Chapter 11: Flame and Fury
The hunt begins. But fire does not come without smoke...
The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
Beneath the blood-kissed canopy of the Black Ash Vale, a dozen figures darted between trees like shadows made flesh. The Crimson Howl's warriors had set out at dusk, guided by Flam, whose senses burned hotter than flame itself.
Kael ran at the front, his breath calm, his limbs tense. He hadn't shifted again since the ritual—he didn't want to rely too much on the wolf yet. Not until he could control it. But tonight… he might have no choice.
Flam raised a fist. All movement stopped.
He pointed to the north ridge, where faint impressions of footprints marred the wet earth—too light for deer, too precise for wild beasts.
"Hollow Shade," Flam growled under his breath.
Kael's golden eyes narrowed. "How many?"
Flam sniffed the air. "Three. No—four. But one's far stronger than the rest. An elite scout, probably Rank 6 or 7."
Tavon grunted. "Then we clip the weaker ones and fall back?"
Kael shook his head. "No. We crush them all. If we leave even one alive, they'll report what we've become."
A few exchanged glances. Bold. Reckless. But something in Kael's voice made even the doubters fall silent.
The ambush began fast.
Seth lunged from a tree, crashing down on the slowest scout like a falling star. His claws tore through leather and bone, even as the Hollow Shade wolf tried to scream. Too late.
Flam burst from the underbrush, fire swirling in his palms, searing a second scout's shoulder. The air ignited with heat and growls.
Kael moved last.
He felt it again—that whisper inside his chest, the heartbeat of the system pulsing beneath his skin.
System Notification: Bloodline Trial – Engage Combat Against Elite
Mission: Defeat or repel Rank 7 Hollow Shade Scout
Reward: Chaos Bloodline Sync +5%
Failure: Instability Surge – Risk of Blood Frenzy
His eyes turned gold-red. The chaos stirred.
From the ridge, the final scout revealed himself—a tall, lean man in dark robes with silver blades drawn. His aura pulsed like a storm barely held in check.
"You're the new Alpha?" the scout asked. His voice was mocking, sharp. "Pretty face for a corpse-to-be."
Kael growled—but it wasn't just him. The wolf within stirred.
He leapt.
Claws clashed with blades. The Hollow Shade scout moved like lightning, slicing at Kael's shoulder and hip, trying to bleed him out slowly. But Kael twisted, ducked, and slashed back—clumsy, raw, but fast.
The wolf inside wanted control.
"Not yet," Kael snarled under his breath. "Not until I say so."
But the scout was relentless. One blade found Kael's thigh, and he staggered back.
Then came the system's whisper again:
Warning: Bloodline Instability Rising – 83%
Control Threshold Nearing Limit
Kael's hands trembled. His vision blurred.
"Control it," he hissed.
The scout charged in for the kill.
Kael's eyes went feral.
He didn't shift completely—but his bones cracked, muscles swelled. His jaw elongated slightly, his claws half-formed—a failed partial shift.
The scout hesitated, just for a second.
It was enough.
Kael rammed his head into the scout's chest, knocking the wind out of him, then drove his claws into the man's ribs—channeling all his rage, his pain, his refusal to be weak.
With a guttural roar, Kael dragged the scout down and slammed his head into the ground.
Silence.
Then—
System Update: Victory Confirmed. Bloodline Sync +5%
Current Sync: 8%
Kael collapsed to one knee, panting.
Tavon ran over. "You're insane."
Kael chuckled through bloodied lips. "I'm Alpha."
The others gathered. The bodies burned. But something had shifted—not just in Kael, but in the pack.
He was no longer just the heir.
He was the one who bled with them… and for them.
And his fury was only beginning.