LOGINThe three of them huddled near the ruined dwelling. Grandma Thena sat on one of the broken steps, aware that this was going to be a long conversation.“This happened back when I was still part of a pack,” she said. “I used to visit this town from time to time, and even then, it was obvious the ruling packs didn’t like the growing number of vagabonds scattered across their territory. There were constant clashes too, mostly because some of them kept trespassing into other packs’ hunting grounds. They’d become a nuisance.”A sad smile touched her lips.“And since it was the era of the great Alpha Alexus, no one dared spill blood.”She lifted a finger toward Alfred and Selene.Alfred nodded immediately, already familiar with the law. Selene, however, frowned.“Who is Alexus?”The question slipped out before she could stop herself.Alfred turned to her with a small, knowing smile.“He was a legendary Alpha from the bloodline of the Guardian Hound,” he said. “He established the rules our so
A ruin. That was what it was.The front of the house still stood intact, preserving a glimpse of the dwelling’s former beauty and structure, but there was no roof, no walls, and the floor had long been swallowed by vines and grass. What remained was nothing more than rubble, overgrown flora, and a few standing pillars.They stood frozen before it, unable to believe where they were now. The teens’ faces fell, while Alfred hunched in embarrassment and defeat.“What happened here?”Selene couldn’t hide her shock.After carefully examining the place, Selene was certain this had not been caused by years of neglect alone. From the broken walls, the piles of stone, and the scorch marks still visible on what remained, it was clear the damage had been done on purpose.Alfred cleared his throat, taking in a deep breath as his gaze wandered over the ruins.“From what I know, years ago, several vagabonds from the slums, along with some defectors from the Shadow Bane pack, burned this place to the
Under the rays of the full moon, the ground glimmered crimson. The grass, the bushes, even the tree trunks were painted red. Blood dripped from every leaf, branch, and blade of grass.In the middle of it all was Aunt Pen, kneeling on the ground and clutching a figure covered in thick fur. His entire body was drenched in the same liquid that stained everything around them.She was screaming, but no sound came from her mouth.Her face was tear-streaked as her gaze darted around wildly before shifting back to the limp, motionless person in her arms. She shook him desperately, as though refusing to accept what she was seeing.“Miss Selene, please wake up!”A deep voice called out to her, followed by several others. Then murmurs began to echo through her ears, filling her head.In an instant, the image started to blur—but not before a large, dark shadow appeared beside Aunt Pen.The woman lifted her gaze, her eyes bloodshot. Her attention locked onto that figure, and she screamed her lungs
Valentine’s face was red with rage. She had thought she held enough influence in town to uncover something about the so-called Moonlight Incident, but so far, they had nothing.“Either they don’t want to talk,” she snapped, gritting her teeth as she looked at her cousin Bernice, “or they don’t know anything.”“Well, we approached the ones we thought might know something,” Bernice said with a sigh, pursing her lips as she fiddled with her fingers. She kept her head lowered, avoiding Valentine’s gaze, already bracing herself for the female alpha’s anger. “But it’s not that they don’t want to talk. It’s more like… they can’t.”Valentine frowned.“What do you mean by that?”Something about her cousin’s words only deepened her curiosity, especially after the last things Duncan and Lucas had told her.“They can’t seem to say what they want,” Bernice said, scratching her head in confusion as she recalled the reactions they had gotten each time they asked about it. “We tried everything, but t
“Is there something you want to tell us?”Duncan still couldn’t wrap his head around what had just happened.Yes, they had spoken of a truce because all three of them agreed that the council was useless in many ways. But what he hadn’t expected was the tension that had hung so heavily over the room during that confrontation.His own hatred and blood rage toward the elders was understandable.But Lucas—That was different.This was the first time Duncan had ever sensed such intense rage from him. It had been brief, barely noticeable if he hadn’t been standing so close, but it had been there.That momentary burst of bloodlust alone had been enough to make Duncan flinch into a defensive stance. The sheer intensity of it had left him wary of Lucas ever since.“Yeah, what was that about? We thought you were about to shift right there in front of the elders.”Valentine pointed at him, frowning as she looked at their companion.Of the three of them, Lucas was the calmest and most composed, s
The moment the words left Alfred’s mouth, the entire crowd erupted into a ruckus. Several elders began whispering among themselves, while others exchanged mocking glances and quiet snickers.Alfred could only grit his teeth in frustration. He turned to their alpha, but Duncan remained stoic—his face unreadable, his gaze cold and indifferent.They had been forced to come before the town council first, since their pack had suffered the most in the encounter. Most of the injured were the teens from their group.“Do you not see the threat we’re facing?”Alfred tried again, his voice ringing through the hall.That was enough to quiet the room.Some glanced at one another, passing silent messages through their eyes, while others simply smirked.“A threat… or merely a lie?”A soft yet authoritative female voice echoed through the hall.“What?” Alfred blurted out, startled by the sudden interruption, but quickly bit his tongue when he realized an unexpected guest had entered the meeting.Ever
Several glowing eyes from within the forest remained glued to the two unsuspecting individuals. Smirks forming on their faces as they remained undetected, making them bolder.Selene and Ben chatted as they made their way back to t
It was the first time that the mansion had become that lively, though the noise came from the vagabonds running around, panicking after the mishap that happened.No one expected the old Vagabond to step up and move in front of them, taking the young-alpha’s attack
After pulling Selene aside, Duncan took in a deep breath, rubbing his temples because of the upcoming headache that was increasing with each minute.“I’m guessing you don’t know the reason they don’t have a pack.”He grumbles, lips twitching from holding on to his remaining temper.“Ben did say som
With an aching head and back, Selene opened her eyes to a damp room. She shivered from the cold, making her fold her legs, embracing it with her arms to keep herself warm.The darkness didn’t give anything away, making it hard to know where exactly she was in righ







