FATE OF THE ALPHA

"I won't let you take my child away from me!"

Annie's voice cracked as she ran through the woods. Her long, dark hair clung to her face, wet with sweat and tears. The man ahead of her didn't stop,he clutched baby Marcel against his chest, ignoring the cries.

"Stop!" she screamed, breath catching. "Don't you dare touch him! He's the future. Give him back!"

The man didn't answer. He just kept running toward the old pickup parked outside the cabin.

Annie grabbed a thick branch from the ground and pushed herself faster.

He turned at the sound of her footsteps,too late.

The branch slammed against the side of his head with a sickening thud. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, baby and all.

Marcel hit the ground with a soft cry, cushioned by the blanket.

"No, no, no..." Annie gasped, dropping to her knees. She scooped him up quickly, checking his tiny face. "Shh, you're okay. I've got you, my moonlight. Mommy's here."

The baby stopped crying the second she touched him. His silver-gray eyes locked onto hers, wide and too alert for his age.

She kissed his forehead. Her lips lingered there, trembling.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, rocking him slowly. "I should've come sooner. The Diego bloodline will pay for this. They want to erase us,wipe out our bloodline and take our place."

Baby Marcel giggled.

Annie laughed too, tears still rolling. "Yes, my child. You're a born leader, and no one will take that from you. You're my future Alpha."

Behind her, the man's body lay still. Blood pooled around his head, soaking into the leaves.

Annie looked up at the night sky. The moon, almost full, peeked through the trees.

She stood, holding Marcel tight, and ran.

By morning, she reached a quiet street lined with small houses and sleepy trees. A woman was watering flowers two doors down. Annie ducked behind a fence, heart pounding.

She spotted a small brick house with blue shutters. Warm yellow curtains. A wind chime swayed gently on the porch.

Annie pressed her lips to Marcel's cheek. "You'll be safe here," she whispered. "They won't know what you are. They'll just love you."

She placed him gently on the porch steps, wrapped tight in his blanket. His plastic elephant toy sat beside him, one ear chewed from teething.

Marcel whimpered.

Annie's hand hovered over his head.

"I love you," she breathed. "You'll feel it, even if you don't remember."

She stepped back into the trees, swallowed by shadows.

A minute passed.

Then the front door creaked open.

"John?" the woman inside called. "Did you order something? There's something on the,oh my God. John!"

She rushed out, barefoot, dropping to her knees.

"It's a baby," she cried. "There's a baby here!"

Her husband appeared behind her. "What the hell,where did he come from? There's no note."

The woman looked around wildly. "We have to call someone. The police?"

Police Station

Inside the station, an officer leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples.

"No missing baby reports," he said, reading off the screen. "No one's called about a lost infant. That's... unusual."

The woman who found Marcel held him close, rocking gently.

"He was just there," she said softly. "He wasn't cold. Someone had to have just left him."

The officer studied the child. "Healthy. No bruises. No ID. Nothing."

Another officer leaned in. "You sure you want to keep him with you for now?"

She nodded. "If no one comes forward... maybe it's a sign."

They left with the baby a few minutes later. As the door shut behind them, the younger officer muttered, "You feel that?"

"What?"

He glanced back at the hallway.

"I don't know. Like... a chill or something. That kid's eyes, did you see 'em? Gave me goosebumps.

Later that night...

Wrapped in fresh blankets and tucked into a quiet crib, baby Marcel slept soundly.

The plastic elephant toy lay beside him, its single ear flopped to the side, scuffed from teething and time. His tiny hand curled around it.

He didn't stir. Not even when the woman who had found him leaned over to check his temperature for the fifth time that hour.

"He's perfect," she whispered, brushing a finger down his cheek.

In his sleep, Marcel's fingers tightened slightly around the elephant's trunk.