I don't know how long I rested, but it didn't feel enough. Devon made it clear that I couldn't avoid things.

My brain may have been fuzzy, but I felt my cloak offer me comfort, and I rubbed at its end.

What are you? Are you alive? Can you speak?

It didn't answer back, and I didn't expect it to. To be honest, the idea of a sentient cloak would be off-putting, to say the least.

As I got up, I glanced over to Adeline, who had calmed down. She kept her face neutral and didn't let a hint of emotion show through. Even her posture was straight but not stiff as she stood by the door with her ear to the wall.

"I can hear them scrambling already. Won't be long," she said calmly.

I tried to angle my head so that my ear was facing the wall, but I heard nothing. All I got was silence and the sound of my own breathing.

Devon nodded and straightened his cloak. "Let's get this over with." He turned to me and gave me what he may have thought was a reassuring grin. "Only answer questions as directly as possible. Don't reveal the things you swore not to. If you need help, Adeline or I will step in."

"It sounds like you're dragging me to a public execution if I answer wrongly," I remarked tiredly.

He smiled for real this time. "I'm not, and I won't. But there can be problems later on if things get too rowdy. Just stick to the script, and we'll have you back here in no time."

I tried to return the smile but failed. Instead, I threw up the hood of my cloak and set my eyes forward.

Devon's smile twitched downward for half a second before he dropped the smile altogether and put on a neutral expression like Adeline's. With a final glance toward his fellow hunter, he stepped up to the secret wall and touched the stone. Unlike Adeline, who had to use a weird phrase to get the magic to work, the stone door simply faded away for Devon.

The tunnels had sound, whereas before, they didn't. The noise was manageable, but the tunnels could no longer be considered empty.

Devon took the lead with Adeline behind me, leaving me sandwiched in the middle. It felt uncomfortably close to being escorted like a prisoner, but I ignored that and followed along. We passed the first tunnel and the side rooms within, only for them to be empty, as was the next tunnel we turned down.

I couldn't be sure, but the path Devon led us down took up to the center of the cave system. Adeline had taken me vaguely left when she led me down different tunnels and sidepaths. This time, however, we moved more right than we did forward.

The peace didn't last, as one tunnel we turned down had three people standing at the end. They saw us, and their eyes widened as they rushed to approach. Two began bombarding him with questions, while the third, a man who looked in his early twenties, lasered in on my position.

His green eyes roamed across my body, stopping frequently on my cloak. "He has a cloak, why?"

Devon stopped and turned to me, his eyes flickering over for only a second. "The system granted it."

That brought silence to the duo. The third continued staring before turning around and walking away. Unfortunately, the other two stuck to Devon like glue while openly staring at me.

They seem young, younger than me; are they also hunters? No cloaks, so maybe not.

We continued deeper into the Warren, and by the time we reached our destination, the crowd following us had grown to eleven people. The main hall had another group of thirty-plus people waiting around, talking amongst themselves.

As one, they turned and locked in on our group as Devon stepped into the room. Almost all had red cloaks, marking them as hunters, but a few people mainly wore simple black shirts. Most of the people without a cloak were young, ranging from ages fifteen to around eighteen.

I briefly stopped under the weight of all their stares, but a hand on my back gently pushed me forward.

Devon walked up to a small stage, and what looked like a podium while Adeline guided me into position behind him but to the side so I was still in view of the others. After getting me to stand where she wanted, she backed off a few feet away and crossed her arms.

Nobody spoke, which surprised me, but Devon seemed to have a commanding presence toward the other hunters.

"Anyone who is not a Grimm, leave."

A small uproar erupted from the crowd, the perpetrators being the teenagers without a cloak.

One woman, older with a cloak, stepped forward. "They deserve to know what happened to Elias. He was close to most of them."

More yells and a few shouts followed her statement. Eventually, Devon smashed his fist down on the podium, causing a shrill whistle to ring out. Everyone covered their ears. Strangely enough, I heard the sound, but my hood muffled it.

