The wolf howled again.
Caarice stood beside his bedroom window, staring into the darkness beyond his house. His heart was beating faster than usual, but strangely, he wasn't afraid.
Instead, he felt excited.
Something inside him was responding to the howl.
Something wild.
His phone vibrated again.
The unknown number had sent another message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Whatever happens tonight, do not let the wolf take control.
Caarice immediately typed a reply.
CAARICE: Who are you?
The response came almost instantly.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Someone who knows what you are becoming.
CAARICE: Tell me what happened to me in the forest!
For several seconds, there was no response.
Then another message appeared.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Look outside your window.
Caarice slowly raised his head.
A figure stood beneath the streetlight across the road.
The person wore a black hoodie, and their face was hidden beneath the shadows. Even from his bedroom, Caarice could see that the stranger was staring directly at his window.
His phone vibrated once more.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: We need to talk. Come alone.
Caarice hesitated.
Every sensible thought told him to remain inside. But the mysterious stranger might be the only person who could explain what was happening to him.
He grabbed his jacket and quietly left his bedroom.
---
THE STRANGER IN BLACK
The house was quiet.
Caarice moved through the corridor and opened the front door carefully.
The night air struck his face.
Immediately, the sounds of the world became clearer.
He could hear crickets in the grass, a dog barking several streets away, and the steady breathing of someone hiding behind the wall near the gate.
Caarice stopped.
Someone else was there.
He turned sharply.
CAARICE: Who's there?
Silence.
Then a young man stepped out from behind the wall.
He appeared to be around twenty-two years old. His black hair fell across his forehead, and a small scar ran down the left side of his face.
His eyes were an unusual shade of silver.
STRANGER: You're more sensitive than I expected.
CAARICE: Who are you?
STRANGER: My name is Adrian.
CAARICE: And how do you know about the forest?
Adrian studied him for a moment.
ADRIAN: Because I was there the night you were bitten.
Caarice felt his stomach tighten.
CAARICE: You saw the wolf?
ADRIAN: I saw it. I also saw what happened after it bit you.
CAARICE: Then tell me what it was!
Adrian stepped closer.
ADRIAN: It wasn't an ordinary wolf, Caarice. It was an Alpha.
Caarice remembered the voice in his head.
The blood of the Alpha flows through your veins.
CAARICE: What does that make me?
Adrian's expression became serious.
ADRIAN: A werewolf.
Caarice stared at him.
Then he laughed nervously.
CAARICE: That's impossible. Werewolves aren't real.
Adrian raised his hand.
His fingernails lengthened into sharp claws. Silver fur spread across his wrist before disappearing as he returned to his human form.
Caarice stepped backward.
CAARICE: What the hell are you?
ADRIAN: Someone who is trying to keep you alive.
---
THE BLOOD OF AN ALPHA
Adrian led Caarice away from the houses toward an abandoned clearing.
The moon hung above the trees, casting pale light across the grass.
CAARICE: Why did that wolf bite me?
Adrian remained silent for a moment.
ADRIAN: Because it recognized something in you.
CAARICE: What?
ADRIAN: Your bloodline.
Caarice frowned.
ADRIAN: There are different kinds of werewolves. Ordinary wolves, warriors, and Alphas. An Alpha possesses unusual strength and the ability to command other wolves. But the creature that bit you was different even from the Alphas I've encountered.
CAARICE: You're saying I'm going to become one of those monsters?
ADRIAN: No. I'm saying you might become something even more powerful.
Caarice looked down at his hands.
He remembered the way his brothers laughed at him. He remembered the students who treated him like he was worthless and the girls who never even looked in his direction.
For years, he had wished for strength.
Now that strength was finally within reach.
But Adrian's next words extinguished his excitement.
ADRIAN: Power always comes with a price.
CAARICE: What price?
ADRIAN: If you lose control during your first transformation, you could hurt someone you love. And if the wrong pack discovers what you are, they'll come for you.
CAARICE: Why?
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
ADRIAN: Because the last Alpha with your bloodline disappeared many years ago. Some believe he was killed. Others believe he left behind an heir.
He paused.
ADRIAN: If the packs discover that heir is alive, every Alpha will want to find you.
Before Caarice could respond, a sharp pain exploded through his chest.
He dropped to his knees.
CAARICE: Adrian! Help me!
His body began trembling violently.
The veins beneath his skin darkened. His fingernails lengthened, and his teeth pressed painfully against his gums.
Adrian immediately stepped backward.
ADRIAN: It's happening too soon!
CAARICE: Make it stop!
ADRIAN: Listen to my voice! Don't fight your body. Control your breathing!
