CHAPTER 06 - THE PERFECT LURE

It didn't take long for a group of wolves to emerge from the depths of the forest, as if they had deleted the imminent threat. The Alpha had transformed into his lupine form just before the pack approached.

“They are many!” I exclaimed, concerned, gripping my trusty dagger in my hand and pointing it at the beasts surrounding us. “Aren't you a king? Where's your pack?” I looked at him for answers, making him laugh at my words.

“For these pests, only my Beta and I are enough,” he said confidently, and I couldn't tell if it was his ego or madness.

“The human belongs to us, Alpha, return her, and we will leave you in peace without much harm,” growled a dark-toned wolf, seeming to be the leader of the small group.

“Is the human an ally of yours?” Beta Oliver exclaimed.

The dark wolf sniffed in my direction, trying to recognize me, until he stopped, narrowing his eyes in doubt.

“Your appearance is identical, but your scent is not the same. What kind of sorcery is this? I've never seen anything like it before,” the dark wolf said, bewildered and confused.

“I'm not Agatha,” I emphasized. “What was your connection to her? What did you do to my sister?” In a determined impulse, I struggled to get up from the ground, ready to get the answers I needed.

“Sister,” there was malice in the wolf in the background, who wasn't in an attacking position. He assessed the posture of every member present near the cabin. “Were you two identical twins by any chance?” he asked, intrigued, as if the conflict in front of him wasn't happening.

“And what does that matter?” roared the Alpha, sending shivers down the fur of all the wolves present. His aura was intense.

“Well, well, King, I didn't know you were curious,” mocked the cunning wolf in the background, who seemed lazy. “The Human has been marked by one of us, according to the laws, she belongs to us!”

“According to the laws, this will be determined by her transformation and location,” growled the Beta, stepping in front of me in a defensive stance. “She must be important for them to risk confronting our king!”

“YOUR KING, BETA OLIVER,” howled the dark-toned wolf, bristling with anger. “Do not offend us or our Alpha of the Crescent Moon!”

“If your Alpha is so worthy, why didn't he come to fight his own battles?” I interjected, not knowing which side I should align with.

The Alpha's eyes turned to mine in pride, and I could feel his satisfaction in response to my question.

“Silence, Human, your questions before our majesty are blasphemy!” threatened the dark wolf, taking a few more steps and encouraging the others to form a semicircle around us.

The other wolf who had been assessing in the background remained in his corner and instructed, “Kill the Alpha and the Beta, bring the Human alive to our king!” he taunted playfully.

“What is her importance to you?” the enraged Beta demanded. “If you don't answer willingly, we'll forcefully extract the answers from you.”

“Try, if you dare!” the lazy wolf quipped, forcing the rest of his pack to look at him in fear in the presence of the Alpha before them. “Don't be cowards; he is cursed and abandoned by our goddess; kill the Alpha!”

There was cunning in the Alpha's eyes when the lazy wolf spoke those words. Skillfully, he lunged at one of the wolves, initiating direct conflict. His right hand, the Beta, went after two more ahead, biting one on the shoulder and the other on the leg. The Alpha roared, causing the Beta to freeze in place and step back, leaving the battlefield to his excellence.

I couldn't deny it; he was indeed the dominant predator, but something in his posture had changed, turning him into a ferocious beast that attacked mercilessly. The Beta turned towards me hastily.

“LET'S GO, it's not safe here anymore!” He pushed me with his snout, making me run towards the cabin.

“And is it safe with you, by any chance?” I limped, almost falling, as I headed home.

“Believe me, it is,” said the Beta, with a slight fear in his eyes. As I followed the direction, I saw the Alpha double in size, becoming unrecognizable. His fur became thicker and denser, and his fangs were covered in blood and pieces of fur and flesh from the other wolves he had torn apart.

When I surveyed the surroundings, I saw only two severely injured individuals trying to escape, but he didn't allow them to get far.

Soon, we entered the cabin, and the Beta led me to a room that seemed like it came out of a nightmare. We went in and continued to review the footage. That Alpha didn't resemble the one I had known; he was... He was... A true bloodthirsty beast!

Just thinking about him being near Conan, I covered my mouth when a sob escaped, sending a shiver down my spine.

We saw the Alpha turn to the lazy wolf and roar:

“Tell your Alpha that the human belongs to me. When she is no longer useful to me, I will send her remains for them to enjoy!” A thunderous growl erupted. “Unless you want me to send you in pieces to your king,”

He was utterly dark. The lazy wolf was timid, moving away as his paws clearly trembled. He turned and ran, urging the Alpha to chase him.

We didn't see him for hours, and the beta didn't indicate that we would leave the place anytime soon. I sat down, touching the wound that seemed to be slowly healing but still hurt a lot.

“How is this possible?” I analyzed.

The beta turned his gaze toward me.

“The transformation is already happening. It will be complete when the moon reaches its highest peak,” he explained.

“I'm going to die, aren't I?” I lowered my gaze, sad. “I can't leave Conan in the hands of this Lycan. He is...”

“He was cursed, but he would never harm those he loved. The pup is his offspring!” Oliver interrupted. “You don't know him, so refrain from speaking about what you don't know!”

“I know enough. He scared my sister so much that she felt compelled to run away and hide from him.” I paused. “Even in her last moments, her plea was to protect my nephew.” A tear rolled down from the pain of loss and physical pain. “He hunted me down, hurt me, and...”

“He also saved you from the Crescent Moon wolves.” Oliver frowned. Even through his fur, his discomfort at speaking ill of his king was noticeable.

“To use me as bait!” I reminded him.

“We need to understand his intentions. You don't know who your sister was to him or what she represented!” Oliver clenched his fists.

“Then please tell me,” I said, raising my gaze to the wolf in front of me. “What did she do so wrong that made him hate humans?”

“She betrayed him in the worst way!” He howled fiercely, declaring that the conversation had come to an end.

As the hours passed, I succumbed to exhaustion and weakness, eventually falling asleep, clutching my dagger tightly to my curled-up body in the corner.