Lupusās chest was pulsing, the muscles trembling from the blow he had just taken.
He hadnāt suffered any critical wounds, not yet, but he could feel it. The force behind that last attack. The raw, terrifying power.
What truly stunned him though... was that he hadnāt even seen it coming.
The strike had landed before his eyes could register it.
His body, hardened by frost, had absorbed most of the impact, yet heād still been pushed back several steps.
āWhat is this...?ā Lupus muttered, a crooked smile creeping across his lips. āYou really are an Alpha. Thereās nothing fake about you.ā
Before him stood the massive, snarling form of a true wolf, its fangs bared, saliva dripping from its mouth like venom, eyes glowing with something beyond rage.
Not just a Shapeshifter. Not just a Werewolf.
A True Alpha.
āAnd to think... youāre in your true Alpha form,ā Lupus said, in awe. āThis is a first. I donāt think thereās ever been an Alpha Shapeshifter before, let alone one in that form.ā
He threw his head back and let out a wild, almost unhinged laugh.
He couldnāt believe it. He remembered his lessons with Galark, the long, brutal training, the countless Werewolves heād fought and studied. None of them had prepared him for this.
This Alpha, this wolf standing before him... wasnāt in the records. Wasnāt part of any known pack.
And yet here he was, brimming with unthinkable strength.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine going up against something like this, Lupus thought.
āThe rules have been broken!ā he declared with glee. āIt seems the world now has three Alphas. What a time to be alive! Come on, bring it!ā
With a roar, Lupus swung his massive claws through the air. A sharp, jagged trail of ice tore through the space between them.
But the giant wolf, Kai, vanished again.
Almost as if he had melted into the wind.
Yet he left something behind: a freezing mist that lingered in the air like a ghost. The frost swirled and gathered, wrapping in circles around Lupus, forming a spiraling vortex of icy wind.
āYou think youāre the only one who can do that?ā Lupus shouted.
He swung his arms with incredible speed, unleashing his own vortex, a storm of claw slashes fused with his ice affinity, the air cracking with each movement.
The two forces clashed violently. A shockwave of frigid energy burst out from the center, spreading in all directions.
Grass froze solid. Trees crackled under sudden frost. The cold rippled out, touching everything.
And standing just outside the radius, watching it all unfold, was Apollo.
His eyes were wide in disbelief.
āThat... that has to be Kai,ā he whispered. āHeās the only one I know who can Shapeshift and use ice powers.ā
But as he continued watching, his expression darkened.
āThe look in his eyes... heās not in his right mind right now.ā
Apollo stood up slowly, unsure what he could do, if anything. But before he could take a step, Kaiās massive wolf body was flung across the clearing, only for a towering spire of ice to rise behind him.
Instead of hitting the ground, the wolf kicked off the pillar, changing direction mid-air, and launched himself straight toward Lupus.
His fangs sank deep into Lupusās side.
Before the larger Werewolf could recover, another ice pillar burst from the ground. Kai landed on it, then sprang again, slamming into Lupus and biting down once more.
It was relentless.
Ice spikes formed in a circular pattern, trapping Lupus in the middle. Kai dashed from one spike to the next in a blur, attacking with each movement.
Bite after bite.
Strike after strike.
Frostbite Frenzy, a vicious chain attack where speed, precision, and instinct collided. With every bite and slash, the enemyās body was frozen more and more, encasing them in layers of ice.
And Kai wasnāt done.
He combined it with another ability, Icicle Lunge.
Each time he landed, a massive icicle erupted from the ground, launching him at high speed in another direction. Like a pinball made of teeth and rage, Kai struck from angles no one could predict.
It was a breathtaking display.
Even more so because he was doing all of it while in his true Alpha form.
It was as if his instincts were perfectly synced with his fighting style. There was no hesitation. Every movement flowed naturally into the next.
Yet Apollo, watching with sharp eyes, noticed something else.
The damage Kai was dealing... it was real. Serious. But Lupus, he was healing. Slowly. But definitely healing.
āThat must be from Iceās power... from the mythical beast he consumed,ā Apollo thought. āLupus already had a naturally resilient body, but now, even Kaiās insane speed and strength might not be enough.ā
The realization crept in fast.
Maybe this was never about winning.
Apollo clenched his fists. He remembered the original plan.
Maybe even Kai understood, this fight wasnāt about beating Lupus. It was about buying time.
And if that was the case...
Then Apollo didnāt need to stay.
He couldnāt help. Not really.
Though he had just left Ice not long ago, something felt different now.
Looking at Kai, how he moved, how he fought, Apollo believed it.
Kai could hold his own.
He could survive.
Maybe even escape if he had to.
āI need to go help the others... I have to,ā Apollo said, turning away from the battle. It was a hard thing for him to do, the image of Lupus with a bloody mouth continued to appear in his head, and there was a chance that it could happen again, out of everyone, he didnāt deserve to be the only one alive...so he would do what he could to fight.
He didnāt know how things would end here.
But he hoped.
He hoped that Kai could hold out against Lupus.
Who knew...
Maybe he could even win.
***
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