GABRIEL Her voice grated against my patience, rising in pitch as she argued, her words barely registering. “You can’t just kidnap someone! This is illegal! People will look for me, you know—” She didn’t get to finish. I struck fast, a controlled blow to the side of her head. Her words cut off mid-sentence, her eyes rolling back as she crumpled onto the seat. My wolf growled his disapproval in the back of my mind. That wasn’t necessary. “It was,” I muttered under my breath.I carried her out of the driver’s seat, her limp body awkward in my arms, and opened the backseat door. After settling her inside, I slammed the door shut and rounded the vehicle to the driver’s side. Sliding into the seat, I adjusted it to accommodate my larger frame, the leather creaking beneath my weight. The keys were still in the ignition. Stupid, careless human. I started the engine and pulled onto the dirt path leading out of the forest, the wheels crunching over fallen leaves and twigs. The sce
PRISCILLAThe stench hit me before my eyes fully opened—a suffocating, putrid scent that made my stomach churn. My lashes fluttered against my cheeks as I blinked awake, my senses sluggish yet screaming all at once.And then I saw it.A guttural, shuddering scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. Looming above me was… something not human, not animal, but some twisted, monstrous in-between. Its skin looked like it was decaying and alive all at once, black veins snaking over it in chaotic patterns, pulsing like they had a heartbeat of their own.Its eyes… glowing, hollow pits of malice, were fixed on me.I scrambled back, pressing myself hard against the wall as if I could disappear into it. My breath hitched, every inhale catching in my throat as I stared, wide-eyed, at the creature before me. Its growl resonated through the air, low and menacing, vibrating deep into my bones.This couldn’t be real.The creature’s head tilted slightly, almost curiously, as if it were study
PRISCILLA The air burned in my lungs as I pressed myself against the wall, my pulse pounding in my ears. My hands trembled, and I gripped the cold, uneven surface behind me to steady myself. My escape wasn’t working. Every hallway looked the same, every door leading to another dead end.I ran a hand through my tangled hair, letting out a shaky breath. No one was chasing me. No heavy footsteps, no snarls, no angry voices calling out to stop me. Yet the silence wasn’t comforting—it was suffocating.“How many damn rooms do I have to run through to find the exit?” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper, though it echoed eerily in the stillness.I froze mid-step as the deep, gravelly voice I dreaded—and knew all too well—pierced the quiet like a blade.“You’re running in the wrong direction,” he said, the sound rolling through the empty hall like thunder. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I spun around, pressing my back harder against the wall.He stepped out from the shadows, hi
GABRIEL This human is an absolute headache.I muttered, my gaze glued to the live feed on my phone where she clung to the iron gate like a stubborn squirrel determined to escape, muttering curses as she tried to climb over it.I couldn’t help but chuckle, low and amused. “What the hell does she think she’s doing?” The question wasn’t really aimed at anyone but myself. Her audacity was something else entirely.With a swipe of my thumb, I flipped to the control panel and opened the gate. I watched as it slowly slid open, and, as expected, she lost her footing and fell. “Figures,” I murmured, shaking my head. I expected her to stay down, but she was back on her feet almost instantly.The next part was what caught me off guard. She glanced at the camera—right at me—and flipped me off, her expression defiant and unapologetic. Then she marched off down the road, her back rigid and her steps purposeful.I laughed, a deep rumble that filled the room. It wasn’t often that someone caught me of
GABRIEL The room was unnervingly quiet, save for the faint rustle of fabric as I pulled back the torn remnants of her shirt again, desperate to make sense of what I wasn’t seeing. Her skin was pristine, smooth as untouched marble. My brows furrowed in disbelief. “How is this possible?” I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible over the weight of my thoughts. The bite should have been there—deep, unmistakable. The men I sent were precise, and obedient to the letter. There was no way they could have failed. I straightened, dragging a hand through my hair as I stepped back from the bed. My wolf stirred uneasily in the back of my mind, his presence pressing against the edges of my thoughts. “Gabriel, something’s off.”“No kidding,” I muttered aloud. I turned to leave, trying to distance myself from the inexplicable sight before me, but something tugged at me, an invisible thread pulling me back. I stopped mid-step, my jaw tightening. The logical part of me wanted to
PRISCILLA I had accepted my fate of being bossed around by him, but exposing my body in front of his people? That was too much. Without thinking, I yanked myself free, rose onto my toes, and slapped him—hard. The sharp crack of my palm against his cheek echoed through the room, louder than I expected. Silence fell. Everyone stared. And for a moment, even I was stunned by what I’d done.He didn’t flinch. He just stood there, staring at me with those cold, unblinking eyes, like he was daring me to do it again. My heart was racing, and my palms were sweating, but I refused to look away.“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “Don’t test me.”I wanted to say something, to throw his words back in his face, but the look in his eyes made my throat tighten. Finally, I found my voice, though it came out shaky. “Y-you can do anything else to me,” I stammered, my tone trembling as I tried to sound firm, “but don’t you ever humiliate me like that again. Don’t you e
