ra’s POV

    I felt it before I saw it–the heaviness in the air, the sense that something primal was near. A towering presence. The creature in the shadows was so massive that it seemed to blur the lines between man and beast. Its golden eyes locked with mine, burning with an intensity that sent a shiver straight

    down my spine.

    I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself. This… this was the Lycan. And now I saw why the stories said they were godspared to us. Unlike the wolves who ran on all fours, this one stood tall, its massive frame easily two, maybe three times the size of a regr werewolf.

    It wasn’t just its size–there was something regal in its movements, like it belonged to another world altogether. The Moon Goddess had surely shaped this one with divine hands. Even the werewolves seemed primitive inparison, clumsy creatures stumbling in their own skins.

    The Lycan’s white fur shimmered like moonlight itself, catching every beam that pierced through the trees. It was breathtaking, almost terrifying.

    As it loomed over me, I couldn’t help but flinch, my heart hammering in my chest.

    “Hey, you want to ride on my back?” The Lycan’s voice, somehow familiar and distant at the same time, came from deep within its throat. It was Dorian’s voice, twisted by the creature’s power. “It’ll be fun.”

    I blinked, my throat going dry. “No thanks… I’m good,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper, betraying my unease.

    Dorian, or rather the Lycan, shrugged, unaffected. “Okay then. Wait here, and let me go get them back.”

    With a mighty how! that ripped through the silence of the night, the Lycan exploded into motion, faster than anything I had ever seen. It was a blur of white fur and muscle,unching itself over the brick wall without even slowing down. My breath caught in imy /ithroat as it hurtled toward the minivan.

    It wasn’t long before it reached them–less than ten seconds, if I had to guess. With a single swipe of its massive w, the Lycan stopped the minivan dead in its tracks, its sharp ws slicing into the metal as if it were paper. The car twisted and flipped, crashing to the ground with a sickening sound, its weight–at least 5000 pounds–rendered nothing more than a crumpled toy in the Lycan’s grip.

    Screams erupted from inside the wreckage. One by one, the survivors stumbled out, trying to escape.

    But it was hopeless.

    With a swift motion, the Lycan caught one man in its w, squeezing until his skull exploded in a horrifying crack. The sickening sound of bone breaking filled the air, followed by the unmistakable scent of blood. The second man, shaking uncontrobly, fired his gun, but his aim was as shaky as his hands.

    Before he could even attempt another shot, the Lycan was on him, its sharp ws cutting through his throat in a smooth, effortless motion. Blood poured from the wound, staining the Lycan’s pristine fur.

    Thest man standing was paralyzed by fear. He turned to run, but the Lycan’s ws were faster, reaching him in a heartbeat. The creature’s enormous mouth opened, revealing rows of gleaming fangs that glinted menacingly under the moonlight.

    “STOP!” I shouted, my voice cracking in desperation.

    I was already running toward them, barefoot, my emerald green dress fluttering behind me like a tattered g in the wind.

    The Lycan froze. Its massive frame tensed, but it didn’t move, not even a muscle.

    Seconds passed. Then, without warning, it shifted. Dorian was standing before me again, his usual calm smile in ce as though nothing bhad /bhappened. He didn’t even seem winded from the destruction he’d just caused.

    “You don’t want them to die?” he asked, his tone casual, as if we were discussing the weather.

    I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain steady. “No. We need to know who is behind thisb,/bb” /bI said, my voice unwavering bdespite /bbthe /bknot in my

    stomach

    b1/3 /b

    b10:20 /bMon, b18 /bbAug /b

    X77b% /b

    “Whatever you want.” He didn’t even flinch as he bent down and dragged a heavy safe from the wreckage. “The safe is right here in the car.”

    20

    He stepped closer, and I couldn’t help but wince, taking a small step back. But Dorian was already lifting me up, cing me gently on top of the flipped

    minivanb. /b

    “Those rocks will hurt your feet,” he said, his voice still unbothered by the chaos he’d just unleashed. “Let me get the others.”

    Momentster, the soldiers arrived, their faces grim as they gathered around us. Nobody dared to speak, but they all seemed to keep their distance from Dorian, their eyes full of fear.

