The rogue wolf's voice echoed through the clearing, low and guttural, each word dripping with menace. The sound of it wasn't human—more like an animal attempting speech—but the meaning wasn't unmistakable.
You're mine, Jason.
My blood ran cold. Hearing my name come from something so monstrous made everything I'd been through feel all the more real. This wasn't just some nightmare I could wake up from. I had been marked. Hunted. And now it was here, ready to claim me.
Caleb stood tense at my side, his eyes locked unto the rogue wolf. "You don't have to do this," he said, his voice hard but steady. "The boy didn't ask for any of this. Let him go."
The rogue wolf let out a low humorless growl that might have been a laugh. Its eyes—those glowing amber orbs—shifted from me to Caleb, filled with a predatory intelligence. "This isn't about what he asked for, "This isn't about what he asked for, " it rasped. "He carries the mark now. He belongs to the park. To me."
I could feel Caleb's anger rising beside me, his muscles tensing like he was getting ready to spring at the creature. "He's not part of your pack."
The rogue wolf's massive form shifted, and I watched in horror as it began to move closer, its gaze never leaving mine. "You think you can protect him?" it asked, its voice rumbling like distant thunder. "You couldn't even protect your own."
The words seemed to strike a nerve on Caleb. His face twisted in anger, his hands curling into fists. I could feel the air around us shift, the tension between them growing thicker by the second. Caleb wasn't just angry—he was furious. But something else flickered in his eyes, something I hadn't seen before: guilt.
"I'm not letting you take him," Caleb snarled, stepping forward, his voice rough and filled with a kind of raw intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.
The rogue wolf stopped in its tracks, its head cocking to the side as it regarded Caleb. For a moment, there was nothing but silence between them, the air thick with anticipation.
Then the rogue wolf smiled—or at least, it bared its teeth in a way that might have been a twisted imitation of a smile. "You forget your place, Caleb," it growled. "You were born a wolf, but you don't leed. You've forgotten what it means to follow."
Without warning, the rogue wolf lunged, faster than anything that size had any right to be. Caleb reacted just as quickly, shifting into his wolf form in an instant and meeting the rogue head-on. They collided in a blur of claws and snarls, the sheer force of their impact sending shock waves through the clearing.
I stumbled back, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched them tear into each other. Caleb was strong—stronger than I'd realized—but the rogue wolf was a beast, a force of nature. It moved with a savage grace, its claws raking across Caleb's side as they fought, leaving deep gashes in its wake.
Caleb roared in pain but didn't back down. He slammed his shoulder into the rogue wolf, forcing it off balance and sending it crashing into a tree. The rogue wolf snarled, shaking off the blow as if it were nothing, before changing again.
They fought like animals, the clearing filled with the sound of snarls and the crunch of bone on bone. Blood sprayed across the dirt as the wolves clashed again and again, neither one willing to give an inch.
But it was clear who had the upper hand. The rogue wold was bigger, stronger, and everytime Caleb landed a blow, the rogue seemed to shrug it off. I could see the strain in Caleb's movements, the exhaustion setting in as the fight dragged on. He couldn't hold out much longer.
And neither could I.
The hunger inside me had been growing since the fight began, that primal instinct gnawing at my core. My body trembled, my muscles twitching as the urge to shift, to fight, built up inside me. I could feel the beast inside me rising, clawing its way to the surface, begging to be released.
I couldn't lose control. Not here. Not now.
My breathing came in ragged gasps as I tried to hold back, but the power was overwhelming. Every second that passed, the urge became harder to resist, the hunger more intense. I gripped my hands into fists, my claws digging into my palms as I fought to keep the change at bay.
"Jason!"
Caleb's voice snapped me out of my struggle. He was on the ground, the rogue wolf pinning him down, its claws clamped around Caleb's neck. Blood dripped from Caleb's wounds, his body trembling with the effort to hold on.
I took a step forward, my heart racing, the beast inside me roaring to be set free.
"You have no choice," the rogue wolf snarled, tightening its grip on Caleb's throat. "The only way out is to give in. Become what you were meant to be."
My vision blurred, the world around me fading into nothing but instinct. The rogue wolf's words echoed in my mind, pulling me deeper into that primal part of myself, the part that craved the fight, that wanted to tear and shred and dominate.
I could feel the shift happening, my muscles straining against my skin, my bones cracking as they began to change. The power coursed through me like wildfire, burning away the fear, the hesitation, leaving only the raw, savage desire to fight.
But just as I was about to lose myself completely, Caleb's voice broke through the haze.
"Jason! Don't!"
His voice was rough, pained, but it was enough to cut through the fog. I froze, the change halting halfway as I locked eyes with him.
