After the urgent call reached Tahel, they raced towards the farm that had once been the sanctuary for the Mattituck werewolves. An uneasy tension gripped them all, their hearts racing with the dread of arriving too late.
As they approached, their worst fears came to life.
Half of the werewolves who had been tending the farm were dead, along with the guards who had tried to protect them. It was all the hybrid's doing.
Khan felt a surge of grief and rage as he surveyed the blood-soaked soil. He saw Mahan, wounded and broken, kneeling beside three small bodies. They were children no older than ten and had been killed mercilessly. Mahan sobbed uncontrollably, clutching their limp hands.
Louis stood motionless, his cheeks drenched in silent tears. Luka, who was more vocal about his feelings, screamed in despair. He cursed and punched the ground, unable to cope with the loss.
Camill, Tahel, and Najak moved around the farm, checking for any survivors. They knew it was futile, but they couldn't accept the reality. They hoped for a miracle, a sign of life among the corpses.
Ruslan stood by Mahan's side, his hand resting on Mahan's trembling shoulder, offering what little comfort he could muster while grappling with his own grief.
Khan felt like he was trapped in a nightmare. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This farm was supposed to be a safe haven for the werewolves. It was within their territory, and it was well hidden from outsiders. Tahel had given them this land to farm peacefully, away from human interference. They should have been alerted of any intrusion.
But then he remembered the dark mages. His hands folded in fists trembled in anger.
It must be them. They must have used their magic to bypass the security and unleash the hybrids.
The echoes of screams and stifled sobs filled Khan's ears, making him feel as though the world had crumbled around him, his legs weakening beneath him. Tahel walked slowly back to him, his shoulders weighed down, his face etched with sorrow. As their eyes locked, tears welled up in Tahel's eyes, streaming down his cheeks as he covered his mouth with trembling hands, unable to contain his grief.
Khan's heart shattered. Once again, he had failed to protect those under his care.
*
After the bodies were taken from the farm, the pack returned to the barracks. The mood was heavy, and a sense of gloom hung in the air.
Khan stood at the head of the table, unsure where to start. He lifted his eyes to check on Mahan, who was staring blankly at the floor, his face expressionless. Luka, seated nearby, nervously fiddled with his hands, his knuckles still red from punching whatever he could find in his frustration.
Tahel and Ruslan's eyes were still puffy and red from crying, Camill had not uttered a word since they left the farm, and Najak, who usually could crack a joke or show some anger in serious times, was silent. And Enzy, the one who worked closely with him, their beta, his second in command, was not around.
Taking a deep breath and massaging his nose bridge, Khan struggled to find the right words. He knew there was nothing he could say or do to make things better, but they had to regroup and discuss what to do with the non-fighting werewolves in their clan, including the Mattituck werewolves who had long been part of their group.
How did the dark mages find the place? Khan wondered.
That place had a spell cast by Gisbert to hide the scent and markings of their kind, like other werewolf houses. No vampires could have spotted it, either.
Khan cleared his throat to break the silence, ready to share his thoughts on what they should do next when the door suddenly opened with force. It was Enzy, his face full of worry.
"Please close the door," Khan said, but a hand appeared at the edge of the door, pushing it open. It was Zira, following closely behind Enzy.
She met his eyes apologetically and approached Tahel, checking on him. Tahel pointed at Mahan, and Zira moved to him to heal his wounds and injuries.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here," Enzy said, his voice filled with regret. "I... I had to deal with something important. I learned everything from Mono."
"Please, have a seat," Khan said to Enzy, who sat down between Najak and Tahel, facing the twins and Mahan.
"We just want to protect our people, Khan," Louis said, his eyes fixed on the table. "It hurts to know that we were out there saving strangers while our own were dying."
"I understand your pain," Khan said, "But you are not alone in this. Your people are our people, too. We all care for each other, and we need to work together. I have an idea of moving everyone to a safer place-"
"That's what you said about the farm," Luka interrupted, glaring at Khan. "But they still found them. We lost eight of our own, including children. We sacrificed them for some humans!"
"Luka," Mahan whispered, trying to soothe him.
"Look," Najak leaned forward and spoke in a calm tone. "I get how you feel, okay? I know you're hurting, and so are we. You may have come from a different clan, but we are one now. We welcomed you here. No one saw this coming."
"Maybe we can stay with our people for now, and only join you when it's really necessary," Louis suggested.
"Yeah, maybe that's better," Ruslan agreed.
"Every mission is necessary," Enzy argued. "Like Khan said, we can increase our security and move them to a more convenient location."
Khan nodded. "Yes, we can relocate them near my home. There's an empty villa that they can use. Then, we can assign more guards."
"I can also cast a stronger spell around the area," Zira offered, which Khan appreciated. "It will alert you if any dark mana is nearby."
