On Her Professor’s Bed: Alpha’s Plaything

The Faceless Beast

Chapter Twenty-three

Talon Maverick

My heart pounded wildly in my chest, each of my breaths coming in ragged gasps as I ran. Sweat dripped down my skin, cold against the heat burning inside me, my legs carrying me as fast as they could, but not as fast as I needed them to be. And no matter how hard I pushed, no matter how fast I moved, I couldn’t escape the darkness chasing me. It swirled around me, suffocating, heavy, aiming to consume me whole.

And it was her. The darkness was her. She was faceless, but has an aura that makes my heart leap into my throat.

Sometimes it was in the forest, sometimes it was in an unknown place, being chased by a faceless woman with different kinds of weapons. This time, it was inside the same castle I believed I had power and control over, the usual faceless beast chasing me with a knife that has a sharpened edge that glowed under the lights. I ran through the corner and corridors of the castle, hoping to find a way out soon, but as I ran towards each door, it closed on me, it was like I was in a strange land, where no one knew me and left me to be devoured by the beast chasing me.

I pushed harder, my legs straining, my muscles burning, trying to get away. But she was always there, closing in, relentless. My heart raced, thundering in my ears, my mind frantic, screaming for me to run faster. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t outrun her.

Suddenly, my foot caught on something, and I stumbled. I hit the ground hard, the impact jarring every bone in my body. Dirt clung to my hands as I tried to scramble back to my feet, but it was too late. The darkness swallowed me whole.

A shadow loomed above me, threatening, terrifying. I could feel the cold, sharp edge of the knife glinting in the air between us. Panic surged through me as I tried to move, but I was frozen, pinned to the ground by an invisible weight. No matter how hard I tried to move from there, I couldn’t. It was like a force was binding me to the ground.

Then the knife came down. Fast and steady, almost unnoticed.

A searing pain tore through my chest as the blade pierced my skin. I gasped, my body jerking violently, the agony blinding. She pulled out the knife again, dug it right into my chest, piercing my heart.

“Die!” She growled.

I jolted awake with a ragged breath, my body drenched in sweat, my heart racing frantically in my chest. My hand flew to my chest, expecting blood, expecting to feel the wound—but there was nothing. Just my bare skin, untouched.

A nightmare. The same nightmare.

The fear clung to me, her presence lingering at the edges of my mind. My eyes scanned the room, my heart pounding as though she was still there, her suffocating aura pressing down on me. I could *feel* it, just like in the nightmare.

I didn’t know who she was, why she was after me, or why she wanted to kill me. Each nightmare was worse than the last, more vivid, more terrifying. It had all started since the curse years ago, and sometimes I wondered if it was the Moon Goddess who had cursed me with these visions. Or maybe it was Seraphina who was hunting me? I couldn’t say for sure—after all, the beast in my dreams had no face.

I stood up and walked over to the table, pouring myself a glass of water from the golden jar. Ever since that day—the day the Moon Goddess cursed me—I hadn’t had a single night of peaceful sleep. The moment I closed my eyes, the beast came. Always chasing me, always trying to kill me. And it got worse every damn time.

I was strong. I was powerful. I ruled over packs and led an entire kingdom. Everyone thought I was fearless, that nothing could shake me. I had everything anyone could ever want. But there was one thing I didn’t have—one thing I craved more than anything.

A good night’s sleep.

Not once, since that curse, had I slept without nightmares.

Hell, I would kill for just one night of peace.