I’m An Alpha Who’s About To Die

Chapter 6

To my eyes, the forest is a graveyard.

Shadows consume everything in sight. The towering pine trees block out the moonlight, leaving us to walk in a near-total, lightless dark. The freezing air bites through my skin and the thin fabric of my clothes.

Every step I take sends an electric ache shooting up my legs. My cheap shoes weren't made for walking through dirt and twisted roots.

But the physical pain is nothing compared to the agony cutting through my chest.

My mother is a corpse.

The image of her lying lifelessly on the floor flickers through my mind on an endless loop. It’s like a record player I can't turn off; I can't find the delete button. I can still see her glassy eyes. I can still feel the memory of her skin breathing next to me just a few hours ago.

Stop walking.

My legs simply refuse to move another muscle.

"Keep moving," the man says from the darkness ahead. His voice is heavy, impatient, and filled with a deep agony of its own. "We need to go fast."

"No," I whisper.

He freezes, twisting his body around to look at me. "What did you say?"

"I said no!" I scream, the sound tearing through the silent air. "I'm not taking another step! My mother just died, and you're acting like she didn't even matter to the world! She's the one who took care of me, and now she's lying on the floor of our apartment with nobody to help her!"

I point an accusing finger at him, the tears streaming down my face. "And now you're dragging me through the woods like some prisoner! Who even are you? Why does some vampire king even want me? I'm not that special!"

"Lower your voice," he hisses, stepping toward me. "This forest is not safe. Neither am I."

"I don't freaking care!" I yell, stepping right up to him. My grief is turning into lightning bolts, striking my nerves. "I don't care about your rules, or your packs! I don't care about werewolves or vampires! You're a monster. You could have saved her, but you didn't. You let her die!"

A flash of movement—so fast my eyes barely track it.

His hand strikes out, catching my throat and pinning me hard against the trunk of a dark oak tree. I gasp, my eyes tearing up as his palm—feeling like solid stone—tightens just enough to trap me.

Is this it? I think. Am I going to die? Will my soul finally be connected to my mother's?

He leans in. His face is mere inches from mine, his ocean-blue eyes now glowing with a dangerous, golden light, reacting to my scent.

"My name is Kael," he growls, his voice vibrating with absolute dominance. "I am the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. I did not kill your mother, but if you keep screaming like a lunatic, you are going to get yourself killed out here. My word is my own law. Do you understand?"

My mouth drops open to curse at him. But before a single word can escape my lips, a terrible, chaotic sound erupts from the forest.

It is a deep, guttural growl that seems to eat up the very space around us.

Kael’s head snaps to the side. The golden light in his eyes flickers with a powerful intensity. "Damn it, he found us," he curses under his breath.

He shoves me behind him. I fall hard to the ground, branches and dead leaves crunching beneath my weight.

"Hey!" I shout, but then I see it.

A massive shadow escapes the eternal darkness, revealing a monstrous creature. It is mangy, deformed, and the size of a bear. Its eyes are wild with a ravenous hunger. A Rogue wolf.

Instead of attacking Kael, the beast sprints directly toward me. My heart pounds so hard it feels massive in my chest.

It lunges. Kael tries to intercept it with his bare hands, but the Rogue’s massive paw swipes him aside. Kael flies through the air, slamming into a pine tree. He hits his head and drops to the ground, unmoving.

Oh God. The breath leaves my lungs. I'm going to die.

The beast's massive claws fly at my throat, caging me in. Its heavy paws pin me brutally against the dirt. I can barely breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut. I prepare to die, ready to finally join my mother.

But the killing bite never comes.

"GET OFF HER."

Kael's voice erupts through the forest like thunder. I force my eyes open.

Kael has shifted. He is a werewolf now—massive, powerful, standing as tall as the pine trees beside him. His intense, glowing eyes command the very air in the forest.

"Get off her," he snarls again, his massive chest heaving.

The Rogue freezes. Terrified by the Alpha's sheer, overwhelming power, it releases me. The beast turns and sprints away, disappearing back into the dark woods.

The weight is lifted from my chest, and my lungs finally pull in oxygen. Kael shifts back into his human form and begins to walk toward me.

I try to stand up, but my legs have turned to jelly. I collapse forward, my vision swimming. Before I can even hit the dirt, Kael is there. He catches me, pulling my weak body against his chest.

My heavy eyelids flutter closed, and the darkness finally takes me.

I woke up, and all I could see was darkness in all the corners of the room. My back felt heavy and stiff, like it had been eaten by bugs that lived under this roof. What happened? Where was I? This is so strange.

Shit, no way. I actually collapsed, and vampires and werewolves are real!

I stood up. My body felt like jelly, and I couldn't seem to move a single muscle anymore, but I managed to take a few steps. There are items here that feel heavy. My chest felt heavy, too. I looked at those ornaments stuck on the walls. They look cool, and they all had designs of wolves on every one of them. There’s one of a wolf in a bright forest, and there's one in a dark forest.

Like, was I really a werewolf? Mom's dead, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Even so, I will do everything to get my mother justice and give her the vengeance she deserves.

My steps are patient. Under them it creaked. Ground answers. Then I spot the door knob.

Silver. Shining. Radiant. Beautiful to look at.

Now I have to escape this place. This nightmare.

Chills went down my spin. Air swings.

I grab the knob. Cold spreads in my skin.

Then I twist it.

Clank!

The door budge open. It slides.

A woman stands infront of me. My eyes widened. She’s covered with the shadows. Who is she? An another vampire? Is she going to kill me now? Why does this keep happening to me.

Thunders erupt outside. It strikes through the clouds. Blue—lightning.