The forest was thick with the hush of morning. Dew clung to the leaves, and the soft rustle of feet on damp soil was the only sound that broke the silence. Sunlight filtered weakly through the canopy above, casting fragmented light across the mossy ground. Tyler led the group, his sharp eyes scanning ahead as the others followed closely behind.
"Be careful," Jasper said suddenly, reaching out as Bella stumbled on a hidden root.
"Thanks," Bella replied, grinning as she regained her footing.
"It's nothing," Jasper said, quickly looking away as he released her arm.
Tyler slowed down, his nose twitching slightly. "I'm picking up an odd smell."
"Me too," Sophia said, her gaze meeting his in quiet concern.
"If we told our ancestors about this, they wouldn't believe it," James muttered from the back.
Henry came to a sudden halt. "I'm sure they wouldn't."
The entire pack stopped, their ears perked and senses alert.
"Vampires showing up in daylight… that's wildly awkward," Bella added, folding her arms.
"I know, right?" Sophia said, nodding. "Something's not right. Max's pack attacked a vampire last night during their patrol, and according to what I heard..."
She paused, glancing around to make sure everyone was listening.
"The vampire… it vomited a poisonous liquid. Melted everything it touched."
Gasps rose from the team, rippling like wind through dry leaves.
"A vampire vomiting poison?" Tyler echoed, disbelief in his voice. "That's unheard of."
"Maybe it's a vampire from the druid lineage," Jasper suggested, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. "There've always been stories… vampires with demonic abilities."
"Sounds terrifying," Henry muttered, his eyes shadowed.
"Let's not get carried away," Sophia interjected firmly. "From what we know, sunlight still harms them. We need to stay focused. If there are vampires here, we deal with them."
The rest of the pack nodded in agreement except Tyler, who remained still, thoughtful.
They resumed their pace, moving cautiously, eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The forest seemed to grow quieter, the air heavier.
Then Bella paused, her body tense.
"I can sense vampire presence... stronger here," she whispered, eyes fixed ahead. "My instincts never lie."
She pointed toward a large, dark structure partially hidden behind trees a long-abandoned wooden home, rotting and sun-bleached with age. Its shutters were broken, its front steps sagging under decay. Despite the daylight, it exuded a cold, unnatural darkness.
The pack stared at it in silence.
Something was waiting inside.
A heavy silence cloaked the forest as the pack stood before the old, decaying house. Shadows loomed in the broken windows, and the wood was splintered with age. Tyler narrowed his eyes at the structure, his instincts prickling.
"I can sense it too… way too strong," James muttered, fists clenching.
"Be careful, guys. Stay on guard," Sophia said firmly. The pack nodded in unison except Tyler, whose eyes were fixed on the house like it might come alive.
They began their descent toward the crooked porch. Tyler reached out, gently grabbing Bella's hand. "Be careful," he whispered.
Bella gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I'll be fine, Tyler."
But Tyler wasn't fine. He hated this bringing her into danger. If it were up to him, she'd be far from here. But they had no choice. They were wolves. This was war.
At the doorstep, Tyler lifted his leg and kicked the door in. The rotted wood groaned as it crashed open. Inside, darkness sprawled like a thick blanket. Dust danced in the slivers of sunlight piercing through the cracks.
"You feel good, man?" James asked, patting Jasper's shoulder. Jasper looked tense.
"Yeah…" Jasper muttered, clearly not convincing anyone.
"Stay close, Jasper. You'll be fine. I'm here," Bella said softly, squeezing his hand. Jasper gave a small nod.
Henry smiled beside them.
"I can hear noises… just ahead," Bella said, her ears twitching.
"Really?" Henry frowned, listening as they walked deeper inside. "I can't hear anything."
The floor creaked ominously beneath their feet. Tyler and Sophia led the way, their steps slow and alert. Then Sophia raised her hand a signal to stop.
"Something's coming," she whispered.
Adrenaline flooded their veins. In the next second, a massive iron object came hurtling at them. The pack scattered, dodging it. And then instinct took over.
In a flash, they shifted.
Fur exploded from their skin as bones cracked and twisted. Tyler's midnight-black wolf sprang forward with a furious growl, Sophia's sleek purple wolf close behind.
The vampire struck first too fast.
Henry lunged but was flung across the room by a crushing blow. Bella and James closed in with Sophia, but the vampire grabbed Tyler mid-charge and hurled him at them. They all collapsed in a tangled heap of fur, scrambling to their paws.
"You wolves never learn," the vampire sneered. His voice was cold, mocking. "I'll crush every single one of you."
In a blink, he raised his hands and flung two massive broken tables toward them. The pack dodged again, spreading out and attacking from different angles.
Except Jasper who remained behind, crouched behind an old, tattered couch. His breath caught as he watched the chaos unfold. The vampire was too powerful. Too coordinated. And the pack…
They were falling apart.
Bella and Sophia lunged together, sinking their teeth into the vampire's legs. But with a devastating kick, he sent them crashing through the wall, landing somewhere in the woods beyond.
The vampire turned his rage toward Tyler, Henry, and James lifting five jagged iron rods with a swipe of his hand and hurling them. One slammed into Henry, sending him sprawling. Tyler and James barely dodged, but their mid-air collision sent them crashing into each other with pained howls.
"Miscommunication, I guess," the vampire laughed cruelly.
Jasper's heart pounded. The vampire was right. They weren't connected. The pack hadn't opened their thought channels vital for synchronized attacks in wolf form. Without it, they were moving blindly.
He had to help.
Henry surged back with a roar, his fangs tearing into the vampire's arm. The creature howled and retaliated, slamming a huge beam into Henry, knocking him down hard.
Bella and Sophia reappeared, their fur matted with dust, eyes glowing. The vampire was bleeding now but he still stood.
With a snarl, he lunged at Bella, fangs bared.
Sophia crashed into him just in time, throwing him off course. But he was fast too fast.
James and Jasper charged him, but the vampire caught James by the neck, lifting him like a ragdoll. Tyler lunged, biting deep into the vampire's leg.
The creature shrieked, dropping James.
Seizing the moment, Jasper leapt toward the curtain ripping it open.
A blast of golden sunlight spilled into the room.
The vampire screamed. His skin blistered, smoke rising from his flesh. He stumbled back, writhing. And then with a final, agonized cry he crumbled into ash.
Silence.
Bella and Sophia shifted first, collapsing to their knees, breath heaving. James, Tyler, and Henry followed, shifting with grunts of pain and exhaustion.
Sophia turned to Jasper, a smile breaking through the tension. "Thanks, Jasper. Quick thinking," she said, giving him a thumbs-up.
Bella grinned, brushing dust from her arm.
Jasper, still catching his breath, smiled softly relieved, proud.
They had survived.
This time.