They all fell silent for a moment. Khan thought it was a reasonable plan, but he could sense the reluctance from some of his pack members.
"I appreciate your help," Louis said with a faint smile. "But we have to put our people first. I hope you understand."
"I'm sorry, but that sounds selfish," Enzy said, drawing everyone's attention. "And stop saying 'our people.' We are in the same clan. Do you think we don't care about you and the werewolves who came with you from Mattituck? Do you think we wanted them to die while the pack was defending the school?"
"Enzy, calm down. Let's be more understanding. They're grieving," Khan said, trying to ease the tension.
Enzy clicked his tongue. "And we're not?"
Khan was stunned by Enzy's reaction. He usually had something rational to say and rarely lost his temper. He felt like he was looking at a stranger.
Luka sneered. "You're saying all this, but you weren't even with us when it happened."
"What did you say?" Enzy snapped.
Najak put his hand on Enzy's shoulder. "Chill, man. We're trying to sort things out. The last thing we need is to fight."
Louis stood up abruptly, making his chair scrape the floor.
"I don't care if you think I'm selfish," he said, looking at Enzy and then at Khan. "We lost eight people. Eight," a tear rolled down his cheek. "After surviving the attacks in Mattituck, all we wanted was to keep everyone safe, the ones who were left."
He turned around and walked away.
"Louis, wait!" Tahel called out and got up from his seat.
Enzy scoffed at the scene. "Why do you act like you're the only ones who are suffering from losing our kind? It's like you're telling us that we don't care."
"Enzy, please stop," Khan ordered. "Louis, please come back. Let's talk about this."
Louis turned to face them but avoided their eyes. "I just want to look after the people I grew up with a little more. I'm sorry if I sounded like you didn't care."
"Why are you apologizing?" Luka butted in, his brows arched. "It's not wrong to care about the people we came here with. Anyone that would think it's selfish is projecting."
Mahan stood up as he sensed the tension rising.
"Let's talk again tomorrow, Khan," he said, gesturing for the twins to follow him, with Ruslan and Camill also leaving their seats.
"Selfish?" Enzy repeated, crossing his arms over his chest. "If I were selfish, I wouldn't have traded Zira for the three of you."
The five stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Enzy. Khan, Najak and Tahel were shocked by his words. Zira also glanced at Khan, confused by what she heard.
"What do you mean?" Mahan asked him to clarify.
Enzy got up, leaning on the table with both hands. Najak, knowing what would happen next, pressed his hand on Enzy's shoulder and motioned for the others to leave.
"It's been a long day. Please get some rest and spend time with your families," Najak said, referring to the relatives of the killed werewolves.
"No, I want to hear what Enzy meant," Mahan insisted and stepped closer to the table. "What trade are you talking about?"
"I traded Zira for Ruslan, Luka and Louis," Enzy said, his eyes on Luka and Louis. "Because you were our kind, and werewolves always come first to me. To us," he looked at Mahan this time. "You came to ask for help, and we did our best to rescue 'your' people. So I don't understand how this incident made you think we didn't care."
"That's enough," Khan said firmly.
"So if anyone here is selfish, it's you," Enzy said, pointing at Luka. "If I knew that you would turn your backs on us, I wouldn't have betrayed Zira and just gone on with our lives."
Luka's fists clenched as he glared at Enzy, and before he could attack him, Mahan quickly grabbed his arm, and Louis held the other.
"Don't even think of fighting me," Enzy added, and Najak pulled him back to his seat.
"Enzy, come on," Najak scolded him, frustrated.
Enzy sat down but kept his gaze on Luka. That's when they all heard a growl and saw Luka break free from Mahan and Louis's hold, jump over the table, and land on Enzy.
"Enzy, Luka. Stop it!" Khan said, trying to get between them like the others.
Their fight, fueled by strong emotions, made them ignore anyone who tried to stop them. They continued to exchange punches and kicks.
Seeing that the brawl was getting out of hand, Zira reached out her hand and separated them with her magic, lifting them in the air, their backs almost touching the ceiling.
"Let me go!" Luka shouted, his limbs flailing in the air.
"Zira, put me down!" Enzy protested.
Zira ignored them and kept them floating above. A loud crash echoed in the hall as both struggled to escape Zira's magic. Everyone turned to Khan and saw the table broken into pieces.
"I said, stop! Enough!" Khan shouted, losing his patience. "We just lost some of our people. Why are you even fighting?" he said, his frustration showing.
A deafening silence followed. Khan let out a sigh and turned to Zira, signaling her to let Enzy and Luka down.
Zira slowly lowered them to the floor. Enzy and Luka glared at each other, low growls escaping their lips.
"Don't even think of fighting again or I'll have to discipline you," Khan said sternly. "Don't make me do it."
