AN: Hey guys, Im sorry about the last two days just been having some family time. This chapter goes pretty fast but a lot does happen. Hope you guys enjoy and I'll see if I can get the next chapter out later today. God Bless.
POV Dante
India — Six Months Later
We had finally reached our second destination.
India.
The air was thick with heat and humidity, the jungle stretching endlessly around us. Everything seemed to be alive, everything moving. It was the kind of place where you could never quite tell if something was watching you.
And right now, something probably was.
Nora walked a few steps ahead of me while her siblings, Selene and Caleb, followed close behind. Traveling with witches had its advantages… but subtlety wasn't always one of them.
Though I used to be one myself.
I do not miss those days.
Before arriving here, we had already retrieved three werewolves from the BosRoq clan in China.
That had been… surprisingly easy.
The BosRoq lived high on Mount Tai, far away from any real civilization. I expected them to be savage, wild people that would try to tear our throats out the moment we arrived. Like a lot of the clans I have come across in travels with my brother.
Instead?
They were organized. Civilized even.
So civilized that they brought us directly to their witch.
She was a werewolf–witch hybrid.
The moment I heard that, I remembered what my brother had told me and our sister at the dinner table after his return from the Amazon . It was about a powerful witch who was also a werewolf. And who happened to be the mother of his so called wife.
Diana.
That memory made me chuckle to myself.
I still couldn't imagine Nero tied down to anyone.
The idea alone sounded ridiculous.
When we met the BosRoq witch, she didn't seem surprised to see us.
Not even a little.
"I saw you coming," she had said calmly.
"In a vision."
Another thing Nero had told me about.
He said that Diana saw him in visions.
That he was meant to save her clan.
Though the witch never told us exactly what she saw.
And I didn't care truly.
I wasn't a fan of prophecies
Neither of my siblings were.
But in the end she gave us what we needed.
three of their werewolves.
Apparently they were criminals among their people. Murderers, traitors… rapist , already waiting for execution.
So she simply handed them over.
Which brought us here.
Deep inside the jungles of India.
The three werewolves were chained in our ship offshore, guarded by Nero's vampires.
Selene suddenly slapped her neck.
"Smack!"
"These fucking bugs!" she shouted, swatting at the air again.
I couldn't help smiling.
Nora immediately groaned.
"Selene, could you please shut up for five minutes ?"
Selene glared at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your bonding time with your lover?"
Nora rolled her eyes.
"We don't know what we're dealing with out here."
"And it would help if you didn't draw attention by being so loud."
Caleb pushed a branch aside as we walked.
"She's right," he said calmly. "All we know is their location… and that they're skilled."
He paused.
" And also fanatic, according to Uncle Nero."
Then Caleb looked over at me.
"Which reminds me… didn't he say these ones were supposed to be easy?"
I ducked under a low branch.
"Yes," I said.
"And the first one was"
"But these are werewolves."
I glanced around the jungle.
"And from my experience… werewolves are never easy."
Selene snorted.
"Oh please. They're just dogs with anger issues."
Nora shot her a look.
"Selene—"
"What?" Selene said. "It's true."
Then suddenly—
I stopped walking.
My hand came up immediately, signaling them to stop.
Selene opened her mouth to complain.
I glared at her with a look that said.
Stop talking.
Something moved in the trees.
All the bugs stopped making noises.
The jungle went quiet in that strange way it does when predators are around.
I lowered my voice.
"Someone's watching us."
The moment the words left my mouth—
WHIST.
An arrow shot from the jungle straight toward Nora's back.
Before it could reach her—
I stopped it mid-air with my magic.
The arrow froze inches from her spin.
Nora blinked.
she turned around she jumped seeing how close the arrow was too.
She looked at me with a grateful smile
"Thank you Dante."
"It was no problem.", I said
I flicked my wrist.
The arrow shot back into the trees.
A grunt echoed from the forest.
"Back to back," I said immediately.
The four of us turned inward, forming a tight circle.
"Everyone stay close."
Selene scoffed.
"I can take care of myself."
"Don't be stupid sister." Caleb said.
Branches began moving.
Then they stepped out.
Men and women emerged from the jungle.
