The smoke spread rapidly across the room — dark, burning, and blinding.
Iris coughed violently, eyes stinging as she tried to see through the thick haze. Then came the boots. Heavy. Multiple. Figures in black tactical gear stormed through the shattered windows, automatic rifles already raised. Red laser sights sliced through the smoke like blood trails.
The moment they spotted Luke, they opened fire.
RATATATATATATATATATA!!!
The room exploded with gunfire. Walls shattered. Wood splintered. Glass rained down in deadly shards.
Iris screamed and dropped behind the bed, hands clamped over her head as bullets tore through the air above her.
The soldiers kept firing relentlessly, not pausing for even a second.
Then… silence.
The smoke drifted lazily. The soldiers advanced carefully, weapons still raised.
But Luke was gone.
One soldier spoke, voice tight with nerves. "Where the hell did he go—"
"WATCH THE CORNERS!" another barked.
One soldier slowly tilted his head upward.
And froze.
Luke was hanging from the ceiling, claws buried deep into the concrete like iron hooks. His body was completely still, predatory eyes glowing faintly through the smoke.
A faint, almost amused smile curved his lips.
"Silver bullets?" His voice echoed calmly through the destroyed room. "That's honestly shameful coming from the Oldenbergs."
The soldiers instantly swung their rifles upward.
But they were too slow.
BOOM.
Luke dropped like a monster from hell, landing directly on top of one soldier. His claws tore straight through the man's chest armor with a sickening CRACK. Blood splattered across the floor. The soldier didn't even have time to scream.
The others opened fire again.
RATATATATATA!!!
Luke ripped the rifle from the dying soldier's hands and grabbed the corpse itself, using the body as a human shield while bullets ripped into it. He moved through the gunfire with terrifying speed — not like a man, not even like a wolf. Like something primal. Something that enjoyed the violence.
He reached into the dead soldier's tactical vest, pulled out a smoke grenade and a flashbang, and smirked.
"Cute."
He threw both straight back at them.
BANG!
FLASH!
The room detonated with blinding white light and fresh smoke. Soldiers staggered, screaming, temporarily blinded and disoriented.
Luke moved like lightning. He reached under the bed, grabbed Iris by the arm, and pulled her up effortlessly.
"Move."
Before she could even process what was happening, Luke kicked open the balcony doors. Cold night wind rushed in. Then he jumped.
Iris nearly screamed as they plummeted, but Luke landed perfectly on the lower balcony and immediately leaped again — descending the estate in powerful, gravity-defying bounds.
Behind them, chaos erupted through the mansion.
"FIND HIM!"
"DON'T LET HIM ESCAPE!"
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"
Iris looked back in complete panic, heart hammering against her ribs. "What is happening?! Who ARE those people?!"
Luke continued moving through the dark estate grounds almost casually, carrying her like she weighed nothing.
"Oldenberg soldiers."
"WHAT?!"
"They're hunting me."
Iris stared at him in disbelief. "Why would they hunt you?!"
Luke glanced at her briefly, his expression unchanging.
"Because I killed their Alpha."
Silence.
Iris nearly stumbled as they landed. "…You what?"
Luke sighed, almost annoyed he had to explain. "Long story."
Gunshots suddenly echoed nearby again. Luke instantly pulled her behind a thick stone wall. Bullets struck the marble where they had stood seconds earlier, sending shards flying.
Then — for the first time — Iris noticed something truly terrifying.
Luke was smiling.
Not a normal smile.
An excited, feral grin that showed too many teeth.
"Hah…" He cracked his neck slowly, the sound loud in the night. "It's been a while since someone tried this hard to kill me."
His eyes gleamed with dark anticipation as more footsteps and growls approached from the trees.
The real hunt had only just begun.
Bullets continued tearing through the Hale Estate grounds.
Stone shattered. Ancient trees splintered. Bright searchlights swept across the darkness like predatory eyes hunting for prey.
Luke and Iris remained crouched behind a massive marble wall in the outer garden. The sound of soldiers shouting orders echoed from every direction, closing in.
Luke peeked over the wall for a brief second, then sighed.
"Stay here."
Iris looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Excuse me?"
Luke rolled his shoulders casually. "I'll go finish them."
Iris almost choked. "Are you crazy?!" She pointed toward the relentless gunfire. "They have automatic rifles! What exactly are you planning to do against that?!"
Luke opened his mouth to answer — then suddenly stopped.
A distant, rhythmic sound cut through the night sky.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Luke slowly looked upward.
A large black military helicopter emerged from the darkness, flying low and fast. Its powerful spotlight sliced across the estate grounds like a blade.
Luke stared at it for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Oh…" A small, genuine chuckle escaped him. "So they're really going all out."
Iris looked at him nervously. "What now?"
Luke slowly raised one hand, as if preparing to do something. The air around him shifted unnaturally — cold wind beginning to gather at his command.
But then he stopped midway.
His eyes narrowed.
The helicopter's side door slid open. Five figures stood ready inside — three men, two women — all wearing specialized black combat suits designed for high-level werewolf combat. Lightweight armor. Silver-lined weapons. Clawed gauntlets.
Not ordinary soldiers.
Hunters.
Real ones.
Luke's smile widened instantly. Not annoyed. Not angry.
Excited.
"Perfect."
He stood up fully, dusting off his clothes with casual indifference, then looked at Iris. For the first time that night, his voice became genuinely serious.
"Miss Iris."
"I'm really sorry…" A pause. "…but this might take a little while."
Iris blinked. "What?"
"You should leave."
"WHAT?!"
Luke looked back toward the descending helicopter. "They won't hurt you. They're after me."
Iris hesitated. Because for the first time, Luke didn't sound arrogant or mocking. He sounded focused. Dangerous.
"Are you sure?"
Luke nodded once. "You were simply caught in this mess."
Then his smile returned — bigger, sharper, more feral.
And that terrified Iris more than anything else.
The helicopter hovered above the grounds.
Then —
BOOM.
One figure jumped first.
Straight down from nearly thirty feet in the air.
The ground shattered violently upon impact. Dust and marble fragments exploded outward.
Before Iris could even react, the figure moved with blinding speed.
SLAM!!!
Luke was smashed directly into the ground. The marble beneath him cracked in a wide spiderweb pattern.
A woman stood over him, one boot pressed hard against his chest, pinning him down.
Tall. Athletic. Long silver-blonde hair tied back tightly. Her eyes burned with pure, unfiltered hatred.
Charlotte Oldenberg.
Tristan Oldenberg's younger sister.
She looked down at Luke like he was something filthy stuck to her shoe.
The remaining four hunters landed behind her in perfect synchronization, forming a deadly half-circle.
Iris immediately felt the difference in pressure. These people weren't soldiers.
They were predators.
Luke, pinned beneath Charlotte's boot, looked up at her lazily.
Then smiled.
"Hello, Aunty Charlotte."
A pause.
"How've you been?"