Alpha Kane

[ 1 ] - reckoning

Reckoning  [noun] - the avenging or punishing of past mistakes or misdeeds.

author's note: welcome to my second werewolf book! this one will have similar vibes to alpha tristan, but is a standalone and not linked at all due to different worlds, and to avoid spoilers before i bring out the sequel. as per usual, there is and will not be a set cast so you are free to imagine whoever you want but i will describe the characters according to how i see them! happy reading! <3

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Every night for three years, I had the same nightmare. Eyes that burned like embers staring into my soul, and canines bared as if he was ready to attack. Every night, I woke up in the safety of my bed. Except tonight.

Tonight, my nightmare was real, and he was crouched between the trees.

The saliva dripped from his sharp canines, and I wasn't sure what was louder—my racing heart or his growl. It ripped from his chest and rippled underneath the snow. My feet were ice-cold, and I didn't have to look down to know that I was barefoot. I couldn't look away from him. It was as if we were suspended in time, and as soon as I would break away from it, he would pounce.

My feet were beginning to burn from the cold, and my first mistake was flexing my toes to check I could still move them. His sharp gaze followed the movement when the snow crunched and it was just like that that time resumed again.

Run.

My heart plummeted as I twisted in the air and triggered my shift. My clothes ripped to shreds and paws replaced feet on the settled snow. He had quite a distance to cover as I set into motion and headed for the trees on the other side of the clearing.

His wolf was larger and faster and I could feel my breath quicken as I felt him closing the distance. I tried my best to weave in and out of the trees to tire him out. The nightmare had always ended with my blood soaking the snow.

His growls became louder and I frantically scanned my surroundings for anything that could come to my aid. If I attempted to climb a tree, he could sink his teeth into my hind legs and shake me like a rag doll.

I knew the chase was exhilarating him, like it was a game of wolf and rabbit. I was the prey and he was the apex predator.

I could see the gates that marked the beginning of civilisation yet a sinking sense of doom encased me. Everyone else was asleep and no one would come to my rescue or see me die.

I knew death was imminent when I could feel his breath on my hind leg.

It was just me and him.

A fire burned in my stomach and I refused to be easy prey. I was agile and being smaller was an advantage when I leapt through a break in the gate. I yelped as the barbed wire cut my right leg but the adrenaline numbed the pain when I staggered back and saw his teeth clashing together against the hole he couldn't get through.