Matteo stood in the circle.
Bare hands. No powers.
Just him… and Dubio.
The forest was silent, holding its breath.
The wolves surrounded them like a living wall.
Golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight, cold and sharp.
Their growls rumbled like distant thunder, low and hungry.
Somewhere at the edge of the ring,
Kiaro stood motionless.
Her hands were clenched white.
Her face was pale with fear.
Matteo saw her once
and that was enough.
Enough to know why he couldn't lose.
The First Strike
Dubio grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"This ends fast," he said.
Then he lunged.
Fast. Brutal.
His fist slammed into Matteo's jaw like a hammer.
Pain flashed white through Matteo's skull.
He staggered back barely upright.
Before he could breathe,
Dubio's boot slammed into his chest.
Matteo hit the ground hard, dirt exploding under him.
Air tore from his lungs.
The wolves howled in delight, their voices shaking the trees.
Dubio loomed above him, smirking.
"Stay down, vampire."
Getting Back Up
Matteo coughed blood onto the leaves.
His vision swam.
But he pushed to his knees.
Then to his feet.
Slow. Shaking.
Dubio's grin faded.
"You should be broken."
Matteo said nothing.
He moved in
fast, sharp, a blur of fists.
His knuckles cracked into Dubio's ribs.
Once.
Twice.
Dubio grunted, swinging wide.
Matteo ducked under the blow and drove his elbow up into Dubio's jaw.
Crack.
Dubio stumbled.
The wolves fell silent.
Blood on the Leaves
Then the fight turned savage.
Fists slammed. Knees struck.
Teeth clenched in pain.
Blood sprayed across leaves like dark rain.
Matteo felt his ribs throb with every breath,
but he didn't stop moving.
Dubio caught his arm and twisted,
flinging him to the ground.
Matteo rolled and rose again, spitting blood.
They crashed together,
bodies hitting the dirt with bone-shaking force.
Dubio's claws dug into his shoulders
Matteo snarled and drove his fist into Dubio's side until he felt something crack.
Both men were breathing like beasts now,
raw and ragged,
each strike slower, heavier, filled with everything they had left.
The Choke
Dubio's hand shot out,
snaring Matteo by the throat.
He slammed Matteo back against a tree.
The impact rattled Matteo's teeth.
Stars burst across his vision.
"Die," Dubio hissed, his breath hot with blood.
Matteo's vision blurred at the edges
but his body moved on instinct.
His knee shot up into Dubio's stomach.
Dubio gasped.
Matteo smashed his forehead into Dubio's nose.
Crack.
Blood exploded down Dubio's face.
He roared, enraged, eyes glowing like molten gold.
A Warning
"Enough!"
Kiaro's voice sliced through the circle.
But no one listened.
The wolves were wild with bloodlust now,
eyes gleaming, tails lashing,
their breath misting in the cold air like ghosts.
Matteo and Dubio crashed to the ground again,
rolling through dirt and blood.
Fists found flesh.
Bones thudded.
Blood painted the ground beneath them.
Both were bleeding.
Both shaking.
Neither willing to stop.
Dubio straddled Matteo and slammed his fist down.
Matteo blocked, barely,
and rammed his fist into Dubio's jaw.
Dubio reeled back, snarling.
Matteo crawled to his feet, chest heaving.
The Shift Begins
Dubio's eyes flared gold.
Matteo saw it
the flash of claws bursting from his fingers,
the glint of growing fangs,
the raw golden fury twisting his face.
Gasps rippled through the wolves.
"Don't," Kiaro snapped from the edge, voice trembling.
"No powers!"
But Dubio wasn't listening.
The beast inside him was breaking loose.
Bones popped.
Muscles bulged.
Gray fur began to ripple down his arms.
"Stop him," someone hissed.
But no one moved.
They wanted blood.
Matteo's heart pounded.
If Dubio turned fully…
this fight would become a slaughter.
