The sound of three sets of shoes hitting the polished wooden floor of the dimly lit hallway leading to the underground interrogation room of Luminera’s pack house did nothing to lighten the grim expressions on the faces of their owners. Each footstep echoed against the cold stone walls, amplifying the tension that hung in the air like a thick, suffocating fog.
Williams, Elena, and Vanessa looked as though they were marching toward their worst nightmare, and in truth, they were. However, the one most affected was Vanessa, her face pale and drawn. She had already co into direct contact with the entities they were about to face, and the mory alone made her hands tremble slightly at her sides.
As soon as they arrived in front of the heavy wrought-iron door, its intricate engravings gleaming under the dim torchlight, the two guards standing outside lowered their heads in deep respect and silent acknowledgnt.
"Alpha," they greeted, their voices firm yet laced with apprehension. One of them stepped forward, reaching for the massive iron handle, and with considerable effort, he pulled the door open. The tal barrier groaned in protest, producing a loud, eerie creaking sound that sent an unsettling shiver through Vanessa’s spine.
Inside, the room was damp and slled of sweat, iron, and sothing faintly sulfuric. In the dim candlelight, two werewolves stood in their human forms, though they barely looked alive. Their bodies, gaunt and pale, appeared to be held together by sheer will rather than flesh and blood. Although their feet touched the cold stone ground, their bodies were restrained by thick silver chains fastened tightly around their torsos, ensuring they could be lifted off the ground at a mont’s notice should the situation demand it.
The mont Williams set his sharp gaze upon them, he knew sothing was terribly wrong. Just as Vanessa had reported, their presence carried an unnatural aura. His jaw tightened as he took in the disturbing sight before him.
Their bodies emitted a strange black smoke-like substance, curling around them like wisps of mist. It wasn’t ordinary smoke, it carried a distinct, acrid burning sll that filled the air. It was as if they were smoldering from the inside, yet outwardly they bore no signs of external injury. The most troubling part, however, was the eerie energy he could sense from them. Their wolves were corrupted—no longer answering to their rightful owners. Instead, they seed to be taking orders from another, unseen force.
"Have they said anything?" Williams asked, his voice calm yet edged with authority as he took a step closer to one of the prisoners.
Vanessa inhaled deeply before responding. "They refused to utter a single word when they were captured and have not regained consciousness since they were brought here. They are extrely violent, and their scratch and bite are highly poisonous. Marcus and Valorent are currently fighting for their lives due to the poison," she finished, her voice barely concealing the weight of her concern.
Just as she spoke, Williams arrived at the front of one of the restrained prisoners, studying him with keen eyes. The man looked unconscious, his head lolling slightly to the side, his skin appearing almost grayish under the dim torchlight.
"Bring him down," Williams ordered, his voice carrying an undertone of authority that left no room for argunt.
A flick of a button sowhere near the entrance activated the release chanism. The silver chains unraveled automatically, and the prisoner collapsed to the ground in a heavy heap, his body limp yet disturbingly rigid. His hands and feet remained bound, ensuring he posed no imdiate threat.
Williams crouched beside the motionless figure, his sharp eyes scanning every detail. Reaching out, he ran his forefinger along the man’s jawline, his touch grazing against a fine, powdery substance clinging to the prisoner’s cold skin.
The instant his finger made contact, the man’s eyes snapped open, revealing an unnatural sight. His irises, once a dull gray, now burned with an eerie, sickly red glow, red bulging veins spreading like a grotesque web across the sclera. He looked like sothing straight out of a horror movie.
A split second later, he moved—not sluggishly, not hesitantly, but with a sudden, terrifying speed. His lips curled back, baring unnaturally elongated fangs dripping with an inky black substance.
Before the prisoner could fully lunge, Williams reacted, his movents swift and lethal. He delivered a devastating punch to the man’s face. The impact was not just a blow—it was an execution.