"Control it," he gasped, blood trickling from his mouth. "Don't let him win."
The rogue wolf growled, its eyes narrowing as it turned its gaze back to me. "He can't stop it," it said, its voice dripping with malice. "He's mine now."
And then, with one swift motion, it sank its teeth deeper into Caleb's neck.
Caleb let out a strangled cry of pain, his body convulsing as blood spilled from the wound. My heart slammed against my ribs, the fear and anger twisting into something uncontrollable.
The beast in me surged again, but this time, it wasn't just hunger or instinct. It was fury. I could feel it rising up, stronger than before, threatening to consume me whole. My vision blurred, my body trembling as the change came roaring back with a vengeance.
The rogue wolf locked its eyes with me, a twisted smile playing on its lips.
"Come, Jason," it growled, its voice low and taunting. "Let's see what you're made of."
I didn't have time to think. I didn't have time to fight it.
The shift came fast, tearing through me like a storm. My muscles ripped, my bones stretching and cracking as my body transformed. The pain was excruciating, but I welcomed it, fueled by the rage burning inside me. My vision sharpened, the world snapping into crystal-clear focus as my senses exploded.
I was no longer just Jason. I was the wolf.
And the rogue wolf had just made a terrible mistake.
With a snarl, I lunged at it, the ground blurring beneath me faster than I ever thought possible. The rogue wolf released Caleb just in time to face me, but wasn't prepared for what was coming.
I slammed into it with everything I had, my claws my digging deep into its side, my teeth snapping inches from its throat. The rogue let out a furious roar, staggering back as it tried to regain its balance. But I didn't give it the chance. I moved like lightening, my claws slashing across its chest, drawing blood.
The rogue wolf retaliated, its jaws snapping at my face, but I dogged the attack, my reflexes faster, sharper than ever before. I could feel the power coursing through me, the beast inside me fully unleashed, and for the first time, I wasn't afraid of it. I was it.
We clashed again, the clearing erupting in a whirlwind of fur, teeth, and blood. The rogue wolf was strong, but I was stronger. The fury driving me was relentless, and with every blow I landed, I could feel its strength weakening.
But as I fought, something strange began to happen.
The rogue wolf's eyes—those glowing amber eyes—flickered, just for a second, like a dying flame. And then, for the briefest moment, I saw something else in them. Not anger. Not malice.
Fear.
I hesitated, just for a split second, but it was enough for the rogue wolf to recover. With a savage snarl, it lashed out, its claws raking across my chest. Pain exploded through me, but I didn't back down. I lunged again, my teeth closing around its throat, ready to end this once and for all.
But before I could deliver the final blow, a voice echoed through the clearing, cutting through sounds of the fight like a knife.
"Stop!"
The command was sharp, authoritative, and it sent a shockwave through my entire body. I froze, my jaws still locked around the rogue wolf's throat, but I didn't bite down. My body trembled with the effort to hold back, the beast inside me snarling for release. My vision, red with rage, began to clear as I processed the voice.
"Stop now," it repeated, the tone more forceful this time.
I released the rogue wolf's throat, staggering back, still panting with fury. The rogue wolf collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, blood trickling from the wounds I'd inflicted. For a moment, it seemed as if the fight had been sucked out of it.
I turned my head, and there, at the edge of the clearing, stood the woman.
Her presence was commanding. Tall, draped in dark, flowing clothes that blended into the shadows, her eyes gleamed with an unnatural glow—the same amber light as the rogue wolf's. She walked with deliberate grace, each step measured, as though she knew she didn't need to rush. The power radiating off her was enough to freeze the entire forest.
I didn't know who she was, but I could feel it: this woman wasn't like Caleb. She wasn't like me. She was something far more dangerous.
"Jason," she said, her voice smooth and hypnotic, as though my name was something she'd been practicing for centuries. "You've done well to come this far."
I took a step back, still breathing heavily, trying to regain some semblance of control. My claws twitched at my sides, and I could still feel the beast inside me, restless and hungry for more. The urge to fight wasn't gone. It was just simmering below the surface, waiting for the slightest provocation to explode again.
The woman's eyes shifted to Caleb, who was still struggling to stand after his battle with the rogue wolf. "You've been busy," she said, almost as if she were amused. "Protecting the boy... admirable. But foolish."
Caleb growled, wiping blood from his mouth, but didn't respond. I could see the strain on his face, the way his body trembled with exhaustion. He wasn't in any shape to keep fighting, not against her.
The rogue wolf let out a low whimper, dragging itself away from me and toward her, its body battered and weak. The woman's eyes softened—just for a moment—as she knelt beside the wolf, her hand resting gently on its head. "You've done enough for now," she whispered, almost like she was speaking to a child. "Rest."
