Chapter 3 [ A Mysterious Girl ]

Eryx's POV

"There was a report a few days back about a violent clash between the Betas and the Omegas," Maximus noted grimly. "The Omegas took the brunt of it. They were left severely broken. Tension is brewing in the lower ranks."

My brow furrowed as I kept my eyes locked on the road. "Were there casualties?”

"No fatalities reported yet," Maximus said, shifting in his seat. "The Omegas vanished from the area right after the skirmish. Since then, they’ve completely dropped off the grid. No one knows where they went, or if they're even still breathing.”

Exiled after the clash, the Omegas vanished from the main territories to settle in the shadows. Their current whereabouts were heavily guarded secrets, and they went out of their way to avoid crossing paths with us. My mind spun with the political implications as the car tires crunched over a narrow dirt path, heading deeper into the base camp's perimeter.

"The new trainers aren't half bad. Eric texted over the training video. Do you want to review it before we arrive?”

"I don't judge my wolves through a screen, Maximus," I said flatly, veering the car down the rugged forest trail. "I want to see them live.”

"They are basically—" I slammed my foot onto the brake pedal, the vehicle skidding hard across the dirt path before violently cutting out. The sudden momentum almost sent us spinning off the road. "What the fuck was that?" Maximus barked, gripping his door handle as the dust settled around us.

"Someone is out there," I said coldly. Leaving the engine idling, I stepped out of the driver's seat and slammed the door behind me, my gaze piercing through the rising dust on the forest road.

"What?" Maximus followed my lead, uncoiling from the passenger seat and stepping out into the dark shadows of the forest.

A woman lay collapsed on the dirt road, illuminated by the bright beam of the headlights. Her face was pressed against the earth, hiding her identity from us. She possessed a strikingly small, fragile figure, and her clothes were practically shredded—the torn fabric barely clinging to her pale skin.

"Is she dead already?" Maximus muttered.

"No, she's alive. I can hear her heartbeat," I said flatly. Crouching down in the dirt, I reached out and rolled her onto her back. The breath caught in my throat. She was undeniably beautiful, possessing a natural elegance that didn't need artificial makeup to shine. Even beneath the layer of grim forest dirt and the violent red scratches covering her skin, she looked absolutely striking under the sunlight.

"Whoa, hold on..." Maximus muttered, pinching his nose as he took a step back. “Is she a rogue... or an Omega?”

I inhaled deeply, my eyes narrowing in disbelief. "She doesn't have a scent, Maximus.”

"You're saying she's human?" Maximus frowned, looking down at her petite form.

"It's not possible," I muttered, my eyes narrowing as I rose. "These woods are lethal. No human could ever breach our perimeter, let alone survive the wildlife. Bring her, Maximus. Put her in the back seat—we are taking her to the base.”

Maximus hesitated, his eyes darting back down to the unconscious girl. "Are you certain about this, Alpha? We have no idea who—or what—she is. Is it wise to bring an unknown entity straight into our primary base camp?”

"We will get our answers the moment she wakes up. Now move—we're burning daylight," I barked, turning on my heel and heading back to the driver's side. Behind me, I heard Maximus let out a heavy, frustrated groan. He didn't argue further, but he wasn't gentle either; he scooped up the fragile girl and tossed her unceremoniously across the back seat.

"She's covered in mud," Maximus grumbled, aggressively brushing off his jacket as he climbed back into the passenger seat. "My clothes are ruined."This clean-freak bastard. I rolled my eyes, shifting the car into gear.

"You’ll survive, Maximus. Just wash your clothes when we get to the base," I replied, a small smirk tugging at my lips.

"You're a riot, Alpha," he grumbled. Shaking my head, I kept my focus on the forest path until the base camp structures finally broke through the treeline. Before pulling up to the fields, I checked the mirror. She was so small, barely taking up any space in the back. A sudden wave of unease hit me. Something about her presence felt entirely out of place.

[Base training Camp] ────

"Alpha, what a surprise," Eric said, stepping out of the main facility with a grin. "If I knew you were coming, I would have set up a proper welcome. Honestly, I was planning on inviting you out for a drink tonight anyway.”

"You reported that the new batch was ready for evaluation?" I asked.

"They really have. To be honest, I didn't expect a bunch of rookies to sharpen up this quickly. The actual trials were something else. I texted you the highlights video so you could look it over.”

"I don't need a video, Eric. Line up the top recruits on the field—I'm inspecting them myself.”

"Personally?" Eric blinked, caught off guard. He looked past my shoulder to Maximus, his expression quickly switching to amusement. "What's wrong with you? Did someone spit in your morning coffee, or are you just throwing a tantrum?”

"We picked up a hitchhiker," Maximus grumbled, jerking his thumb toward the back seat of the car behind us. "Go see for yourself.”

"A visitor?" Eric repeated, his eyes darting between the Max and the vehicle. A sudden smirk replaced his frown. "Wait, don't tell me you actually brought your flavor of the month to the base camp—”

"Shut up, Eric, or I’ll break your face," Maximus warned flatly.

"Fine, fine. Who's the mystery guest?" Eric muttered, rolling his eyes as he bypassed Maximus and headed straight for the car.

"She ran into the middle of the road. Take her to the facility clinic and have a healer look at her right now.”

"Are we seriously bypassing safety protocols for a stranger, Alpha?” Eric asked, peering through the glass again before recoiling. "Her scent profile is completely fouled by mud and grime. It feels like we’re dealing with a feral rogue who hasn't seen civilization in weeks." He twisted his face in pure revulsion.

"Less talking, more moving, Eric. Do exactly what I ordered," I said flatly, my expression hardening into stone.

"Understood," Eric nodded. He pulled the girl out of the car, swinging her easily over his broad shoulder before heading straight inside the building.

"So much for chivalry. He’s carrying her like a sack of potatoes," Maximus chuckled dryly, crossing his arms as he watched Eric disappear into the building.

"You handled her like cargo yourself, Maximus," I noted coldly.

Shedding the distraction of the stranger, we headed out to the dirt field. The selected trainees were already lined up in a neat row, hands behind their backs. Shirtless and clad only in tactical trousers, their impressive, heavily muscled physiques were on full display. The moment they saw me cross the perimeter, the entire line went dead silent.

"What's the initial impression, Alpha?" Eric asked, gesturing toward the rigid line of wolves. A proud smile broke across his face. "These six outlasted everyone else in the pits. I promise you they are flawless—I vetted and handpicked them myself.”

"These are your top choices?" I asked, raising a slow, skeptical eyebrow as I stepped closer to the line. "They look green, Eric.”

"Test them yourself, Alpha," Eric challenged, stepping back to clear the field. "They are ready for whatever evaluation you want to run.”

Giving a curt nod, I walked over to the spectator's chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. My gaze swept slowly down the line of tense recruits. "Since Eric thinks so highly of you, I want to see that strength for myself. If you survive this trial, you earn a permanent spot at the main pack camp.” I flicked my wrist toward my second-in-command. "Maximus, let's see what they've got.”

Maximus smirked, a dangerous chuckle escaping his lips. "With pleasure, Alpha," he murmured, rolling his shoulders as he stalked toward the waiting trainees. The man lived for the thrill of the ring; violence was practically hardwired into his DNA. After all, he wasn't just my closest ally—he was the Beta, the undisputed second strongest predator in our entire pack. I relaxed against the back of my seat, narrowing my eyes to study the raw clash of fangs and fists that was about to unfold.