A few days later, beneath the cold glow of the full moon, Ryan and his followers entered the nature preserve that bordered the outskirts of El Paso. The moon hung swollen and bright in the sky, its silver light spilling through the thick canopy of trees, stretching shadows long and sharp across the forest floor. Under its watchful presence, even the wind seemed to move with caution.
Ryan lifted his gaze briefly, eyes narrowing as he studied the moon. Nights like this never passed quietly. The forest felt wrong and every hunter at present sensed it. The air was heavy, tinged with something restless, something alive and lurking. Leaves rustled even when there was no breeze. Twigs snapped deeper in the woods, just beyond the reach of sight.
They moved carefully, weapons ready.
Rumors had spread quickly through the town and far amongst hunters—news of bodies found in bizarre ways, torn apart fleshes and blood soaked into the dirt, tracks that didn't belong to any animal known to man. Words of a new werewolf had reached the hunter's council, followed closely by a name spoken only in hushed tones. 'La Loba.' A name the locals here had given to the target of his mission.
Ryan didn't believe in legends, but he believed in patterns. And this pattern was too deliberate to ignore. Unseen above them, moving through the forest canopy, a newly turned beta struggled to keep up.
Pain ripped through his body with every leap. His muscles screamed, unfamiliar strength battling against clumsy control. He didn't understand what he had become—only that everything felt wrong. Sounds were too loud. Smells too sharp. His heart pounded like it wanted to burst through his ribcages.
Ahead of him, she moved effortlessly. Her feet barely touched the branches she leapt from, her movements fluid and silent, her form blending seamlessly with the night. She stayed just far enough ahead to guide him, never slowing, never looking back.
The beta battled hard to follow because he had no choice.
Fear drove him forward. Instinct kept him alive. They stayed well out of Ryan's line of sight, weaving through the treetops with precision. Still, despite seeing nothing, Ryan slowed. Out of a professional habit, he observed his surroundings with his body, every pores opened up as if breathing. Feeling the hairs on his body standing and a prickling sensation on the back of his neck,
he raised his hand, signaling his men to stop. The forest felt unnaturally silent. Ryan turned slowly, scanning the trees above, his grip tightening on his shotgun. He felt it again—that sensation of being watched, pairs of eyes tracking their every movement.
His men shifted uneasily behind him. "You feel that?" one of them whispered. Ryan didn't answer. His gaze bored into the dark night for a few seconds before finally lowering down his weapon. Nothing, he felt and thought. Just shadows, he pondered. But yet still, the feeling didn't fade. Without a word they moved on, and he quietly observed. Moments later, the forest erupted with sound. The sounds of branches creaking violently were overhead. Leaves shook as something leapt from tree to tree with terrifying speed. The wind carried the rush of movement, sharp and unmistakable.
"Positions," Ryan commanded.
Just as the beta prepared to jump again, pain flaring through his injured leg, a deafening blast shattered the night.
Ryan yanked his shotgun free, snapped it open, and fired a warning shot into the air. The echo of the gunshot was heard throughout the forest, breaking the silence and sending birds screeching into the night sky. Two figures fell from the trees. An older looking man landed cleanly, boots hitting the ground with practiced balance. A younger looking one stumbled, crashing to his knees with a sharp cry, his body unable to take the impact.
"After them," Ryan said coldly. The hunters surged forward. The older man moved fast, darting between trees, using the shadows of the tree canopies to his advantage. The younger tried to follow, forcing his body to move, but his limp betrayed him. Seething pain slowed him down greatly. Fear clouded his thoughts. Within seconds, the hunters closed in.
The older man vanished into the forest, slipping through the darkness like smoke.
The younger collapsed completely. Ryan approached him slowly, boots crunching against the dried up leaves on the ground.
The beta tried to crawl away, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His body trembled, instincts screaming danger. Ryan stopped a few feet away.
"A beta," he said with a pause, "a newly turned one at that.." his voice laced with disdain.
The young man froze at his words. He could tell at glance what Ryan was, a hunter.
But he just couldn't understand why he was being hunted. "Please," the beta rasped. "I—I don't understand what's happening to me." he sought out help.
Ryan raised his shotgun slightly. "Your kind has been killing people."
The beta shook his head violently. "I don't know anything about that. I was attacked. Something bit me." His voice cracked as panic set in. "Since then… everything's wrong. I can't control my body. I can hear things.See and smell things I shouldn't be able to."
"So you expect me to believe you're harmless," Ryan said flatly not caring the least about his plight.
"I don't know what I've become," the beta said desperately. "I woke up in pain. I lost the sense of time. I don't even recognize myself anymore."
Ryan merely studied him for a moment. "And how did you survive?"
"I ran like hell from him," the beta said. "I didn't stop running. Until someone saved me. That's all I know"
"Him?" Ryan asked.
"Yes." he replied quickly.
"But everyone says it's a her," Ryan pressed on.
"I don't know anything about that," the beta said weakly. "I only know that someone or something is out there after me, and another saving me." his tone tinged with a bit of resentment.
Ryan crouched slightly. "Then tell me who La Loba is."
The beta swallowed hard startled by his sudden action. "¿Cómo debería saber quién es la loba?." being pressed on too much, he couldn't help but speak in his tongue, his heart swelled with frustrations.
"How should you know who the She-wolf is?" Ryan frowned displeased translating his words, his finger tightened on the trigger.
The gun fired. A bullet tore through the beta's shoulder, spinning him violently to the ground. He screamed, clutching the wound as blood soaked into the dirt beneath him.
"Next bullet will be one laced with wolfsbane" Ryan said calmly. "Think carefully."
"I swear," the beta groaned, tears and snorts covered his face. "I don't know anything. I haven't hurt anyone. I just want to survive!"
Ryan stared into his eyes. Yellow, untainted. He knew what that meant. But mercy was not his nature.
"Your kind doesn't deserve mercy," Ryan said, loading another round.
From the shadows above, Kira watched everything unfold silently. She felt nothing for the beta's suffering. Weakness had never earned survival. What piqued her attention was Ryan—the way he stood so calmly, the power to decide death resting comfortably in his hands. The proud look in his eyes. The cruelty sharpened by belief. As the beta trembled on the ground, waiting for the final verdict, Kira suddenly showed rebellious smile. Curiosity filled her as she moved. The silent night exploded into chaos. Hunters fell before they could react, weapons knocked away with brutal efficiency. Kira moved like a living shadow, striking fast, silent, and precise. In seconds, she reached the beta, hauling him up effortlessly before vanishing into the trees.
By the time the hunters recovered, she was long gone.
Ryan stood frozen, fury burning beneath his calm demeanor.
"La Loba," he gnashed, as he registered her action. An action that came as a challenge to him.