1. Angelina

Chapter 1

Angelina

"Are you kidding me?" I mutter, with my expression splitting half in astonishment, and half in horror, as I try to regain my balance.

After I evade another bite by one of these hulking wolf-like monsters to take a large bite out my side. Throwing myself again to the left, after feigning to my right, I can't help but pant as I do so.

When I had left my dorm with intentions of getting into the after-exams spirit by enjoying the rave, fighting for my life in a dark abandoned street had not been on my bucket list. What a lovely weekend!

Still, calling this a fight would be generous by any metric. Wielding only a steel pipe, all I am focused on is trying to run away and not get eaten.

Despite my five feet four-inch frame, I had always been stronger and faster than everybody I knew, including amateur athletes, but none of that makes any difference now.

With corded limbs, taut muscles and large slavering jaws full of protruding sharp teeth, these creatures were far stronger and faster than I was.

They are clearly out for blood, and unfortunately, they are also very equipped to get it. My insane reaction time is the only thing keeping me from being disemboweled so far, but my muscles are painfully burning with the strain.

The way I see it, being banged up is far better than death, so I keep moving.

"C'mon you nasty little beast, I've got your number now" I say, pushing my hair out the way and readjusting my grip on my makeshift weapon.

One thing is obvious. I am getting tired.

I know it, and whatever these creatures are, they know it too. The limp in my step from when one of them had sunk their teeth into my calf with mind-boggling speed wasn't helping matters.

I know I would be dead already instead of just nursing bruises and a bite, if they weren't sadistically toying with me and that just ticks me off even more. Sodding sick bastards!

Crouching, both so I wouldn't fall over, and to also reduce my center of gravity while increasing my dexterity, I keep my sight trained on the beast right in front of me, while I watch for movement from the others.

I can tell something has changed by how the hackles on the beast in front of me raise, and its gaze starts darting around. A snarl to my left is abruptly cut off, and suddenly dying cries of creatures litter the air.

A blur out of the corner of my eye catches my attention as it moves from one creature to another, leaving each one of them still and unmoving.

Before I can stand straight on my feet, all four of them are dead as doornails.

More blood, black as tar in the moonlight, splashes on the granite below as my savior relieves them of their heads, cleanly decapitating them with a sword.

I know I would normally be, but right here and now, I am not horrified by the gore I see. Instead, I am strangely elated, and it is certainly not just because I have been saved from a sure death. It's a huge part of it, but the sight of my savior does the rest.

Taking a long look, I can see that all this damage is not inflicted with just his blade. The creatures' bodies all bear slashes from both his blade, and claws, which I clearly see retreating back into the hand of my savior, right in front of my eyes.

Holy smokes, I am not hallucinating. Those are actually real! I shout in the confines of my head.

This is right out of the twilight zone. But for some reason I am not scared. Not because his gruesome actions, large sword, or aforementioned claws are not scary, but because I know I didn't have to worry about his type of scary.

I straighten my back, and angle my gaze to see my savior's face.

"Wow! That must be a really sharp sword for it to…." My sentence trails off, as my train of thoughts is lost.

Heat floods my face, dusting my cheeks with pink, which is certainly visible even in the moonlight. My heart starts beating a drum against my chest, more than it did during the entirety of my very recent brush with death.

My pounding heart leaves me exasperated at the realization that my body reacted more readily to an attractive man than it did to the danger of a slow and painful death, and it's hard not to roll my eyes. But boy, it really should be a hundred percent illegal to be this hot.

My savior is hot. Very hot. Molten lead hot.

The first thing I note is how much I have to crane my head just to get a good look at his face. He is at least a full foot taller than I am. I can't see the color of his eyes, but I could see his face, and he looks like he just stepped off the cover of a bodice ripper.

With slightly deep set eyes, magnificently shaped brows, and high cheekbones, he looks like what I imagine a sixteenth century aristocrat and warrior would be.

In contrast to his decidedly male and hard features, his lips look impossibly soft. Bow shaped, and perfected by a sensuously full lower lip, I can't help but trace it with my eyes.

