The moonlight was swallowed by clouds, leaving only a dim glow inside the cave. Alpha's eyes burned cold gold in the dark, his gaze shifting from the unconscious Allison to Colt, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat.
**"Explain."**
The word cut through Colt's ears like a blade. His muscles tensed, his tail pressed flat against the ground in instinctive submission—but this time, his claws didn't fully retract.
**"She was hurt,"** Colt said, his voice steadier than he expected. **"By human hunters."**
Alpha's nostrils flared, scenting the blood and human stench in the air. **"So you brought a hunter's whelp into our territory?"** His voice rose, the last words nearly a snarl. **"Have you forgotten the corpses of our pups? Forgotten your mother's death?"**
Colt's chest tightened. The memory of that massacre three years ago flashed before him—his mother's fur pinned to a tree by arrows, her throat slit. His fangs bared instinctively, but this time, his fury wasn't directed at the faceless hunters in his mind. This dying girl didn't fit that image.
**"She's different,"** Colt stepped forward, shielding Allison. **"She's against the hunt. This wound—her own father gave it to her."**
**"Lies!"** Alpha's forepaw slammed against the stone, sending shards flying. **"Humans are born with deceit in their blood. You're blinded by her tricks!"**
Footsteps and snuffling sounds came from outside the cave. Gray's voice cut through the darkness: **"Alpha! Hunters were spotted eastbound—they're carrying silver!"**
The elder's eyes flickered between Colt and Allison before he finally bared his fangs. **"Deal with this human,"** he said, turning away, his words like frozen river water. **"Then join the pack. If you're still my grandson."**
Colt's blood turned to ice.
As Alpha disappeared into the night, Gray lingered deliberately. He leaned close, his hot breath washing over Colt's ear: **"I'll be watching you, little traitor."** His claws dragged lightly over the stone where Allison lay, leaving white marks. **"After we slaughter those hunters, I'll come back for this prey."**
Silence reclaimed the cave. Allison's breathing had grown so faint it was nearly gone, her forehead slick with sweat. Colt mechanically chewed fresh herbs into a poultice, but he couldn't taste the bitterness.
He should obey. He should sink his claws into this human girl's throat, then race to the battlefield to avenge his mother. That was the way of the wolves.
But when he lifted Allison's head to help her swallow the medicine, her eyes suddenly flew open. Those blue eyes were terrifyingly clear in the dark, as if they could see straight through his churning thoughts.
**"Your mother…"** she whispered, her voice barely audible. **"She was killed by a tall man in silver armor, wasn't she?"**
Colt's claws gouged into the stone wall. That detail had never been shared outside the pack.
**"I've seen him,"** Allison's trembling fingers clutched his forearm. **"My father… calls him 'traitor.' Because he kills even his own kind."** Her pupils dilated, her last words mingling with blood. **"West side of the camp… there's a dungeon… holding those who oppose the hunt…"**
Her arm went limp.
Outside, the full moon broke through the clouds. Silver light flooded the cave, illuminating a small, glinting metal object that had slipped from Allison's collar—a pendant bearing the hunter's crest, now cracked in half to reveal a faded picture: a young Allison held aloft by a man in silver armor, and in the corner, barely visible, Alpha's shadowed form watching from the trees.
A distant howl suddenly turned into a shriek of agony. Every hair on Colt's body stood on end—that was the sound of silver searing flesh.
His claws lengthened uncontrollably, bones cracking under the moonlight. Two bloodlines warred inside him: the loyalty taught by his pack, and the truth a human had died to reveal.
When a second dying howl tore through the night, Colt wrapped Allison in furs and leaped into the darkness—away from the battlefield.