CHAPTER THREE

DARRYL

"Darryl, you're gonna snap the steering wheel in half if you grip it any tighter."

Katrina’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked and eased my hands off the wheel slightly realizing how tightly I’d been holding it.

I muttered, “Sorry,” but didn’t look at her. My mind was somewhere else—no, on someone else.

The girl we just ran into.

I didn’t want to think about her, I didn’t want to drag up memories I’d buried years ago. But the past always had a way of creeping up when you least expected it.

Especially when the past stares you in the face.

Hazel.

The girl who left everything in ruins on a day that should’ve been perfect. My tenth birthday—one that turned my entire life upside down.

It was supposed to be a day filled with laughter, plans, and promises. Hazel and I had spent weeks planning it. We were going to spend the whole day together, just like we used to. She had promised it would be unforgettable.

And it was… just not in the way I expected.

That morning, she didn’t show up. I waited, hours turning into an endless stretch of silence. No messages, no calls, just me standing there feeling like an idiot.

By the time the afternoon melted into the evening, I couldn’t take it anymore. I wandered into the woods after the fire, where we used to play. Confused. Hurt. And that’s when it happened.

The bite.

The pain as the werewolf’s teeth sank into my flesh. Everything changed that day, in more ways than one.

And that was just the beginning. A few days later, the werewolf hunters came. They were after me, after the monster I had become, though I wasn't even aware then.

My parents… my real parents… they tried to protect me. I could still hear their screams, the blood painting the ground. They were killed right in front of me, and I ran. I didn’t stop until I collapsed at the edge of the woods.

That’s when they took me in, Alpha Darius and Luna Mara, my new parents. They gave me a home and tried to heal the wounds I thought would never close. But even that didn’t stop the suffering from following me. Every girl I ever cared about, everyone I ever loved since that day… they died.

I had buried those memories deep, locked them away behind walls I thought were strong. But seeing her again stirred it all up.

“That girl we ran into… she’s Hazel, isn’t it?” Katrina said, glancing at me.

The car swerved slightly. I corrected quickly, but not before Katrina's hand shot out to brace herself against the dashboard.

"How did you—"

"Oh please, don't play dumb." She rolled her eyes as she tossed her hair. "I saw how you looked at that girl. Golden hair, big doe eyes... Like she was some long lost puppy, the most precious thing in the world."

My jaw clenched. "Drop it, Kat."

"Why? Afraid I'll point out how pathetic you looked?" She laughed. "The big bad future Alpha, reduced to a stammering mess by some human who abandoned him years ago."

"I said drop it," I growled already feeling my control slip.

She scoffed."Or you'll do what? Please. We both know you need me, Darryl. Who else understands you like I do?"

I gritted my teeth, hating how right she was. Katrina had been there through it all - the nightmares, the transformations, the losses. She had earned her place by my side, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else there except for her.

“Come on, forget about that bitch Hazel. You have more important things to focus on like the meeting tonight.”

Right, the meeting. Our pack, Moonhaven pack had called for it and I had to be there. As the next Alpha, I had to show them I was ready. My adoptive parents were retiring soon, and I would take the lead. I was a true alpha, something rare.

Most wolves who were bitten never got the alpha title, but I was different. The bite had awakened something in me, something powerful. And in few days time, once I turned eighteen and found my mate, I’d unlock even more. That bond would make me stronger, unstoppable.

I had to focus on that. On my future, not on a girl from my past who had already shattered me once before.

***********

“The recent attacks have been more brutal than anything we’ve seen in years. Bodies torn apart, as if whoever is responsible is making a statement. We need to consider every possibility.”

I sat at the head of the table with Katrina by my side, listening intently as Mr. Danton, our beta, addressed the council. We'd been discussing the possible identity of the attacker who had been targeting humans since the fire a week ago.

"It has to be the Black Alder pack," Theo snarled, slamming his fist on the table. "They've been eyeing our territory for months."

Luna Mara, my adoptive mother shook her head firmly. “No, it can’t be them. The Black Alder wouldn’t risk open war, especially not with the Treaty of the Crescent still in effect.”

"What about rogues?" someone called out from the back. "We've had trouble with them before."

I watched as my packmates debated, their theories growing wilder by the second. They were scared, and I couldn’t blame them. The thought of rogue wolves was terrifying, but something didn’t sit right with the explanations.

“What do you think, Darryl?”

I looked up to see Alpha Darius staring right at me. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my chair back and got to my feet. The council stopped talking instantly, all attention on me.

"It's not rogues," I said. "Think about it. Rogues are outcasts, lone wolves. They know better than to draw attention to themselves. These attacks? They're too organized, too frequent. A rogue wouldn't risk bringing werewolf hunters down on all of us."

I looked around, watching faces change as my words sank in. A few pack members nodded, their eyes widening showing they supported me. Others scrunched their brows, clearly not buying it.

"Then what could it be, Darryl?" Alpha Darius leaned forward in his seat.

I took a deep breath as I chose my words carefully. "I think we're dealing with something... different. The attacks are too savage for a normal wolf, too calculated for a rogue. Whatever this is, it's intelligent and dangerous. And it wants us to know it's here."

Nobody spoke again. The only sound was the creaking of chairs as people shifted uncomfortably.

"Could it be... him?" a young wolf spoke from the back.

"Him?" someone echoed, but I knew exactly who the young wolf was referring to. From the sudden stillness in the room, so did everyone else.

"The brutality..." one of the warriors muttered, shaking his head like he was trying to dismiss the thought. "It matches his style."

Another added, "The pattern too... he attacked after the first fire, and now, after this one."

My heart sank as the pieces started to come together in my mind. They were talking about a monster who monsters feared.

Eyes started darting from face to face like everyone were so scared to say it. Finally, someone whispered the name that had haunted my nightmares for years.

"The Rogue Alpha... Malachi."

The name sent a shudder through the pack, but for me, it was like the ground had opened below me.

Malachi.

The same one who bit me. The same one who took away every girl I ever loved. The same one who destroyed my life in one night.

The same one who... who would stop at nothing to finish what he started.

And now, he was back.