My conversation with Dahlia was cut short by the creak of the door on the guest house, swinging open. Lydia stood on the balcony, staring at me. She didn't speak, but her deep stare was enough to convey that she wanted my immediate attention.

Dahlia noticed Lydia as well and turned back to me. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "It's time for me to go," she said with a faint smirk. "Don't forget your promises, puppy."

"I have one more question, Dahlia. You said this essence is used by the vampires to revive their elders?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Who is getting resurrected?"

"To my understanding, the elder who's going to be awakened is Cyrus Bane," she said. "Elder Kalia Scarlet will remain petrified until the war has ended. But, judging by the past grievances between Elenore and Kalia, it wouldn't surprise me if Elenore intends to dispose of Kalia once Bane is alive. To eliminate an elder requires a vote from two out of the three elders governing the current Epoch. If you haven't read the book I sent you, you'd know the last war ended with a conflict between the elders. Kalia's methods became so senselessly violent that Elenore was forced to make a deal with the hunters to imprison her and end the carnage."

She paused, glancing at the vial in her hand. "To be truthful with you, I don't know the difference between Kalia and Bane. One craves destruction; the other was raised to deliver it—obliterating anything that stands in her way. What I do know is that awakening Cyrus Bane will upset the balance of power within the Scarlet clan. And not necessarily for the better."

"What if... something happens to the essence during the awakening process?"

"If you're implying that I should sabotage the awakening process, you're wasting your time. Once I hand over the essence to the elder, my role in this is over. I'll be assigned to other duties, and my mission will be complete. I've never been able to get close to the sanctuary where the elders sleep. If I tried to enter on my own accord, it would immediately raise suspicion. Only the keepers of the sanctuary are permitted to enter, and they guard the process zealously. After this mission, I'll have nothing else to do but babysit the elder's offspring until the sound of war blares across town."

Before I could inquire more about her reference to the elder's offspring, Annie's mother approached. "Excuse me, signore, I would like to have a word with you, if it's not too much trouble."

"Bye, puppy. I will see you soon," Dahlia said before vanishing into the shadows.

I turned towards Lydia, who waited for me near the vehicles. "Everything ok?" I asked.

"Yes, Signore. I was wondering if you have thought about my request?"

I sighed, already anticipating where this was headed. "I'm sorry, Lydia, I have no intention of turning your daughter into a werewolf. And frankly, I don't believe that's what she wants either."

The guest house door swung open, and Annie stepped out. "Mother! Could you stop already?"

"Annie, you don't understand. This is about protecting you—giving you a chance to survive what's coming. And look," she said, gesturing toward the glowing red moon looming over us. "The red moon will disappear tonight. This is your last chance. The young master is ready to welcome a new Luna into his pack."

"Mother, this isn't how things work anymore! What about asking me if I even want to be a werewolf?"

"This is not the time to argue, Annie. I would gladly accept the gift if the young master were willing to bite me. But you know I'm too old to survive the transformation. You, on the other hand, are young, strong, and beautiful. You have the resilience to withstand it. You still fail to understand the danger we're in. If the young master isn't here to protect us, we won't survive. As humans, the way we are now, we stand no chance to defend ourselves against an army of monsters."

I remained silent, observing the exchange between Annie and her mother, understanding, this was a conversation they needed to have, no matter how painful. Lydia’s desperate words solidified my resolve to help to stop the impending war. Her reasoning wasn’t wrong—if there was an attack on the estate while I was away, I wouldn’t be able to save them. I couldn’t be in two places at once.

Annie approached her mother, embraced her, then walked her inside the house. A few moments later, Annie reemerged, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I apologize my lord. My mother is very insistent with what she believes is the right thing to do, for me and the family."

As a newly turned werewolf myself, I was still grappling with the primal force that lurked within me—a beast that constantly pushed against the boundaries of my control. The thought of turning Annie into a werewolf didn’t seem entirely unreasonable. It would grant her strength, speed, and the ability to protect herself and her mother in ways that human limitations wouldn’t allow. But the risks were immense, and the uncertainty gnawed at me.

The first transformation was no small ordeal. It was agony—bones breaking and reforming, muscles tearing only to heal stronger, and the overwhelming battle to keep the mind intact while the beast within roared for dominance. I had survived it, barely, but I wasn’t sure Annie could. She was strong in spirit, but would that be enough to endure the excruciating pain and the primal rage that accompanied it?

