The mont Steve stepped into the camp’s heart, his presence spread like wildfire.
Whispers carried up the stone slopes, through the winding paths that connected the mountain’s many levels. The settlent was vast, carved into layers of stone and caves, and news of Steve’s return reached every corner before he could even open his mouth.
By the ti he climbed to the central clearing, the werewolves had gathered in droves. Old, young, battle-scarred veterans, and even children who clung to their parents’ legs, they were all there. Among them were the guard who had freed him and the young wolves who had risked everything to set him loose. Seeing their faces alive and unhurt filled Steve with quiet relief.
He had made it back in ti.
Only one person was missing: Rogan.
But that didn’t matter. Steve wasn’t here to whisper in the Alpha’s ear. He was here to speak the truth, to every single mber of the pack.
He stepped forward onto a high stone platform, his armor glinting in the dim light, his shield resting at his side. The crowd hushed as his voice rose across the clearing.
“A few days ago,” Steve began, “you all know that Rogan and I fought.”
The words carried far, echoing between the stone walls.
“I’ve always wanted sothing different for us, not to destroy what we have, but to make it better. For years, I’ve dread that our pack could live beyond these mountains. That we wouldn’t have to hide from humans. That we could build a place of our own, walk freely through forests, visit the cities, see the world as equals rather than monsters hiding in caves!”
He paused, scanning the crowd. He could see heads nodding, faintly, hesitantly.
“I know many of you can’t trust humans,” he said, his voice softer now, “and I never wanted to force you to. I only wanted to give us the choice, the freedom to live without fear. And so of you wanted that too. You ca to and said you wished to join the Red Wing Kingdom, a place where werewolves live among humans, safely, openly.”
A ripple of recognition passed through the crowd. Several wolves lowered their eyes, rembering the friends who had left.
“I believed Rogan cared for them,” Steve continued. “I believed he let them go in peace, that he understood their choice.”
He swallowed, his voice tightening. “But when I traveled to the Red Wing Kingdom... I learned the truth. Not a single one of them arrived.”
A murmur of confusion rose through the crowd. Steve clenched his fists.
“When I ca back, I demanded an answer from Rogan himself. And he told ...” Steve’s voice cracked, then steadied, “...he told he killed them.”
The silence that followed was deafening.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then ca the sounds, gasps, growls, cries of disbelief. So of the wolves even began to partially transform, claws digging into the ground as anger and confusion rippled through them.
If anyone else had said it, the crowd would have torn them apart for blasphemy. But this was Steve, the one who had saved them, fought beside them, bled for them. The one who had listened when no one else did.
They believed him.
Still, they didn’t know what to do. What could they do, when the monster he spoke of was their Alpha, the one who had sworn to protect them?
“That’s why we fought,” Steve said, his voice rising with emotion. “I didn’t want to believe it either. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw no regret. I couldn’t stand by and watch him kill more of our own! So I fought him. And when I lost, I was imprisoned. Locked away for trying to protect us!”
He slamd his fist against his chest, his voice echoing like thunder.
“I went to the Red Wing Kingdom, and I ca back, not to destroy this pack, but to save it! Rogan’s rule ends today. We cannot live under soone who kills his own people!”
The crowd was trembling, torn between fury and fear. And then,
A heavy slam shook the clearing as sothing struck the ground behind Steve. Dust burst upward.
The air changed.
Steve turned slowly, already knowing who it was.
Rogan stood there, bare-chested, his upper body glistening with sweat as if he’d co straight from training. Black fur spread across his arms and chest in patches, his breathing heavy, his eyes burning a feral red. His teeth had already begun to lengthen, the shape of his mouth twisting as if his instincts had taken control before his mind had.
“Steve,” Rogan growled, his voice echoing through the mountain air, “you brought him here.” His gaze shifted to Jack. “Another Alpha. The enemy. The one who wants us dead.”
Jack said nothing. He didn’t need to. His very presence, tall, armored, and calm, was a declaration of power.
“You brought the enemy into our ho,” Rogan roared. “And I can sll it on you, you’ve joined him! You’ve betrayed your own kind!”
His voice shook the walls, echoing with fury. Steve could tell Rogan must have heard fragnts of what was said before he arrived, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want the truth. He wanted control.
“Rogan,” Steve said firmly, “you left no choice. You locked in chains. You silenced because you knew I’d speak against you!”
He took a step forward, his eyes unflinching.
“The Red Wing Werewolves are not our enemies! They’re like us, they’ve simply chosen another way to live. We can coexist. But you, Rogan... you can’t stand anything that isn’t under your control. If it’s not your way, it doesn’t deserve to exist!”
A deep snarl rolled from Rogan’s throat.
Then a voice shouted from the crowd. “Rogan, is it true?”
Another followed. “Tell us! Is what Steve said true?”
“What happened to them, to the ones who left?”
*****
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