Chapter 07
"If They Take You… It's Over"
"You've been found."
The creature's voice didn't sound loud.
But it didn't need to.
It echoed.
Inside my head.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unavoidable.
My breath stopped.
Its eyes—
Locked onto me.
Not him.
Not the others.
Just me.
And suddenly—
Everything made sense.
"They're not here for you…" I whispered, my voice trembling.
The Alpha didn't deny it.
"They're here for me."
Silence.
Heavy.
Deadly.
The creature took another step forward.
The ground cracked beneath it.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run.
But I couldn't move.
Not when something inside me—
Was pulling me toward it.
No…
Not pulling.
Calling.
"Stay behind me," the Alpha said sharply.
His voice cut through everything.
Grounded me.
But the feeling didn't stop.
It got stronger.
"You feel it, don't you?" the creature said.
My heart pounded wildly.
"No…" I whispered.
But it was a lie.
I did feel it.
That strange power inside me—
It was reacting.
To it.
"Stop," the Alpha growled.
The creature ignored him.
"Come here," it said softly.
My body tensed.
A step—
I almost moved.
But then—
A hand grabbed mine.
Firm.
Warm.
Real.
I froze.
The Alpha.
His grip tightened slightly.
"Don't listen to it," he said.
My breath came out uneven.
"I'm not trying to…" I whispered.
But it wasn't that simple.
Because the pull—
It wasn't just in my mind.
It was in my blood.
"You can't fight it forever," the creature said.
The red-eyed man suddenly stepped forward.
"That's enough," he snapped. "You don't get to control her."
The creature's gaze flickered toward him.
Unimpressed.
"You're irrelevant."
The words hit like a blow.
Before he could react—
The creature lifted its hand.
And the air—
Collapsed.
A crushing force slammed into him.
He was thrown back violently, crashing into the ground with a harsh impact.
My heart jumped.
"Stop!" I shouted.
But no one listened.
Because the next second—
The Alpha moved.
Faster than ever before.
Stronger.
More dangerous.
Desperate.
He attacked the creature directly.
The impact shook the entire forest.
But this time—
It didn't even move.
Not an inch.
My breath caught.
No.
That wasn't possible.
The Alpha staggered back slightly.
And for the first time—
He wasn't winning.
"Too weak," the creature said calmly.
Rage flashed across his face.
He attacked again.
Again.
Again.
But every time—
The result was the same.
Nothing.
"Stop!" I cried.
My chest tightened painfully.
He was going to get hurt.
Or worse.
"You can't win," the creature said.
Its eyes shifted back to me.
"Come with me."
The pull surged violently.
Stronger than before.
Unbearable.
I gasped.
"No… I can't…"
"Yes, you can," it replied.
My body trembled.
One step.
I moved.
"No!" the Alpha grabbed me instantly, pulling me back.
My heart raced wildly.
"I'm trying not to!" I cried.
His grip tightened.
"Then don't," he said.
"I can't control it!" I shouted.
The creature stepped closer.
"Because it's not yours to control."
Silence.
The words hit differently.
"What…?" I whispered.
The Alpha's body went rigid.
"Don't listen to it," he said sharply.
But the creature continued.
"That power inside you…" it said slowly.
My breath caught.
"It was never meant to belong to you."
My heart stopped.
"What does that mean?" I whispered.
But deep inside—
Something answered.
A memory.
Not mine.
Dark.
Blurred.
Broken.
A voice.
"Hide her."
My head snapped up.
"What… was that?" I whispered.
The Alpha froze.
The creature smiled.
"You're starting to remember."
Panic flooded through me.
"No… I don't—"
"Yes," it said.
Another flash.
Fire.
Screams.
Darkness.
And then—
Nothing.
I stumbled.
My body felt weak.
Unstable.
The Alpha caught me instantly.
Holding me up.
"Stay with me," he said firmly.
My vision blurred.
"I… I don't understand…"
His grip tightened.
"You don't need to," he said. "Not now."
The creature stepped even closer.
"That's where you're wrong," it said.
Its voice dropped.
Colder.
More dangerous.
"She needs to understand."
A pause.
"Because if she doesn't…"
Its eyes darkened.
"She won't survive what's coming."
My heart stopped.
"What's coming?" I whispered.
The creature smiled.
And said the one thing that shattered everything—
"The ones who killed your kind."
Silence.
Absolute.
My breath caught.
"Killed… my kind?" I repeated.
The Alpha's grip on me tightened sharply.
