Chapter 22 — The Alpha Arrives"
The forest pulsed with bloodlust.
Ronan's grin widened as Blue stepped forward, katana igniting with faint silver-obsidian light.
Blue inhaled sharply.
"Kin, Rito—go. Get her out of here."
Rito nodded instantly.
Kin gripped his rune-etched staff.
"Got it. Just don't die, Blue."
Blue turned to Gus.
"And you—take care of that thing."
The massive shadow figure growled, its hulking form shifting between wolf and specter.
Gus swallowed hard.
"I… o-okay."
Then black wings of flame erupted from his back, spreading wide, casting the entire clearing in an otherworldly glow. With a single flap, he vanished into the darkness between the trees.
Ronan laughed.
"He's already running away? Some warlock."
Blue didn't flinch.
"You're fighting me. So does it matter?"
Ronan tilted his head.
"…You're right."
And he launched himself forward.
The Duel Begins
Claws flashed like lightning.
Blue met them with steel.
CLANG—!!
The impact shook the ground as Blue locked Ronan's strike with his katana, twisted his stance, and slipped a brutal kick into Ronan's ribs.
Ronan slid across the dirt, grinning wide.
"Yes… that's the spirit!"
He lunged again.
Blue charged to meet him.
Their fight erupted into a storm of claws, steel, and shockwaves.
Kin & Rito — The Rescue
Meanwhile, Rito and Kin darted around the monstrous shadow figure, hoisting the terrified hostage girl between them.
"Just a little farther—" Rito whispered.
Then the world… went silent.
Rito's heart froze.
"Kin… where is he? The shadow—"
Gone.
Kin barely had time to turn before an enormous clawed hand tore through the air.
The Alpha werewolf materialized behind them—massive, towering, his fur blacker than the night itself.
Kin thrust his staff up to block—
But he wasn't fast enough.
In a blur, the Alpha ripped the girl out of their arms—
SNAP.
Her head was severed before either of them could even scream.
Blood sprayed across Kin's cheek as the Alpha casually tossed the head into his mouth.
Rito dropped to her knees, trembling.
"K-Kin… he—he…"
Kin shook violently, staff clutched in white knuckles.
"You—MONSTER!"
He swung with everything he had—
But the Alpha effortlessly caught the staff mid-strike.
"It's rude," the creature said, jaw dripping with crimson,
"…to attack someone while they're eating."
He laughed—deep, guttural, and full of malice.
Rito finally snapped out of her shock, raising her twin blades—
"MOVE!" Blue screamed from behind.
But Ronan slashed at Blue, forcing him back.
"Eyes on me, boy."
Rito and Kin Strike Back
Rito lunged.
Two razor-quick slashes—one across the Alpha's arm, one across his cheek.
He recoiled, more amused than hurt.
Kin surged forward, runes blazing on his staff, and slammed a blow into the wolf's jaw with a crack like thunder.
The Alpha's head turned from the hit—
But he didn't budge.
Didn't fall.
Didn't stop eating.
"That tickled," he smirked, swallowing the last of the girl's head.
That's when—
BOOM!
Dark magic exploded from above.
Gus descended from the treetops like a comet, fist wrapped in warlock fire, and landed a devastating hit square in the Alpha's chest—
The ground cratered.
The Alpha slid back…
inches.
He wiped the blood from his lip.
"Yes. That's good. Just like that—"
Before he finished speaking, he blurred forward, faster than Kin could blink.
His claws ripped across the battlefield—
SLASH—!!
Gus was sent flying into the trees.
CRACK—!!
Kin smashed through a boulder.
THUD—!!
Rito skidded across the dirt, coughing blood.
Blue's heart dropped.
"GUYS! Are you okay?!"
Ronan slashed toward Blue again—
but Blue didn't hesitate.
His hybrid energy detonated beneath his skin as he stepped into a full unleashed state.
One punch.
ONE.
Ronan was launched into the forest, tearing through five trees before going silent.
The Alpha let out a long, whistling laugh.
"Wow… you took a big hit, didn't you, mutt?
Hey, Ronan—still alive over the—"
Silence.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Ronan was completely unconscious.
The Alpha roared with laughter.
"You kids… are absolutely hilarious!"
Blue blurred forward, slicing with blinding speed—
the Alpha barely dodged.
"Hey, mutt—watch where you're swinging that thing."
Kin reappeared behind him—
BAM! staff cracking the wolf's spine.
Rito followed—
two blades slashing in perfect arcs.
Gus rose from the rubble, warlock flame swirling around him.
The Alpha jumped back, giving himself some room.
Then he grinned, wide and wicked.
"Let me get this straight…"
He pointed at each of them.
"A hybrid mutt."
"An airheaded fae."
"A baby warlock."
"And a human."
He spread his arms.
"Your little group sounds like a bad joke."
His teeth glistened.
"But a tasty one."
The four stood their ground, shoulder to shoulder.
The air vibrated—
The trees bent—
The world itself seemed to hold its breath.
The real battle…
Had only just begun.