CURSED LYCAN
The face staring back at her was impossible.
"Marcus?"
Sera's voice cracked on the name. Her legs felt like water. Because Marcus Vane was dead. She'd seen his body. Had watched them lower his coffin into the ground.
But there he stood. Alive. Smiling that same crooked smile he'd always worn when he knew something no one else did.
"Hey, Sera." His voice was exactly how she remembered. Warm. Familiar. Wrong. "Been a while."
Kael moved in front of her, protective. "You know him?"
"He was my partner." Sera couldn't take her eyes off Marcus. "He died three years ago. Same night as my sister."
"Clearly not that dead." Marcus spread his arms. "Surprise."
The casual way he said it made something dark twist in Sera's chest. She pushed past Kael, hand going to her dagger. "What the hell is this? Some kind of sick joke?"
"No joke. Just business." Marcus glanced at the burning safe house behind him. "Nice place. Was nice, anyway. Your friend here has good taste in hideouts."
"You did this." Kael's voice was low. Dangerous. "You're the one controlling the corrupted lycans."
"Controlling?" Marcus laughed. "I'm not controlling them. I'm improving them. Making them better. Stronger. Evolution in action."
Sera felt sick. "The corruption. That's you? You're the one experimenting on lycans?"
"Not just lycans. Humans too. Turns out, with the right combination of lycan blood and a few chemical enhancements, you can create something extraordinary." He tilted his head. "Your sister figured that out. That's why she had to die."
The words hit like a physical blow.
"You killed Riley." Sera's voice shook. Not with fear. With rage. "You killed her and let me think it was a lycan attack."
"She was asking too many questions. Getting too close to the research." Marcus shrugged. "It was nothing personal. Just necessary."
Sera moved before she could think. Drew her dagger, closed the distance in three steps. She was fast.
Marcus was faster.
He caught her wrist, twisted. She felt bone grind. The dagger fell. He swept her legs, and she hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.
"Still predictable," Marcus said, standing over her. "That was always your problem, Sera. Too much emotion. Not enough strategy."
Kael's roar shook the trees. He shifted mid-leap, becoming the beast in a heartbeat. Eight feet of lethal fury crashing toward Marcus.
Marcus didn't even flinch.
He pulled something from his coat—a small device, no bigger than a phone—and pressed a button.
Kael hit an invisible barrier ten feet from Marcus and bounced back like he'd hit a concrete wall. He landed hard, shifted back to human form, gasping.
"What—" Kael tried to stand. Couldn't. His body was rigid. Shaking.
"New tech," Marcus explained. "Emits a frequency specifically designed to paralyze lycans. Disrupts the nervous system. You'll be able to move again in about five minutes. Maybe." He smiled. "Or maybe not. The formula's still a bit unstable."
Sera forced herself up. Her wrist throbbed. Probably sprained. She didn't care. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because someone has to push boundaries. Someone has to see what's possible." Marcus pocketed the device. "The guild is weak. Scared. They'd rather maintain the status quo than embrace progress. So I found new employers. People who understand vision."
"You're insane."
"I'm practical." He walked closer. "And I'm giving you a chance, Sera. Join me. You're one of the best hunters I've trained. With the enhancements I can offer, you'd be unstoppable."
"I'd rather die."
"That can be arranged." The warmth left his voice. "But it'd be a waste. You have potential. Always did. That's why I kept tabs on you. Why I made sure you got the contract to kill Kael here."
Everything clicked into place. "You're the anonymous client."
"Guilty." Marcus grinned. "I needed to see if he'd kill you or save you. Needed to understand what makes him special. Why the curse affects him differently than others."
Kael managed to lift his head. "What curse? What did you do to me?"
"Me? Nothing." Marcus crouched down to Kael's level. "The curse was already there when we found you. Ancient magic. Powerful. We just... activated it. Sped up the process. You should be thanking us, really. Without our intervention, you'd have lived your whole life never knowing what you could become."
"I'm dying." Kael's words came through gritted teeth. "Each full moon takes more of me."
"Yes. Fascinating, isn't it?" Marcus stood. "Your bloodline carries something unique. A genetic marker we've been searching for. The last pure Bloodmoon alpha. Your DNA is the key to perfecting the corruption process. Making it permanent. Controllable."
Sera's mind raced. "That's why you want him alive. You need his blood."
"Need is a strong word. Want is more accurate." Marcus checked his watch. "But this has been educational. Seeing you two work together. The trust building. It's almost sweet."
"Go to hell," Sera spat.
"Already been. Didn't care for it." Marcus snapped his fingers.
Corrupted lycans emerged from the forest. Ten. Twenty. More. They surrounded them in seconds, a wall of rotting flesh and hollow eyes.
But these were different from the others. Their movements were synchronized. Coordinated. They stood at attention like soldiers.
"New batch," Marcus said proudly. "Version three-point-oh. Stronger. Smarter. And completely obedient. This is the future, Sera. Stop fighting it."
Kael was still paralyzed. Sera was injured, exhausted, and surrounded. They had no weapons. No escape route.
They were done.
Marcus seemed to think so too. He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Sera? Your niece. Emma, right? Sweet kid. Be a shame if something happened to her while you're out here playing hero."
Sera's blood went cold. "Don't you dare touch her."
"Then stop interfering." Marcus's smile was razor-sharp. "You have forty-eight hours. After that, I send my best creation to pay her a visit. And trust me, you don't want that."
He walked into the forest. The corrupted lycans followed, melting into the shadows like nightmares at dawn.
Sera and Kael were left alone with the burning safe house and the weight of impossible choices.