Worse still, if she failed to survive the first transformation, the beast would take over completely, consuming her mind and leaving nothing but a feral shell—a mindless creature driven by raw instincts and madness. It was a fate worse than death, one that often ended in tragedy, with the afflicted werewolf being hunted and killed to protect those around them.

"I understand where she's coming from," I said, gently grabbing her hands. "And to be honest, she's right in one aspect. If this conflict spirals out of control and I'm unable to protect you, the outcome of finding yourself in the middle of an attack is all too clear. Becoming a werewolf would give you a fighting chance. It would make you stronger, faster, and capable of defending yourself and your family in ways you couldn't imagine. But this isn't a choice to take lightly. The transformation is not just a gift—it's a curse, one that brings unimaginable pain and suffering during the first shift. It's something I'm still struggling with myself."

I took a step closer, looking directly at her eyes. "That decision is yours to make, Annie. If you are willing to endure the agony and embrace the primal monster that comes with it, I will agree to bestow the curse of the Demon Wolf upon you. But it must be your choice—not your mother's, not anyone else's. Yours."

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As Annie and I stared at each other, the moment was shattered by a sudden thud from the trees. Antolio and Derrick emerged from the darkness, catching their breaths. Derrick stepped forward; his expression etched with concern.

"You were right, young master," he said. "A few werewolves are surrounding the estate, but they don't seem interested in approaching the house. However, we also spotted a patrol of hunters heading toward the mountain pass, likely in the direction of the waterfall."

"Do not worry about the werewolves, follow the hunters. I will catch up with you in a second."

"As you wish, my lord," Derrick said, nodding before glancing at Antolio. Without another word, both men melted back into the shadows, their forms disappearing into the forest as the faint sound of shredding flesh echoed in the distance.

Annie glanced at me, her hands trembling slightly as she reached out and gripped mine with surprising force. "Please be careful."

I nodded in acknowledgment and turned to walk toward the forest. Just as I took a step, her voice cut through the silence surrounding us. "Wait!" she yelled, running toward me. She threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. When I looked down, I saw the tears welling in her eyes, a storm of emotions forming within her.

"I don't want to feel like a fragile woman anymore," she said. "I hate seeing my mother constantly worrying about our survival. And I hate believing that if anything were to happen to us, you'll always be there to save us. It's not fair to you—or us."

I stared at her worried eyes, placing my hands gently on her face. "Annie, I finally understood that there are no knights in shining armor in this town, no superheroes to depend on, only monsters. No one can offer guarantees—not me, not anyone. I promised to do my best to protect you and your mother, but I'm afraid I might not be able to fulfill that promise. There's danger lurking around us at all times, especially with the war of the clans quickly approaching. I have a friend looking after you—Titus. He is watching the estate closely. But I worry that he might not be enough to protect you. If he's outnumbered, you and your mother could be placed in imminent danger."

Annie rested her head against my chest, her warmth grounding me in the cool night air. Slowly, she tilted her head, baring her neck completely.

"I am willing to accept the gift of the alpha and become part of your pack. I will do the best I can to survive the first turn."

The beast inside me stirred restlessly, driven by an instinct I could barely contain. My heart pounded in my chest, as I felt the familiar sensation of my fangs elongating. The sight of her bare, tender neck ignited a primal urge that I struggled to suppress. I Turned my head away, and closed my eyes, pushing the beast back into submission.

"Annie, even if I were to bite you right now, you wouldn't become a werewolf immediately. The transformation isn't instantaneous—it's a process. And we have to consider the presence of the blood moon. Its influence could make the changes in your body unpredictable, even dangerous."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take, young master," she said, as her head remained close to my chest. "I can hear your heart, beating fast inside of you. I'm not afraid anymore, I'm ready to receive the curse."

The urge became unbearable, igniting a partial transformation in my body. My hair grew longer, my hands morphed into sharp claws, and my breathing quickened as her scent consumed my senses. At that moment, I couldn't stop the beast within me. I leaned closer to her exposed neck, unable to resist the urge any longer, letting out a low growl and sinking my fangs into her tender flesh.

Annie gasped, her body going rigid as she struggled to endure the pain. Her fingers clutched at my arm, nails digging into my skin. Her breath hitched, as I felt the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat pulsing against my lips. Then, just as suddenly, her body went limp, her strength giving out as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Annie!"

