The Alpha's Bite

Raphas of Stonemoon sniffed the air and halted. 

There was something in the air that wasn't quite right. Something inexplicable that Raphas couldn't comprehend. He felt the moon's glare on him, and when he looked towards it, his jaw nearly dropped. There was a woman's face on the moon. It was a woman he felt he knew, but he was sure he had never seen her before in his life. He would never forget such a face. She smiled at him, and he wagged his tail. 

A fine breeze ruffled his fur and tickled his ears. He perked them up and heard a name, her name. Rapha knew deep in his bones that he had to find her—that he would find her—and he felt her presence near. Without hesitation, he began running. He could smell her in the air. He would find her and bind her to him for life. His chest swelled with pride at having found his mate. He knew instinctively, without having to be told. He howled and ran a little faster. 

Little did he know that, miles away, another wolf felt the exact same thing.

I don't like it here. It smells of sweat and cheap beer. Kelly's four tables over, talking to a guy who's definitely ten years older than us. I don't get why she likes places like this. It's disgusting. We do this every weekend. Kelly has a part-time job as a secretary for a local business, and I have classes all week, so it's impossible to meet during the week. Only, I don't get why she insists on meeting here when she knows I hate this place. 

A middle-aged man is staring at me and trying to look sexy by biting his lip. It's pitiful. I look away and glance at my phone. Three missed calls, and it's only a quarter past ten. I can't do this anymore. I need to go home. 

I walk over to Kelly's table, and the guy glares at me for interrupting him. I stare back and tap Kelly's arm. She looks back, a broad smile etched on her face. Even in a smelly bar, she's gorgeous. Her eyes are blue like the ocean, and her blonde hair cascades down her back. She's the opposite of me. My hair is dark brown and short, and my eyes are dark too. She raises a brow at me. "Leaving?" 

I smile sheepishly. I always leave early. It's just that I really hate this place, and Gavin's been blowing up my phone. He hates it when I stay out late. He's protective. "Yeah, I'm just tired. I had a long day."

She gives me a knowing look. "It's Gavin, right? You know you aren't his property, Bea."

"I know I'm not," I say quickly. Too quickly. "It's just, Gavin's alone today, and I promised I'd get back early. I'm sorry." Actually, that's not true. I told him I'd sleepover at Kelly's. But he's been sending me texts and calling me nonstop, so I have to leave. He never stops until I get home. 

She stands. She's a full head taller than me, even though I'm in heels and she isn't. "I get it." She hugs me. "We'll meet again next weekend. I'll call you tomorrow. Tell that asshole I said hi."

I smile and make my way outside. The air is cool, and I can't get enough of it. It was so hot in there. The moon is full in the sky, lighting up the night. I unlock my car and slide onto my seat. I love this car. Gavin bought it for me last month for my birthday, and I can't get enough of it. I'm obsessed, I know. It was sweet of him since we've only been together for eight months. We met last year. September. I fell in love with him on the spot. His hair is brown and wavy, and his eyes are dark green. I can't get over the shape of his lips, and his smile lights up my entire universe. We moved in together in January, and I think he's planning to propose, but I'm not too sure. I haven't met his parents yet, but he promised that I would soon. They're just busy and not in the country right now. 

Kelly hates him, for some reason. They just don't get along. Kelly and I have been friends for three years. We met when she moved here her senior year from Boston. She was instantly popular. Kelly is just likable. She shines wherever she goes, and men—and women—orbit around her. Kelly just has this effect on people. The only person she doesn't like is Gavin, and I honestly don't know why. 

I press the key into the ignition, and the car roars to life. I strap myself in, and I back out of the parking lot. I can't wait to get home. He'll be glad I didn't sleep at Kelly's. He doesn't trust her. 

My phone rings. I stick my hand into my handbag and fish around for it, keeping my eyes on the road the entire time. I can't find it. I look away for a split second, and I hit something. I see a flash of black fur, and I hit the brakes. My heart is pounding so fast. I can't believe it, but I'm sure I hit something. I look over my steering wheel, and I don't see a thing. The phone just keeps ringing and ringing, and I think of Gavin. He'll help me figure this out. I don't know what the hell to do. 

I manage to find my phone, and I answer his call. "Bea. I've been calling and calling you all night—" 

"Okay, baby, I know. I know, and I'm so sorry I didn't call you back. I'm heading home right now, and oh my God, I hit something. I think it's a dog." I start to open my door. "I didn't see it. It appeared out of nowhere." The night air hits me, and I see blood on the bumper. I see a hand—a person's hand. I see a bloodied face. A man?

"Out of nowhere? A dog? Listen to me, Bea. Stay in the car. Where are you?" 

I scream. It is a man; I hit a person. Why did I ever think it was a dog? Oh my God. I killed him. He's dead. 

Gavin's shouting through the phone. "What is it? Bea, what's wrong? Are you in the car? Stay in the car! Don't get out. Are you listening to me?" 