"Enough," he said.
But it was too late.
Because now—
I wasn't just scared.
I was terrified.
"The ones who killed your kind."
The words echoed like a curse.
My mind went blank.
My kind…?
I wasn't supposed to have a "kind."
I was human.
Right…?
My breath came out uneven as flashes kept hitting me.
Fire.
Screams.
Shadows running.
Someone crying—
"Hide her!"
"Don't let them find her!"
I gasped, clutching my head.
"No… no, stop…" I whispered.
The memories weren't clear.
But the fear—
The fear felt real.
Too real.
"Stay with me," the Alpha's voice cut through the chaos.
Strong.
Grounding.
His hand tightened around mine.
"Look at me."
I tried.
But the world kept spinning.
"I can't…" I breathed.
The creature stepped closer.
"You're remembering," it said calmly.
My chest tightened.
"I don't want to," I whispered.
"You don't have a choice."
"No," the Alpha snapped.
Something in his voice changed.
Sharp.
Final.
"She's not going with you."
The creature's gaze shifted to him.
"You don't get to decide that."
Silence.
Tense.
Deadly.
Then—
The Alpha did something unexpected.
He pulled me closer.
Right against him.
My breath hitched.
"Can you run?" he asked quietly.
I blinked.
"What…?"
"Answer me," he said, his voice urgent now.
My heart started racing again.
"I—I don't know…"
"That's not good enough," he muttered.
Before I could react—
He leaned closer.
Too close.
My breath caught.
"Listen to me," he said, his voice low, intense. "When I say run… you don't stop. You don't look back. You don't hesitate."
My chest tightened.
"What about you?" I asked.
A pause.
A dangerous one.
"I'll handle them."
"No!" I shook my head instantly. "You can't fight all of them—"
"I don't need to win," he said.
My heart dropped.
"I just need to buy you time."
Silence.
Heavy.
"No…" I whispered.
I already knew what that meant.
"You're not staying behind," I said firmly.
His expression hardened.
"You don't have a choice."
"Neither do you!" I snapped.
For a moment—
We just stared at each other.
And something passed between us.
Not words.
Something deeper.
The bond pulsed.
Strong.
Alive.
"I'm not leaving you," I said quietly.
His jaw tightened.
"You will," he said.
And then—
Everything happened at once.
The creature moved.
Fast.
Unstoppable.
The Alpha shoved me back.
"RUN!"
My body reacted before my mind could.
I ran.
Branches scratched against my arms.
The ground felt uneven beneath my feet.
But I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Behind me—
The forest exploded into chaos.
Roars.
Crashes.
Energy tearing through the air.
My heart pounded wildly.
Don't look back.
Don't stop.
Don't hesitate.
His words echoed in my head.
But—
Something felt wrong.
Too wrong.
The bond—
It wasn't just pulling me forward.
It was pulling me back.
Toward him.
My steps slowed.
"No…" I whispered.
I couldn't leave him.
I couldn't—
A sharp pain shot through my chest.
I gasped.
The bond.
It was reacting.
Violently.
Like it was being—
Torn.
My knees nearly gave out.
"Stop…" I whispered, clutching my chest.
It hurt.
Too much.
He was—
Losing.
The realization hit me like lightning.
"No…" I shook my head.
I couldn't run anymore.
I couldn't leave him.
Without thinking—
I turned.
And ran back.
Faster than before.
Driven by something stronger than fear.
Stronger than survival.
The bond.
When I reached the clearing—
Everything froze.
The Alpha—
Was on the ground.
Blood.
Too much blood.
My breath stopped.
"No…" I whispered.
The creature stood over him.
Untouched.
Unbothered.
And then—
It looked at me.
"You came back."
My hands trembled.
"I told you not to," the Alpha's voice came weakly.
I ignored him.
My chest burned.
That power—
It was back.
Stronger than ever.
"I won't leave you," I said.
The creature tilted its head slightly.
"Interesting," it murmured.
The energy inside me surged.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
But this time—
I didn't fight it.
I let it grow.
My breath came fast.
My vision blurred—
And then—
It happened.
The ground beneath me cracked violently.
Light—
Not dark.
Not shadow.
Light exploded from my body.
Blinding.
Pure.
Everything stopped.
The hunters froze.
The creature stepped back.
For the first time—
It reacted.
"What… are you?" it whispered.
My heart pounded wildly.
"I don't know…" I breathed.
But deep inside—
Something answered.
Not in words.
In power.
In truth.