The prisoner’s head jerked violently to the side, his neck snapping with an audible crack. But the true horror ca next. Instead of rely crumpling to the ground, his body shattered apart like brittle, dried wood, thick black smoke erupting from the disintegrating flesh.
The eerie, malevolent smoke did not dissipate into the air. Instead, it slithered like a sentient being, coiling and writhing before streaking toward the nearest window. With an unsettling finality, it disappeared into the outside world, leaving behind nothing but the unsettling silence of those who had just witnessed it.
A loud sigh of relief shattered the quiet.
"Oh, thank you, dear goddess," Vanessa exclaid, exhaling deeply. Her relief was unmistakable, her shoulders sagging as she realized the nightmare had ended—at least for now.
"Why are you thanking the goddess?" Elena asked, turning her eyes away from the disturbing remnants of the scene to look at the shaken woman.
Vanessa swallowed. "I thought they couldn’t die," she admitted. "Those things refused to die when we caught them. Not by stabs, claws, or knife cuts. Not even by bullets. They just kept moving as if nothing had been done to them."
"That’s because very dark magic is at work in their bodies," Elena clarified, her voice grim. "Physical blows will have no effect."
Vanessa didn’t argue. She didn’t need to. Knowing Williams, she didn’t even have to ask how he had managed to destroy the creature with a single strike. The punch alone hadn’t killed the prisoner—sothing else had.
"This is going to be a problem," Williams uttered, rising to his full height as he observed the pile of lifeless remains. "Casper is creating an army of these things. We’re going to be in serious trouble if we don’t stop him soon."
"How do you propose we stop him?" Elena asked, disturbed by what she had just witnessed.
Williams’ expression darkened. "The person who used the Sirioni spell either didn’t complete it or didn’t gather all the necessary items to perform it properly. That’s the only reason he was able to break out of the coma instead of dying from it. With the half-done spell still running in his system, his blood has received incredible powers, which he is using to create these monsters. And I strongly believe he is working with powerful dark witches."
A deep frown etched into his features as he considered the implications. If Casper succeeded, the devastation would be unimaginable.
Elena’s breath hitched. "If that’s the case, it ans Casper has beco untouchable. Not even you or Roman can kill him in his current state."
Williams nodded grimly. "That’s right. The only way to stop this madness is to find the person who used the Sirioni spell on him. That person must complete it. Otherwise, we are all dood."
Elena’s expression tightened. "That is going to be a problem, Williams. The only known person who can use that spell is you."
Williams’ eyes darkened. "I didn’t do it. That ans there has to be another witch who can. And we have to find that witch as soon possible. I don’t know how far Casper has gone, and I don’t even want to know. We have to move and we have to do it now."
He turned to Vanessa. "Reinvestigate all the witches around Casper before he fell unconscious. Leave no one out, whether white or dark witch. I want nas, addresses, status—every detail they have about what went down in Casper’s camp."
"Yes, Alpha," Vanessa nodded and imdiately departed to carry out his order.
Elena t his gaze. "I’ll conduct my own investigation and report back with anything I find."
"Thank you," Williams murmured.
Elena waved it off. "Don’t thank . This is my fight too," she said firmly, her sharp gaze unwavering as she crossed her arms over her chest. "If we fail, it’s going to affect us all—our packs, our people, and everything we’ve built. Let Roman know about this. He may have so useful information we might need, sothing we haven’t considered yet." Her voice carried a sense of urgency, a weight that made it clear she wasn’t just suggesting but insisting.
Williams let out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Roman is currently a pain in the ass, but I’ll let him know. I have no choice," he muttered. His mind had already begun crafting the inevitable conversation—him, trying to relay critical information, only to watch as Roman’s thoughts drifted elsewhere, his expression softening at the re ntion of his wife. It was almost infuriating how quickly Tessy had beco the center of Roman’s universe, even in the middle of impending disaster.
"Stupid Lycan," Williams muttered in annoyance, shaking his head.
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