Chapter 1 The Fall of The Crimson Howl Pack

"You again. Ugh, let's scram."

"His eyes scare the wolf out of me."

"I know, right? Have the river to yourself, weirdo."

It's always the same thing every day. I'm starting to get used to being bullied and sidelined, so at this point, I'll just keep adapting to the discrimination. Yes, I'm a werewolf, but not just any werewolf—I'm a hybrid. My mom is a wolf. As for my dad, I don't know much about him. My mom never tells me about him, even though I've asked like a million times.

I share a body with two distinct beings. Because of this, I'm feared and disdained. My heterochromia doesn't help, either—one of my eyes is green, showcasing the werewolf blood in me, while the other is purple as a grape, still remaining a mystery to me.

"Wow, this is the biggest salmon yet! Mom is going to be so proud."

I grabbed my bucket of fish and anchored my rickety fishing rod over my shoulder. The season was changing so fast; the damp earth smelled different, like the Earth was trying to convey a message. The sun had started to set. I noticed this and pranced along, singing, until I reached the hill that descended into my village.

That's when my eyes caught something strange.

There were other people in the village—numerous, and not in their human forms. They were in their werewolf forms. But why? Why?

I thought to myself as my feet grew cold under their immense aura. Were they trying to form an alliance or… something else?

I ran as fast as I could, seeking answers to the questions growing like fire in my thoughts. As I descended the sloping hilltop, I tripped and rolled down the hill. By the time I reached the bottom, thanks to the fall, I got up, hid, and peeped out from behind the auburn foliage.

I spotted one of them, probably the alpha, judging by his large body frame. Even without transforming, his aura screamed "unbeatable." I watched as he dismounted a massive beast called the Marding. It was my first time seeing one. It was so big and powerful, even from a distance—a beast befitting an alpha.

Although no one in the Crimson Howl Pack possessed one—not even Alpha Rex.

"Hey there, Alpha Rex, how have you been, my dearest friend?"

"Alpha Thorn, what brings you here? You're here to share some supplies for winter, right?"

They both laughed. They seemed like friends, although I could barely hear what they were discussing. Their interaction was oddly soothing to watch.

"You and your sweet mouth," Alpha Thorn teased. "Bring it in, my good friend."

I sighed in relief as they hugged and patted each other.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I caught the most terrifying sight I had ever seen—Alpha Rex's head was sent flying into the air like a trebuchet-launched boulder, arcing through the sky with unstoppable force.

My eyes widened in horror as our beloved Alpha's body lay motionless—all at the hands of his supposed friend. Dread filled my chest as the crowd erupted into panic.

"Why? Why?"

Beta Max jumped in, furious and ferocious, transforming into his werewolf form. He slashed at Alpha Thorn's chest, but before he could land a second blow, Thorn crushed his head into a gory mess with one swift move.

I couldn't keep up with what was happening. This six-foot-plus beast was unhinged.

"Attack! Kill them all! Invade and destroy! Let this place reek and scream of Shadowclaw territory, because it's ours now. Destroy everything!"

His command was loud, clear, and obeyed without hesitation.

Women, kids, and men were dragged from their homes and brutally slaughtered by the trained wolf warriors.

The courageous few who transformed into their wolf forms were still completely massacred. They were just too strong. My mouth quivered as my brain reached the horrifying conclusion: We were doomed.

"Kindle and torch everything! Destroy their homes! Loot their treasures! Just destroy it all!"

The orders were absolute, filled with anger, fury, and domination. I couldn't help but cry at the chaos unfolding before me. Why is he so vicious?

"Mom."

The word slipped out of my mouth as I remembered her. I ran from my hiding spot, dashing toward my mom's hovel.

"Mom, please be alright."

My lungs needed air, but I denied them. My legs begged for rest, but I ignored them. My mom—I was ready to save her.

When I arrived, she was outside, screaming in terror at the blood, heads, and mutilated body parts strewn everywhere.

"Mama, let's go! Please!"

Dragging her hand, I pleaded, "We have no time. Let's head into the woods. I don't think we've been spotted yet."

I was crying as I pulled her along. She cleaned her eyes and hesitated, holding my face in her palms.

"Run. I'll be fine. Run, Ronan. Run. I promise I'll come back. I just need to get something that will help you with all your questions. You know, the ones you've been asking me."

I froze. "You mean… about Papa?"

"Yes. Now go to the hilltop. I'll meet you in a few minutes."

"Okay, but promise me one thing. If I don't make it... promise me you will become stronger, way stronger than anyone, so you can take vengeance for your pack and for... for m-e."

"Wait, what do you mean, Mama?!"

"Just go. I'll meet you soon."

She pushed me away as she whisked inside to grab this "something."

I obeyed her and ran as fast as I could, reaching the hilltop until my gaze landed on this towering beast. It was Alpha Thorn.

He grabbed me by the neck, his powerful hands gripping so tight that I was on the verge of dying. Out of desperation, I reached into my pocket and brought out a worm.

I threw it in his face, pathetically.

"You!" he growled in annoyance. "How dare you? Such insolence!"

He slammed me with such force that I felt my ribs crack. I yelled in pain.