Their bodies were covered in tribal paint. Some wore strange masks made of bone and wood. Others had ritual scars carved across their faces.
Werewolves.
A lot of them.
One of them shouted something in a language I didn't understand.
Then they rushed us.
"Now!" I shouted.
All four of us threw our hands forward at once.
Magic burst outward like a shockwave.
8 attackers were blasted off their feet instantly.
Another two tried rushing Selene.
"Oh goody," she replied .
Her hands lit with magic and the ground beneath the werewolves suddenly twisted upward, sending them crashing into a tree.
Caleb moved next.
Two warriors lunged toward him with spears.
He raised both hands calmly.
The spears ripped out of their hands and spun in the air before slamming through the warriors pining them to the ground.
Nora whispered something under her breath.
The vines along the forest floor suddenly sprang to life, wrapping around two attackers and yanking them violently backward into a tree.
Their heads smashed like melons.
Meanwhile—
One came at me with a blade.
I knocked him off his feet with my magic.
Then I moved.
my speed carried me over to him instantly.
I grabbed him by the hair, and tore his head clean off.
Another lunged.
I throw the head at her with strong force
Causing her to have to roll out of the way.
As soon as she got her feet I was there.
I shoved my hand into her chest.
Pulling out her heart.
Within seconds—
The attackers were down.
But then suddenly.
A horn echoed through the jungle.
We all froze.
"Oh shit." Selene said
There was more movement in the trees.
Not ten.
Not twenty.
Thirty—
No.
Sixty.
Werewolves surrounded us.
But some of them looked different.
They didn't have the tribal paintings over their bodies.
Instead.
They wore golden armor.
Egyptian armor.
I raised an eyebrow.
And suddenly it clicked.
A man stepped forward from the crowd.
He wore a nemes headdress, the gold cloth draping down both sides of his head.
Around his neck hung a huge amulet bearing a crest I immediately recognized.
The Malraux Clan.
Well.
That complicated things.
"You have finally come," the man said coldly.
His eyes locked onto me.
"You," he said while pointing at me.
" You took my son!"
The jungle went silent.
"And you will tell me where he is, or may the gods be my witness. I will gut all of you."
Every werewolf around us raised their bows.
Arrows pointed directly at our heads.
I slowly raised my hands.
"Alright, alright," I said calmly.
"Let's all just calm down—"
"Calm down?" the man roared.
"You abducted my son. My heir."
His voice shook with rage.
"And you expect me to calm down?"
Caleb stepped forward carefully.
"Listen," he said. " We only came to speak with the leader of the Paxon Clan."
"But maybe we can also make a deal about your son."
There was silence.
But then—
A voice answered from the forest.
"Well…"
Everyone turned.
A woman stepped out of the trees.
She wore nothing but tribal paint across her skin.
Not a single piece of clothing.
She looked completely unbothered by the dozens of warriors surrounding us.
Her eyes locked onto me.
"Here I am."
She folded her arms.
"And I would suggest you start talking."
Her voice turned cold.
"Before I have them fill you with arrows… and feast on your corpses."
I sighed slowly.
In my mind I muttered:
So this is an easy mission, huh Brother?
POV Diana
My short time traveling had already been eventful.
After leaving the Amazon and my people in the care of their new leader—my husband, Nero—I went to the location he had given me. A witch there helped get me situated. She gave me everything I would need for the journey: potions, bottles of blood, supplies, and charms to hide my scent while traveling.
During my first two months as a hybrid, I learned that everything Nero had told me was true.
Not that I ever doubted him.
Still… experiencing it myself was different.
Everything about me was heightened. Not just my physical strength and speed, but my emotions as well. Joy felt brighter. Anger burned hotter. Hunger… hunger was something else entirely.
The first time I turned into a wolf as a hybrid was nothing like anything I had ever experienced before.
The ability to change at will felt liberating.
In my wolf form, I had control over every movement, every instinct. I was still myself, just… more.
And with that came the hunt.
I loved it even more now.
I remembered every kill. Every human. Every animal that fell prey to me. Their scent, their fear, the moment the chase ended.
In those two months alone, I had transformed into a wolf thirty times.
My first destination had been the second pack that held a piece of the Hollow.
The finger bone.
This pack was close to mine. Our clans had intermarried many times in the past.
