The gentle sound of breathing from inside a room —its window ajar—which was situated at the back of an ancient building suddenly stopped.
With a single whoosh, the folds of the bedspread covering the figure beneath shifted.
"Argh! Can't a person get some peaceful sleep on the weekend?"
Guta muttered aloud, his eyebrows creased in annoyance.
Pam! Pam!
The rhythmic sound of wood striking wood grew louder by the second.
"Damn it!"
He cursed, sitting up in bed and tossing his brown curls out of his face.
"I quit using the alarm, and now I get a human alarm?"
He scoffed, clearly irked, before slipping on his slippers and heading for the door.
As soon as he stepped out of his room, his frustration shifted to surprise when he saw who had disturbed his beauty sleep.
"Mom!"
He exclaimed, his gaze falling on a woman with her back turned to him.
She was focused on the batter she was kneading, her movements smooth and precise.
Her apron was tied at the back, with the fabric gently hugging her curves.
Short black hair was pulled into a ponytail, revealing long lashes framing her eyes.
Guta, now composed, strolled into the kitchen with a playful swing of his arms, stopping at the partition between the spacious living room and the kitchen.
"Ah! This is the first time I've had to get out of bed all by myself"
He said, turning toward the window where the sunlight streamed in.
"I guess it's the sun's fault for being so persistent."
He gave himself a smug smile. "It can't be helped. I'm just a wonderful son, and my qualities should be admired."
Before he could continue his self-praise, Shelley, with her back still to him, set down the rolling pin and turned to face him, hands on her hips.
"I realized!"
She said, her voice as sharp as ever, her skin glowing even more with the sun's rays reflecting off her face.
She had an even fairer complexion than Guta, and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes, a striking ocean-blue, bore into him as she gave him a look that could melt steel.
"What mother wouldn't know that she had to beat the batter to wake her son up from his deep slumber?" She raised an eyebrow, her pointed nose flaring as she spoke.
Guta's muscles tensed involuntarily, his body freezing as her words hit their mark.
"All you know how to do is wolf in and wolf out when it's time to eat" she continued, pointing out his usual defects, causing Guta to feel a pang of embarrassment.
"You are just unbelievable" she remarked, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"That's not true!"
He whispered defensively, though Shelley caught the faint sound.
"Oh?"
Shelley's eyes widened in amusement. "So, I've been lying about you?"
"Nooo"
Guta groaned in protest. "I just need my break from school! That's all."
"Excuse me, lad" Shelley began, her voice stern but teasing.
"Why don't you switch places with me for a day? You come work in the shop, and I'll go to school in your place?"
"I'd be glad to accept the change" Guta said absentmindedly.
Shelley stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing in confusion.
"You'd be glad to…?"
Guta's heart dropped as the realization of his careless words hit him. His breath hitched, and his skin turned pale.
Goosebumps broke out all over his body as he took a step back in panic.
Shelley, not willing to let the matter slide, grabbed an egg from the counter and hurled it at him.
The audacity of it all!
"Dodge, Guta, dodge!" Moocha's voice rang out from the corner.
She was his elder sister, not biological though.
Moocha had been taken by the Choles when she was found as a newly born, dumped by her unknown mother ages ago but she had already knew they weren't her parents as she didn't look a bit after them.
Nevertheless, she had been family and meant lot to them before and after Guta's arrival.
Now she had been standing there quietly, preparing for her own day at the shop, but upon seeing the scene unfold, she couldn't help but intervene.
"Run!" Moocha shouted, but it was too late.
The egg cracked against Guta's head with a loud whack just as he attempted to dodge. The yolk splattered across the floor, making it slippery beneath him.
"Help me! Big Sis!" Guta called out, his hand reaching for Moocha as he lay flat on the floor, defeated.
Moocha hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and turning away.
"Quit being stupid" she said with a smirk. "You've got plenty of work to do now."
Shelley walked toward Guta with a sack of sweet potatoes in her hand, dropping it beside him with a dramatic thud.
"They need peeling. Do a nice, clean job, or you'll be doing it again until you get it right."
She turned on her heel and walked off without another word.
"Mom!" Guta shouted, his voice filled with desperation, hoping to appeal to her mercy.