"What's with your eyes, huh? You're a hybrid—a rare one, huh? You should serve me. You may be of great use later on," he said as he stepped on my thigh, almost snapping my leg in half.

"My legs!" I cried out in agony. Amidst the pain, I could see blood dripping, but it wasn't from me. It was from Alpha Thorn.

A long, sharp poniard had been plunged into him from behind, jutting out through his abdomen.

"You won't lay a finger on my son anymore."

"Mom!" I screamed in absolute delight.

She removed the bloody poniard and stabbed Alpha Thorn's leg to render him immobile.

"I'll kill you myself. You've caused enough chaos to the Crimson Howl pack. It ends now, you foul monster! You are a disgrace to wolfkind. You should just kill yourself."

"Oh, shut up!" His voice was raspy. "You really think that rusty knife could kill me?"

He stood up and slapped my mom to the ground. All his wounds seemed to have healed in a fraction of a second. His ability to heal was beyond extraordinary. It felt like he had dabbled in dark magic.

"Mom, please! Don't hurt her! Let her go!"

"Shut up, you pathetic hybrid. You can't even heal. What are you? And here I was thinking you might be useful for me one day, but you just keep lying there like the rest of your fallen comrades. You... you are weak."

My mom stood up, looked at me, hugged me, and before I could wink or blink or make any facial expression...

I had been pushed off the hill onto a river leading to a waterfall.

"Mom, no!" I swung my hands as I was sent flying. I cried as I fell. The splashing sound of my fall into the water echoed across the woods.

"Mom!" My voice cracked. I was beyond exhausted. I knelt at the shoreline. My injuries had already healed—typical amongst wolfkind.

I was still baffled by how Alpha Thorn managed to heal so fast.

"Find him. Torment him. Kill him," I heard him command.

The loud running noises were unmistakable. The omegas had been ordered to hunt me.

"Mom... she has to be alive. She's still alive, right?" I was delirious.

"I'll go back and find out. Maybe this time… maybe this time, I'll defeat Alpha Thorn."

My resolve was absolute. I got up and started running, seething with anger, fury, and vengeance, while hoping and praying for my mom to be spared and alive.

Within minutes, I found myself surrounded by big wolves and werewolves. The omegas had caught up to me.

With crimson red, fiery eyes, one of them stepped out from behind. His large frame gave him away—it had to be the beta. Even though he was still in his human form, his presence was intimidating.

"Hey, kiddo. I brought you something. Think of it as a way to say we're sorry for all the trouble we've caused."

"Shut up!" I yelled, my tone slicing through the tense air.

"Oh, cocky, aren't we? Here you go."

He snapped his fingers, and one of the omegas brought out my mother's head—plunged onto the poniard she had used to stab Alpha Thorn.

My heart shattered into a trillion pieces.

"No... no. Mom! Is she dead? Mom? You killed her! You beast! No! What have you done to my mom?!"

I screamed in anger as my whole body was covered in purple flames. I grew as tall as six feet. My hands transformed into jagged bones with claws reaching the ground.

Three wings emerged from my back.

A horn on the left side of my head grew out, glowing red.

Terrified at what I had turned into, the beta and the omegas started to panic.

"What is this? What are you?"

The beta tried to calm the omegas. "Don't falter. Kill it! Don't be scared. We are the Shadow Pack. We are the Shadow Clan. We fear nothing. Attack!"

Hesitation was in the air, but I wasn't ready to wait. Full of fury, I wasted no time. I completely obliterated the first ten werewolves.

They stood no chance. I clamped on throats and shredded through thick hides like paper. I had lost control as I turned the plains into a bloody fest. I flung one omega as high as I could, watching him plummet to his death.

I grabbed more of them, tossing wild beasts like they were inconsequential leaves in a gale.

I was unstoppable—until I grew out of breath.

The beta immediately transformed, noticing my weariness. He was ready to fight me. I fell to the ground, transforming back into my human form.

Confused, I noticed blood and guts everywhere. I was shocked and traumatized. There was no time to process it as the hulking beta charged toward me.

"Now you die!"

I had accepted my fate as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Stop!"

A commanding voice carved through the ground like an earthquake. I looked around, searching for the source.

Looking up, I saw Alpha Thorn in his human form, perched on his large beast.

"But Alpha, we can't leave him! He's a threat to our pack!"

"He's probably the last remaining survivor of the trashy Crimson Howl pack. We can't leave him. It's risky. Let's kill him! Let's kill him!"

The beta protested.

"I said leave him. I would love to kill him myself when he's much stronger and older. Even with that abnormal transformation, he still doesn't pose a threat to me. Although..."

Alpha Thorn smirked.

"He managed to pique my interest."

His cadence was full of courage and pride.

"So I did this? I killed these werewolves?" I questioned myself, refusing to believe it.

Terrified and traumatized, I got up and started limping toward the darkness of the woods.

I turned back for a moment, staring up at Alpha Thorn. My gaze shifted to a girl, probably in her early teens, climbing up the hill.

My eyes twitched, and a fresson crept up my spine for an evanescent moment. It was a bizarre feeling I had never felt before.

"Who is that girl?"