I Won't Turn Into A Wolf!

The sound of rapid footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard from one side of the Fortress Hill forest. They grew faster and faster. Lyall tried to push his limits. He continued running nonstop for several minutes, until his legs gave out. He ran through the forest, up the hill, and over the rocky path.

After several minutes had passed, Lyall stopped running. He bent over for a moment, then stood back up, placing his hands on his hips. Sweat poured down his body. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Just his black shorts and running shoes. This was the second time he'd changed his shoes because of the excessive running. It seemed his training frenzy was growing.

Suddenly, Lyall's body froze. He sharpened his hearing. He was sure he heard something, and it was very fast. Lyall looked around, alert. Something seemed to be circling him. Lyall was on guard. As time went on, it got closer and closer, and...

Zaiden emerged from the bushes and laughed. Lyall snorted in annoyance.

“Did I scare you?” Zaiden teased with a small smile.

“You and your weird jokes. What are you doing here?”

"Training with you, of course," Zaiden replied casually.

"I never agreed to that."

"Okay, now you agree, right?" Zaiden handed Lyall a drink bottle.

"Never, not even in my dreams. I don't need it." Lyall stared at the bottle Zaiden offered him.

"Can't you be less mean to me?" Zaiden made a pleading face, his lips slightly pursed. Like a child begging for candy.

"And can't you just leave me alone?"

Lyall ran again. Zaiden naturally followed him.

"Zaiden, stop following me!" Lyall replied without stopping.

"I'm not following you, I'm also practicing my running," Zaiden said indifferently. Lyall growled and sped up. He ran faster and faster. He didn't care about the steep path, the rocks, or even the bushes. Suddenly...

Lyall's body fell along with Zaiden's. Zaiden threw himself down with Lyall to stop him. They rolled on the ground, then stopped, each assuming a ready stance.

“What the fuck was that?” Lyall growled angrily. His eyes widened and his breathing quickened.

“To stop you.”

Lyall looked around. “This is still RaClaws territory.”

“I know, Ly, but listen.”

Lyall and Zaiden stood up. Lyall strained to listen with his wolf ears.

“I don’t hear anything. You’re crazy.” Lyall started to leave, but Zaiden stopped him again.

“Listen again! Lycans aren’t just monsters, Ly. They also benefit you. Your five senses are heightened, more sensitive, and sharper than those of other werewolves. Use them!”

“Why are you bringing up that monster?” Lyall was annoyed.

“I want you to use it.”

Lyall snorted in annoyance. “Cut the crap and stop bothering me.”

“I’m not talking nonsense.” Zaiden seemed convinced of his words. Lyall stared at him for a moment.

“Listen to me. Nothing good comes from—”

Lyall stopped. This time he heard it too. A sound was moving quickly toward him. Not just one, but many. His nose also picked up the scent of wolves.

“You heard it,” Zaiden guessed.

“They’re werewolves. Probably members of the RaClaws pack. Just leave them alone.”

Lyall stared at Zaiden. There was still a seriousness on his face. His brow furrowed, his eyes unfocused. Lyall was sure Zaiden was still trying to listen.

“Zai. You—”

Soon, several wolves emerged from behind the bushes and trees. Lyall and Zaiden turned.

“Rogue,” they said in unison.

“What should we do now?” Lyall asked.

“What else? Fight,” Zaiden replied casually.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t fight them alone.”

“Who said I will fight alone? I have you!”

The Rogue's growls grew harsher and stronger. Lyall stared at them for a moment, then turned to Zaiden.

“Nope.”

“I can’t fight alone, Ly!”

“I don’t care. Mindlink members of the RaClaws pack.”

“Are you crazy? The Rogues are here now!” Zaiden shouted.

“I won’t turn, no matter what,” Lyall insisted.

“Lyall, I’m here to help you.”

Lyall laughed. “You think that’ll work?! Have you been that stupid all this time? If I turn into a wolf, I’ll become that monster and kill people again. KILL PEOPLE!!”

“You won’t be able to control it if you keep hiding and avoiding me!!” Zaiden’s voice was no less loud.

“I don’t care!”

“Ly—”

“STOP FORCING ME!!”

“Uhm, guys?” a voice interrupted their argument. One Rogue had transformed into a human, and it was... Trey?

Lyall was both shocked and confused.

“You’re going to die if you keep arguing like that,” Trey said again.

“I didn’t know you were a Rogue” Lyall said, still shocked.

“Uhm... I have a pack, RaClaws. That means I’m not a Rogue.”

Yes, Rogues don’t have packs. They’re all on their own. Some have groups, but they’re not like werewolf packs. Lyall was even more confused. One by one, the Rogues transformed into people he knew.

