Chapter 6
"The Truth He Refused to Tell"
"Control it."
His voice still echoed in my mind.
Calm.
Steady.
Unshaken.
Unlike me.
My breathing was uneven as I leaned slightly against him, trying to steady myself.
His grip on me hadn't loosened.
Firm.
Protective.
And for some reason…
That didn't feel wrong.
It felt… safe.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to pull back just enough to look at him.
"You knew," I said quietly.
His expression didn't change.
"You knew something was wrong with me."
Silence.
That was all the answer I needed.
My chest tightened.
"What am I?" I asked again, my voice softer this time.
Still—
No answer.
A flicker of frustration rose inside me.
"Why won't you tell me?" I demanded.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Because you're not ready," he repeated.
"That's not your decision!" I snapped.
The air between us shifted instantly.
Tense.
Sharp.
His golden eyes locked onto mine.
Dangerous.
"It is," he said quietly.
The way he said it—
Left no room for argument.
And somehow…
That only made me angrier.
"I have a right to know!" I shot back.
"And I have a reason not to tell you."
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Frustrating.
Before I could say anything else—
A low chuckle broke through the tension.
"You two are adorable."
My head snapped toward him.
The red-eyed man leaned casually against a tree, watching us like this was all some kind of entertainment.
"Still here?" I muttered under my breath.
He smirked.
"Of course," he said. "I'm not done yet."
The Alpha stepped slightly in front of me again.
Instinctive.
Immediate.
"You should have left," he said coldly.
"And miss this?" the man gestured toward me. "Not a chance."
My stomach twisted.
"I'm not some 'thing' you can just talk about like that," I snapped.
His eyes flickered toward me.
Sharp.
Interested.
"That's exactly what you are," he said softly.
A chill ran down my spine.
Before I could respond—
The Alpha moved.
Fast.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.
Danger radiating from every inch of him.
"Watch your words," he said quietly.
But there was nothing calm about it.
The warning was clear.
Deadly.
The man raised his hands slightly.
Mock surrender.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not here to fight."
Neither of us believed him.
"Then why are you here?" I demanded.
His gaze returned to me.
And this time—
There was no teasing in it.
Only something darker.
"Because of you."
My heart dropped.
"Stop saying that!" I snapped. "I don't even know you!"
"You will," he said simply.
The words sent a shiver down my spine.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said firmly.
His smile returned.
"We'll see."
The Alpha growled.
Louder.
More dangerous.
"She's not going anywhere," he said.
The man tilted his head slightly.
"That's what you think."
Before either of us could react—
He moved.
Not toward me.
But around us.
Fast.
Too fast.
Circling.
Watching.
Calculating.
The air shifted again.
That same pressure from before.
Heavy.
My chest tightened.
"No…" I whispered.
The energy inside me stirred again.
Not as violently as before.
But enough.
Enough to make my heart race.
"You feel it, don't you?" the man said softly.
I froze.
"What?" I whispered.
"That power," he continued. "It's not just random."
My breath hitched.
"Then what is it?" I asked.
He smiled.
"It's calling."
My stomach twisted.
"Calling… what?" I whispered.
But he didn't answer.
Instead—
He looked at the Alpha.
"And you," he said, his tone shifting again, "you know exactly what that means."
The Alpha's body went still.
Too still.
My heart dropped.
"What does he mean?" I asked, turning to him.
Silence.
Again.
"Tell me!" I demanded.
His gaze flickered to me.
And for the first time—
I saw something new.
Not anger.
Not control.
Fear.
My breath caught.
"You don't want to know," he said quietly.
"I do!" I insisted.
"No," he said firmly. "You don't."
Frustration burned through me.
"Stop deciding that for me!"
The man chuckled again.
"He's right, you know," he said. "The truth isn't going to make your life easier."
"I don't care!" I snapped.
"I think you will," he replied calmly.
Silence fell again.
Tense.
Unbearable.
And then—
He said it.
The one thing that made everything stop.
"She's not just different," he said slowly.
My heart pounded.
