Tempted By The Alpha Of Manhattan

MEREDITH

The night air smelled like rain, the kind that was soft, cool and comforting. The kind that cooled your skin and made breathing feel easy. I breathed it in slowly, It made me want to be in bed, warm and curled up, away from people, away from noise, wrapped in quiet where nothing and no one could reach me.

I ran anyway.

Running helped when my thoughts wouldn't slow down.

Tonight, they wouldn't.

My skin felt tight, like I'd been holding something in all day and it was tired of staying quiet. My wolf didn't like days like this. Sitting through meetings, being quiet, and acting normal.

Just one run, I told myself, and then I'd go home, take a warm shower, slip into something soft and loose, curl up in bed with the covers pulled close, hug a pillow to my chest, and let sleep find me slowly, quietly, like it always did when I was finally alone.

I turned the corner. The tall office buildings rose in front of me. Aurora Luxe glowing in the distance.

I slowed down. I remembered the file I left in my office.

Annoying.

I turned the corner and stopped because something felt wrong, a change in the wind made me pause, I heard fast breathing and then a scream, and my heart dropped as for a second everything went quiet like the normal city noise had disappeared, something was wrong, my wolf was already pushing hard inside me, very restless and without thinking I was already running toward the alley

A man had a woman against the wall. She was shaking, trying to push him away..

"Please," she cried. "Please-"

Before I knew it, I felt my bones crack, my sight going fuzzy, and pain rip through me as I hit the ground and felt my body change until I was on four legs

The man turned just as my gold eyes met his eyes.

"What the-?!"

I jumped at him and he fell back dropping the knife and tried to grab it again while the woman crawled away crying

The sound came from my throat before I even thought-wild and angry

The man screamed and swung the knife.

"Stay back!"

The knife cut into my side and wow it hurt so bad like fire shooting straight through me, I felt my knees go weak and almost faint.

He tried to fight back again but the anger hit me so fast, like I couldn't let him touch her again and I lunged and hit him and he went down hard. I didn't even think I just kept going until he wasn't getting back up.

I stepped back, breathing hard. Blood ran down my side. The pain was sharp and hot.

The woman stared at me, shaking so hard her teeth clicked, staring from the man to me, wide-eyed.

"I- I d-don't know what you are," she whispered. "Please don't hurt me."

I stepped back, slow and careful, hoping not to frighten