Taking the direction that José- the bartender had given him, verifying with the bodyguards standing by the door, and after having passed through other processes, Alphonse found himself sitting in an intense room that seemed like a gang head office with pairs of eyes glaring at him.
There were at least six people in the room other than himself, and they all shared the same hostility as the couple that sat in the opposite couch to him. They all seemed to be on their guards, as though they were facing a threat. " The stench on you doesn't belong from around here. You smell like a wild rogue!" The middle-aged woman who sat with one leg crossed over the other while folding her arms and glaring dangerously at Alphonse, twitched her nose in a show of disgust as she said. The man who sat beside her seemed to nod his head at her words, sharing the same thought as her. ' From what I can tell, they're both at the head. The man is probably the leader of this pack and these other people are betas' Alphonse made a quick conjecture as to whom this couple were. He was shocked to find out that a pack ran Yoldes' palm as a local pub in disguise. While on the other hand, they served to provide werewolves who needed a safe place to hide their heads in the city a safe haven. Alphonse had thought as much. He didn't believe humans would be willing to dabble in such business, considering the disadvantages involved. ' Although, it's not too far-fetched to say they were involved. Afterall, without humans, things wouldn't have worked out the way it has' Alphonse thought it was quite smart the way things were organized at Yoldes' palm. The humans were the face of the business while the inner circle was run by the pack. That way, they could escape suspicion on the surface entirely. " You're quite correct, ma'am. I'm a rogue and my life is in danger. I'd be glad if you'd be willing to grant this fellow a place to hide." Alphonse calmly explained with his head lowered when he saw the look of perturbance in the couple's face. As a polite mannerism at portraying good intent for Werewolves, Alphonse bowed to show his good will towards the pack. Werewolves were extremely prideful beings, it took a lot for them to bow their head to people other than their superiors, therefore it was quite surprising for the couple seeing Alphonse bow his head like this. However, cunning and deceit was more of the prevalent characteristic these days, and the couple knew this. " What sort of danger?" The man asked almost instantly. Even though he bowed his head and all, it was obvious that Alphonse was doing so to curry favor from them. It wasn't that they were discriminant towards a werewolf like themselves but protection of their pack came first. Who knows, he might be a spy pretending to be helpless to infiltrate their ranks. Alphonse could sense the doubt in the man's tone and he understood. He knew he needed to give a genuine enough reason or the leaders of this pack would just kick him out. " My pack," Alphonse said with an honest smile. Hearing this, a small gasp was heard all around as everyone else in the room expressed disbelief. It was a known fact. There was only one thing about being in danger that came from your pack. You had to be a betrayer! The man who seemed to be the pack leader stood abruptly, his hands shaking beside him as he ordered with gritted teeth " I knew it. You should leave this instant!" " I didn't betray my pack!" Alphonse said with a serious gaze instead. He stared straight at the man. The man frowned at Alphonse hearing his words, he stared confusedly at him as if to challenge his honesty. However, Alphonse didn't back down. He maintained a serious expression, which left the man to look towards the woman who stared at Alphonse the same way. " I didn't." Alphonse reaffirmed, this time he looked towards the woman. He'd realized his mistake in thinking the man was the leader. It was the woman, she was the Luna of this pack. The woman expressed a brief moment of surprise seeing how Alphonse had easily figured out she was the leader, however, she couldn't help but frown right after. " W-what do you mean by that?" The man asked, his whole body furiously shaking as he stood demandingly. Alphonse looked at him for a second and then reverted his gaze to the woman as he said. " I shall explain myself. My Alpha had gone mad and mistreated his pack members. He killed whoever dares to even utter a single word against him and does so without the slightest empathy..." Alphonse paused, seeing the lady's frown deepen and hearing his description of Jason. He, however, continued right after. " I was his gamma, and I tried to usurp his position as the leader... Things didn't go well as planned, and I failed to save my pack." Alphonse's last words were full of regret and remorse. He looked down as his pride as a warrior wouldn't let him escape the guilt of leaving his own pack members in such a state. He felt like a coward! Silence befell the room for a while as everyone took in Alphonse's story. They could very well understand just what this meant to him. It wasn't after a long while that a sigh was heard. " Hah!" Alphonse looked up to the woman who had just let out a deep sigh. " To be honest, we could sense your strength and didn't know how to deal with it..." She stated in an apologetic tone while signaling to her betas to lower their guards. " Hearing your