Alethea
Selena’s voice is frantic and shaky like she has run a mile and is struggling to catch her breath. But through her panic, I manage to pick up the only words that matter-
“Declan has been taken! I can’t find him, Ally! I’ve searched everywhere, but my boy is gone!”
A sob breaks through the phone, raw and heart-wrenching.
The tray in my hands slips, crashing onto the floor with a deafening sound. Plates shatter, and silverware clatters, sending a hush through the diner. Every head turns toward me, some faces filled with concern, others irritated that I’ve disrupted their peaceful meal.
But I don’t care.
I can’t breathe.
A crushing weight presses against my chest, making it feel impossible to draw air. My hands begin to shake violently, heat rising in waves through my body, but not the kind that offers warmth. No, this heat burns-it’s the fire of panic, of desperation, of a mother whose world is collapsing right before her eyes.
My vision blurs. My ears ring.
Declan is gone.
Without a second thought, I bolt for the door. My mind is a storm, swirling with fear and disbelief. This can’t be real. This has to be some cruel nightmare I will wake up from any second now.
I didn’t stop.
I don’t even think about calling for a cab-I can’t sit still, can’t waste a single second. My body moves on pure instinct, fueled by nothing but fear and adrenaline.
Then, suddenly, I’m running.
Not a jog. Not a sprint.
A desperate, full-throttle, breath-stealing run-a mother driven by the primal need to find her child. My legs respond with a speed I never knew I possessed. The world around me blurs, buildings and people turning into nothing but streaks of color as I push myself harder, faster.
The pounding of my feet against the pavement matches the frantic rhythm of my heart. I can feel my pulse roaring in my ears, drowning out every other sound except for one-
Selena’s broken voice echoed in my head.
Declan has been taken.
And nothing-absolutely nothing-will stop me from finding my son.
The moment I reach the front porch, I don’t hesitate. I yank the door open so hard it nearly comes off its hinges. My chest is heaving, my lungs burning, but none of that matters-only my son does.
Inside, the scene before me knocks the breath from my body.
Selena is on the floor, crumpled in on herself, her face buried in her hands as gut-wrenching sobs wracked her body. Her pain is raw and uncontrollable, and it terrifies me.
The second she spots me, she rushes forward, her hands grasping mine in desperation.
“Oh my Goddess, Ally! They have my boy! They took Declan! I-I couldn’t stop them!”
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. The world tilts, the air in my lungs vanishing as if someone has ripped it away. A strangled, heart-wrenching cry rips from my throat, a sound I don’t recognize as my own.
I drop to my knees, tears blurring my vision as I struggle to form words.
“Selena… how? How did this happen?” I manage to choke out between ragged sobs.
She tries to explain, but the words refuse to come. Her body shakes violently, tears pouring down her face. I know she loves Declan-I know this is killing her, too-but for fuck’s sake, that is my boy!
A sudden burst of desperation surges through me. I pull away from Selena and sprint through the house, throwing open doors and searching every room like a madwoman. Maybe-just maybe-he’s here. Maybe he’s playing hide and seek. Maybe he fell asleep somewhere, and Selena, being the overprotective one, assumed the worst.
But deep down, I know better.
Room after room-empty. No giggles, no tiny footsteps running toward me. Just silence.
When I reach Declan’s room, the familiar scent of him surrounds me, wrapping around me like a ghost of his presence. His bed is neatly made, his favorite stuffed animal resting against his pillow. A few scattered toys lie on the floor, as if he had been playing just moments before he… before he was taken.
The silence is suffocating.
If he were here, he would have called out to me the second I stepped inside. He would have run to me, his tiny arms reaching for me, his voice full of laughter and love. But now-nothing.
My fingers tighten around one of his stuffed animals, my grip so fierce my knuckles turn white.
Panic claws at my throat, squeezing tighter with every passing second. My heart slams against my ribs like a war drum, fear twisting in my stomach, growing darker and more vicious with every terrifying thought racing through my mind.
Where is he? Is he scared? Is he crying for me?
The image of his bright smile flashes before my eyes, followed by the sound of his laughter-so pure, so innocent. His tiny hands reached for mine, his sleepy voice whispering, “Mommy, I love you.”
A violent sob breaks free from my chest.
I feel like I’m drowning, trapped under a crushing weight that won’t let me move, won’t let me breathe. I need to act. I need to find him. But right now, I feel utterly powerless.
A sudden tremor runs through me, then another, each one stronger than the last.
Heat blooms in my chest, slow at first, then all at once, spreading like wildfire.
My breath comes in short, sharp gasps as an unfamiliar sensation courses through me, something primal, something fierce.
Behind me, I feel a presence even before I hear her voice.
“Ally!” Selena calls out with desperation.
My skin tingles, every nerve alert, every sound suddenly sharper.
The rustling of leaves, the whisper of the wind, even the distant hoot of an owl-it all feels amplified, more intense than ever before.
The air itself feels different, charged with something unseen, something powerful.
Then, a low hum stirs deep inside me. Faint at first, almost like a whisper in the back of my mind, but growing stronger with every heartbeat.
My breath catches as realization slams into me.
A part of me-one I thought would never awaken, a part I had been denied, a part I had long given up hope on-is stirring to life.
But right now, I don’t feel fear.
I feel furious.
Blazing, white-hot rage surges through me, burning away every ounce of doubt, every shred of weakness.
Whoever dared to take my son, whoever thought they could rip him away from me, would pay.
I take off in a sprint, faster than I ever have before, my feet barely touching the ground as I race toward the forest.
Behind me, Selena’s voice is relentless, calling my name over and over, but I barely hear her.
Because something else is calling to me.
Something deeper.
Something unstoppable.
The moment I reach the clearing, my body reacts before my mind can catch up.
A scorching heat erupts in my veins, starting as a low hum in my bones, but as the weight of my son’s disappearance crashes down on me, that hum turns into a deafening roar.
My pulse quickens. Every muscle tightens, coiling with an unfamiliar strength. My nails lengthen into razor-sharp points. My vision sharpens, the night brighter and clearer than ever before.
Then it happens.
A deep growl rumbles from my chest, a sound so foreign yet so right. The sound morphs into a howl-raw, guttural, powerful.
My bones crack.
Agony rips through me, like fire burning beneath my skin. I had prepared for this shift when I turned eighteen and had waited for it desperately, only to be met with disappointment. But nothing could have prepared me for this.
A pulse of raw energy explodes from my core, shaking me to my very foundation. My body contorts, my muscles stretch, my very being shatters-and then, the last thread of control snaps.
I drop to all fours.
I am no longer Alethea Weaver.
I am something else.
Something unstoppable.
And nothing-nothing-will stand in my way.