The morning after his awakening, Alex woke drenched in sweat, tangled in his bedsheets, unsure if what had happened was real. His body ached in unfamiliar ways—his senses still buzzing, his muscles tight. He swung his legs off the bed and stumbled to the bathroom mirror.
His reflection stared back at him—eyes sharper, pupils elongated, and a strange glint beneath the iris that had never been there before. He touched his face, his jaw, and then froze when his fingers grazed the faint stubble of coarse fur along his knuckles.
"I… I'm not dreaming," Alex whispered to himself, voice rougher, slightly echoing with a growl.
He didn't know where to go or who to trust, but instinct guided him. The city felt alive, whispering secrets only he could now hear. His senses led him toward the outskirts of Los Angeles, to a hidden part of the city most humans ignored—a derelict warehouse district shrouded in fog and mystery.
As he stepped closer, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, broad-shouldered, exuding raw power, with eyes like molten amber.
"You're late," the man said, voice low but commanding.
"Uh… I… I don't know who you are," Alex stammered. He instinctively crouched slightly, ready to spring if needed.
The man smirked, a hint of amusement flickering in his gaze. "Name's Marcus Wolfe. And you, wolf, are officially on my radar."
Alex frowned. "W-wolf?"
Marcus extended a hand—not to shake, but to measure Alex's reaction. "You're a Mercer. That bloodline doesn't stay dormant for long. You've awakened, which means your life just changed forever."
Alex's mind raced. "Changed how? What are you talking about?!"
"Come with me," Marcus said. "There's no time to explain everything now. You need to learn control—because if you don't, you'll be hunted, and you won't even know why."
Reluctantly, Alex followed Marcus through the winding streets, finally arriving at a massive, hidden compound. Wolves—humanoid but distinctly lupine in appearance—roamed the grounds. Some practiced combat, others howled at the moon rising early in the foggy dawn.
"This… this is a pack?" Alex asked, his voice trembling between fear and awe.
Marcus nodded. "Your kind doesn't survive alone. This is your new family, your protectors, your teachers. And you'll need them all if you want to survive the storm coming to LA."
Alex's eyes fell on a corner where a group of wolves circled around a glowing sigil etched into the ground. A subtle hum of power filled the air, the kind of energy he'd never felt before. His heart pounded in both fear and excitement.
"You'll train. You'll fight. You'll learn to embrace the wolf inside you," Marcus said. "But first…" He paused, pointing to the horizon where the sunlight barely touched the skyscrapers. "You need to understand who you're up against. Vampires. Rogue vampires. And there's one in particular—Selene Vega—watching you already."
Alex froze. The name sounded familiar. His chest tightened as memories of the previous night—the red-eyed woman, the liquid shadows—flooded back.
"Why me?" he asked, voice almost a whisper.
Marcus's eyes softened for a brief moment. "Because you're the only Mercer left. And wolves like you… they're born to protect the balance. The night of your awakening… it wasn't an accident. It was a calling."
Before Alex could respond, a distant scream echoed across the city. The pack tensed, ears flattening, teeth bared. The war had already begun, and Alex realized he had no choice but to dive headfirst into it.
For the first time, fear mixed with purpose. He was no longer just a student. He was a wolf. And LA would never be the same again.