He is dressed in all black, with black leather shoes completing his ensemble of slacks and a shirt under a trench coat of the same color.

"Are you okay, Miss?" He asks, deep and lilting, with a voice so melodic it almost sounds like he is reciting poetry instead of inquiring about my condition.

"Angelina. My name is Angelina." I immediately responded.

"Hello Angelina" He smiles.

"This is cliché, and played out, but I mean it. I owe you my life." I rush out, almost like I need to tell it all to him more than I need to breathe. Predictably, I have to take a large breath right after.

Cool it! There's enthusiasm, and there's this. I remind myself, knowing I needed to focus on more important things.

"What were those things? I swear they came out of nowhere. And what is your name?" I question again before he can utter a word, all without taking my eyes off him.

He seems unable to take his dark eyes off me either, his dark penetrating gaze softened by apparent concern. I am struck by a deep and irrational longing to hold him, or touch his chiseled jaw at least.

"Don't worry about them. You are safe now Angelina, trust me. My name is Williem." He kindly comforts, calming me down by sounding like honey and warm marshmallows would sound like, if they could be heard.

A girl could easily be lulled to sleep by a voice like that. I admit to myself and I could definitely imagine it. I feel the remaining stress and tension leave my body.

Williem turns around to observe the bodies of the creatures, and I try to follow him but my leg gives up on me, as an unbidden whimper escapes my lips.

"What is it?' William whirls around in a blur to look at me, and despite the pain from my burning calf, I can't help but enjoy the attention from him as he guides me to sit on a nearby stump so he can take a look at me.

"Where are you hurt Angelina?"

He touches my leg with the utmost care and tenderness, as he raises the cuff of my pants to get a good look at my calf. I point to it as the culprit, not trusting my voice to let out words instead of a groan.

It all goes downhill from here.

I know the moment he sees the bite, not because he flinches or offers any platitudes, but because of how abruptly he drops the material of my pants with an expression I could only describe as disgust, plastered on his face.

"It's not that bad, is it? I mean, I'm up to date on my shots. It's not even deep so I'm going to be okay. Just need some disinfectant" I say, in as optimistic a voice as I can manage while doing my best to ignore the pain.

"You are not going to be okay. You may die, or worse." Williem deadpans. "You need to come with me. Now."

Williem

She is infuriating.

This tiny and beautiful woman is both breathtaking and maddening at the same time, and it is driving me mad.

From the moment I caught her scent, it had taken all of my attention to focus on the rogues, and so I tried to get them out of the way as quickly as possible.

Maneuvering around their claws and fangs, severing the tendons located behind their joints, and finally relieving them of their heads, was the quickest and most efficient way to put them down.

Immediately after checking Angelina over, I place a call to my sentinel and second-in-command, Lake, requesting transport and assistance cleaning up the bodies.

Their remains will return to their human forms, and the last thing we needed is for the police to pick up what they would think were the corpses of strange creatures, only to have them turn back into human remains by morning.

It would only bring unwanted attention to this town, and Riviera didn't need that. Trusty as always, Lake picks up on the first ring.

"What's up Alpha?" He perkily asks, loudly chewing gum with an accompanying goofy grin on his face that I can't see but is definitely present, very much at odds with the ruthless killer nature hiding behind it.

"I've got four rogues downtown. Neutralized, but I need cleanup"

"Any casualties?" The chewing stops, he is now as serious as a heart attack. I can hear the tension down the phone.

"One. Female. Bitten." I bite out each word, hating that I have to say it. Hating that someone so lovely is condemned to this.

"Fucking hell! I'll be there in thirty." Lake promises, as he audibly scrambles to his feet while zipping up a jacket.

‘See you soon Lake." Weary of it all, I end the call and turn my attention back to the next problem I need to take care of.

The other thing which would bring attention to this town, was to have Angelina go to the hospital, get admitted for a strange illness, and turn by the next full moon, killing every man, woman, and child in the vicinity.

I asked her to leave with me, explaining that her best chances lay with us, but it had just devolved into the shouting match it now was.