PRISCILLA I gripped the steering wheel, my fingers tightening around the worn leather as I exhaled slowly. The rental car smelled like cheap air freshener and plastic, but I didn’t care. It was mine—at least for now—and that meant freedom.The wolf guy had refused to let me take anything except my identity card. No phone. Not even my camera. Just me, my ID, and the clothes on my back. But none of that mattered. I could always buy a new phone. A new camera. As long as I was heading back to New York, I was free.A small, victorious smile tugged at my lips as I stared at the open road ahead. Soon, I’d be away from him. Away from his suffocating presence, his piercing gaze. I would disappear into the crowds of the city, vanish in the sea of yellow taxis and bright billboards, and he would never find me again.The drive to Portland Airport felt longer than it should have, each mile stretching painfully with the weight of silence. He sat beside me, completely at ease, his long fingers drum
PRISCILLA I gasped, my fingers digging into his arms as he held me firmly against the wall. My legs dangled slightly off the floor, my body trapped between him and the unforgiving surface behind me. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts."Let. Me. Go." My voice was sharp, laced with anger, but I hated that a small part of me was also breathless for an entirely different reason.He smirked, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Not until you understand something. You cannot run away from me? I glared at him, shoving at his chest. "Oh really? And what happens when I call the cops? Because news flash, Mr. Alpha, we're not in your little Oregon territory anymore. This is my city. My home. And here, you don’t make the rules."His smirk didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened. "Call them," he challenged, pressing closer. "But let me warn you—by the time they get here, you’ll be begging me to stay."A shiver ran down my spine, but I masked it with a sc
PRISCILLA A man I didn’t recognize sat at my desk, his back to me, casually flipping through some of my files. My pulse spiked. My fingers twitched at my sides, but I forced myself to remain calm.The wolfman stepped up behind me, his presence an anchor that only made my stomach tighten further. I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my face, waiting to see how I would react.Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward. “Excuse me,” I said, my voice steady but firm. “You’re in my seat.”The man slowly turned around, and the moment our eyes met, my stomach dropped. He wasn’t just some random person. I recognized him. Samuel. The investigative journalist known for digging into the darkest secrets and exposing them for the world to see. I had admired his work from afar, but never in a million years did I expect him to be sitting at my desk.His sharp gaze swept over me before flicking to the wolfman standing beside me. A slow, knowing smirk curled at the corner of his lips. “Priscil
PRISCILLA The moment Davina's scream echoed through the apartment, everything seemed to stop. My breath hitched, my pulse hammering like a war drum in my chest. The wolfman didn’t flinch. He just stood there, his massive frame blocking the only exit, his piercing eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach churn.Davina gripped my arm so tight it hurt, her nails digging into my skin. "Priscilla," she whispered harshly, "he—he’s looking at us like we’re his next meal."I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. "Davina shut up," I muttered through clenched teeth, trying not to provoke him. But I couldn’t look away from him. There was something different about him now—an unreadable expression, something dangerous lingering beneath the surface.He took a slow step forward.Davina yanked me back instinctively. "Oh, hell no! If you take another step, I will throw Priscilla at you and run for my life!" she blurted out.I snapped my head toward her. "What?!”His deep, ser
PRISCILLA I gasped, my fingers digging into his arms as he held me firmly against the wall. My legs dangled slightly off the floor, my body trapped between him and the unforgiving surface behind me. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts."Let. Me. Go." My voice was sharp, laced with anger, but I hated that a small part of me was also breathless for an entirely different reason.He smirked, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable. "Not until you understand something. You cannot run away from me? I glared at him, shoving at his chest. "Oh really? And what happens when I call the cops? Because news flash, Mr. Alpha, we're not in your little Oregon territory anymore. This is my city. My home. And here, you don’t make the rules."His smirk didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened. "Call them," he challenged, pressing closer. "But let me warn you—by the time they get here, you’ll be begging me to stay."A shiver ran down my spine, but I masked it with a sc
