Ariana's pov
"Just make it through the day, Ariana," she muttered to herself, pulling Kiko's stroller up the curb. Her legs ached, her head pounded with exhaustion. The city's noise seemed louder today, the air thicker, hotter, pressing in on her.
"Almost home, little one," she said to Kiko, forcing a smile for the baby boy who was her entire world. He gurgled up at her, and a fierce wave of protectiveness, sharp and pure, washed over her. Always protect Kiko. That was the one constant in the hazy blank of her mind.
She navigated the crowded sidewalk, a hundred different smells assaulting her senses – exhaust fumes, cheap food, a faint, cloying perfume. It made her stomach churn. Too much.
"Watch it, lady!" someone barked as she narrowly avoided bumping into them.
"Sorry," she mumbled, pulling Kiko's stroller closer, trying to make herself smaller.
She didn't understand why the crowds sometimes made her skin crawl, why certain sounds felt like physical blows, or why her eyes seemed to pick up details others missed – a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision, a change in the rhythm of footsteps behind her. Just city stress, the exhaustion. That's what it was.
She reached a busy street corner, waiting for the light to change. Kiko was fussing in the stroller, tired and hot.
"Almost home," she whispered again, patting his tiny hand. "Just a few more minutes."
The light changed. People surged forward. Ariana gripped the stroller handle, stepping into the crosswalk.
Suddenly, a screech of tires. Louder than anything. A car, running the red light, barreling towards the intersection, moving far too fast.
Time seemed to warp. Everything slowed down. The car, the people's surprised gasps, the sudden, sharp spike of danger.
Kiko!
Pure instinct, raw and unthinking, seized her. There was no thought, no plan. Just a surge of energy, hot and fast, through her limbs.
She didn't just step back. She moved.
"Look out!" someone screamed.
Ariana felt a burst of speed, a strength she didn't know she possessed. She yanked the stroller back, the wheels scraping loudly against the asphalt. Not just a foot, but several feet, pulling Kiko out of the direct path of the car in a blur of desperate, unnatural speed.
The carhorn blared, deafening. The vehicle roared past, missing the stroller by inches. Inches that felt like miles.
Ariana stumbled back onto the curb, her heart hammering against her ribs, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her legs felt shaky, like jelly, but also... buzzing. Alive.
"Oh my god!"
"Are you okay?"
"That was close!"
People crowded around, their faces pale with shock.
"You... you moved so fast!" someone exclaimed, looking from her to the space where the stroller had just been. "Like lightning!"
Ariana just clung to the stroller, looking down at Kiko, who was crying now, startled by the noise and the sudden jolt. "Kiko," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes, checking him frantically. "Are you okay? Mama's got you."
She didn't answer the questions. She just nodded, mumbled, "We're fine," and pushed the stroller away from the crowd, away from the scene, needing to be alone.
She didn't understand what had just happened. Her body felt strange. Fast. Strong. It wasn't normal. But the fear... the raw, primal fear for Kiko had been so overwhelming. She couldn't think about how. Only that he was safe.
Miles away, perched on a rooftop overlooking the city, a man watched through high-powered binoculars. A Fenrir scout. He had been tracking Ariana for weeks, noting her routine, her struggle, reporting her containment to his Alpha. But he hadn't expected that.
He lowered the binoculars, his eyes wide with surprise. "Alpha," he spoke into his communicator, his voice low, urgent. "Reporting in."
"Status?" Dominic Fenrir's voice was gravelly, impatient.
"The Key... she was attacked," the scout reported. "Minor incident. A car ran a red light. Straight for her and the pup."
Dominic's voice sharpened. "Is she harmed? Is the pup harmed?"
"No, Alpha. They're safe," the scout confirmed, still sounding slightly shaken. "But... something happened. She moved. Not like a human. Not like a normal human, anyway. Faster. Much faster. Like... like a blur."
Silence on the other end of the line.
"Faster?" Dominic's voice was suddenly intense, demanding. "How much faster? Did you see it clearly?"
"Yes, Alpha. Clear as day," the scout insisted. "One second the stroller was there, the next... it was meters away. Just a flash of movement. Like her instinct told her something, Alpha. Pure instinct to protect the pup."
Silence again. Longer this time. The scout waited, barely breathing.
"The flicker," Dominic finally said, his voice low, filled with anticipation, a cruel satisfaction. "It wasn't just a scent. It wasn't just an energy reading. She used it."
"Used what, Alpha?"
"The power, scout," Dominic growled, a thrilling note in his voice. "The Old Blood. It's still locked, yes, even though her memory is gone. She still has her instinct... the primal need to protect the pup... it cracked the lock. Just for a second. Enough to see the flicker."
He paused, a cruel smile spreading across his face, invisible to the scout. "She doesn't know what she did. She won't understand it. She'll dismiss it thinking it's just her instinct but, But I understand."
" Any Orders, Alpha?"
"Maintain surveillance,keep on watching her and protect her " Dominic commanded. "Closer now. Note everything. Any other... 'instincts'. Any other 'flashes'." His voice dropped, filled with dark anticipation. "The Key is not just contained. She is beginning to awaken. And the pup... the pup is the trigger. He's the one who will unlock her." His obsession had just found a new focus. "This is going according to my plan, and the sweetest part is.....