They were the Quentin pack.
Peaceful people. Quiet people. They kept to themselves and were among the many packs who believed our werewolf nature was a curse.
Truthfully, most packs believed that.
And while it was true that Inadu had cursed us… I had always believed it was better to embrace what we were rather than fear it.
The Quentin clan had not been happy to give up their piece of the Hollow. To them it was a sacred relic, something passed down through generations.
So their clan head challenged me.
He was proud… but honorable.
We fought.
I made sure not to use too much of my hybrid strength. Nero had been very clear about that. He didn't want the existence of hybrids spreading through the supernatural world just yet.
So I fought him as a werewolf.
And I defeated him.
By our traditions, when a clan head loses a duel, the victor finishes the fight.
But I didn't.
I had no reason to kill him. I came for only one thing.
The piece of the Hollow.
So the moment the duel ended, I took the relic and left.
Four months passed quickly after that.
Traveling taught me many things about the world.
Humans were weak creatures.
Disgustingly weak.
They started wars over pieces of land that meant nothing. Their kings and leaders sat safely in castles while soldiers died fighting their battles for them.
It made me realize something.
The world could be cruel.
But it also had its moments of beauty.
China was something I would never forget.
Mountains that stretched so high they disappeared into the clouds. Forests filled with trees covered in soft pink petals. I later learned they were called sakura trees.
It was there I realized something important.
The true beauty of the world was not in its people.
It was in the earth itself.
While traveling through the mountains of China, I came across a clan my mother had once told me about.
The BosRoq clan.
One of the original seven werewolf clans.
Mother had told me about someone who lived among them. Someone like her.
A witch.
A werewolf.
Both.
And she had been right.
I met the woman.
She felt deeply connected to the world around her, just like my mother had been. The forest seemed to breathe with her.
She also told me something surprising.
She had visions.
Just like me.
But her visions were not about Nero.
Instead, she told me about a beast.
A creature with glowing red eyes.
It stood on two legs like a man, but its body was that of a wolf. Its fangs were as long as daggers. Its claws sharp enough to tear through anything.
Its fur was pitch black.
But what caught my attention most was one small detail.
A white patch of fur above its right eye.
She told me she had seen me with that beast.
Not fighting it.
Not running from it.
Embracing it.
Holding it.
And in my other arm… I held a child.
But that wasn't the only thing she saw.
She also told me that a group of four people had come to the BosRoq clan recently.
They had asked for three werewolves.
That made me pause.
Three werewolves…
That could only mean Nero had sent someone.
Or had come himself.
She said she saw something else in her vision as well.
One of the girls in that group carried a strange aura.
A dark purple presence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
I didn't know what she meant by that.
But I needed to know if Nero was involved.
She told me those four were most likely heading toward India.
Toward another one of the seven original clans.
The Paxon Clan.
I thanked her for the information and left immediately.
Now I was here.
In the jungles of India.
I ducked beneath a vine as I moved quietly through the thick forest.
My mother had told me stories about the Paxon Clan.
Out of the seven original clans, they were the most savage.
They didn't just kill humans.
They ate them.
Not only in wolf form.
But in human form as well.
They sacrificed their own people to Inadu, believing it would please her.
As if the Hollow cared about them.
Yes, I respected Inadu for creating the werewolf curse.
But she had meant it as punishment.
Not a blessing.
Yet these people worshipped that suffering like fanatics.
I suddenly stopped.
A scent reached my nose.
Blood.
Fresh.
I followed the smell.
Soon I found the bodies.
Several women lay scattered through the jungle.
I knelt beside one of them.
Her chest was hollow.
Her heart had been ripped out.
Only two creatures could do something like that.
A hybrid.
Or a vampire.
I pressed my fingers into the wound and brought them to my nose.
The scent was unfamiliar.
Not Nero.
Vampire.
Which meant Nero had likely sent someone else to collect the wolves.
I stood and followed the scent.
Eventually I reached a massive temple hidden deep within the jungle. Vines wrapped around the stone walls, and moss covered the ancient carvings.
Warriors patrolled the entrance.
Some wore the markings of the Paxon clan.
But others…
My eyes narrowed.
Malraux clan warriors.
