The wind howled through the trees as Malik sprinted through the forest, Derek holding tight to his back. They burst from the tree line and onto the gravel shoulder of the main road just in time to hear it—
Gunshots.
They cracked through the night like thunder. The sharp, high-pitched howl that followed sent a chill through both wolves' spines.
Malik didn't hesitate. He pushed harder, muscles bunching beneath his thick fur as he flew across the open road, heading toward the sound. Derek gritted his teeth and held on tighter, crouching low.
Not far away, Kate Argent calmly loaded her rifle.
The weapon gleamed under the streetlights, its long barrel topped with a military-grade scope. Her truck was open, a mobile arsenal: pistols, grenades, magazines of all shapes and sizes. She selected a small, wooden box—delicately etched with a flowering plant—and cracked it open.
Wolfsbane rounds.
She slid them into place with a calm, practiced ease.
---
At the Argent house, Chris stood in the foyer, jacket in hand.
"I'm heading out," he told Allison, giving a measured smile. "Kate's got a flat. Needs backup."
Allison tilted her head. "A flat tire at this hour?"
"Yeah. You know your aunt." Chris stepped out the door, locking it behind him with one hand, his other already on his phone.
---
Back in the warehouse district, the chase had led Derek and Malik to a series of crumbling buildings and shadowy loading docks. Derek hopped off Malik's back and examined the trail of blood—small drops leading deeper into the industrial maze.
Malik's ears twitched.
Thump-thump.
A heartbeat. Not Derek's. Not his own.
He slowly raised his head—and there it was.
The Alpha. On the rooftop, crouched and staring.
In the dim glow of the security lights, Derek finally got a clear look at the creature. Power radiated off it in waves. Its red eyes gleamed with malice—but there was something else in its expression.
Amusement.
A smirk. Then, it turned and began scaling the brick wall effortlessly, vanishing to a higher rooftop like a shadow dissolving into the stars.
"Go!" Derek shouted, and they both ran again—Malik sticking to the alleys, Derek scaling an adjacent building in pursuit.
He sprinted along the rooftop, heart pounding, the Alpha just ahead.
And then—CRACK!
A rifle shot echoed through the district.
Pain exploded in Derek's shoulder as a bullet tore through muscle and sinew. His momentum broke—he stumbled mid-leap, arms flailing—and fell.
Hard.
He slammed onto a concrete ledge, rolled violently, and dropped again to the pavement below, landing with a crunch that shook his ribs.
"DEREK!" Malik shouted internally, skidded to a halt, golden eyes wide.
The scent of blood was thick in the air. And something else.
Wolfsbane.
Malik turned, eyes blazing, instincts torn between finishing the chase—or protecting his temporary packmate.
Behind him, the Alpha paused again, just out of reach.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
Malik snarled, low and vicious, as he turned back for Derek.
The scent of wolfsbane burned in his nostrils. His amber eyes blazed as he skidded to Derek's side, lowered his massive form, and gently grasped him by the back of his jacket and collar. He was careful—very careful—not to worsen the wound.
Another shot rang out behind him.
Malik twisted at the last second, the bullet grazing air where he'd just been. With a growl, he launched into the underbrush, weaving between the trees with breakneck speed. The forest closed in around them, branches clawing past his fur, but his reflexes and preternatural hearing guided him.
He heard her. The shooter.
Kate Argent.
As she stood up from her prone position, casually dusting herself off, Malik glanced back.
His eyes locked on hers.
Amber met ice.
Kate smiled—a slow, predatory grin as if welcoming the fury behind that glare. She relished the wildness in his eyes, the fury, the power.
Malik held that gaze a moment longer, a silent promise behind the beast's eyes. Then he vanished into the shadows, Derek held close as they disappeared deeper into the forest.
---
Moments later, a sleek black SUV pulled up.
Chris Argent stepped out, his expression grim. "Put the rifle away, Kate. Someone's going to see you."
Kate slung it onto her back with practiced ease. "There were three of them."
Chris's face tightened. "Three?"
"One moved like the Alpha. Big. Powerful. The other two..." She trailed off, tilting her head in thought. "Have you ever seen a wolf run like that and think it's a werewolf, but it's not quite? One of them wasn't like the others."
Chris narrowed his eyes. "Did you hit the Alpha?"
Kate shrugged. "Not sure. But I hit someone."
"That's a problem," Chris said, irritated. "We need one to lead us to the others. You kill them, and we're left chasing shadows."
Kate folded her arms. "And if one of them kills me first? You can't protect me from that."
Chris gave her a look—one filled with worry, but also years of resignation. "How long do you think we've got before it takes them out?"
Kate looked to the tree line, then to the blood trail that had already begun to fade under the pine needles and night air.
"I give him forty-eight hours. If that."
---
Behind a nearby building, Scott stood frozen in place.
He'd heard everything.
And now, with more questions than answers, he turned toward the forest. The weight of the supernatural world was pressing down harder than ever.