Unexpected Info

"You did *what?*" My voice teetered between a yell and a growl. "Alexei, tell me you're joking."

There was a pause, and Alexei dropped into his seat with a sigh. "Sit down, and I'll explain."

I glared at him, feeling my control slipping like sand through my fingers. "You expect me to *sit* after you just told me you ordered the academy to put my job on hold?"

His eyes met mine with an apologetic glance, "You've been in this Pack since you were twelve, brother. You should know I wouldn't make such a decision without a serious reason." He gestured to the chair again. "Sit down."

With an exasperated push of my glasses up the bridge of my nose, I sat, waiting for him to begin. But Alexei just massaged his temple, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

For a moment, the sight of him like that made my heart twist with sympathy. I wanted to ruffle his hair and tell him he was doing a good job, like I used to when we were kids.

But I quickly brushed that off. The twins always knew how to play me. Maybe he pulled this move just to keep me around.

"What do you know about Lycans?" Alexei's question broke my thoughts.

I frowned. "Dad was a Lycan, right? So is Vidar."

Alexei leaned forward, elbows on his knees, as though he was preparing to drop a bombshell. "But what do you really *know* about them?"

"Alexei, where are you going with this?"

"Just answer the question."

I sighed, setting aside my irritation. "They're the strongest, fastest, most durable. I know the basics. Where are you—"

"They're *not* the strongest," Alexei interrupted.

That made me pause. Not the strongest? I'd seen firsthand what Lycans were capable of. I'd seen father tear down walls with his bare hands to save Alexei from a smoky room. And I remembered Vidar—how he'd pinned me to the ground, forcing me to look into his eyes that night.

Now Alexei was telling me there was something stronger?

He started pacing. "No one knows where the Espers come from, but their strength… it's not just Lycans on steroids."

"Espers," I repeated slowly. "I thought that was just a myth."

Alexei chuckled, though it held no humor. "Not a myth. But they're rare. And for good reason."

I blinked, and despite my subconscious telling me not to ask, I still did. "Are you making this up?"

Alexei's eyes darkened, his posture stiffening. Without a word, he headed for the door. "Get up. I need to show you something."

I followed reluctantly, and before long, we were walking down into what seemed like a forgotten dungeon beneath the Pack house. Soldiers lined the way, silent, their expressions tight. Something was off. The air felt dark, suffocating.

"Do you remember Fenrir?" Alexei asked suddenly. "Vidar's best friend? The Beta's son?"

Fenrir? Yeah, I did. Maybe a little too much. If it was the boy who always snuck his way into my room to sit on my bed and watch me do my homework, then yeah.

Fenrir was a weird kid, and although I always suspected it had to do with being one of the few humans in a pack filled with werewolves, something about the boy sent chills down my back.

Just like me, Fenrir was picked from ruins and adopted by the childless Beta and his wife.

So, each time I caught those ice-blue eyes twinkling up at me whenever I pushed my glasses up, I tried not to let it get to me.

"With that silence, you do." Alexei's voice broke into my thoughts. "Well, Fenrir is behind these walls. Fenrir is an Esper."

I stopped in my tracks, my mind struggling to process that information. "What? Fenrir's… human."

"That's what we thought—until he turned eighteen."

I had so many questions. How had they hidden his transformation until then? Why hadn't anyone noticed? All wolves got their abilities at fourteen.

"Why is he locked up?" I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.

Alexei sighed. "Espers are uncontrollable without their guides, but even with that, they can be controlled with a high dosage of suppressants. But Fenrir is something else."

"Different how?"

"Mad."

I stared at him. "I still don't get it."

"You will see."

Nearing a medium-sized gate, a size that looked funny for such thick walls, I looked forward, and my thoughts went quiet.

For standing in front of it, talking to two soldiers, was Vidar. Shoulders straightened and towering like the warrior he was destined to be.

There was some scars running across his face, compared to Alexei, his identical twin, he looked like a rogue and that lazy attire consisting of a tired faded jeans and tattered shirt amplified that.

The moment he saw me, Vidar's expression hardened. His gaze locked onto mine for a second, void of any emotion, before he turned away, dismissing me without a word.

I swallowed hard. Coming back was already proving to be a mistake. I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take.

"Alexei," I said, my voice tight. "I can't do this."

Alexei's face fell for a brief moment, then it hardened again. "This isn't a request, Doctor. It's an order from your Alpha."

I clenched my fists. "Come to me in the courtroom and order me like an Alpha, then I'll stay."

Before Alexei could respond, a loud bang echoed through the dungeon, shaking the ground beneath us. Dust trickled from the ceiling, and the guards snapped to attention, weapons drawn.

"What the hell was that?" I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

Another thud followed, more powerful than the first, and I saw the walls tremble. Vidar cursed under his breath, storming toward the gate. "Get out of here, Theodore!" he barked.

"What's happening?!" I shouted, but no one answered.

And then everything went quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that makes your skin crawl.

Ten seconds, twenty… one minute more in silence, during which they exchanged frustrated glances.

They were mind linking, I knew.

Then Vidar grunted, running fingers through his hair, and began to walk away. Knowing that was the signal that it was safe, I began to back away, too—until the ceiling above me gave way with a deafening crack.

"Theodore!" Vidar's voice echoed in the chaos as the ceiling collapsed above me.

I braced myself for the impact, for the searing pain of debris crushing me. But instead, I felt a weight slam into me, knocking me to the floor.

When I opened my eyes, my breath caught in my throat.

Hovering over me was a creature—massive, feral, with red eyes that burned into my soul. It had the form of a Lycan, but there was something more, something otherworldly about it. This wasn't Fenrir. It couldn't be.

Then, the creature leaned closer, its breath hot on my neck as it inhaled deeply. I felt bones cracking, the air shifting, and suddenly, the fur was gone. Cold skin pressed against mine.

I looked up, and there, in front of me, was Fenrir. Human.

One blue eye twinkled mischievously, while the other, clouded brown, struggled to focus. His lips curled into a grin. "Princey," he rasped, his voice rough but filled with eerie cheer. "You came."

I stared at him in shock, unable to move, unable to speak.

He leaned in closer, his nose almost touching mine, and whispered, "I won't let you leave again."

And just like that, he collapsed on me… breath hot on my neck while I stared at the ceiling.

He weighed a ton, crushing me into bits with all those muscles. But I barely felt it… eyes widened at the broken ceiling… feeling his faint heartbeat thudding against my ribs, the only sign he was still alive.

His body had even begun to get warm.

But even with that, only one thought filled my head…

What... the... fuck!