It was quite easy to get to the giant painting with the elevator hidden behind it.

Thanks to that bloodsucker causing havoc within and outside the building, many of the employees had gone into hiding. When they ran, Lucas ran. When they tiptoed through the hallways to make sure the coast was clear, he'd do the same. Eventually, the hallways were abandoned once there was an announcement to evacuate because of the structure's unstableness. He was worried there'd at least be guards on the bastard king's floor and he'd have to explain himself as to why he hadn't left with the other servants, but no. No one was present.

Finally, Prince Kieran, who had somehow bewitched Teru, was useful.

Now, it's my turn to save my omega, ditch that weird, blonde vampire, and...and...

Lucas thought of Blaise, aka the Lust sin, and felt confused at the thought of leaving him. The Zhang's never bothered to say his name! But since the messed-up event, he was fed amazing food three times a day, had a comfortable bed, and was even questioned about the things he liked and didn't like. Wasn't that behavior so uncharacteristic of a vampire? It was suspicious. Really, what was up with the random kisses Blaise would try to sneak in here and there? That pervert must be a witch. Why else would Lucas feel so conflicted about tossing him to the curb like trash if given the chance? It made his alpha instincts uneasy.

And why am I calling him by his first name?! He's just a bloodsucker. A dirty, nasty, cute bloodsucker. Wait, did I just say cute? Stop! I'm making things worse!

Lucas sighed, lifted the heavy frame off the wall, threw it aside, and pressed the button. He waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive, foot tapping erratically.

In the end, I'm a human. He's a vampire. We're both alphas, especially him being a dominant. My partner is Teru...or was supposed to be. Damn Pride. He doesn't deserve Teru. All bloodsuckers are the same!

PING.

Lucas went in the small squared room. He took a step out upon arrival...

...and froze at the frightful sight. At first, he couldn't utter a peep. His fight or flight response kicked in.

These were not the opponents to fight.

"JESUS!" Lucas yelled and tripped back into the elevator.

Five giant wolves were all growling at him, drool falling from their jaws. Wolves! Here! What the fuck?! Lucas frantically felt the boxed walls for a weapon, but obviously, there weren't any. They were going to rip him to shreds and feast on his flesh! Adrenaline pumping and hands shaking, Lucas punched the down arrow button.

Close, close, close, come on!

The black wolf, the most intimidating of the bunch and clearly the alpha given by its massive size, lept into the confined space to join him. The others followed suit, copying their leader.

"AHH!" Lucas yelped, almost pissing himself as the door trapped them together. He tensed, waiting for the rabid teeth to destroy his vitamin-rich body. The pain didn't come. Actually, nothing came. Lucas was squished against the wall like a bug, with five freaking wolves snapping and snarling for more room since they were on top of each other.

They ignored him. Well, all but one. The black wolf stared into his blue eyes. Its height was a little taller than Lucas's.

Since when were wolves bigger than humans?! How is that possible? Why are they here, anyway? Experiments?

The animal's panting revealed razor-sharp teeth. Lucas saw his own reflection on the glistening pearly whites. Spots dotted his vision, on the brink of passing out from shock and stuffy air. It didn't help that these heavy beasts kept slamming into him! He kept his back to the wall and held his breath.

The elevator screeched. It was too much weight! A red light flickered above, signifying a technical issue. Ever so slowly, the moving contraption creaked downwards. The rusty-colored wolf snarled loudly at the female. Foamy spit sprinkled all over Lucas's arm when it tried to mount her. Was it in rut?! Is that where these musky pheromones came from? Perfect! Perfect timing!

Is this how I'm gonna die? Trampled by mating dogs?

Anger churned in his belly. He had failed to retrieve Teru! The elevator was likely broken, too. The grinding noises became worse. He wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't in working order after this.

Lucas was nervous by the black wolf's constant staring, whom he had been avoiding. One rule when hunting was not to stare into a predator's eyes. Unlike the others, this one was calm, standing motionless as its pack panicked to get out. Lucas accidentally met its warm eyes when a wolf rammed into his groin. Something was so familiar about them-the color, the softness in its soul, the pheromones...

Hold on, the pheromones? Lucas's nose flared, smelling the scent wafting from the midnight-toned wolf. It was overly sweet, but the underlying brown sugar was undeniable. This wasn't an alpha, and there was only one creature in the entire universe who had this scent.

No.

No way.

No fucking way.

If this was Teru...

Then, it wasn't an ordinary wolf. A werewolf, right? When did they make a comeback from extinction?

Oh, he had so many questions.

"T-Teru...?" Lucas stuttered.

PING.

After a lifetime of gradual decline, the door slid halfway open. It broke from overheating and smoke. The black wolf, no, Teru, turned away from Lucas and jumped out to freedom. The remaining four followed one at a time in a flurry of snarls and heel nips.

"TERU! Wait!"

He did his best to keep up with the sprinting pack. Did they know where they were going? It didn't seem like it because they kept racing from corridor to corridor through Abaddon's royal floor, retracing their footsteps. They knocked over the beastly statues, shattering them into a thousand pieces. What was Teru doing? Did he not realize his surroundings? Lucas didn't know a literal thing about werewolves. Were they stupid after shifting? Was it something else?

Either way, Lucas stopped and doubled over, huffing and puffing. In the corner of his eye, he saw a door with a sign. A stairs symbol was etched into the plaque-the emergency escapeway.

"Hmm."

He heard their stampede of heavy paws. The lights flickered. Using the elevator was a no-go. It would be risky to use that. Lucas couldn't imagine a worse situation than being in an elevator full of wild werewolves in the dark if the power went out!

Staircase, it is, then.

Lucas ran to the metal door and pushed it. The winding hallway of stairs was illuminated by the yellow lights installed on the cement walls. He saw the omega round the corner nearby.

