The moon hung low over the forest.
Too low.
Like it was watching.
Silver light stretched across the trees, pulling
their shadows into long, restless shapes.
Akira stood at the edge of a clearing, unmoving.
His claws dug into the damp earth.
His eyes… unfocused.
Lost somewhere far deeper than the night around him.
Five days.
That was all he had left.
Five days before the full moon.
Before the curse took him again.
He exhaled slowly.
It didn't help.
It never did.
He was the Alpha.
Leader of the White Wolffs.
The one his pack trusted.
The one they believed could protect them.
If only they knew.
Every full moon, the curse consumed him.
Not just the transformation
That part was normal.
Expected.
This was different.
Worse.
The first time, he lost control.
The second time…
He remembered blood.
Too much of it.
And not all of it was his.
"Chain me."
He had said it himself.
Silver.
Pure.
Unforgiving.
Marcus and Lena never questioned him.
Every full moon, they dragged him deep into the forest and bound him in chains strong enough to hold anything.
Anything…
Except this.
The curse was changing.
Growing.
Learning.
Akira flexed his fingers, staring at the faint scars running across his skin.
He didn't remember breaking free.
But he remembered waking up after.
The torn chains.
The blood.
The silence.
What if next time…
I don't stop?
His jaw tightened.
That thought wasn't allowed.
Couldn't be allowed.
His pack depended on him.
If he failed—
They died.
A voice echoed in his mind.
Old.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
"The Darkwolfs will never stop… not until they take everything."
Akira's eyes darkened.
Morwen.
Even thinking her name felt like stepping into a shadow that never ended.
A war that refused to die.
And now—
There were hunters.
Humans had always been a threat.
But not like this.
Not organized.
Not relentless.
Not led by him.
Azure.
The man hunted wolves like they were monsters.
Didn't matter if they were innocent.
Didn't matter if they were White Wolffs.
To him—
They were all the same.
Kill them all.
Akira's ears twitched.
The wind shifted.
He froze.
Salt.
His brow furrowed.
That wasn't possible.
The sea was miles away.
But the scent lingered.
Salt.
Seaweed.
And something else.
Something… alive.
The forest went silent.
Too silent.
Then—
Footsteps.
Not his pack.
Not friendly.
Akira melted into the shadows.
Gone.
Watching.
Waiting.
They emerged between the trees.
Hunters.
Armed.
Alert.
Dragging something behind them.
At first, it looked like a body.
Then—
It moved.
Akira's eyes narrowed.
Moonlight touched her…
…and shattered into color.
Scales.
Faint.
Iridescent.
Bruised.
Silver chains wrapped tightly around her wrists… and her tail.
Cutting deep.
Drawing blood.
A mermaid.
For a moment—
Akira forgot how to breathe.
Mermaids were stories.
Legends.
Warnings told to pups.
But this—
This was real.
And she wasn't fighting.
No struggling.
No begging.
No fear.
She just…
Watched.
The hunters stopped in a clearing.
Symbols carved into the ground.
Strange.
Unnatural.
Akira's instincts sharpened.
This wasn't just a capture.
It was a ritual.
"Azure wants everything ready before the full
moon," one of them muttered.
Another chuckled. "Of course he does."
Akira leaned closer in the shadows.
Listening.
"Mermaid pearls are worth a fortune," the first said.
A pause.
Then lower—
"But her song… that's the real prize."
Akira stilled.
"It can break a werewolf's curse."
Everything inside him went quiet.
His curse.
The second hunter nodded. "Azure's gonna use it. Control them first… then wipe them out."
Akira's claws sank deeper into the earth.
"So this is it," the first muttered.
"End of the wolves."
No.
Akira's gaze locked onto the mermaid.
She had heard everything.
Every word.
And still—
She said nothing.
They dragged her away.
Toward the outskirts.
Toward something worse.
Akira followed.
Silent.
Unseen.
The warehouse stood like a corpse at the edge of town.
Dead.
But not empty.
Light spilled from within.
Voices echoed.
Akira moved above them, climbing into shadow.
Watching.
And then—
He saw him.
Azure.
Calm.
Still.
Smiling.
His eyes lit up when he saw her.
Not with curiosity.
With hunger.
"Beautiful…" he murmured.
The mermaid didn't react.
"Sing for me," Azure said softly.
"And I'll make this painless."
Silence.
Then—
She laughed.
Soft.
Cold.
Defiant.
"You don't want peace," she said.
"You want power."
The slap echoed through the warehouse.
Akira's body tensed.
Every instinct screamed—
Move.
But he didn't.
Couldn't.
Too many hunters.
Too many weapons.
Silver everywhere.
If he died here—
His pack died with him.
So he stayed.
Hidden.
Watching.
Azure leaned closer again, smiling like nothing had happened.
"You will sing."
Her eyes met his.
Unbroken.
"No."
The word hit harder than any blow.
Something snapped.
What followed—
Wasn't persuasion.
It was cruelty.
Akira watched everything.
Every strike.
Every scream.
Every moment she refused to break.
His chest burned.
His fists tightened.
Do something.
But logic held him still.
He couldn't risk it.
Not yet.
Finally—
Azure stepped back.
Breathing hard.
Eyes dark.
"CHAIN HER."
The command cut through the room.
Final.
Cold.
And then he was gone.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uneasy.
One of the hunters—Joe—knelt beside her.
Different from the others.
Careful.
Gentle.
Akira watched closely.
She didn't look at him.
Didn't thank him.
Didn't resist.
She just closed her eyes.
Akira frowned slightly.
This is the legendary creature?
No power.
No resistance.
No storm.
Just…
Broken.
Disappointment settled in his chest.
He turned to leave.
Then—
She sang.
Soft.
Fragile.
Barely there.
But it reached him.
Akira froze.
The sound slipped past everything.
His instincts.
His defenses.
His control.
Straight into his chest.
It wasn't power.
It was emotion.
Raw.
Endless.
Grief.
Loneliness.
Something ancient.
Something that hurt.
Akira's breath caught.
For a moment—
He almost turned back.
Their eyes met.
Something passed between them.
Something he didn't understand.
Then—
The song stopped.
Silence returned.
Akira stepped back.
Forcing himself to turn away.
Not my problem.
He disappeared into the forest.
But the song followed him.
Echoing.
Lingering.
Unshakable.
Four days to the full moon.
And for the first time—
Akira wasn't sure what he feared more.
The curse.
Or her.