Jacky’s POV
Pain rippled through me, a dull ache at first, then sharp and insistent, pulling me from the void. My eyes fluttered open, but the world was a blur. Voices surrounded me, low and frantic.
“Get her on the bed,” someone said, the words edged with urgency.
“Blankets-now!” another snapped.
I was weightless, carried like a doll. My limbs felt heavy, unresponsive, as though they didn’t belong to me. The softness of a mattress met my back, the scent of earth and sweat mingling with something metallic-blood. My blood.
The voices kept coming, overlapping, urgent whispers I couldn’t make sense of.
“Jacky…” one murmured close to my ear.
But the warmth of their hands couldn’t touch the cold sinking into my chest.
Then the screaming started.
I didn’t even realize it was mine.
It wasn’t the room I saw. It wasn’t the people hovering over me. I was somewhere else, somewhere dark and infinite, pulled into the abyss of my own mind.
Blood coated the ground beneath my feet, thick and warm. The air reeked of iron, choking me with its stench. Bodies lay sprawled across the field, twisted and broken. Their faces were blank, but I could feel their suffering, their terror, as if it was etched into my soul.
I looked down. My hands were slick, the crimson liquid dripping from my fingers.
“No,” I whispered, stepping back, but the blood followed, seeping around my feet.
Movement caught my eye. I turned and saw him-Roman.
He stood a few feet away, his chest heaving, his hands soaked in the same viscous red. His face was shadowed, unreadable, but his eyes burned with something primal and unrelenting.
“You did this,” he said, his voice low and guttural.
I shook my head, my breath hitching. “No. I didn’t-”
The ground trembled beneath me, and I stumbled. My reflection glared back at me from the blood pooling at my feet, but it wasn’t my face.
A wolf stared back, its features grotesque and unnatural. Black, viscous blood oozed from its muzzle, its eyes glowing like embers. The abomination snarled, teeth bared, and I felt its rage pierce through me like a blade.
I wasn’t just seeing it. I was it.
—
The scene shifted violently, the ground dropping out from under me.
I was running now, my claws digging into the earth, my breaths ragged. But these weren’t my movements. This wasn’t my body.
The wolf was in control.
It tore through the forest, scattering shadows and moonlight. Trees splintered, the sound echoing in my ears like gunshots.
And then came the screams.
Faces flashed before me as I-no, it-slashed through flesh and bone. The faces of people I didn’t know but somehow felt tethered to, their pain ripping through me like shards of glass.
I begged it to stop, but the wolf only snarled, its bloodlust consuming everything in its path.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice drowned out by the cacophony of destruction.
The wolf’s laughter rumbled through my mind. *You are me. You can’t escape.*
Pain shot through me, and I screamed, my body convulsing. Every death was mine to bear. Every life snuffed out was another wound, another scar etched into my soul.
The last thing I saw was the wolf’s face, its blackened muzzle stained with carnage.
“You did this to us,” it growled.
And then there was nothing.
Alpha Roman’s POV
My eyes snapped open, the world coming back in a rush of blurred edges and muted sounds.
The first thing I noticed was the ache-the familiar aftermath of my wolf’s rage. It pressed against my chest like a lead weight, reminding me of the chaos I had unleashed.
“Roman.”
I turned my head, my sister’s face swimming into focus. Riley sat beside me, her expression a mixture of relief and worry.
“You’re awake,” she said softly.
I pushed myself up, my body protesting every movement. “What happened?”
Riley hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You lost control. The wolf… it took over.”
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. Memories of the night before clawed their way to the surface-Jacky, the transformation, the wolf’s relentless rage.
“She’s alive?” I asked, my voice rough.
Riley nodded. “Barely. The others are with her now.”
Before I could respond, the door creaked open, and a cold presence filled the room.
She stepped inside, her movements deliberate and unnervingly calm. My mother’s gaze swept over the room, taking in every detail with a predator’s precision.
Her lips curved into a smile, but it was a sharp, hollow thing.
“Roman,” she said, her voice smooth and cutting. “Still causing problems, I see.”
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to meet her gaze. “Mother.”
She approached, her footsteps barely making a sound. When she reached me, she leaned down, brushing a kiss against my forehead. The gesture was almost tender, but the chill in her eyes betrayed her.
She straightened, turning her attention to Riley. “Come, darling,” she said, her tone softening just enough to be unsettling. “We’ve been patient long enough.”
Riley frowned, glancing between us. “What are you talking about?”
My mother’s smile widened, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
“It’s time I see who this Jacky is,” she said, her voice dripping with malice. “The girl causing so much trouble.”