Egyptian werewolves.
What the hell were they doing here?
Fifteen guards stood outside.
Which meant fifteen people were about to die.
My eyes flashed gold as veins spread beneath them.
I moved.
The first guard disappeared into the darkness before he even realized I was there.
My teeth tore through his neck.
Another I grabbed and hurled deep into the jungle.
Then I drew my sword.
Lalo.
Named after my mother.
I moved like a shadow.
By the time the guards realized something was wrong—
It was already over.
Every single one of them lay dead.
I dragged their bodies into the jungle and hid them.
Then I took the armor from one of the female guards and walked calmly into the temple.
Inside…
The sight might have sickened me once.
But now?
I felt nothing.
Paxon warriors were feasting on human flesh like animals after a hunt.
I ignored them and moved deeper into the temple until I reached a massive stone door.
Two guards stood outside.
They crossed their spears in front of me.
"Mistress Mica said no one enters."
I nodded and walked away obediently.
But my hearing picked up the voices behind the door.
"Tell me now!" a man shouted. "Where is my son, or I will kill this woman!"
Another voice answered coldly.
"If you touch her, I will wipe out your entire clan."
"You will do no such thing," a woman said calmly. "No one dies until I know why you are here."
"We're not telling you anything," the serious voice replied.
"Dante," another woman said nervously. "Think about this."
"I will not betray my brother, Nora," the man said. "I would rather die."
That name caught my attention.
Dante.
Nero had mentioned him before.
His brother.
"Well," another voice said coldly, "if you will not speak… then you will die tonight. Take them to the altar for sacrifice."
"Wait Mica!" Elder Taka shouted. "What about my son?"
"They will not tell us anything," Mica replied.
"They are a waste of time."
The voice was cold.
The massive stone doors suddenly opened and a woman stepped out. She wore nothing but tribal paint across her body, the markings running across her skin like living symbols.
I had heard stories about the leader of the Paxon clan.
She was said to be the most ruthless leader they had ever had.
The strange thing was… she should have been around my mother's age.
Yet the woman standing there looked no older than twenty-five.
Behind her walked another figure.
A man dressed in fine robes trimmed with gold.
Elder Taka.
Leader of the Malraux clan.
My mother had once told me she had been betrothed to him many years ago.
But her mother ended the agreement before the marriage could be finalized.
Looking at him now…
I could see why.
There was something about him that felt wrong. Arrogant. Slimy.
The heavy stone doors closed behind them with a deep echo.
Taka stepped closer to Mica, his voice tense.
"Mica, we cannot simply kill them," he said sharply. "I need to find my son. I need to know whether he lives or not."
Mica stopped walking.
She didn't even turn to face him as she spoke.
"Your son is alive, Elder Taka," she said calmly. "Of that I am certain."
"And how can you possibly know that?" he snapped.
She turned her head slightly.
"Why else would they have taken three wolves?"
Taka frowned.
"The real question," Mica continued, "is why they want them."
She began pacing slowly.
"I've been hearing rumors recently. People attacking the seven original werewolf clans."
Her voice grew thoughtful.
"And most of those clans report the same thing."
Taka crossed his arms.
"And what is that?"
"They take three wolves."
She looked toward the jungle.
"I imagine this is for some type of spell."
Taka's expression darkened.
"What kind of spell requires wolves from every original clan?"
Mica shook her head.
"That… I do not yet know."
I stayed perfectly still behind the stone wall where I was hiding.
She's good, I thought.
Very good.
She had figured out most of it from almost no information.
Even I didn't know exactly what Nero was planning.
I only knew it involved the werewolves and the hollow.
But then Suddenly—
Mica's head turned Directly toward the wall I was hiding behind.
My heart skipped as Her eyes narrowed slightly.
I instantly ducked out of sight.
Using my speed, I vanished into the jungle before she could investigate further.
One Hour Later
In that hour I had prepared everything.
Three werewolves.
Knocked unconscious and hidden just outside the temple.
If Nero's siblings escaped, they wouldn't need to waste time searching for the wolves they came for.
I returned to the stone doors where they were being held.
I was gonna break them out forcefully.
Because as of now that seemed like the only thing to do.
Those same two guards stood outside.
