Chapter 4

"Alpha, you have to calm down," Stephen says, his voice steady but urgent as he tries to calm his friend.

"Calm down?" Marco roars, his eyes flashing with fury.

"That damn beast has woken up after 25 years, and you expect me to calm down? I should’ve killed him when I had the chance. Why did my father even leave him alive?"

He throws his hands in the air before planting them firmly on his waist, pacing angrily.

"You know we can't fully eradicate the Lycanthrope bloodline, no matter how much we hate them," Stephen responds calmly.

"Your father made the right decision. It's tradition. It's in our blood."

"And now I'm the one paying for his ‘right decision,’" Marco snaps back, his frustration boiling over.

"Did you see how strong that thing is? He's way stronger than my uncle ever was." The thought of it sends a chill down his spine. He could have died tonight if Stephen hadn’t intervened when he did.

Marco’s face twists with anger. "All because of that bitch," he mutters under his breath, fists clenched tightly.

As much as he tries to maintain control, fear has seeped into his bones. He knows Lycans are nearly unstoppable. He saw it with his own eyes when he was a child—his uncle battling hundreds of warriors, including his own father.

Twenty-five years ago, when Marco was just seven, his father, Fernando, started a rebellion against the ruling Alpha Fenwick—the Lycan King. Fenwick was the only Lycan born after his father, and by the pack's ancient law, a Lycan was to inherit the Alpha position, even if he was the youngest in the family.

This fact enraged Fernando. He was the eldest, but his younger brother was given the Alpha title because of the Lycan bloodline.

Fernando believed that his lineage should be the one to lead the pack, not the Lycans who were seen as too powerful, dangerous even. Lycans, once they lost control or went mad, could destroy entire packs, feeding on their own kind.

When a Lycan is born, the mother dies from the extreme pain and loss of power, further strengthening the belief that they were cursed.

Fueled by anger and ambition, Fernando gathered more than half the pack and launched a rebellion to overthrow Alpha Fenwick. The Lycan lineage, in Fernando’s eyes, had to be eradicated or enslaved. They were too dangerous to be allowed to rule.

The rebellion reached its peak when Fenwick's young son, Lowell, was captured. That was Fenwick's only weakness—his love for his child. Fenwick fought like a madman, single-handedly holding off hundreds of warriors, but he eventually surrendered to save his five-year-old son.

But even in defeat, Fenwick couldn’t be killed. He was the last Lycan with the Alpha bloodline flowing in his veins.

The red eyes, a symbol of unmatched power and strength, meant that Fenwick was bound to the Alpha seat by tradition.

A compromise was made. In a forced ritual, Fenwick transferred 50% of his Alpha blood to Fernando and his son, Marco, making them half-Lycans.

This was done so that when Marco took over as Alpha, he would have enough power to rule, though never as fully as a true Lycan.

For the next generation to inherit the Alpha title with full strength, the ritual would have to be repeated.

Fenwick's son, Lowell, was placed in the cave—a living prison designed to keep him weak and powerless for generations. Being a Lycan, Lowell could live for centuries, but his power was drained, ensuring he would never pose a threat.

That was, until Nana.

Unknowingly, she had gone to the cave and fed Lowell her werewolf blood, reviving him after years of imprisonment. The blood of a werewolf—especially one like Nana, who had ties to the pack—had restored his strength and powers that had been growing weak over the years.

Marco’s eyes flash with rage at the thought. Nana has ruined everything. His carefully constructed future, the power he was meant to inherit, all shattered because of her recklessness.

He throws the glass of wine in his hand against the wall, the sharp sound of shattering glass echoing in the room.

"She’s destroyed everything," Marco growls, his chest rising and falling with deep, furious breaths.

"Do you understand what this means, Stephen? She didn’t just free that monster—she brought him back to full strength. The Lycan Prince is now running free in my pack, and it’s all her fault."

Stephen remains quiet for a moment, watching as Marco struggles to control his rage.

"Alpha, we need to focus on what to do next. There’s no use in losing control now."

"Focus?" Marco snaps, spinning around to face his Beta.

"You think I’m not focused? That thing is going to tear us apart. Do you even know what it means if Lowell gets his full strength back? He could come after all of us, just like his father did. And we can’t stop him. We barely held him off tonight. We need a plan."

Stephen nods slowly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "We do. But we can’t let fear rule our actions. You’re the Alpha now, Marco. We need to gather our best fighters and prepare. If that means dealing with Nana first, so be it. But we need to think clearly."

Marco grinds his teeth, his hands clenching into fists as he considers Stephen's words. His fear and anger toward the Lycans have always burned deep, but now, with Lowell free, that fear is rapidly turning into desperation.

"I won’t let him destroy everything," Marco finally says, his voice low and dangerous.

"I’ll kill him, even if I have to tear him apart with my bare hands."

Stephen nods again, knowing there’s no reasoning with Marco when he’s like this. "Then we start preparing now. We’ll gather the warriors and fortify the borders. Whatever happens, we’ll be ready."

As Stephen walks away to carry out the orders, Marco stands there, his body still tense with fury. His thoughts return to Nana, the cause of all this chaos.

“Damn that bitch!” He swears to himself that she will pay for what she’s done.