Chapter 27– "Storm at the Gate"
— The East Woods Ruins
Wind rustled through the torn trees. The shattered clearing—where Blue, Rito, Kin, and Gus faced the Alpha—sat eerily quiet now.
Boots crunched in the dirt.
Zak emerged first, out of breath, eyes widening at the destruction. Behind him came half his pack, shaken silent by the sight.
Zak knelt, touching the deep crater where Blue fell.
"…They fought something unnatural."
One of his pack sniffed the wind.
"Smell of wolf. Old. Ancient."
Zak swallowed hard.
"Alpha…"
The scene cut with a sharp gust of wind.
— Hollowfen Estate, War Room
Blue sat in the long dining hall with Rito, Kin, and Gus—bandaged, weak, but alert. Selene stood at the head of the table, X beside her with arms folded, expression unreadable.
A map of northern territories was spread out across the table.
X spoke first.
"There are three known wolf territories north of Hollowfen. None of them belong to the Alpha you encountered. That means he's new… or he's been hiding."
Blue clenched his fists.
"He wasn't hiding. He was playing with us."
Kin added quietly,
"He ate someone while fighting us…"
A tense silence swallowed the room.
Selene placed a hand on the table.
"This Alpha is not like other werewolves. His strength, his speed… it's ancient. He's the kind of wolf kings used to send armies against."
Rito shivered.
"And he's working with Ronan."
Gus looked down, guilt twisting his face.
X shook his head.
"He's not working for Ronan. He's using him. Ronan is bait."
Blue's jaw tightened.
"He took him. Dragged him away with him."
Selene met Blue's eyes.
"Ronan is alive. But he's a pawn in someone else's war."
Selene's Interrogation Continues
X and Selene return to the cell holding Mira. The spy sits trembling, clutching her burned arm from Selene's earlier spell.
Selene steps forward.
"Everything you told me wasn't the full truth."
Mira flinches.
"I swear—I told you all of it—"
"You left out one thing," Selene interrupted coldly.
"My sister never travels alone."
Mira froze.
X stepped closer, voice dangerously calm.
"Where is her second-in-command?"
Mira's lips quivered.
"…Already here."
Selene's eyes darkened.
"Who?"
Mira shook her head frantically.
"I don't know—he wears a mask—none of us ever see his face—"
X exhaled slowly, fury simmering beneath the surface.
Selene turned to him.
"We're being watched."
The Wolf's Trail
Cut to the Alpha dragging Ronan through the dense woods, Ronan barely conscious.
The Alpha hummed a tune—calm, eerie, ancient.
Ronan spit blood.
"Why… why not kill me?"
The Alpha stopped walking.
He crouched beside Ronan, smiling with sharp teeth glowing under the moonlight.
"Why kill a tool? You're useful. You hate the same man I do. And besides—"
His golden eyes narrowed, deadly and amused.
"—you brought me a very… interesting group of children."
Ronan trembled.
"You're going to kill them…"
The Alpha stood, dragging Ronan again.
"No. Not yet. They're fun. And the hybrid boy… he's too important."
Ronan's eyes widened.
"Important? Why?"
The Alpha didn't answer.
— Plan of Retaliation
Back in Hollowfen, the group gathers as X lays out a strategy.
X: "We're not searching blind. We find the wolves' path. They'll leave traces—even their Alpha."
Blue shakes his head.
"He was scentless. You said that yourself."
X looks at him sharply.
"Scentless doesn't mean invisible. He has weight. He moves. And no wolf can hide the vibrations they leave in the ground."
Selene smirks at her son.
"That's part of your father's power. Pure hybrids sense more than scent."
Blue looks down, ashamed.
"I should've known. I should've sensed—"
X cuts him off.
"You weren't trained to. Not yet."
Gus leans forward.
"If he took Ronan… what does he want? Is it revenge? A message?"
Selene shakes her head.
"No. It's positioning. The Alpha knows X is the threat. So he's clearing away everyone around him first."
Kin looks between them nervously.
"Are we the next targets?"
X answers without hesitation.
"Yes."
Selene puts her hand on Blue's shoulder.
"That's why we train. Harder than ever."
— The Masked Intruder
Night falls over Hollowfen.
A shadow creeps along the rooftops—tall, masked, crimson cloak fluttering silently.
He passes the windows where Blue and Gus sleep.
He watches.
Then he silently descends near the estate's lower hall… where Selene stands waiting, sword drawn, eyes glowing.
Her voice echoes through the night:
"I know you're there."
The figure pauses—surprised.
"You smell like her," Selene says. "My sister's lapdog."
The masked vampire tilts his head, then speaks with a deep, calm voice.
"She wants her throne back. And she wants your son."
Selene's fangs slide out.
"You can tell her she'll get neither."
The vampire chuckles.
"We aren't here to take him tonight. Only to see if you're… ready."
Before Selene can strike, he vanishes in a blur faster than her eyes can track.
A cold whisper trails behind:
"Your boy won't survive the Alpha."
Selene's hand tightens on her sword—knuckles whitening.
Blue's Nightmare
Blue's eyes snap open.
He's back in the clearing.
The Alpha stands in the distance, eyes like molten gold.
The wolf grins.
"You can't protect anyone, boy."
Blue raises his katana—
—but the Alpha appears behind him, whispering:
"Tell your father… the hunt has begun."
Blue wakes drenched in sweat, gasping.
The moon outside his window glows blood red.