THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME - Chapter 8: Chapter 8
You are reading THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME, Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Read more chapters of THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME.
EVANGELINE POINT OF VIEW
Cold.
That's the first thing I feel. Cold earth beneath my skin. Cold air filling my lungs. Cold wetness seeping through what's left of my clothes.
My eyes snap open to darkness pierced by moonlight.
Flashes of fire flood my memory. Screaming wind. Her voice ..... my wolf
.... howling not in pain but in birth. And then darkness. Cold.
Trees tower above me like ancient guardians, their branches reaching toward stars I've never seen so clearly before. Every leaf rustles with sounds that seem to whisper my name.
*Evangeline. Evangeline. Evangeline.*
But that's not right. That's not what they're saying.
*Lunara. Lunara. Lunara.*
I sit up slowly, my body aching in places I didn't know could hurt. My school uniform hangs in tatters around me. The fabric is torn like claws ripped through it. Like something tried to break free from the inside.
Panic floods my chest. Where am I? How did I get here?
The last thing I remember is Professor Blackwood's office. The purple potion burning down my throat. The explosion of fire in my chest where my wolf lives.
My wolf.
I press my hand to my heart and gasp. She's there. Not sleeping. Not silent. Not hidden.
She's wide awake and prowling through my mind like she owns it.
Because she does.
The realization hits me like lightning. This isn't my body anymore. Not just mine. She's claimed her space. Made herself known. And she's... different than before.
Bigger. Stronger. Hungrier.
So much hungrier.
My stomach clenches with need that goes beyond food. I need to run. To hunt. To feel earth beneath paws and wind in fur. The human part of me shrinks back from these thoughts, but my wolf pushes forward.
I scramble to my feet, but my legs shake like a newborn deer. Everything feels too intense. Too much. The moonlight burns my skin. The forest sounds crash over me in waves. Even the air tastes different now. Richer. Full of scents I never noticed before.
Pine and earth and something wild that makes my nose twitch. Other wolves have been here. Recently. Their trails crisscross through the trees like invisible highways.
But there's another scent. My own scent. And it's... wrong.
It doesn't smell like the weak omega girl who walked into Professor Blackwood's office. This scent is sharp. Dangerous. It makes small animals go silent in the underbrush.
What am I becoming?
I take a step forward and stumble. My body feels foreign. Like I'm wearing clothes that don't fit. My senses are too sharp. My muscles feel coiled with energy I don't know how to release.
The trees around me seem to lean in closer. Their branches create a canopy that blocks out most of the sky. Only fragments of moonlight filter through, painting silver patterns on the forest floor.
And in that silver light, I see footprints.
My footprints. Leading from deeper in the forest to where I now stand.
How long was I walking? How far did I come?
I follow the trail backwards, my bare feet silent on the soft earth. The torn remains of my shoes lie scattered along the path like bread crumbs. My jacket hangs from a low branch. My backpack sits abandoned beside a fallen log.
I don't remember any of this.
The hunger in my stomach grows stronger. More insistent. I double over as pain shoots through my abdomen. It feels like something is eating me from the inside out.
*What your wolf craves,* a voice whispers in my memory. But there's no one here. Just me and the forest and this terrible need.
Images flash through my mind. Deer leaping through moonlight. Rabbits frozen in terror. The sweet taste of hot blood on my tongue.
I fall to my knees and retch. The human part of me rejects these thoughts. Revolts against them.
But my wolf whines with need.
*I can't,* I gasp to the empty air. *I'm not a killer.*
The forest doesn't answer. But something rustles in the bushes nearby. Something small and quick and alive.
My head snaps up. My nostrils flare. Without thinking, I'm on my feet and moving toward the sound.
A rabbit sits frozen twenty feet away. Its dark eyes reflect the moonlight. Its heart beats so fast I can hear it from here.
My mouth waters.
The human part of my mind screams in horror, but my body moves on its own. Crouched low. Silent. Every instinct focused on the tiny creature that doesn't know death is watching.
Ten feet.
Five feet.
The rabbit bolts.
And I give chase.
My bare feet fly over roots and rocks. Branches tear at my ruined clothes. But I don't feel the pain. All I feel is the hunt. The pursuit. The primal joy of predator chasing prey.
The rabbit darts left. I follow without thinking. It leaps over a fallen tree. I vault after it with grace I've never possessed.
This is what my wolf was made for. This moment. This chase. This perfect clarity of purpose.
The rabbit stumbles.
I pounce.
My hands close around its warm body. Its heart hammers against my palms. One quick twist and it goes still.
The silence that follows is deafening.
I stare down at the small corpse in my hands. At what I've done. At what I've become.
But instead of disgust, I feel... satisfaction.
The hunger in my stomach roars with approval. My wolf practically purrs with contentment.
*Good,* she whispers in my mind, her voice stronger than it's ever been. *Let them try to bind me now.*
The satisfaction in her tone sends shivers down my spine. She's not just awake. She's angry. And hungry for more than just blood.