I watched in stunned silence as the rogue wolf, who had just moments ago been trying to kill me, lowered its head and lay still at her feet, obedient like a dog before its master.
Who was she?
The woman stood slowly, her eyes locking onto mine again. "You're wondering who I am," she said, reading my thoughts with terrifying ease. "And I will tell you. But not yet. There's something you need to understand first."
I didn't respond, my mind still racing from the fight, from the power I had felt, from the way I had almost lost myself to the rage. She took another step toward me, her gaze steady, like she was sizing me up, measuring my worth.
"You've been marked for something greater, Jason," she said softly, her voice carrying a weight that made my chest tighten. "That bite wasn't an accident. It was a choice. A gift."
"Gift?" I spat, my voice hoarse. "This—this thing that's inside me—this curse isn't a gift."
She smiled, a slow, cold smile. "You think of it as a curse now, but that's because you don't understand what you've been given. You're not just any werewolf, Jason. You're different. Special."
I shook my head, my anger flaring up again. "Special? I didn't ask for this!"
"No," she agreed, her voice smooth as silk. "But it was given to you for a reason. The rogue wolf didn't choose you by chance. You were marked because you were meant to be something more. You were meant to be a leader."
I stared at her, my heart pounding. A leader? None of this made any sense. Why would I, of all people, be chosen for something like that? I was just a normal kid before all of this—barely getting by, trying to make sense of my life after everything had fallen apart.
"You're lying," I said, my voice shaking. "This is just some game to you."
The woman's eyes darkened, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of something dangerous beneath her calm exterior. "I don't lie, Jason. You were chosen for a purpose, and whether you want it or not, that purpose will find you."
I took another step back, my mind spinning with questions, doubts, and the fear that had been gnawing at me since this all began. The woman tilted her head, her expression softening again as though she could sense my hesitation.
"I know this is difficult to accept," she said, her voice low and almost soothing. "But you are part of something much larger than yourself. You have power now—power that others would kill for. And there are those who will come for you. The pack that attacked you today? They were only the beginning."
Her words sank into me like lead weights, and I felt a cold dread settle in my stomach. I wanted to reject everything she was saying, to turn away from it, but deep down, I knew she wasn't lying. The rogue wolf, the pack, the bite... it had all been leading to this. But why me? Why now?
"What do you want?" I asked finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
The woman smiled again, that same cold, calculated smile. "I want to help you, Jason. To guide you. There's much you don't know about your kind, about what you can become. You've only just scratched the surface of your potential."
Caleb, who had been silent this whole time, finally found his voice. "Don't listen to her," he growled, pushing himself to his feet. "She's manipulating you. She doesn't care about helping you. She wants to use you."
The woman didn't even glance in his direction. Her eyes remained locked on mine, unblinking. "You have a choice, Jason," she said softly. "You can listen to Caleb, continue to hide from what you are, from your destiny. Or you can embrace it. You can accept the power that is rightfully yours."
Caleb took a step toward me, his voice urgent. "Jason, don't. If you go with her, there's no turning back."
I stood frozen between them, my heart racing, the weight of their words pressing down on me from both sides. The woman's gaze never wavered, her amber eyes glowing with a strange intensity. Caleb's voice was desperate, pleading.
But I was the one who had to decide.
Before I could make my choice, the air in the clearing seemed to shift, growing colder. I felt a presence—something dark, ancient, and powerful—closing in around us. I wasn't sure if it was real or just my mind playing tricks on me, but it was enough to make my skin crawl.
The woman's eyes flickered, her smile fading as she straightened up, her gaze darting to the edge of the clearing. "It seems we have company," she said quietly, more to herself than to us.
Suddenly, a gust of wind tore through the trees, and a low, rumbling growl echoed from the darkness.
I turned toward the sound, my heart hammering in my chest. The rogue wolf, still lying on the ground at her feet, whimpered softly, its body trembling.
Caleb tensed beside me, his eyes wide with fear.
And then I saw it.
Stepping out from the shadows of the forest was a massive, hulking figure, its eyes glowing brighter than the rogue wolf's, its body radiating an aura of pure, unbridled power.
It was larger than anything I had ever seen before, its fur dark as midnight, its teeth bared in a snarl that shook the earth beneath my feet.
The woman's eyes narrowed as she took a step back, her calm facade slipping for the first time.
"He shouldn't be here," she muttered, her voice filled with something close to fear.
Caleb's face paled as the massive wolf stepped into the clearing, its gaze fixed on me.
"That's no ordinary wolf," he whispered, his voice shaking.
The air crackled with energy as the creature approached, its eyes locked onto mine.
And then, with a deep, bone-chilling growl, the wolf spoke.
"You are mine."