Alex didn't sleep that night.
He kept staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying every moment from the alley—the red glow of the man's eyes, the faint pulse under his shoulder, the howl that had echoed across the city like a warning.
He wasn't human anymore. That much was clear. And whatever he had become, it had rules. Dangerous rules.
By morning, Alex knew he had no choice. He needed answers.
The man from the alley—he had given a name, almost in passing. Darius. He appeared again, waiting outside Alex's apartment, leaning casually against a lamppost like he owned the street.
"You came," Alex said, trying to sound braver than he felt.
Darius smirked. "You don't have much choice. Once it's inside you, it wakes whether you want it to or not."
Alex's stomach churned. "I don't even know what it is. I don't know what you are, what I am—"
Darius pushed off the lamppost and walked closer, calm, deliberate. "You're a werewolf. Like me."
Alex laughed, but it sounded hollow. "Right… because the city definitely needed more monsters."
The smirk vanished. Darius's eyes hardened. "Monsters? Maybe. But the city has rules. And so do we."
"Rules?" Alex asked.
Darius nodded. "First: Control your hunger. You won't just crave food anymore—you'll crave blood, strength, power. Let it control you, and it will destroy you.
Second: Never reveal yourself to humans. Not your friends, not your family. Humans fear what they don't understand—and they kill what they fear.
Third: Always know your pack, or who you can trust. The city is crawling with hunters and rival wolves. One wrong move, and you die."
Alex swallowed. His shoulder burned beneath his shirt again. The mark pulsed like a heartbeat.
"I… I don't even know how to—"
Darius interrupted. "How to what? Transform? Hunt? Survive? Don't worry. You'll learn. But you have to want it. You have to accept it."
Alex hesitated. Accept it? He didn't even understand it yet.
"Start small," Darius continued. "Listen to your body. Feel it. Smell the city. Learn to move without thinking. And above all…" He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "…don't get caught. Hunters are everywhere."
Alex shivered. Hunters? His pulse raced.
"And one more thing," Darius said, stepping back. "Not all of us are enemies. Some will try to help. Some will try to kill you before you even understand what's happening."
Alex blinked, trying to process it all. His life, his city, his very identity—it was gone. Replaced by something old, primal, and dangerous.
The city outside hummed with normal life. Cars honked, people shouted, neon lights flickered. Everything looked the same. But Alex knew better now. Beneath the surface, the city was alive in ways he had never imagined. Full of predators. Full of prey. And full of secrets waiting to be uncovered.
He felt it again—the pull. The craving. The call of the moon.
The hunt had begun.