Crystal and Franciele froze at the sound of bodies crashing and cries ringing through the air. The noise pulled them to the shattered front window of the Witch's Den, where the fight had begun to escalate into chaos.
Inside, James lay unconscious in a crumpled heap, his limbs limp and unmoving. And outside laid Sam.
Franciele's face grew pale. "Crystal, we've got to do something about that little girl."
Crystal nodded, her brown eyes scanning the battlefield. "We'll wait until those bastard werewolves are fully engaged with Joshua and Jack."
Outside, Joshua charged toward Logan like a bullet. Logan tried to intercept him with a front kick, but Joshua slipped under it and responded with a vicious overhand right. The punch slammed into Logan's face, lifting him off his feet and hurling him into the air like a ragdoll.
"LOGAAN!!!" Morgan screamed as his brother soared past him.
His eyes followed Logan's flight, until Jack capitalized on the distraction. He lunged forward and leapt into a flying knee strike, smashing Morgan's jaw with brutal precision. The impact launched Morgan backward through the air as well.
"You can't be worrying about your brother right now," Jack muttered as Morgan landed on his feet but slid back several feet, stunned.
"They're far enough away from the girl!" Franciele declared, bolting from the den.
She ran out, swift despite her age, and scooped Sam into her arms with surprising strength. She rushed her back inside and gently laid her down on the floor, then collapsed against the wall, panting and drenched in sweat.
"A lady my age shouldn't be working this hard…" Franciele muttered, her chest heaving.
Crystal, still by the window, fanned her with a wooden plate.
Jessica, drunk and completely unaware of the chaos, lay passed out with her head down on the table, a bottle of Amarula still in her hand.
Back outside, Morgan's eyes narrowed as he got into his kickboxing stance again. "I'm gonna finish this quickly and help my bro."
Jack mirrored his stance. "It won't be that easy."
Meanwhile, Logan groaned on the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth. This guy's a monster… one punch did this much damage, he thought, slowly pushing himself upright.
Joshua cracked his neck. "Let's go. This is just the beginning."
Logan wiped the blood from his chin and reentered his stance, mirroring his brother's determination.
Morgan dashed forward, throwing a high roundhouse kick aimed at Jack's head, but Jack slipped it effortlessly. He fired a quick low leg kick toward Morgan's shin. Morgan hopped his right leg up to avoid it and countered with a front kick, which Jack blocked, sliding backward.
On the other side, Logan charged in. He launched a front kick, but Joshua sidestepped and responded with a brutal right hook to Logan's ribs. The impact made Logan cough up blood.
Logan threw a right straight punch, but Joshua slipped under it again and hammered another hook into the same spot, forcing Logan backward, coughing harder.
Morgan turned his head to check on his brother.
"I told you to pay attention to our fight," Jack snapped and rushed forward.
Morgan shouted, "LET'S GET SERIOUS, BRO!!!"
Suddenly, a violent burst of aura erupted from Morgan. His body twitched and shifted, his teeth sharpened into fangs, red light burned in his eyes, brown wolf ears sprouted from his hair, and a tail extended behind him.
Jack jumped back in shock.
That aura… it feels like an Alpha. But he's a Beta. How…?
Joshua, mid-strike, went in for a powerful straight punch. But just as the punch neared, Logan transformed. His eyes blazed brighter red, his tail emerged, and his body seemed to pulse with newfound strength.
He slipped Joshua's punch and countered with one of his own. Joshua blocked it, but the force sent him sliding across the ground.
"Yeah, you're right, brother," Logan growled. "It's time to get serious."
His power just exploded… he feels like an Alpha now. But he's a Beta, Joshua thought.
Then, in eerie unison, the brothers spoke...
"All noble werewolves have the potential for a second awakening. The first is the glowing eyes, semi-awakened. But the second…"
Their voices overlapped, their tones perfectly in sync.
"For Betas, it grants Alpha-level strength and physical changes. Hard to obtain, but possible through rigorous training. For Alphas… they become gods. Full wolf form. Only a few have ever achieved it. King Siegfried. Joshua's father. And one more."
Morgan and Logan raised their fists.
"This transformation is called… the Final Awakening."
There was a pause.
Joshua blinked. "That's cool and all, but… why are you guys speaking in sync?"
Jack tilted his head. "Yeah, that was super weird. Did you practice that speech in a mirror or something?"
Joshua nodded. "They're definitely mirror speech weirdos."
Both men burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Crystal, still peeking out the window, frowned. "I don't think mocking those monsters is a good idea."
Franciele wiped her forehead. "My grandson seriously needs to learn self-restraint…"
Merlin giggled quietly from her hiding spot in the alley, amused by her brother's fearless antics.
Logan and Morgan's expressions shifted. Their calm faces twisted into rage.
"ENOUGH OF YOUR FOOLISHNESS!!" Logan roared.
"We won't take your insults lightly!" Morgan shouted, matching his tone.
They raised their fists again, serious and silent.
Joshua grinned. "Okay, don't get your panties in a twist."
Jack snorted. "Yeah, take a chill pill. It's not that deep."
They dropped back into their respective stances, green glowing boxing for Joshua, red-eyed Muay Thai for Jack.
The battlefield buzzed with tension.
The Final Awakening had begun.
And neither side was backing down.