Page 1 of Alpha's Rise

One

Past

Romi Sutton was stunned by what was in front of her. Her eyes were wide as she watched a man she’d known for over three years turn into something she never thought was possible. His pale skin disappeared under coarse dark hair. Human teeth elongated into sharp fangs, long enough to tear through skin and flesh.

“What the fuck?” The whispered words sounded loud to her ears.

Just a few moments earlier, a deafening crash to her left caused her to turn and look in that direction. The air was filled with the familiar smells of their camp: sweat, old food, and dirt. Only now, there was something else. The scent of iron filled her nostrils, but underneath the coppery smell, she could sense something darker, more sinister.

“Sutton! Get the fuck outta here!”

Someone was pulling on her arm, struggling to pull her away from the large, misshapen bodies clashing and fighting. Her body wouldn’t move. Watching the scene in front of her, she froze in place. It felt like her feet were glued to the ground, and no matter how much she tried to walk away, she couldn’t move from where she stood.

Her eyes shifted from side to side as her brain tried to process what she was seeing. How in the hell was this even possible? This had to be a hallucination. She pinched herself on one arm to make sure this wasn’t a dream. Pain traveled through her body as her nails dug into her skin, proving that she was wide fucking awake.

She watched the battle as it played out, but still did not know where the other guy had come from—if he could even be called that.

Moments before all hell broke loose, she had been standing around, getting some fresh air, talking with her friend, Butler. In the flash of a second, someone or something, came flying through the air. It tackled Butler and began swiping at him with long claws that tipped its fingers. For a few seconds, Romi had no idea what the fuck was happening and froze in shock. The snarls coming from Butler and that… thing growling and barking were loud and horrific.

She felt the anticipation bubble under her skin as she itched to jump into the fray and help her friend fight the animal attacking him. There was something about a good fight that got her juices flowing. She knew there was no chance in hell she’d be able to do any damage to either of them, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to join and get in a few licks. After all, something attacked her friend, and that shit didn’t fly.

Unable to tear her eyes away, Romi turned her head slightly to look around. Was anyone else as shocked as she was? Catching the eye of the guy who’d tried to pull her away from the area earlier, she noticed the smirk covering his face. Just as Romi was about to ask him what the fuck his problem was, the air shifted.

It became heavier as electricity seemed to fill the atmosphere around her. Romi felt the change along her skin, goose bumps rising along her arms, and her breathing stopped. In slow motion, Romi turned back to the fight and had the shock of her life.

Just as she pulled out her 9mm, Butler pushed the large animal off him before standing. Right in front of her eyes, something began to happen. Butler’s face morphed into something else. His jaw lengthened, his teeth grew, and his body became something she’d never thought to see.

Hair sprouted all over him. His clothes ripped at the seams, falling to the ground. Still not sure what she was expecting to see, she was shocked to see an animal was standing in place of her friend.

A group of men with rifles came running in their direction, yelling out indecipherable words. A few of them began ripping off their clothes, their faces morphing into something inhuman. Her head felt like it was going to explode.

Watching the two… things… animals… monsters clawing at each other’s skin and teeth biting into the hair-covered flesh, she opened her mouth to scream. This was the type of horror show bullshit that only happened in nightmares, right? She backed away slowly. The weapon was outstretched in front of her, just in case one of them decided she was their next target.

What had Butler turned into? How was it even possible?

A dog?

No, a wolf.

Wait? A fucking wolf?

“Smitty? What the fuck am I seeing? Are you seeing this?” As the silence stretched on, Romi turned her head. Still holding her gun out in front of her, she shifted her body and aimed, intending to kill whatever the fuck was standing next to her. Because it sure as shit wasn’t her friend Smitty.

Smitty growled in her direction, “I told you to leave.” His voice was thick, gritty, and hard to understand because of the large teeth protruding from his mouth,

“What the fuck are you?” Backing away from him, Romi once again glanced toward the two large gray wolves fighting to the death. At least, that’s how it appeared. Large swipes from their enormous claws, and bites caused by their sharp teeth, left deep, angry wounds on their bodies. Butler, or the wolf formerly known as Butler, got the best of the other wolf. His large mouth was wrapped around the animal’s neck.

“Kill him,” she whispered. As Romi heard the two words escape her mouth, she wanted to call them back. Romi knew this most recent assignment with her team had changed her. This had been a tough deployment. It had started to change her perception of good and evil. Some of the things that happened couldn’t be ignored. The killing. The hatred from her own people against other human beings. It was a lot to deal with. But seeing what she could only describe as otherworldly happening in front of her, brought something dark and dangerous out of her.

Thinking about it again, she didn’t regret the words she’d said. That thing had entered their camp and attacked Butler. It tried to kill one of her friends. For that alone, it needed to die.

“Kill him,” she repeated.

Smitty turned to her, his lips pulled back in a snarl, and she heard him make a sound like a chuckle. “I always knew you were more like us.” Glancing away for a second, he turned his dark eyes back to her. “You shouldn’t be here. If the boss finds out you saw this, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

“You still haven’t answered my question. What the fuck are you?” She looked him up and down but didn’t step any closer. She was brave, but she wasn’t stupid. “Anyway, I’m not the only one watching.”

Smitty raised his nose to sniff the air. “No, you’re not, but you’re the only human.”

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