The Rage
It's consuming me—raw, unfiltered fury boiling beneath my skin like magma ready to erupt. My heart hammers against my ribs, each beat echoing like a war drum in my ears. I can feel the blood surging through my veins, hot and violent, threatening to tear me apart from the inside. The brittle leaves crunch beneath my fingertips, their edges biting into my palms as I dig into the forest floor—but I can't stop. I don't want to stop. The anger isn't just mine anymore—it's something darker. And it's taking control.
The Sense
I hate this. Hate the feeling of being trapped in my own body, watching through my own eyes like a ghost in the machine. I'm moving fast, gliding through the trees with the speed and silence of a predator. Every sense is sharpened to a deadly point—my ears twitch at the crack of a twig, my nose flares at every passing scent. I tell myself I could never hurt Allison. That I could never kill her. But that's a lie. Because right now, at this moment, it's all I want to do.
The Drive
Her face keeps flashing through my mind—memories twisted by rage. I can see her smile, but all I feel is betrayal. I remember the way she walked away, how she looked through me like I didn't exist. The way she made me feel small. And now? Now, all I see are her flaws. Every moment she made me feel less than. I don't know if it's the Alpha whispering in my head or if it's something I've always buried deep inside, clawing its way to the surface. Maybe it's not possession. Maybe it's revelation.
The Play
Ahhh...
Her scent crashes into me like a brick wall—lavender and cinnamon, sweet and sharp, familiar yet unbearable. It stings my senses. Clouds my thoughts.
And then I see it.
A vision—her body sprawled across the dirt, eyes wide and lifeless. Blood pooled around her like ink soaking into the earth. My hands? They're drenched in it. Sticky. Warm. Real.
My legs move forward, not by choice. Every instinct screams at me to stop—but my body doesn't listen. The Alpha's grip is tightening, warping desire into purpose.
She's close. I can feel it in my bones.
The scent grows stronger. So does the pull. Like gravity dragging me toward her.
And in the deepest part of me, beneath the fear, beneath the guilt…
…I want to let go.
—----
The Jeep tore through the woods, headlights slicing through branches as shadows danced wildly across the windshield. My fingers flew across my phone screen, heart pounding hard enough to drown out the engine's growl.
"She's not answering!" I snapped, tossing the phone toward Tara in frustration. It landed in her lap with a soft thud as I slammed my palm against the steering wheel. The sharp crack echoed through the cabin, mirroring the chaos racing through my mind. "Dammit!"
A cold knot twisted in my gut. Every worst-case scenario clawed its way into my head.
"Either Scott's already tearing her apart," I muttered, "or the Argents are filling him full of lead."
I pressed harder on the gas, the tires spitting dirt and dead leaves behind us as we sped toward town. Every second we lost felt like another inch closer to disaster.
"What if we just call her parents?" I asked, voice tight with urgency. "They're supernatural hunters—they've gotta have a safehouse or some kind of panic room, right?"
Tara tightened her grip on the phone, eyes scanning the road ahead with calculated focus. Her jaw was set, mind racing.
"Okay, we can't tell them Scott's coming after their daughter," she said, her voice firm. "They'll go straight into kill mode. But we can give them a reason to lock things down."
I glanced over. "What kind of reason?"
"The Void," she said without hesitation. "We say he's targeting Allison next."
I nodded, the idea clicking into place. "Yeah... If they think the Void's gunning for her, they'll barricade her in some underground vault before letting her out of their sight. It gives us time to reach her before Scott does."
Tara squinted at me. "Do you even have their numbers?"
"Open my gallery," I said, jerking my head toward the phone. "Last weekend, I broke into the teacher's lounge after lacrosse practice and snapped pics of all the student emergency contacts."
She raised an eyebrow, already swiping through the photos. "What possible reason did you have for doing that?"
I smirked, barely taking my eyes off the road. "I was gonna send drunk love confessions from Harris's phone to every parent in the system."
She blinked. "You're kidding."
"Nope," I said with a shrug. "Plan was to send vague 'I've always loved you' texts and just let the chaos unfold. Never thought it'd come in handy like this."
Tara shook her head with a faint, amused smile. "Nothing scandalous but undeniably evil. I approve."
She found the number and started typing. "I'll message Chris—keep it short, make it sound serious, but don't say anything that'll start a full-blown witch hunt."
"What're you writing?" I asked, glancing sideways as the Jeep rattled over a tree root.
She held up the screen:
Urgent: Void may be targeting Allison. Strongly suggest relocating her somewhere safe. Will explain everything in person.
I let out a shaky breath, tension easing ever so slightly in my shoulders. "Perfect. If there's one person who won't waste time second-guessing that, it's Chris Argent."
She hit send. "Now let's just pray we're faster than whatever's inside Scott."