I didn't want to have to bundle her into a vehicle by force, I would prefer if she came of her own volition, but I would do what I have to regardless.

"There's no way I'm leaving with you! Especially not without a good reason. I should be going to a hospital, getting some treatment, then back to my dorm.

And you can bet your pretty face that that's exactly what I'm going to do" Angelina yells, shocking me with the volume such a small woman could produce. That is an impressive set of lungs . I admit, staring at her in frustration.

I understand that she is scared, but this is getting ridiculous.

Now that I have taken the rogues out, I can finally drink in my fill of her.

To my superior sight, her blonde hair looks silver in the moonlight, her lips stay the right shade of pink. She is beautiful. So beautiful she makes the wolf want to leap right out of my skin, if only so he could see and feel her himself.

This petite slip of a woman has the wolf straining against his binds in my mind. He wants to taste her, and I don't disagree.

Beautiful gray eyes are framed by individually perfect features, seamlessly coming together to perfectly highlight each other. Dainty ears, petite pointed chin, dimpled cheek, full brows, and even fuller lips.

She is a vision of beauty, and I couldn't have guessed she had just come out of a scrap with four rogues.

She also smells wonderful and just breathing in her scent has blood rushing to my nether regions, making them ache delightfully. Sadly, she caused my headache too, with her stubborn refusals.

I decided to be as blunt as possible, not minding if I scare her in the process. She couldn't pull a runner, not even if she tried her hardest. I almost want her to.

I am certain to enjoy the chase.

"Angelina, think about it right now. You obviously know that these creatures aren't anything you've ever seen or read about. So trust me when I tell you, that the result of their bite will not end with a shot, or a trip to the hospital."

"What will happen is, first you'll get sick, and experience pain beyond anything you can imagine. Have you ever been in excruciating pain before Angelina?" I ask, my eyes narrow as I pin her with my gaze.

Angelina immediately has a far-off look appear on her face, I can see her mind wander, drifting into what is surely an unpleasant memory.

"Yes, I fell from a tree once. I broke a couple of my ribs, and my right leg too" She answers calmly, and immediately my heart wrenches from imagining her in pain. How old were you then? I want to ask, but I need to focus on the things that matter.

"Now multiply that by a thousand. That's what it will feel like. And that's not even the worst part." I say, knowing fully well that I had not even touched on the worst news.

Shock, doubt, and then fear appear on her face, and the fact of this situation hits me right then and there.

It doesn't matter how much I want her, because even if she wants me in return, it cannot be anything other than just attraction. She would most likely end up dead, or a rogue, which still meant death.

The chances of her healing and staying human or becoming a full Lycan after the first change are both so small.

It is almost impossible and this just means that wanting her is futile.

But the important thing is, she needs to come with me, if only so more people's lives would not be ruined.

The conversation and my train of thought is interrupted when Lake arrives, two vehicles in tow. "Heads up Boss" He hollers, and with a nod in my direction, he tosses a car key in my direction. I track its trajectory, and effortlessly catch it.

The pack members he brings with him call out their greetings which I return in kind.

"Be well Kun!"

"And you too, Jemeric!" I wave to them before I turn back to Angelina. I know my voice and tone turns morbid, but I can't help it. What I need to tell her is morbid.

"The worst part is when you survive the first change, and wake up, not human, or Lycan, but as a rogue." Her confused stare prompts an explanation from me.

"Rogues are the creatures that attack you. If you wake up as one of those in a hospital, you will tear up the hospital, and kill innocents. Children will not even be safe from you, and I see you Angelina, you don't want that in your conscience."

The protest on her tongue dies, and a tiny gasp is all she let out, but my superior ears pick it up regardless. I know this is fucked up. Trust me I do.

Angelina follows me to the vehicle without my asking, climbing into the passenger seat with some difficulty. I move to help her but she shrugs off my help and does it herself, dejection distorting her expressive features and I can see she is holding back tears.

I want to offer her some comfort, and remind her that there is a slim chance of getting through this unchanged but I make up my mind to not offer her empty platitudes or false hope. I harden myself to this.

People die every day. This isn't any different.