The next night was quiet — the kind of quiet that made the city feel like it was holding its breath.
The Silver Fang ruins were now a graveyard of memories. Yet, beneath the ash and wreckage, something new stirred — not despair, but purpose.
Kael stood at the edge of the old courtyard, watching the surviving pack members move with quiet determination. Rafe had organized the wounded, turning shattered halls into makeshift barracks. A few younger wolves trained in silence, their faces hardened by loss. No one complained. No one asked when it would end.
They all knew the answer: not until Lucien was dead.
Selene approached from behind, her leather jacket dusted with soot. "You've turned this place into a war camp," she said.
Kael didn't turn. "It's what we are now."
She glanced at him — the faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes, the way his hands trembled slightly before he clenched them into fists. "You're burning yourself out," she said.
He ignored the comment. "What did you find?"
Selene exhaled and handed him a small silver data drive. "That's everything I pulled from the docks last night. Lucien's been transporting something through the East District. Blood shipments, labeled as 'medical supplies.' And get this — they're traced to a biotech company called Vanguard Labs."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Human cover?"
"Partly," she said. "But Vanguard's funded by someone off the grid. Someone who's helping Lucien refine the hybrid process. I don't think this is just about power anymore. It's about control."
Kael took the drive, staring at it like it was the key to the fire burning in his chest. "Then we find Vanguard. We tear it down. Every last piece of it."
Selene crossed her arms. "You'll need more than vengeance for that. Lucien's got half the underworld eating from his hand. Even rival packs are aligning with him out of fear."
"Then I'll give them something else to fear."
Selene studied him for a long moment — that raw intensity behind his words, the Alpha that refused to die.
"You can't win this alone," she said quietly.
Kael turned to her, his silver eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. "I don't intend to."
---
Hours later — the outskirts of the city
The warehouse was old, abandoned years ago after the last pack war. But tonight, its rusted walls echoed with low growls and footsteps. Kael stood in the center of the space, facing a circle of wolves — leaders of smaller packs scattered across the city's fringes.
They came for different reasons. Some for revenge. Some for survival. Some because they simply had nowhere else to go.
"Lucien's army grows every night," Kael began, his voice carrying through the room. "He doesn't care who dies — wolf, vampire, or human. He's building something worse than domination. He wants extinction."
A scarred wolf named Garron spat to the side. "You want us to fight for you, Draven? Last time packs united, half of us buried our kin for your wars."
Kael didn't flinch. "Then let's make sure this time it ends for good."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. Rafe stepped forward. "You all know what Lucien's done. He's taken our kin, twisted them, turned them into monsters that don't even recognize their own reflection. How long before it's your pack next?"
The room grew still. Garron's glare softened just a little. "And you think you can stop him?"
Kael's voice dropped lower, colder. "I know I can. But I need warriors — not cowards."
That hit like a spark on dry leaves. A few growled, but none stepped forward.
Then, from the shadows, Selene spoke.
"He's not asking for followers," she said, stepping into the circle. "He's offering a chance to end this. You all lost something to Lucien — your people, your pride, your peace. So either stand here and hide behind old grudges, or fight for the world you want to wake up to."
Her words cut through the tension like a blade. Kael glanced at her — not surprised, but grateful.
After a moment of heavy silence, Garron grunted. "If we're doing this, we do it right. A blood oath. Old ways."
Kael nodded once. "Agreed."
Rafe fetched a silver dagger — the kind only Alphas carried. One by one, the pack leaders stepped forward, slicing their palms and pressing them together in the center. Blood mixed, the air thick with the scent of iron and power.
Kael spoke the ancient words, his voice resonating through the warehouse:
> "By blood and moon, by claw and heart, we bind our rage as one. Until the last shadow falls."
The air pulsed — ancient magic answering their call. Somewhere deep inside, Kael felt the old power awaken, old bonds reforging like molten steel.
When it was done, he looked around the circle — at the faces of wolves who had once been enemies.
Tonight, they were soldiers.
---
Later — rooftop of the warehouse
Selene leaned against the railing, watching the skyline glitter in the distance. Kael joined her, wiping the last of the blood from his hands.
"You handled that well," she said quietly.
He smirked. "Didn't feel like it."
"They believe in you now," she replied. "Even if you don't believe in yourself yet."
Kael was silent for a moment, then asked, "How'd you know what to say down there?"
Selene hesitated, her eyes fixed on the city lights. "Because I've seen what happens when monsters like Lucien win. My mother… she used to work for someone like him. Vanguard Labs."
Kael turned sharply. "What?"
She nodded slowly. "She thought she was helping create cures for bloodline mutations. But Lucien found her. Used her research. When she tried to stop him…" Her voice faltered. "He killed her."
Kael's expression darkened, a mix of fury and pity flickering across his features. "So this isn't just my war."
"No," Selene whispered. "It never was."
They stood in silence for a long time — the kind of silence that said everything words couldn't.
Then Kael looked toward the moon, his eyes glinting silver. "Tomorrow we strike Vanguard. If Lucien's building his army there, I'll tear it apart from the inside."
Selene gave a faint smirk. "You'll need me for that."
Kael's lips curved in a rare, dangerous smile. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
The wind shifted, carrying the faint scent of rain and metal. Somewhere below, the city pulsed — unaware that war was coming.
Kael straightened, his muscles coiled, his eyes cold and alive again. "Let him come," he murmured. "This time, I'm ready."
Selene looked at him, a flicker of warmth crossing her face. "No," she said softly. "This time, we're ready."
---
The moon hung high, bright and merciless.
And beneath its light, the reckoning began to take shape — notin grief, but in fire
.
Lucien's empire had no idea that the wolves were done mourning.
Now, they were coming for blood.