PRISCILLA I gripped the steering wheel, my fingers tightening around the worn leather as I exhaled slowly. The rental car smelled like cheap air freshener and plastic, but I didn’t care. It was mine—at least for now—and that meant freedom.The wolf guy had refused to let me take anything except my identity card. No phone. Not even my camera. Just me, my ID, and the clothes on my back. But none of that mattered. I could always buy a new phone. A new camera. As long as I was heading back to New York, I was free.A small, victorious smile tugged at my lips as I stared at the open road ahead. Soon, I’d be away from him. Away from his suffocating presence, his piercing gaze. I would disappear into the crowds of the city, vanish in the sea of yellow taxis and bright billboards, and he would never find me again.The drive to Portland Airport felt longer than it should have, each mile stretching painfully with the weight of silence. He sat beside me, completely at ease, his long fingers drum
PRISCILLA I had accepted my fate of being bossed around by him, but exposing my body in front of his people? That was too much. Without thinking, I yanked myself free, rose onto my toes, and slapped him—hard. The sharp crack of my palm against his cheek echoed through the room, louder than I expected. Silence fell. Everyone stared. And for a moment, even I was stunned by what I’d done.He didn’t flinch. He just stood there, staring at me with those cold, unblinking eyes, like he was daring me to do it again. My heart was racing, and my palms were sweating, but I refused to look away.“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “Don’t test me.”I wanted to say something, to throw his words back in his face, but the look in his eyes made my throat tighten. Finally, I found my voice, though it came out shaky. “Y-you can do anything else to me,” I stammered, my tone trembling as I tried to sound firm, “but don’t you ever humiliate me like that again. Don’t you e
GABRIEL The room was unnervingly quiet, save for the faint rustle of fabric as I pulled back the torn remnants of her shirt again, desperate to make sense of what I wasn’t seeing. Her skin was pristine, smooth as untouched marble. My brows furrowed in disbelief. “How is this possible?” I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible over the weight of my thoughts. The bite should have been there—deep, unmistakable. The men I sent were precise, and obedient to the letter. There was no way they could have failed. I straightened, dragging a hand through my hair as I stepped back from the bed. My wolf stirred uneasily in the back of my mind, his presence pressing against the edges of my thoughts. “Gabriel, something’s off.”“No kidding,” I muttered aloud. I turned to leave, trying to distance myself from the inexplicable sight before me, but something tugged at me, an invisible thread pulling me back. I stopped mid-step, my jaw tightening. The logical part of me wanted to
GABRIEL This human is an absolute headache.I muttered, my gaze glued to the live feed on my phone where she clung to the iron gate like a stubborn squirrel determined to escape, muttering curses as she tried to climb over it.I couldn’t help but chuckle, low and amused. “What the hell does she think she’s doing?” The question wasn’t really aimed at anyone but myself. Her audacity was something else entirely.With a swipe of my thumb, I flipped to the control panel and opened the gate. I watched as it slowly slid open, and, as expected, she lost her footing and fell. “Figures,” I murmured, shaking my head. I expected her to stay down, but she was back on her feet almost instantly.The next part was what caught me off guard. She glanced at the camera—right at me—and flipped me off, her expression defiant and unapologetic. Then she marched off down the road, her back rigid and her steps purposeful.I laughed, a deep rumble that filled the room. It wasn’t often that someone caught me of
PRISCILLA The air burned in my lungs as I pressed myself against the wall, my pulse pounding in my ears. My hands trembled, and I gripped the cold, uneven surface behind me to steady myself. My escape wasn’t working. Every hallway looked the same, every door leading to another dead end.I ran a hand through my tangled hair, letting out a shaky breath. No one was chasing me. No heavy footsteps, no snarls, no angry voices calling out to stop me. Yet the silence wasn’t comforting—it was suffocating.“How many damn rooms do I have to run through to find the exit?” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper, though it echoed eerily in the stillness.I froze mid-step as the deep, gravelly voice I dreaded—and knew all too well—pierced the quiet like a blade.“You’re running in the wrong direction,” he said, the sound rolling through the empty hall like thunder. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I spun around, pressing my back harder against the wall.He stepped out from the shadows, hi
PRISCILLAThe stench hit me before my eyes fully opened—a suffocating, putrid scent that made my stomach churn. My lashes fluttered against my cheeks as I blinked awake, my senses sluggish yet screaming all at once.And then I saw it.A guttural, shuddering scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it. Looming above me was… something not human, not animal, but some twisted, monstrous in-between. Its skin looked like it was decaying and alive all at once, black veins snaking over it in chaotic patterns, pulsing like they had a heartbeat of their own.Its eyes… glowing, hollow pits of malice, were fixed on me.I scrambled back, pressing myself hard against the wall as if I could disappear into it. My breath hitched, every inhale catching in my throat as I stared, wide-eyed, at the creature before me. Its growl resonated through the air, low and menacing, vibrating deep into my bones.This couldn’t be real.The creature’s head tilted slightly, almost curiously, as if it were study