It wasn't just a bird. It was a damn phoenix with claws so long they could rip her open. It flew fast, wild, like it had only one goal...to tear her apart.
Angela ran.
The forest was the only place to hide. Maybe the bird wouldn't fit between the trees. Maybe it would lose her in the dark.
She didn't know. She just ran, her legs shaking, her heart pounding like it would explode.
What the hell was happening to her? Was Hiro messing with her head? Was she stuck in his mind, or was he stuck in hers?
She had no answers. She wished Stales was close. He would've known what to do. But he wasn't here. No one was. Just her. Alone. Running.
The forest was creepy. The kind that made your skin crawl. Animal sounds echoed from all directions. She didn't care. She would rather face wolves than that firebird chasing her.
She spotted a big tree and pressed herself behind it, trying to catch her breath. Her chest ached. Her hands shook.
Why did she even come to the Alpha Academy?
Was this all a mistake?
Maybe she should've run away to a far-off place. Somewhere her uncle would never find her.
But she didn't.
And now, she was stuck.
Tears slid down her cheeks, hot and fast. Everything felt like it was falling apart. Everyone hated her. Everything hurt. Maybe it was her fault.
Grace once told her that her father died the day she was born. Angela had always found it hard to believe. There were no photos, no keepsakes, nothing. Just words.
The neighbors whispered things too. That no one had ever seen her father. That she was just the result of some one-night mistake.
Angela wiped her tears, but they kept falling. Maybe they were right. Maybe she really was just... unwanted.
A sound cut through the silence. The cry of that horrible bird.
She held her breath.
Her hair was wild now. She could feel it sticking to her face. Running like this, with her chest wrapped tight just to hide what she was, made it hard to breathe.
The sound of footsteps—heavy, slow—echoed behind her. She didn't dare turn around.
Instead, she pressed her back against the tree like she could melt into it and disappear.
She was scared.
What if the bird found her?
Would it hurt? Would it be fast? Was this how it would end?
And all because Hiro thought this was a good idea. Some twisted test. She wanted to scream. What kind of Alpha did this to someone?
Did Kaito know? Did the others?
Even if they didn't plan it, none of them stopped it. That made them just as bad.
Angela opened her eyes, and her whole body froze.
Two huge eyes stared back at her.
She screamed.
The bird screamed back, louder, fiercer.
She ran.
Her legs burned. Her chest hurt. She could run, yes. But not from this. Not from something with wings.
"Shit." Angela dropped hard to the ground as the creature flew past her, its wings stirring up dust and pain all at once. It vanished ahead, but the damage was done. She should never have stopped to test it. The pain was worse than she imagined.
Her head pounded and her back felt like it was on fire. The cut wasn't deep, but it hurt like hell. Her whole body ached.
Still, she didn't scream in anger. Instead, she pushed herself up, slowly, shaking, and leaned against the closest tree. Her legs barely held her.
Her throat was dry. She needed water. She needed help. She could feel the blood seeping through her shirt, warm and sticky.
She cried out, hoping someone might hear her. But no one did.
Not a single soul.
For the first time, Angela truly felt like giving up. Like she couldn't take one more thing. This had to be planned. The Alphas had to know. Hiro had to know what would happen to her. Why else would he choose her out of everyone?
She tried to reach behind and tear her shirt to stop the bleeding, but her arms wouldn't stretch far enough. The pain was too much. Her hands trembled.
Then, just when she thought it couldn't get worse, the bird came back. But it didn't fly. It landed and stood a few feet away, watching her.
Her heart nearly stopped.
What now?
She tried to move, to crawl away, but it felt like something had locked her in place. Something stronger than fear. A force she didn't understand. Of course. Hiro again. Messing with her head.
He really was a sick bastard.
If she survived this, she'd give him a full rating of one hundred—just for how crazy he made her feel.
The bird stepped closer.
Then it changed.
Right in front of her, it shifted into a lion. Then, a man.
Angela's mouth dropped open.
Renn.
Of course it was him.
Stales had warned her that Renn could take any shape. Now she saw it with her own eyes. And now she knew who had been hunting her.
But how the hell did he get in here?
"Fucking Hiro," she muttered, her voice low and sharp with pain. "I swear, I'll kill him if I ever get the chance."
Renn was coming closer, and there was nothing she could do. She would never beg. That was what they wanted. To see her break. To watch her surrender.
She'd rather die.
But then it changed again. Renn's body shifted into an enormous anaconda, slithering toward her with slow, heavy movements.
Angela's heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
She needed help. She needed Taros. If only he could hear her.
But in that moment, when fear finally took full control and the pain in her back made her feel like her bones might snap, her lips moved on their own.
She screamed from the depths of her soul.
"Kaitoooooooo!"