story, I think we can consider your situation" The woman reclined in her seat, folding her arms once again. " Nicole!" The man exclaimed unwilling to believe it. " We'll be going against a wild pack if we let him stay!" He voiced out his concern. " Yoldes..." Nicole, the Luna, lowered her head in thought for a second. Yoldes was right, they didn't have enough manpower to do that. " Don't worry, I only plan to stay for so long." Alphonse interjected. Yoldes gritted his teeth in frustration. He wanted so badly to kick Alphonse out. However, before he could not say anything nor do anything about this. Nicole had already made a decision. " So be it then. However, during your stay here, you shall help our pack grow" She demanded. " Anything you want" Alphonse nodded, staring seriously at Nicole. Nicole seemed to flinch at his words but was quick to regain her composure. " T-then... Yoldes, show him the sanctuary" She ordered afterwards. Yoldes stared at Alphonse for so long that it seemed he would pounce at him anytime soon. " Yoldes!" It wasn't until he heard Nicole call his name that he clicked his tongue and rose from his seat. " Tsk. Follow me!" He said as he walked out of the room towards a door at the rear end. " Thank you, ma'am, Nicole" Alphonse rose and expressed his gratitude towards Nicole before following behind Yoldes. As for whether he wouldn't be ambushed by Yoldes, well, Alphonse was confident in his strength. Nicole stared at Alphonse's back as he followed behind Yoldes. Her resplendent gaze seemed to contain certain thoughts. ... Kyley's POV It had been hours since I had dinner. I had laid on my uninjured side on the bed to watch the lit lamp on the bedside table, while I wandered in my thought. The conversation I'd had with Darren earlier was still stuck in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder whether I really should have asked him about the Moonblood pack. I felt it was quite a dangerous thing to do and I feared for my own safety now than I ever did before. Darren was just too mysterious, and there was a lot about him left unknown to me. Not that it matters anymore right? The only thing I can do is to ensure my safety until I was healthy enough to escape. I reached towards my wounds to check for progress. The wounds on my sides were closing up fast but I could tell from the stinging pain that they were still quite lethal. Those on my chest had become mere scratches and didn't hurt anymore, same for my legs and arms. Although, the latter still stung whenever I moved too much. Those gooey medicines were something else, it's only been a few days since he started applying them on my wounds, and there's considerable progress already. I was certain it'd take me months to heal completely, but at this rate, I could be completely healed within two-to-three weeks. Incredible! But... just what and who was Darren to possess such potent medicine? Could he be a herbal doctor? The thought of him concocting potions occurred in my mind and It felt awkward and funny. So much that I almost blurted out in laughter. However, I truly wanted so badly to know just who he was. A sudden thought occurred to me. I contemplated for a while but didn't hesitate to push myself up and leave the bed. It was hard standing on my feet after I hadn't done so for a long while, but I managed to maintain my balance. I slowly and stealthily moved towards the door while gently creeping out of the room.Thud! Just as I shut the door behind me, I realized it was probably a stupid idea to do what I was about to do. The whole place was dark and I could barely see anything at all! I quickly reached back to find the door to my room amidst the darkness and once I did, I gently pulled open the door. The light from the lamp made a slight change but it was barely enough to see. I could only make out the walls and a dark space that seemed to lead to somewhere; another hallway perhaps, I couldn't tell. Step after step, I gently proceeded while trailing the wall toward the vacant hallway ahead. I knew this was deadly considering if Darren caught me roaming about his house like this, I could end up in trouble. However, I couldn't hold back this curiosity in me. Darren seems too mysterious and he makes me feel like it would severely harm me to stay around for too long. I could smell danger on him and I find him untrustworthy. I believe every man is like this. They prey on weak
The morning dew covered the woods densely, causing a damp coldness all around. The air was crisp and fresh, carrying the earthy scent of the forest. "Ngh!" Darren grunted as he squinted his eyes open, the first thing in his field of vision being the damp area of dried leaves and twigs, surrounded by tall trees with thick branches. It was the early grotesque appearance of nature at dawn. " Aagh!" He groaned in distress and held his head as he pushed himself up, a severe ring reverberating through his head. Darren couldn't help but clench his eyes shut and shake his head. Slowly recovering from the splitting headache, Darren looked around, unfamiliar with the terrain he found himself in. He wondered just how far he'd wandered into the woods this time. This wasn't a surprise to Darren. Afterall, it wouldn't be the first time it would happen to him. It was more of a common occurrence to him. " Ugh! I have to find my way back home" He muttered and slowly rose from the floor.
