The black-tinted convoy cut through the winding forest roads, engines humming in the silence of the night. A storm loomed overhead, thick clouds rolling in, casting shadows over the moonlit pavement. The scent of damp earth filled the air, a sign of incoming rain.
The convoy moved swiftly, a mix of armored vehicles and high-speed bikes escorting F4's leaders back to their territory. It was late—too late for casual travelers, yet they passed no one else on the road. Too quiet.
The formation was tight—too tight.
Nani sat in the car, arms crossed, mind still tangled in the conversation with Sky. Stormveil had thrown his world off balance.
Pond yawned. "Man, I can't wait to get back. A hot shower and my bed—"
And then—
Nani stiffened.
Something felt off.
The night was too quiet.
The usual sounds of crickets and rustling leaves were missing.
Even the air felt wrong.
He wasn't the only one who noticed. Dew's fingers froze mid-scroll. Win sat up straighter, gaze flicking to the side mirror.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire world shook.
A blinding fireball erupted from the front of the convoy, swallowing the first car whole. The force of the blast sent shrapnel flying, tearing through metal and ripping apart the surrounding trees.
The heat barely had time to kiss Nani's face before the second attack followed.
Gunfire.
Precise. Ruthless. Unforgiving.
The convoy screeched to a halt. The second car—Nani's—jerked violently, tires screaming against the pavement. He barely caught himself before slamming into the door.
Then, the bullets came.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Gunfire tore through metal, shattered glass, and sent sparks flying into the air.
"AMBUSH!" Pond roared, already throwing himself out of the car.
Nani moved on instinct. He ducked, heart slamming against his ribs as the windshield exploded. A bullet missed his skull by an inch.
They weren't using silver.
They weren't using normal bullets.
These were armor-piercing rounds. It can delay healing ability.
Their enemy wasn't another pack. It wasn't Blackridge.
It was worse.
Hunters.
Not the disorganized rogues who occasionally made trouble in the city.
No, this was different. Professional. Tactical.
No scent.
No hesitation.
Every bullet is calculated to kill.
These were elite hunters trained specifically for werewolves.
A second explosion went off.
The fourth car flipped, rolling onto its side. Dew's father was still inside.
Nani's stomach plunged.
"FUCK!" Dew's snarl cut through the gunfire. He had already left cover, dodging past the bullets as he sprinted for his father's car.
"DEW! NO—"
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
A sniper.
One second. That was all it took.
The shot rang out—a single, perfect strike.
Dew's body jerked. His momentum cut short mid-step.
Then—he collapsed.
"DEW!"
Blood. Too much of it.
A sniper had nailed him through the side, dangerously close to his heart.
The impact sent him crashing into the dirt, his body convulsing from the poison laced in the bullet.
Wolfbane.
Deadly. Excruciating. Fatal if not treated fast.
Pond was already dragging Dew behind cover, firing blindly toward the tree line. His own arm was bleeding, but he didn't seem to care.
Nani's chest tightened. This wasn't just a raid.
They were here to kill.
---
Gunfire thundered through the night, turning the peaceful forest road into a war zone. Smoke choked the air, mixing with the scent of burnt metal and blood. The convoy was in shambles—flames devouring wreckage, bodies littering the asphalt.
And the hunters… they weren't stopping.
Their attack was methodical, ruthless—every shot calculated, every movement precise. These weren't mercenaries looking for a payday. These were professionals. Trained to kill wolves.
Pond was crouched low, dragging Dew behind an overturned car. His face was twisted in pain, blood soaking his sleeve, but his grip on Dew never wavered.
"Stay awake, you bastard." Pond's voice was raw, barely audible over the chaos. "You hear me? I'm not dragging your dead ass home."
Dew's breathing was shallow, his skin turning unnaturally pale from the wolfbane coursing through his veins. His fingers twitched, barely gripping the dirt beneath him.
Nani dropped beside them, eyes flicking over Dew's wound. His stomach clenched. The shot was bad. If they didn't get the poison out soon—
Win pressed against the car beside them, his face unreadable. But Nani could see it. The cold calculation in his eyes. The weight of the situation settling in.
"We're pinned." Win exhaled, keeping his voice level despite the chaos. "Their snipers have the high ground. They know our formations. They knew we'd take this route."
They had been played.
Blinded by their war with Blackridge, they hadn't noticed the bigger threat creeping in.
"We were careless," Nani murmured, rage simmering beneath his words. We missed this.
