A wolf-like howl, along with snarls, shouts and human-like cries of agony, danced at the edge of my consciousness as I mindlessly floated in the darkness.

It was so quiet, so peaceful that even though I couldn't form much of a coherent thought, I knew that I didn't want to leave.

The excruciating pain since I had awoken in the pool, only exasperated by the following events, had been crippling. The vague notion that something had been helping me block out the agony flittered through my mind, but I blissfully pushed it away and returned to nothingness.

However, my lasting peace was not to be.

The incessant sounds of battle continued to rouse me from my slumber as the scent of blood washed over me.

I had never been a morning person, and my thoughts slowly became clearer. The memories of the chase, the battle with a beast called a Crawler and then meeting Mark, and his group washed over me like a cold bath. Especially when that woman called Clare had...

-"THAT BITCH!"

My mind jolted fully awake as I attempted to move, Clare's words ringing in my ears as a sense of utter rage started to envelop me.

The last thing I remembered was feeling unbelievably tired, the woman's hand on my shoulder as her two companions confronted me.

Trying to open my eyes, then flex my hand, dread washed over me as I realised I couldn't move.

-"What has she done to me?"

-"Sorry, that was me. It seems we no longer have the ability to subconsciously disable our body while we rest. We needed to do this so that the muscles cou-"

-"LET. ME. MOVE. NOW." The rage swelled and bubbled, like the lava in a volcano that could explode any moment.

Almost instantly, my eyes started to open, though it felt like someone had coated them with lead, as my hand flexed. The clear night sky, dotted with stars and a blood-red moon, greeted me as the orange flicker of what I assumed to be a fire radiated in my peripheral.

Forcing myself to remain calm and keeping my breathing steady, I slowly tested my extremities, the feeling quickly returning to them.

-"I'm so sorry. I didn't think we would wake up so soon and wanted to make sure we were as prepared as possible. You have been unconscious for almost an entire day, and they were tak-"

-”Shhhhhhhhh.”

The reason for my restraint, when all I wanted to do was burst forth and destroy everything around me, was that my instincts were screaming that something was wrong.

The stench of fresh blood hung heavy in the air and the only noise around me, bar two faint, laboured breaths, was the crackling fire.

It was obvious we were in the plains, and so, there should be the constant noise of insects at a bare minimum.

There were two people nearby and by the sound of it, they were not in good shape.

Seeing how I had underestimated my kidnappers earlier, I wasn't going to do it this time and made sure I was fully prepared before revealing that I was awake. Luckily, it didn't seem like they had bothered trying to restrain me.

When I was sure I had full control of my body, I rapidly flipped to my feet, throwing the fur quilt, that was wrapped around my naked body, to the side as quickly as possible.

Scanning my surroundings, prepared to react to attack or retreat at any moment, my brain struggled to comprehend what I was seeing.

A few feet away, lay Clare clutching the stub that used to be her left arm, the air shimmering weakly around her as tears carved paths through the blood that covered her face. Her hair was matted and combined with her other injuries, none that looked light, she looked like she had fought a chainsaw and lost in a spectacular fashion.

-"Good." I felt my lips twitch. This was the woman that had incapacitated me.

My rage continued to burn, but I pushed it down. I needed to ensure that my surroundings were safe before I pursued my petty revenge and got some answers.

Scanning the small valley, nestled between three hills that the campsite resided in, I quickly found the mangled corpse of Mark and the wolf pup. Their faces were frozen in the hatred of their last moments.

It looked like they had taken each other out, the pup's neck at an odd angle with the blunt, metallic weapon next to it while Mark's hands were clutching a hideous wound on his thigh. A considerable chunk of his flesh and muscle was missing and guessing by the vast pool of blood under him, in such a quantity it hadn't been absorbed by the ground, he had bled out pretty quickly.

Further to the left lay Frank. His throat had been torn out, his face warped into one of absolute terror.

I let out a sigh, the vapour of my breath rising in the light of the fire.

On the bottom half of Frank, lay the Alpha. She was still alive, struggling for each breath as pinkish bubbles were pushed out around the two daggers that had been slammed into her chest. Fresh slashes and stabs littered her body complimenting the wounds I knew she had before we confronted the Crawler.

After deciding that everyone was accounted for and not wanting to approach the Alpha just yet, I decided to analyse the ground and try and work out what had gone on. I was by no means an expert, and I had to make a few assumptions to complete the story, but after a few minutes, I believed I knew what had happened.

It appeared that the pup had launched a sneak attack against Mark, distracting the other two as the Alpha squared off with Frank after tearing through Clare, who by looking at the tracks on the ground had either been trying to protect me or ensure that I didn't escape during the attack.

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The reason for the attack could either be because the Alpha was trying to rescue me or, more likely, she wanted to eliminate a growing threat. If her pack had been decimated by the Crawler and she had no choice but to run from the monster, then I after I had defeated it I would by default, become a severe threat to her.

A threat to her position as Alpha and to what remained of her pack. I was a different, unknown species. If I were her, then I wouldn't take the chance of me potentially being reunited with my own kind.

“Al…”

Confused at the sound, I looked down and saw Clare looking at me, hope dancing in her eyes. “Thank god… you're... OK.”

Claire's words caused a frown to bloom on my face as I took a deep breath.

-"That was not the reaction I was expecting."

-"I think you need to stop twisting reality to suit your theories and fears. Your paranoia is taking over and colouring your view on things."

-"It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. Just like if the voice in your head turns out to be a parasite that can control your body. Back on Earth, they had such creatures that would force the host to drown itself so it could reproduce."

-"I am not like tha-"

My temper flared and the voice instantly silenced. I could feel it retreating from my anger into the depths of my subconsciousness.

