Gary stared at the towering creature before him, the one that called itself Unzoku. The being who claimed to be the very first Werewolf.Looking at its monstrous body, Gary couldn’t deny it might be true. But it wasn’t just its form that echoed with truth, it was the words it had spoken. A creation from God? The god of Werewolves?The word “god” was thrown around so loosely these days that it had lost most of its weight. Gary wondered if this was just another one of those cases, a term used to label a higher being, one that stood above the rest. But if Unzoku was truly the first of his kind, the originator of Werewolves… then maybe “god” was the right word. At least in this context.Gary had never truly thought about it before, where Werewolves had even come from.Recently, he’d spoken with Edvard, one of the original vampires. That revelation alone had started to shift Gary’s understanding of the world. If vampires had a beginning, then so did Werewolves. And now… now he was standing

Unzoku stood completely still, his hand hovering over Gary’s head. His massive form radiated confusion. Something had just happened, something that made no sense even to him.In all his long existence, nothing like this had ever occurred. Not once. He was the first of his kind. Born of power gifted by his creator. A being who had shaped the very essence of the werewolf bloodline.Each werewolf in existence, every Alpha, every Beta, was linked to him. Born from him. Shaped by him. His energy flowed through all of them.And with that energy, Unzoku could bend them. Control them. Shape their instincts. Set rules they couldn't break. Force actions they couldn't stop.But he always had to be careful. His power, vast as it was, had limits. Energy wasn’t infinite, not anymore. So he used it surgically, always aiming for maximum destruction with minimal effort.Turning Gary into a mindless Alpha, feral and bloodthirsty, would’ve been easy. One push. One surge of energy. Gary would’ve become a

It was a first for Gary. During all his battles, he had always been the one fighting an uphill struggle.Needing to pull something out of nowhere, scraping by on instinct, luck, and whatever power he could muster.Having to dig deep, beyond his limits, just to protect those around him, or to defend whatever it was that needed shielding, someone, something close to him.This time, it was no different in that respect. He had transformed, believing that Xin and Kai could very well be in danger. That they needed him.But what was different, what he had never experienced before, not like this, was the enemy retreating. They were fleeing from the scene.It was such an unexpected outcome that Gary had no idea what to do.Should he chase them? See if Unzoku had truly been weakened? Maybe try to track him, follow his trail and find out where he was going?What if he left the business unfinished now? What would that mean for the future? Would Unzoku come back? Would he strike again when they we

The three of them couldn’t stay in the forest, nor could they risk searching for Unzoku. The reason Unzoku had most likely retreated was because he believed Gary was strong enough to defeat him.But in the current state Gary was in, that wasn’t the case. Which was why it was better to keep him away, and more importantly, not run into Unzoku again.That was why they had all agreed that, for the day, they would be staying together at Gary’s apartment.It was most likely that Unzoku already knew where Gary lived, and they didn’t want to reveal the locations of their own places. Besides, if Unzoku had truly run away, would he even return?This was Kai’s theory at least. But just in case, both he and Xin had decided it was best for all of them to sleep in the same apartment for the night.“All right, done!” Kai grinned, turning to the other two who sat on the sofa, his phone in hand. “I’ve just sent out a message to every member of the Howlers. They’ll all be on high alert and aware that s

Kai had been busy all afternoon, making countless calls. Watching him, Gary couldn’t help but feel a little bad. It always seemed like Kai was the one constantly thinking about the group, coming up with the best solutions.Sure, Gary might have come to the same conclusions and had his own thoughts, but whenever he listened to Kai lay everything out, he was sure the man had thought things through from every angle. And Gary always ended up agreeing, it was the best option.Maybe it was because Kai knew Gary didn’t want to be the aggressor. He didn’t want to attack Lupus, not even if there was a chance Lupus might attack them on the day of the full moon.If they struck first, and Lupus wasn’t under Unzoku’s control after all... then what?That damned Unzoku, Gary thought to himself. Just when things were starting to look up. Now, we all have to do everything we can, just in case that day comes.“Alright, get your things, and bring whatever clothes you need. Xin, I can arrange for someone