Shelley paused and hummed in acknowledgment, not turning around.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again" he pleaded.
"Hmm, okay, darling" she responded without looking back. "But remember, your work is always your work."
Guta slumped his shoulders in defeat, knowing he had no choice but to peel the sack of sweet potatoes… and do it well.
Just then, the front door creaked open, and all eyes fell on the polished boots of the person entering.
"Oh my"
Shelley muttered, quickly removing her apron as she adjusted her knee-length, baby pink, flowery gown and moved toward the door to meet her husband.
"Boy, you look a mess"
Chole said, his voice laced with disapproval as he glanced at Guta, who was still on the floor, covered in egg yolk and clearly not in his best state.
Guta quickly sat up, embarrassed, and recoiled into a pitiful stance to avoid yet another round of mockery.
"You don't have to mind him, I gave him a piece of my mind already."
Shelley reassured, taking off Guta's fur coat and carefully hanging it away.
"Hmm."
Chole sighed in response.
"Good morning, Dad"
Moocha offered with a smile, and Chole hummed a greeting before settling onto the two-seater couch, relaxing his back.
"How was the meeting at the palace?" Shelley asked as she hurried to sit beside him.
"We have the upper hand over the intruders, and the Alpha will be available tonight."
Chole's words were deliberate, but Shelley gasped in surprise, and added, "The Alpha?"
"Is he joining tonight? What about the mate bond cycle? Does he have control over it yet?" she asked all at once, her concern for Lyon evident.
"No, he hasn't. We couldn't talk him out of it"
Chole replied with a shake of his head, his tone tinged with disappointment.
His eyes closed as he let his thoughts drift. He needed to find a solution—after all, he would be among those at the forefront, standing by his Alpha's side if needed.
"It's going to be alright" he heard Shelley say, her voice soothing as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She rose soon after, but the tension in the room remained.
Clack! Clack!
The sound of a knife slicing through potatoes interrupted his thoughts, and with every chop, his patience thinned.
Unable to ignore it any longer, Chole's eyes snapped open, glowing with ember-like intensity.
His fangs elongated, and his wolf form began to emerge, the transformation taking shape from his head to his sharp claws.
The family didn't notice right away, but his tone was unmistakably different as he growled.
"GUTA!"
The force of his command yanked the knife from his son's grip and sent it crashing into the wall. Before Guta could react, he was suspended in the air.
As he turned to face the trio, Chole's anger began to dissipate.
His wolf form receded, and he stood human again, watching his family with dilated pupils and trembling hands.
Chole's long face, his round eyes full of unspoken words, spoke volumes. His thin lips stayed firmly sealed, refusing to form a smile.
"Hgnh! Pardon me" Chole muttered, his gaze lowering.
With that, he walked past Moocha and toward the bedroom door. Shelley gave him an agitated look as he passed, but he didn't acknowledge her.
He didn't like showing his beastly nature to his family. He preferred using it in combat—against an enemy.
"Get me the elixir" he requested, his voice low.
Shelley froze, her body tensing before Chole quietly closed the door behind him.
"The... the... the elixir?" she stammered, her mind struggling to process the gravity of his request. She followed him shortly after.
"It's the family emblem" Chole's voice came from behind the door. "It's what makes us strong."
Moocha and Guta could hear Shelley's response, her voice soft but filled with concern: "The same emblem that's said to be used in difficult times... and we've been approached by one."
"Yes" Chole replied from the other side, his voice heavy with thought.
"We've been approached, and it's something we can't ignore."
A silence settled over the room. Guta, still suspended in the air, finally spoke up.
"Uhn, Dad? I'm still up here."
He shifted uncomfortably, growing more aware of his awkward position.
The moment he spoke, he suddenly fell with a thud to the floor.
"Argh!" Guta groaned, picking himself up. "I was almost forgotten there."
"We all forgot about you, sorry" Moocha said with a wry smile as she walked past him, carrying the supplies she had gathered.
"Eishh! Pleaseeee!" Guta pouted, following after her, but she didn't even look back.
---
Crestview Pack: Nightfall
The sound of footsteps echoed through the thick forest, distant at first but growing louder as the creature moved forward.
