The Alpha's Stolen Luna

Kaya

Before my mind can fully register the searing pain of my shifting bones and muscles, instinct takes over. I lunge forward, sinking my fangs deep into Storm's hand, nearly severing it with the sheer force of my bite.

A strangled, guttural scream rips from his throat—a raw, animalistic sound that sends a shiver down my spine. He is so stunned that he doesn't even shift. His body stiffens, his eyes wide with shock, but the moment his blood touches my tongue, something primal snaps inside me.

I lose control.

Snarling, I unsheathe my claws and rake them across his chest in one fluid, deadly motion.

The impact sends him hurtling across the room, his body slamming into the wall with a force that rattles the very foundation. The diamond claw mounted on the wall quivers from the shock.

A victorious roar erupts from my throat.

Before he can react—before he can even take his next breath—I pounce, driving him to the ground. My fangs are at his throat before he can scream.

Hot blood spills down his chest, soaking into his clothes, the scent thick and metallic in the air. His eyes are frozen wide, filled with disbelief.

My mind goes blank.

I clench my jaw tighter, feeling his windpipe strain beneath my teeth. One more bite. One more snap, and it would be over.

But then—

A whisper cuts through the haze, a voice so soft, yet firm, that it stops me cold.

He's dead, Kaya. It's over.

My human consciousness fights through the fog of bloodlust.

With a shudder, I release his throat and recoil, spitting out the foul taste of his corrupted blood. His body slumps to the floor with a heavy, lifeless thud.

A strange stillness settles over me.

The shift back to my human form happens almost instinctively, as though my body, just as exhausted as my mind, can no longer sustain the beast. The moment my bones realign and my muscles relax, I collapse, my limbs too sore to hold me up.

I lie there, breathless, my chest rising and falling in ragged gasps. The coppery tang of Storm's blood lingers on my lips, coating my tongue, making my stomach churn.

Then it dawns on me.

I killed a man.

I shifted—and I killed a man.

But there is something worse than killing.

Shelly saw me.

She saw me shift.

My gaze darts to the side, locking onto her face—pale, frozen in place, her wide eyes reflecting a storm of emotions. Shock. Bewilderment. Disbelief. Horror.

Her lips part as though she wants to speak, but no words come out. My own face twists in response, panic clawing at my chest. Can she see it? Can she see the fear, the desperation swirling inside me?

Finally, her voice breaks the suffocating silence.

"You..." Her voice is unsteady, barely above a whisper. "You... y-you shifted... How? H-How did you do that?"

I go completely still.

I have no answer. No excuse. No way to undo what she just witnessed. My shifting was supposed to be a secret, a truth known only to Damien. But now—because of my own lack of control—another person knows.

If word of this gets out, I'll be in serious trouble.

But right now, there's an even bigger problem staring us in the face.

"Shelly," I exhale shakily, my breath uneven as I force myself to look at Storm's lifeless body. "What do we do now? How the hell are we going to explain this?"

It's a quiet plea, a desperate hint that my ability to shift must remain hidden. I can only pray she understands—either chalking it up to shock or convincing herself she imagined it.

For a tense moment, she doesn't respond. I don't know if she bought the illusion or is simply pretending to, but then, without a word, she drops to her knees and crawls toward Storm's corpse.

Her hands hover over his unmoving chest as her gaze sweeps over his body, assessing the damage. A heavy sigh escapes her lips, but she still doesn't turn to face me.

"There's no way this can be masked as an accident... The claw marks... Goddess, what the hell..."

I don't get a chance to respond. A firm knock rattles the bedroom door.

"Alpha Storm? It's Jack. Alpha Reiner needs to speak with you."

My entire body seizes. My eyes snap to Shelly's, panic locking us in place. We have no time to think, no chance to plan. But the moment our gazes meet, something shifts in her expression. Determination steels her features, and she gives me a brief, resolute nod.

"I'll tell them it was me," she says, her hands trembling as she frantically searches the alpha's bed. "Here."

She snatches up a small gray towel and tosses it to me. "Wipe your mouth. Hide it under the mattress."

I remain frozen, unable to move, unable to process. Then, before I can stop her, Shelly plunges her hand into the pool of blood beneath Storm's neck.

My stomach churns as she lifts her blood-soaked fingers to her mouth and smears the sticky crimson across her lips, wincing, gagging as the stench assaults her senses.

"Shelly, you—"

"Alpha Storm?" Jack's voice sharpens. The knocking turns forceful. "Are you there? Is everything all right?"

The doorknob rattles. Shelly doesn't hesitate. She rushes to me and shoves me with what little strength she has left, sending me stumbling onto the floor.

"I'll take the blame," she hisses, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'll tell them I got scared and shifted. It was an accident—self-defense."

I want to protest, to stop her, but the knocking escalates into furious pounding.

"Alpha Storm, what's going on?! I'm breaking in!"

"For fuck's sake," Shelly mutters.

The door explodes inward with a single, brutal slam of Jack's stocky body, splintering into jagged pieces. Large shards of wood land dangerously close to my bare feet.

Two men stand in the doorway. Jack, his expression frozen in shock. And behind him—Alpha Reiner.

Magnus's amber gaze sweeps over me, slow and deliberate. Unapologetically assessing every inch of my exposed skin.

I recoil, crossing my arms over my chest, though the burning pain in my neck tells me I should've covered my throat instead.

Jack's shock turns to fury as he rushes to Storm's lifeless body. His voice erupts in a deep, guttural growl.

"What the fuck happened here?!"

I flinch, tearing my gaze away from Magnus, who has finally lost interest in me.

Shelly, however, doesn't cower. She hisses like a cornered animal, her voice sharp with defiance.

"Step away! Back off!" Her hands clench into fists. "Or I'll do the same to you!"