<b>Chapter </b>66
The morning sun was just beginning to crest over the hills when I tied my hair back and stepped out onto the training grounds once again.
It had been too long
The air was crisp,ced with the scent of dew covered grass and faint traces of wolves who had already begun their drills. Warriors moved with precision across the clearing, their footsteps heavy against the dirt, the sound of strikes and <b>grunts </b>echoing in the early quiet.
Today, I was ready to join them again.
After everything that had happened with Luca, with Mario–realized I couldn’t stay in stillness. My body craved movement, my wolf needed release. And I needed to feel strong again
Audrey was already waiting near the weapons rack when I arrived, a small smile tugging at her lips <b>as </b>I approached,
“Ready to get your ass handed to you?” she <b>teased</b>, tossing me a training staff.
I caught it with a grin. “Only if <b>you </b>go easy!”
Sheughed, <b>but </b>before we started, something in the distance caught my eye.
Beyond the edge of the field, down the winding dirt path that led deeper into the territory, I spotted a group of figures working in the terraced fields- bent over crops, sleeves rolled up, hands covered in soil.
One of them stood out.
Mario.
He was helping with the rice paddies, hauling water <b>and </b>digging trenches alongside several warriors. His face was flushed with effort, but there was a calmness about him. A rhythm to the way he moved. He looked… almost content.
Audrey followed my gaze and spoke softly, “Alpha thinks since he already knows about our <b>world</b><b>, </b>it’s better to ce him among pack members. That way, he’s helping while still being protected.”
<b>I </b>turned to her, eyebrows raised. “That’s the House of Survivors, isn’t <b>it</b>?”
She nodded. “The farthest settlement from the Alpha manor secluded and heavily guarded, it’s where we send warriors who are healing from deep trauma or loss. Not everyone is ready to return to battle. But they still want to serve the pack, Mario’s human, yes–but they’ve epted him. In some ways, he belongs there.<b>” </b>
I looked back at him, my chest tightening with something I couldn’t name. Gratitude, perhaps. Sadness. Understanding
Mario had been dragged into this world against his will, And yet, here he was–choosing to help.
Maybe, like me,
he was
trying to rebuild.
Third Party Point of View:
“Drink this. As usual
Themand was as simple <b>as </b>ever, spoken without inflection, but Ken knew better Leader Luca’s tone rarely shifted–even when death hovered behind every word.
He stared at the small vial in his hand, the smoky–blue liquid sloshing gently within. It gleamed in the light of the motelmp, deceptively beautiful for something so vile.
He uncorked the potion and drank it in o
The bitterness scraped down his throat like razors, leaving behind the taste of rusted in and rotted herbs. His entire body tensed as the made surped through him, stealing something invisible but vital—his scent. The very core of his identity to any werewolf nearby Gone.
Like a ghost, Ken stood in the silence.
This potion–made by sonwone long vanished–was one of the only reasons their kind could cross into enemy territories, through cities thick with wolves and Lycans. Leader Luca never said who made it, only that they were gone now. All that remained were a handful of doses, saved for missions that demanded precision and sacrifice
This one was personal.
He slid the empty vial into his coat, adjusted his posture, <b>and </b>exited the room. The crisp Florence morning greeted him with birdsong and scooter engines. Humans walked past him in a blur ofughter, espresso, and cigarettes. They never looked twice.
Even the werewolf patrols stationed near the airport didn’t notice him.
“Still works,” Ken muttered to himself with a tight smile. “For now.”
He passed <b>through </b>the university gates without resistance, weaving through the stone pathways with ease. Students lounged on benches, some sketching, some reading, <b>others </b>whispering gossip and midterm fears. The scent of paint, paper<b>, </b><b>and </b>human sweat filled the air.
But none of them were who he sought.
He moved with purpose toward the administration building, approaching the front desk calmly.
“Hi, I’m looking for a student,” he said in the soft italian he had practiced. “Mario Bellini. We were supposed to meet this morning, but he hasn’t
answered his phone.”
The receptionist smiled politely, tapping her keyboard. “Mario Bellini… Ah. Yes, he filed for urgent leave yesterday. Family emergency.”
Ken’s world narrowed to a pinpoint.
“Did he mention where he was <b>going</b>?”
“I’m afraid we’re not allowed to <b>share </b>that information.”
