Alex pushed through his lethargy, and with each step he took to the room door, he kept on thinking if he’d been doing the right thing, heading out in the woods. It wasn’t because he was afraid of being ganged up and beaten by the other big bad wolves who envied the amount of power he had, on the contrary, he was only scared of dying, with his body left for the vultures to feed on.

The thought was beyond horrifying, and Alex had to remind himself that he was powerful, an alpha male. Although he’d been born under the Solar tribe, who were written off as nothing more than slaves, Alexander knew his story was just beginning. Once, Alex tried the lock on the door, and he was a bit surprised when it didn’t budge, as if he had expected it to. Well, he was going to have to break the lock then. He stepped back a little, feeling starved off air, and slammed the door with his closed fist. The door gave way, nothing but a small mass of wood now that he looked at it. Why was he here? And who’d locked him up in the first place?

Alexander found out all the answers when he stepped through the front screen door. There on the wraparound porch was a small picnic basket, which contained some food, and a brown envelope underneath. Alex ate the food, devouring it like he hadn’t eaten in months, and as he stuffed his face full, he stared at the large expanse of trees, which disappeared into the far river. The place looked like a rat maze. But the icy wind shook the tree leaves, and peltered the low grass. It finally dawned on Alex that whoever had brought him here had meant for him to find something–something that was contained in the brown envelope. He wiped food crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and tore open the envelope. But, only a small note fell out. Don’t bother. You won’t find anything. Go home to your tribe.

Go home to your tribe? Alex nearly laughed at that. Where was home when his memory disappeared after twenty four hours? Where was home when he could literally wake up one day, in the middle of nowhere? Where was home when he couldn’t even remember? Alex had come all the way to find out everything, and someone was telling him to go to his tribe? No, he wasn’t going to. And Alexander balled the note up in his fingers, and threw it away.

Alex spread out the map he’d gotten from the cabin on the blanketed snow, and tried to make out where he was exactly. He was surrounded by more and more trees in the forest, and to his left was a big stream, with different sizes of rocks and stones, which kept the tide afloat. Circling his location on the map, Alex began tracing the path that led to, and away. As he traced, he kept circling, and soon the map was full of markings. Still, he couldn’t make out anything concrete. Alex decided to go for a quick swim to clear his head, and he played around in the water, thinking back to the time he’d been with his gun. When he’d gotten up from that bed, the gun wasn’t by his side, and Alex had tried not to freak out.

Someone had taken it, and whoever the person was had to be the same person that was telling him not to bother, that he wouldn’t find anything. What was the need in continuing? But Alex really wanted to get rid of his forgetful memory. Was that too much to ask? Getting out of the cold stream, Alex was supposed to feel cold, but he didn’t because his werewolf abilities had warmed the water up some. He hurriedly wore his clothes, bumping the map in his coat pocket. And so, Alexander Firadus continued to sojourn in a land he knew not.

Throughout the time he crossed through high mountains, and sloppy valleys, he survived on barely much food, apart from the few berries he plucked from trees, and water from clear streams. But, he needed answers, and to him, that was a small price he needed to pay. Weeks slowly rolled by, with Firadus having no idea of time, and he soon began to survive on the meat he could hustle from changing into his wolf at night. He was always on guard in case of attacks too. But there was this day, Firadus had let his guard down. And he awoke to two silver gray wolves, trying to rip his body apart. His senses went on instant alert, and he immediately changed to his wolf form, and hunkered down in front of them.

The wolves charged at him with their angry teeth, and fierce green eyes. Alex Firadus tried to dodge their bites as best as he could, keeping one pissed woof at bay, while he dealt with the other. He had no idea where they were from, but he figured someone had sent them. Or news of his disappearance had reached their ears. Alex hadn’t told anyone he was going to travel, and worse still, for that lengthy period of time. If these wolves should kill him now, nobody would care. His people saw him as a slave, and maybe that was all he was ever going to be—a slave, who was both feared, and respected for the power he had.