I observed the scene and saw that the hunters in the crowd were the most affected. They visibly recoiled at the chimes, each one causing them to nearly flinch and shirk away. A few, those closest, covered their ears as they glared at the podium.

"Enough. Those who are not currently a Grimm can find out later. I'm sure the information will spread rapidly, whether I prefer it contained or not," Devon ordered, his tone brokering no argument.

There were a few grumbles, but in the end, everyone except one person without a cloak departed. This reduced the crowd to fewer than thirty.

I wonder why that one guy isn't wearing his cloak. It seems pretty important.

Devon stared at the rest and removed his hand from the podium. "Now, let's set a few ground rules. Number one: This is not an interrogation. This is a courtesy offered to help bring some peace and enlightenment. If you have issues with that statement, you are free to challenge me, but don't expect to win."

He paused and waited while a few of the hunters glared but kept silent. During that pause, I noticed Kramer standing next to Garret. The larger man focused half his attention on the other, who stared at me with unveiled anger.

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"Second. This pup is a Grimm now; there are no arguments. Despite the fact he hasn't undergone the rite, Elias gave the choice, and it has been accepted and acknowledged by the system."

Murmurs and whispers filled the room, but they were quickly silenced when Devon raised a threatening fist over the podium.

"Third, and you will acknowledge this or leave." He lowered his fist and stared menacingly at the crowd. "Do not interrupt his story; he will tell it once, and then you can ask, both Adeline and I have heard it. Less than two hours ago, this poor kid was locked in a cage without a clue about the ritual, the Reds, everything. You know what most people are like when they're summoned and imprisoned. It's only through sheer willpower the kid has lasted as long as he has. We'll respect his right to rest when this is done, and that is final."

Again, nobody spoke up, and even Garret, who glared at me from across the room, eased up a little. The anger stayed in his eyes, but they lost the edge they once held.

Devon nodded once and then backed up while gesturing to the podium.

Let's get this done with.

I crushed my fear and tried to ignore how the crowd stared at me. These people, every single one of them, were werewolves. And each of them, judging by the ragged appearance of their clothing, had suffered through a few battles.

Slowly, I dragged my feet forward and stopped once the podium stood at my chest. I hesitated for a moment, unsure what to do with my arms, but decided to keep them tucked into my cloak. The small action brought a moment of comfort that faded the second I opened my mouth.

"Hello... Uhm, my name is Cain. And until recently, I didn't even know monsters existed."

Silence.

Alright then. Here we go.

For the next twenty minutes, I talked. The words were slow out of my mouth, at least, at first. Once I started describing everything and anything I felt and remembered during my brief time as a captive, the words wouldn't stop.

I couldn't stop. My anger burned, and my heart quickened as I vented and raged at everything.

It's unfair. All of it was unfair.

Elias came up, and I watched their reactions, the small smiles on their face at the simple words he offered me, even amid the mayhem and chaos. Only Garret reacted differently, but I understood him better.

There wasn't a smile on his face, no twitch of joy, not even anger.

Only misery. His eyes held anguish, and it cut through the rage he showed.

"He stopped a wolf from killing me and blew it apart. He seemed so cool, the magic, the axe, even as the thing snarled, he… kept his cool and slayed the beast."

My words left my mouth, and I found the barest hint of a smile on a few faces.

I think I get it. They're not angry at me; they need answers.

I glanced to Devon, who subtly nodded for me to continue.

With a long exhale, I stared at the wall to block out the emotional stares. "I came back, and the Granny stood over him. He killed the other demon, but whatever that monster was, it taunted him."

Snarls met my words, and I shut my eyes.

Crunch! Snap! Snap! Snap!

"She broke his bones, allowing enough time for him to breathe before breaking another." My words were shaky, but I pushed through. "Even being tortured, he taunted her back. It was scary. And every second terrified me, but he chuckled and spat in her face."

