AT THE SAME TIME
WANESSA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I had been playing 'Alpha's Chosen One' for days, completely hooked on its immersive world. The game was intense full of brutal pack politics, powerful alphas, and heart-wrenching betrayals. I always played as a strong, enchanting Luna, but tonight, I wanted something different.
Scrolling through the character options, I hesitated before selecting Isabella. She was the lowest-ranked omega weak, ugly, and hated by everyone. Her bio described her as thin to the point of frailty, her skin dull and marred with scars from years of mistreatment. Her hair was a tangled mess, lifeless and brittle, and her eyes, once bright, held only the weight of rejection. The pack despised her, the Alpha ignored her, and her fate was sealed to be miserable forever.
"Not if I have anything to say about it." I muttered, pressing 'Start.'
The moment I did, a strange chill swept through my room. My screen flickered, distorting into a swirl of light and shadows.
"Welcome, Isabella." A voice said.
My stomach twisted. That wasn't part of the game. Before I could react, the screen pulled me forward with a force so strong it stole my breath. I screamed, but the sound never left my lips. Darkness swallowed me whole.
When I opened my eyes, the scent of damp earth and pine filled my senses. A rough breeze stung my skin. My body felt… different. Weak. Small. I looked down at my hands thin, scarred, trembling.
"No… no, no, no." I whispered, dread sinking into my bones.
This wasn't a dream. I WAS Isabella.
"Look who finally decided to show up."I heard voices and laughter.
I turned, heart hammering. Familiar faces from the game sneered at me pack members who had tormented Isabella for years. The fear and shame in my chest weren't mine, but hers. I needed to get out. Now. I spun on my heel and ran, heading straight for the forest. I didn't care about the game's storyline, I refused to play Isabella's pathetic role. If I could reach the border, maybe, just maybe, I'd wake up in my own bed. But before I could take another step, a deep, menacing growl rumbled behind me.
"Trying to run, omega?" A voice said.
My breath hitched. The voice was cold, full of disdain. I turned slowly, locking eyes with the one person in this world who despised Isabella the most. Alpha Xavier. His golden eyes burned with hatred, his towering frame radiating raw power. He was supposed to ignore me, to see me as nothing more than dirt beneath his feet. So why was he stopping me?
I took a step back, my heart pounding as Xavier's golden eyes burned into mine. His expression was cold, unreadable, but there was something different something that shouldn't be there. In the game, he never even looked at Isabella. So why was he stopping me now?
"I asked you a question, omega." His voice was low, dangerous. "Where do you think you're going?"
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. I needed to get away, to figure out what was happening.
"I…" My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. I forced myself to stand straighter. "I'm leaving."
Xavier scoffed, stepping closer.
"Leaving?" He looked me up and down, eyes filled with disdain. "You wouldn't last a day outside the pack."
"That's not your problem." I shot back, surprising even myself.
His eyes darkened.
"Everything in my territory is my problem."He said.
I clenched my fists.
"You never cared before. Why now?" I asked.
For a split second, something flickered across his face an emotion I couldn't name. Then, just as quickly, it was gone.
" I don't care. "He said flatly. "But I won't have an omega embarrassing my pack by getting herself killed in rogue territory."
I turned away.
"That's not your decision." I said.
Before I could take another step, a strong hand gripped my wrist, yanking me back. A jolt of something fear, anger, something else shot through me.
"I said you're not leaving." Xavier growled.
I struggled against his grip, glaring up at him.
"Let go of me." I said.
His jaw tightened, golden eyes boring into mine, but after a tense moment, he released me with a scoff.
"You're making a mistake." He said.
I didn't hesitate. I turned and ran, not stopping even as his voice echoed behind me. I didn't care what had changed. I didn't care why Xavier was suddenly paying attention to me. I knew that I had to leave if I wanted to change my destiny in this story.
The forest grew denser as I ran, branches clawing at my skin, roots threatening to trip me. My breath came in ragged gasps, my body weaker than I was used to this body. Isabella's body. It wasn't mine, but it felt real. The hunger gnawing at my stomach, the ache in my muscles none of it was part of the game anymore.
After what felt like hours, I finally reached the territory's edge. The scent of the pack still clung to the air behind me, but ahead was uncertainty, the unknown. Rogue land.
I leaned against a tree, my limbs trembling, and pulled open the small bag slung over my shoulder. I barely remembered grabbing it in my rush to escape, but I wasn't about to question my luck.
Inside, I found a single, hard loaf of bread. My stomach clenched painfully at the sight. I didn't even hesitate before sinking my teeth into it. It was stale, almost impossible to chew, but I forced myself to swallow. I had no idea when I'd get my next meal. As I chewed, I tried to think. This wasn't how the game was supposed to go. If I was really inside it, then had I broken the story somehow? Why did Xavier stop me? Why did he even see me? None of it made sense.
AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:
She actually left. I stood at the edge of the forest, glaring at the faint footprints in the dirt. The pathetic little omega had really run. No one had ever left my pack like this before. Certainly not someone as weak and insignificant as Isabella. And yet, the moment she turned her back on me, something twisted in my chest.
I should have let her go. Hell, I wanted to let her go. She was useless an omega who barely had a place among us. But the sight of her walking away, that determination in her dull, hollow eyes… it made my blood boil.
Did she think she could survive out there? That she could just leave and I wouldn't care? I didn't care. But I was angry. And I had no idea why.