“Right. Of course.” He forced a smile, nodded, and turned on his heel before the rage could reach his face.
<b>Outside</b>, he ducked into the shadow of a pir and clenched his fist
Shit
This could only mean one thing: the lycan Alpha had him.
‘Leader <b>Luca</b>.“‘
He sent the mind link with sharp rity
The human is gone. They’ve taken him
The reply came swiftly.
‘Francesco <b>has </b>him.
Ken growled under his breath.
“<b>What’s </b>your order?” he asked. “Should infiltrate the territory and retrieve him?
2
No. We send a message fest. A reminder of who he belongs to
“What do you mean?”
There was a pause. Ther
“A parcel is on its way to you. That’s your next step?
Ken said nothing more. He understood.
He checked into a human guesthouse on the edge of the city and waited. The potion’s effects would wear off in twenty–four hours. He had toplete the mission before then or risk exposure.
The parcel arrived the next morning just before sunrise,
No return address
No symbols.
Just a in box, sealed with thick ck tape andyered in cold.
But the moment he picked it up, he knew….
Blood.
Fresh Familiar,
He carried it inside, locking the door behind him before peeling back the <byers</b>, When he finally opened the lid, the contents stared back at him.
Two heads.
A boy. Agirl.
Young–too young
Eyes wide in fear, mouths frozen in silent screams. Their necks <b>were </b>jagged, torn rather than cleanly cut, and blood pooled in the folds of fabric that wrapped them.
Ken didn’t flinch.
He only <b>stared</b>.
The girl was maybe Sixteen. The boy, a little younger. Both bore unmistakable features–<b>dark </b><bshes</b>, narrow jawlines, and the same mole near the eye that Marie, the human, had.
This are <b>his </b>brother and sister.
This wasn’t just a message.
was a threat
And it would be delivered,
strapped to his back, a burden heavier
Dawn crept slowly across the treetops as Ken walked the path toward the Alpha Lycan territory. The box was strapp than steel, yet he moved without hesitation.
He didn’t <b>fear </b>death.
He expected it
Warriors howled in the distance–marking the changing of shifts, calling out intruders. He kept low, sticking to the light. The edge of the territory came into view, where the trees thinned and the guard lines grew thicker.
He stopped just before the final barrier,
ced the box on the ground.
And backed away.
He waited.
A single howl pierced the quiet
Then two more
tyes gleaming in the half-
Wolves Fast Close
He heard them tearing through the brush, their paws smashing against roots and leaves, their teeth bared.
Ken didn’twat
He shifted in one fluid movement, his bones snapping as his body <b>shrank </b>and twisted. Fur <b>erupted </b>from skin, gray and lean, and in seconds he was gone
just a streak of shadow darting through the underbrush.
Behind him, the warriors found the box
One sniff was all it took.
A snarl rang out–feral and enraged–echoing deep into the forest.
At the heart of the territory, chaos broke loose,
Beta Alfonso was the first to arrive at the outer perimeter, followed by two elite warriors. Their faces twisted with horror as they opened the box and saw
whaty inside.
The younger warrior dropped to his knees, eyes wide.
“This is… children,” he whispered.
“Human children,” Alfonso corrected grimly. “But they were known to someone.”
He mind–linked the Alpha immediately
Alpha Come to the border. Now
It took less than five minutes.
Francesco appeared in a blur, <b>his </b>ck coat billowing behind him, his expression unreadable. He stopped beside the warriors and looked down into the box.
Silence…
Even the birds had gone quiet
Francesco knelt slowly and examined the contents. His fingers curled against the edge, knuckles white. The scent of the blood still clung to the air- human blood, and <b>a </b>trace of another famtiar scent
Mario’s<b>. </b>
“This is his family,” Franc o murmured, “His
The realization settled like a storm cloud.
A message. A warning.
They had found the human boy’s weakness–and used it to punish him.
To challenge him, Francesco
He rose to his full height, eyes glowing faintly with gold, and turned toward the trees where the rogue had vanished.
“He didn’t do this to hide,” Francesco said. “He wanted us to see!
Alfonso stepped forward “What’s the response, Alpha<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Francesco turned slowly, gaze sharp and lethal
“We bury the children, Honor them.”
“And the rogues?”
The Lycan’s voice was low and filled with steel
“Find them!!“.
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