"Teru!" Lucas whistled to get his attention.

It worked. The wolf's ears moved forward with interest, eyeing the new route. When he veered, so did the others. The smokey grey wolf, who Lucas knew for certain was an alpha, flanked Teru's side to stay close. It was protective.

Lucas got out of the way for them. In a storm of fur and growls, the pack raced down, and down, and down, with the human on their tails. They passed by numerous doors, one on each floor. Everything was going smoothly.

But he spoke too soon.

After ten floors, Teru led them through an opened emergency door. It was probably left like that when the workers evacuated earlier. They were still in the center of the skyscraper! This wasn't the first floor!

"Stop! That's not-!"

Lucas heard screams. A loud howl echoed.

When he reached the door, he ran into the room. It was an aristocratic restaurant. High-end food was organized meticulously on the fancy tables and chairs. The tall windows showed the city line, unusually big full moon, and twinkling stars in the dark purple sky. These vampire patrons ignored the announcements! They had been eating away on raw steaks, totally ignorant!

Their romantic evening became a massacre. While Teru was busy scouting for a way out, the other werewolves were viciously pouncing on every vampire, chomping into their jugulars and chests. The female sunk her thick teeth into a vamp's face. The outer layer tore off like fried chicken skin. Lucas looked away when the victim cried. Blood squirted from their exposed muscle tissue and bulging eyes.

Teru didn't kill a single bloodsucker. Why? Lack of instincts? A different mission?

The human servants weren't touched, either. They were all crouched in the corner, cowering with fear.

Lucas didn't know what to make of this development. He hurried into the emergency hallway, pointed at the staircase, and shouted, "You have to keep going!"

The black wolf thankfully had a little more common sense than its peers. Teru noticed and almost crashed into Lucas. They descended. Once again, the second-in-command alpha stayed beside its leader. The four's fur were bloodied after the gory killing spree. There were a few times when Lucas almost slipped on the slick, red paw prints.

We passed fifteen more floors. Please, don't let there be a repeat of-

Ahead was another opened door. Those damned, careless employees!

"Teru, don't you dare-!" he bellowed.

His best friend didn't listen. They disappeared through the doorway to create more chaos. The shrieks were haunting, mixed with gurgles from their throats being crunched like candy. Lucas saw mangled vampire bodies with gnawed holes where their hearts should've been. The terrified humans weren't hurt. He threw up when seeing half-eaten hearts and various limbs littering the floor.

It made little sense! Why hadn't these people left? Did they believe it wasn't serious, or perhaps a stupid drill? Sure, Lucas despised vampires, but the amount of carnage even made him nauseous. Could you imagine the damage that a legion of werewolves could do?

Werewolves are living weapons...

Plus, the current floor was different from the restaurant, which had been one spacious area. Multiple walls separated this office. Lucas had lost sight of the pack. There wasn't much he could do but wait for them. He assumed they were only targeting vamps, but he didn't want to risk getting caught in the crossfire.

Eventually, they found the narrow staircase. Back down they went. Sometimes, a canine or two would trip and fall, but uninjured.

Finding more ajared doors occurred more times than Lucas could count with his fingers. Under Teru's guidance, the pack made mayhem and slaughtered countless vamps. Lucas would stand by and watch, conflicted if he should be happy or disgusted. What had occurred between him and Duke Zhang was personal, extremely personal. That violent outburst had built up over months, and he barely remembered doing it. Now, Lucas wasn't sure if he could stomach this torturous method of death he was witnessing today.

He looked over the rail. They were so close to the bottom! Only three more flights to go!

Lucas silently thanked the heavens when they landed on the first floor. His hand grabbed the handle. On the other side was the grand entrance, polished service desk, shiny floors, exotic plants, sparkling lights hanging from the ceiling, vampires and servants-

Lucas paused. Vermin bloodsuckers. Vampires.

If I continue, what will happen?

He glanced at the larger-than-life black wolf. Teru tilted his fuzzy head. Damn, if it was any other time, Lucas would've thought he was cute.

This was the city. New York. The streets were crawling with dangerous vampires, many of whom were armed with guns; don't forget their speed and venomous fangs, too. During their childhood, the storyteller recited legendary werewolf vs. vampire wars. The battles were brutal and gruesome, none having a fairytale ending. The two species were natural enemies, instinctually knowing how to kill each other off.

The recently attacked bloodsuckers hadn't seen them coming, but word would spread fast. Out there would be more dangerous. Teru sensed his hesitation and licked his gripping hand. A mist of brown sugar pheromones showered over Lucas.

Teru purred, My alpha. I need to find my alpha.

"Your alpha, huh...?"

The realization slapped him hard. Lucas's insides twisted painfully. There would be no pups and no marking ritual. No den to mix and spread their pheromones. The old dream of Teru being his mate evaporated in his mind. His alpha canines ached, hating the acknowledgment of this beautiful omega's refusal to be a pair.

Lucas growled to himself and yanked on the door to release the werewolves, letting Teru go. His dear friend didn't spare Lucas a second glance when running past him. The weight of his agony didn't magically disappear when admitting Teru was never his to cherish. This sort of positive character development didn't happen in real life.

He was bruised.

He was damaged.

He was broken.

He was grieving.

Time was supposed to be healing. Maybe it would. Maybe it wouldn't. All Lucas knew was that the weight crushed him more, and there wasn't anyone whom he could share the pressuring burden with; no one to truly understand the heaviness hammering on his shoulders. He was getting nailed to the ground, pushing him six feet under where he belonged.

His eyes stung, crying over the loss.

Teru is not my mate. He's moved on, out of my reach. I'm too fucked up to be loved. I've done too many bad things to be forgiven. I wear my sins on my sleeve. Who is my future, now?