Alex pinned one wolf with his sharp claws, and threw the other wolf off his back. The wolf hit the sack, but was back again, scratching and scraping with his paws. Enraged, Alexander bit hard on the neck, and wounded, it cried out for his own tribe to hear. The other wolf lay in the pool of its own blood. Seeing that more wolves would be swarming the area any minute now, Alex decided to take off. It would be bad if they find out who he was. But, wherever he ran to, it was as if there was a wolf hiding in one dark corner, and waiting for when he was at his weakest—which was waking up the next day with no recollections of the past—this wasn’t about finding answers any longer. This was about survival.

One day, sitting on boulders of rock, overlooking a large body of water, Alex thought about all the things he’d had to do to get to this point. The dangers he’s had to face. The constant fear, and terror of having his memory slip away. He couldn’t keep living like this. He couldn’t keep looking over his shoulders for any big bad, thinking ‘what was the next thing?’ He had to go home, to his tribe, to his homeland. He wasn’t done searching for answers, not by a long shot, but at least, it wouldn’t be like he was a fugitive.

***

"Esther?" Alpha Killian fingers caressed the witch's pale skin, "Help me out, won't you?"

Esther was a tall slender woman with high cheekbones and a perfect side profile, her eyes were gray that if she stared at someone who didn't know her, they would think she was blind. But she wasn't. She could see through physical structures, the spiritual realm, the past, the future.

"I don't know, the future Is uncertain. I hate uncertainty so I don't want to help you."

Alpha Killian smiled and looked at her with a grin. "Come on, don't you trust me?"

"I only trust what I can see. I don't see how manipulating that boy can do you any good."

Alpha Killian placed a hand on the witch's shoulder and she looked over her shoulder, her gray eyes turning pitch white.

Alpha Killian was surprised by this and he let out a scream and backed up against the wall.

Esther let out a chuckle and smirked at him, "What a scaredy-cat!" She laughed. "YOU CAN'T FACE ME YET, you want a killing machine." She grumbled under her breath before taking a step toward him and kicking him.

Alpha Killian let out a cry and looked at Esther who did not show any form of emotion.

"Well, I'm not going to turn him into a killing machine." He grumbled, "It's just.. He has powers unlike any I've ever seen. Even more than that of the gods, I presume."

"Don't cross the line, Alpha. The man you so desperately want to control won't precede the gods. As long as you pretend he doesn't exist. Manipulating a man who doesn't have memory is the same as bringing disaster upon yourself and your kinsmen.

"That's why I want you to give him a memory."

"What kind of memory?"

Alpha Killian smiled, "I heard your family betrayed you so you killed them all. In the history books, you're the worst type of creature. You're not fully a witch either. You defy spiritual laws and have both sides—"

"—Shut up," Esther interrupted and Alpha Killian smiled once he realized that he'd pushed her buttons, now she would have no choice but to do exactly what he wanted."

"Your vampirical traits are not dormant, Esther. No matter how much you conceal it, you can't hide under the guise of being a witch forever. In the history books, you're the most horrific vampire who has no emotions and killed her family. Because of this, your people hate you for ruining the vampire's reputation so you did something to yourself and made yourself like this.. A vampire with witchy traits. However, if you give the boy the memory of your family betraying you and you massacring them.. He would be the most feared monster in the history of the supernatural."

Esther smirked, "I don't think you're doing this because you want to clean up my reputation."

"No," Alpha Killian replied straightforwardly. "I'm doing this because I want to be the most feared among the seven tribes. Then I'll lead all of them! With my very own personal killing machine."

"You're silencing them," Esther stated the obvious. "Because you want to rule them."

"Do I?" He chuckled darkly.

"I'll do it." Esther said.

However, it wasn't because Alpha Killian wanted her to.

"Then, I'll bring you to him."

***

Two bulky men walked into the room, pulling along with them an unconscious man. Esther who was sitting on a table, with a tea cup in hand glanced at the man who was dumped at the corner of the room.

She recognised him.

The special one whose name would be pronounced in history for decades to come.

She placed the tea cup on the table and stood on her feet. It was time to work.

She closed her eyes and created a barrier around the room. She used mind control to have him seated in a cross-legged position.

