Chapter 3: The Search Begins

He was shirtless with a low-hanging pant on his waist. The guards were nowhere to be seen. Everyone gulped at the sight of his body which was riddled with tattoos. He shut the door and stood in the middle of the room. Something about him felt different this time but no one could figure it out.

"Hello, alpha." Tyla voiced from Kai's cell." She bunched her boobs, running her tongue over her teeth as her eyes undressed him. She couldn't care less what sick-twisted fantasy he had with werewolves. She was down to play dirty with him as long as he didn't hurt her.

Damon took in the tempting view for a second before turning away.

"I'm alpha Damon Wayne. You all must be wondering why I had you brought here. Well, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to you humans so I'll keep it short." His eyes skirted around their confused faces. "I am searching for my Luna. She's eluded me for seven years but I am done waiting for time to deliver her to me. Based on the information from a reliable source that I have, she was born and bred in Woodbridge and should be around twenty-two years of age by now. Seventy-four of you were brought here because your birth records fit that bill."

"So, you're saying one of us could be your luna?" Sam asked. "Yet, you were willing to kill us at random?"

Damon inclined his head. "I was never going to kill any of you, not before my tests are done anyway."

"Tests? What tests?" Jessy asked.

"You'll come to know shortly." When he gave a half-smile, Sam thought he almost looked sane but then he continued talking and her doubts were back.

"For the next twelve months, you'll undergo a series of trainings that will better equip you for your role as my luna and for life in my pack. It's nothing like the human cities you've lived in all your lives. The luna to emerge successful will be chosen by me and marked as mine."

"Forgive me but I noticed you keep saying humans like you aren't one of us. Are you insinuating that this whole thing isn't a mere fantasy of a bored billionaire and that you are indeed a…werewolf?"

Kai's breath hitched at her sister's question. Damon kept a bland face.

"Anymore dumb questions?" He asked, looking around the room. "Would you like me to shift into a wolf in demonstration?" They remained so silent a pin could have been heard if it fell. "That's what I thought." He gritted his teeth to fend off his anger.

"Make no mistake. This isn't just a competition; it's a game of survival. The only way you'll walk out of here alive after seeing my face and learning my biggest secret is by becoming my Luna. The rest of you will simply end up as a statistic on the police records or on the morning news if I am feeling inspired. Translation? Only one luna here will survive. The rest must die!"

The girls exchanged fearful glances with one another.

"What about me?" Kai dared to ask. "I don't fit the description of your luna. Do I also get to participate?"

"You are in this now. I might be hunting for my fated luna but I don't mind ditching her and choosing a more competent and worthy mate. In fact, I dare say I'll kill her with my bare hands for eluding me for so long. Right now, I am more interested in grooming my perfect luna." He craned his neck to look at another cell as he continued.

"Henceforth, you all must forget everything about your past lives, relationships and identities. Your names, families, degrees, occupations, friendships, relationships and whatnot. You will embrace the role set before you or die clinging to the past. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." They answered weakly.

"It's alpha to you." Though his voice was low, the quiet threat in it wasn't lost on them.

"YES ALPHA." They chanted. Rubbing both hands together, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the cells.

"Good, let's put that to the test, shall we?" He unlocked Cleo's cell and asked Tyla to step out. She sashayed forward and struck a pose in front of him.

"What's your name?" Damon asked, his voice clipped and cold. Though his eyes were narrowed, they were a bit mad around the edges.

Tyla traced a red coated fingertip over his tattooed chest, all the way to his slightly exposed pelvis. She smacked her lips at the obvious bulge in his tight pants.

"If you wanted a good time, why didn't you just say so?" She threw a side long glance at the rest of the women cooped up in the cells, their fingers desperately grabbing the bars with fear-stricken eyes. "Why don't we go somewhere private, your bedroom precisely?" She added with a seductive wink. "I'll effortlessly prove my competencies as your luna in there."

The alpha's patience wore thin but he remained calm.

"What.is.your.name?" He repeated with the slightest hint of annoyance. His eyes dipped to the card in her hand and she followed suit, smiling at the words on them; Luna 37. She rolled her eyes and tossed the paper aside. Did he seriously expect them to believe he was some alpha werewolf? What childishness was this?

She scoffed at his silly roleplay antics. Werewolves were fictional but if that was what got him in the mood, she didn't mind playing along. He was definitely her type.

"The name is Tyla Woodley…"

He moved like a blur and snapped her neck like a twig. The other prisoners screamed at the top of their lungs as Tyla's body thudded to the floor in a crumpled heap. Damon flexed his neck and arms before starting towards another cell. When he approached, all the women retreated, crying and screaming. He unlocked a cell and raked the women with his eyes. Shuffling forward, he yanked one out by the scruff of her neck.

"NO! Cleo! Let her go!" Kai screamed from her cell, banging the bars violently. "Let her go, you monstrous cunt! Fuck you! You hear me? FUCK YOU, DAMON WAYNE!"

He froze at the mention of his full name without any embellishment, and let go of the whimpering prisoner who crawled back into her open cell on all fours. Slowly, Damon advanced towards kai's cell but she didn't back away like the others. She gripped the bars and spat in his face when he was standing in front of her.

"Couldn't find yourself a Luna, tough guy? No surprise there. The moon goddess must not have been able to bring herself to torture an innocent woman with the tragic fate of being your Luna."

If Kai had noticed one thing, Damon loved a challenge. She hoped she was right by being daring. She hoped she wasn't wrong and he wouldn't rip out her heart in anger.

Damon reined in the rage bubbling within him by gritting his teeth. This one wasn't as clueless as the dead one or as spineless as most of the other women. If she wanted his attention, she had it now.

"What? Isn't this what you want? Were you expecting us to remain docile after everything you just said? What kind of luna would that get you?"

She saw the corner of his lips curl up in a thin smile.

"What is your name?"

She knew he wanted her to mention the name on her card; Luna 71. He had just killed a prisoner who gave her actual name. However, he didn't hint at her card by looking at it. His eyes never left hers. She inhaled sharply. To hell with him. As long as her sister, Cleopatra, could remain safe long enough for them to figure out a way to escape from here, she didn't mind distracting the monster as long as she could.

"Luna 71, Asshole!"

He shot her a roguish grin. "Welcome to hell, Luna 71." He said before reaching beyond the bars and grabbing her neck amidst deafening screams.