The Alpha's Darkest Fate

t made her wary. His weathered face, partially obscured by the shadow of his hood, looked like it had seen too much of the world. The rifle slung care

. He positioned himself slightly in front of Jillian, as though his body was a

, like he hadn't spoken to anyone in

eamed otherwise. She glanced at Tom, who hadn't moved his hand from the knife.

but not without a trace of unease. "This is a long way f

ent. "Surprised? You think you're the only ones left in this godf

. "Passing through, huh? Seems like a lot of people are 'passing through' these days,

looking for trouble. But I won't hesita

ostile meant that he likely wasn't part of whatever twisted factions were roaming the wo

peace. "We don't want trouble either. But if you're just pas

e remained wary. He didn't offer an explanation, but

s jaw tightening.

helves of the station, his gaze lingering on the food and water they had collected. "People ar

lies? It seemed likely. The world had changed, twisted into something darker. In some ways, i

but his posture relaxed just a fraction. "We're not l

get it. We're all just trying to survive. But you don't want t

ed. "What do you mean?

who would slit your throat for a bottle of water. They've been hunting

void. The reality of survival in this new world was more brutal than they had ever

Tom demanded. "You knew we were here

ould have helped? Those people don't care about your intentions. They're

the corner. They were never truly safe. The best they could do was keep moving, keep fighting, an

her voice strained. "If you know there are r

n followed it. Outside, the night was thick with darkness, the landscape a black void. "Ther

outside was unforgiving, a place where survival depended on speed, strength, and ruthlessne

problems. I'm just telling you what I know. If you stay here too

. But part of her couldn't shake the curiosity about the stranger. He seemed to know more than he was letting on, and thou

asked. "Maybe we can stick toge

lanced at Tom. "You think I'm just going to team up

reason to distrust you yet. We could help each

ity. We can help each other, or we can part ways. But if you're right ab

"Fine. We'll travel together for a while. But if it gets too dange

d she'd been holding. "Agreed. We're not he

o the back door. "I'll keep watch. You get

. He was still alert, still watchful, and Jillian couldn't help but respect that. There was something about him-grizzled, worn down by whatever he

es held a trace of relief. "We can rest for now. But we l

as right. There was no place to hide, no safety net in this

while, she felt like they might have a shot. It wasn't much, but it was en