Far away in the twisting alleys of Kanter City, Havilah guided Toby, Reu, and Brea through a labyrinth of shadows. The stench of smoke and steel clung to the air, and the walls seemed to lean inward as if listening to their steps. Finally, they reached a hidden courtyard where the lycans had carved out their secret haven.
A figure approached swiftly, muscles rippling under his fur-trimmed vest. "Havilah!" the man called, his voice booming with mirth. "Long time no see! How's Mother Nature treating you?"
Havilah smiled faintly. "Farley. It's good to see you."
Farley chuckled. "Still playing guardian of the woods, eh? Or did the trees finally tell you to take a walk?"
Havilah frowned. "Enough, Farley. I didn't leave the forest to sightsee. I came to find answers about Hollow Village."
Farley's grin faded slightly as his eyes slid toward the strangers behind Havilah. His nostrils flared. "And these? Visitors... or intruders?"
"They are friends," Havilah said firmly.
Farley's eyes gleamed with suspicion as he studied Reu, Toby, and Brea. "We'll see about that," he murmured.
Every lycan in the courtyard had gone still, their golden eyes burning holes through the trio. Brea shivered under the weight of their collective stare. "Well," she muttered, forcing a shaky smile, "this is definitely not the warm welcome I imagined."
Before anyone could speak further, the crowd parted as a presence swept over them like a cold wind. A woman strode forward, her beauty wild and untamed, her aura commanding absolute obedience. Morwen Bloodfang. The She-Wolf of Opesia.
Morwen raised her hand, signaling everyone in the hall to sit down. Her eyes swept the room, sharp and commanding, before settling on Havilah and the three unfamiliar faces beside him. A heavy silence filled the space, the crackling fire in the hearth the only sound.
Morwen tilted her head slightly, her voice calm yet edged with suspicion. "I can smell something foul in the air today," she said slowly, each word dripping with intent to kill. Her piercing gaze locked onto the humans.
Havilah stepped forward quickly, his tone firm yet respectful. "They are with me, Morwen."
Her brows arched in surprise, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "Really? Why? As an offering? Because, if so, they are not enough." Her voice turned cold as ice, slicing through the tension in the hall.
Havilah clenched his fists but held his ground. "No, they are my friends."
Morwen let out a sharp laugh, the sound echoing like shattered glass across the chamber. "Friends?" she repeated mockingly. Her eyes flicked to Toby, Reu, and Brea with open disdain. "What wild meat have you eaten in that forest to make you think you can be friends with these lowly creatures?"
Havilah took a deep breath, his voice calm but resolute. "I know we hated the humans because of what they have done to us. But don't you think it is time to let go of that hatred?"
For a moment, silence reigned. Then, without warning, Morwen's body twisted and grew, bones snapping and muscles bulging as her form shifted into a massive white werewolf. The transformation was both terrifying and majestic, her fur glistening like snow. She snarled, lips curling back to reveal razor-sharp fangs.
With a feral roar, she lunged at Havilah. The sound reverberated through the hall, sending shivers down the spines of the lycans gathered around. Morwen landed gracefully, towering over Havilah, her eyes burning with primal fury.
"Not until I have taken my revenge on them," she growled, her voice guttural yet articulate. "And taken Opesia for our kind. Always remember this, Havilah — only dead humans are not dangerous."
As her words faded, the hall erupted into chaos. One by one, the other lycans began to transform, bones cracking and claws ripping through flesh as they shifted into their monstrous forms. Their snarls filled the chamber, a symphony of impending violence. They crouched low, muscles coiled, ready to pounce on the intruders.
But something was off.
Morwen froze mid-step as she finally noticed the humans. They weren't cowering. They weren't even afraid.
Toby stood casually, his head tilted slightly, fingers interlocked behind his head as if he were lounging on a sunny afternoon. Beside him, Reu stood firm with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unreadable but radiating calm dominance. Brea, though visibly tense, stayed pressed between them, her wide eyes darting nervously but shielded by her companions.
A low growl rumbled in Morwen's throat as she prowled toward them. She stopped mere inches from Toby, towering over him in her beast form. Then she unleashed a deafening roar, her hot breath washing over his face like a wave of fire.