“What’s going on? I smell Rogues on you. Why—This is weird.”

“Well, we have the skin and fur of Rogues we killed for attacking civilians. We use them to disguise our scent,” Theon explained. Theon was also one of the disguises.

Lyall looked at each person, including Zaiden. “Did you do this on purpose?”

“We just wanted to keep you in control.” Zaiden's words made Lyall stare in disbelief.

"You're completely insane." Lyall turned to leave.

"We're not crazy, Ly, and you should stop running away." Zaiden's words stopped Lyall's tracks. Lyall's fists clenched, his jaw clenched, holding back his emotions. Lyall walked back toward Zaiden. He stared at him as if he could swallow him alive.

"Don't ever order me around. I'm not your brother, I'm not your friend, nor am I your subordinate. I won't play along with your crazy games," Lyall said firmly.

"And what if you disappear? There's no Lyall anymore. There's only that monster. Are you ready?"

Lyall tugged at one corner of his lips. "That's none of your problem."

"Oh, of course it's my problem, Lyall. I may not be your brother. You can consider me not your friend, either. But you are my alpha. Like it or not, you are my alpha and the alpha of the LycroClaws pack now."

Lyall stared intently at Zaiden's face, searching for any lies or openings to refute. But there were none. Zaiden seemed convinced by his words. Lyall turned and walked away. Zaiden didn't chase him, just watched him leave in silence. He couldn't keep pushing him. He didn't want Lyall to get too angry. That would be bad. Lyall always turned into that monster when he was truly angry. Theon came over to Zaiden and patted his shoulder.

"Maybe he's not ready yet."

"It's not about being ready or not, Theon. Even if he's not ready, he has to be. He'll be eighteen soon. He doesn't have much time!" Zaiden looked frustrated.

"But you're forgetting one thing: he's still a teenager, Zai. He's still a child. And he's not the type of child who can be easily controlled. It has to be strategic. Forcing him is not the way to go."

Zaiden let out a shaky breath. Yes, he was frustrated. He wanted Lyall to at least learn to control himself, but since that incident, Lyall hadn't turned into a wolf anymore. Lyall thought that if he hadn't turned, the monster wouldn't have appeared.

"Zai! Are you sure he's an alpha?" Tray asked loudly. Nathan elbowed Tray, telling him not to ask. "What? I'm just asking! So we don't get the inflamation wrong."

"Information," Nathan corrected.

"Yes, that. Information. Just look at that. He was even busier argruimen than fighting."

"Argumentation."

Trey nodded. "That."

Nathan sighed, shaking his head. Zaiden remained silent. He didn't know how else to persuade Lyall. It wasn't that he hadn't gently coaxed him or simply motivated him. But ever since the massacre, he really didn't want to turn into a wolf.

Meanwhile, Lyall ran away from them again, as far as he could. He tried hard to control his anger. He felt like no one understood the situation. Everyone was begging him to try to control the monster. He had tried, he had tried. But the monster kept controlling him.

Lyall kept running. He remembered the events of that night. He transformed into that monster, killing several people. Even ordinary humans. He also killed his best friend, Ray. Flashes of memory came back. Lyall accelerated his running. He remembered how he killed his best friend, how he tore his entire body apart.

Lyall stopped running. His breath was ragged, his chest tight. He was starting to struggle to breathe. Lyall held onto a tree as he tried to breathe normally. One hand clutched his tight chest.

As he calmed down, Lyall resumed walking through the forest, until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Then growls rang out. One by one, the wolves appeared. Lyall let out a breath of exasperation.

“Really? Seriously? Are you really going to do this?!” Lyall shouted. He was truly upset now. The wolves continued to growl, even louder and harsher.

“Stop that. You guys are fucking ridiculous!”

The wolves didn't stop. They were prepared to attack Lyall. Just as Lyall was about to curse them, he suddenly realized something. The wolves from the RaClaws pack were different from the wolves in front of him now. Even their smell was different. They both had the distinctive Rogue scent, but the wolves in front of Lyall smelled more pungent and wet, a typical Rogue scent. Could it be that they...

Sure enough, one of the Rogues leaped high, charging at Lyall. Lyall swiftly dodged.

“Damn! They really are Rogues!”

The attacking Rogue growled and leaped high again. Lyall swiftly managed to push the Rogue's body away. Another Rogue approached him and tried to bite. Lyall quickly dodged, but the other Rogues began to attack as well. They attacked simultaneously. Lyall was overwhelmed by seven wolves at once. He tried to swat them away, punch them, and even kick them. But they just kept getting up and attacking again. Lyall threw off two Rogues. One Rogue pushed him, causing him to fall. The Rogue tried to bite him. Lyall struggled to hold the Rogue back. Another Rogue came and tried to bite him too.

