The Hunter
“Damien, what’s wrong?” Jack stammered, stepping back in fear.
The creature growled low and deep, its eyes glowing gold without warning, it pounced. Jack screamed and ran down the stairs, his heart pounding so hard he could barely breathe.
“Da...mien! What the hell?!” he gasped, throwing the front door open and sprinting outside. He ran down the path that led into the forest behind Damien’s house, not daring to look back.
Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air, crackling with strange, sparkling light.
“Ahhh!” Damien howled, his body twisted, fur vanishing as he shifted back into human form. Another arrow flew, piercing his thigh. He collapsed to the ground, panting and shaking.
“Damien! Damien!” Jack came running, dropping beside him.
“Jack…” Damien gasped.
“Shh, don’t talk, someone’s after us,” Jack whispered, eyes darting around the dark forest. He glanced at Damien’s leg, blood was soaked. his jeans. “Damn, this is bad…”
Another arrow flew past them, barely missing Jack’s head.
“Get up! We have to move!” Jack grunted, throwing Damien’s arm over his shoulder and dragging him through the trees. Damien winced with every step, but didn’t complain.
They made it back to Jack’s house, jack slammed the door shut, locked it, and helped Damien onto the couch.
“Dude… what was that?!” Jack shouted, grabbing ointment and a towel. “I told you something was going on with you!”
“Ahh! Careful!” Damien hissed as Jack dabbed the wound.
“Careful?! Are you kidding? My hands are shaking, you just turned into a damn werewolf or something and someone shot at you! Who the hell shoots arrows in 2025?!” Jack’s voice cracked with panic.
“I don’t know!” Damien shouted back, clutching his leg.
Jack took a breath, wiping sweat from his brow. But then he blinked. “Wait… what the hell…”
He turned Damien’s leg to get a better look and his eyes widened.
“Your wound… it’s healing. It’s freaking healed!”
“What?” Damien looked down. The gash was closing before their eyes, the bleeding had stopped completely.
Jack stumbled back, jaw dropped. “That… that was a full blown arrow wound and now it’s gone.”
Damien met Jack’s gaze, both of them stunned into silence.
“Whatever’s happening to me,” Damien said slowly, “it’s only just beginning."
“I get it now,” Jack stood up, eyes wide. “You said you were bitten, right?”
“I was… but I can’t find any bite mark,” Damien replied, confused as he scanned his skin again.
“This is getting weirder,” Jack said, walking over to the computer in Damien’s room.
“What are you doing?” Damien asked.
“Trying to find a solution to your… condition,” Jack replied, typing quickly.
After a moment, Jack leaned closer to the screen. “I found something,” he said as Damien moved to stand beside him.
“The Bite of a True Alpha,” Jack read out loud. “A True Alpha is extremely rare only one appears in a generation. He is bitten by a dying Alpha, and the bite leaves no visible mark.”
“True Alpha? What does that even mean?” Damien asked.
“I don’t know either… but if this is real, we need to figure out what bit you,” Jack said, his eyebrows furrowing.
“How? I can’t remember much from that night,” Damien murmured, trying to think.
“Well… I do remember glowing eyes,” he paused, “and something else.”
“And what?” Jack asked quickly.
“It felt like there was a human there… not just a monster. I don’t know how to explain it, but I didn’t feel fear. I felt… something familiar.”
“Like it was one of us?” Jack asked.
“Yeah,” Damien nodded slowly, then sat on the edge of the bed.
“Well, that confirms it, you’re a wolf now,” Jack said with a grin.
“Werewolf,” Damien corrected.
“Ohhh… look at you, already getting into the wolf spirit,” Jack teased, laughing.
Damien couldn’t help but smile, but deep down, his mind was racing. What did being a “True Alpha” mean for him and who had turned him?
The next day came quickly, Jack stayed with Damien all night, and in the morning, they both headed to school together.
“It’s game time! Damien, are you ready?” Jack asked excitedly in the team locker room, bouncing with energy.
“Jack… Jack, I don’t feel right,” Damien said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re about to go full ‘Wolfie’ right here?” Jack asked, eyes narrowing.
“I don’t… I don’t…” Damien's voice cracked. Suddenly, his fangs came out, and his claws started to grow.
“Crap!” Jack yelled, quickly opening the bathroom stall and pushing Damien inside, he slammed the door shut and locked it.
“Let me out!” Damien growled, pounding on the door.
“No, it’s for your own good! I can’t open it!” Jack shouted, holding the handle tightly.
“Let me out or I’ll rip your throat out!” Damien roared, slamming his fists against the door even harder.
“Shhh! Stop it, the team will hear you!” Jack whispered, panicking.
“I don’t care! I’ll rip all your throats out!” Damien’s voice turned deeper and more monstrous.
“I need to do something,” Jack whispered to himself.
He ran to the locker room door and locked it too, then pulled out his phone.
“What can calm down a werewolf?” he typed quickly.
Damien kept growling and banging the door. His claws left deep marks in the wood.
“Water,” Jack read from his phone. “Cool water can calm a wolf’s rage…”
He looked around quickly but didn’t see any water. Thinking fast, he grabbed the fire extinguisher off the wall.
“Sorry, buddy!” he shouted and sprayed the foam straight through the stall vents.
Damien let out a loud cough.
“Damien! Are you okay?” Jack asked.
“Jack… Jack, what did you do?” Damien asked, wiping his face as the foam dripped down.
“You were losing it, man. I had to do something!” Jack said, still catching his breath.
Damien leaned on the wall, exhausted but slowly calming down.
“That… that actually helped,” he muttered.
Jack let out a sigh of relief. “Well, next time, I’m bringing a bucket of cold water.”
They both laughed a little, even if everything still felt terrifying.
“A few minutes ago, you were growling and threatening to rip the whole team’s face off!” Jack snapped.
“What? I went full Wolfie again?” Damien asked, confused.
“Yes! You don’t even remember changing?” Jack looked at him seriously.
Before Damien could answer, the locker room door opened.
