Outside the beta's home stretched a panorama of complete greenery, a dense forest clinging to the mountains in the distance. The home itself was luxurious, a testament to modern styling, yet it possessed a welcoming, homey feel. Maids and a private chef bustled within, attending to the needs of the inhabitants.
Trinity's mind still reeled from the day's events. She felt foolish. Alana, in her usual charming manner, had informed her that the alpha was coming to dinner—an event she couldn't miss. Now, she stood in the front entry hallway in a beige turtleneck dress, uncomfortably long and tight, a few inches above her ankles. Tight dresses were never meant to be this long, Trinity thought, briefly considering cutting a slit, just to see Alana's reaction. She refrained, not wanting to cause a scene.
She wished Jess could be here, or even Ryan, despite their unresolved issues. The atmosphere felt ridiculous. Her so-called parents stood beside her, both formally dressed. Boris in his navy suit and tan shirt, Alana in her tan dress, sky-high heels, and navy shoes. And Trinity, the third wheel, in her turtleneck dress.
The three stood like statues before the door, waiting for it to open. Looking around, Trinity noticed the staff—maids and chefs bustling about, preparing for the alpha's arrival.
Boris felt his palms sweat. He worried for his daughter, not wanting her to suffer for a mistake born of ignorance.
"I don't want to freak you out, but there are customs you need to follow with Adrian. Address him as Alpha Adrian. Answer his questions respectfully. When he arrives, bow your head, expose your neck. He's not a bad guy, just not an easy one," Boris muttered, mostly to himself.
You forgot to remind her not to embarrass us, Alana spoke into Boris's mind.
Boris shot her a look, disliking her harsh words. He wasn't worried about Trinity embarrassing them, just about her getting into trouble.
"For the 100th time, I get it. I'm not a child. Bow down to your Alpha overlord. I got it," she sighed, stepping away from the two to lean against the wall.
Her mind wandered as she looked at the photos in the hall. Family photos, mostly of her and Boris. Him taking her to the park, feeding her ice cream, holding her on his shoulders. He looked happy, she looked happy. Alana looked like herself: cold, distant, and unforgiving. Trinity found herself lost in the pictures, wondering if she would ever remember. She knew she wouldn't, but it was nice to know she had happy memories as a child, even if forgotten.
Boris watched her, hoping she would understand that he cared. He never wanted to let her go and had always shown his love for his daughter.
Following the photos, Trinity noticed when she disappeared from them. It seemed like a shift in family mentality. Boris looked different, lost. It made her hatred falter slightly. It wasn't gone, but it crumbled a bit.
"We should take new ones!" Boris suggested, moving closer to Trinity. He wasn't sure if she would reject him or make a snarky comment, but he held onto hope.
"Hum," was her only reply. She didn't want to say no outright, but she wouldn't take a fake photo. She didn't want her next appearance on this wall to look any less real than her other photos.
Boris smiled happily, reaching out to touch her shoulder, feeling like he was finally connecting with her.
A hard knock echoed on the front door, halting his actions.
Since she was closest, Trinity opened the door, remembering her father's words. Bowing her neck, she stepped back towards her parents.
"Welcome, Alpha," she said, the respect and reverence absent. She spoke his title like anyone's name.
Boris and Alana followed suit, bowing their necks to their Alpha.
Boris watched Trinity as he kept his head bowed. He noticed her beginning to raise her head and quickly stepped forward, holding her neck down.
He wasn't sure if he forgot to tell her, or if she didn't remember, but she couldn't raise her head until Alpha Adrian addressed their greeting. Especially not a lower pack member.
Trinity wanted to protest, to slap his hands away and curse him for trying to control her. But his grip was firm, almost pleading with her to obey.
"Has she not learned simple respect?" Alpha Adrian asked Boris, eyeing his hand on Trinity's head.
"My daughter is still adjusting to life in the pack. I neglected to inform her of etiquette here," Boris said quickly, trying to defuse the situation. He bowed his head further, exposing more of his neck.
Alpha Adrian wasn't fooled. He saw how his beta quickly took the blame, protecting Trinity from even the smallest infractions.
"It's not a problem. I thank you for the invite, Alana," Alpha Adrian smiled.
Boris straightened, releasing his daughter's neck but keeping a hand on her shoulder.
Listening to the exchange, Trinity understood why Boris had held her neck. She had forgotten the rules.
Trinity knew Adrian wasn't friendly, especially to anything he deemed weak or unnecessary. Not even his son was spared, as she had heard Alana gossip.
With his hand still on Trinity's shoulder, Boris led them aside so Alpha Adrian could enter. Alana quickly joined him, taking his other hand.
Alpha Adrian struggled to keep his face straight. They looked like a happy family, and the image disgusted him. He intended to cause some damage tonight.
Boris's heart stilled as he looked past the alpha for the first time, seeing his son, Luca. He noticed the boy's flared nostrils as he took a deep breath, drawing in Trinity's scent. His eyes, once a vibrant brown, began to swirl and deepen, the warm hue receding as a predatory obsidian took over, indicating his wolf was clawing its way to the surface. The change wasn't subtle; it was a visible, chilling shift.
