Kieran's POV
"Take Cass to my den," I order my sister Luna. "Lock the door. Don't let her out until I return."
Cass's face goes pale. "Kieran, please don't kill him. Not because he deserves mercy—he doesn't. But if you kill him, you'll have questions. And I need answers first."
She's right. I hate that she's right.
"Fine. I'll bring him back alive." I bare my teeth. "But if he tries anything, all bets are off."
I shift mid-stride, my wolf bursting out with a snarl. My patrol wolves are waiting at the eastern border, surrounding two humans who look completely out of place in the Beastworld.
The male is tall, well-dressed even in torn clothes, with dark hair and cold eyes that remind me of snakes. He's shouting at my wolves, demanding they take him to "whoever's in charge."
The female beside him has platinum blonde hair and is crying dramatically. "Please, we're lost! We're looking for my sister Cassandra! She disappeared and we've been searching everywhere!"
Liars. Both of them.
I shift to human form, and my beta Marcus Sharptooth tosses me pants. I dress quickly, never taking my eyes off the male human.
"You're looking for Cassandra?" I ask, my voice dangerously calm.
The male's eyes light up with fake relief. "Yes! Oh thank God. I'm Marcus Chen, her fiancé. This is her sister Vera. Is she here? Is she safe?"
Every instinct screams that this man is dangerous.
"Why are you in Beastworld?" I counter.
"I don't know! We were at our engagement party and suddenly we woke up here!" Marcus spreads his hands innocently. "We've been wandering for hours, terrified. When we heard there was a pack nearby, we hoped they might have seen Cass."
He's good. Almost convincing. But I've spent three hundred years reading predators, and this human is definitely one.
"She's here," I say, watching his reaction carefully.
Relief floods his face—too much relief. "Thank God. Can I see her? She must be so frightened."
"No."
His smile freezes. "Excuse me?"
"Cass is under my protection. No one sees her without my permission." I step closer, using my height to intimidate. "Especially not the man who drugged her."
Marcus's mask slips for just a second. I see calculation in his eyes, cold and sharp.
"I don't know what she told you," he says carefully, "but Cassandra has been under a lot of stress lately. Her father died last year, she's been working too hard, and honestly, she's been having some... mental health issues. Sometimes she imagines things that didn't happen."
"You're calling her a liar?"
"I'm calling her sick. Confused." He actually looks concerned. "I love her. I've been worried sick. Please, let me see her so I can help her."
Vera nods eagerly. "My sister needs help. Professional help. We can take her home, get her the treatment she needs."
I'm about to tell them exactly where they can shove their concern when something weird happens.
Glowing words appear in the air in front of Marcus's face—words only I can see this time.
[CONQUEST SYSTEM DETECTED]
[WARNING: HOSTILE SYSTEM USER IN PROXIMITY]
[RECOMMENDATION: ELIMINATE THREAT]
What the hell?
Marcus doesn't seem to notice the words. He's still talking, still playing the worried fiancé. But now I can see something floating near him—a different kind of interface than what Cass described.
His has red letters instead of blue. And the missions visible on his screen make my blood run cold:
[ACTIVE MISSION: LOCATE CASSANDRA VALE]
[OBJECTIVE: STEAL HOST'S MEDICAL SYSTEM]
[REWARD: SYSTEM FUSION, 1000 POINTS, TERRITORY CONTROL]
[METHOD: PHYSICAL CONTACT REQUIRED FOR SYSTEM THEFT]
He's here to steal Cass's System. And if those words mean what I think they mean, he can do it just by touching her.
"I'll ask her if she wants to see you," I say slowly, buying time to think. "If she says yes, I'll bring you to the village. If she says no, you leave."
"That's fair," Marcus agrees too quickly.
It's not fair. If Cass sees him, she might panic. Or worse, he might use some System power I don't understand.
"Marcus, beta, take these two to the holding cave. Give them food and water but keep them under guard." I lock eyes with my beta. "If either of them tries to leave, kill them."
"You can't keep us prisoner!" Vera protests.
"I can do whatever I want. This is my territory." I smile without humor. "Be grateful I'm letting you live."
I shift and run back to the village, my mind racing. Two System users. Both after Cass. This is bigger than I thought.