I should be horrified. Should throw the rabbit away and run screaming back to civilization.
Instead, I bite down.
The taste of blood floods my mouth. Hot. Copper. Life itself flowing over my tongue.
And it's perfect.
I eat without thinking. Without questioning. My body knows what it needs, and I give it freely.
When I finish, I lick my fingers clean and lean back against a tree trunk. The hunger has faded to a gentle warmth in my stomach. My wolf lies contentedly in my mind.
But some part of me still trembles. Not from cold, but from knowing what I'd done. What I'd enjoyed. The taste of life itself on my tongue.
My human thoughts are chaos.
What have I done? What am I?
A name whispers through my consciousness. Not spoken by anyone. Just... there. Like it's always been there, waiting for me to remember.
*Lunara.*
The trees seem to sigh when I think it. Like they've been waiting for me to remember my true name.
But I've never heard that name before. Never been called anything but Evangeline.
Unless...
I close my eyes and let my mind drift. Let myself remember not with my conscious thoughts but with something deeper. Something that existed before I was born.
Darkness. Warmth. A voice singing lullabies in a language I don't recognize.
*Sleep, little moon child. Sleep until the world is ready for your light.*
*My name is Lunara.*
*Yes, precious one. Your name is Lunara. But the world will call you Evangeline until you're strong enough to claim what you are.*
*What am I?*
*You are power. You are change. You are the bridge between what was and what will be.*
The memory fades, leaving me gasping in the present.
I'm not just a wolf. I'm something else. Something rare. Something that was hidden even from myself until tonight.
But what does that mean? What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?
The bond in my chest pulses weakly. Still there. Still connecting me to Ronan despite everything he's done.
But it feels different now. Less like a chain and more like... a leash.
A leash I might be strong enough to break.
I stand up slowly, testing my new strength. My new balance. Everything feels sharper now. More focused.
The binding stone still affects me. I can feel its pull even here in the forest. But it's weaker. Like trying to hold back an ocean with a screen door.
I look up at the moon through the canopy of leaves. It's full tonight. Perfect and bright and calling to something deep in my bones.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere.
Not in a pack. Not in a school. Not in the werewolves world that never wanted me.
But here. In this moment. In this wild place where my true self can finally breathe.
The girl named Evangeline is dying.
And something far more dangerous is taking her place.
Something with a name the trees remember.
Something hungry.
Something that won't be caged again.
And soon, Ronan would learn what it meant to unleash something he could never put back in a cage.
Cold.
That's the first thing I feel. Cold earth beneath my skin. Cold air filling my lungs. Cold wetness seeping through what's left of my clothes.
My eyes snap open to darkness pierced by moonlight.
Flashes of fire flood my memory. Screaming wind. Her voice ..... my wolf
.... howling not in pain but in birth. And then darkness. Cold.
Trees tower above me like ancient guardians, their branches reaching toward stars I've never seen so clearly before. Every leaf rustles with sounds that seem to whisper my name.
*Evangeline. Evangeline. Evangeline.*
But that's not right. That's not what they're saying.
*Lunara. Lunara. Lunara.*
I sit up slowly, my body aching in places I didn't know could hurt. My school uniform hangs in tatters around me. The fabric is torn like claws ripped through it. Like something tried to break free from the inside.
Panic floods my chest. Where am I? How did I get here?
The last thing I remember is Professor Blackwood's office. The purple potion burning down my throat. The explosion of fire in my chest where my wolf lives.
My wolf.
I press my hand to my heart and gasp. She's there. Not sleeping. Not silent. Not hidden.
She's wide awake and prowling through my mind like she owns it.
Because she does.
The realization hits me like lightning. This isn't my body anymore. Not just mine. She's claimed her space. Made herself known. And she's... different than before.
Bigger. Stronger. Hungrier.
So much hungrier.
My stomach clenches with need that goes beyond food. I need to run. To hunt. To feel earth beneath paws and wind in fur. The human part of me shrinks back from these thoughts, but my wolf pushes forward.
I scramble to my feet, but my legs shake like a newborn deer. Everything feels too intense. Too much. The moonlight burns my skin. The forest sounds crash over me in waves. Even the air tastes different now. Richer. Full of scents I never noticed before.
Pine and earth and something wild that makes my nose twitch. Other wolves have been here. Recently. Their trails crisscross through the trees like invisible highways.
But there's another scent. My own scent. And it's... wrong.
It doesn't smell like the weak omega girl who walked into Professor Blackwood's office. This scent is sharp. Dangerous. It makes small animals go silent in the underbrush.
What am I becoming?
I take a step forward and stumble. My body feels foreign. Like I'm wearing clothes that don't fit. My senses are too sharp. My muscles feel coiled with energy I don't know how to release.
The trees around me seem to lean in closer. Their branches create a canopy that blocks out most of the sky. Only fragments of moonlight filter through, painting silver patterns on the forest floor.
And in that silver light, I see footprints.
