Voice In His Head!

Kyle stumbles into the bathroom, locking the door behind him with a force that rattles the walls.

His breath is shallow, coming in sharp gasps as he locks the door with trembling hands, his pulse pounding in his ears.

His chest is tight, suffocating, like the air itself is fighting him, refusing to give him the relief he so desperately needs.

He grips the sink with both hands, knuckles white, head bowed, eyes squeezed shut as he tries to control the storm raging inside him.

His reflection in the mirror stares back at him_ pale, wild-eyed, angry.

His lips tremble, but he's too afraid to speak. Too afraid to see what this monster, this version of himself, has become.

The mark on his chest burns under his shirt, searing against his skin, a living, pulsing thing.

It's as if the mark itself is awake, demanding attention, its power rising and clawing at the surface, ready to break free.

And then, amidst the chaos in his mind, he hears it. A voice, low and cold, curling into his thoughts like smoke, slippery and unrelenting.

Ours.

The sound is so clear, so invasive, that Kyle jerks upright, his heart slamming against his ribs. He gasps for air, but it's as if the room has been drained of oxygen.

"You heard him," the voice whispers, its tone silk and venom, winding around his thoughts like a noose. "He killed your parents. That's why we killed his."

We?! Him and who?!

Kyle squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head violently, trying to block out the words.

He tries to focus, tries to make sense of it all, but all is slipping through his fingers like sand.

"They even took your throne," the voice croons, low and coaxing. "It belonged to you, you are supposed to be the Alpha, your parents owned it! And you are supposed to be owning it. And he… he is going to kill you too, just like he killed them."

Kyle feels a chill creep down his spine as the voice continues, its tone growing darker, more insistent.

"When he finds out the truth. When he realizes who you are… what you are. He's hunting for you. It doesn't matter if you are his mate or not. We both also know that he is only keeping you as a mate because he doesn't know you are a male. Once he finds out, you won't believe that he is the same person."

The voice chuckles, dark and malicious, sending a shiver through Kyle's entire body.

"Strike first. Before he strikes you."

Kyle's breath quickens, his body trembling as the words sink deeper into his bones. His hands slip on the sink, the porcelain creaking under the pressure of his grip. He's terrified to even breathe, to think, to exist.

"He will," the voice insists, its voice sharper now, more vicious. "They all will. They always do. Better to be the hunter than the hunted. We are hunters. Not the hunted."

Kyle stares at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes flashing a dangerous red, glowing in the dim light of the bathroom.

The mark on his chest pulses in rhythm with the voice in his head, an unnatural, throbbing sensation that makes his skin burn with fury.

For a brief, fleeting moment, all he can feel is the need to tear every wolf apart, to break the world into pieces, starting with the man who claims to want him so much.

The man who's in this room, who doesn't even know the truth, who doesn't know what he's claiming is his mate.

"What do you have to lose?" The voice pushes, a twisted grin curling through its words. "No parents! No nothing! What else are you living for? We both know they are hunting for you. They want to tear you apart, and then you'll vanish. Forgotten. Like you never existed."

Kyle opens his mouth, but the words escape him in a gasp. "I'm not a killer," he murmurs, his voice trembling, as if he's trying to convince himself more than anything else.

The voice laughs, a low, cruel sound that reverberates in his skull, mocking him.

"That's right. You're not just a killer, Kyle. You're more than that. Together, we're more than just killers. We will be powerful rulers, of something far greater than just wolves. You'll be more than just a survivor. You'll be the king. A god!"

Something inside Kyle snaps, a tremor of pure fear racing through him, and the mirror cracks, splintering outward in jagged spiderwebs, each shard reflecting a version of himself that is monstrous.

A version of himself that's unrecognizable, twisted, dangerous.

He staggers back from the sink, his body shaking, his mind reeling as the voice continues to hiss, feeding the darkness growing within him.

"Choose. Choose before he does," the voice insists, its tone dripping with malice.

The words seem to reverberate in the very air around him, tightening like a vice around his chest.

His emotions spiral out of control, and before he can stop himself, his body shifts, his muscles stretching, cracking as he transforms into something else entirely.

A monstrous creature, barely resembling a wolf, yet still a wolf. Dark, far too dark.

Kyle staggers, breath ragged, as his new form presses against his skin.

He feels it, the hunger, the rage, the need to hunt. The desire to strike first before Lucan can get to him. Before they can all get to him.

And then, from outside the bathroom door, a voice calls.

"Kyler? You alright in there? I'm coming in."

It's Lucan's voice, worried, concerned.

The beast inside of Kyle stirs, pushing him to go to the door, to hurt him, to strike him down before Lucan can come any closer.

But Kyle fights it, he fights with every ounce of willpower he has left.

Instead, in a flash, he turns and throws himself toward the high window in the bathroom.

The glass shatters on impact, the sound of it splintering loud in his ears.

He feels the shards cutting into his skin, but it's nothing compared to the searing energy burning inside of him, propelling him forward with swift, almost effortless speed.

With one fluid motion, he slips through the broken window, the night air hitting him like a slap in the face.

His movements are seamless, quick, he jumps, scaling the wall with the ease of a predator on the hunt.

In mere seconds, he's on the other side of the fence.

He runs without knowing where he is going, his paws pounding against the ground.

When he finally stops, he finds himself back at the same place, the spot where he last was with his parents before they died. Their bodies are gone.

Suddenly, he feels like himself again.

He tries to reach out to the voice in his mind, but there's no response. Silence fills his head. He is alone once more.