Win didn't reply, but the flicker in his eyes said it all. He knew.
"Where's my father?" Nani's voice sharpened, scanning the wreckage.
"Safe—for now." Win tilted his head toward the armored car in the center. "Pond's father too. Warut's got them locked down, but they won't last if this drags on."
"We need to move." Nani's pulse pounded against his skull. Every second wasted was another step toward death.
Pond let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah? Move where? In case you haven't noticed, we're fucking surrounded." He gestured toward the tree line, where flashes of muzzle fire lit up the darkness.
"They're picking us off one by one." Win's jaw clenched. "If we don't break the line now, we won't have a pack left to go home to."
A heavy silence settled between them.
This was no ordinary ambush.
This was a slaughter.
And they were losing.
-----
The battlefield was collapsing around them.
Smoke curled into the sky, thick and suffocating. Gunfire rattled through the air like a relentless drumbeat. The metallic scent of blood clung to the wind, mixing with the acrid stench of burning cars and gunpowder.
Nani's ears rang from the explosions, but the desperation in his father's voice cut through the noise.
"Nani!"
His father's figure loomed through the smoke, his face streaked with blood—some of it his, some of it not. His eyes were sharp, unwavering, even as bullets rained down around them.
"Take the others and run."
Nani's stomach twisted. "What?"
"You heard me!" His father grabbed his shoulder, gripping too tight, as if he could physically force him to leave. "Get the heirs out. Get Dew to safety. This isn't a fight we can win."
They had already lost too much.
Sarut was gone. The realization punched into Nani's chest like a bullet of its own. Dew's father was dead. His body lay twisted in the wreckage of his car, eyes staring blankly at the sky.
His blood painted the ground black in the moonlight.
And Dew—
Dew was slipping.
His breaths were ragged, shallow, his usually sharp eyes glazed with pain. Wolfbane was still eating away at his system.
Nani's throat tightened. We need to get out.
But leaving meant abandoning the others. His father. Pond's father. Their warriors.
"I'm not running." Nani's voice was hoarse, shaking with defiance. "Neither are they."
His father's grip tightened, his face twisting with frustration. "You are the heirs! You can't die here! If you fall, Four Fang falls!"
Pond, kneeling beside Dew, snarled through clenched teeth. "We're not fucking cowards!"
"It's not about being cowards, it's about surviving!" His father's voice cracked under the weight of command. "The hunters came prepared. We didn't. There's no backup coming—"
Another explosion tore through the convoy.
The armored vehicle shielding the elders burst into flames, sending debris flying in all directions. The impact sent Nani sprawling, the heat licking at his skin.
A deafening ringing filled his ears.
Distantly, he heard shouting.
A bullet grazed Pond's arm as he hauled Dew up, staggering under his weight.
Win was already moving, firing precise shots toward the treeline, but the hunters were too fast, too many.
Their warriors were falling one by one.
And still, the hunters pressed forward.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
This wasn't a battle.
This was a massacre.
Nani's father pulled him up forcefully, his expression carved from steel.
"I love you, son. But if you don't leave now, you'll never get the chance to hate me for making you."
Then—
He turned.
Raising his claws, his body shifting mid-air, he charged straight into the enemy line.
And just like that—
The choice was made for them.
----
Nani couldn't breathe.
The last thing he saw was his father disappearing into the chaos, his wolf form colliding with the enemy.
And then— they ran.
The wind howled past them as they sprinted through the burning wreckage, dodging bullets, stepping over bodies.
Dew's breathing was shallow, uneven, slipping fast. Pond held him up, blood soaking through his clothes.
Win was covering their escape, every shot he fired a promise of vengeance.
Nani's heart slammed against his ribs, his mind racing—who else was left? Who else had fallen?
The Four Fang Alliance had never been this vulnerable.
And now—they were hunted.
A sharp whistle.
Nani whirled.
A hunter stood on the ridge, rifle locked onto them.
Finger on the trigger.
Too fast.
Nani's instincts screamed—
Too late.
The shot rang out.
A blur of silver and black slammed into him, knocking him out of the bullet's path.
Nani hit the ground, breath leaving him in a sharp gasp.
The world spun, his heart thundering in his chest.
Gunfire crackled. Shouts rang through the trees.
And then—
Silence.
Heavy breathing.
And a voice—low, urgent.
"We need to go. Now."
Before Nani could fully comprehend what had happened, strong hands hauled him up, pulling him into the shadows.
But the battle still raged behind them.