"It's a man. Oh my God, Gavin! I killed a person! I don't know what to do." I turn my back to the scene. "He isn't breathing. I don't know what to do!" My hands start shaking badly. I can barely hold the phone. He's still shouting in my ear, and at this point, I can't hear him. The blood—there's so much blood. Where'd he come from? I only looked away for a second.

"Get in the car!" Gavin's shouting. "Go. Now!"

I do as he says, and when I look up, I scream again. He's standing in front of my car. He's looking right at me. There's blood running down his face and his naked chest. Why doesn't he have a shirt on? No, that's not important. I get back out of the car. I look at him, and I realize he's naked. Completely naked. I can't believe this. I hit a lunatic. I put my hands up. "Mister, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you. Are you okay? I can take you to the hospital. It's just around the corner, I think."

He doesn't answer me. He cocks his head to the side and just stares at me. I don't think he knows he's bleeding to death. Why is he naked? What was he doing in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, without any clothes? I'm scared now. Real scared. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten out of the car. Either way, it's too late for that now.

"Mister?"

Suddenly, he rushes towards me. I drop my phone and put my hands up. He grabs my arms, and I can smell the sweat on his skin. I can feel his...thing on my belly; I didn't realize he was so tall. He puts his face to my neck and starts smelling me, inhaling my scent. I step back, and he follows me. I try to push him away, but his grip tightens on my arms. "Stop. Please, stop. Stop doing that!"

He keeps smelling me. I don't know what to think at this point. His blood is staining my dress, and he isn't listening. Not a single car drives by. The houses around me are dark, and there's nobody around to help, even though it's Friday. I can't believe my bad luck. Maybe if I scream, someone will come out and help me. But if I scream, he might hurt me.

I manage to pull one arm away from his grip, and I shove him back. He doesn't budge, but that gets his attention. I can't help but notice that his eyes are green, but not like Gavin's. His are iridescent. I step away from him, and thankfully he doesn't follow me. He lets go of my other arm. I try not to look at his penis as I speak. "You're bleeding. I should call an ambulance, or you should let me take you to a hospital."

"No hospital." It's the first thing he's said, and his voice is deep and throaty.

"A clinic, then. I'm sure there's one around—"

"No clinic."

I gape at him. "But you're bleeding. I'm not sure you've noticed; you hit your head. You need medical assistance. Urgently."

He touches his forehead, and his fingers come back coated in blood. He doesn't even wince or look shocked at the blood staining his fingers. He hit his head harder than I thought. I spot my phone right next to his feet, but I'm afraid of getting close to him. "I should call an ambulance." He follows my eyes and looks down at my phone next to his foot. He bends and picks it up. Does he even know he's naked? I hear Gavin's voice. Gavin. I completely forgot about him. He's still yelling, and I wonder if he heard the whole thing.

"That's my boyfriend," I tell him. He looks at me, and his eyes harden. I stay rooted to the spot, too scared to move, but I really need my phone. I need to tell Gavin exactly where I am, and I need to call the police. "Could you give me my phone, please?"

He smashes my phone in his hand. Smashes. I don't know how he does it. The cracked screen cuts into his hand, and he's bleeding all over again. I gulp, and I feel a scream building up in my throat. I'm screwed. I'm in the middle of the road with a naked stranger, whom I just hit with my car, and he just smashed my phone in his hand. There's no one around to help me, and I don't know where to run.

He takes a step towards me, and I back away. I can't run in these heels. But I can't take them off, either. I don't want to take my eyes off him for a second. "Why did you do that? You broke my phone. How am I supposed to call for help?" I'm convinced that he's kind of crazy by now. Maybe he's a fugitive. Is there an asylum nearby? I can't remember. "You're bleeding again."

He doesn't look at his hand. But surely he feels the pain? We start going around in circles, and I'm keeping as much distance as I can between us. I can't believe there's no one out, not a single person. This must be some kind of nightmare.

"Where do you live? Do you live nearby?" I'm trying to distract him until I figure out how to get in my car and drive away. But what if someone is looking? I can't just run and leave him here. I almost killed him. I could get arrested if I did that. What do I do, what do I do? 

He stops. "Yes."

"Yes?" I'm trying really hard to think of any asylums nearby. "Where?"

He looks at me like he's trying to understand what I just said to him. Then he opens the passenger door and gets in the passenger seat. My mouth hangs open. He just got in my car...he's in my car. What the hell do I do now? I open my door and peer inside. He looks calm and collected like he wasn't just hit by a car, and he's not naked in my car. "Do you want me to take you home? Is that it?"

His jaw starts twitching violently, and I startle. He clenches his jaw and looks at me; his eyes are so green. He nods. He seems so harmless right now. I hesitantly get in my seat and close the door. He's staring at me again, and I feel my stomach churn. My bladder is so full. One sudden move from him, and I'll piss myself.

"Uh, where do you live? You sure you don't want me to take you to a hospital?"

"No hospital." He says it calmly, but I'm still scared. My fingers tremble as I grab the steering wheel.

"Okay. Where do you live?"

He points ahead. I start driving. He doesn't say anything, just looks at me. I try not to look scared as I stare ahead. This is going to be a long damn night. "Just tell me where to go."