"Aaarrgghh!!!"

Lyall screamed as one Rogue bit his hand. He screamed a second time as another Rogue bit his shoulder. Lyall pushed the two Rogues away one by one and slowly backed away after he managed to free himself. He held his injured hand. Fresh blood still flowed from the wound. The smell of blood made the Rogue even more furious.

"No, I won't turn into a wolf."

Lyall endured the pain. His breath was labored. Part of him wanted to turn into a wolf, but he refused.

Suddenly, from behind the Rogues, another Rogue appeared. He was different from all the Rogues who had attacked him. His body was more robust and larger. His fur was silver, a very rare color. He didn't look like a Rogue at all. His eyes were also different. Rogue had black-brown eyes, while the new Rogue had orange eyes. This was the first time Lyall had seen those eyes. But the wolf was definitely Rogue, as its scent was strong.

The Rogue said nothing. He just stared at Lyall. The other Rogue growled and prepared to attack Lyall. But the silver Rogue growled back at the other Rogue. Then, suddenly, he dashed toward Lyall and jumped high. Lyall dodged easily, but the Rogue was incredibly fast. As soon as he landed on the ground, he immediately jumped again, without pausing. It caught Lyall by surprise and caught him off guard. The Rogue swung its claws at Lyall's chest. Lyall screamed and fell hard to the ground. The Rogue walked back toward Lyall, who was struggling to get up and endure the pain. With a harsh growl, the Rogue leaped at Lyall, trying to bite him. Lyall was unable to block it with his injured hand. The Rogue clawed at Lyall again, this time from his left cheek to his neck. The Rogue was much larger than a normal human, and his injured hand made him even weaker.

"Aaaaarrrggghhhh...!!"

Lyall screamed again as another Rogue bit his leg and clawed at his stomach again.

Lyall's scream reached Zaiden, who was still with the RaClaws. He stood up from his seat, his face filled with shock and panic.

"What? What happened?" Theon asked. Everyone stared at Zaiden.

"Did you hear that?" Zaiden asked. Everyone exchanged confused glances.

"Heard what?" Theon asked again.

"Lyall screamed."

Everyone looked at each other again.

"We didn't hear anything," Nathan said.

"I didn't hear anything, except them (pointing to Tray and his friends). Maybe you misheard."

Zaiden frowned. He clearly heard the scream. Was it just his imagination?

***

Lyall was starting to weaken. He was powerless to withstand the attacks. The silver Rogue opened its mouth and bit Lyall's neck. Lyall screamed loudly, and his hazel eyes instantly turned a deep red. With all his strength, Lyall punched the silver Rogue and pushed the other Rogues, sending them flying. Lyall turned into a black-and-gray wolf with a white line running from his eyes to his forehead. Lyall growled angrily and then let out a loud howl.

The howl reached Zaiden's ears again.

"Lyall!" Zaiden stood up again. He growled harshly and started running. Theon ran to stop Zaiden.

"What happened?!"

"I heard Lyall howl!" Zaiden was sure, this time he hadn't misheard.

"Did you hear anything?" Theon asked his men. Everyone shook their heads in unison. "No one heard anything, Zai. Not even me."

“This is the second time. The first time was when he was human, and now he’s changed. Lyall refused to be a wolf for whatever reason, and now he’s turned! I’m sure something’s up.” Zaiden started to leave again, but Theon held him back.

“Listen to me. No one heard the howl or the scream except you. That'll only happen between betas and alphas. Are you Lyall’s beta?”

“What?! No, no. I’m not anyone’s beta. You saw my eyes, they’re blue, just like yours. I’m gamma.”

“But no one heard them, Zai.”

“But I—aarrgh…” Zaiden’s legs gave out. He sat on the ground. His breath hitched, his heartbeat quickened. “Lyall roared again,” he said. Zaiden was overcome with emotion. Theon crouched down in front of him

.

“You—” Theon stopped. His eyes widened. He was shocked by what he saw.

“What? Why? Did you hear it too?” Zaiden saw Theon's shocked expression. Theon shook his head.

"Your eyes... Aren't they blue?" Theon said, still shocked.

"What do you mean? Ahh, I have to go. It feels like Lyall is pulling me."

Zaiden turned into a white wolf. He stared at Theon for a moment, then took off running.

"Did you see his eyes?" Miro asked.

"Yes. They're yellow. But isn't he a gamma? They should be blue, right? Just like Theon."

"He's a beta." It was Theon who spoke. "Lyall's beta."

***

Tadariez