Jay, furious, roared, "You’re no Alpha!" he spat, his claws aiming for Hugo’s eyes. Hugo dodged, his own claws slashing across Jay’s face, sending blood flying. The Löwen staggered back, montarily blinded, but his wounds were healing too fast.
Hugo panted, his Jagd body trembling with rage. He was strong, but Jay was more experienced—a born predator, a Löwen with the potential to beco a Plague. Every strike Hugo landed was countered with a brutal retaliation. A claw sliced his flank, making him roar in pain. Blood flowed, soaking his black fur.
"I can’t lose," he thought, seeing Ben, Yuki, Kaiser, Katrina, and Kathy fighting for him. Not now.
Cornered, Hugo howled again—a sound that shook the clearing. Trees cracked, the ground trembled. For the first ti, Jay faltered, his roar weakening. Hugo charged, his claws sinking into Jay’s chest. The Löwen scread, shoving Hugo back with a swipe that split a tree in half. Hugo collapsed, his Jagd form shaking, strength spent.
"You’re done," Jay growled, advancing, claws gleaming. "You don’t have the strength of a real Alpha."
Katrina, furious, fired a bolt that embedded itself in Jay’s arm. "Shut the hell up!" she yelled, landing on the ground. Kathy, reloading, added, "Hugo, get up! I’m not risking my life for you!"
Yuki, on the ground, whispered, "He has to... control..." before collapsing, his wounds too severe. Kaiser, swaying, grabbed one of Yuki’s blades and threw it, grazing Jay. "Move, Hugo!" he snarled, voice shaking.
Ben, forcing himself up, charged Jay, claws aid at his throat. The Löwen shoved him back, but Ben held on, tearing into his shoulder. "Hugo, now!" he roared, bleeding heavily.
Hugo, on his knees, felt his strength fading. His transford body was failing, blood dripping onto the ground, his mind foggy. No way I’m letting them down. He drew from his rage, his howl echoing once more—deeper, more primal, more powerful.
Jay, enraged, bellowed, "You’ll pay, Alpha!" He lunged, claws aid at Hugo’s throat. Katrina shot another bolt into his shoulder, making him scream. Hugo, galvanized, forced himself up. He leaped, claws raking Jay’s chest, driving him back.
"We’re leaving!" Katrina shouted, seeing Hugo sway. "He’s too strong!" She fired a final bolt, covering their retreat.
Ben grabbed Hugo, hauling him up. "Co on, man, let’s go!" he grunted, voice weak. Yuki, carried by Kaiser, murmured, "He’ll co back..." Kaiser, panting, smirked. "Great night, Hugo. Next ti, I’m staying ho."
Hugo, partially human again, gasped, his wounds bleeding heavily. "Yeah... but he’ll be back," he muttered, golden eyes fixed on the darkness where Jay had vanished. The Löwen, wounded but standing, roared into the night, his cry a promise of vengeance. Katrina and Kathy, crossbows ready, brought up the rear, their figures disappearing into the forest.
---
An isolated clearing, far from the slaughter at the old oak, offered temporary refuge. Hugo, leaning against a tree, grimaced, his shredded t-shirt soaked in blood. Deep gashes scored his chest and back, every movent reigniting the burning pain. Kathy knelt before him, dressing his wounds with a first-aid kit, her movents precise but rough. Ben, slumped against a rock, wiped blood from his forehead, his leather jacket torn. Yuki, perched on a stump, bandaged his arm. Kaiser, bruised and battered, toyed with his dagger, his smirk barely visible. Katrina, crossbow at her side, checked her remaining bolts, eyes scanning the darkness.
Hugo broke the silence with a rough, exhausted voice. "Thanks... all of you," he murmured, golden eyes stubbornly downcast. "I screwed up. Got you all into this ss... and you still saved ." His words dragged like a confession, too heavy for his shoulders.
Ben chuckled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Screwing up is your specialty, man." He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, wincing. "But that power of yours? Insane... in a badass way."
Kaiser grimaced. "Yeah, but we could’ve done without the near-death experience," he quipped, clutching his injured side. His tone was light, but his pallor betrayed the pain.
Katrina stepped closer, frowning. "You okay, junkie?" she grumbled, gripping his shoulder. "You almost bit it." Her finger pressed into the torn fabric of his jacket, revealing a dark bruise.
"You’ve got so explaining to do, girl," she added sharply. "Like what the hell you were doing here?"
"Well... a voice reached out to ," Kathy admitted. "Said you were in danger."
"The sa voice!?" Yuki narrowed his eyes.
"So you’re the Zodiacs who’ve been hunting us," he continued.
"Yeah, last I checked, your damn arrows almost killed us," Ben shot back.
"And who says we won’t finish the job, leech?" Kathy snapped, glaring at Ben.
"Try it," Ben growled.
"Hey, cool it," Yuki cut in. "Nobody’s killing anybody here. Right, Kathy?"
Kaiser, starting to feel the L-dopa crash, clutched his head like it was about to split open.
"Depends," Kathy said coldly. "If you’re dangerous Wunders with nas like—"
"Shut the hell up, Miss High-and-Mighty," Kaiser groaned. "We’re all killers here. Quit playing judge."
"Volunteering to go first? I could slit your throat right now, Kaiser."
Kaiser lifted his head. "Pretty sure I’d rip out an eye before I went down."
"O-okay, okay... Everybody take a damn breath," Katrina interjected, trying to defuse the tension.
Yuki sighed. "Yeah, but so explanations are overdue."
A heavy silence settled. Hugo finally raised his head. "Yeah..." He crossed his arms, muscles tense. "But I think there’s so shit that needs explaining here."
All eyes turned to him, expectant. Katrina released Kaiser, folding her arms. "Then talk."
"The night we first saw wunderkinds, real werewolves. They were actually my pack, or rather my supposed pack. I should have been their leader and gone hunting that full moon.
Hugo sighed shaking his head :
" But I refused that role. Which put all of you in danger. Even the werewolf who attacked Kaiser, you and Hannah. It was to get my attention. Without aning to... I got you all in trouble, guys... I’m... Sorry."
"It’s true that you did get us into trouble. But I don’t understand. You were a wonder all this ti. And ... I never knew!? Yet I have so kind of sixth sense," Yuki thought aloud, bewildered.
"Because I’m human too."
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