Chapter 7 - The Perfect Lure

• It didn't take long for a group of wolves to emerge from the depths of the forest, as if to extinguish the impending threat. The Alpha had transformed into his lupine form just before the pack approached.
• “There are many of them,” I exclaimed worriedly, picking up my trusty dagger and pointing at the beasts surrounding us. “Aren't you a king? Where is your pack?” I looked at him for answers, making him laugh at my words.
• “For these vermin, it's just me and my Beta,” he said confidently, and I couldn't tell if it was his ego or madness.
• “The human belongs to us, Alpha, give her back, and we will leave you in peace without much harm,” a dark wolf growled, who seemed to be the leader of this small group.
• “Is the human one of your allies?” Beta Oliver exclaimed.
• The dark wolf sniffed in my direction, trying to recognize me, until he stopped and narrowed his eyes in doubt.
• “Your appearance is identical, but your scent is not. What kind of magic is this? I've never seen anything like this before,” the dark wolf said, perplexed and confused.
• “I am not Agatha,” I repeated. “What was your connection with her? What did you do to my sister?” With a determined impulse, I struggled to my feet, ready to get the answers I needed.
• “Sister,” there was a hint of malice in the voice of the wolf in the background, who was not in an attacking position. He assessed the posture of each member present near the hut. “Were you two identical twins by any chance?” he asked intrigued, casually flicking his paw at his ear as if the conflict in front of him wasn't happening.
• “And why does that matter?” the Alpha growled, sending shivers through the fur of all the wolves present. His aura was intense.
• “Well, well, King… I didn't know you were so curious,” sneered the cunning wolf in the background, who seemed lazy. “The human was marked by one of us; according to our laws, she belongs to us!”
• “According to the laws, this is determined at her transformation and location,” the Beta growled, positioning himself defensively in front of me. “She must be important to you to risk challenging our king!”
• “YOUR KING, BETA OLIVER,” the dark wolf howled in anger. “Do not insult us or our Crescent Alpha!”
• “If your Alpha is so worthy, why hasn't he come to fight his own battles?” I interjected, unsure which side to take.
• The Alpha's eyes turned to mine with pride, and I could feel his satisfaction with my question.
• “Silent human, your questioning before our majesty is blasphemy,” the dark wolf threatened, taking a few steps forward and encouraging the others to form a half-circle around us.
• The other wolf, who had been watching from the background, stayed in his corner and instructed, “Kill the Alpha and the Beta, bring the human alive to our king,” he sang with amusement.
• “What does she mean to you?” the angry Beta snapped. “If you don't answer willingly, we will force the answers out of you.”
• “Try if you can!” taunted the lazy wolf, forcing the others in his pack to look at him in fear of the Alpha in front of him. “Don't be cowards, he is cursed, abandoned by our goddess, kill the Alpha!”
• There was malice in the Alpha's eyes as the lazy wolf spoke these words. Skillfully, he lunged at one of the wolves, initiating a direct conflict. His right hand, the Beta, went after two more in front of him, biting one on the shoulder and the other on the leg. The Alpha roared, causing the Beta to freeze and step back, leaving the battlefield to his excellence.
• I couldn't deny that he was indeed the dominant predator, but something in his demeanor had changed, becoming a ruthless beast that attacked without mercy. The Beta turned to me in haste:
• “LET'S GO, it's not safe here anymore!” he nudged me with his snout, making me run towards the hut.
• “And is it safe with you?” I limped, almost falling on my way home.
• “Believe me, it is,” the Beta said with a hint of fear in his eyes. As I followed his lead, I saw the Alpha grow in size and become unrecognizable. His fur was thicker and denser, his fangs covered in blood and pieces of fur and flesh from the other wolves he had torn apart.
• As I scanned the area, I saw only two badly injured individuals trying to escape, but he wouldn't let them get too far.
• So we entered the cabin and Beta led me to a room that looked like something out of a nightmare. We went in and continued to study the footage… This Alpha was nothing like what I'd known; it was… It was… A true bloodthirsty beast!
• Just imagining him near Conan, I covered my mouth as a sob escaped, sending a shiver down my spine.
• We saw the Alpha turn to the lazy wolf and roar:
• “Tell your Alpha that the human belongs to me. When she is no longer useful to me, I will send her remains for her to enjoy!” A thunderous growl erupted. “Unless you want me to send you to your king in pieces.”
• He was completely dark; the lazy wolf was embarrassed and moved away, his paws trembling visibly. He turned and ran, encouraging the Alpha to follow.
• We didn't see him for hours, and Beta gave no indication that we would be leaving anytime soon. I sat down and touched the wound, which seemed to be healing easily, but still hurt a lot.
• “How is that possible?” I wondered.
• Beta turned his eyes to me.
• “The transformation has already begun. It will be complete when the moon reaches its highest point,” he explained.
• “I'm going to die, aren't I?” I lowered my eyes, sad. “I can't leave Conan in the hands of that Lycan. He is…”
• “He is cursed, but he would never harm those he loves. The cub is his offspring!” Oliver interrupted. “You don't know him, so don't speak of what you don't know!”
• “I know enough. He scared my sister so much that she felt compelled to run away and hide from him…” I paused. “Even in his last moments, his plea was to protect my nephew.” A tear rolled down my face from the pain of loss and physical pain. “He hunted me, hurt me, and…”
• “He also saved her from the Crescent Moon pack,” Oliver frowned. Even through his fur, his discomfort at speaking ill of his king was palpable.
• “To use me as bait!” I reminded him.
• “We must understand his intentions. You don't know what your sister meant to him or what she represented!” Oliver clenched his fists.
• “Then please tell me,” I raised my eyes to the wolf in front of me. “What did she do to make him hate humans so much?”
• “She betrayed him in the worst way!” He howled violently, declaring that the conversation was over.
• As the hours passed, I succumbed to exhaustion and weakness and finally fell asleep, clutching my dagger tightly to my huddled body in the corner.