The charred air inside the Hale house grew still, unnaturally still. The faint creaks and groans of the old frame faded into a suffocating silence.
Scott was pacing near the window, his thoughts racing from everything he'd just learned. Derek leaned against a scorched support beam, arms crossed, gaze distant. Malik stood near the fireplace, unusually still, his eyes narrowing.
Then—
A slow, deliberate inhale.
Malik's nostrils flared, and his posture shifted, spine straightening like a predator catching the scent of prey. His eyes began to glow—amber and bright. He sniffed again, deeper this time, the tension in his body coiling like a spring.
Derek's head snapped toward him.
"…You smell something."
Malik didn't respond right away. His glowing eyes turned to Derek, then flicked toward the broken window.
Scott frowned. "What's going on?"
Malik took a single step forward, tilting his head as if listening to something only he could hear. Then, without a word, he looked directly at Derek and gave a sharp nod. His meaning was clear.
They were being watched.
Derek didn't need further confirmation. His entire stance shifted in an instant, eyes flashing ice blue as his claws extended and fangs dropped. His breathing steadied, slow and controlled.
"It's him," Derek said, voice low. "The Alpha."
Scott's heart skipped. "Wait—he's here?"
Derek's voice hardened. "Listen to me. Once Malik and I engage, you run. Get home. Get safe."
Scott shook his head. "No way. I'm not leaving you guys—"
Malik cut him off sharply. "You're green. A newbie in this game is not a bonus."
His voice was firm, cold, and absolute. "You'll just get in the way."
Derek nodded grimly in agreement. "He's not wrong."
Then it hit.
A howl.
Deep, guttural, and thunderous—it wasn't a simple call to arms. It was a challenge. A provocation.
It shook the burned-out house like an earthquake, windows rattling, the air vibrating with raw malice. Scott's breath caught in his chest as he instinctively backed toward the wall.
Malik snarled.
Without hesitation, he bolted for the door, his body shifting mid-leap in a fluid, violent motion. Muscles rippled, bones snapped, and his form twisted. By the time he burst through the threshold, he was on all fours—a massive black wolf, at least the size of a bear, fur bristling with fury and power.
Scott's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That night…" he whispered. "The night at the bus… the wolf that fought the Alpha… that was you?"
He stood frozen, stunned by the revelation as Malik—now fully transformed—landed in the yard with a heavy thud, snarling into the darkness.
Derek rushed out after him, shifting in mid-stride.
From the shadows of the forest, a growl rumbled like thunder.
Then—two glowing red eyes appeared from between the trees, burning with rage and instinct.
Scott remained in the house, rooted in place, overwhelmed by the reality unfolding before him.
The Alpha was here.
And the hunt had begun.
---
The forest exploded into chaos.
Three blurs tore through the trees—one a towering black wolf, one a sleek and vicious Beta, and the third a monster cloaked in rage and power. Malik and Derek surged forward, a flash of fangs and fury as they collided with the Alpha.
Malik struck first.
Using his superior speed and agility, he darted in and out of the Alpha's space like a phantom—teeth snapping, claws slashing. Every movement was precise, controlled, and meant to provoke. He was relentless, attacking head-on, keeping the Alpha focused on him.
Derek took the opening.
He moved like a shadow—circling, dipping between trees, trying to find an angle the Alpha couldn't see. When Malik lunged high, Derek struck low, carving shallow but sharp wounds into their target. His goal wasn't to win. It was to wear the Alpha down.
But the Alpha…
It was something else entirely.
A living storm. Each strike from its claws carved deep into bark and earth. Its snarls shook birds from trees. Its body was massive—stronger than either of them and faster than it had any right to be. And worse—it was healing. Rapidly.
They fought on the move, the battle leaping from one clearing to the next like wildfire. Claws ripped. Teeth snapped. The woods echoed with howls, growls, and the crack of trees giving way.
Through the thick dark of the forest, three sets of glowing eyes burned in the shadows.
Red.
Blue.
Amber.
Eventually, they paused—forced to. All three wolves stood in a wide, moonlit glade, panting, bloody, and glaring.
Derek stood off to the left, a few scratches across his side but otherwise intact. Malik had taken the worst of it—his thick black fur was torn in several places, blood glinting along his shoulder and flank where deep claw marks had landed.
The Alpha looked wild—but almost unbothered. There were wounds: a savage bite on its hind leg, deep slashes across its chest, even Malik's fangs still embedded in one of its haunches. But it was healing fast. Muscles stitching themselves back together before their eyes.
Then it froze.
Head tilting. Nose twitching. Sniffing the air.
And then—a roar. No warning, no reason. Just rage.
The Alpha bolted into the woods, faster than either of them expected, tearing through brush and earth like a beast possessed. Malik took a step, then stopped—he sniffed too.
His head turned.
The main road.
Derek cursed. "It's getting away!"
He took off in pursuit, but Malik was already gone, a black blur racing through the forest. Within seconds, he overtook Derek.
Without hesitation, Derek leapt—landing on Malik's back with practiced agility. Malik's massive form barely stumbled. But he turned his head slightly, giving Derek a narrowed, golden glare that clearly said:
"Don't make this a habit."
Derek smirked and crouched lower, bracing himself as Malik surged ahead, trees blurring past on either side.
They had no idea what the Alpha had smelled—but if it was bad enough to enrage it like that, they knew one thing:
Someone was in danger.
And they had to reach them before the Alpha did.