    But none of that seemed to matter to him. He leaned casually against the minivan, his gaze fixed on me, not a care in the world as the soldiers cleaned up the mess he’d made.

    “Do you like my wolf?” Dorian asked, his grin yful, almost too smug.

    “It’s… formidable,” I said, the words tasting strange on my tongue. I paused before adding, “But there was no need for you to shift. The soldiers could have handled this.”

    “And there was no need for me to kill all of them, either,” I thought, but kept it to myself.

    Dorian shrugged, as though the destruction he’d caused was nothing more than a passing fancy. “You haven’t seen my wolf yet. I want you to see it.”

    I bit my lip. He was so… cocky. I didn’t know how to tell him that his wolf was intimidating, but certainly not in a way that made me want to get closer.

    “Your wolf looked very different from ours,” I said, trying to find the right words.

    Dorian just shrugged. “Ancient tales say the first group of werewolves the Moon Goddess created were the Lycans. The rest of us… well, we degenerated over time.”

    “So we’re the degenerated version of yours?” came a voice behind us.

    I turned to see Thorne walking toward us, his face dark, his expression as stormy as ever.

    “You certainly think very highly of yourselves,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes at Dorian.

    Dorian let out augh. “We don’t trash talk each other. I’ll let that one slide.”

    I let out a sigh. I could feel the tension building between them, but honestly, I was too exhausted to deal with another fight.

    “We have the safe. Let’s get thest man alive and head back to the packhouse,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

    I gestured to the captain, giving him orders. “You run back to Lord Roy’s mansion. Take the butler to the packhouse.”

    “Yes, Gamma ra!” The captain replied, and momentster, we were on our way.

    A few hourster, we arrived at the packhouse. The party was winding down, guests in fancy dresses and tuxedos making their way out. Cael and Vessa were by the front door, sending the guests off. It was Vessa who saw our car first.

    “ra!” she called out, rushing down the stairs to greet me. “Cael told me. You really shouldn’t put yourself through so much trouble, tcan live without the btiara/b.”

    I smiled, but it was hard to keep up the facade. “No. It’s fine. I wanted to do this for you.”

    Cael approached us, his face concerned. “Was it the bandits?”

    b“/bActually… no,” I said, snapping bmy /bfingers.

    Soldiers brought out a man from the car. This man is part of the team that robbed bthe /bjewelry,” bI /bbexined/b, bkeeping /bbmy /bvoice beven/bb. /bb“/bbWe /bbfound /bbhim /bin Lord Roy’s mansionb./bb” /b

    10:20 Monb, /b18 bAug /bo

    Gasps filled the air as people froze. Even those who hadn’t left yet stood motionless, their eyes wide with shock.

    b76/bb% /b

    b+20/bb) /b

    “This is ridiculous!” Lord Roy’s voice cut through the tension as he stormed forward, his presencemanding attention. “Why would I steal jewelry? Do I seem like someone whocks money?”

    “I was hoping you could tell us,” I said, my voice steady despite the chaos.

    Lord Roy let out a cold, bitterugh. “Gamma ra, I’ve respected you. But I won’t stand here and let you nder me.”

    The whispers among the crowd were loud enough for me to hear, their doubts clear.

    Even Cael leaned in close, lowering his voice. “You sure you have the right guy?”

    I hesitated, but nodded. “I’m almost certain.”

    “Well, ‘almost certain‘ isn’t good enough,” he said quietly. “You know Lord Roy. He’s not a man who can be messed with…”

    Before I could respond, another car screeched to a stop, and the door mmed open.

    Out came the butler, followed by a pale, sickly–looking girl.

    Lord Roy’s eyes widened. Then he shouted, his voice furious. “You brought my butler here? And my sick daughter? What the hell is wrong with you?!”

    The girl ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. “Dad! They barged into our house! They killed our man! They threatened our butler! I almost had a heart attack…”

    Lord Roy’s eyes zed with fury as he held his daughter tightly. He turned to me, his re like ice.

    “Gamma ra, you better exin yourself. Or I don’t care who you are–this won’t end well tonight.”

    All eyes were on me. I felt the weight of their stares pressing down on me, but I clenched my fists, determined not to break. Cold sweat ran down my back, but I held my ground.

    This wasn’t over. Not yet.

    bAD /b