"Come on, old man." I sneered shortly. "You may be the new leader of the pack but we all know your wolf is not that strong and powerful compared to the previous Alpha. In other words, your wolf is nothing but a scam." Everyone around me, including Karen, was taken aback by the sudden commotion. "You can fool everyone in the village but not me. You are the pack leader but you're not an alpha." I added. "Anyway, we are not here to make a scene." "We need the pack's help," Karen said, her trembling voice starting to ease off. "Have you guys heard about these masked men who are kidnapping..." As Karen kept on talking, my wolf quickly scanned most parts of the village as fast as possible to search for Julian and Jelian's whereabouts. It has been almost a month since the last time we saw and talk them. Karen and I extended our hands to help get back what truly belongs to them - the throne. We already failed to get the spot even if the fact that Karen much deserves to have it compared
"Okay, we heard you, Karen." Alex retorted, his voice barely above a whisper this time. "I think it would be best if we continue this storytelling as soon as we got back. I started to feel goosebumps right now." Karen and I exchanged glances when we just realized we are already in the heart of the forest. My wolf did not even notice we are about to enter a cave. "And better zip your mouths now," he added. "Got it," I whispered and focused on what was ahead of me. So was Karen. All I know is that my wolf simply followed the Sheriff's scent. Our noses led us deeper into the depths of the cave, the narrow passageways winding and twisting like a labyrinth. It was hard to believe that anyone could survive in such a treacherous place, but we pressed on, fueled by determination and hope. As we traversed further into the cave, our senses became heightened, our ears perked up, and our muscles tensed. A low growl escaped Karen's throat, causing me to stop dead
"Wait," Karen reached out to my hand, removing it away from the door. Her voice was laced with doubts and concerns. "Do we really have to do this? I mean, I still don't trust him." I removed Karen's grip away from me and smiled, helping her ease off her doubts. "So am I, Karen." I replied, "But we were already left with no choice. Don't worry, I'll make sure our conversation with the old man will be to our advantage." Then I clasped her fingers with mine as soon as my wolf noticed someone from the office heading to the doorway. I can feel every fiber in Karen's hand trembling. Holding Karen's hand in front of Mr. James was part of my plan. For him to know that his daughter and I are not going to happen. That my wolf was already mated to someone else. It is up to him if he still wants to give himself false hope. Meanwhile, Mr. James opened the door, looking slightly surprised to see us. "Please, come on in." he then enlarged the opening of the door for us. "Coff
Simon crossed his arms around his chest, his vampire senses heightened while scanning Jackson from head to toe. I, on the other hand, also sensed his emotion. I was trying to read what was currently running through his mind. He got out of his parent's house without telling me. And I'm pretty sure he did not tell Karen as well. Because if he did, Karen could have told me right away. "Wait." I cut off the serious mood when something cleared my worries and fears all of a sudden. "Does this mean the cops already found your parents?" Simon's expression also brightened similar to mine. "Is it true?" Simon added with an ear-to-ear smile on his face. Then he tapped Jackson's shoulder before he added, "Congratulations, buddy! It seems that the cops are more effective than us, vampires and werewolves." There was a flicker of emotion in Jackson's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He changed the topic abruptly, saying, "It's going to get dark soon. Let's fo
"Toying with us?" Karen clarified. "You mean like he is letting us believe that his parents are still missing and deployed to an uncertain mission?" The three of us finally have something in common regarding the case. Karen rested her back with several long curve lines marked on his forehead. "If that would be the case, then we should stop this nonsense and confront him instead," she added. "But this makes no sense, Melvin. Why would Jackson let us do that? What kind of game is he playing?" "Well, that my friend, is what Melvin doesn't know yet," Simon replied. "But confronting him now is not our best option at the moment, right Melvin?" I nodded in agreement. "We must know what was going on first. Perhaps the Cyclops knows something about this. At least, that's what I believe while weighing the situation." Twenty minutes later, we parked the car a few meters away from the cave to make sure we could not give the Cyclops a reason to escape. The formidable s
I cannot afford to lose the monster once again. Now that we just witnessed and confirmed that he survived after the fall. It means to me that there was another hope for Jackson's parents to be found. Getting the monster to confess about Jackson's missing parents by hook or by crook is the only way we could get and point out the right answer. And for me to know what was currently going on with my best friend. Without hesitation, I shifted into my werewolf form once again and followed everyone in chasing the cyclops. At the moment, the situation goes according to plan. We plan to lure the monster outside so that we can capture him with the help of the vampires. Meanwhile, the Cyclops's monstrous size was leaving an easily traceable path making our pursuit simpler. The charm of the forest under the moonlight was overshadowed by a foreboding sense of danger. The wind whispered the tales of fear and hope to the leaves, which rustled surreptitiously as if relaying a coded message we bar