She also sat in front of him and placed both of their palms together.

It didn't take long for her to read his entire life story but she just couldn't seem to understand why he couldn't hold memories. His life was fairly decent compared to many she'd seen.

Maybe his soul couldn't comprehend body language cues. He was loved by many of the people who entered his lives but many of them didn't vocalize it. So he might have felt alone.

It still wasn't enough reason for him to lose memory that easily.

She tried to dig into the reason, but she couldn't and that scared her. What was he?!

That didn't matter for now.

She'd struck a deal with Killian.

With that, she went to the darkest memories of hers.

Her family had sent her to go out with a family friend so that she could collect some incense to give her father to help him sleep well. She naively followed the man and she didn't suspect her family friend until they were in front of a cliff with nowhere to run.

"Just how stupid are you, to trust me this much?"

The man laughed evilly and revealed the hand he hid behind his back which contained a knife.

Younger Esther was in shock and didn't react on time so the sharp knife was thrust into her chest. She let out a gasp and the man laughed, showing his teeth.

This was the family friend she trusted the most and wouldn't suspect for anything in the world because.. She had a crush on him.

"Why?" She questioned, staring into his eyes that now changed from being gentle to being monstrous.

"You really think the people you call parents are your real family?!"

Her eyes widened and the man laughed at the surprised look on her face.

"They nurtured you this long, just to use your blood to pray for their family ancestors."

With that, she was thrown out of the cliff.

The witch transferred the memories to him. But in his mind's eye, he would only see himself being hurt by the people he was close to in his tribe.

Then she guided an illusive feeling into his heart. Vengeance.

Alexander opened his eyes and this time they were pitch black.

Alpha Killian who had been watching behind the door smiled. Here was the chance he had been waiting for.

"Who are you?" Alexander looked at Esther who simply smiled at her recent well-done work.

In just a few minutes, he had fully absorbed the memories she wanted him to.

The door opened revealing Alpha Killian whose face held a look of sadness and grief. Esther released the barrier she had placed around the room and Alpha Killian moved towards them and bent over in front of Alexander whose eyes held nothing but rage.

Alpha Killian placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder and said, "I saved you."

Alexander looked at Alpha Killian.

After being knocked off the cliff by a face that looked similar to his brother's, he completely blacked out.

Alexander looked at the odd-looking woman and Alpha Killian chuckled, "She's a healer, I brought her here to take a look at you."

Alexander simply stared straight at the woman.

"Actually," Killian brought Alexander's attention back to himself, "I.. Was mistreated by people of that tribe."

He showed Alexander the scar on his back, the one he got when he competed for the title of Alpha. He hoped the horrible scar would stir feelings inside of Alexander and it worked.

Alexander gritted his teeth and said, "I'll kill them."

Alpha Killian looked at Esther and bit back a smile as stood up from the ground, she was really a capable witch.

"You don't have to kill them, they're not worth it. Also, you can't do it alone." Alpha Killian pretended to be worried.

"You don't have to worry about that. Just send me to the town."

Alpha Killian sighed and turned his back on Alexander before revealing a devilish smirk.

"Fine, I'll ask someone to send you there."

***

In a fit of rage, Alexander killed his whole family and exterminated his tribe.

He cut out their throats, punctured their ribs, and expunged their eyes from their sockets. Not one person survived.

Reporting back to Night bliss, he let them know they’d won, and could now be the most powerful tribe in the werewolves realm. They all jubilated, and rented the air with their screams, but Alexander was unhappy and didn't know why.

He laid on the bed in his well furnished room and listened to the loud cheer coming from outside his room window. Night Bliss was celebrating—no, scratch that—they were holding a feast in honor of his name. They’d invited him as a man of honor, but he refused to eat and dance with them because he was tired.

