The Alpha's Prey

Serena stared at her reflection in the mirror in the bathroom of the motel room she was presently renting. The motel was a simple one storey building with thirty rooms (most of which were unoccupied), a reception area with a vending machine and a parking lot. The motel was located on the outskirts of a little town called Vryheid in West Canje Berbice. The population was estimated to be one hundred and five comprising of thirty families. The towns in this part of the country were few and far apart. People rarely travelled to these remote areas so there was rarely any need for accommodations. Serena wasn't surprised she was one of only three occupants currently staying at the motel. The brown concrete building was non-descript. If it wasn't for the bright neon sign flashing Sleep-in Motel , the building would be easily overlooked. The décor inside wasn't much of an upgrade from the outside. Case in point, the room Serena presently occupied was painted in a dreary beige with white trims. The owners in their infinite wisdom had then opted to decorated the confined space with sparse furniture more suited for the 1970s. The small twelve by eighteen room housed a full sized bed, night stand, writing desk and chair, and en suite. It wasn't much, and by any standard it represented the bare minimum. Yet it was the nicest thing Serena had ever been able to afford, as pathetic and depressing as it sounded. She took it as a sign that things were beginning to look up for her. Her life had been one trial to another and she desperately needed a break... she needed a bit of good luck. She didn't know how much longer she could go with the dark cloud looming over her. She prayed she would find safety here in this third world country. It was as a last resort she'd decided to travel to Guyana in South America. She sincerely hope her gamble would pay off. As she continued to stare into the mirror, tired brown eyes stared back at her. Although she was only twenty-three years old, her body and especially her face felt and looked at least ten years older. There were bags under her eyes that spoke to how truly tired she was. She was worn out, exhausted – both mentally and physically. This was her last attempt. If it didn’t work out she was going to chalk it up to a life lived. It was the end of the road for her. She would not try anywhere else. There really wasn't anywhere else to try. This was it. She had exhausted all her options. There hadn't been that many to begin with. Tucking a coil of kinky hair that had escaped the bun she’d brushed her unruly hair into, she gave herself a once over – from her ebony skin to the button-down crisp white short-sleeved shirt she’d chosen to wear tucked into her best pair of jeans. She’d complete the look with a pair of combat boots. She wore one piece of jewellery. To be honest, she didn’t own any jewellery, save for a gold chain with a locket which she always wore. In it, she carried her most prized possession: a picture of her and her grandmother taken in happier times. It was the only thing she'd manage to keep from her past life. Giving herself a little shake, Serena attempted to shake off the nostalgia that was creeping up on her. Now was not the time nor place to be caught up with memories of the past. She needed to stay focused. Her very life depended on it. This meeting was everything. She wanted to make a great first impression. She needed to make a great first impression. Looking at herself once more in the mirror, she placed a practiced smile on her face. This was the best she would ever look. It would simply have to do. She hoped it was enough. It had to be enough. It just had to. Are you ready for this? Her wolf, Sasha, sighed inside of her. I guess so. What’s this? Attempt Number fourteen? Thirteen, actually. Nice. Lucky number thirteen. Serena frowned into the mirror. I’ve never heard that one before. I thought thirteen was supposed to be an unlucky number. In her mind’s eye, Serena saw Sasha shake her wolf head before circling a spot and plopping down. Let’s hope for our sake that thirteen is our lucky number. Since you’ve made up your mind that this is our last attempt and I’m quite fond of living. I’m hoping you succeed so you don’t have to end our lives prematurely. Serena sobered at the reminder of their circumstances. She felt bad her wolf had to suffer for her inefficiencies. But she was what she was – a turned wolf – subpar to those who were born with their wolves. She hadn’t asked for it, but she had to deal with it. Just like her wolf, who was actually an alpha had to put up with being paired with a human weakling. She’d worked very hard over the past seven years to toughen up and be worthy of her wolf. But she always felt like no matter what she did, how strong she got, it was never enough. She’d been fifteen years old when she was attacked by a werewolf and bitten. Prior to that, she hadn’t even known supernatural creatures existed. At the time of the incident, she hadn’t even known what had attacked her. She’d been heading home late one night after studying for hours at the public library when someone had pulled her into an alleyway. The whole ordeal had happened so quickly she didn’t know exactly what had happened. She just remembered fighting off what felt like paws trying to grope her. She'd been so scared out of her mind it had taken her weeks before she was able to process the traumatic ordeal. After her attacker took off, Serena had dragged her bloodied and battered body home. She lived with her elderly grandmother who was legally blind, so there wasn’t anyone to question her on her state. She cleaned herself up and tried to put the incident behind her. It was on the night of the first full moon after the incident when Serena realized exactly how her life had irrevocably changed forever. That first shift was the most brutally painful thing she’d ever experienced. It felt like it lasted for days, but was probably mere hours. She felt as if all her bones were broken and her skeletal system reassembled. She'd been completely delirious from pain. Afterwards, she found herself on all fours howling at the moon. To say it was a shock was an understatement. She went from not knowing supernatural creatures existed to becoming one of them.