The Gathering

"So where are we going?" I asked Sabrina as we left my new abode, her hips swaying to an unheard beat in her khaki shorts, a style I hadn't noticed she had during my tour with Jasmine. 

Her lithe figure seemed sculpted by an artist, and her long legs gave the impression of endless poise and strength.

Her posture was impeccable, her shoulders back, and her head held high, exuding confidence. Her walk was a confident stride, each movement purposeful and fluid, as if she was effortlessly gliding.

She was a very beautiful woman by all standards honestly, and I felt a little intimidated.

"The pack house. To celebrate the newly transformed pups." She answered as we passed the swarm of houses, the pack house soon in view.

Unlike yesterday, there were people of the moon everywhere, bustling and laughing as they all headed to the pack house. There children running about too, taunting themselves and conversing with their parents. 

It looked very peaceful and wholesome, an act we had never practiced in Nightfang.

Some of the werewolves turned to look at me, their noses twitching at my scent, and I became nervous, worried about how they could potentially react.

To my surprise, they didn't. Instead, they simply continued heading toward the pack house, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"What about my scent? Wouldn't it be weird for a human to be in the midst of werewolves and Lycans?" I asked Sabrina as we neared the pack house. The entrance was flooded with people.

She turned around to look at me, uncertainty evident on her face. She bit her lip, contemplating my question.

"Well, no one can question the Alpha, so I don't think you have anything to worry about," she said, though her words didn't offer much comfort. Alpha? What did the Alpha have to do with all of this?

"Okay," I muttered. 

~ 

"Today marks the end of another successful Goddess Day," Jaxon began from the podium, and Damon shuffled up behind him, clearly indicating the werewolf hierarchy.

The general hall was filled to the brink with people, children accompanied by their various parents. Sabrina and I positioned ourselves near the entrance, as being in the middle would have drawn too much attention to me.

Even in my less obvious spot, a few werewolves cast wary glances and glares my way, their confusion evident when they spotted me with Sabrina.

"And today, we celebrate our pups who have finally connected with their wolves," Jaxon continued, his gaze lingering on Sabrina with a mate-like intensity. If Jaxon was the Beta, and the Damon from yesterday was the Gamma, the question of where the Alpha was still remained. 

As if to answer my question, an aura slithered into the hall, sending shivers down my spine. It was bone-chilling, an oppressive weight that seemed to crush my very essence.

Every fiber of my being screamed in submission, as if I should get myself on the floor and lick it clean, acknowledging my insignificance. The aura loomed like a malevolent specter, its presence seeping into every corner of the room, a suffocating shroud that twisted the air.

It dominated and subjugated, rendering Jaxon and Damon's auras feeble and powerless by comparison. The werewolves themselves appeared dwarfed in its overwhelming presence, reduced to mere shadows in the face of an unfathomable darkness.

The very air grew heavy with foreboding, and I heard the terrified whimpering of pups who couldn't bear the overwhelming intensity of this malevolent presence. It was a sensation that went beyond fear, bordering on the edge of something profoundly sinister, making my heart race with a primal instinct to flee from the monstrous entity that had just entered the room.

"Alpha."I heard Sabrina mutter, and I turned to look at her. Pure horror was etched across her face, her eyes reflecting raw fear that had left her utterly paralyzed.

My heart sank as I turned back to the podium, and my jaw dropped in shock. It was the same man from yesterday.

His height easily dwarfing Damon and Jaxon, he wore a dark, well-fitted shirt and trousers that accentuated his lean yet powerful build. There were no unnecessary adornments or accessories, emphasizing his no-nonsense demeanor.

He wore a cold expression, an expression that didn't easily reveal his thoughts or emotions.

His eyes were a deep, intense shade that seemed to bore into your soul when he looked your way.

Immediately, as I saw him, our eyes locked. It was as if time had stopped, and there were only the two of us in the room.

In that intense moment, something warm stirred within me as he continued to gaze into my eyes, nothing similar to what had stirred within me when I was with Theo.

Attraction.

An undeniable want.

A smoldering desire. 

What was this?

As if breaking out of a spell, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed in a deep frown, and he tore his gaze away from me. My body fell into an immediate, stunned silence at this abrupt disconnect, as though a spell had been shattered, leaving a lingering sense of longing in its wake.

 What was happening with me? Why was I feeling such an immense connection with someone I had barely spoken to. My heart started racing, as if in a 100m sprint, and a shade of red crept onto my cheeks. 

Everyone in the room was being overpowered by the scent, their reactions ranging from discomfort to unease. Yet, here I was, feeling like a teenager with a racing heart and a flush of warmth in my cheeks.

It was undeniably uncomfortable, this unexpected and powerful attraction that had taken hold of me in such an intense and unfamiliar way.

"Thank you for gathering today, Bloodmoon," he began, addressing the assembled group with a voice that resonated deeply in the room. "As you always have in the past few years. Today marks a very special day as it was this day our ancestor first transformed into a Lycan, a gift from the moon goddess that has been carried on."

His voice was not just deep but also carried a commanding presence, and he spoke with articulation, his hands clasped together in a gesture of reverence.

It was a voice that demanded attention and respect, effortlessly holding the room in rapt attention, and silencing the chattering children. 

It was captivating, alluring to say the least and I was easily drawn to him.

"Today, we'll have a run, as we always have, and enjoy our company and our children. They are our light and pride. Thank you, Bloodmoon. Good day," he finished, and suddenly, someone howled. It was followed by several howlings, and the entire crowd began shuffling outside.

In the commotion, I had to grab onto Sabrina tightly as people pushed me around in their hurry to transform and rush into the vast woods that surrounded the Bloodmoon territory.

Amid the chaos, a woman bumped into me hard, hitting my head. As she was about to apologize, she caught a whiff of my scent and contorted her face in disgust.

It was hurtful, and I had to stay behind Sabrina until the entire hall was empty.

"Run?" I asked her.

"Yeah, we run around as a pack. It signifies a stronger bond," she explained as she led me out of the pack house.

Before I could say another word, the domineering aura appeared once more, putting a complete halt to my movement and sending a chill down my body.

"You," someone said, and I reluctantly turned around.

There, I was once again met with those mesmerizing hazel eyes.