Enemies in Every Direction
1185 Words
Mae - POV
Daniel walked me to the edge of the pack’s border, taking a discreet back route so no one would see us no glares, no judgmental stares. When we reached the gate, we stopped. I turned toward him, meeting his calm, unreadable eyes.
“Thank you, Daniel,” I whispered. “You’ve been good to me, better than I deserved. I hope someday a good woman finds you, one who returns the kindness you gave a woman like me.”
He didn’t reply. Just stood there, solid and silent. A man of few words, he has always been.
“I have one selfish favor to ask.”
“Go ahead,” he said, barely beyond a murmur.
“Take care of Alpha Oscar for me.”
He nodded, quiet as ever. No promises, no drama. Just a nod and I knew he would.
I turned to begin the walk into exile, armed with barely anything: a worn backpack, a few clothes Daniel managed to pack for me, and the weight of everything I had done. His small acts of kindness felt like grace in a life where I deserved nothing but pain.
Why did he help me? I didn’t know. I didn’t deserve it.
A few steps in, I stopped. My hand rested over my heart. It was still beating. Still alive. Somehow, I’d been granted a second
Chance. Maybe someone out there had heard my prayers.
But before anything, I needed answers.
Why had Faye, someone I had bullied, someone I’d wronged, helped me? What was she playing at?
The road ahead led to the Red Night Pack.
My wolf was weak, the wolfsbane still lingering in my system, but something in the air shifted. A chill slid across my skin, something unnatural. Ominous. My instincts flared, and then I saw him.
A man draped in black, face hidden behind a half-mask, stepped into my path.
“Who are you?” I snapped, baring my teeth.
He inhaled sharply, sniffing the surrounding air. I dropped into a fighting stance.
“The spell on you. It's starting to wear off,” he chuckled darkly.
Spell?
I blinked, confused, and then he stepped forward, slowly and threatening.
“Stay where you are,” I warned.
He paused, tilting his head just as a blur of silver fur lunged from behind me. A grey wolf slammed into him with a growl so deep it vibrated through the ground.
“Oscar.” I whispered, barely believing it.
A vicious snarl ripped from his throat as he collided with the masked man, who tried to shift too slow. Oscar’s wolf tore into him,
jaws clamping around the stranger’s neck, bones snapping beneath the force.
A burst of light shimmered, and then Oscar stood there naked, covered in blood, his mouth, his hands. His eyes glowed with gold, his wolf still at the surface, fighting for dominance.
He took a step toward me then paused, clutching his face as he staggered back, trying to rein it in.
“Oscar, are you—”
“Stop!” he barked, voice gravelly.
His eyes flickered back to emerald green.
“Alpha, you shouldn't have killed him. We could’ve questioned him,” Joseph called out, jogging over.
“Who the hell was he?” Oscar growled as he asked me.
“No idea,” I muttered, glancing at the mangled corpse.
I gasped, my stomach lurching. “What the fuck...”
The body, or what was left of it, was decomposing from the inside out. Like something had eaten it alive.
“Gruesome,” Joseph murmured.
“It’s gross,” Daniel added quietly. I turned, surprised to see him standing beside me. He gave me a small side-glance and a faint
smile. I looked away quickly — only to see Oscar frowning.
“Any word from the scout team?” Alpha Oscar asked coldly.
I took a step back. “I should go...”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Alpha Oscar snapped.
His eyes burned into mine, not with warmth or longing but hate. Sharp and raw.
“Why?” I asked, barely able to keep my voice steady.
He looked down at the now-ashed remains of the dead man. “Because we need to find out who the enemy is.”
His tone was a blade to my chest.
“Alpha, if the pack finds out she’s back, it could cause problems,” Joseph said, his disgust directed squarely at me. Just an hour ago,
I’d been exiled. And now.
Oscar exhaled sharply, frustrated. His eyes avoided me, but I couldn't help but notice couldn’t help but remember. His sculpted chest, the way he once held me, touched me... tasted me. That version of him didn’t exist anymore. All that was left was hate. Hate sharp enough to carve me apart.
“Take her to the safe house,” he muttered.
Joseph scowled. “Alpha, that place is for your family. You’d let a traitor stay there?”
Oscar’s cold stare shut him up.
Daniel stepped in, ever loyal. “I’ll take her.”
Oscar didn’t say a word. Just turned his back on me.
That hurt more than any exile ever could. It wasn’t the banishment it was this. The way he couldn’t even look at me. As if being
near me was a punishment he could barely endure.
I followed Daniel, every step heavier than the last. I didn’t dare turn around. I didn’t want to see Oscar’s eyes not when I knew
what I’d find there.
When we reached the outer gate, Daniel took off his jacket.
“Wear this. It’ll help mask your scent.”
I nodded silently, pulling the hood over my head. It smelled like woods and warmth nothing like the cold cruelty I’d just left behind. My wolf didn’t protest. Neither did I. It was the only comfort I had.
“Oof,” I winced as I bumped into Daniel’s back.
He stared at me for a beat then punched in the code to the safe house.
Inside, the space was sleek and modern, layered with defensive spells. A fortress for someone who no longer belonged.
“Keep your guard up, Mae,” Daniel warned. “You’ve got enemies in here... and out there. You’re not safe.”
He hesitated. “Nicole is—”
“What about Nicole?” I asked quickly.
“She’s been abducted.”
“What?!” My heart twisted. “Alpha Oscar must be losing it…”
“He is. So if you care about him at all, be on your best behavior. If you go against him again it won’t end well.”
I nodded, and Daniel left, the heavy door shutting behind him.
I sank onto the couch, exhausted. Dropping the backpack beside me, I closed my eyes but my mind wouldn’t stop.
What had that masked man meant? The spell on me is wearing off?
Why had Faye helped me?
Why had the doctor used magic on me before I blacked out?
Why was Nicole taken?
So many questions. No answers.
Yet.
- Writer
