Claimed By The Alpha Captain

CHAPTER 5

POV: SERA

I know I’m not alone and I am not amused.

"Okay," I call out, forcing calm into my voice even though my palms are slick. "This is getting weird. Is this some sort of school ritual?"

No answer.

Just that low hum from the overhead lights and the soft thump of the ball finally resting.

Then the hair on my arms stands up.

Something’s wrong.

Not just the creepy-alone-in-a-dark-gym kind of wrong. No. This is the kind of wrong I’ve felt too many times in too many towns. The kind that makes your instincts scream before your brain catches up.

I take a shaky step back. My voice cracks a little. "I’m not joking, if someone’s there—"

Nothing.

But it’s not nothing.

It’s pressure. Like heat in the air. Like someone big is holding their breath and watching me. Waiting.

I know this feeling. My gut doesn't lie.

I squint into the shadows between the bleachers as I move to take another step.

And then—

Low.

Too low to be human.

A growl.

Not like… throat-clearing or stomach-growling. Not like someone making a joke.

No. This is an animal.

And it’s close.

My breath gets caught halfway up my throat.

Run, a voice in my head says.

But I don’t.

Not yet.

The mayor’s voice echoes in my head.

“Remember, this is an old town with old and… unusual secrets. Unnatural ones. If something stands out as too bizarre for you or unnatural, turn around and walk away. It will be safer for you.”

I thought she was being dramatic. Or trying to scare us.

But now?

Now I think she meant every word.

I inch back, pulse hammering in my ears. “I don’t know who you are,” I whisper. “But I’m not staying.”

I back up faster now. Almost trip on my own feet.

I don’t turn until I reach the gym door.

I don’t breathe until I’m outside.

And I don’t stop running until I’m halfway home.

My lungs are burning by the time I hit the edge of the woods behind the school. I should’ve taken the main road. But my body chose before my brain did.

Somewhere behind me, that growl still echoes. Like it’s in my memory now. Like it followed me.

I crouch behind a tree, hands on my knees, trying to breathe without crying.

I don’t cry.

Not anymore.

But tonight, I might.

Because I know what I felt.

Something… wasn’t right in that gym.

Something human wouldn’t growl like that.

Something real wouldn’t watch me from the shadows like prey.

And worst of all?

Part of me wasn’t scared.

Part of me wanted to go closer.

To find out.

To see.

What the hell is wrong with me?

*********

I woke up the next morning angry, tired and frustrated.

My dreams were filled with large wolf-like creatures growling at me from the dark with glowing eyes.

Bright. Silver. Staring.

I am half convinced I imagined it, except… I didn’t. I know what I heard.

It didn’t sound like a dog. Didn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before. It was too wild. Too deep. Too… lonely.

I show up to school late, hoodie up, head down.

And still, they stare. I honestly thought they'd be over the new-girl thing by now, but apparently not.

Everywhere I walk, whispers follow. Low. Hissing. Just loud enough for me to catch my name. Or fragments.

“…that’s her—”

“—Kael…”

“—came at a wrong time—”

Their eyes are sharp. Curious. Suspicious.

And some are just plain hostile.

Like the cheerleaders. Who moves in slow, synchronised menace when I pass by the lockers? Their captain, Aria. Blonde, perfect, straight out of a horror movie where she’s the one killing you with lip gloss and a smile, bumps her shoulder into mine like I’m nothing but air.

It f*****g hurts like if I slammed into a wall, but I don’t stop.

I keep walking like my legs aren’t shaking and my skin isn’t buzzing with warning.

Then I feel it.

Eyes.

Not just watching.

Tracking.

I lift my gaze before I can stop myself and—

Kael.

The one who broke the goalpost

He is leaning against the wall across the hallway. Dressed in black like it’s his natural colour. His jaw is clenched. His eyes are…

Sharp. Bright.

Too bright.

Like the moon hit them wrong.

Like… no. No way. Get over yourself

He doesn’t look away when I catch him.

Doesn’t flinch.

He just stares.

And suddenly, I forget how to breathe.

I force myself to blink. Look away. Keep walking. I don’t look back.

Even though I feel him.

Watching.

Waiting.

After history class, I open my locker and freeze.

There’s something inside.

A note.

No envelope. Just a ripped piece of notebook paper, folded once, shoved between my books.

I unfold it with fingers that already know something’s wrong.

One sentence.

‘Stay away from Kael.'

Nothing else.

Except…

A deep s***h right inside my locker.

It looks like—

A claw.

A literal claw mark.

I drop the note like it burns.

It flutters to the floor like it knows something I don’t.

Someone walks past and laughs. Not at me. Just laughing.

But it still feels aimed.

I slam my locker shut, pick up the note, and shove it in my hoodie pocket.

I don’t know why I keep it.

Maybe because I need proof I’m not going insane.

Or maybe because part of me already knows.

The mayor’s words echo again.

If something feels unnatural… turn around. Walk away.

But where do you walk when the entire town feels unnatural?

When the people who, I guess, are against me because I am convinced that I am not among humans.

That night, I pushed my mom.

She’s in the living room, kneeling in front of the fireplace even though there’s no fire lit. Her hands are clasped. Eyes closed. Lips moving.

Praying.

Always praying.

"Mom," I say gently.

She doesn’t look up. "Give me a minute."

"No," I say, stepping closer. "Actually, I need you to give me something for once."

Her hands tighten.

I don’t stop.

"I don't think this is the right place for us, Mom. Everything feels… wrong.”

"Sera, my love. We are here to start over."

"No. We are here to hide. Because we want safety. And I am telling you, there is nothing safe about this place."

She finally looks up. Her eyes are glassy. "Sera—"

"There are unnatural things here. Unnatural people. People that are not human. Did you know that? Is that why you chose this place? Using a different kind of monster to fight ours? It wasn't a mistake we ended up here, was it?"

Her lips part. Then close again.

"Don’t lie to me," I whisper.

She sighs. Presses the heels of her hands into her eyes like she’s trying to hold something in.

"Mom."

Her hands drop to her lap. She looks so tired. "I had heard rumours of this place. A place governed by their own rules and laws. Where the government looks away. One where your… where he would think twice before stepping in.”

“Mom… what kind of place is this?"

She doesn’t answer.

"Did you hear that howl last night?"

Her eyes flick to the window, then back to me. “Sera, you shouldn’t be out alone after dark anymore. Try to start coming home earlier.”

"That’s not an answer."

"I don’t have an answer for you that will make sense."

"Try me."

She just looks at me, and for the first time in forever, I realise she’s afraid.

Not of me. Not for me.

Of something else.

She stands up and cups my face in her hands. "You’re stronger than you think. Smarter than you know. But don’t go looking for things that are meant to stay hidden. Not in this town."

I shake my head. "Too late for that."