Selene had already finished off the other werewolf—the beast's head was riddled with bullets, smoking slightly where the silver rounds had found their mark. But her sharp eyes caught sight of Luke amid the chaos, and for a brief moment, confusion flickered across her usually unreadable face.
He was human. Plain as day. Yet somehow, he moved with unnatural speed, his gloves crackling with wild, flickering flames.
In all her years hunting Lycans and vampires, she'd never seen anything like this. Fire magic? It was unheard of in their world—at least from humans.
But there was no time to dwell on it now. Questions buzzed in her mind: Why had the Lycans suddenly ramped up their activity? Why were they chasing a human?
There were bigger problems than curiosity. She needed answers, fast.
Luke met her gaze steadily, not a flicker of doubt or fear in his eyes. "Looks like we're after the same guy—Michael," he said, voice calm but firm. "How about we team up and catch him? Temporary allies, just until this is over."
He knew Selene's sharp vampire instincts would zero in on why Lycans were chasing a human—especially one like Michael. She'd want answers, and she'd get them once he was caught.
Selene nodded quietly. She needed answers from this guy too, so keeping him close was necessary.
Together, they burst out of the apartment and sprinted down the dim corridor, following Michael's trail.
They didn't expect Michael to still be in the corridor—after all, the guy had bolted out of the room just two minutes ago.
Luke had figured he'd be long gone by now, maybe hiding somewhere .
But to their surprise, there he was.
Michael was slung over the shoulder of a massive figure—a man Luke instantly recognized as the Lycan leader. As usual, since this guy was a guy, Luke couldn't recall his name.
Holy fuck, the big boss of the Lycans, Luke thought, eyes locked on Michael hanging from the man's shoulder. He couldn't let that happen—not if he wanted Michael's blood for his own purpose.
He wasn't exactly a hero here; saving Michael was mostly out of pure selfish reasons. If that guy got away with Michael, Luke's plans would go up in smoke—literally.
Selene didn't hesitate—she just fired. She figured this guy had to be a Lycan too since he was kidnapping Michael, and with werewolves after him, it made perfect sense.
In her world, when you see a Lycan, you shoot first and worry about questions later.
Bang bang!
She mainly shot at the right side of the man's body since Michael was slung over his left shoulder.
Caught completely off guard, the guy wasn't able to dodge the bullets—carrying a human hostage left him vulnerable.
The shots hit hard; he winced and staggered backward as three bullets tore through his muscle and bone.
Luke saw his chance and didn't hesitate. "Blazing Dash!" he shouted, flames erupting at his feet as he surged forward with blazing speed.
With a powerful kick, Luke slammed into the Lycan's chest, driving him backward.
The force made Michael slip from the man's shoulder and fall limply to the floor—unconscious like a sack of potatoes. The Lycan leader stumbled, unbalanced and furious, like a heavy load suddenly dropped.
Without wasting a second, Luke bent down and grabbed Michael like a sack of potatoes—awkward, heavy, and definitely not something he was used to carrying.
He tightened his grip and sprinted toward the ground floor, Selene right behind him, moving like a shadow. They burst out of the building, and Selene slid into the driver's seat of the waiting.
"Get in!" she said, no time for chit-chat.
Luke yanked open the back door and tossed Michael into the back seat. No gentle hands here—he figured men could handle a little rough treatment, unlike women, who got the deluxe care package.
Michael was out cold, completely unaware of the chaos around him.
Luke swung open the front door and plopped into the passenger seat, still catching his breath.
"Hit the gas, will ya?!" he shouted.
The engine growled like a beast waking up, tires squealed.
Luke finally let out a long breath, the adrenaline still buzzing in his veins. That fight had been something else—fast, messy, and way too close for comfort.
"So," Selene said, voice steady but sharp, her eyes fixed on the road while one hand kept the wheel firm. The other hand didn't waver as it held a pistol aimed right at him. "Who are you? And how do you know the Lycans are after this human?"
Luke glanced at the gun, but it didn't really change anything—he would've told her even without it.
Rubbing his chin, he tried to pull together the scattered pieces of memory from the Underworld plot.
"Even I don't know the full picture yet," said Luke, his voice carrying a mix of honesty and mild frustration.
It wasn't like he was some walking Underworld encyclopedia. Sure, he'd seen the movie years ago, but that was back when he was just lounging on his couch with snacks, not trapped in the middle of it.
The details were fuzzy now, bits and pieces slipping away like water through his fingers.
Besides, he was human. Forgetting things was human nature—especially when those "things" were buried under years of everyday life, work deadlines, and late-night gaming marathons.
He barely finished the sentence when the world exploded sideways.