Mated to my Alpha, a killer

I didn’t mean to see it.

Didn’t mean to watch a man get ripped to shreds like paper in a back alley behind that damn club.

But I did.

And now I’m running for my life.

The cold air sliced across my skin as I ran through the endless stretch of dark the highway. I couldn’t breathe but I didn't dare stop. My boots slap against the pavement, heartbeat echoing louder than the wind in my ears. I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t care. As long as it’s away from that thing.

I didn’t imagine it. I know what I saw.

The blood. The claws. The way that man snarled before his face contorted into something… inhuman.

It wasn’t a mask. It wasn’t a man.

It was a monster.

And it looked me dead in the eye before vanishing into the shadows.

My fingers tremble as I fumble with my car keys. "Come on. Come on, damn it—"

The door finally unlocks, and I throw myself behind the wheel of my beat-up Honda Civic, slamming the door shut like it can somehow protect me from whatever’s out there. I turn the ignition. Nothing. I curse under my breath and try again.

This time, the engine roars to life.

Thank you, God.

I pull out of the gravel lot like hell’s on my heels, because it is. Whatever that thing was, I know it saw me. And I know enough from the look in its glowing yellow eyes, it’s not going to let me live.

It’s been three days since the alley.

Three days of driving through the Midwest like a fugitive with no real plan, barely sleeping, barely eating. I dyed my hair black at a gas station in Kansas, changed my hoodie twice, and threw away my phone.

No social media. No credit cards. Nothing traceable.

It’s stupid. I know that. But my gut hasn’t stopped screaming since that night. I don’t know what that thing was a man, a beast, a demon? but whatever it is, I felt it watching me.

And I know when something wants me dead.

My name is Raven Hayes. I’m 21. I’ve been invisible my whole damn life, foster care kid, no family, no backup. That night outside Club Meridian should’ve been just another Thursday shift. Instead, it cracked open a world I didn’t ask to see.

And now I can’t unsee it.

The motel outside Jackson Hole smells like old cigarettes and damp rug, Room 12 is dim, its walls stained with blood. Looks like something illegal happened here and someone died. Perfect.

I bolt the door three times, draw the heavy curtains tight, and sit with my back against the headboard, the lamp still flickering from the power surge when I turn it on. My hands haven’t stopped shaking in hours. I keep expecting a clawed hand to break through the glass, yellow eyes peering through the curtains.

I’m not crazy.

I’m not.

There was blood. Real blood. I can still see it on the bricks. Still hear the gurgling sound that man made as he died and the low, guttural growl that followed.

I’ve tried convincing myself it was a bear. Or some kind of drugged-up maniac.

But no bear moves like that. No human has claws that long or even fangs.

I sink deeper into the bed, wrapping my arms around my knees.

Just breathe, Raven. One night. Just make it through one night.

I close my eyes, praying for silence.

And then…

Click.

My eyes fly open.

Click.

The sound of the lock… turning.

I stare at the door, breath caught in my throat.

No. No, no, no. I locked it. I checked. Three times.

My chest tightens.

Another click.

The door handle creaks, shifting slowly downward.

My body moves on instinct. I snatch the lamp from the nightstand and back away, gripping it like a weapon. My back hits the far wall as the doorknob begins to turn fully. I can’t breathe. I can’t think.

The door opens.

And standing there is a tall and huge man… is him.

The man from the alley.

No. Not a man.

A predator.

His hood is pulled low over his face, obscuring his features, but I’d know that presence anywhere. The way the air thickens around him. The way my instincts scream to run.

He steps inside, slowly, like he has all the time in the world. Shuts the door behind him.

"Put the lamp down, Raven," he says.

My grip tightens.

“How do you know my name?” I demand, trying to sound braver than I feel.

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he lifts a hand and pulls his hood back and the sight knocks the breath from my lungs.

He’s beautiful.

Not in a boy-next-door kind of way. Not even in a celebrity kind of way. All sharp cheekbones, pale skin, and dark, tousled hair that curls just slightly at the ends. His eyes… God. They’re a stormy grey with rings of molten gold.

He stares at me like he’s already seen me naked. Like he owns me.

“I am meant to kill you,” he says flatly.

My blood runs cold.

“But I’m not going to.”

I don’t lower the lamp. “Why not?” Stupid me should be happy and celebrating but I'm asking a dumb question.

His jaw clenches. He looks… angry. Like he’s fighting something inside himself.

“Because,” he says, voice rougher now, lower. “You’re mine.”

My heart skips.

“What the hell does that mean?”

He takes a step forward, and I flinch, nearly dropping the lamp. “You need to stay away from me,” I hissed. “Whatever this is, whoever you are—”

“You’ve already seen too much,” he cuts in. “The only way you’re still breathing is because of the bond. I didn’t choose it, Raven. But it’s real.”

I shake my head. “You’re insane.”

His eyes flash gold, just for a second and my breath catches.

No contacts could do that. No trick of the light. That was real.

“You’re not crazy,” he says, reading my thoughts. “You just stepped into a world you were never meant to see.”

I press my back harder against the wall. “What do you want from me?”

He exhales slowly.

“Everything.”