The path to South Lake was narrow, flanked by thick trees that rustled under the windless sky. Moonlight spilled in soft patches along the trail as Tyler and Sophia's pack moved alongside Chucks and Desmond's. The air was sharp with pine and tension.
Chucks' pack followed close behind three boys and a young girl who couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen. Their names drifted through the ranks: Black, Emily, Marcel, and Patrick. Tyler, Sophia, Chucks, Desmond, and James led the way at the front, their steps steady, senses alert.
"So you're saying there's a wild vampire in South Lake?" James asked, eyes scanning the trees.
"Yeah, bro," Chucks said with theatrical flair. "A very wild one. Word is it can lift the ground from the earth."
Emily and Henry giggled softly at his exaggeration, but Tyler didn't crack a smile. He kept walking, jaw tight. If only he could knock Chucks unconscious, he thought bitterly.
"Glad we're working together, Tyler," Chucks said, nudging him. "Heard you're making waves already might even be considered for Alpha soon?"
"Stop talking rubbish, Chucks," Sophia snapped, her voice sharp.
Chucks just grinned.
Behind them, Bella struck up a quiet conversation with Emily. "How long have you been doing this?" she asked curiously.
Emily looked up with a faint smile. "Since I was fourteen."
Bella's eyes widened. "Fourteen? That's too young."
Emily's gaze dropped slightly. "My family was killed by vampires when I was nine. My brother and I were rescued by members of the pack near the Davidson estate."
Bella's tone softened. "Where's your brother now?"
Emily's smile dimmed. "He died last year. Went on a vampire hunt with his squad and never made it back. He was buried with honor."
"I'm so sorry, Emily," Bella whispered.
"It's okay," Emily said, her voice calm but resolute. "I love the pack. I love fighting for the cause. Protecting humans… it's what I was born to do."
From behind, Jasper reached out, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. "We're in this together."
Emily nodded, a small grin tugging at the corner of her lips as Bella smiled beside her.
"I can pick up a smell," Tyler said suddenly, eyes narrowing.
"Me too," James replied, his posture stiffening.
Chucks raised his hand, halting the group. He turned to the pack, his tone shifting. "Eyes open, everyone. I think we're in a vampire lair."
The night deepened around them. The forest grew colder.
And something was watching.
They pressed deeper into the woods, each step slower than the last. Shadows stretched longer as the trees thickened, swallowing moonlight. Every gaze was sharp, every breath measured with instinctive caution. Bella stayed close to Jasper, her body tense, her senses alert.
Suddenly, Tyler raised his hand a silent command to halt. The pack froze.
He closed his eyes.
Opened them.
His voice was calm, but cutting. "Come out. I know you're in there."
The silence broke as two figures emerged from the darkness vampires. Both male. One had wild red hair that gleamed like fire in the moonlight. The other wore a mane of black streaked with strands of white. Their movements were sleek, feline, and unnervingly casual. The air shifted with their presence.
"Well now," the red-haired one said, clapping slowly, a wicked grin on his face. "Very sharp instincts, I must say."
His crimson eyes settled on Tyler. "Are you the Alpha or something?"
Tyler didn't flinch. His expression stayed locked firm, unreadable. Around him, the others crouched slightly, muscles tightening, ready to shift at the first wrong move.
"I don't care if I'm Alpha or not," Tyler replied coldly. "All I know is you're going down."
The vampire laughed. A slow, mocking sound that echoed off the trees. "I like you, Tyler. Brave. Stupidly brave. But bravery means nothing when your kind always ends up dead."
He licked the back of his hand in a disturbingly casual gesture, eyes gleaming. "You may be next."
Sophia stepped forward, her voice low and venomous. "Don't piss me off, nasty bloodsucker."
The vampire's grin widened. "Ooh... fiesty." His gaze danced to her. "Is she the Luna? I like her. Pretty little Luna."
Tyler flinched. His claws itched. Every bone in his body screamed to lunge, to rip the smirk off that face.
Then the red-haired vampire clapped again louder.
And the forest answered.
From the shadows, twenty vampires emerged, one by one, each standing high on thick tree branches above. Eyes glowing. Fangs glistening. Surrounding them. Watching.
The pack turned in every direction, senses spinning. Trees. Shadows. Vampires.
Mr. Jack was right, Tyler thought. Was it just intuition? Or did he know we'd be overwhelmed like this?
The red-haired vampire chuckled again. "Thought you had us cornered?" His eyes gleamed with madness. "The game just changed."
A low growl rippled through the front line.
Tyler, Sophia, Chucks, Desmond, and James stood shoulder-to-shoulder, fury burning in their eyes, their bodies trembling with the imminent shift.
War was seconds away.