The Alpha Queen

Chapter 3

Stella felt her body move on her own, narrowly escaping his attack. She jumped as high as the sky, landing on a tree nearby. She was shocked. How did she do this?

She looked down at the man who was staring at her from down. Her heart pounded in fear. She hoped he would not reach up.

But she was wrong as he immediately jumped upwards towards the tree.

“What?! How did he get here so fast?!”

Before she could even dodge, he had smacked her across the face, causing her to yelp in pain and fall off the tree unto the ground. He did not even give her a breathing space before coming down again and grabbing her.

He came down and attacked her. By now he had completely turned. There was no human left in him.

She looked at him in shock, a sudden realization coming into her head. He…he was a werewolf!

Towering over her even on all fours, his massive form radiated lethal power. His fur was midnight black, thick and matted with blood from an earlier kill. Muscles rippled beneath it with every movement, like shadows shifting beneath the surface of a stormy sea.

His eyes were the most terrifying part—piercing red, glowing like molten fire in the darkness. They didn’t just see her—they hunted her, tracking every twitch, every breath. His muzzle was long and scarred, the right side marked with an old claw wound that hadn't fully healed—proof of past battles survived. Thick saliva dripped from elongated fangs, each one curved like a dagger, too long for a normal wolf, too brutal for mercy.

Clawed hands, more beast than man, curled and flexed with purpose. Each talon could shred bark like paper—and bone like glass. There was something eerily human in the way he moved—strategic, calculating, like a warrior who enjoyed the kill.

And when he growled, the forest itself seemed to cower.

She took steps back, trembling in fear. Could he be real? Was she dreaming? Imagining things? How could this be? How could a werewolf exist?

But before she knew it he had disappeared into the forest. She was confused? Where did he go?

Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as Stella stumbled through the underbrush, branches clawing at her arms. Her pulse pounded in her ears. She could feel him—it—closing in. A predator’s growl echoed behind her, too close.

She spun just in time to see him burst through the trees. A massive black wolf—eyes burning red, claws dripping with blood, and teeth bared in a snarl. He was faster, stronger, already shifted. And he was coming for her.

"Please," she breathed, backing up, "you don’t have to do this."

But the wolf didn’t pause. He lunged.

She dove to the side, rolled, and scrambled to her feet just in time to dodge another strike. His claws missed her face by inches, slashing into a tree trunk instead, splitting it with terrifying force.

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Something inside her burned—hot, primal, wrong. Pain lanced through her chest, her spine arching violently.

"No... not now—"

She screamed as her body contorted, bones snapping and rearranging. Fur tore through her skin. Her vision sharpened, her hearing exploded with sound. The shift overtook her in a rush of agony and rage.

When it was over, she was on all fours, panting. But the fear was gone. Only fury remained.

She launched at him.

Their bodies collided midair, crashing to the ground in a flurry of claws and teeth. She bit at his throat, but he twisted, slamming her into the earth with brute strength. She retaliated with a swipe across his chest, leaving bloody gashes. He howled in pain—but it only seemed to enrage him more.

They circled each other now, snarling. She feinted left, then struck right, catching him off-guard and driving him into a boulder. The impact cracked stone.

But he recovered too quickly. He grabbed her by the scruff and hurled her through the air. She smashed into a tree, the bark splintering behind her.

Dazed, she tried to rise—but he was already there.

He pinned her, his claws digging into her shoulders, forcing her to submit. She snapped her jaws inches from his throat, but he pressed harder, his dominance undeniable. She let out a low, broken whimper as her strength finally gave out.

Tears fell from her eyes, thinking it was her end.

Suddenly, the man withdrew from her, removing his fangs from her neck and drawing back.

Stella quickly scrambled away from him, holding her injured, throbbing neck and hiding behind a big tree. She peered at the creature from where she hid, too tired to run.

She could only see his glowing red eyes in the dark and his muscular build.

Slowly, his body returned back to human. His fur reduced until it disappeared. The claws reduced but were still long and sharp. The werewolf features reduced to reveal a man, with dark shiny hair and a pale handsome face. But the look of shock in his eyes did not dissipate.

“Donovan?” He mouthed.

“Huh?”

He pointed to her necklace. That was only when she looked and saw her necklace shining brightly. She had never seen it like that before. It shone a golden light, floating in the air without any support.

What was happening? Was this what stopped him from killing her? What did all these mean?

The man stood there, watching her. She did not understand why he suddenly got off her and was now looking at her.

The man began coming near her again. Stella screamed and turned to run but stumbled and fell flat on her face. She raised her head, and dried leaves and twigs were stuck to her hair and face.

She looked at the man and saw the man still coming towards her.

'I have to get away! I have to get away!'

She started to crawl, dragging her body through the leaves and earth of the forest.

She had not gotten far when she felt lifted from the ground with her clothes. She struggled to escape his grip but only felt herself moving closer to the man.

He brought her face to his and looked at her. Stella immediately shut her eyes, not willing to look at the monster.

“It can't be,” the deep voice of the 'monster' resounded in the forest, “Who are you? Why do you have it?”

Stella opened her eyes, shocked that he could speak.

“Have what? Let me go!”

Stella used her last strength to attack the man, throwing her hands at him. Her hand nearly touched his face, but he immediately withdrew, causing only her fingernails to graze his face.

“The council must hear of this.”

Stella looked at this man who was spurting rubbish.

Council?

Could it be that he wasn't a monster and just a madman who went about killing people as a full display of his madness?