Chapter 2
1510 Words
**Chapter 2**
The second floor holding area felt oppressive and suffocating, thick with the metallic scent of blood and fear.
Footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor as Theron Virek moved from room to room.
The four captured men sat cuffed in separate rooms, each one guarded by two.
Theron took his time. His stride was unhurried, but every room he entered ended in terrifying screams and desperate pleas for forgiveness.
By the time he reached the last prisoner, blood stained his clothes and the sole of his shoes left crimson traces of the floor.
He crouched in front of the man, silver eyes ice-cold.
"You passed information on the Linares transfer," he continued. "The route, the timing, and the alternative vehicle. Three people died because of you.
The man opened his mouth.
"Don't,” Theron said flatly. “I'm not interested in anything you have to say."
He stood, picked up a hammer from the table, and the prisoner's pleading turned into raw terror. Theron didn't hesitate.
In the corridor, Reis was waited with a neutral expression. He didn't seem to hear the painful wailing and pleas behind him.
"Click." The door opened.
"Dispose of them, Theron ordered as he stepped out, wiping blood from his chin with a cloth.
"Alpha..“ Reis hesitated, fist clenched. “There's something else. A girl escaped from the first floor during the raid. She left a blood trail heading into the forest.“
Theron's entire body stilled. The faint scent of — jasmine mixed with blood slammed into him again. His beast stirred violently beneath his skin.
“Find her.“
---
The trees blurred around her, the sound of crickets was heard, distant—like she was already slipping out of the world.
Celeste staggered through the dark forest,
Her boots scraped against the ground, one hand pressed tightly against her side. Warm blood soaked through her fingers, dripping steadily onto the ground leaving a clear trail behind her.
"Damn it…" she whispered, her breath shallow.
The meeting point wasn't far now. Just a little further.
“Don't stop. Callum will be there.“
He had to be.
Her knees buckled slightly, forcing her to catch herself against a tree trunk. The impact sent a sharp jolt through her body, and a strangled gasp tore from her lips.
The wound had worsened badly. Every step she took felt like it was tearing her apart from the inside.
Her breath grew weak. She urged herself.
"Move…"
Behind her there was a faint flicker.
Light.
They weren't too far but were getting close.
Her steps faltered as panic surged through her fading strength. She turned fully this time, squinting into the darkness—
They weren't searching randomly, they were following the blood.
A shaky breath escaped her lips.
"No… no, no…"
Adrenaline kicked in.
She pushed her legs forward, faster now—sloppier and more desperate. Each step left a darker stain behind her, leaving trails like a guide.
Her vision tunneled, the world tilted but she didn't stop. She couldn't.
---
The meeting point came into view, an empty stretch of road.
There wasn't a single flickering streetlight. No one was there.
Her chest tightened.
"Callum…" she breathed, fear thick in her voice.
Her legs were unable to carry her any longer, gave out as her body pitched forward.
Strong hands caught her before she hit the ground.
"Hey—hey! Stay with me!"
Callum's warm, urgent voice washed over her.
Relief flooded her body so intensively it hurt.
"I thought…you weren't coming," she murmured weakly, barely forming the words. Her head resting against his chest.
"I've been here," he replied, tightening his grip as he pulled her closer. "You're the one who decided to bleed halfway across the forest."
She tried to laugh but it came out as a faint breath instead.
His green eyes darkened the moment he looked down at her pale face, blood-soaked clothes and half-lidded eyes struggling to stay open.
"Damn it, Celeste… you are worse than I thought." he muttered, voice laced with worry.
"Had…better days…" she whispered.
Her head rolled slightly against his chest and the world went dark.
"Hey—no, no, no. Stay with me." His tone sharpened, one hand coming up to tap her cheek lightly. "Don't you dare."
Footsteps echoed faintly in the distance.
Callum's eyes snapped up, scanning the street—then the dark path behind her.
The blood trail.
"Shit."
He adjusted his hold, lifting her fully into his arms and moved quickly towards the waiting vehicle.
