Out of all the werewolves that remained, Luzen was perhaps the strongest left from the Lupus pack, and as one of the Ironfangs, he carried a natural weight of authority over the rest.
And after seeing him effortlessly take down one of their own, none of them doubted that authority anymore.
If Luzen and a large portion of their remaining numbers agreed to surrender, then what chance did the few who still wanted to fight think they had? Even if they tried, how could they possibly see a path to victory now?
That was, until they heard a cry.
âARGHHH!â
The Ironmasked werewolf, once Ylvaâs silent shadow, and now unmasked, let out a guttural, feral scream.
His body trembled, his claws tearing lines into the shattered stone, muscles twitching like cords about to snap.
âDamn it... isnât that Ylvaâs plaything?â Luzen thought grimly as he reached over his shoulder and pulled his bow from its strap. His eyes narrowed, instincts screaming. âThat thing only ever listened to her. And now that sheâs gone...â
He didnât hesitate.
Luzen drew and fired several arrows in rapid succession, the force of his bowstring cracking like a whip each time.
The first arrow struck deep into the Ironmasked werewolfâs shoulder. Blood burst out in a crimson spray even though the arrows themselves were made of compressed force, nearly invisible to the naked eye. The impact alone was enough to crack the ground beneath him.
But when the next few arrows came, the Ironmasked werewolf spun suddenly, his claws flashing, slashing through the air and breaking the invisible incoming projectiles apart.
Even Luzenâs eyes widened slightly at that.
âWait!â Innuâs voice rang out. âDonât kill him, subdue him! Help subdue him!â
Xin and Marie exchanged a quick look.
Both of them were still in their Luna forms, their power surging through their veins, their bodies far from spent. They didnât know why Innu was insisting they spare this monster... but they trusted him. That was enough.
They lunged forward at the same time.
The Ironmasked werewolf swung his claws viciously toward Marieâs stomach, but her moonlit barrier flashed and absorbed the blow, the shockwave rippling harmlessly around her. Xin took a brutal kick to the midsection that forced the air from her lungs, but she dug her claws into the ground and pushed through it, grabbing his leg and yanking it out from under him.
The werewolf crashed to the ground.
Xin pounced instantly, one hand clamping around his throat.
The Ironmasked werewolf thrashed violently, his massive arms flailing. Marie dove in, seizing both of his wrists. She locked her grip with every ounce of her strength as she realized what Xin was doing, choking him out.
He snarled, kicked, struggled... but Xinâs grip only tightened.
Until, at last, his body went limp.
Standing off to the side, Blake watched the scene silently. He was leaning on his swords just to stay upright, his face pale and sweat-soaked, but his eyes stayed locked on the captured werewolf.
He didnât move.
He didnât try to speak.
He didnât even know how to react.
This was tied to him, but right now, he couldnât understand how or what he was supposed to do.
Innu ran over, his breathing heavy. âThank you,â he said quickly. âIf he gets back up, youâre going to have to subdue him again.â
The Ironmasked werewolf was clearly wounded and drained, yet despite that, his resistance had shown just how powerful the Luna forms were, especially when Xin and Marie worked together like this.
As the tension settled, Luzen gave a sharp command for all remaining Lupus werewolves to gather up behind him.
It was a clear message. They were done fighting. They wanted everyone to see their surrender was genuine.
Meanwhile, the injured members of the Howlers were escorted back into the wrecked restaurant. Some were limping, others carried. Emergency medical staff had been called, and the distant sound of approaching sirens could now be heard through the broken streets as ambulances rushed toward them.
Soon, all of the surviving core members of the Howlers regrouped outside the restaurant.
They stood together, battered and ragged, their bodies aching, but their minds heavy with the same question.
âDoes anyone know what happened to Gary?â
âWe just saw him disappear,â Marie answered. âAlong with Kai... and Lupus. We have no idea where they are.â
âThen whoâs going to talk to the others?â someone asked quietly. âWith Kai and Gary gone... whoâs left in charge here?â
The words sank like stones.
Realistically, the only ones left who could take that role were Austin or Innu. But neither of them were trusted to make the right choices when it came to anything outside of fighting.
And so, naturally, all eyes turned to Marie.
âMe...?â she asked weakly, her voice cracking.
But no one said otherwise.
So she swallowed hard, steeling herself, and they walked together as a unit across the ruined field toward where Luzen stood waiting for them.
Marie wasnât truly alone, she could feel everyoneâs presence behind her, their quiet support at her back, but it still felt like the heaviest walk she had ever taken.
âNow that youâve surrendered... what do you plan to do?â Marie said finally, her tone hard. âAfter everything thatâs happened here, we canât just let you go back to Ruin City. Not until we find out what happened to Gary and Kai.â
âWe can stay here until then,â Luzen replied calmly. âAnd we wonât cause any trouble. We know we lost this war.â
He glanced briefly at the destruction around them. âIâm sure we have bigger problems to discuss anyway. Especially with both of our Alphas gone.â
Marie gave a small nod. She could tell he was being honest, but something about it still felt uneasy. From his tone, Luzen truly didnât know what had happened to the three missing Alphas either.
âHey, we canât just do this,â Innu said suddenly, his voice tight. âThese werewolves betrayed us. They swore they werenât going to fight us, and then they killed so many of our allies... so many people who had families... friends...â
âItâs the same for us,â Luzen interrupted firmly.
His eyes were cold, but his voice was steady.
âYou can complain about the circumstances all you want, but the fact is, right now, weâve surrendered. That means we no longer wish to fight.
âYou might have been fine taking our lives when it was for survival... but do you really think your group has it in their hearts to kill those who have no will to fight anymore?â
His words hung in the air. The Howlers fell silent. They were too soft-hearted for that.
Even if none of them said it aloud, Marie knew it was true. Carrying the weight of something like that, executing people who had surrendered, would break them, especially when whoever was in charge was only in a temporary role.
âThere is a way for you to trust us,â Luzen said at last.
The group tensed as his gaze swept over them.
âThe color of all your eyes,â he said. âIt means your Alpha... and ours... are still alive somewhere. But regardless of that, for some reason you have two Lunas standing in front of you.
âYou can bring us all over to your pack. Weâll be bound by your packâs rules. That way, youâll know we would have no choice but to be loyal to you.â
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