Soon, it resembled the thunderous rush of a pack of wild hyenas, their chaotic movements sweeping through the tall grass.
The pack—invincible in their haste—charged forward, rustling the undergrowth, scattering owls and other chirping birds from their perches.
As the last of the tall grass gave way, the form of a massive wolf emerged, moving with regal power.
"Awnwoohhhh!!!"
The wolf let out a triumphant, high-pitched growl, his voice cutting through the still night.
His snow-white fur gleamed under the moonlight, his fangs sharp and gleaming as he bared them in a mighty snarl.
His size, three times that of an ordinary wolf, was nothing short of imposing.
Lyon, the Alpha, stared defiantly at the dark sky, his golden eyes flickering with a fierce determination.
"I'm free!!!"
He growled joyfully, unaware that his telepathic link had just flared to life, connecting him with the six subordinates who formed his pack.
"Alpha!"
The deep growl of his wolf echoed through his mind, but Lyon couldn't pinpoint where the voice had come from.
"Alpha" a voice repeated.
"Your Majesty."
"Alpha, please don't do this. You shouldn't be out there alone. Stay put; I'll come to you."
Beta Jackson's voice came through, concern lacing his every word as he reached out to the Alpha.
Yet, Lyon, in his moment of freedom, simply disconnected the telepathic link without a second thought.
As the connection faded, the clouds parted just enough to reveal the full moon—only this wasn't just any full moon.
It was the Blood Moon, a harbinger of agony for the mate-less, a night when the unbonded wolves would feel an unrelenting, soul-crushing pain.
Lyon's growl dropped to a low, almost mournful tone as he caught sight of the moon.
There was an instinct deep inside him that screamed to retreat, to find shelter, but he was too far from the dense forest, exposed in the open field with nothing to conceal him.
It was too late now.
He had exposed himself, and he would bear the consequences.
He tensed, the sharpness of his senses becoming a torment as every snap of a twig, every rustling in the grass, only reminded him of his vulnerability.
At this moment, even an ant would have given away his position.
Mateless wolves were weak—no matter their status or power in the pack. A wolf without a mate was little more than a shadow of their true potential.
"This is bad! Everyone, move faster!" Jackson's voice rang through the minds of his packmates, urgent and frantic.
Jackson's worry gnawed at him. If anything happened to the Alpha… He would never forgive himself.
If only Lyon had kept him informed of his movements, he could have stayed close and kept him safe, but Lyon had cut off all communication, leaving Jackson to scramble in the dark.
A massive black wolf with ember eyes kept pace with Jackson, its resolve hardening with each passing moment.
The pack couldn't afford to lose their Alpha. Not now. Not ever.
Did the elixir not work?
Chole's mind raced as he remembered the conversation with his wife earlier that day.
"It's the family emblem that makes us strong" she had said, her voice soft but firm.
"I know"
Chole had responded. "But that emblem is also a symbol of responsibility. If we face trouble tonight, we'll need to be ready."
His wife had been convinced, and she had given him the elixir, a powerful concoction meant to ease the pain of the Blood Moon.
And had taken it to Lyon before night fell.
Now, as he rushed deeper into the forest, he wondered if the elixir had been enough to help Lyon.
Or did he not use it?
Suddenly, a high-pitched cry pierced the air, followed by a deep, guttural growl that seemed to vibrate through the trees.
Lyon wasn't alone.
Rage flared in Jackson's chest as he realized the Alpha was in danger. The pack's safety was secondary now—Lyon's life was on the line.
"Alright, everyone!"
Jackson's voice surged with authority as he contacted the pack.
"We're at the heart of the forest. We need to split up and search every corner. Do your best to find the Alpha, and don't let anything happen to him."
With those words, the subordinates scattered, their paws thundering against the earth as they raced down separate paths in search of their leader.
Meanwhile, Lyon had, had a rival who he had fought with all might but unfortunately his rival had struck his last at him just after he felt the effect of the elixir waned off.
But Chole came flying out of the grass after sensing Lyon scent.
Something had gone wrong.
Before Lyon could realize what happened, Chole had thrown the rival far before rushing to his Alpha's side.
"Alpha! "
He called out but noticed his eyes closing in.
"No, please stay with me"
But they were already shut in.