Elena’s POV
I stared through the tal bars at the creature clawing desperately to reach , my mind struggling to process what I was seeing. This thing defied every classification I knew about supernatural beings. Its razor-sharp teeth ford multiple rows around its mouth, creating a horrifying maw that seed designed for maximum destruction. The way it moved, the sounds it made, everything about it felt wrong and alien.
"You shouldn’t have co down here."
Marcus’s voice cut through my shock from sowhere behind .
I spun around to face him, finding him leaning against the far wall with an almost casual deanor that contradicted the nightmare trapped re feet away from us.
"What in hell is that thing?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended.
"We don’t have a na for it," he replied with a shrug that infuriated . "Nobody does."
"That’s not an answer. Where did you find it?" I pressed, taking a step closer to him while keeping the caged monstrosity in my peripheral vision.
"Deep in the forest. This was the only one we managed to capture alive." His words carried a weight that made my stomach drop.
"Are you telling there are more of these creatures running loose out there?" The question ca out as barely more than a whisper.
"Many more. Dad knew they existed but never bothered to inform . We discovered them ourselves and barely managed to trap this one." Marcus’s jaw tightened as he spoke about his father.
I studied Marcus’s face for a mont before turning back to examine the creature more closely. The pieces of this twisted puzzle were starting to fall into place, and I didn’t like the picture they were forming.
"Hold on," I began, my mind racing.
"I wondered how long it would take you to connect the dots," he said with grim satisfaction.
"These things are the ones slaughtering the humans," I stated rather than asked. Marcus nodded grimly. "Then why are you letting everyone believe you’re the killer? Why don’t you show people what’s really responsible for the deaths?"
"Because my father kept these creatures hidden for a reason, and I need to understand why." His answer frustrated beyond asure.
"Is that why you staged your father’s death?" I asked, watching his expression carefully. "My mother has spotted him moving around town."
"Yes. I need him to tell what he knows, but he refuses to talk. I’m not even sure he understands these things himself. But he concealed them to keep people away from our territory. I think he believed he was protecting the pack." Marcus’s voice carried uncertainty I rarely heard from him.
"That’s complete garbage. Your father and grandfather only ever cared about themselves. You need to expose these creatures so people know you’re innocent." I could feel my anger building with each word.
"I can’t do that," he said firmly.
"Why the hell not?" I snapped.
"Because my pack doesn’t know about them. They’ll despise for keeping this secret." The vulnerability in his admission caught off guard.
"Will they hate you more than they already do because of the lie you’ve allowed them to believe?" I challenged.
"I honestly don’t know. But I have to figure out what these things are first." He moved closer to the cage, and the creature’s agitation increased dramatically.
The mont Marcus stepped back, the thing settled into a less frenzied state.
"You," Marcus said suddenly, turning to with a strange expression.
"What?" I asked, confused by his tone.
"This is the calst I’ve ever seen it, with you standing so close." He studied both and the creature with intense curiosity.
"It was trying to tear apart through those bars," I pointed out.
"It always does that. But usually it’s much more violent," Marcus explained.
"This entire situation is completely insane. Do you understand that?" I felt like I was losing my grip on reality.
"I’m starting to," he admitted.
"What’s happening down here?" Damien’s voice echoed as he entered the space, but he froze the instant he saw the caged creature. "Elena, move toward very slowly."
"It can’t escape the cage," I said, though I did take a careful step back.
"Elena, what do you expect to accomplish? No one can handle an entire pack of these monsters," Marcus said, his voice heavy with defeat.
"You gather your forces. You show them exactly what they’re facing, and you stop these things before they kill more innocent people," I said forcefully.
"What forces?" he asked bitterly.
"You build alliances with other packs. You recruit help," I suggested.
"The other packs despise . They won’t lift a finger to help deal with this threat." Marcus’s shoulders sagged slightly.
"Maybe that’s because you’ve been hiding this creature while letting everyone believe you’re a murderer instead of these things?" I shot back.
"They hated long before this ss started," he said quietly.
"Everyone hated you before this," I agreed bluntly.
"There’s nothing I can do to change that now. They all think I’m a killer, and they brought you here to eliminate ." Marcus’s words carried a resignation that made sothing twist painfully in my chest.
I closed the distance between us until I was standing directly in front of him, close enough to see the exhaustion and pain he was trying to hide.
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