"Hold on," he said, more to himself than her.
The car roared to life and sped off, tires screeching into the night. He moved fast, slipping into the dark just as the beams of light cut through the forest behind them.
Voices followed.
"The trail stopped here—she couldn't have gone far!"
In the backseat, Calum held her close, pressing a cloth firmly against her wound. Her fingers weakly clutched his shirt as her breathing slowed.
“I've got you, he whispered, voice low and protective. “Stay with me.“
---
Behind them the hunt only grew more intense.
Elsewhere in the forest, another figure moved alone through the darkness like a shadow.
Alone. Silent. Unhurried.
His shadow blended with the dark and the scent led him.
He stopped where the blood pooled slightly, thicker along the roots of a tree. He crouched down, pressing two fingers into the warm blood and bringing them to his nose.
The scent hit him like a drug— jasmine, rain, and sweet blood.
A cruel, satisfied smile curved his lips.
His eyes glowed faintly in the dark, something flickering within them.
"Found you."
The words seemed to echo—before he vanished into the darkness.
---
Unconscious in Callum's arms, Celeste slipped deeper into a nightmare.
Fear.
That was the first thing she felt… it seeped in slowly.
Like ink spreading through water—thin at first, then deeper, thicker, until it swallowed everything whole.
The air felt cold and tight. A soft sound was heard, a lullaby.
Her breath caught.
"…Hello?"
The scene glitched.
She stood barefoot on the cold ground, the chill creeping up through her bones. The trees around her flickered, their shapes stretching unnaturally before snapping back in place.
A blurry figure stood ahead with it's back to her.
"Mom?" She called, voice trembling.
She moved closer, her small hands curling into fists at her sides, fear and hope tangling tightly in her chest.
"Why won't you look at me?" She asked, her voice shaking.
The figure slowly turned. The outline was unstable, her head tilted slightly, too stiff. For a moment it looked like her mother — then the face distorted horribly.
She gasped.
The figure didn't respond. A strange unease crept up her spine.
"Why…why won't you just die?" the figure whispered.
"What?" The figure stepped closer.
"Why won't you," she said again, it voice louder. "Why won't you—"
The voice broke midway, distorting into something jagged.
"Die."
The question hit her like cold water.
"I—I don't understand—"
"He knows," the figure continued, her voice dropping suddenly into an eerily calm. "Do you know what happens now?"
"They're coming."
The scene warped violently. Celeste stood at the center of a crowded room—heads turned and eyes locked onto her.
And the whispers only grew louder. “That's her…"
"Abomination…"
Her breath quickened. They stared at her with disgust and fear, she backed away slowly.
They dragged her toward a ritual altar covered in glowing symbols.
Celeste struggled but it was useless. Her nails scraping against stone as panic clawed its way up her throat.
"Let me go, please!"
Her breath came in sharp bursts as she tried to push herself up—but hands forced her back down, pinning her limbs.
The chanting grew louder and the symbols around her began to glow. Tears blurred her vision as she struggled harder, her small body shaking under the pressure.
"Why…why me?!"
A cloaked figure stepped forward with a sharp blade, glinting in the firelight.
The blade hovered above her and her breath hitched.
"I don't want to die…" Celeste cried, struggling uselessly.
The figure paused, just for a second before the blade plunged downward—
But inches from her heart, it stopped.
A thunderous, feral roar echoed through the nightmare. Silver eyes burned through the darkness, cutting straight into her soul.
A deep, commanding voice whispered directly into her mind, dark and possessive:
"You belong to me."
Celeste woke with a sharp gasp, heart pounding violently. Her skin felt burning hot. For a brief, terrifying moment, she could still feel him — the dangerous feeling from the building — out there in the night, hunting her.
Callum looked down at her with deep concern, brushing damp curls from her face. "Celeste? You okay?"
But she couldn’t answer. Her body was reacting to something she didn’t understand — a pull so strong it left her breathless and afraid.
And it was getting closer.
- Writer