My footprints. Leading from deeper in the forest to where I now stand.
How long was I walking? How far did I come?
I follow the trail backwards, my bare feet silent on the soft earth. The torn remains of my shoes lie scattered along the path like bread crumbs. My jacket hangs from a low branch. My backpack sits abandoned beside a fallen log.
I don't remember any of this.
The hunger in my stomach grows stronger. More insistent. I double over as pain shoots through my abdomen. It feels like something is eating me from the inside out.
*What your wolf craves,* a voice whispers in my memory. But there's no one here. Just me and the forest and this terrible need.
Images flash through my mind. Deer leaping through moonlight. Rabbits frozen in terror. The sweet taste of hot blood on my tongue.
I fall to my knees and retch. The human part of me rejects these thoughts. Revolts against them.
But my wolf whines with need.
*I can't,* I gasp to the empty air. *I'm not a killer.*
The forest doesn't answer. But something rustles in the bushes nearby. Something small and quick and alive.
My head snaps up. My nostrils flare. Without thinking, I'm on my feet and moving toward the sound.
A rabbit sits frozen twenty feet away. Its dark eyes reflect the moonlight. Its heart beats so fast I can hear it from here.
My mouth waters.
The human part of my mind screams in horror, but my body moves on its own. Crouched low. Silent. Every instinct focused on the tiny creature that doesn't know death is watching.
Ten feet.
Five feet.
The rabbit bolts.
And I give chase.
My bare feet fly over roots and rocks. Branches tear at my ruined clothes. But I don't feel the pain. All I feel is the hunt. The pursuit. The primal joy of predator chasing prey.
The rabbit darts left. I follow without thinking. It leaps over a fallen tree. I vault after it with grace I've never possessed.
This is what my wolf was made for. This moment. This chase. This perfect clarity of purpose.
The rabbit stumbles.
I pounce.
My hands close around its warm body. Its heart hammers against my palms. One quick twist and it goes still.
The silence that follows is deafening.
I stare down at the small corpse in my hands. At what I've done. At what I've become.
But instead of disgust, I feel... satisfaction.
The hunger in my stomach roars with approval. My wolf practically purrs with contentment.
*Good,* she whispers in my mind, her voice stronger than it's ever been. *Let them try to bind me now.*
The satisfaction in her tone sends shivers down my spine. She's not just awake. She's angry. And hungry for more than just blood.
I should be horrified. Should throw the rabbit away and run screaming back to civilization.
Instead, I bite down.
The taste of blood floods my mouth. Hot. Copper. Life itself flowing over my tongue.
And it's perfect.
I eat without thinking. Without questioning. My body knows what it needs, and I give it freely.
When I finish, I lick my fingers clean and lean back against a tree trunk. The hunger has faded to a gentle warmth in my stomach. My wolf lies contentedly in my mind.
But some part of me still trembles. Not from cold, but from knowing what I'd done. What I'd enjoyed. The taste of life itself on my tongue.
My human thoughts are chaos.
What have I done? What am I?
A name whispers through my consciousness. Not spoken by anyone. Just... there. Like it's always been there, waiting for me to remember.
*Lunara.*
The trees seem to sigh when I think it. Like they've been waiting for me to remember my true name.
But I've never heard that name before. Never been called anything but Evangeline.
Unless...
I close my eyes and let my mind drift. Let myself remember not with my conscious thoughts but with something deeper. Something that existed before I was born.
Darkness. Warmth. A voice singing lullabies in a language I don't recognize.
*Sleep, little moon child. Sleep until the world is ready for your light.*
*My name is Lunara.*
*Yes, precious one. Your name is Lunara. But the world will call you Evangeline until you're strong enough to claim what you are.*
*What am I?*
*You are power. You are change. You are the bridge between what was and what will be.*
The memory fades, leaving me gasping in the present.
I'm not just a wolf. I'm something else. Something rare. Something that was hidden even from myself until tonight.
But what does that mean? What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?
The bond in my chest pulses weakly. Still there. Still connecting me to Ronan despite everything he's done.
But it feels different now. Less like a chain and more like... a leash.
A leash I might be strong enough to break.
I stand up slowly, testing my new strength. My new balance. Everything feels sharper now. More focused.
The binding stone still affects me. I can feel its pull even here in the forest. But it's weaker. Like trying to hold back an ocean with a screen door.
I look up at the moon through the canopy of leaves. It's full tonight. Perfect and bright and calling to something deep in my bones.
For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong somewhere.
Not in a pack. Not in a school. Not in the werewolves world that never wanted me.
But here. In this moment. In this wild place where my true self can finally breathe.
The girl named Evangeline is dying.
And something far more dangerous is taking her place.
Something with a name the trees remember.
Something hungry.
Something that won't be caged again.
And soon, Ronan would learn what it meant to unleash something he could never put back in a cage.
End of THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME Chapter 8. Continue reading Chapter 9 or return to THE ALPHA WHO HATED ME book page.