They were about to stop me—
When suddenly—
BOOM.
The stone door exploded outward.
Dust and shattered rock filled the hallway.
Four figures burst out of the room in a wave of magical energy.
The guards flung into walls behind me.
"Wait—!" I tried to say.
But one of the girls blasted me aside with a spell before she even looked.
I slammed into the wall and hit the ground.
By the time I stood up, the four of them were already running.
"Stop them!" One of the guards that got up shouted.
I sped forward.
And snapped his neck.
I sped closer over to them.
"Wait!" I called out.
One of them turned suddenly and raised her hands.
Magic crackled around her.
"Don't come any closer!" she snapped.
I stopped.
The four of them stood there now.
Two girls.
One man.
And a vampire.
who I guessed was Dante.
His eyes narrowed as he studied me.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"And why shouldn't I have her blast you to bits?"
I slowly raised my hands to show I wasn't attacking.
"My name is Diana," I said.
Three of their faces didn't change.
Except for one.
Dante.
The girl with the dark hair—Selene, if I remembered correctly from the sound of her voice—snorted.
"Yeah? And why the fuck should we care what your name is ."
Caleb frowned.
"Selene…"
"Do not tell me to watch my language brother."
"We had to play it off like Dante and Nora couldn't siphon away the magic off those fukcing chains for and hour."
"An hour."
"The chains took a while to siphon," Nora said.
"So shut the hell up".
Dante didn't take his eyes off me.
"And why should we believe you?"
I sighed.
"I would hope that Nero told you that he is my husband."
That got a reaction.
Selene burst out laughing.
"Oh that's rich."
"Right," she said sarcastically. "Because Uncle Nero totally married some random woman wolf lady."
I didn't argue.
Instead—
My eyes flashed gold.
Dark veins spread beneath them.
The group froze.
Dante's expression changed instantly.
Recognition.
"Nero told me," he said quietly.
"When he returned from the Amazon."
The others looked at him in shock.
"He what?" Caleb asked.
Dante nodded slowly while still watching me.
"She is his wife."
"But tradition or something like that."
" He said he turned her."
The silence was thick.
Then Selene muttered,
"Well… shit."
I lowered my voice.
"We don't have time for this. I already knocked out three wolves outside the temple."
Dante's eyebrows lifted.
"You did what?"
"I assumed Nero sent you here for them."
I gestured toward the jungle.
"They're waiting outside."
That was all Dante needed to hear.
"Alright let's Move," he said.
Outside the Temple
We reached where the three unconscious wolves lay hidden.
Selene whistled softly.
"Well… she wasn't lying about them being knocked out."
"But damn girl" she said
Dante lifted two of them over his shoulders easily.
"I'll carry these two."
I grabbed the third.
"We need to go. Now."
Behind us, horns began sounding across the temple grounds.
They had discovered the escape.
And that was our cue to run.
The jungle blurred past as we sprinted toward the cliffs overlooking the river.
Then—
WHIST.
Arrows began flying from the trees.
"Down!" Caleb shouted.
Selene raised her hands and blasted several arrows aside with magic.
But more kept coming.
We burst out of the jungle—
And stopped.
Right in front of us was a Cliff.
A massive drop to the raging river below.
Selene looked down.
Then back at us.
"Well… that's not ideal I guess."
"But We have to jump," she said quickly.
Caleb nodded.
"We can use magic to slow the fall."
"And the wolves?" Dante asked.
Selene smirked.
"Try your best to get your magic on them too" she shrugged.
"Great plan," Dante muttered.
Selene jumped first.
Caleb followed immediately after.
They vanished over the cliff.
Dante turned toward Nora.
"Ready?"
She nodded.
"Ready."
They stepped toward the edge—
Suddenly—
THWIP.
A chained kunai shot from the trees.
It pierced straight through Nora's neck.
Her body jerked violently.
Then the chain snapped tight—
And she was ripped back into the forest.
"NORA!" Dante screamed.
He started running toward her—
But before he could go back and mess this up for Nero I pushed him.
Nora he shouted
"I'm sorry but we have to get out of here!" I shouted.
He fell into the rushing water below.
Then I jumped after him.
Above us, arrows rained down from the jungle as the river swallowed us both.