Everyone in the hall went quiet, and their heads bowed at Khan's words — at their alpha's words.
"If anything..." Khan paused. "... You are all my responsibility. I failed to foresee that the dark mages could still find the farm. It was a mistake on my part."
"Come on, Khan," Najak said, holding Enzy by the arm. "You did what you thought was best. We gave them land and shelter, even protection. No one asked for this to happen."
"Well, thank you for everything, masters. I hope we can repay you for all the things you bestowed upon us," Luka said sarcastically.
Louis quickly pulled Luka's sleeve in a slight panic. "We should go."
"That's not what I meant," Najak said, growing frustrated as well. "Masters," he repeated what Luka said, which greatly offended him.
Louis dragged Luka away and exited the door with Ruslan. Camill glanced at everyone and turned his back, leaving the meeting hall. Mahan was left with them; his complexion had improved since Zira healed him.
"I'm sorry about that. I'll talk to them, especially Luka," Mahan said, lowering his head as he apologized, which puzzled Khan.
It was the second time he ever saw him do that. The first time was when he sought their help to rescue the Mattituck werewolves. The time when they barely knew each other. Something dawned on Khan, but he tried to shake off the thoughts.
"Don't apologize," he said to Mahan. "They're hurting. Sometimes, we can say things we don't mean when we're in pain."
Mahan gave a small, halfhearted smile. "I'm sorry, Khan, but we would like to ask for some time away. This was very hard for us, especially for the four."
"So, you're turning your back on us when we're supposed to prepare for the moonless night, is that what you're saying?" Enzy snapped.
Khan hissed at Enzy's words. "Enzy, this is my last official warning."
Mahan smiled bitterly and didn't reply to Enzy. He looked at Khan.
"We'll be in touch," Mahan said and walked toward the door.
"Mahan," Khan called out, but he didn't stop.
"I wonder if you ever saw us as part of yours like we do to you," Najak said, which made Mahan pause. But not even a minute, he continued on his way, and the door closed behind him.
"What was that, Enzy?" Najak demanded, letting go of Enzy's hand as if it burned him. "What were you thinking back there? No, scratch that. What the fuck was wrong with you?"
Enzy looked at him with a mix of anger and confusion. "How can you not be offended by what they were saying?" he retorted.
Najak clenched his jaw and looked away. He grabbed his jacket from the wooden rack and headed for the door. "Khan, can you please talk some sense into him? I can't deal with this crap right now," he said over his shoulder and stormed out of the room.
"I'll go to the wake," Tahel said quietly, following Najak with Zira in tow.
Khan slumped into his chair, his elbows on his lap, and his hand ran across his face in frustration.
"Khan-"
"Apologize to them," Khan cut him off.
Enzy frowned. "Why should I?"
Khan stood up and shot him a piercing look. "Because you should have known better," he said coldly and left Enzy alone in the room.
Khan made his way to his quarters, his heart heavy with emotions. Werewolves had died within their territory; hybrids were on the loose, and the looming threat of vampires and dark mages—all while their pack was falling apart.
Instead of entering his room, Khan changed course and walked into the woods. He needed some fresh air and some space to clear his head. He walked through the trees, then broke into a run. He ran past the twigs and branches, feeling the dried leaves crunch beneath his feet, until he was far from the barracks.
He halted beside the tallest tree in the woods, the one they used to climb as kids. He was about to reach out for the trunk to climb when he heard someone calling his name.
"Khan."
He turned around to the familiar voice and felt a surge of relief and gratitude. It was Zira, and she looked at him with concern in her eyes, knowing exactly what he was going through. And as if she read his mind, she reached out a hand to him. Khan took her hand without hesitation, pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
Her warmth gave him comfort and solace, melting away some of the pain and stress he had been carrying. He felt her arms hugging him back and her breath against his chest, soothing his racing heartbeat.
Khan held her tighter as if she were the last thing he had in this world. He suddenly noticed how small and soft Zira was, and he inhaled deeply, taking in her scent. But there was something else. His brows furrowed.
"Were you..." Khan said in a low voice, holding Zira at arm's length so they could look at each other in the eyes. "Not that it matters, but were you with someone this afternoon?"
Zira blinked nervously, hesitating before responding. "Just with the people in the mansion."
Khan nodded reluctantly, offering a faint smile. "Thanks for checking on me. You can return to the barracks now. I just need a few minutes to think."
"But-"
"I'll be fine. I just need some time alone," he reassured her.
Zira nodded and disappeared in front of his eyes, using her teleportation ability to return to the barracks. He was left alone in the woods, leaning against the tree trunk. He could not be mistaken. His sense of smell would never betray him, especially with a scent that he knew well. But he was so confused.
Why did Enzy go to Zira and lie about it? And why was Zira covering for him?
To be continued....