Alexander blew out the candle in his room with a single whoosh of air, and resumed his position, allowing the cool night breeze sway his thoughts. When he’d killed those people, he hadn’t felt any guilt or remorse. But it was after, looking at the dead bodies surrounding him like feets, the guilt smacked him in the face, knocking the air out of his lungs. His legs gave way first, and he fell on the floor, tears flowing out of his eyes. Right there, he’d sobbed, seeing the face of the dead floating in his vision even with his eyelids shut. Alexander could tell himself he hadn’t meant to do it, it was that primal urge inside of him, controlling him, and making him do bad things, but deep down, he knew the truth, but wasn’t ready to face it yet. He was selfish, he’d agreed to it, had taken up the sword on his belt, and brought it down with the full weight of his arm.

He was a monster. He wasn’t meant to live, still he relished the feeling of being alive once more. What was it the Night Bliss had done to him? Alexander turned to his side, and then he turned back again. He couldn’t sleep. They were having a feast, and the noisy chatter hit deep into his subconscious like he was there with them. He might as well be. Alexander used his werewolf power to try and make out what the people were saying. At first, the clank of fork and knives on a plate was all he could hear, until the voices became clearer, more distinctive.

“He did a good job. Alexander the Great," Or so they called him.

"I had to see for myself, they were all dead,” this statement was punctuated with intermittent laughter, and he noted the murmurs of agreement.

“Yes. I agree with the alpha. He’s good. But, he wouldn’t have killed his tribe without some little manipulation of our own.” Laughter. Then, more laughter. But Xander froze, and underneath the silky bed covers, his skin burned cold. Wait. What? What did they mean by manipulating?

“Yep. That witch knows how to do her job. Cheers to us, for winning.” Meat munching. Glasses clinking. Laughter. More laughter. Drinks sloshing around the rim of cups. Tiny gulps.

Witch? He’d had enough! Alexander got up from bed, and marched out of the room, debating whether he should confront them, or leave them alone to celebrate. He chose the latter. And headed for the balcony where the noise was more subdued, a certain calmness was in the air. He was there for a short while, before company came. Alexander felt his presence, before he spoke. “How’s…”

“Stop. Just stop.” He raised a finger, trying to quell the anger roiling in his gut. This man who called himself the alpha was a coward, a coward with only rings and expensive clothing to his name. Surely, his tribe could see that he wasn’t a good leader if all he did was manipulate people to do his bidding. Early tomorrow, he’d be out before anyone would notice.

“I know. I know everything. So, just spare me the congratulatory speech.”

The alpha frowned, and shut his mouth instantly. “How much of it do you know?”

“I know enough. I’m going to find that witch, whoever it is, and kill her. I’ll kill you too, while I’m at it,” Alexander spat in anger, and he could feel the rage building up.

“Well…” The alpha drowned the last of the wine from his glass. He didn’t seem a bit unfazed. Or maybe he was trying not to show it. “Let’s just keep this between us.”

“I can’t believe this. I just can’t.” Alex took his hands off the balcony rail, and headed back to his room through a side door. He slammed the door behind him, and resting his back on the door, he sobbed.

It was happening again. Alex hadn't told anyone yet, but these past few days have been filled with the most unimaginable headaches.

And with the headache came these flashes. Sometimes, it could be a memory he had never seen in his life. Something that he knew was his memory, only he had no idea of how or when it occurred.

Other times, it would be waves of amnesia, with Alex waking up in a place he didn't remember walking to.

Alexander rubbed his head, trying to ignore the headache that felt like it was splitting his skull into two. "Alex." He looked up to see his mate, Joyce. "I am okay, J. I was just a bit disoriented."

Her brows lifted so high that Alex thought they merged with her hairline. "That is not what I was going to ask." He tilted his head, furrowing his brows."What were you going to ask then?" "I was going to ask if you had seen the Alpha."

Alex rolled his eyes, scoffing. "And why would I be the right person to know that?" Joy's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I do not know...Maybe because the two of you are always together planning to conquer a new plot or…"

He shifted on the bed, signaling her to sit next to him. "I am just doing my job." Joyce bit her lip, looking away. "Babe." Alex opened his arms, and she came closer so he could wrap his hands around her.

"Why do you need Killian?" Joyce kept silent, playing with the threads of his shirt instead. "Joyce." "I wanted to ask him to stop sending you on jobs. I know you are strong and all, but I am getting worried. What if someone stronger than you is out there?"

