The night broke with a sound that froze every heart in the village.
A howl.
Not the sharp, predatory cry of a dire wolf. Not even the deep bellow of the Alpha Aiden had fought days before. This was heavier, older—an echo that rolled like thunder through the trees, vibrating through the ground itself. The Blackwood trembled with it, branches shivering, birds scattering into the air in frantic clouds.
Aiden shot up from his place at the forest's edge, his body rigid. His blood recognized the sound even before his mind could name it. His pulse raced, and beneath his skin the hunger stirred like molten fire.
Rank 6.
The beast within him quivered, delighted, clawing to be let out. He pressed his hand to his chest, grinding his teeth. "Not now. Not like this."
Another howl answered, closer this time. It shook the walls of the village, woke the sleeping, sent children screaming into their mothers' arms. Warriors rushed to the square, weapons half-drawn, their faces pale.
The forest grew silent after the echo faded, as though every lesser creature had vanished, fleeing from what prowled between the trees.
Elder Harren appeared with grim urgency, his staff glowing faintly with binding runes. His voice carried over the panicked murmurs.
"To arms! A Rank 6 prowls the Blackwood!"
The words dropped like stones into the crowd. Fear erupted at once.
Aiden felt the world tilt. A Rank 6 monster, here, so close to the village—it was a disaster waiting to happen. And worse, the hunger inside him screamed with desire. His bones ached, muscles tightening as though preparing for battle on their own.
---
Miriam came to his side. Her old hand gripped his wrist, surprisingly firm. Her eyes burned into his.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
Aiden nodded stiffly, his jaw locked.
"Listen to me, boy. If you face it, you cannot fight only the monster outside. You must fight the one inside as well. Do you understand?"
The words were like chains of reason trying to bind him. He swallowed hard. "I understand. But if I don't fight… who will?"
Her silence was answer enough.
---
The earth quaked.
From the treeline, a shadow emerged—massive, hulking, its fur black as the void between stars. Eyes glowed red like embers in the dark. The creature stepped into the moonlight, and the village gasped in horror.
A wolf, but far beyond any they had known. Twice the size of the Alpha, its shoulders bristling with jagged bone-like protrusions. Its fangs glistened, longer than a man's forearm. Each step crushed roots and stone beneath clawed feet.
The Direfang Sovereign. Rank 6.
The hunters faltered, some taking instinctive steps back despite their raised spears. No training, no ordinary bravery could steel them against a predator like this.
The Sovereign's gaze swept across the village—then fixed on Aiden.
It snarled, lips peeling back to reveal rows of teeth.
The hunger inside Aiden roared in unison. His knees weakened, not from fear, but from the terrifying pull to meet it, to devour it. His breath came fast, shallow, his vision dimming at the edges.
"No," he hissed to himself. He bit the inside of his cheek until blood filled his mouth, trying to drown out the craving.
The Sovereign's growl rumbled like an earthquake. Then, with terrifying speed, it lunged.
---
Chaos exploded. Villagers screamed, scattering for cover. Hunters braced, but the first swipe of the monster's paw sent three men sprawling like broken dolls. Spears splintered against its hide.
Aiden's heart hammered. The world blurred, and he realized—he was already moving. His body surged forward, driven by instinct, by hunger, by something deeper. His feet struck the earth, and before he could think, he was between the beast and the hunters.
The Sovereign's claw came down.
Aiden caught it.
The impact thundered through him, rattling his bones, forcing the ground to crater beneath his feet. Dust erupted, hunters cried out—but he stood, muscles straining, his hands burning as they locked around the beast's talon.
Gasps echoed. The villagers stared.
"By the gods…" one whispered.
No ordinary Rank 3 should have been able to withstand that strike.
The Sovereign snarled, surprised, and pressed harder. Aiden's teeth ground together, blood running from his palms where the claws cut into his flesh. Every fiber of his being screamed to give in, to unleash the beast within and crush this foe with ease.
He roared instead—his own voice, raw and human—and pushed back.
The monster staggered half a step.
---
But the hunger wasn't silent.
Devour it. Tear it apart. Its blood will make you strong.
Aiden's vision pulsed red. His muscles throbbed with unnatural strength, his teeth ached with the urge to sink into flesh. For a terrifying heartbeat, he felt himself slipping, the line between man and beast fading.
He saw Miriam on the edge of the square, her eyes locked on him, lips moving in silent prayer. And then he saw the villagers—terrified, broken, relying on him even as they feared him.
Not like this, he told himself. Not as a monster.
He twisted, dragging the beast's claw aside, and drove his fist into its jaw. The impact cracked like thunder, forcing the Sovereign's head to snap sideways. It stumbled, shaking the ground.
The villagers erupted in shocked cries.
Aiden staggered, panting, his body trembling violently. He had struck a Rank 6. Wounded it. Held back his hunger—barely.
But the Sovereign was not finished.
It rose again, shaking its massive body, growl deepening into a roar that split the night.
The battle had only begun.
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