When I reach my den, Luna is standing guard outside. "She's inside. Hasn't tried to leave."
I push open the door and find Cass pacing, chewing her thumbnail—a nervous habit I've noticed.
"Well?" she demands immediately. "Did you kill him?"
"No. But I should have." I close the door. "Cass, he has a System too."
Her face drains of color. "What?"
"A red one. Called the Conquest System. And his current mission is to steal your Medical System by touching you."
She sits down hard on my bed, looking sick. "Of course he does. Of course Marcus would find a way to weaponize this too."
"What does that mean?"
"It means he's probably been planning this since before he drugged me." Her voice is bitter. "Marcus doesn't do anything by accident. If he's here, if he has a System, he knew I'd end up here. He set this whole thing up."
My wolf snarls inside me. "Why?"
"Because that's what Marcus does. He takes things. My father's company, my research, my life." She looks up at me with haunted eyes. "Now he wants my System. And knowing him, he won't stop until he gets it."
"Then we don't let him near you."
"Kieran, you don't understand. Marcus always wins. He's smart, ruthless, and he plans everything ten steps ahead. If he's here with Vera, they already have a strategy."
"So do we." I kneel in front of her, forcing her to meet my eyes. "You're pack now. That means you're mine to protect. And I've never lost anything I claimed as mine."
She stares at me. "Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."
"My wolf knows you. That's enough." It's the truth. My wolf has claimed her as pack—maybe as more—and I trust my instincts.
A howl echoes from the village center. My sister's voice: "ALPHA! COME QUICK!"
Cass and I run outside together. The entire pack is gathered in a circle, and in the center—
My blood turns to ice.
Jamie is convulsing on the ground, foam coming from his mouth. The medicine Cass gave him is supposed to be working, but he looks worse than before.
Elder Moira stands over him with a satisfied smile. "I told you human magic was dangerous. Now the boy is dying faster."
"What did you do?" Cass screams, pushing through the crowd.
"I gave him the traditional herbs. The proper medicine." Moira's eyes glitter with malice. "Whatever poison you put in him needed to be purged."
Cass drops beside Jamie, her hands shaking as she checks his pulse. "You idiot! You mixed incompatible medicines! You've created a toxic reaction!"
"I saved him from your witchcraft!"
"You killed him!" Cass looks up at me, tears streaming down her face. "Kieran, she's killed him. The combination of medicines is shutting down his organs. Without my System's antidote, he'll be dead in minutes."
"Then use your System!" I roar.
"I can't! I used my free starter pack! I need points to buy the antidote and I have zero!" Her voice breaks. "I don't have enough time to gather herbs. I don't have anything!"
The pack starts muttering. Angry voices rise.
"The human failed!"
"She's a fraud!"
"Throw her out before she kills us all!"
My beta steps forward. "Alpha, the human had her chance. She failed. Pack law says—"
"Pack law says I'm Alpha and what I say goes!" I snarl.
But even I can't argue with what's happening. Jamie is dying. The human's medicine failed—or was sabotaged, but the pack doesn't care about the difference.
Cass stands up slowly, her face pale but determined. She looks at the crowd, then at me.
"I have one option," she says quietly. "But it's dangerous."
"What option?"
"Marcus's Conquest System. If I can get close enough to access his System store, I might be able to steal points from him." Her jaw sets. "It's risky. He'll try to steal my System. But if I'm faster..."
"Absolutely not!" I grab her arm. "He'll take your System and kill you!"
"Jamie will die if I don't try!" She pulls away from me. "Kieran, I made a promise. Three days to save him. I'm not breaking that promise."
"You'll die!"
"Maybe." She looks at Jamie, convulsing on the ground. "But I'd rather die trying than live knowing I could have saved him."
She starts walking toward the eastern border before I can stop her.
My wolf is howling in my head: Protect mate! Stop her!
But she's already running.
And I'm chasing after her, terrified that I'm about to watch this brave, stubborn human walk straight into a trap that will destroy her.
When we reach the holding cave, Marcus is waiting with that same fake smile.
"Cassandra! Thank God you're safe!"
Cass walks right up to him—too close, way too close.
"Hello, Marcus," she says coldly. "Let's make a deal."