TBL-1 4

The day Eirene had her accident.

The corridor of Laconte Hospital was filled with hurried footsteps and panicked shouts. A suffocating sense of dread and worry spread everywhere, carried along with the cold night air that slipped in each time the emergency door swung open.

“I—I think it’s time! Please, my wife—!”

Arden Vellore shouted in panic, holding his wife Marla Jenkins, whose body was trembling as she groaned in pain. Marla clutched her stomach tightly as the nurses approached with a stretcher, helping her to lie down.

A nurse quickly set up the equipment and asked, “How many minutes apart are the contractions?”

“Less than two minutes,” Arden stammered. His face was pale. “She’s in so much pain. This is happening too fast.”

The nurse said, “Calm down, sir. We’ll take care of your wife.”

The door to the delivery room closed, leaving Arden outside with nothing to do but twist his fingers anxiously. He paced back and forth, stomping the floor and gripping his hair. He even prayed silently. His anxiety kept rising, racing against the passing minutes. Meanwhile, the clock on the wall ticked slowly, as if mocking his endless unease.

Inside, the doctor and midwives worked swiftly. Marla was drenched in sweat, her eyes glassy as she struggled against the pain.

“We can see the baby’s head. You’re doing amazingly. Push one more time.”

Marla bit her lip, then summoned every ounce of strength she had left. Her scream echoed throughout the room, followed by the sharp cry of a newborn baby.

The medical staff let out relieved smiles. The midwife announced, “It's a healthy baby boy.”

Arden entered the delivery room with a soft, trembling sob. He hurried over to Marla, who was crying not from pain, but from relief and joy.

The baby was placed on Marla’s chest. He felt warm and soft. His tiny eyes opened and he stared as if recognising the world for the very first time.

Unfortunately, this happiness did not last long. Marla sensed that something was odd about her baby.

"Arden," she called, her brows furrowing. “Why is his body cold one moment and burning hot the next?”

The nurses exchanged glances. One of them replied,

“A baby's body temperature usually fluctuates a little. Let us check first.”

However, the change in temperature happened far too quickly. The baby writhed around. His breathing became erratic, as if it kept cutting off. His tiny body trembled, and then he suddenly turned pale. The monitor emitted irregular beeps.

“Strange. The energy pressure isn’t registering,” muttered the young doctor examining the baby. He reset the essence scanner three times, but the results remained the same. “This is impossible. A werewolf infant should already have a basic energy imprint.”

A nurse glanced at the young doctor. “Doctor, is the device broken?”

The young doctor replied, “No, this isn't an equipment issue.”

He looked stunned for a moment before his expression shifted to one of tension. He swallowed hard, then spoke in a low voice. “Call Dr Halden.”

Everyone in the room fell silent. Their expressions changed. Some of them exchanged uneasy looks.

To them, Halden Weaver was a legend—an expert in territorial energy whom everyone in the Velmora Pack respected. He was over sixty years old and rarely intervened unless the case was extremely serious. Calling him was a sign that something was truly wrong.

Halden arrived moments later, wearing a long white coat to match his silver hair. His presence immediately silenced the entire room. He put on gloves and asked, “What are the symptoms?”

The young doctor handed him the scan results with shaking hands. “There's no readable energy pattern, there are extreme temperature fluctuations, and his breathing has stopped twice.”

Halden looked at the baby. He pressed his lips tightly together for a moment before beginning a physical examination. He pressed the baby’s chest, checked his pulse and stared into his eyes for a long time. Then he muttered something softly that was nearly inaudible to anyone. “His body is rejecting its own innate energy.”

Halden picked up the Primordial Essence Scanner, a transparent, circular device that emitted a soft blue glow. He held it above the baby’s body.

The scan results appeared as a thin hologram. These showed fractures in the primordial essence radius, 27% energy leakage and an incomplete Primordial Conduit Channel.

Halden tensed instantly. “This…” His voice caught and his eyes widened. “There's no mistake.”

Halden closed his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath and spoke to himself. Alpha Degeneration Syndrome, Yoren variant. God, this shouldn’t be happening again.

Halden opened his eyes and his expression was now grim, as if he had just witnessed a dire prophecy. He stepped aside and pulled a phone from his coat pocket. His thumb trembled slightly—an unmistakable sign that what he was about to do was no trivial matter—as he pressed a number.

The nurses and other doctors held their breath. They watched in silence as Halden made the call.

The line connected, and someone picked up shortly afterwards. Halden spoke immediately. “Dr Louise, I need to report something. A new ADS case has emerged, and its characteristics are identical to Alpha Yoren’s case ten years ago.”

*

Morning in the Velmora Palace was never truly quiet. There was always a rhythm to the air: the steady footsteps of the guards patrolling the grounds, the sounds of the courtyards being cleaned and the soft murmurs of the workers, who treated every corner of the grand building with respect. Only one part of the palace had a completely different atmosphere: Yoren’s office. There, the silence felt heavier.

Behind a large desk made of polished blackwood, Yoren sat reviewing several files. He remained still for a moment, his aura flowing steadily—calm, firm and oppressive. He let the morning sunlight spill through the tall windows, casting his silhouette in golden hues.

Yoren was standing before Louise. She took a deep breath before speaking softly. “Alpha, Dr Halden contacted me this morning.”

