The strange man

Elena sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed on her son, Lucas. His small chest rose and fell with such fragile effort that every breath sounded like it could be his last. He was only seven, far too young to carry such suffering.

Her trembling hand reached out, brushing against his warm forehead.

“You’re going to be okay, sweetie,” she whispered with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Lucas didn’t answer. He was already asleep.

Swallowing the sob threatening to break free, Elena stood and quietly left the room. The moment she closed the door, her back pressed against it, tears streaming down her face. That was when she saw Jennifer Brown.

Alpha Mathew’s fiancée.

She stood there with her arms crossed, her eyes painted with false sympathy while her lips curled in cold amusement.

“Well?” Jennifer asked. “Have you made up your mind yet?”

Elena’s heart sank. “Is this really Mathew’s idea?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

Jennifer’s eyes darkened. “call him Alpha Mathew, peasant. And yes, it’s his idea.”

Stepping closer, Jennifer’s presence became suffocating. “You’re going to make that old Alpha feel good tonight,” she sneered. “And then, maybe, we’ll help your little bastard son.”

Shame burned Elena’s chest. She clenched her fists against the fabric of her dress. Lucas needed help. No one else would save him.

“Okay,” she whispered brokenly. “I’ll do it.”

Jennifer smirked, handing her a tight red dress. “How touching,” she mocked. “You’re such a devoted mother. Pity your son is nothing but a burden.”

“Don’t talk about Lucas like that,” Elena snapped, her voice trembling.

Jennifer leaned in close, her words venomous. “Then you’d better dress sexy. Especially for old Alphas. Good luck.”

Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked away, leaving Elena staring at the dress with loathing. It wasn’t made for serving drinks, it was made for seduction. And Elena hated herself for what she was about to do.

The Alpha of the Black Flame Pack landed silently through the open guest room window, shifting from his wolf form before his paws even touched the floor. Blood smeared across the marble tiles, though none of it was his. His wounds were already healing.

He wiped the blood from his chest, grabbed a glass of water, and barely raised it to his lips when his phone buzzed.

“Yeah?” he answered, his tone clipped. “Hide the body in the forest. I don’t care how. This is Alpha Walter’s charity banquet. Every Alpha is here… including my idiot brother, Mathew.”

Before he could hang up, a knock rattled against the door.

A voice followed, soft, trembling, desperate.

“Hello? H-hello…?”

Harrison frowned. Who the hell was that?

Hand on the handle, he pulled the door open.

And it was Elena

She stood in the dim hallway, her long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, her eyes wide with fear. The red dress clung to her delicate figure, yet her trembling hands betrayed her courage.

For a moment, Harrison just stared. Something about her tugged at his memory.

She stepped forward, her voice barely a whisper. “Elena. I’m a maid… from the Red Moon Pack. He sent me to you. As a gift.”

Harrison’s jaw tightened. He didn’t need to ask who “he” was. Mathew. That sick bastard.

“A gift?” Harrison’s voice turned cold. “Do you even know what that means?”

She flinched, tears glistening in her eyes.

Harrison studied her. She was stunning, too stunning for this. Delicate, fragile...

“No,” he muttered. “I don’t need a woman tonight. Get out.”

Her lips trembled. “Please,” she whispered. “I can’t leave empty-handed. I can’t.”

Her words struck him like a blade.

Then, before he could stop her, she leaned in and kissed him. Her lips were soft, scared, desperate. Against his better judgment, he kissed her back, only for a moment. Then he pulled away sharply, staring at her as if she had just ripped open an old wound.

“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.

His mind spun. Flashback, Seven Years Ago

A dark room, heavy with the scent of drugged incense. Candles flickered against the walls.

Harrison stumbled inside, his shirt half-ripped, his eyes glowing red with fury and confusion.

On the bed lay a woman, her body trembling, her lips parted as though she were burning from within.

“Who are you?” she asked weakly, her voice breaking. “I can’t… I can’t see your face. What’s happening to me?”

“We’re drugged,” Harrison rasped, lowering himself beside her. His voice shook. “They drugged us both.”

Her eyes fluttered. “No… I can’t get pregnant.”

He swallowed hard, unbuttoning what remained of his shirt. “Don’t worry. I can’t have kids…”

But even as they spoke the words, the fire inside them raged uncontrollably that neither could resist.

Back to present Harrison blinked, his chest tightening as he stared at Elena.

Her eyes. Her face. Her scent.

No. It couldn’t be.

The woman from that night…

Before they could know it, the knock on the door returned, louder, sharper.

Both froze.

Her eyes widened in fear.

“Elena,” Harrison said in a low growl, “did anyone follow you?”

“I… I don’t know,” she whispered.

The knock came again, this time a voice following it, deep, commanding.

Open the door!”

The moment Elena heard the voice

Elena’s breath hitched.