GABE
Gabe's eyes blazed with a feral intensity as he yelled at Caleb, his beta, to drive faster. They were headed to the new site for Gabe's latest development project, and he could feel the full moon rising within him.
"Hurry, before you regret it!" Gabe snarled, his voice low and menacing.
Caleb floored it, and the car sped down the deserted road. Gabe's eyes gleamed with a mixture of excitement and dread. He knew what was coming, and he was powerless to stop it.
As the moon reached its zenith, Gabe's body began to shift. His muscles lengthened, his senses heightened, and his mind grew cloudy. The Lupus Imperium, the ancient power that coursed through his veins, took hold.
He burst out of the car, his clothes tearing as he transformed into a massive werewolf. Caleb watched in awe as Gabe disappeared into the night, driven by the Imperium's primal instincts.
Gabe had ventured into estate development because of his hidden weakness, which he chose to maximize on. During full moons, Caleb would take him to the next work site, and Gabe would do the clearing in his frenzy, while the workers cleaned up the mess the following day. Thus, a new estate would be developed for humans and others to enjoy.
What usually filled werewolves with joy as their wolves ran free during full moons instead filled Gabe with dread. His pack members still wondered why he did not hold pack meetings during full moons. If it was urgent, he would rather send his beta, because he could end up killing all of them.
"Kill! Uproot! Tear! Break!" The Lupus Imperium urged, and Gabe was forced to obey it. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but it was beyond his willpower.
The night wore on and Gabe became more and more lost to the Imperium's influence. He ran through the forest, a mindless beast driven by instinct and hunger. The world around him was a blur of color and sound, a chaotic mess of primal instincts and raw power.
As the sun finally began to rise, Gabe collapsed to the ground, back in his human form, exhausted and spent. The Imperium's grip on his mind began to loosen, chased away by the bright sun, and he was left to face the consequences of his actions.
Gabe looked around, taking in the destruction he had wrought. Trees were uprooted, bushes torn apart, rocks broken. And in the distance, he saw Caleb, his beta, coming out of the car, loaded with a change of clothes and a First Aid box, as usual. Gabe also saw how Caleb struggled to hide his mixture of fear and concern for him.
"Good morning, Gabe," Caleb ventured, testing him.
Gabe snarled at him, snapping, "Is that how you greet your alpha?" as he snatched the paper bag from Caleb. Caleb smiled in relief, assured that Gabe was back to himself.
"Welcome back, my alpha," Caleb said.
As Gabe cleaned up and dressed, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. He knew he had to find a way to control the Imperium, to tame its power and keep it from consuming him whole. His great-grandfather had the same condition, and history said he was able to control it with the help of the Lunar Crystal.
The Lunar Crystal, a legendary artifact rumored to hold the key to his salvation, haunted his thoughts. Gabe had been searching for the crystal for the past fourteen years, but it had simply disappeared.
Dr. Laura Patel, an expert in supernatural genetics, was helping him maintain his sanity with her special pills. But for now, Gabe was left alone, to face the darkness within him, and to wonder if he would ever be able to escape its grasp.
Hours later, Gabe stood at the edge of his penthouse apartment, gazing at the cityscape below. He owned those skyscrapers strategically located around the city, and he took pride in them. However, his attention was focused on something else entirely: the Lunar Crystal.
In his mind's eye, Gabe saw a vision of the famous crystal, its facets glinting like diamonds in the moonlight. The crystal seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, calling to him across the vast expanse of time and space.
Gabe felt a sense of restlessness growing inside him. The Lunar Crystal seemed to be calling to him, urging him to find it before it was too late.
Gabe's eyes snapped back into focus, his gaze returning to the city below. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. He decided to call Dr. Patel, hoping she could offer some guidance.
"Hello, Gabe? How are you feeling this morning? Better after yesterday's episode?" Dr. Laura Patel asked.
"That is why I am calling," Gabe replied. "I spent the whole night, you know, expressing myself, and I expected that I would be at peace today, but I still feel the Imperium building up in me."
Dr. Patel's voice turned serious. "That is worrisome. Have you been taking the pills I gave you last week? It is my latest research product. It should calm you until the next full moon."
Gabe replied, "It helped till yesterday, but I may need something stronger now."
Dr. Patel suggested, "In that case, you may need to consider alternative treatment, Gabe. Have the best healers in the packs examine you. It is a supernatural symptom; orthodox medicine can only manage it. The final cure will still be within your pack and its history."
Gabe knew she was right, but his pack's healer was limited in his treatment; he was more skilled in treating wounds and bones, not genetic diseases like Gabe's. He was afraid of what lay ahead. He was a powerful werewolf, but the Imperium was a force beyond his control.
As he settled down to work on some documents, Gabe's mind kept wandering back to the Lunar Crystal. He knew it was his only hope, but where was it?
He had an office in his company, but he preferred to work from home most days. He only went to the office for important meetings that could not be delegated. One of such meetings was calling for his attention, distracting him from the document he was working on. It was a contract worth five hundred billion. Tirimideen et al, an international company, wanted to establish their base in their city and needed to work with a well-established company.
Gabe glanced through the list of other bidders for this contract and hissed as his eyes landed on one name: Alex Vex.
The phone rang, breaking his concentration. It was Alex Vex, his arch-nemesis in the business world.
Gabe contemplated ignoring him, but the phone kept ringing, and he had to pick it up to maintain his fragile sanity.
"Gabe," Alex snarled.
"To what do I owe this call?" Gabe asked him, his tone neutral.
There was no love lost between them, and they needed not pretend otherwise.
"Leave Tirimideen to me," Alex said. "You have enough on your plate."
"And you don't?" Gabe inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Jules, how can I compare with you?" Alex asked, his tone laced with sarcasm. "You are the recognized leader of this territory in business and our werewolf world. You even got awards from humans for contribution to peace and progress. What more do you want?" Alex ended with a growl.
Gabe's expression turned cold. "First and foremost, I am Alpha Gabe to you, not Jules. And this is business, Alpha Alex. My goal is to enlarge my coast and achieve more this year. Why should I yield to you?"
The conversation was a delicate dance of power and intimidation, each alpha trying to outmaneuver the other. But Gabe knew he couldn't afford to back down. The stakes were too high, and the Imperium was growing restless.