Page 65 of Ruthless Alpha Beast

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I make the mistake of looking in its red eyes.

Even on the precipice of death, they’re cold and lifeless.

Then I feel something.

There’s a flash of white in front of me. I’m not sure what comes first, but quickly I fall to the floor.

It’s like ice is crawling through my veins.

I shudder, and then it’s gone.

The monster is gone too; beneath Jasper’s body, there’s nothing but a muddied forest floor.

Slowly, my breathing finds its way back to normal. The forest is silent.

It’s over.

Jasper remains still for a second before he transforms back into his human form.

I’m grateful to see something that I recognize. His back, that t-shirt, those black shorts.

Then he turns.

I gaze into his near-glowing eyes that are swept with concern.

“Tara—” he begins.

My vision goes black.

I feel the coldness again, and somehow, I know that it’s part of thatthing.

Remnants of the creature are inside me.

It’s directing my vision, somehow, its darkness is leading me into a dark room.

I’m no longer in the forest, but somewhere else.

“Jasper?” I yell.

But I’m alone.

At the end of the room is something white. A piece of paper?

It gets closer and closer until I see what it is.

Darkness surrounds me, but I’m not afraid. I’m seeing something the creature doesn’t want me to see, somehow.

It’s a tapestry, blank at first, but then drops of ink begin to snake around its surface.

It’s forming a picture.

The ink spreads slowly, like veins searching for a heart.

Lines curl and spiral and then twist into shapes that seem familiar but don’t quite make a whole.

But then a circular outline takes form—a crown, delicate and curved, with each point rising like the tips of tiny spears.

As the image sharpens, I see what the crown is made of.

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