"She's rare."
A pause.
"And if I'm right…"
His eyes locked onto mine.
Dark.
Certain.
"She's the last one."
The world went silent.
"What…?" I whispered.
The words barely left my lips.
But I felt it.
That shift.
That truth.
Something inside me reacted.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"She's the last one."
The words didn't just echo.
They settled.
Deep.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
My breath came out uneven as I stared at him.
"The last… what?" I whispered.
Silence.
The kind that feels wrong.
Like something terrible is about to happen.
The Alpha's body had gone completely still.
Not tense.
Not angry.
Still.
And that scared me more than anything.
"You shouldn't have said that," he said quietly.
The red-eyed man smirked.
"Why?" he replied. "She deserves to know why everyone will be coming for her."
My heart dropped.
"Everyone…?" I repeated.
A chill ran down my spine.
"What does that mean?"
No one answered.
Of course.
"Say something!" I snapped, panic rising.
And then—
It happened.
The forest changed.
Not slowly.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The air turned colder.
Sharper.
Heavier.
Like something had just entered.
Something powerful.
Something… wrong.
My breath hitched.
"Do you feel that?" I whispered.
The Alpha didn't respond.
But his hand tightened slightly around my arm.
That was answer enough.
"We're out of time," the red-eyed man said suddenly, his tone losing all amusement.
My heart skipped.
"What do you mean—"
A scream tore through the forest.
Loud.
Sharp.
Not human.
My entire body froze.
"What was that?" I whispered.
No answer.
But I saw it.
The shift in both of them.
They knew.
And whatever it was—
It wasn't good.
"Stay behind me," the Alpha said immediately.
His voice had changed.
Harder.
Colder.
Dangerous.
My heart started racing again.
"What's happening?" I asked, my voice shaking.
He didn't answer.
Because the next second—
They appeared.
Not wolves.
Not human.
Something else.
Something twisted.
Their bodies moved unnaturally.
Eyes glowing.
Skin pale.
Almost… lifeless.
My stomach dropped.
"What are those?" I whispered.
The red-eyed man's expression darkened.
"Hunters."
The word hit like a knife.
"Hunting… what?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
His gaze slowly shifted to me.
"You."
My blood ran cold.
"No…" I shook my head. "That's not possible—"
"They found you faster than I expected," he muttered.
The Alpha stepped forward.
Blocking me completely.
A low, lethal growl left his throat.
"Back off."
But they didn't.
Instead—
They smiled.
Wrong.
Distorted.
And then—
They moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
The Alpha attacked instantly.
But this time—
It wasn't easy.
The first hunter dodged.
The second struck.
A sharp impact echoed as the Alpha was forced back a step.
My heart stopped.
No.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
He was stronger than this.
But these—
These weren't normal.
"They're not alive," the red-eyed man said sharply. "And they don't feel pain."
A chill ran through my entire body.
"Great," I whispered weakly.
Another one lunged toward me.
I froze.
But before it could reach—
The Alpha was there.
Again.
Blocking it.
Destroying it.
But for every one that fell—
Two more appeared.
Surrounding us.
Closing in.
"No…" I whispered.
This wasn't a fight.
This was a trap.
"They're stalling," the red-eyed man said suddenly.
My heart skipped.
"For what?" I asked.
But he didn't answer.
Because in the next second—
The ground beneath us trembled.
Cracked.
And something—
Something massive—
Stepped out of the darkness.
Everything went silent.
Even the hunters stopped.
My breath caught.
"What… is that?" I whispered.
The Alpha's entire body went rigid.
And for the first time since I met him—
I felt it.
Fear.
Not mine.
His.
"No…" he muttered under his breath.
The red-eyed man's smile disappeared completely.
"Well," he said quietly…
"Now we're all dead."
My heart dropped.
The creature stepped forward.
Taller.
Stronger.
More terrifying than anything before.
Its eyes locked onto me.
Not him.
Not anyone else.
Me.
And then—
It spoke.
"You've been found."
My blood turned to ice.