Caarice tried, but the pain became unbearable.
A deep growl erupted from his throat.
His clothes strained as his muscles expanded. Dark fur began spreading across his arms, and his eyes burned like two golden flames.
Then everything went silent.
Caarice lifted his head.
For a moment, Adrian saw a massive black wolf where the young man had been standing.
The creature's fur shimmered beneath the moonlight. Its shoulders were powerful, its claws dug into the earth, and its golden eyes radiated an unnatural intelligence.
Adrian's face went pale.
ADRIAN: Impossible...
The black wolf stared at him.
Then a voice echoed inside Adrian's mind.
CAARICE: What have you done to me?
Adrian swallowed hard.
The wolf before him wasn't merely another werewolf.
It possessed the unmistakable presence of an Alpha.
And it was only beginning to awaken.
---
THE FIRST TEST
Suddenly, three figures emerged from the trees.
They wore dark clothes, and each had a silver symbol painted across the chest.
Adrian immediately positioned himself between them and Caarice.
ADRIAN: You shouldn't be here.
The tallest stranger smiled.
STRANGER: We followed the scent of an awakening Alpha. Imagine our surprise when we discovered you protecting him.
Adrian clenched his fists.
ADRIAN: Leave now.
STRANGER: You know the law. An unregistered Alpha must be brought before the council.
The stranger's gaze shifted toward the black wolf.
STRANGER: Especially one with eyes like those.
Caarice growled.
The three strangers exchanged glances.
SECOND STRANGER: That's no ordinary transformation.
TALLEST STRANGER: Capture him.
They attacked.
Adrian intercepted the first attacker, striking him across the chest. The second rushed toward the wolf with silver claws extended.
Caarice moved.
One moment he was standing in the clearing; the next, he had crossed the distance between them.
His opponent hit the ground before he could react.
The third stranger attempted to escape, but Caarice's growl shook the clearing.
The man froze.
His knees trembled, and his head lowered instinctively.
Adrian stared in disbelief.
An Alpha's presence could force weaker werewolves to submit.
But Caarice hadn't even learned how to control his own transformation.
TALLEST STRANGER: What are you?
Caarice approached him slowly.
Inside his mind, a strange voice whispered.
Make him kneel.
The wolf's golden eyes brightened.
The stranger dropped to one knee, unable to resist the overwhelming pressure.
Caarice could have attacked him.
He could have ended the fight in seconds.
Instead, he stepped back.
The pressure disappeared.
CAARICE: Leave.
The man struggled to his feet and retreated with his companions.
Before disappearing into the trees, he looked back.
TALLEST STRANGER: The council will hear about this. And when the Blood Moon rises, your existence will become everyone's business.
Then the clearing fell silent.
Caarice turned toward Adrian.
CAARICE: What did he mean by the Blood Moon?
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the place where the strangers had vanished.
ADRIAN: It means we have less time than I thought.
---
A DIFFERENT MORNING
By sunrise, Caarice had returned to his human form.
He woke up in the abandoned clearing, covered by Adrian's jacket.
His entire body ached, but the pain was manageable.
Adrian sat nearby, watching him.
CAARICE: Please tell me that was a dream.
ADRIAN: I wish I could.
Caarice sat up and examined his hands. They looked normal, although his strength still felt different.
CAARICE: Can I change back whenever I want?
ADRIAN: Not yet. You need training. Until you understand your abilities, strong emotions could trigger another transformation.
Caarice remembered the strangers.
CAARICE: And those people?
ADRIAN: They'll report everything to their Alpha.
CAARICE: So what happens now?
Adrian stood and offered him a hand.
ADRIAN: Now you learn to fight. You learn to control your wolf. And you never tell anyone what happened here until we know who we can trust.
Caarice accepted his hand and stood.
For the first time, he understood that becoming powerful wasn't going to solve all his problems.
It was going to create new ones.
Still, he refused to return to the weak and frightened boy he had been before.
CAARICE: Train me.
Adrian smiled faintly.
ADRIAN: Training begins tonight.
Caarice looked toward the rising sun.
He didn't know that, back at school, Milicent had already noticed his absence.
Nor did he know that Caxton had received a mysterious photograph taken near Black Hub Forest.
In the photograph stood a massive black wolf with golden eyes.
Beneath it were five words.
THE LOST ALPHA HAS RETURNED.
Caxton stared at the image, his hands trembling.
Then another message appeared.
UNKNOWN SENDER: Find Caarice. Get close to him. Discover what he is.
Caxton slowly smiled.
For once, his jealousy might lead him to something far more dangerous than a school rivalry.
TO BE CONTINUED...