The neon lights of Los Angeles flickered through the window of Alex Mercer's small apartment. The hum of traffic below was a distant lullaby, almost comforting. Tonight, though, something felt different. The air carried a strange electric charge, prickling against his skin.
Alex had been an ordinary student at Westlake University—studying graphic design, playing basketball, and keeping his head down. But that ordinary life had started to unravel that evening.
A low growl echoed from the alley across the street. Alex frowned, grabbing his jacket. "Probably just some stray dog," he muttered, but his gut told him otherwise.
As he stepped outside, the city felt… quiet. Too quiet. Shadows moved unnaturally fast, and every instinct screamed danger. Then he saw her—a figure cloaked in black, her eyes glowing red. She moved like liquid shadow, silent but threatening.
Before Alex could react, another movement flashed behind him. A beast—larger than any dog, with piercing yellow eyes—lunged at him. He froze. Pain and fear collided, and in that moment, something deep inside him awoke.
A surge of energy coursed through his veins. Muscles tensed, senses sharpened—he could hear the faintest heartbeat, smell the acrid scent of fear, feel the wind brushing past like fingertips. The world snapped into hyper-focus.
The beast circled him, snarling. Alex instinctively met its gaze, and a primal roar erupted from his chest. The beast yelped, stumbled, and then froze. Alex felt the transformation—fur sprouting, claws forming, fangs elongating.
By the time the moonlight broke through the clouds, Alex Mercer wasn't just a man anymore. He was something more—something wild, powerful, and dangerous.
And somewhere in the shadows, Selene Vega watched, intrigued. "So… the wolf awakens," she whispered, a smile curling across her lips.
Alex didn't know it yet, but tonight would mark the beginning of a journey that would change not only his life but the fate of the supernatural world in Los Angeles.