The chosen one.
As I stepped out of my car, a strange chill passed through me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand.
The air felt frigid and tense, almost as if something ominous was about to happen.
I shook my head and took a deep breath, trying to brush off the feeling. I was probably feeling this way because I had to deal with my perverted incel of a boss. One of these days, I'll have to teach him a lesson.
I entered my house to find an unsettling silence. It was unusual for my mom not to greet me when I came home. Was she asleep?
I climbed the stairs quietly and noticed that my bedroom door was open.
I hurried inside, only to discover something completely unnerving. My mother was crouched on the floor, sobbing over my photograph as if I had just passed away.
"Mum? Mum, are you okay? What's wrong?"
I rushed over to her, kneeling beside her.
She immediately hugged me tightly, her tears flowing uncontrollably. It only confused me further.
Did something happen while I was gone?
"I'm sorry, my dear. I'm so sorry that I can't save you," she cried.
What? What is she talking about?
I pulled away from the hug and wiped away her tears.
"Mum, please calm down. You're not making any sense. If something's wrong, you have to tell me. But first, take a deep breath and exhale," I said. She nodded and obeyed, finally seeming to regain control.
"Okay, Mum, please tell me. What happened? Why are you crying so much?"
"Everything is ruined, Lisa. It's all gone to hell. I thought—I thought that if I ran, if I went far away, I could protect you. I thought I could save you from him, but he's found us and he's coming..." she faltered with sadness, a profound look of terror in her eyes. It scared me even more. I had never seen my mother so distressed. She appeared sick with worry and grief, but at the same time, sheer fear painted her features.
I tried to make sense of what she was saying.
"I don't understand. Who found you? What are you trying to say?" I asked, utterly confused.
"The Alpha Werewolf King."
Those were the last words I expected to hear, and I would have laughed but she seemed so dead serious.
"Werewolves? You're not kidding? Are they real?" I asked in absolute astonishment.
"Yes, Lisa. They're very real, and I'm one of them," she revealed, causing me to almost back away in shock.
My mother is a werewolf?!
"Every year, the king takes girls from different families and makes them his concubines, even against their will. It has been a longstanding tradition in our pack," she continued, her eyes distant yet filled with intense worry.
"It's sick, absolutely vile." I shuddered at the thought. "It's horrifying."
"Yes, it is, and no one has ever been able to stop this tradition," she paused. "Every year, one girl is chosen as a sacrifice. The purpose has never been disclosed. It's terrifying to send your own child away to be sacrificed to the king, so I tried to prevent it, but my efforts were in vain. He's found us, Lisa, and he's coming for you."
"Me?" I asked breathlessly, fear consuming me.
"Yes, you're the chosen one. You'll have to become the King's concubine, his sacrifice."
"I will never become the king's concubine," I declared firmly, trembling with fear and anger. "I refuse to be a concubine."
"We have no choice, Lisa. The king is ruthless, and whatever he desires, he gets. He cares not for the lives of others, and his wrath is inescapable. He's more dangerous than you can imagine," she warned.
"It doesn't matter to me. Let him come. I'll fight him. I'll send him to hell."
As I stood firm in my resolve, the room seemed to darken around us. My mother's eyes filled with tears, and she whispered, "Lisa, you need to understand the consequences of defying the Alpha Werewolf King. Once he sets his sights on something, he doesn't let go. The price of rebellion is high, and it's not only your life at stake."
Before I could respond, a bone-chilling howl echoed through the night, causing the room to vibrate. The air itself felt charged with an ominous energy.
"He's coming," my mother gasped, her eyes widening in terror.
I could hear the front door being torn off its hinges and the approaching footsteps, heavy and deliberate, like the pounding of a relentless drum. My heart raced, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
And then, finally...
A massive figure stood in the doorway, shrouded in shadows. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, and the air seemed to thicken with his presence. The alpha king had arrived.
In that chilling moment, my fate intertwined with an ancient tradition, sealing my destiny in ways beyond my wildest imagination.