"I want," the words tore from Luca's throat, no longer boyish but a raw, guttural snarl that vibrated through the hallway, catching everyone off guard.
The sounds were vicious, primal.
Curiosity got the best of Trinity. Stepping forward, she wanted a closer look at the boy with eyes like a starless night. He looked to be around her age, if not a little younger, and he kept muttering the same words – I want, I want, I want – his voice sounding more like a caged animal than a human. Before she could take another step, Boris instinctively pulled her tightly against his chest.
Whatever fragile human restraint Luca had clung to shattered. The moment his fully black eyes locked onto Trinity, the transformation began violently. It started with a ripple beneath his skin, bones audibly cracking and reforming with sickening pops and grinding sounds. His hands clenched, and the skin around his fingertips stretched and tore as thick, black claws, far too large for human fingers, began to force their way through his nail beds, ripping the keratin apart in a bloody, agonizing display. The claws, sharp and wickedly curved, burst through the tips of his fingers, tearing through the fabric of his expensive shirt sleeves as they extended.
Clumps of coarse, dark fur sprouted rapidly across his exposed skin, pushing through pores and causing his human flesh to slough off in patches, like old paint peeling away. His face elongated, his jaw jutting forward, and his teeth visibly sharpened into lethal points. The transformation was brutal, a horrifying display of bone and muscle reshaping itself, tearing through skin and clothing with savage abandon. He was no longer a boy; a wolf was erupting from within him. With a final, shuddering contortion, his human form was completely overtaken, leaving a large, black and brown wolf snarling and lunging towards the front door.
Alpha Adrian was shocked to see his son's unrestrained transformation. He had noticed Luca's line of sight, fixed solely on Trinity. Never had he witnessed an alpha child succumb so completely, so violently. For a fleeting moment, he considered the possibility of a mate bond, but dismissed it. This raw, untamed hunger spoke of a more primal urge, a desperate lust to possess something that had instantly captivated his basest instincts.
Not wanting to be embarrassed, he ordered his son to stop and shift back, but his order was ignored.
He spoke again, putting all his power behind his words, "Shift back and go home." He used every ounce of his Alpha order.
Again, his son ignored him, something no pack member should be able to do.
But Luca wasn't in his right mind. He couldn't hear his father over the pounding of his blood, the sound of his wolf's voice echoing in his mind, repeating the same words: I want I want I want.
At that moment, Luca and his wolf had bonded. The scent of Trinity and her sweet, yet hollow smile had created a deadly combination.
The wolves guarding the property acted swiftly. From the moment Luca had entered the property's range, they had watched him. The moment his eyes turned black and his skin rippled, the warriors closed in.
Gibson was stressed. The warriors were stronger than the alpha's son, but it was different standing before the alpha while trying to subdue his son without harming him. It made for a clumsy takedown.
It was hard and vicious. Luca scratched and bit, trying to kill anyone in his way. Many of the guarding wolves were injured. In the end, they had to wound him, slashing him with their shifted hands. Bleeding him enough to force him back into human form. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was messy and required precision to avoid killing the next Alpha.
Gibson held a bloody Luca, screaming for the girl. He couldn't shift, his eyes still black. He tried to crawl closer to her, unwilling to give up.
Desperately fighting to reach her, his skin raw and open, the sight alarmed Alpha Adrian. Embarrassed and shocked, he watched his son's desperate attempt to still get to Trinity. Deciding he had let it all go on for too long, he walked over to his son's crawling form and was quick to punch him in the head. Hard enough to knock him unconscious. Just wanting the whole ordeal to be over.
The men who had been guarding beta Carter's house originally believed themselves to be chastity police, disguised as a barrier for the Wolves of the pack. But watching this site, it became clear that whatever aroma his daughter was letting off, was lethal to the unmated wolves.
Gibson felt it necessary, after handing Luca over to one of the guards to bring to the Infirmary, to reaffirm to all of the warriors that they needed to keep their head on a swivel. And maintain a proper perimeter. No unmated wolf should get anywhere near this house.
After seeing an alpha son who could not control himself around his daughter because of her heat, they no longer took their job as trivial.
Tightening up their formation, they stood vigilant around the beta's property. Eyes sharp to every sound around them.
Trinity didn't understand what had happened. If the boy was mentally ill. Is this what it looks like to be sick as a wolf? If so she was glad to be more human than anything.
She thought it was strange now the real sat around the table. How everyone had just moved on. Like nothing big just happened. No one even explained what happened to her. She had briefly wondered if this had anything to do with the heat and why she wasn't allowed to leave. But she thought it couldn't really be that. She had seen how Ryan had reacted and he was definitely not himself. But he didn't wanted to kill her.
So The earlier events had made for an awkward dinner. Trinity sat at the table lost in her own thoughts. Completely unsure of anything in her life. Eating her dinner, unsure about everything. Did this have something to do with her heat. Whatever it is it seemed to be something important.
But also personal. Maybe something only women experienced. Did most of the woman hear all hide inside. 2 to 4 times a year. And fear that they might be attacked by unhinged wolves?
Considering all the conversation at the table so far had just been polite. If not work conversation between Alpha Adrian and her father. Shouldn't see that there was much harm in asking a question.