Twelve Years Ago — Oldenberg Estate
The Oldenberg Estate was burning.
Flames devoured entire wings of the mansion, painting the night sky in violent orange and black. Smoke choked the air. Bodies of elite soldiers littered the courtyard — some unconscious, some bleeding out, others already gone. Silver weapons lay scattered among the ruins. Broken walls. Shattered pillars. Blood soaked the ancient stone floors.
At the center of the destruction stood Luke Ross.
Younger. Wilder. Bruised and bloodied, clothes torn from battle. Fresh blood dripped from his extended claws.
Kneeling before him was Tristan Oldenberg.
The Alpha of the Oldenberg family coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. He looked up at Luke with pure hatred.
"You…" Tristan rasped, voice wet with blood, "…traitorous bastard…"
Luke stared down at him in cold silence.
Then, slowly, his claws extended fully.
SHINK.
Tristan's eyes widened in terror.
Before anyone could react, Luke drove his hand straight into Tristan's chest with brutal force. Charlotte screamed from the upper balcony as blood exploded across the courtyard stones. Tristan's body convulsed violently, mouth opening in a silent scream.
Then, with one savage motion —
RIP.
Luke tore Tristan's heart out of his chest.
The burning estate crackled in the background as Tristan's lifeless body collapsed forward.
Luke stood motionless, holding the still-beating heart in his blood-soaked hand like a trophy from hell.
On the balcony, Charlotte Oldenberg trembled with uncontrollable rage and grief, her eyes locked on the monster who had just murdered her brother.
Luke slowly looked up toward her.
Their eyes met across the flames.
Present Day — Hale Estate Grounds
Charlotte's boot pressed harder into Luke's chest, grinding him into the broken marble.
"Don't you dare call me aunty," she snarled, voice shaking with years of festering hatred. "It makes me sick."
Her lips twisted in disgust.
"You're the son of a whore. Know your place."
Silence.
Then —
CRACK.
Charlotte screamed in agony as Luke twisted her ankle with vicious force, bending the joint sideways at an unnatural angle. She leaped backward several feet, clutching her leg.
Luke rose slowly, rolling his neck once. The lazy smile had vanished. Only cold, emotionless fury remained.
"At first…" He took a slow step forward. "…I was just going to finish this quickly."
Another step.
"But now…" His eyes darkened completely. "…you've done it."
One of the men stepped forward — tall, massive, with sharp gray eyes. Malcolm Oldenberg, Tristan's older brother. Silver blades extended from both his sleeves with a metallic SHINK. The other four hunters mirrored him instantly, shifting into combat stances with military precision.
Malcolm pointed a silver blade at Luke.
"Tonight…" A low growl escaped him. "…we avenge Tristan."
Killer intent erupted from all five hunters at once.
"Tonight… Luke Ross dies."
Then they attacked.
BOOM.
The ground shattered beneath their feet.
Charlotte rushed first despite her injured ankle, fast enough to leave afterimages. Her silver claws sliced toward Luke's throat. Luke tilted his head just enough for the blades to miss by a hair. At the same moment, another hunter slid low, aiming to sever his Achilles tendon.
Luke jumped backward — only for Malcolm to descend from above.
SLASH!
Silver claws ripped across Luke's shoulder. Blood sprayed.
Iris gasped from behind the marble wall, eyes wide with horror.
Luke glanced at the wound, then smiled.
"Impressive."
The hunters pressed the attack relentlessly. No pauses. No wasted movement. One attacked high, one low, two circled his blind spots while Malcolm controlled the center — a perfectly synchronized execution squad.
Luke blocked a silver blade with his bare hand. Smoke rose from his burning palm. Then —
BAM!
He headbutted one hunter square in the face, dropping the man instantly.
Charlotte spun behind him, claws aiming for his spine. Luke twisted unnaturally and caught her wrist mid-strike. Malcolm capitalized with a brutal kick to Luke's ribs.
BOOM!
The impact launched Luke through a marble statue. Stone exploded everywhere.
The hunters chased without mercy.
Luke barely rolled aside as silver claws stabbed into the ground where his head had been. Another hunter grabbed him from behind in a military restraint lock. Charlotte lunged for his heart.