Silence. The room is silent.

"I don't know what I was thinking; I just wanted it to end. I picked up the axe, and I got into position. But I.. froze. I've never killed someone before, or something, ever."

My eyes snapped open. "Our eyes locked, and something just... I don't know, broke inside me? I think I might've shouted or something. I felt the axe go through her neck, and she just... fell."

That final part brought a few smirks to their faces while others lowered their heads. The rare few, most of the older and grizzlier-looking crowd, stared at me with critical eyes, and I felt their gazes track my expressions.

This is horrible. I want to melt into the ground.

"Uh, there's one last thing he told me to say before he... passed."

Heads snapped back up, and I cleared my throat. Adeline turned to face me for the first time since I started talking. She regarded me with narrowed eyes.

To my left, Devon had the same stare, probably worried I was about to go off script.

"Right." I sighed and raised my head. "It's the last moonrise and the metal returns to the earth. Hunt on, for I join the endless pack."

I heard a collective intake of breath from people, but I couldn't tell who did it. Their faces shared looks of sadness and surprise, but I didn't know enough context to figure out why.

Even the older hunters lost some of that intensity to their stares. All the hunters in the room had their own reactions to the departing words. And one in particular made it known.

A low, rumbling growl grew from the center of the room.

"That's it?! You come in here thinking your sob story means anything? He died for a pathetic fool like you!" Garret screamed.

His eyes glowed red, and his teeth ended in points. Kramer held him back, but the man struggled as Garret's arms bulged with strain.

"Garret! Cal-"

"We traded in Elias for a nobody!" He slammed his head into Kramer's chin, forcing him to let go. "Why are you alive and he’s not? Answer me!"

Garret's back arched, and his legs rippled. A sound of snapping bones echoed inside the room.

I raised my hand as he launched at me like a rocket. His arms were longer, clawed, and wolf-like.

I ducked down and felt something fast whip through the air beside me. CRAACK! My hands raced to cover my ears, and a loud chime pierced my eardrums.

Aagh!

I froze, waiting, but nothing touched me.

Opening my eyes, I raised my head and found five people surrounding Garret. He had shed his human form and now struggled on the stone floor as a snarling werewolf.

Kramer and four others had their boots on his limbs and back. One person for each appendage they pressed him to the floor despite his wailing.

Holy crap. This is insane.

Devon moved, and I watched as he shook his hand. Bright red blood dripped from his knuckles, and I saw four lines slicing into the back of his hand. In seconds, his skin closed and stopped bleeding, leaving behind inflamed flesh.

"Adeline, get him out of here."

Firm hands grabbed my shoulder and forced me toward the exit. I had enough time to look back and watch as Garret reverted to his human form while Devon crouched low and whispered something I couldn't hear.

I rubbed at my fingers and placed them on my chest, slipping them underneath my shirt. My skin radiated warmth, and I didn't feel cold. Instead, my chest burned with a heat akin to a furnace.

Adeline continued guiding me towards the tunnel with the secret room.

When she spoke, I was so caught up in the new presence in my chest that it took me a second to register her words. "What?"

"I said, you did good. You didn't have to, but changing up your speech like that helped ease the others. Elias helped a lot of them in one way or another, so hearing his bravery helped them find some peace," Adeline explained.

"Oh," I replied, unsure of what to feel. "They seemed troubled, and Elias really did help me. I barely knew the man and am an outsider, but I owe him my life."

Adeline stopped at the dead end and turned around instead of activating whatever magic needed to open the door. "No."

"What?"

"No, you don't owe him anything. You gave him an ending worthy of a Grimm, taking down our greatest foe before his last moment. And you're mistaken about that other part."

What other thing?

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head, said the chant to open the door, and waited until it faded before stepping inside. Once the wall became solid once more, she plopped on the couch and stared me directly in the eyes.

"You're not an outsider, Cain. You're a Grimm now."