[Warning: Slightly triggering episode]
Nathan
The figure stopped and chuckled—a low, eerie sound that sent a shiver down my spine. I here I was trying to be sneaky this time."
I scoffed, my lip curling in disgust. "Go learn some propriety," I spat. "And get out of my head. You're not real. I know you're just an illusion and I won't let you mess with my mind."
The figure smirked, stepping closer. "Oh, but I'm real enough, aren't I? You hear me, you see me, you feel my presence. That's all that matters."
I clenched my fists. "Stay out of my head."
It laughed again. "The sooner you accept me, Nathan, the better it'll be for both of us." It moved closer, its form shifting like smoke in the wind. "We're more alike than you'd like to admit. We share the same pain, the same hatred for Ramsey, and even the same love."
"I'm not interested in becoming your henchman," I cut in sharply. "If you want to punish Ramsey so badly, do it yourself."
The figure's expression darkened as he glided towards me, reaching out a hand that went through mine. "Isn't it fascinating that I can reach you like this?" it mused. "You feel me because we're connected. That day through the portal, I felt it and you felt it too—that delicious little darkness in your heart." It paused, its presence growing heavier. "The darkness is your true strength and it will grow. I'm offering you the chance to nurture it properly. To exact the revenge you truly desire."
My chest heaved with anger and fear warring inside me. "You're wrong. I'm not evil."
"I agree," the figure tilted his head, his eyes gleaming. "Not yet. But I'm allowing you to explore what you can do to your heart's content. To do what you kept thinking about buried above the ground in that dark dungeon for four years. Damn! Let go already, Nathan!"
I stared at the figure for a long moment, my heart pounding. Then, without a word, I walked past the figure, ignoring it, but it showed up in front of me again.
"Go fuck off," I snarled, my patience finally waning. "The next time you come to me again, I'll make sure I harm you in a way you'd never see coming. I am not evil."
The illusion finally vanished, and I was alone once again.
I stood still for a moment, trembling, my hands still clenched into fists, and my breath had gone shallow. "I am not evil," I muttered desperately, trying to quell the quiet voice in my heart that was saying otherwise. "I am not evil. I am not evil."
I didn't stop until the trembling in my hands subsided. After several deep breaths, I turned and ran back to the pack. Emerging from the forest and heading toward the Central Pack building, I saw my father running toward me, his brows furrowed with anxiety.
"Nathan, where the fuck have you been?" he demanded, but before I could respond, he continued urgently. "There's been an attack at the Pup Daycare Center. Ferals broke in and they're speculating that they're a lot of injured pups."
My blood ran cold. "The Pups?"
"Yes!" he nodded, his eyes flashing with impatience. "You went for a run in that damn forest again?" his eyes hovered the length of my body. "You know what? I don't have time for that. Fucking do what you want, but now, your pack needs you. I asked a Gamma to bring the car around."
No sooner had the sentence left my dad's mouth than his car pulled up in front of me. Immediately, he opened the car, and I entered, followed by him. As we drove, I couldn't fight the urge that this was related to the apparition I saw moments ago.
"When did the attack happen?" I turned to my father.
"Is that even important?" he retorted.
"Just answer me, Dad… goddamnit!" I swore… feeling the tightness in my chest return.
My father stared at me suspiciously, before he sighed and replied. "About twenty minutes before I saw you."
Approximately the time that the apparition had disappeared.
I tapped on the seat of the Gamma driving. "Move this car, for fuck's sake… drive faster."
I didn't wait for the car to come to a stop. I was already out, running towards the daycare centre.
What I saw made my heart clench. The building was in shambles—windows shattered, furniture overturned, toys scattered across the floor. Everywhere I looked, frightened pups clung to their parent, crying; their faces etched with fear and grief.
"Who's in charge here?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the commotion, waving at the people scampering to their feet to greet me.
A middle-aged woman stepped forward. Her face was pale and tear-streaked. "I am Alpha Nathan."
"Tell me what happened?" I demanded gently. "How many people were injured?"
The woman shook her head. "We were in the middle of a lesson when they came—Ferals—at least five of them, out of nowhere. They…they didn't directly attack the children, but they destroyed everything. Their presence terrified the children, but they didn't seem to be concerned about them. They just destroyed everything. One of our nannies tried to stop them and got scratched. We've sent her to the hospital, but otherwise…" she swallowed hard. "It was mostly property damage and scared children."
I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "I'll cover all the damages immediately," I promised. "Thank you for not panicking and attacking the Ferals. It could have been more violent than that."
"There'll be a next time?" The woman's eyes widened with terror.
I held her shoulders and shook my head. "I would never allow that to happen again. Don't worry. Now go home and rest up, okay?"
She nodded and thanked me.
As I turned to leave, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.
"That was just the beginning," the voice said, "Next time you tell me to fuck off, there'll be dead bodies."