III

I didn't grow up in a pack, but I had a basic understanding of how they worked. If this land belonged to a powerful Alpha, I assumed that three, four, or perhaps more warriors were chasing us. I wasn't going to let them capture me. Nor did I believe Kodaline was ready to endure another beating or the horrible things an Alpha might do to captured renegades.

“Damn it! Why is this happening to me, Moon Goddess?” I whispered, frustration burning inside me. The sound of footsteps was getting clearer, which meant the pack warriors were right behind us.

We have to get out of this territory, Kodaline. They won't stop, and I'd rather die than be someone's slave, or an Alpha's toy to torture when he's bored, stressed, or angry. I emphasized it mentally. I knew my wolf shared that same terror.

“We're almost in no man's land,” Kodaline replied, picking up the pace.

After a few minutes of desperate running, we finally reached No Man's Land, an unclaimed territory that no werewolf pack owned, which meant that anyone was free to set foot on it.

“They're still chasing us. What the hell is wrong with these warriors?” My wolf complained, frustrated.

We ran again, a little faster, until Kodaline suddenly tripped over a huge, twisted tree root. We fell violently into the mud.

It was too late to run again. Four warriors from the pack surrounded us in an instant.

The men quickly changed into their human forms, putting on the shorts and T-shirts they had been carrying tied around their arms.

“Change now. You're at a disadvantage, so don't do anything stupid that could cost you your life.” A man with a rough, authoritative voice gave me the order.

Although I wasn't sure, I assumed he was the leader of the group. I couldn't help but shudder slightly; he was a huge man, and his aura screamed violence. I felt Kodaline cringe with sheer nervousness.

I'm changing now. We're in incredible trouble. I told Kodaline. Without waiting for her response, I returned to my human form, quickly putting on the dress I had previously tied over my shoulder.

“What were you doing in our territory?” the leader asked in a hostile tone. The way the four warriors surrounded me made me feel as if they were seconds away from tearing me to pieces.

“I was just passing through,” I replied, my voice tense. The man smiled, a smirk that indicated he didn't believe me at all.

“Let me see your wolf eyes,” he ordered. I swallowed, feeling intensely nervous. Slowly, I raised my head until our eyes met, showing him Kodaline's intense blue color.

“Your eyes are still blue. Either you're a very new renegade, or you've never killed anyone before,” the man commented. He glanced at the other warriors around him, a silent conversation unfolding through their pack bond.

“I have no hidden intentions. I swear I didn't realize I was running in your territory. I was just passing through,” I assured them as I slowly backed away, mentally preparing to run again. But they seemed to read my mind. Two of them grabbed me by the arms. Their strength was overwhelming; they easily dragged me back into their territory.

“Please, I'm not a threat! Let me go!” I shouted with a defiant tone that sounded hollow. It was as if my words carried no weight.

“Let me go! I'm in No Man's Land now, technically you can't capture me,” I complained, kicking the knee of the warrior holding my left arm.

He glared at me with fiery eyes.

"You'd better shut your mouth if you value your life. We don't care whether or not you're a threat. You're a renegade, and Alpha Logan loves to torture and kill renegades. You're lucky Alpha Logan won't be at the pack house until tomorrow. You have one more day to appreciate your life," said the leader of the warriors, and then let out a soft, chilling laugh, as if he found the idea amusing.

Trying to defend myself seemed futile with four of them surrounding me and dragging me back.

Silently, I begged the Moon Goddess to take my life right now. I hoped she would grant me and Kodaline a painless death, before we had to suffer days of torture and abuse at the hands of this Alpha.

I escaped and survived months of torture and abuse from Benjie, but now it seemed there was no escape from this pack's ruthless Alpha.

***

Logan

The air in the vast meeting hall of the Black Shadow Pack vibrated with a tension thicker than the fog. We were in the territory of Kayden, the Alpha of the largest pack and our leader of the Werewolf Council, a body of Alphas designed to foster unity and mutual defense.

“The hunters have just killed Alpha Morgan and his Luna, who was three months pregnant.”

Kayden's voice, the pack's tracker, was grave, and the impact of his words hit the room. The murmur of shock was immediate. The Council was gathered for this: to hear the outcome of the skirmish between Morgan's pack and the hunters.

Founded decades ago, the Council existed as a bulwark against external threats. I reminded myself of the legend of Catalina, the witch who supposedly erased the memory of the species to stop an ancient war. Today, however, the threat was clear and tangible: the hunters.

“Alpha Logan.”

“Logan.”

I turned to Lincoln, my Beta and second in command, upon hearing my name.

“Hmm?” I hummed, my attention diverted.

“Alpha Kayden asked you what your plan was.” I realized that all eyes in the room were on me, waiting for an answer, a strategy.

Instead of offering an immediate solution, my mind focused on the magnitude of the attack. “How the hell did the hunters manage to kill Alpha Morgan?” I asked, addressing the tracker.

“The Raven Clan orchestrated the attack with the help of other hunters and renegades.”

I clenched my fist tightly. The mention of the renegades ignited an intense spark of anger and hatred that slowly spread through my body.

“What happened to the warriors we sent to rescue them?”

The tracker took a deep breath, looking to Kayden for support. Kayden only offered him a forced smile and a pat on the shoulder.

“Half the warriors are dead, and the rest are wounded,” Kayden replied for him.

A pit opened in my stomach. I had only met Morgan once, but I knew he was fiercely protective of his mate. I tried to imagine the horror of what Morgan and his Luna, only three months pregnant, had faced at the hands of those sick hunters and savage renegades. It was sickening.

“What do you think we should do about it, Logan?” Kayden suddenly asked me.

I could feel his anger and grief over the loss of a friend, evident in the twitch of his jaw. “Clearly, we can't be complacent knowing that the hunters are now working with the renegades.”

My voice rose with conviction, echoing through the room. "Morgan's Pack had fifty-seven members, all killed. They killed the Luna and the unborn cub.

It's obvious they don't have a shred of morality left. I think it's time we played their game. Let's stop locking renegades in our basements and feeding them as if they deserve mercy. I propose we kill them all and hang their heads as a warning to hunters and renegades: they should not mess with us." I stared at Kayden, making sure he understood I wasn't joking.

“Logan,” Lincoln called me for the second time, stepping forward and touching my shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“I think that's excessive. If we kill all the renegades we have, what would we become? We would be no different from the hunters or the renegades themselves.” Lincoln's tone suggested total disapproval.