But Luke slammed his head backward, shattering the hunter's nose, then spun and grabbed Charlotte by the throat. With a roar, he hurled her through a stone pillar.
BOOM!
The pillar cracked apart on impact.
Malcolm growled. "DON'T GIVE HIM SPACE!"
All five attacked again — fists, claws, elbows, silver blades. Military martial arts fused with raw wolf ferocity.
Malcolm fought like a commander — precise, efficient, deadly.
But Luke fought like violence incarnate.
No structure.
No discipline.
Just pure, monstrous instinct.
A silver blade tore through his arm. Another slashed across his back. Charlotte stabbed toward his stomach — Luke caught the blade between both palms, ignoring the silver burning his flesh, and drove his knee into her ribs with a sickening CRACK. She flew backward, coughing blood.
For the first time, the Oldenberg hunters realized something horrifying.
Luke Ross wasn't trapped with them.
They were trapped with him.
The battle had completely changed.
At first, the Oldenberg hunters believed they had him cornered. Five elite executioners. Silver weapons. Military coordination. Perfect teamwork.
But now Luke had figured them out — their rhythm, their habits, their timing.
And once Luke understood something, it was over.
Charlotte lunged again, faster this time, silver claws slicing toward his throat. Luke didn't dodge. He caught her wrist mid-strike and squeezed.
CRACK.
Charlotte screamed as her wrist shattered. Luke spun violently, using her body like a club, and slammed her into another hunter.
BOOM!
Both crashed through a stone fountain, water and marble exploding outward.
Malcolm's eyes widened. Too much strength.
Luke moved again.
A hunter attacked from behind, silver blade aimed at his spine. Without turning, Luke drove his elbow backward.
CRACK!
The hunter's jaw exploded sideways, teeth and blood flying through the air.
Another came from the left. Luke ducked, grabbed the man's face, and smashed his skull into the marble ground.
BOOM!
The floor cracked apart.
Luke stood back up slowly, breathing calm, barely winded. Blood dripped from multiple silver wounds, but he didn't seem to notice.
The hunters, however, were exhausted. Bruised. Bleeding. Panic beginning to creep into their eyes.
Iris watched everything from behind the broken marble wall, completely speechless.
This wasn't a fight anymore.
It was domination.
Pure, overwhelming physical domination. No full transformation. No ancient magic. No tricks. Just raw, monstrous strength.
Charlotte wiped blood from her mouth, breathing heavily. "What the hell…" Her eyes trembled. "…he's much stronger than before…"
Malcolm stared at Luke in silence, analyzing every movement. Realization finally hit him.
It wasn't technique. It wasn't speed.
It was raw power.
Luke's physical strength had become absurd — far beyond any normal werewolf. Even his regeneration was different. Faster. Denser. As if his body itself had evolved into something new.
Luke rolled his shoulders, blood still dripping from his wounds, and smiled.
"That's it?"
One of the hunters hesitated — just slightly.
Luke noticed.
And disappeared.
BOOM.
A shockwave exploded across the courtyard. The hunter barely had time to widen his eyes before Luke's fist crashed into his stomach. The impact folded the man in half. Blood erupted from his mouth. Luke grabbed his head and hurled him straight into a concrete pillar.
CRASH!
The entire structure collapsed in a cloud of dust and debris.
Silence fell for a heartbeat.
Even Charlotte froze.
Because now they understood something truly terrifying.
The Luke Ross from twelve years ago… and the Luke Ross standing before them now… were completely different monsters.
Malcolm slowly stepped backward, eyes locked on Luke.
Luke noticed and smiled wider. "What's wrong?" He took a step forward. "I thought you came here to hunt me."
Malcolm's jaw tightened. Then, slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a satellite phone.
Charlotte looked at him sharply. "…Malcolm?"
He ignored her, still staring at Luke with pure hatred.
The line connected instantly.
"Lord Jared."
A pause. Malcolm's breathing was heavy.
"…We need to do That right now!"
Luke's smile faded slightly. For the first time, his eyes sharpened with genuine seriousness.
Malcolm continued, voice low and urgent. "We can't bring him back alive." Another pause. Then, staring directly at Luke, "We have to kill him."
Silence stretched across the broken grounds.
And somewhere on the other end of the line, Jared Oldenberg answered.
"…Understood."