Another flash made its way across his brain, and with it came a voice. "I love you too, Alexander." Alexander groaned. Who was that? He moved, pushing Joyce off him in a smooth move and placing her on the bed next to him instead.

Joyce was giving him a look of concern and Alex waved her off. "I am fine...It's just a headache." "Are you sure? you should go see the doctor. Maybe he can help out." "I don't need him. I just need sleep."

He let out a deep breath, giving her a smile he hoped was reassuring. "I am going to be okay, Joyce. Just let me sleep."

She nodded, and he pulled her in for a kiss. Whenever Alexander kissed Joyce, it was as if she let something loose snap in him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resulting in making him groan into her mouth.

Alex let my hands slide up her body, using the tip of his fingers to graze her underboob. Joyce's body was his instrument. I could get lost in her and she knew it. "Alex."

Another flash ripped his brain and Alex abruptly pulled himself off her. "Alex?" "Just, please...Not now." He kept his head down, closing his eyes. heard her leave the bed and the door slam after her. Alex felt nausea crawl up his belly, and the whole world went black.

When he woke up, the world was blurry and people I didn't know were standing over him. "He is awake." The voice said and Alex groaned, putting a hand over his face to block the light. "Alexander. What the fuck happened? We found you passed out in your room."

"Killian, get off him. He needs space to breathe. You are choking him, and your alpha scent is not helping." This second voice seemed calmer, yet Alex sensed he was the one that should be feared.

"Hello, Alex." His vision came into focus, and Alex was staring at a man with the most unnerving green eyes, framed by a pair of silver glasses. "Who are you?" He asked, trying to rack his brain for any clue of who he was and where he had known him from.

"What the fuck are you talking about? That's Doc." "Doc?" Alex echoed, letting his eyes drift to meet the other man's green again. The man's eyes widened as they stared at each other. "Oh no, Killian." Alex glanced at the man in question and something he could recognize as realization entered his eyes. "Oh fuck."

A woman came forward, tears lining her face. It made Alex want to hug her. The look of distraught on her face was heartbreaking. "Who are you and why are you crying?" She only seemed to get more distraught at his question and he wished he had kept his mouth shut

Doc rubbed his neck, taking off his glasses with his second hand. It was done so smoothly that Alex knew it was a reflex action. Killian cursed and Alex sat up straighter. "You need to tell me who you guys are, and why I am here."

Killian's eyes went red and he kicked a chair that was in the corner. "This cannot be happening." "I am afraid it is." The Doc mused, folding his arms. It was clear by the look in his eyes that he found this entire matter hilarious.

Alex begged to differ. "So I am guessing you are Killian? The Alpha around here? Could you tell me why I am here?" Killian glared at the woman instead. "How could you leave him? Wasn't it clear he was…"

"He told me to leave him alone. He said he had a headache so I went to get drugs from Doc. Doc thought it was strange so he came back with me. That was when we found him passed out on the bed."

"Joyce, you did the right thing. Do me a favor and get my bag from the den, okay?" The woman, Joyce, nodded, moving out of the room. "What is going on?"

Neither of the two men answered him and Alex clenched his jaw, trying so hard not to roll his eyes. Think about what you remember. He tried concentrating so hard, but nothing was coming.

The door opened again and the woman came in. She handed the big black bag in her hands to the Doc, and he placed it on the bedside cabinet as he rummaged through it. "Drink this."

He held out a vial that contained the murkiest yellow liquid and Alex folded his arms. "I don't even know who you are. Why should I trust you?" He shrugged, grinning. "I am saying you should. You wouldn't regret it."

Trusting his gut instinct, Alex shrugged, taking the vial. Killian had a look of hope as he downed it, but nothing happened. The Doc just smiled as he handed it back and then he opened his mouth to say something in a language Alex didn't understand.

He was about to open his mouth to protest when his vision alongside the world around him went black.

Killian watched his most prized possession slump back against the bed and turned to his beta. The Doc sighed, rubbing his head. "This is not good." Joyce opened her mouth to talk, but snapped it shut as her eyes landed on the Alpha. "Talk," Killian said, almost dismissively. "What did you give him?"

