Bound by the Alpha: Hybrid Villainess Obsession

Chapter 3: First Flight of the Hybrid Villainess

Draiken De Laurentiis stood before the glass wall of his expansive estate, his gaze fixed on the darkening horizon. The waning light that danced across his angular features cast shadows across his sharp features, enhancing the predatory elegance that clung to his movements.

Draiken, with his towering frame and imposing presence, was the definition of cardinal authority. His hair, dark as the night itself, fell into a controlled mess that somehow accentuated his allure. He was jaw-dropping, but it was his piercing blue eyes—that brought out his exquisite features.

The silence of the room was shattered as the door opened, and his right-hand Beta, Canaiez, entered. Beta Canaiez's steps were measured, respectful of the solemn atmosphere Draiken always upheld in his studies.

"Alpha Draiken," Canaiez began in an urgent tone, "I have news regarding the human, Aetheria, the one entangled with your cousin, Quinlan."

At the mention of Aetheria's name, Draiken's eyes squinted slightly, a subtle shift that revealed his interest. Without a word, he poured wine into his glass, the rich red liquid catching the light, and took a slow sip, signaling for Canaiez to continue.

Canaiez, well aware of Draiken's listening stance, started to delve into detail. "She's been labeled a villainess, my Alpha. Reports suggest she's a manipulator, enchanting Quinlan against his better judgment. They say her beauty is unmatched, with golden eyes that captivates any man, and skin as pure as the driven snow. But, she has fled, vanished into the night after the scandal."

Throughout Canaiez's report, Draiken remained silent. The Beta's description painted a vivid picture in his mind, one that intrigued Draiken far more than he expected. The room's ambiance grew heavier as Draiken finally spoke, his voice low and contemplative.

"Golden eyes, ethereal beauty, and skin as white as snow, you say, Canaiez? A wolfsbane in human form, indeed." Draiken's lips curved into a half-smile, a rare display of his amusement. "I think I want that 'villainess' for myself."

Canaiez, taken aback by the declaration of the Alpha's interest, studied Draiken's face in search of a sign of jest. Finding none, he realized the Alpha meant what he said. The person at the center of the scandal—a person who had dared to defy the expectations of their kind—captivated Draiken De Laurentiis.

As Canaiez left the room, Draiken turned back to the view outside his window, the night sky a vast canvas for his thoughts. Aetheria, with her golden eyes and rumored beauty, had unwittingly ensnared the interest of one of the most powerful Alphas in their world. Aetheria, a human caught amid their world, was now the object of his fascination. He saw in her not a villainess, but a mystery to be unraveled.

Aetheria took the disastrous decision to run into the night because she was so desperate to get away from the humiliation and betrayal she was going through. With no particular destination in mind, she found herself at the edge of a vast, shadowy forest. She could hear the strong whisper of the wind and the rustling of the leaves, a symphony of natural sounds that masked the more ominous ones that soon caught her attention.

As she ventured deeper into the forest, the eerie howling of wolves pierced the peaceful moonlit forest, a haunting reminder that she was not alone. Shadows flitted between the trees, shapes that seemed to dance just out of the corner of her eye, playing with her senses. The primal part of her, the instinct that all humans possess yet seldom acknowledge, screamed at her to run, to escape the unseen predators that lurked in the darkness.

And run she did, her heart pounding in her chest as she traversed the uneven ground, branches snagging at her clothes and hair. Every snap of a twig underfoot felt like a gunshot, and every rustle of leaves was a warning. The howling grew louder, closer, a chorus of calls that seemed to be communicating, perhaps even hunting.

Her body was fueled with fear and adrenaline, and her lungs were burning with the effort to survive. The idea of crossing the forest seemed like her only option, a path to freedom from the life she left behind. Yet now, with the real and present danger surrounding her, she questioned her choice, even as she understood there was no turning back.

The moon, a sliver of light in the otherwise dark sky, provided scant illumination, casting long shadows that twisted and turned with her every step. Aetheria could feel the presence of the wolves, their eyes on her, their bodies moving with a silent grace that belied their deadly power.

At this moment, the forest felt like a living entity, its breath, the wind that whipped through the trees, its heartbeat, the sound of her footsteps on the forest floor. Aetheria, a human alone and vulnerable, found herself caught in the wildness of nature, where the rules of man no longer applied and the laws of the wild reigned supreme. Despite the terror that gripped her, Aetheria pressed on, driven by a will to survive in the darkness, at the mercy of the forest and its inhabitants.

As the night wore on, Aetheria's flight through the forest became a blur of shadow, light, and fear. She found herself pursued by a group of rogue wolves. Their loyalties, bought by Ashara's jealousy, were relentless in their pursuit, their growls and snarls a constant echo behind her. The forest, a maze of shadow and danger, seemed to conspire against her, each turn bringing her closer to the jaws of her pursuers.

"Moon goddess, I am but a human, and I had no pack, no mate, nor an Alpha I could deserve. I have neither Luna nor wolf blood in my veins, and I know no Lord, for I was raised by the wolves. May you hear me out and protect me from the impending doom that awaits me in this dark and treacherous place. Moon goddess, please…" Aetheria pleaded. Her whispered prayers were coveted by the snarls of her predators. But she held on to hope, believing that her plea would not go unheard.

As the rogues closed in, something within Aetheria stirred a long-dated power with a force that could not be denied. Her body convulsed, not with fear, but with the burgeoning strength of her hybrid nature. In a burst of energy that lit the night, Aetheria transformed her form. Her perfect fusion of vampire and werewolf, a creature of myth-made flesh.

The transformation was swift, violent, and complete. Aetheria, now a vision of untamed power, stood before her attackers, her mind clouded by a primal instinct to survive— to kill. Her eyes, glowing with an otherworldly light, locked onto the rogues, who stumbled back in shock and fear. The creature that Aetheria had become was beyond their comprehension, a being of nightmares that no amount of gold could compel them to face. The myth had come to life!

With a howl that echoed through the forest, resonating with the power of her dual heritage, Aetheria launched herself at the rogues. The battle was brutal and short-lived. Aetheria, driven by an instinctual rage, showed no mercy, her actions a dance of death under the moon's cold gaze. One by one, the rogues fell, until silence reclaimed the forest, broken only by her heavy breathing.

The aftermath was a scene of carn*ge, a sign of hunger for blood and unleashed fury. The forest, which had once been alive with nighttime sounds, was now in an eerie silence as the act carried out under its watchful gaze deepened the darkness. The moon, a silent witness cast a pale light over the scene, its glow reflecting off Aetheria's heaving form as her pale skin gleamed into the moonlight.

Far from the forest, Draiken, standing within the confines of his estate, felt an inexplicable pull, a howl reaching him across distances unknown, stirring something deep within his soul. It was a sound that spoke directly to his heart, a call of such profound resonance that could not be ignored. Unbeknownst to him, the howl that had pierced the night was Aetheria's, the human villainess he was looking for, yet also a harbinger of her collapse.

As the adrenaline that fueled her faded, Aetheria's strength waned, and she fell to the ground, unconscious, her hybrid form receding as darkness claimed her, transforming her back into her human form. The forest enveloped her in its shadow, the only light that of the moon, casting her in a serene, almost ethereal glow.

Draiken, moved by a force he could not understand, knew only that he must find the source of that howl, that desperate call that had touched the very core of his soul — commanding him to look for her this very instant.