Kyley looked between the bed and Darren, her entire being still shivering in fear and anxiety. " Will you?" Darren asked, pointing towards the bed with his gaze. The expression on his face made it obvious just how furious he was. ' He's gonna treat my wounds? Not harm me?' Kyley was confused and didn't know whether to believe Darren. ' Nonetheless, there was nothing to do but play it calm and by his rules' Kyley decided to listen to Darren for now. There was no way she could escape now anyway. " O-okay" Kyley nodded nervously. She slowly and cautiously got back in bed, her gaze moving to watch Darren with every move she made. Darren exhaled heavily and walked over to the bedside, he placed the needle holder down and revealed the suture needle and thread that he'd held in his palm the whole time. Kyley looked at this and couldn't help but grow tense. Darren tied the thread to the needle and raised his fierce gaze to look at Kyley. " Show me your wounds!" Darren order
Kyley stared at the wooden ceiling beams that added a rustic feel to the room's aesthetics, while still deep in thought about what had happened earlier." Show me your wounds!" Darren's stern face appeared in her mind as he yelled at her over and over again. Her pain had significantly reduced after Darren had attended to her wounds. However, Kyley still didn't know how to feel about it. The fear and anxiety in her heart still remained, and her body would shudder every now and then.Her trauma had kicked in.Kyley felt like a trapped mouse, waiting to be slaughtered. She was wounded and had nowhere to go. She couldn't help but curse her ill-fate.' Why do I always have to go through this?' Tears threatened to break out of her eyes. Kyley was hurt, in pain, and was mentally exhausted- she's collapsing. She could barely hold on to the last bit of sanity left within her, Kyley believed she would soon lose it. And Darren was probably the last straw.' Darren...' Kyley didn't know just wha
" I didn't mean to hurt you or anything, but you were throwing things at me and making it difficult for me to tend to your wounds. So I had to force you to stop throwing a fit. Sorry if I made you feel some sort of way" Darren slowly recounted, choosing his words carefully. Darren didn't want her to think he was calling her crazy. It was obvious that he believed the pain from her wounds was what made Kyley react as aggressively as she did earlier. He understood, and he wanted her to know he really did. Silence reigned over in the room for a long while. Kyley didn't respond to Darren's apology, she just lowered her gaze in thought.' He is genuinely apologizing?' Kyley repeated in her mind, over and over again as though she were trying to remind herself that this was real. Kyley had never been apologized to by anyone. Never! And hearing Darren apologize to her made her feel some kind of way. ' Moreso, he actually cares' Kyley could tell from the sincerity in his tone that Darren mea
'Huh?' Kyley thought she heard him wrong. " Oh! I have an idea. Give me a second" Darren said and turned around to leave the room. However, he grabbed the wooden bucket and mop stick before leaving the room entirely.' Huh?' Kyley was even more confused. She watched his back with a stupendous expression as he walked out the room. Did he really just asked if she wanted to go outside? Kyley was left baffled. Just what was Darren thinking? Soon, Darren returned to the room while Kyley was still deep in her thought. The latter raised her gaze and was shocked to see Darren row in a wheelchair." I've had to use it in the past, plenty of times" He said with a small grin. Kyley gasped in shock hearing this and she instantly expressed hesitation. Just what did he mean by having used the wheelchair plenty of times? It sounded a bit creepy " O-of course, I've used it myself is what I meant" Darren clarified seeing the look of contempt on Kyley's face. He smiled wryly realizing his mistake.
Kyley looked at Darren for the longest while, confused as to what he meant with his words. The evocative expression on his face made her rather curious as to something." Why?" She asked.Darren switched his gaze to Kyley and raised a brow. " Why do I feel this way?" Darren wasn't sure of what Kyley was asking." Why did you move out here in the middle of the woods?" Kyley rephrased her question. It was something that baffled her ever since, and it shaped her image of Darren being undeserving of trust. After all, who in their right mind lived in the depths of the wood all alone? It just didn't make sense no matter how much she tried to look past it." That's a long story. I'll tell you when it's right time to do so. But... Just know it wasn't by my own decision." Darren said with a bitter smile. How could he blurt out that he'd moved all the way out here because he was cursed? He was trying to win her trust here, not scare her. Kyley would definitely jump out of the wheelchair and fle
In the residence of the Moonblood pack, Jason stood by the window with his arms crossed behind him. He looked outside to watch as his betas brought in the Stingfang pack members who'd been held captive by the Moonblood pack. Jason's gaze was resolute and condescendingly stern. Being at the rear end of the town and secluded, whatever was done in the Moonblood pack residence was hidden away from prying eyes.And thus, no one complained as the captives were pushed into a large building that seemed like some sort of warehouse. Although the structure appeared weathered and old, it blended perfectly with the surrounding as many other buildings in the residence weren't too far from being the same. Save for Jason's house which was a bit more modern, most of the other houses gave off a countryside vibe.Being a cold cruel leader, Jason looking down at the growth of his pack with a stoic expression made everyone reverent of their duties. They operated with due diligence. Having no idea as to