After five minutes, Kael could move again. He pulled himself up, every muscle shaking. "We need to go. Now. Before they come back."
"He threatened my niece." Sera's voice was hollow. "He knows where she is. What she means to me."
"Then we move her. Get her somewhere safe."
"Where? If Marcus found your safe houses, he can find anything. He was the best tracker in the guild. He taught me everything I know."
Kael pulled on clothes from his pack with stiff movements. "Does your niece have anyone else? Someone who can protect her?"
"My aunt. She lives three towns over. But if Marcus knows about Emma, he probably knows about her too." Sera's hands were shaking. She couldn't stop them. "I can't let him hurt her. She's all I have left."
"Hey." Kael's hand on her shoulder was warm. Steady. "We'll figure this out. But first, we need to regroup. Find somewhere safe to plan."
"Your safe houses are compromised."
"I have one more. My last option." His jaw was tight. "It's dangerous. Old pack territory. But it's warded with magic. Marcus's tech won't work there."
"How far?"
"Twelve hours if we move fast."
Sera looked at the burning building. Thought about Marcus's face. About how he'd killed Riley and let her grieve for three years while he was alive. Playing god with lycan blood.
And now he was threatening Emma.
"We go to your last safe house," she said. "We plan. And then we end this. Whatever it takes."
"Whatever it takes," Kael agreed.
They moved through the forest like ghosts. Kael led, somehow navigating in the darkness. Sera followed, mind spinning. Everything she'd believed about Riley's death was a lie. Marcus wasn't the hero who'd died trying to save her sister. He was the monster who'd killed her.
After two hours of walking, Kael finally spoke. "Your sister. What was she investigating?"
"Lycan disappearances. Whole packs vanishing overnight with no trace. The guild said it was territory disputes. Pack wars. But Riley didn't buy it. She thought someone was abducting them."
"She was right."
"How many?" Sera's voice was quiet. "How many lycans has Marcus taken?"
"I don't know. Dozens, maybe more." Kael's hands were fists. "My pack was just one. There were others before us. Others after."
"And the corrupted lycans. Those are the failed experiments?"
"Some of them. The ones who survive the process but lose their minds." He glanced at her. "The ones who don't survive get burned. Erased. Like they never existed."
Sera felt sick again. "He has to be stopped."
"Yes. But he's not working alone. He mentioned employers. People with resources. Facilities. This is bigger than one rogue hunter."
They walked in silence after that. Hours blurred together. The forest gradually changed, grew denser. Older. The trees here were massive, ancient things that looked like they'd been standing since the world was young.
"We're close," Kael said. "The wards start about a quarter mile ahead. You'll feel them. Like static on your skin."
Sera did feel it. A prickling sensation that grew stronger with each step. The air itself felt different here. Heavier. Charged with something she couldn't name.
Then the trees opened up.
A compound sat in the center of a massive clearing. Stone buildings, weathered but solid. A central hall flanked by smaller structures. And surrounding it all, carved stones covered in symbols that glowed faintly in the darkness.
"This was Bloodmoon pack territory," Kael said quietly. "My home. Before."
Sera could hear the weight in his voice. The pain. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He started forward. "Sorry doesn't change anything."
They crossed the ward line. Sera felt it wash over her like cold water. Then they were inside, and the oppressive feeling lifted.
The compound was empty. Abandoned. But it had been maintained. No overgrowth. No decay. Someone had been taking care of it.
"You've been back," Sera said. "Since the slaughter."
"Once a month. To maintain the wards. To remember." Kael pushed open the door to the central hall. "This is the safest place I know. Marcus can't touch us here. His tech, his corrupted lycans, none of it works past the wards."
Inside, the hall was sparse but functional. Stone floors, wooden furniture, a fireplace big enough to stand in. And on the walls, paintings. Dozens of them. Pack memories frozen in time.
Sera studied them. Saw Kael in several—younger, happier. Surrounded by people who shared his silver eyes. His family.
All dead now.
"I'll set up the defenses," Kael said. "You should rest. Your wounds need time to heal."
"What about you? You shifted twice tonight. That has to be draining."
"I'll manage."
But she could see the exhaustion in every line of his body. See the way his hands shook slightly when he thought she wasn't looking.
"Kael." She waited until he turned. "Thank you. For saving me. For trusting me. I know that can't be easy."
Something flickered in his eyes. "You're different. From other hunters. You see lycans as people, not just monsters."
"My sister taught me that. She believed we could coexist. Humans and lycans. If we just tried to understand each other."
"She sounds like she was smart."
"She was." Sera's throat tightened. "And Marcus killed her for it."
"Then we make him pay."
It wasn't a question. It was a promise.
They set up for the night. Kael built a fire. Sera cleaned and re-bandaged her wounds. They ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Sera asked the question that had been nagging at her. "The curse. You said it's killing you. Is there a cure?"
Kael stared into the fire. "Maybe. The curse is tied to my bloodline. Ancient magic that was supposed to protect the Bloodmoon pack. Make us stronger. But someone twisted it. Corrupted it. If I can find the source, break the original spell, I might be able to stop it."
"Might?"
"I've been researching for two years. The magic is old. Complex. I've found fragments of information, but nothing complete." He looked at her. "That's part of why I've been hunting the corruption. Hoping to find answers. Find whoever did this to me."
"And now we know it's connected to Marcus."
"Which means his employers might know how to break the curse."
"Or they're the ones who cast it in the first place," Sera said.
Kael nodded slowly. "That too."
They sat in silence, watching the fire. Outside, the wards hummed with protective magic. For the moment, they were safe.
But safety was temporary.
And Marcus's deadline was ticking.