The Beast Unleashed
Dubio roared
and half-shifted.
His body towered, half-man, half-wolf.
Massive shoulders hunched.
Claws gleamed like knives in the moonlight.
His face twisted into a wolf's snarl.
The circle exploded with howls.
Matteo's stomach turned to ice.
This wasn't the Circle anymore.
This was execution.
Dubio lunged.
Matteo dove aside.
Claws carved a tree trunk where his head had been.
Wood splintered.
Matteo hit the dirt and rolled,
sprinting sideways,
but Dubio was on him in a blink.
Claws raked his back.
Pain lit his nerves on fire.
Matteo staggered, blood running warm down his spine.
Fighting a Monster
Dubio struck again.
Matteo dodged left, barely,
and drove his fist into Dubio's ribs.
It was like hitting stone.
Dubio backhanded him.
Matteo flew across the circle, skidding through leaves.
He spat blood and pushed up again,
chest heaving like fire was trapped inside.
"Get up," Kiaro whispered from the edge.
Her eyes were wide, shining.
Matteo met her gaze.
And stood.
Dubio snarled and charged.
Matteo ducked low, slid under him,
and grabbed a fallen branch as he moved.
He swung.
The branch cracked against Dubio's head with a sharp snap.
Dubio howled in fury,
snapped the branch in half with one swipe,
and slammed his fist into Matteo's ribs.
Matteo screamed,
but his knee shot up at the same moment
colliding with Dubio's jaw.
Dubio reeled.
Matteo slammed both fists into his skull.
Dubio crashed to the ground.
Silence
Everything stopped.
The wolves stared.
Dubio lay still, his chest heaving,
blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
Matteo stood over him, swaying.
His vision tunneled.
Blood streaked down his face, his arms, his ribs.
For a long moment, no one moved.
No one breathed.
Then Dubio groaned,
and pushed weakly to his knees.
Matteo's body screamed to finish it
but something inside him went still.
He stepped back.
Dubio blinked up at him through blood and fury.
And slowly…
lowered his head.
The Blood Oath
The forest seemed to exhale.
One by one,
the wolves lowered their heads too.
A ripple of submission.
The Circle had spoken.
Matteo had won.
Kiaro ran into the ring, breathless.
"Matteo" she whispered, catching his arm.
He winced. "Still alive."
Her eyes swept over his blood-soaked body.
"You're insane."
"Maybe."
"You could've died."
"I know."
Their eyes locked.
And the world narrowed to just that.
Just her.
Dubio rose to his feet now,
wiping blood from his jaw.
His gaze locked on Matteo cold, sharp… but changed.
"You bleed like us," he said quietly.
Matteo met his eyes.
"Maybe I'm not as different as you think."
Dubio stared for a long moment.
Then nodded once.
"Go. Before the moon fades."
Matteo didn't argue.
His legs barely held him as he walked from the circle.
The wolves parted silently,
eyes following him like shadows.
Aftermath
At the edge of the ring, Kiaro caught his hand.
He stopped.
"Why?" she whispered.
Matteo's eyes met hers.
"Because you're worth it."
Her breath hitched.
Golden eyes searched his face, like she was trying to find the lie.
There wasn't one.
Slowly, her hand slipped from his.
Matteo turned and disappeared into the dark trees,
his blood trailing behind him like threads of fire.
Kiaro stood alone in the moonlight.
Her heart thundered.
And for the first time,
she wasn't sure if Matteo was her enemy…
or the beginning of everything.
Dubio threw back his head and howled
the sound of a beast claiming blood.
His body snapped the rest of the way into place.
Wings of muscle, claws like knives, eyes blazing with savage gold.
The shift was complete.
Kiaro screamed.
Matteo lowered his stance, blood dripping from his hands.
His legs trembled, his breath came ragged
But his eyes were steady.
Cold.
Unbroken.
"Come on then," he whispered.
Dubio—the full wolf—charged.
And the world went black.