Jack paused for a moment, as if weighing the gravity of what she was about to say. Then, without breaking eye contact with Julian, she spoke in a firm, resolute tone:
"The Wilwolfs... they've returned. Back here—to Almere."
It was as if the air in the room suddenly grew heavier. Julian's pupils widened, his lips parted, but no words came out. The silence hung for a few seconds.
Julian lowered his head, placed his hands on the table—his knuckles turning white from the tension. Then he looked back at Jack and asked:
"How do you know? How long have they been here?"
Jack answered directly, her voice calm but unwavering.
"I've been tracking the last surviving members for three years. I even went abroad for it. I followed their trail, but I could never reach them directly. Clearly, someone has been protecting them."
Julian frowned, his brow tightening. Jack continued:
"For a while, I just observed their movements. They were trying to rebuild a pack. And… a week ago, they sent a group here- to Almere. I followed them."
Julian stood up and walked over to a dark wooden cabinet in the corner of the room. He silently opened it, pulling out a dark bottle of whiskey and two crystal glasses. With slow steps, he returned to the table and sat down. As he opened the bottle and poured the whiskey, he glanced sideways at Jack.
"So," he said in a lower, more measured voice, "do you know why they've come back?"
He slid one of the crystal glasses toward Jack and placed the other in front of himself. Silence fell over the room once more—the only sound was the deep splash of whiskey being poured.
Jack broke the silence, eyes locked on Julian.
"I don't know their exact purpose… but it's clear they didn't return with good intentions. We have to do something."
Julian took a sip from his glass. He set it down on the table with a firm expression; the solid sound of the glass echoed through the room.
"I see," he said in a measured, composed tone. "We'll talk about this in detail tomorrow. For now, go get some rest—you must be tired from the road. Get some sleep."
Jack gave a slight nod. He downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp, then placed the glass back on the table. Silently, he rose to his feet and walked toward the door. Just before leaving, he turned around and raised his hand.
"See you tomorrow, then," he said, and walked out of the room.
Julian remained in his chair, deep in thought. The silence hanging in the air felt like the calm before a storm.
As Jack stepped outside, he saw his sister Elara leaning against the wall, watching him. He walked over to her.
"Were you listening to us?"
A small smile appeared on Elara's face.
"You already know the answer to that."
Jack shrugged. "Either way, you'd have found out," he said, linking arms with his sister. The two of them started descending the stairs.
When they reached the ground floor, they stopped near the wolf statue. Jack suddenly shivered for a brief moment, let go of Elara's arm, and turned toward the door.
Elara looked surprised. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Without turning back, Jack replied, "There's something I need to take care of. I'll be back soon," and with that, he opened the door and stepped outside.
****
The group that had escaped from Jack had made it deep into the forest. Their breathing was ragged, and they were drenched in sweat. The darkness was only barely broken by the moonlight filtering through the leaves. Leaning against a tree and looking exhausted, Albert turned his head toward his friend.
"We followed your brilliant idea, Chris," he said in a tired voice. "Came to rob the Rose Villa…"
Then he shifted his gaze to Miguel and pointed at him. The fatigue in his voice gave way to anger.
"And because of this idiot, we ran into an Alpha."
Miguel lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
Albert turned back to Chris, now even more furious.
"We could've died because of you two idiots!" he snapped.
Miguel quickly stepped in. His voice was both low and shrill, defensive.
"I thought we'd earn a few extra ramanin… The guy was alone, figured we could take his money easily. And you said it yourself—he smelled like an omega. How was I supposed to know he was an Alpha?"
Chris gave Miguel a brief glance but said nothing.
Jamie stepped forward, his eyes scanning the group. He spoke in a calm but firm tone:
"Robbing the villa was a stupid idea to begin with… And that guy just made things worse. Ah, whatever it's done now. No point arguing. We could've died back there. That was the closest we've ever been to an Alpha… We should be grateful we're even alive."
Albert pushed himself off the tree, brushing the leaves off his clothes. Then he took a step forward and asked:
"You're probably right. So, what now? What's the plan?"
It was Miguel who answered. He stood a step behind the others, but his voice was clear:
"I say we don't push our luck any further. That's enough action for one night… Let's all head home."
The group fell into a brief silence. The decision had been made.
Gabriel walked up to Albert with heavy steps, placing a hand on his shoulder and speaking with a faint smile:
"I need to take a leak before we leave… Give me five minutes, then we'll all head out together."
Albert shoved the hand off his shoulder and scowled.
"Handle it when we get home. I don't want to spend another damn minute in this place."
Gabriel turned to the others, his eyes filled with a mix of helplessness and sarcasm:
"Oh, come on, guys… You're not really going to leave me here alone, are you? I don't think I can hold it all the way back."
The group paused for a brief moment. In the silence of the night, an owl hooted in the distance. A decision had to be made.
Chris stepped up to Gabriel, giving him a friendly pat on the back.
"I'll come with you. We wouldn't want you to piss yourself, now would we?" he said with a chuckle.
Then he turned to the others and added:
"Wait for us here."
Albert walked up with a blank expression, throwing them a sharp look.
"If you take more than five minutes, we're leaving you behind. You'll be on your own," he said in a serious tone.
Gabriel and Chris nodded and started walking deeper into the forest. In no time, they had vanished among the trees, their presence swallowed by the shadows.