"A simple drug that would knock him out. It's to keep him under control while we try to figure out how to handle this." Killian cursed, resisting the urge to pull his hair out. "Why now? Why this?"

"That is about to be the least of your worries, Killian. They are going to come for him. Word already got out that he has lost his memory again."

Killian's wolf had the most wonderful habit of pointing out the obvious. He turned to the Doc, who was already packing up. "I am going to get the warriors ready." "That would be nice. We don't have any more time to fish out the traitor. We need to be ready before they come."

He nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder and moving out of the room. "I would work on getting his memory back after the roundup. We don't know what could happen if we leave him in this state."

Killian turned to Joyce, using his alpha tone on her. "Make sure no one else enters here, okay? Alert us if he wakes up. Either me or Doc. Use the link."

He moved her out of his way, heading towards the hall. If anyone tried to tear down what he had worked hard for, they would answer to the teeth and claws of his wolf. And they would know why we top the ranks.

Halfway across the border of Night Bliss, wolves from another tribe were already making their way to them.

The alpha crouched across the floor, signaling the rest of the clan to do the same. The beta went next in line, the rest of them following behind.

A clan member, two wolves to the last, grumbled as he made his way through the muddy water. He hadn't heard who their source was, but since the Alpha trusted the source and that automatically meant they had to too.

He fingered the charm around his neck, feeling the power curse through his veins. It was enough to make him feel strong enough to defeat the so-called gifted one. It was years since the gifted one had started "working" with the Night Bliss clan. He was bound to be weaker.

"Get ready to ambush, men. Secure hour charms." He heard his Alpha's voice flit through their clan link and he nodded, grinning. "They wouldn't know what hit them."

Following his Alpha's orders, he shifted into his wolf. Then they attacked.

The Night Bliss warriors, however, were fully read. Killian recognized the Alpha right away by his mark and leaped for him. They tackled each other to the ground, their wolves nipping and attacking each other wherever they could touch.

Seeing their Alpha fighting, sent the two clans into a crazed frenzy. They leaped for each other, claws ripping through the skin, jaws slicing through bone. They showed no mercy. The clan gave it their best, but they were completely and utterly obliterated by the Night Bliss clan.

Killian shifted back to his human form, ignoring the blood on his body. "Regroup. We don't know how many of them are coming, but we can't let them have Alex. Understood?" He said, talking to his warriors.

They nodded, saluting him as he walked off. Killian barged into the Doc's cabin, heading straight for the fridge. "I am surprised it took that long though. You are normally known to finish in a shorter amount of time."

Killian fished out a bottle of beer, downing it all in one gulp. "They had charms." "How miserable. It didn't work then." They shared a laugh and Killian moved closer to see what the Doc was working on. "What's this?"

" A spell. It should help with Alexander's situation." Killian laughed, nudging Doc's shoulder. "You are so clever…" He was cut off by a loud explosion, which sent the cabin rattling.

Their eyes met and they nodded. The Doc grabbed the scroll from the table as they ran out of the cabin, meeting chaos already in motion.

The smoke from the explosion made it hard to distinguish between his clan and the other. Doc was coughing beside him, already in his wolf form. Killian shifted, running in to fight alongside his soldiers.

He had disposed of at least five of the opposition, looking for their alpha while at it. He moved faster, his wolf urging him on.

He heard a scream from the link and his eyes widened with terror when he realized who it was. Joyce. Alexander.

He turned around, heading in the direction of Alexander's cabin. He was tackled by at least two wolves and he howled for assistance, but it didn't come. He cursed, knowing these two wolves had a noticeable number of charms. It would take a while before he could meet up with Joyce.

"Keep him safe, Joyce. If he dies, the foundation stands on. You would regret what you did to me." She just wanted to touch his face one more time, but he was just glaring at her. She knew not to push him.

"Didn't you love me? We had something." Alexander just shook his head. "Whoever you knew, he is gone."Joyce didn't have it in her to scream as his hand came down again.