The sound shook the very walls, dust raining from the ceiling. Yet Toby didn't even blink.
Not a flinch. Not a twitch.
Morwen's golden eyes narrowed, confusion flickering across her monstrous face. Slowly, she reverted to her human form, her pristine white hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall of silk. Her bare feet clicked softly on the stone floor as she stepped closer.
"Are you not afraid?" she asked, her voice calm now but carrying a dangerous undertone. "We can kill you right now."
Toby tilted his head, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "Reu here alone can knock off all of your men," he said coolly, gesturing casually toward his friend. "Except Havilah, of course. He's our friend. You, on the other hand…" His gaze hardened, eyes locking on hers. "I know you're strong. But I can take you."
A hush fell over the hall. The lycans, still in their feral forms, froze mid-motion. Havilah swallowed hard, sweat trickling down his temple.
Morwen stared at Toby for a long moment, her lips curling into a slow, dangerous smile. Then, without warning, her body twisted again, fur erupting as she transformed back into the white beast. She moved in a blur, her massive claw slicing through the air with deadly precision, stopping just an inch from Toby's eye.
Still, he didn't move.
Not a blink. Not a breath out of place.
With a low snarl, Morwen pulled her claw back, reverting once more to her human form. Her laughter rang through the chamber, melodic yet filled with menace.
"You have quite the friend here, Havilah," she said softly, though her sharp eyes never left Toby. Then she tilted her head, smirking. "But tell me, boy… how exactly are you going to take me?"
Reu smirked at that, the corner of his lips twitching upward in amusement. Before Morwen could blink, Toby vanished from sight. The air rippled faintly where he had been standing, and in an instant, he was behind her, his fist pulled back, ready to strike.
Morwen reacted in a heartbeat, instincts kicking in like a spark to dry tinder. She dropped low, her body coiling tight like a spring. Muscles burned as her weight shifted, boots scraping against the cracked stone floor. Then, with a sharp exhale, she launched upward—fast as a whip, explosive as lightning. Her fist cut through the air in a clean, brutal arc.
Her knuckles stopped just shy of his chin. The sheer force behind the swing carved a whisper of wind between them, a cold rush brushing his skin like the kiss of steel. For a fraction of a second, it felt as if the world had tilted, holding its breath in that fragile space between strike and impact.
Both froze in place—locked in a tableau of raw power and restraint. Morwen's amber eyes burned with challenge, her chest rising and falling in sharp rhythm. His breath had hitched, muscles rigid, the thrum of his pulse echoing in his ears. One move. One mistake. And this standoff would ignite into violence neither could take back.
Then, unexpectedly, Morwen laughed—a sound so startling it shattered the tension like a hammer through glass. It wasn't the sharp, mocking laugh she had used before, but something deeper, richer, and real. It burst out of her like a flood breaking a dam.
"Ahahahaha!" Her laughter rolled through the chamber, bouncing off the cold stone walls until it seemed the room itself joined in her mirth. The echoes hung in the air, warm and alive, so alien in a place that had known only whispers and steel.
Morwen straightened slowly, her long hair swinging behind her like a white banner. The sharp edge in her gaze softened, the corners of her mouth still curled with lingering amusement. For the first time, her eyes didn't hold that predatory gleam—they held something almost human. Almost kind.
She stepped forward with a grace that carried no malice, closing the space between them until Toby could feel the faint brush of her presence like a phantom wind. Then, with deliberate slowness, she reached out and tapped him lightly on the shoulder, a simple gesture that carried weight. It wasn't a strike. It wasn't even a tease. It was acknowledgment—something Toby hadn't expected from her.
"Not bad, boy," she said, voice still laced with a faint chuckle, though now low and controlled. "You've got some bite after all."
For a moment, Toby just stared, stunned into silence, his pulse still racing from the clash that almost was. He didn't know what surprised him more—that he was still standing… or that Morwen had laughed like that.
"What can we do for you, Havilah?" she asked finally, her tone shifting from hostility to something else — curiosity, perhaps even respect. Her eyes flicked from Toby to Reu and then back to Havilah. "And for your friends?"
Havilah exhaled the breath he didn't realize he was holding. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but a small smile tugged at his lips. For the first time since they entered the hall, the tension eased — if only slightly.