"We're already here." Simon broke the silence between us in the car. "But I'm afraid Jackson would be happy with the result of our mission." "I know," I uttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "But I highly suggest you guys should smile and act cool in front of him, okay?" As soon as the tired wheels of the car ground to a halt on Jackson's gravel driveway, Simon, Karen, and I tumbled out of the vehicle with a rush of pent-up tension. The chilled evening air wrapped around us, penetrating our clothes. Before we slid into the warm welcome of Jackson's house, I turned to the other two, my eyes wide and serious in the dimming light. "Remember," I added while glancing towards the home's glowing windows to ensure Jackson was out of earshot, "we need to keep an eye on Jackson. We need to be cautious about everything we tell him." Simon's eyebrows drew together, a look of confusion washing over his face, the porch light casting long shadows over his oftentimes too-honest features. "
As far as I could remember, there were around a thousand of us, werewolf guardians, including old and new, who were truly depending on that job in order to survive. It was in Alpha Draku's written rules that the werewolf guardians are the ones who provided the pack with safety. And that the tradition must be continued no matter who leads us. "So, what do you want me to do about it?" I asked them with my voice still filled with suspicious. Julian and Jelian exchanged glances. It was the kind of glance that is telling me that their moods lit up after hearing me somehow giving them the chance they needed from me. The main reason Julian and Jelian reached out to me instead of Karen is that none of them can convince her to help them. And I could not agree more with it. Karen hates both of them, especially Jelian, who once become my mate and caused her a lot of trouble recently. Seeing them within her range will only boil her blood. "We want you and Karen to help
"Poor little wolf," Mr. James uttered. "All your plans failed. Everyone around you died because you encourage them to be part of your vision. With just one stab of my claw straight into your heart, there is no way you could survive. But there is no fun if I do that to you." He shifted back to his human form, and with a sadistic grin, he cruelly taunted me, relishing in his superiority. He unleashed a barrage of punches to my battered face, blood spewing from my mouth with each blow. The agony intensified, yet he continued to laugh, finding pleasure in my suffering. "How does it feel, huh, Melvin?" he continued. "Does it hurt? How about removing your fingers one by one? That would be music to my ears." But amidst this relentless assault, a spark refused to extinguish within me. Determination ignited a fierce resolve upon seeing the clouds from the sky as they started to get darkened. Lightning and thunders began to emerge in the sky. And the cold wind blows straight to
"They're killing our people! Get back! Get back!" Simon screamed, his voice laced with worries and fears combined. "Melvin, do something!" "This is not what we expected to happen, Simon. Let me think first, okay?" I screamed back before digging into the deepest part of my brain on what to do in this kind of scenario. "There's no time to think." Simon insisted. "You must do something!" Simon and I stood outside the entrance of the cave, our hearts filled with terror. Before our eyes lay a scene of chaos and destruction. The dense forest surrounding the cave was already engulfed in dark smoke and flames. The crackling fire licked hungrily at the trees, transforming the once serene landscape into a fiery nightmare. And at the center of it, all stood a colossal werewolf, towering over us with an air of malevolent power. The massive creature was not just content with burning the forest. It continuously released blasts of fire from its gaping maw, directing them n
Two days ago. "So you mean we are not just facing one huge terrifying monster but hundreds of them? Are you fucking kidding me, Mr. Parker?" the Sheriff slapped his hand on the surface of the table in front of us. My wolf some of the highest-ranking officials in the city, including the mayor and the Sheriff are gathered in the mayor's office. Behind me is where Karen and Simon standing still. The urgent meeting was palpable. It was I who called for an emergency meeting as it turned out that our pack got information from a reliable source that Mr. James was busy multiplying his numbers in our neighboring cities. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Sheriff. But getting angry and raising your voice will not solve anything in this case." I replied with conviction. "You already told us in our confession that we will be using everything the police department has to stop these monsters." "Yeah, I did that." The Sheriff replied. "But what I meant to that is to use all our weapons su
