Chapter 12

The darkness of the night wraps around Alex like a suffocating blanket as she stirs. Her body aches, bloodied and bruised, but there’s something else—something that doesn’t feel right. Her head throbs, and confusion fogs her mind. Her vision swims as she blinks, trying to make sense of her surroundings, but all she sees is the endless expanse of trees and the distant glow of Storybrooke. She stumbles forward, disoriented, the taste of blood on her lips. The woods are quiet—too quiet.

She tries to focus, but her body betrays her. She can barely walk, her limbs weak and uncoordinated. Still, something urges her to move. To find Regina. She doesn’t know why, but it feels like the only thing that matters.

By the time Alex makes it to the edge of town, the world feels like it’s slipping away again. Her strength gives out, and she collapses on the back porch of Regina’s house, unconscious.

A few weeks later

The weeks slip by in an eerie silence as Alex’s body lies dormant, caught between sleep and something deeper—something unnatural. In the darkness of the hospital room, the voices around her feel like they belong to another world.

Regina’s voice is soft, trembling with emotion. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I know I should’ve visited more—it’s only fair to do that for the only person who’s ever been in my corner… Maybe if I had told you the truth, you wouldn’t be here.” Her words hang in the air, thick with regret and self-blame. The silence stretches before the hurried sound of footsteps fades. It’s clear—Regina is leaving, running from something she can’t control.

The first thing Alex feels when she stirs awake is disorientation. The sharp, sterile smell of the hospital fills her nostrils, but it does nothing to quell the confusion clawing at her mind. The world seems off-balance, and her body feels alien. She groggily opens her eyes, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Her breath catches as she pushes herself up from the bed, her limbs unsteady beneath her. She stumbles slightly, catching herself on the edge of the table, her heart racing.

“Alex?” A voice calls from the doorway.

Emma stands there, her eyes wide with shock and something else—fear? “You’re… awake,” she whispers.

“Where am I?” Alex croaks, her voice rough. She’s still trying to make sense of everything.

Before anyone can answer, Alex stumbles toward the door, her mind screaming at her to leave, to understand what’s happening. As she passes the threshold, she hears the frantic sound of footsteps outside, a sense of urgency in the air.

“Alex, wait—” Emma calls after her, but Alex doesn’t stop.

She pushes open the door and stumbles into the night air, feeling the weight of her body shift again. Her limbs feel… heavier, more powerful. She doesn’t know what’s happening, but she knows she needs to—needs to find Regina.

When Alex reaches the edge of town, she freezes, her breath catching in her throat. Her gaze locks onto the scene unfolding in front of her. Regina is backed against the cold stone pillar of the gate, the man in white standing too close, his hands gripping her with force. His face is twisted in a cruel, almost inhuman expression, eyes gleaming with malice. Surrounding them, a mob of angry townsfolk stands in a tight circle, their faces filled with venomous hatred.

A chant rises from the crowd, growing louder with every second: “Down with the queen! Down with the queen!”

The venom in their voices sends a surge of panic through Alex, but something darker rises inside her. A surge of primal instinct pushes through, and without thinking, her body shifts, moving with the precision of an animal. In an instant, she’s on top of the man, knocking him to the ground with a guttural growl, her claws sinking into his chest.

The mob erupts into chaos. Some of the townsfolk stumble backward in terror, while others stand frozen, their eyes wide in disbelief. Alex’s mind is clouded by the instincts driving her, but one thing is clear—she will protect Regina, no matter the cost.

“What the hell are you?!” Emma’s voice cuts through the air, full of shock and disbelief.

Alex’s head snaps to the side, her heart racing. She turns to see Emma standing just a few feet away, accompanied by a woman with a pixie haircut, a blonde man, and Henry. The disbelief on Emma’s face is clear, her eyes wide and filled with confusion and fear. Henry stands behind them, looking equally frightened but determined to understand what’s happening.

“No, no, I refuse!” Emma shouts, her voice trembling with horror as she steps back, her hands shaking. “That—That is not my sister!”

“Sister?!” the pixie woman shouts.

Alex’s heart sinks as the words hit her like a punch to the gut. She stares at her sister, the pain of rejection radiating through her. The bond they once had seems shattered in that moment, and she can’t understand why Emma’s backing away from her so quickly.

Regina steps forward, her voice steady but full of command. “Miss Swan, stop. We all saw her shift into the lion. She is still Alex, just… changed.”

Regina slowly inches closer to Alex, her gaze filled with a mix of empathy and determination. “I need you to shift back, please.”

Alex hesitates, her body trembling as the animal instincts struggle to overtake her. She takes a step toward Regina, her eyes locked on the woman who’s always been distant, cold. But now… now there’s something softer in her gaze. Something that makes Alex feel like she’s not completely lost.

Regina stretches her hand out to her, a silent plea in her eyes. Slowly, Alex approaches, her heart pounding in her chest. Her body—her paws—are still unfamiliar, her movements awkward as she shifts closer. She feels the warmth of Regina’s hand brush against her snout, and something inside her snaps. She wants to shift back. She needs to.

But when she tries, nothing happens.

Frustration and panic surge through Alex, and she starts to whimper, the sound heartbreaking. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t shift. Her body doesn’t listen.

Shushing her gently, Regina rubs Alex’s head, her voice soothing. “It’s okay, Alex. We’ll figure this out.”

A woman with red highlights steps forward, her face filled with understanding. “Hey Alex, its Ruby, from the diner. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m a werewolf. I know the struggle you’re going through.”

Ruby looks at Alex with empathy in her eyes. “I need you to focus. Picture yourself as human in your mind. Imagine it.”

Alex’s mind races, her heartbeat quickening. She pictures herself—her human form—clothes, hands, skin. She imagines it so vividly that for a moment, it almost feels like she’s there. Slowly, she feels something shift deep inside her.

Pain shoots through her as her bones crack and shift, her body trying to return to its human form. She whimpers, the pain unbearable, but she holds on, focusing on the image of herself as human.

The change is slow, agonizing, but she can feel it. The fur recedes, her claws retract, and her human hands begin to form. Her heart races with exhaustion, and her vision blurs.

Finally, the pain becomes too much. Alex’s world tilts, and with one last strangled whimper, she faints, collapsing into darkness.

Aftermath

When she comes to, the voices around her are cold, distant. She can barely make out the words through the fog of her mind.

“She’s a danger,” one voice says, sharp and accusing. “We should lock her up for the people’s safety.”

A chill runs down Alex’s spine as the truth crashes over her like a wave. She has become a monster—a creature that no longer fits into the world she once knew. The curse, the bite, the transformation—everything has shifted, leaving her standing on the edge of something she can’t fully comprehend. Her heart sinks as she realizes there is no going back, and the life she once had is slipping through her fingers.

And as she slips into unconsciousness again, she knows one thing for certain: nothing will ever be the same.

—————————–

Sorry for the long wait folks but hoped you enjoyed this week chapter. 🙂