Chapter 3 The Beast

Lucian

"My lord, I am sure there is no misunderstanding. She is the one," Theo displayed the portrait of Ava to my face for the hundredth time. Shoving it off my face, I stuck to my gut. Gulping the entire bottle of bourbon down my throat, I threw the empty bottle across the room.

"You need to calm down, my lord. She-"

"She what? I spent a hundred and twenty-three years on earth to find Rebecca's reborn and kill her, and now you're assuming Ava is her? That girl in there is young and fragile. I didn't sense an atom of strength in her. I doubt she could kill a fly," I scoffed, opening the lids of my window, letting fresh air fill the room. "She's not the one. I am sure of it."

"She is. I made sure I tracked down her ancestors, and it says she is morganna. She might be pretending, but I feel she is the one. They both have emerald eyes." I laughed, walked to him, and grabbed him by the collar.

"Emerald eyes? Is that your point? Theo, we both have the same eye color, and you couldn't even tell who your first wife was four days after you got married to the fourth. Think better."

I pushed him hard, and he fell. My fists clenched. He trembled under the raw force of my anger. The air crackled with tension as if the very atmosphere recoiled from my unleashed fury. Objects trembled on the brink of destruction, caught in the tempest of my wrath.

"You're defending her," Theo admitted so calmly. He was scared-he should be. I paused and walked toward him, squatting to his level on the floor from my first push. I felt him tense at my cold gaze. I was on the verge of bursting out my rage on him, but I knew better.

"Theo," I leaned closer to his ear. "If this girl isn't Rebecca, I will send your head to your child." His heartbeat fastened as he looked me in the eyes, trying to make sure I was joking. I held eye contact, telling him I was serious. "Mark my words," I let out a breath, taking off my shirt. I heard Theo make his way out of my office. I felt an inexplicable surge of energy coursing through my veins. I clutched my chest, my muscles convulsing in a painful transformation. I saw rage.

My body contorted and twisted, bones elongating with gut-wrenching snaps. The sensation of fur sprouting from my skin was both alien and agonizing. My human form wavered as I succumbed to the relentless metamorphosis. With each passing moment, my humanity seemed to fade, replaced by a primal force clawing its way to the surface. Theo walked out of my office

A guttural growl escaped my lips as my face elongated into a snout, teeth sharpening into formidable fangs. My hands twisted into monstrous claws, tearing through the fabric of my humanity. Fur cascaded down my now-hulking frame, covering me in a shroud of primal power.

The transformation completed with a haunting symphony of bone-cracking snaps and growls. Where I once stood, a powerful werewolf now took its place-a creature of the night, eyes gleaming with a predatory glint. The air seemed to pulse with the newfound energy coursing through my beast veins, and as I threw my head back, the haunting howl echoed into the moonlit night, marking the arrival of the beast within.

I jumped out the window.

⸻

Ava

I woke up, and it felt like all the pain in my body had disappeared overnight. I didn't know how I slept, but the last thing I remembered was the man walking out of the room, leaving me on the bed crying. He assured me that I was safe, but I still didn't know why he wanted me here. He didn't even tell me his name.

Yawning, I stretched my body and got off the bed. The pain in my legs was gone, and they were no longer swollen. I tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Son of a-" My knuckles rapped urgently against the solid wood, the sound echoing through the room. "Let me out!" I shouted repeatedly. My hair fell in disheveled strands around my face, and my breaths quickened with each unanswered knock. Faint echoes of my heartbeat reverberated in my ears, matching the cadence of my knocks.

"Please," I pleaded to no one. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to catch any sign of movement or response from within. I glanced back at the window and noticed it was wide open. If he thought he could keep me here without a reason, then I had to get out right now.

I meticulously tore fabric from a nearby curtain, my hands working with a sense of urgency and precision. I was scared. Each shred of material represented a desperate attempt at freedom as I made a rope out of it. Sweat gathered on my forehead, and my breath quickened with the tension of the moment.

I heard footsteps approaching the door, making me pause-then the noise disappeared.

With the rope in hand, I approached the window, a sliver of freedom tantalizingly close. The air carried a mix of anticipation and fear as I carefully secured the makeshift contraption to the window ledge. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest that it drowned out the sounds of the world outside.

I looked down to make sure no one was around. The environment was quiet, but I saw three girls, all dressed in the same uniform. I wasn't stopping-I told myself.

Silently, I eased myself out of the window, my movements slow and deliberate. The exterior of the building loomed below, the ground a perilous distance away. The fabric rope creaked under my weight as I descended. The ground was still far-I guessed this was a seven-story building. If I fell now, I might end up dead, but that didn't bother me. I needed to leave.

People were giving me stares, and some were laughing. I heard someone say, "She couldn't handle him." I knew what they meant, but they were all insane.

Just as my feet were about to touch the ground, a sudden beam of light illuminated the scene. Panic seized my body as I realized I wasn't alone. A voice rang out, sharp and accusing.

"What do you think you're doing?"