The warehouse was a maelstrom of chaos, as the air thick with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid sting of silver touched everywhere. Drew's claws flashed as he knocked a hunter's crossbow aside, his curse roaring in his veins, urging him to lose control even if it were for just a moment. That would give him some relief; but Elena fought beside him, her dagger moving like a silver blur, her movements mirroring his own with an uncanny precision. Voss, her former commander, circled them like a vulture, looking for another opportunity to strike as her silver blade gleamed with intent to kill.
"Elena, you can't run from what you are!" Voss shouted, her voice cutting through the din of shattering crates and hunters' cries. Her eyes burned with betrayal, but Elena didn't flinch, parrying away another strike from Voss' dagger with her blade.
"I'm not running from what I am," Elena snapped, her voice fierce despite the blood seeping somewhere from a point on her arm. "I'm only choosing."
Drew's heart thudded, her words hitting harder than any blade that had come close to him for a while. Choosing *what*? Him? The Damned? He didn't have time to dwell on what she meant as the creature's roar echoed again, this time more closer, making the warehouse's rusted walls to rattle. Matthias stood at the edge of the chaos literally as he watched from his high point. His chant was growing louder, his glowing eyes fixed on the shadows as if summoning the beast, or in this case he was doing exactly that.
"Matthias, stop!" Drew roared, shoving a hunter into a crate as if the fellow was wasting his time. The elder's betrayal was no longer a suspicion or ideas put together by his unseen actions—it was now a blade aimed at their backs. The prophecy's words—*Bound by blood*—twisted in Drew's mind, as he tied Matthias, the creature, and his curse together in a way he couldn't yet unravel.
Elena grabbed his arm, and pulled him behind a steel beam as a volley of silver bolts whizzed past. "He's the one calling it," she said, her green eyes wide with realization. "That thing in the tunnel—it's tied to him."
Drew's curse surged, his vision tinting red. "Then we end him and then it ends the tie," he growled, but her grip tightened, grounding him.
"Not yet," she said, her voice calm and steady almost like a whisper. "We need to know why."
A scream pierced the air— it was Mira's. Drew's head snapped toward the sound, his heart lurching, hoping another one of them wasn't dying this night. He wondered why they haven't gone far. Then Rhona burst through the back exit, dragging Mira, whose face was pale, her eyes wide with terror. "It's coming!" Mira cried, clutching the tattered journal. "The creature—I think it's after *me*!"
Drew sprinted toward them, Elena at his heels; leaving their present enemies behind. Still the hunters were closing in, Voss leading the charge, but the creature's presence was soon going to be the heavier threat and that was what Drew was going to fight first. Its roar shook the ground, and a massive shape crashed through the warehouse's far wall, its shadowy form dwarfing the hunters. Its eyes glowed with the same eerie light as they had seen in Matthias's, and Drew's curse answered, a primal pull that nearly dragged him under completely.
"Rhona, get her out!" Drew shouted, shoving Mira toward another exit different from where they were coming from. Rhona hesitated, her eyes flicking to Elena with distrust, but she obeyed, pulling Mira into the night.
Matthias's chant reached a fever pitch, and the creature turned towards him, its movements slowing, as if answering his call. "The blood of the Damned will rise," Matthias intoned, his voice now carrying an unnatural weight. His gaze locked on Drew, a smirk curling his lips. "You can't fight it, alpha. It's in you."
Drew's claws twitched, the curse screaming to rip Matthias apart. But Elena stepped forward, her dagger raised, her voice cutting through the chaos. "What are you waking, Matthias? What's the prophecy to you?"
Matthias's smirk widened, but he didn't answer. Instead, he slipped into the shadows that were being assisted by the night, vanishing as the creature roared again, its attention snapping back to Drew and Elena. The hunters faltered, torn between their quarry and the monstrous threat.
Voss seized the moment, lunging at Elena with her blade. Drew moved without thinking, tackling Voss to the ground. Her silver burned his skin, but he held her down, his growl shaking the air. "Leave her alone," he snarled, his voice sounding more beast than man.
Elena's hand found his shoulder, pulling him back. "Drew, don't," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You're not a monster."
Her words pierced the curse's haze, anchoring him. He released Voss, who scrambled back to her team, her eyes wide with shock—and fear. "You're both dead," she spat, retreating to rally her hunters.
The creature charged, its claws tearing through the warehouse floor as if cutting paper. Drew and Elena dove apart, but it was faster, its massive paw grazing Drew's side, sending him crashing into a crate. Pain exploded, the curse amplifying it, and for a moment, he saw nothing but red. He couldn't ignore it.
Elena's shout brought him back. She stood over him, fending off the creature with a long broken pipe, her face fierce with determination. "Get up, wolf!" she yelled, her voice a lifeline. She understood she too would need his strength about this time or else they would be dead.
Drew staggered to his feet, the curse and Elena's presence warring within him. The hunters were regrouping, Matthias was gone, and the creature was showing that it was unstoppable. But Elena's eyes held his, a silent promise that they can face this together for as long as it takes.
As the creature reared for another strike, a new sound cut through the night—a low, eerie howl, not from the beast but from the docks outside. It wasn't Rhona or Mira. It was something else, something older, and it sent a chill down Drew's spine. What was it with creatures again?