"Please, don't talk anymore. The rescue team is on their way." I reached out to her hand and studied her condition. Then I glanced at those werewolf guardians who were rushing in our direction. "Hurry!" I yelled. "Melvin," Jennie breathed out my name. She grabbed something from her pocket and grasped it in my hands. "Take that. Use it for good." Out of curiosity, I opened my hand and looked at what she just handed me. In Jennie's final moments, she presented me with a syringe filled with a mysterious green liquid. As far as I could remember, it was the same serum her father had used to transform me into a human. Her voice trembled as she spoke the instructions. "Please... use this... to stop my... evil dad. He already killed all the monsters and absorbed all their powers inside him. Please, be careful of him. He was no longer the..." she managed to say before her life slipped away. Her last words hung in the air, heavy with sorrow and determination. I clut
My wolf already expected that from him. With the new blood in my veins, I don't need to get worried if things go south. We barged into the village our rifles filled with bullets. On top of that, I already convinced myself that I must do whatever it takes to get the pack from the ruthless and manipulative leaders. And that must be done by hook or by crook time is not on our side at the moment. Meanwhile, a sly smile curled on my lupine face as I locked eyes with him, my voice dripping with concealed menace. "You doubt my capabilities? Perhaps you'd like a demonstration," I asserted, my tone unyielding. "How about a one-on-one battle between you and Julian? If you decline my proposal, know that I will personally end your life, just as I did to those pitiful men in masks." The room fell silent once again, every werewolf present captivated by the intensity of the standoff. The pack leader, although conflicted, understood the truth in my words. And the power I wielded w
Simon immediately shut his mouth, and deny it or not, my wolf started to sense the worries and fears that itched his expression right after confessing to him about the killings. The last I could do is blame him for that. Simon had every right to get suspicious of me when I just got back from my complicated past of being a ripper. Needless to say, I am their most feared enemy a few hours ago. I even almost killed Karen. But I must get to the bottom of everything now that I got back my consciousness. Everything. Even if I may not get the chance to correct the past, my wolf must protect the future. Meanwhile, Simon and I stood outside in front of Jackson's parents' house, fraught with anger and betrayal. The door loomed in front of us, a barrier keeping us from the truth we needed to confront. With a furious determination, I slammed my shoulder against the wooden door, splintering the lock and sending it crashing open. There are no cops around so who the hell do I ca
The mask fragmented into countless pieces. Reality itched me as I glanced back to Karen. She's dead. And it was because of me. I killed her, my mate. And the love of my life. But how? How did it happen? Why did I do it? My brain was frozen without getting any answer to my questions until all of a sudden, an unknown power surged within me - a tempest of raw, untamed energy pushing against the confines of my skin. My wolf stirred in startled wonder; it had never experienced such magnitude of power. My eyes, once blurred, now blazed fiery red. It was the same eyes when Karen became an alpha. Shaking off the remnants of the mask, my newly amplified senses caught whiffs of a brutal battle underway – Simon and our friends combatting the malevolence of the masked men. My gaze swiveled back to Karen's prone form on the ground, heartache seizing me, her peaceful face a harsh contrast to the chaos around me. The alpha blood in me roared throughout my veins with the urg
Everyone in the room fell into a heavy silence and the weight of my accusation echoed in the air. For a moment, not a single police officer dared to speak or move. The statement lingered like a dark shadow, casting doubts and fears among those who had believed in Jackson's innocence. With eyes darting nervously, Jackson's facade finally crumbled, revealing the truths he had fought so hard to conceal. His gaze fell to the ground, unable to meet anyone else's eyes. It was in that moment, amidst the deafening silence, that the harsh reality of his actions became undeniable. As I stood there, my heart heavy with the weight of betrayal, I hoped that the officers would heed my warning. The threat Jackson posed was too grave to be ignored. It was time for justice to prevail, for those in positions of authority to be cautious, lest they too fall victim to the treacherous lies that Jackson had spun. In this moment of immense tension and revelation, the precinct becam
"What the hell is going on?" I could not help but ask myself. "Karen!" Simon called out desperately, seeing me on the verge of turning around. He rushed towards me, gripping his arm tightly, pulling me back just in time. "Don't look, Karen! Whatever you do, don't look!" "What's going on, Simon?" I voiced out my question with my eyes closed. "Why did they turn into stones? Please, do something. They're our friends." Tears welled up in my eyes as the gravity of the situation dawned on me. Fear and disbelief locked in an intense battle on my face. I clutched my arm, seeking solace and answers in my eyes. In front of me were all our friends turned into stones. The worst part of the case was that my wolf, despite my senses being heightened, could barely hear their thunderous heartbeats anymore. "Best of luck, my friends," Mr. James said, his words laced with a bittersweet tone. With a wave of his hand, he and the two men in masks disappeared, leaving only a faint ec