Yoren’s fingers halted above the documents. He lifted his head and fixed his deep ocean-blue eyes on Louise, his gaze sharp yet unhurried. “Halden?”

Louise nodded. “Yes. He reported the birth of a baby at Laconte Hospital who is suspected to have ADS.”

A thin silence fell instantly. The air tightened the moment Louise mentioned Alpha Degeneration Syndrome in front of Yoren.

Until now, ADS had been considered a rare condition affecting werewolf infants born without primordial essence. Most infants with this condition could not survive without a special serum that was extremely difficult to produce.

Yoren leaned back slightly, his gaze sharpening with focus. “Has Halden confirmed the symptoms?”

“Not completely,” replied Louise. “But according to him, the baby is showing early signs: low body temperature, weak responses and energy conversion failure.”

Yoren’s breath caught in his chest. “In other words, the infant doesn’t have much time.”

Louise bowed her head. “That is correct, Alpha.”

Yoren rose from his chair. The movement was simple, yet it was enough to make Louise tense up instantly. He walked to the side of his desk and picked up his long black coat. “I'll go there with Fabrizio.”

Louise quickly said, “I will go with you, Alpha.”

“That won't be necessary,” Yoren replied, his flat tone halting her in her tracks. “You will stay at the palace.”

Doubt flickered in Louise’s eyes. “But, Alpha—’

Yoren turned slightly. “The serum,” he continued firmly. “That is your priority, Louise. Its composition is not yet complete, and it must be expedited. We don’t know how many ADS cases will emerge as a result of this.”

Louise bit her lip, holding back the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She knew Yoren was right. “I understand, Alpha.”

At that moment, there was a knock at the door and Fabrizio Dalton, Beta of the Velmora Pack, entered. He immediately faced Yoren. “Alpha.”

Yoren rose. “We leave now.”

*

As the long black car drove out of the palace gates, a light rain had begun to fall. The grey sky hung low and a cold scent filled the air. Fabrizio drove calmly behind the wheel while Yoren sat in the back seat, gazing out of the window.

Five minutes into the drive, Fabrizio said, “Dr. Halden is waiting on the second floor of Laconte Hospital.” 'The baby was born this morning.”

Yoren did not respond. He continued to watch the scenery with empty eyes, though his mind was anything but empty.

Ever since receiving the report from Louise, something inside Yoren had stirred—an old instinct that had never been wrong before. An instinct that demanded precision, speed and the sharpness of a hunting beast. Now, that instinct was restless.

The car stopped in front of the Laconte Hospital building. It was crowded that day. Humans and werewolves mingled in the bustling entrance lobby, while the scent of medicine hung heavily in the air.

As the largest hospital in Avernia Province, Laconte Hospital appeared like any other hospital. Many patients came and recovered there without knowing that it was actually a specialist werewolf facility. It was one of many hospitals established by the Velmora Palace and spread throughout the Velmora Pack’s territory.

Yoren stepped out first. His strides were long and steady, causing several people to give way instinctively even though they didn’t recognise him. Meanwhile, Fabrizio followed behind, his eyes alert as he scanned the surroundings.

They walked down the corridor towards the lift. However, Yoren was interrupted before he could press the button—a faint, delicate scent that pierced his awareness.

It wasn’t an ordinary scent, but a trace of blood unlike any other. Yoren’s wolf reacted so quickly and fiercely that he stopped without realising it.

Fabrizio glanced at Yoren in confusion. “Alpha?”

But Yoren didn’t answer. Instead, he closed his eyes briefly and let his senses work.

The scent was both unfamiliar and oddly familiar, resonating on a level deeper than memory itself. It carried an unusual vibration—primordial essence.

The next second, Yoren’s body moved of its own accord. His legs moved without him being in control of them. He walked forward and bumped into someone on his right, her small, light body jolting back gently as their shoulders brushed.

“I’m sorry.”

Yoren opened his eyes. The world seemed to pause for a moment. His focus snapped to the girl with messy black hair, a pale face and dark eyes that carried the glimmer of deep pain.

Yoren's body froze, as though he couldn't quite believe that he had just bumped into her. The girl looked hurried, as though she was running away from something.

Time felt like it split. Yoren’s wolf spirit howled, not in anger but because of something far more primal.

A certainty settled in Yoren’s mind. Primordial essence. Lumerys.

“Alpha!” Fabrizio exclaimed in panic. He rushed up to Yoren. “Are you all right?”

Yoren blinked, snapping out of his brief state of shock. His gaze dimmed, then sharpened again. “I’m fine.”

However, Fabrizio only became more alarmed when he saw blood on Yoren’s hand. “Alpha, are you hurt?”

Yoren didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted his hand. He touched the blood with his thumb and brought it close to his nose.

The scent of the blood hit him like a storm. His eyes widened, not from fear or surprise, but from something almost impossible to believe.

Yoren’s heartbeat accelerated. His breath quickened. He murmured, his voice trembling. “Pure Lumerys blood.”

Fabrizio’s eyes bulged. “You mean that girl, Alpha?”

Yoren didn't respond. His jaw tightened and he followed the girl’s fading footsteps beyond the crowd with his gaze. He pressed his lips together, suppressing the instinctual howl roaring inside him. Then he suddenly turned his head to the side. His voice was deep, sending a tremor through the air as he spoke. “Find her quickly, Fabrizio.”

*