over her face, making her cheeks warm.

"I saw you and your friends staring at me during lunch."

Muna immediately looked away.

"What? I wasn't staring."

"Really?" His lips curved into an amused smile.

She wished the ground would swallow her.

"I'm Raymond, by the way. But you can call me Ray."

"Oh. I'm Muna."

"Beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he added, making her cheeks turn even redder.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It was nice meeting you, Muna."

"You too, Ray."

He turned to leave, but she remained standing there, watching him.

Did he just call her beautiful?

A loud hiss from nearby brought her back to reality.

Several girls were glaring at her. Some were witches, others vampiresses, and a few were human.

Muna rolled her eyes.

Apparently, she had already made enemies without even trying.

Ignoring them, she grabbed her remaining books and headed off to pick up her younger brother.

~

After dinner, Muna retreated to her purple bedroom, her favourite place in the house.

Almost everything was purple, from her curtains and duvet to the cushions scattered across her bed.

She changed into something comfortable, slipped on her thick socks, and picked up her phone.

Opening her w******p group chat, she quickly typed.

Guys! Guess who spoke to me today?

Danielle replied almost immediately.

Who?

Muna grinned.

The hot new vampire!

OMG! Are you serious? Danielle responded.

You're kidding, right? Sharon added.

Muna giggled before typing again.

I'm dead serious! He actually approached me after school. And girls, he's even more handsome up close.

Tomorrow, you're giving us every single detail, Sharon replied.

Of course! Goodnight, loves.

Sweet dreams! they both responded.

Muna placed her phone on the nightstand and switched off the light.

A smile lingered on her lips as she settled beneath her duvet.

For once, she wasn't thinking about the horrible dream that had been haunting her.

She was thinking about Raymond.

His red eyes, charming smile, and the way he had called her beautiful.

Perhaps her wish for a handsome vampire wasn't so impossible after all.

But as sleep slowly claimed her, a familiar pair of golden eyes flashed through her mind.

And a deep voice whispered in the darkness.

"Mate."

Muna stirred uneasily.