Quickly, I grabbed her into my arms and carried her inside the guest house. My transformation began to subside as I stepped inside, the primal energy receding, leaving me breathless and shaken. As I gently laid Annie on the couch, her mother appeared in the living room doorway. Her eyes widened as she saw the bite wound on her daughter's neck.

"Do not worry, young master, she's in good hands," Lydia said with a smile. "Now, I believe you have a werewolf to rescue?"

A flicker of doubt coursed through me—had I made a mistake by trying to turn Annie into a werewolf? My hand moved instinctively to wipe the residual blood from my mouth as I turned to walk toward the door.

"I'm worried about her."

"She will be fine. I will take care of her in your absence. You have my word."

"Thank you, Lydia."

I glanced one last time at Annie, lying weak on the couch. Her pale face and shallow breaths stirred a heavy sense of remorse within me, unavoidable and suffocating. Had I made the right choice? The question gnawed at the edges of my mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. With a deep breath, I turned and stepped out of the guest house, the cool night air biting at my skin as I stared up at the faint red moon.

Without hesitation, the beast within me stirred, rising to the surface and taking control. My skin rippled and shifted as a mantle of pristine white fur spread across my body, turning me into a white wolf. The transformation felt fluid and natural, sharpening my senses to an almost overwhelming degree. Every sound, every scent, was magnified, the forest coming alive in ways I could only perceive in this form.

Lowering my head, I caught Derrick's scent faintly lingering in the air, a trail leading me deeper into the woods. The forest was alive with sound—rustling leaves, distant howls—but my focus remained on Derrick's trail. As I drew closer, other scents mingled with his, including the acrid stench of rotten blood—a distinct aroma that could only mean the presence of vampires.

Through the dense foliage, I spotted Derrick and Antolio near a ridge overlooking the mountain pass. Their postures were tense, their focus entirely on the scene below. Quietly, I joined them, my gaze following their line of sight. A small group of hunters moved through the rocky terrain of the pass, walking with no sense of urgency. Something about the way they stuck to the narrow path made me uneasy.

Derrick and Antolio turned their heads slightly as I arrived, beginning to transform back into our human forms, crouching together to watch the hunters from the ridge.

"Looks like it's a simple patrol, young master," Derrick said. "But it doesn't make sense. Hunters don't patrol this area late at night."

"There's a vampire scent coming from them, which means at least one of them is a hybrid—or they're being followed by vampires. Either way, we should move quickly toward the cave and avoid a confrontation."

Without further discussion, we returned to our werewolf forms and circled the group of hunters, keeping a wide berth to avoid detection. The terrain grew more rugged as we neared the cave, the forest thickening around us. I stopped abruptly, my eyes quickly noticing movement on the canopy. Shadows darted between the branches, almost imperceptible in the darkness.

I motioned for Derrick and Antolio to halt. "We're being followed. They're in the trees."

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed nearby, followed by another, closer this time. The dark silhouettes I had seen moving among the treetops began to drop to the ground, one after another. The air grew heavy with the sickly smell of rotten blood, mixed with an unsettling hint of lavender.

I stepped forward, my body half-shifting in preparation for the fight. "Get ready, they're coming!"

From the shadows, Utica emerged, stepping in front of me with her weapon in hand. Her quiver was nearly empty, with only a few arrows left. A faint smirk played on her lips as she surveyed me. "You look like you've seen a ghost, puppy," she said, her tone laced with mockery. "I took care of the ambushers moving atop the trees. I told you I'd keep my end of the bargain—helping you with your little daddy problem. I hope this makes us even."

Her words struck a nerve, anger flaring hot through my veins. The beast within me roared to the surface, igniting the lycanthrope transformation I had begun to master. My body shifted violently, my muscles swelled, and my claws extended. A guttural growl escaped my throat as I loomed over her. "This changes nothing!" I snarled as the tone of my voice blended into human and beast.

Utica's eyes widened briefly in surprise as she witnessed my transformation, though her composure quickly returned. She let out a sharp laugh, stepping back slightly. "I should've guessed you'd managed to unlock the lycanthrope form—just like your loser dad. The path is clear now. All the rogue hunters have been dealt with, but your servant inside the cave? He's barely hanging on. If you don't move quickly, you'll lose him. And for what it's worth, more rogue hunters are on the way. I suggest you focus on saving him while you can."

Without waiting for a response, Utica dissolved into the shadows, her presence vanishing completely as if she'd never been there. Her words lingered in the air like a challenge, fueling the fury within me as I turned my focus toward the cave.