It was nearing 9 p.m. when his phone buzzed in his pocket: "Alex, I am at the Match Stick Hotel downtown. Can you please come save me?" The unknown number sent a chill down his spine. He fired back: "Who needs saving?" while flooring the accelerator toward the city's heart.
The replies came in rapid bursts, each one tightening the knot in his chest: Its me, Mary; My mom told me my family wanted to reconcile with me now I am trapped in the bathroom of room 427; My brother stole her phone to lure me here but I locked the door, they went to get the manager to open it; They say they will whore me out soon. I'm just property to them."
Alex's mind raced with images of Mary's wide, frightened eyes from her encounter. Her vulnerability pulled at him like a siren's call. He parked blocks from the hotel, the engine's hum fading into the night. Slipping into every F-rank piece of gear he owned, he tugged on a mask that only Luna had glimpsed before, back when her blindfold hid the world from her. A hoodie swallowed his frame, shadows clinging to him like allies.
No cameras in sight. He stepped into the road, arm raised to hail a cab, credits clutched tight in his fist. The vehicle screeched to a halt, and he slid in before the driver could second-guess the masked stranger.
The credits tumbled onto the front passenger seat like an offering. Alex settled into the back, his voice steady and warm. "Match Stick Hotel, please. Take me around to the back."
The driver glanced in the rearview, eyes narrowing with suspicion as the cab lurched forward. "I'm not about to be an accessory, am I?"
Alex let out a low laugh, the sound cutting through the tension like a blade. "Not at all. Being an accessory means you'd be aiding the escape of a wanted fugitive for committing a crime." The words hung in the air, laced with just enough mystery to make the driver grip the wheel tighter. The city's lights blurred past as they closed in on the hotel's glowing silhouette.
Alex chuckled softly, his voice muffled behind the mask. "At the moment, you're just a driver taking his fare to the destination." The cab fell into a heavy silence after that. The hum of the engine and the distant city clamor filled the void as they wove through the neon-lit streets.
He slipped out as soon as they reached the back alley, the door clicking shut behind him like a secret sealed. The hotel loomed ahead, its rear entrance a shadowed maw guarded only by the faint clatter of kitchen staff. No real security here, just overworked souls scrubbing pots and slicing vegetables. Their eyes stayed downcast, uninterested in a hooded figure melting into the gloom. Minimum wage didn't buy curiosity, and Alex was grateful for it. If they'd hired a busybody, the place might have swarmed with questions by now.
He took the service stairs two at a time, heart pounding in rhythm with his steps, until he reached the fourth floor. A sharp scream pierced the air from down the hall. "Fuck off! I won't do it. I said stop it!" Mary's voice, raw with desperation, clawed at him, igniting a fire in his veins.
No time to waste. Alex used his temporary portal skill right there in the dim hallway. A shimmering rift tore open with a low, ethereal hum. Five minutes on the clock, he had to move like lightning. He could sense his wolves on the other side, their primal energy thrumming against his will like eager hounds at the leash. With a mental command, he unleashed them all.
They poured through in a torrent of fur and fangs, silver eyes gleaming with feral hunger. Howls erupted, echoing off the walls like a war cry, sending vibrations through the floorboards. Alex strode fast toward room 427, the pack flanking him. Their paws fell silent yet thunderous in his mind.
At the door, he issued his orders with a sharp whistle: destroy the doors, kill no one, tear everything apart. The wolves surged forward, massive shoulders slamming into wood and metal. Splinters flew as doors buckled and burst inward. The hallway transformed into a whirlwind of chaos.
Inside each room, the beasts rampaged with gleeful savagery. They shredded beds into clouds of stuffing and splintered wood, toppled chairs and tables into jagged ruins. Claws raked walls, ripping through cheap paneling and framed picture frames, leaving gashes like wounds on the building's skin. Guests stumbled back in wide-eyed horror, clothes disheveled. Screams mingled with the snarls as the wolves bowled them aside without mercy, but without blood. Their belongings torn apart under shocked eyes.
Alex pushed into room 427 amid the destruction, three wolves already reducing the space to wreckage. A man lunged at him, wild-eyed. Alex's dagger flashed, sinking into the soft flesh of his neck with a wet gurgle. The body crumpled, blood pooling dark on the carpet.
The next one dropped to his knees, hands raised in frantic plea. "Please, man, don't—" Alex silenced him with a swift slash, crimson spraying across the wall like abstract art. No mercy for the wicked.
Another charged, fists swinging, but the wolves were faster. They tackled him mid-stride, jaws clamping down, tearing into his face and belly with ripping sounds that echoed Mary's earlier cries. Flesh gave way under teeth, the air thick with the metallic tang of blood and fear after the bloody spray.
Alex's gaze locked on the last one: the 45-year-old uncle, pants tangled around his ankles, his grip bruising Mary's arm as he held her like a shield. This was the Final Floor Boss, the one who had orchestrated the trap. Alex's lips curled into a manic grin beneath the mask. "Please, don't kill me," the man stammered, voice cracking. "I'll give you whatever. Money? How about girls? Here—" He shoved Mary forward, spinning to bolt, pants hindering his movements.
Alex clicked his teeth in disapproval as he caught Mary gently. The wolves pounced, dragging the man down in a frenzy of claws and bites. He thrashed and screamed as they ripped into him, limbs flailing until motion stilled. The room fell quiet save for the wet sounds of the feast.
Scooping Mary up, Alex slung her over his shoulder, her body light and trembling against him. She gasped, fingers clutching at his hoodie, but he didn't pause. He walked steadily back toward the portal, eyes fixed on the glowing timer ticking down. For dramatic flair, he threw his head back and howled, the sound blending with the pack's chorus. As the final minute loomed, every wolf froze mid-rampage, then bolted, vanishing into the rift one by one.
With eight seconds left, Alex stepped through, Mary still draped across him like a prize. The portal snapped shut behind them, sealing the madness away. In the quiet expanse of his hidden domain, he set her down gently on the soft grass, the air cooler here, scented with pine and earth.
Mary's eyes darted wildly, taking in the circle of over thirty wolves prowling the shadows, their gazes fixed on her with curious intensity. She looked at him: masked, blood-flecked, a figure straight from nightmare as he just stood there solemnly. She shrank back, breath hitching in terror.
The wolves edged closer, noses twitching, drawn to her scent. Alex gave a subtle nod, permitting their inspection. She whimpered, tears spilling as the first one approached, but instead of teeth, a rough tongue lapped at her cheek. Then another, and another, warm and insistent, coating her skin in sloppy affection. Her sobs turned to startled giggles, hands pushing futilely at furry muzzles. "Stop, oh god, stop!" she laughed, the sound bright against the gloom. Her dress hiked up from the playful nudges, exposing the smooth curve of her thighs where tongues trailed wet paths, leaving her glistening and breathless.