We all turned back into humans that morning except for the Alpha.
The shift had always been the same since the beginning of time,
full moon, hunt, blood on our tongues, wildness in our bones,
and then, like magic, sunrise would bring back the humanity in us , pull our skin into place, and leave us naked in the woods, panting but human again.
But that morning, something was different. Something was wrong.
I woke up on the damp earth,naked as usual,I looked by my side expecting to see him lying beside me,my boyfriend, my Alpha, Andrew.
But he wasn't beside.
''Was this about our little argument?''
Every hunt ended the same. We ran wild together, fought side by side, and then collapsed under the stars until morning light frees us from the cruse.
But this time, the space next to me was empty.
I pushed myself up, brushing leaves off my skin, and called out.
"Andrew?"
Silence.
"Andrew! I understand that you are a leader and might not have all the time for us!"
I shouted,looking around the woods,
Then continued.
''But I know you love me,now please come out.''
I said softly.
Nothing happened. The forest stayed silent,I didn't hear his voice, or even the sound of his steps."
My stomach knotted. He never left me alone. Not after a full moon, not after the shift. My throat felt tight as I looked around, scanning the trees.
Everyone else would be scattered, dressing, laughing, heading back to the packhouse. But Andrew was always with me.
Always.
I moved through the woods, barefoot, searching.
"This isn't funny, babe. Come on."
No reply. Just the rustle of branches as the wind blew past me.
Then I spotted it,my clothes. Neatly folded, lying against the base of a tree.
Relief hit me for a second.
I grabbed the pile, pulled on my jeans and top, the fabric clinging damply to my skin. But just as I finished, a sound made me freeze.
A low growl.
I turned my head slowly.
There, just beyond the trees, a wolf stood watching me.
I almost laughed. Wolves were normal. Wolves were us. But the shift was over. Morning had come.
Every single one of us was supposed to be human again. There shouldn't be a wolf standing in front of me.
My chest tightened. My breath caught.
"No way,"
I whispered.
"This is… impossible."
But I knew. Even before I looked into those eyes, I knew.
The Black fur. The way he stood, proud even in stillness. The eyes that glowed not with animal instinct but with the soul I had loved for years.
It was Andrew.
My Alpha. My boyfriend. Stuck in his wolf form.
I took a shaky step forward.
"Andrew?"
My voice cracked.
The wolf's ears twitched. His eyes glistened. And then I swear I saw it,a tear slid down his fur.
Tears. He was pain, probably wondering what gone wrong with him.
"Oh God…"
My chest ached. He was hurting. He was trapped in there, screaming, and there was nothing I could do.
"What's happening to you?"
I whispered, my hands trembling.
"Why didn't you shift back?"
He whimpered, the sound sharp and broken, and my heart nearly split in half.
I put my hands into my Trouser pockets, Just like I normally do.
That's when I felt it. A folded piece of paper pressed into my pocket .
Frowning, I pulled it out. It wasn't mine. I never carried paper.
Unfolding it, I read the words written in messy ink.
''i'm sorry I did this to him,
I did what I had to do,and I'm the only witch who can turn him back.
Come to Calibo City.
I run a restaurant. When you walk in, I will know.''
I read it twice. Three times. My mouth hung open.
"What the hell…" I muttered.
Calibo City? That was hours away. A massive city. I didn't know anyone there. I had never even been there.
And who the hell was this person, claiming they could turn Andrew back?
My head spun. None of it made sense. Wolves didn't just get stuck.
The shift was law. It was nature. If Andrew was trapped, it meant something bigger, darker, was at play.
I looked back at him,at his glowing eyes, at the way he trembled slightly, his breath heavy. He needed me. He couldn't lead the pack like this. He couldn't protect himself like this.
"Don't worry,"
I whispered, holding the note so tight it crumpled.
"I'll fix this.i'll fix you I promise babe."
I didn't know how. I didn't know who had left the note, or what waited in Calibo. But one thing I knew for sure,
I would do anything,I mean anything to bring him back.
And so, standing there in the quiet woods with my Alpha trapped inside a wolf's body, I made my choice.
I was going to Calibo.
No matter what it cost me.
When I looked in his direction, he wasn't there anymore. He had wandered off into the trees, swallowed by the shadows.
Tears rolled down my eyes as memories rushed in. Andrew had been my everything.
My Alpha.
My fated mate.
The bond wasn't as overwhelming as the old stories claimed it should be, but my heart had chosen him all the same.
He was there when I lost Mama. He became my rock, my safe place, the one who held me together when the world tried to tear me apart.
We were supposed to be married in a month, and he already spoke about little wolves running through our home.
I remembered the way he made me feel alive, the way he made me feel like a woman.
In the woods, beneath the moon, he had kissed me with such hunger that even after that moment,it kept replaying in my head.
His hands cupped my face, his breath warm against me as I whispered his name.
"Andrew…"
The way he pulled me closer, like he could never have enough of me, the way his lips moved from my lips to my neck,
it was gentle and consuming at once. That night was ours, full of promises spoken without words.
Now, he was gone.
And I refused to let the curse take him from me forever.