I had not forgotten what it was, nor had I forgiven. When the time was right, there would be a reckoning.

-"Forgive me," whimpered the voice, a warm, loving sensation wrapping around me which was promptly stomped down and ignored. -"I will never harm us."

My gaze turned to the woman laying on the ground, and I noticed that her wound was slowly closing. Her blood floated around the injury, seemingly pushed back into her body by some invisible force.

Straightening up, as a cold chill crept down my spine at the sight of what could only be described as magic, I walked towards the woman who had tricked me.

On the way, my stomach released a ravenous rumble, the fresh smell of blood and flesh causing almost unbearable pain, even if the thought of what was making me so hungry disgusted me at an emotional level.

With each step I took, Claire's eyes widened, and even though she was at Death's door, she attempted to slide herself backwards, away from me.

“Wait…,” her voice was strained, obviously taking an extreme amount of effort to get out. “We… didn’t… let.. You get hurt. I.. promise.”

I tilted my head, wondering how she knew about my intentions. I had kept my face without emotion and didn't believe in such a notion as bloodlust.

-"Maybe it is one of her abilities?"

I stopped beside her, slowly losing myself to my knees and smiled.

I didn't think it possible but her pale skin turned even paler.

Slowly reaching out, I grasped her remaining wrist before slowly pulling it away from her stub.

Panic flashed across her face as she fought against me, though whether it was due to my strength or how weak she was, she barely put up any resistance.

Without her hand applying whatever ability she had, the blood started flowing again in earnest.

“Why?” Clare continued to struggle, fresh tears seeping from her eyes. “I protected… you.”

“You tricked me.” My voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. "You tried to take away my freedom."

“I… healed…you… exhausted. Slept.” Her pupils started to widen as her breathing became fainter. “You… fainted. I just tried to... help.”

I saw no lies nor deceit in her eyes.

Thinking about it, what Clare said made some sense. With the state my body was in, even now feeling like I could pass out at any moment, it was only a matter of time until I succumbed to exhaustion. The pleasant release from the pain could have relaxed me enough to put me to sleep... Maybe.

I had always been good at detecting lies, well it helped that I didn't trust most people in the first place, yet I somehow knew her words were true. That or she had deluded her self as she prepared for death. No one wanted to be answering the great question, will they be judged when they die, with millstones around their neck.

Clare looked at me with pleading eyes.“Please… it… hurts.”

Revealing a conflicted expression, I sighed and gently moved her hand back to her arm.

The air shimmered around the wound, and the blood stopped pooling on the floor.

Honestly, I no longer believed that she had intended me harm, even if she did basically kidnap me while I was unconscious, but all that knowledge did was make what I had to do more difficult.

In fact, if the Alpha had intended to eliminate me while I was unconscious, then Clare could have well saved my life. A debt that, logically, is not quickly forgotten or ignored.

My small, child-like hands rose to her face, wiping the tears on each side of her cheek as I moved my head closer until our foreheads touched.

I saw her reveal a relieved smile, guilt erupting in my heart.

"I'm sorry." The whisper was so quiet I doubt she even heard it.

With as much strength as I could, I grasped the sides of her head and twisted with all my might, breaking her neck before Clare even realised what was happening.

Swallowing the complicated emotions that were trying to surge forth, I moved back on my heels.

Even if I accepted that she had done nothing to harm me, and may have also saved my life, I had no choice.

Her companions were more typical of the human race that I knew, one clearly wanting me dead while the other wanted nothing good, and it was clear they had an alternate motive for approaching me the way they had.

That coupled with her admission that she could see the state of my body, and even had an idea of what it was capable of, sealed her fate.

In a world such as this, even the smallest amount of knowledge leaked could prove fatal. My abilities were my trump card, and I couldn't let them carelessly become common knowledge.

-"She was also a threat we couldn't have around us. She managed to sneak up on us, and we don't know if she was really telling the truth."

I knew the voice was trying to comfort me but ignored it. We weren't exactly on friendly terms.

Clare's shocked face stared at me, a confused expression of her final moments now etched into my mind as I reached forward and closed her eyes.

I wasn't really that upset by her death though I had to admit that it didn't feel right. The thing that was really concerning me was how easy it had been to do.

I don't know if it was my experiences since I arrived or if I always had it in me, but I had just killed my first human without as much as a moment's hesitation.

I shook my head in bemusement. Somehow I felt that if this had been a man, or if I believed she deserved it, I wouldn't be feeling this conflicting emotion and could carry on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

I had always had a soft spot for women, especially the cute or slightly crazy ones. Scratch that, even though I couldn't remember them since whatever the 'alien overlords' had done to my memory, I knew I had never had a 'healthy relationship'. The nickname 'Psycho Magnet' popped into my mind, making me chuckle.

Life was boring, well it was before all of this, you had to add some spice to it.

My stomach grumbled as I looked at the woman, the urge to feed was becoming unbearable.

-"I'm becoming a damn monster. Who looks on their own species and thinks 'Oh, looks tasty'."

-"Well, not in that way at least." I shook my head clearing the thoughts. While standing next to a mutilated, dead woman, the last thing I wanted to do was be having those kinds of ideas. There is a special place in hell for those types of people.

Standing and taking one last look at Clare, I chuckled. "Well, it's not like I will be too far away from there when I meet my end... If it exists."

I started moving towards the Alpha as I had been delaying this for far too long. The deep-rooted fear that she had actually decided to kill me for her own gain, making the Alpha no better than humans, resulting in a sick hope that she had already expired and I would never know the truth.

Not that she could actually tell me anything if she was still alive.

I let out a deep breath. I guess I just didn't want to see the creature that had become an idol of strength and power, even if she was already injured, fall into such a pathetic group of humans.