Roman’s POV
Satisfied, I was about to turn away, feeling a surge of triumph as I looked down at her. But then, like a raw, searing force, it hit me-my wolf’s power swelling up, dark and vicious, pressing outward as if it had been waiting in the shadows, hungry for release. I clenched my jaw, trying to force it down, but the sensation was like fire, burning through my veins, spreading out from my core until my hands trembled and my feet refused to move.
No no no! This can’t be happening. Not now. Not in front of her.
I willed myself to leave the room, to walk away, but I couldn’t. My muscles locked in place, tense and frozen, as if my wolf was refusing to let me escape. It wanted blood, and I felt its urge rise within me-a beast pressing its claws into my skin, thrashing against my mind, demanding violence. Rage filled me, raw and pulsing, as I struggled to hold it back.
Suddenly, the guards outside burst in, their faces masked with alarm. “Alpha!” one of them called, eyes wide with confusion as he took in my expression. They didn’t know, couldn’t know, what was happening, and before they had the chance to understand, the full weight of my power crashed over them like a wave. My Alpha Aura, thick and suffocating, poured from me in dark, relentless waves. The guards dropped to their knees, eyes squeezed shut, trembling under the intensity. I could see them gasping, choking on the power they couldn’t withstand.
The room was filled with their struggles, the sounds of bodies collapsing under my force. But it wasn’t enough. Every fiber of my wolf screamed for more, demanded release. All I wanted was to tear them all apart, to unleash the violent hunger building inside me.
Then I heard her. “Roman,” Jacky’s voice broke through, clear and grounding.
Her tone pulled me back, her calm presence cutting through the chaos in my mind. How was this possible? Why was she not affected? I felt her hand on my shoulder, steady and warm, and to my disbelief, she didn’t flinch, didn’t recoil from the darkness roiling off me. Instead, her touch settled over me like a tether, a soft thread holding me back from the edge.
My knees buckled, and I crashed to the floor, surrendering under the unbearable weight of my wolf’s fury. It was like being trapped beneath a storm I’d unleashed but couldn’t control. Every fiber of me strained to keep it contained, but I felt it flooding into my veins, cold and unrelenting, pushing me down, clawing for power. My fingers scratched against the stone as claws tore through the tips, the transformation already beginning.
A low, guttural growl ripped from my chest, a sound that barely felt human. My teeth sharpened, fangs pressing into my lower lip until I tasted blood, my wolf’s voice rumbling from somewhere deep within me, a voice that was far darker and older than mine.
*She deserves this,* it growled, its words edged with a hatred I didn’t fully understand. *Three hundred years, Roman. Do you remember? I do. She made us suffer; she betrayed us.*
My muscles locked as it surged through me, each word soaking into my bones, hardening into something primal. The memories it dragged up felt foreign, ancient, but they burned in my mind like fire, turning everything I knew into ashes.
*She thinks she’s safe,* it snarled, the anger intensifying, *but finally, the time has come. Every promise she broke, every lie she told-tonight, she pays. Vengeance, Roman. She will scream, and I will not stop until I see her blood spill.*
The sheer hatred echoed through me, relentless, almost drowning out the last of my thoughts. I tried to pull it back, to hold onto what little control I had left, but it was useless. This wasn’t a part of me I could leash. This was my wolf, untamed and unyielding, rising to reclaim what it had waited centuries for.
*Let me out,* it demanded, its tone twisting with satisfaction, its hunger growing like a dark shadow consuming everything in its path. *Tonight, we finish what was started. This time, she will not escape.*
I tried to force it down, tried to make sense of the words echoing through my mind, but my wolf’s rage was too powerful, the memories surfacing with it like twisted shadows. I wanted to speak, to warn her, to tell her to run before it was too late.
“Jacky…” I forced out, barely a whisper, the sound almost swallowed by the storm raging inside me. My lips trembled, caught between a growl and a plea, every word a battle. I clutched at the last threads of control, my vision flickering between red and black. My fangs pressed deeper into my lip, the taste of blood sharp on my tongue.
“Go…” I managed again, my voice raw, a fractured warning. I couldn’t look at her, couldn’t bear the sight of her standing so close, her scent fueling the fire clawing through me. “Run-”
It was all I could say, the only word that made it past the force of my wolf’s rage, the only mercy I had left. “Run, Jacky. Now!”
She took a step back, fear flashing in her eyes as she watched my struggle, and as I looked at her, I saw myself through my wolf’s gaze-red-eyed, feral, teeth bared. The beast within me was coming through, taking control, and there was nothing left to hold it back.
She stumbled backward, and I saw her falter, caught between terror and disbelief as she realized the danger she was in. “Roman…?” she whispered, her voice unsteady.
But there was no Roman left. Only the beast. My vision darkened as my wolf surged forward, tearing through my control, leaving me buried deep beneath its wrath. The last thing I saw was her pale, terrified face as she turned and fled, stumbling out the door and disappearing into the hall.
And then, I was gone.