It appeared that the three of them were soon going to find out just how convincing their words needed to be , and whether Steve would think they were telling the truth or had completely lost their minds.
For Kai, the situation was already looking grim. The fact that Steve had brought them all the way up here, isolated from the rest of the pack, didnât exactly feel like a friendly gesture.
Can the three of us even take him on if it comes to that? he wondered silently. Even if we could, weâd still have to get through the entire Werewolf camp afterward. That might turn into the hardest fight of our lives.
Steveâs tone broke through his thoughts. âCareful now.â
He raised one hand, and in an instant, it began to change. His fingers lengthened, dark fur sprouted, and energy started to pulse around his palm , not wild or chaotic, but focused, controlled, and powerful.
Garyâs eyes widened as he felt the familiar pressure in the air. He recognized it immediately. Qi.
It was the same energy he used himself , the same power that had always made him different from other Werewolves.
âNo wonder he recognized it back then,â Gary realized. âHe uses Qi too.â
Steveâs red eyes glowed faintly as he faced them. âListen. I donât know if the three of you are crazy or not,â he said, his voice low but steady. âBut something clearly doesnât add up. Thereâs a good chance you might have even been sent here by Unzoku himself. And if thatâs true, itâs my responsibility to protect the pack.â
He lowered his arm slightly, but the energy around his hand didnât fade. âSo this is your only chance. Explain yourselves.â
The three of them exchanged uneasy glances. None of them wanted to be the first to speak. Every possible lie they thought of seemed doomed to fail , Steve was too sharp, too experienced. And if they said the wrong thing, it could mean all of their deaths.
Finally, Gary stepped forward.
âIâm going to tell you the truth,â he said. âEverything. No matter how crazy it sounds. If you think weâre insane, then fine , just believe that this is what we believe.â
Steve didnât move, but his eyes followed Gary closely.
âThe truth is...â Gary drew in a breath. âWeâre not from this time. The three of us , weâre from the future.â
Steveâs expression didnât change, though his hand tensed slightly.
Gary continued, explaining everything he could. He told Steve about their timeline , how in their world, Werewolves no longer lived openly, how most humans didnât even know they existed. He explained how their species had split into two groups: his pack, and Lupusâs.
Then he spoke about Unzoku , how the mysterious being had manipulated them all, turning Kai into something new and forcing Lupus into conflict.
He described how theyâd fought one another, the medallion that had activated around his neck, and how it had brought them here. Gary didnât mention the quest or the system screen , there was no reason to complicate things further , but he made it clear that their only goal was to understand why they had been brought to this time, and how they could return home.
When he finished speaking, silence filled the mountaintop. The air felt thick and heavy, and Steve simply stared at him.
Seconds passed.
Then Steve spoke quietly. âYour breathing,â he said. âYour heartbeat. Neither of them changed while you were talking.â
Gary blinked in confusion.
Steve went on. âUsually, someone whoâs lying or nervous will lose rhythm in their pulse, or their breathing will shift. Even the smallest tremor gives it away. But you... you didnât flinch once. That tells me one of two things , either youâve mastered control of your body on a level beyond most Werewolves... or you really believe what youâre saying.â
He let the words hang in the air for a moment before continuing. âGiven what Iâve seen of you, Iâm inclined to believe the latter.â
Kai and Lupus both exhaled in relief, though neither dared to speak.
Steveâs gaze softened slightly. âWhat youâre saying sounds impossible , time travel, future Werewolves, Unzoku manipulating you , but... I suppose if anything like that were possible, it would be in the kind of world we live in. There are powers out there that even I canât fully understand.â
Then his expression darkened just a little.
More than disbelief, what Gary saw in Steveâs eyes at that moment was something else , sadness.
Because in telling his story, Gary had also told him what the Werewolves had become. How they were hunted, divided, and forced back into hiding.
It hit Steve hard. For a man who had built an entire home to give his people peace, to hear that it would one day fall apart , it felt like a wound deeper than any claw could leave.
âDonât think of what youâve done as useless,â Kai said suddenly, his voice calm but firm. He stepped forward, looking Steve directly in the eye. âOur time is far, far in the future. What youâve built here could have lasted for centuries before things changed. What you did , the way you gave them a place, a home , it mattered. It always will.â
Steve blinked, surprised that Kai seemed to have read his thoughts so easily.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. âYou remind me of someone,â he said quietly. Then his expression hardened again. âBut you understand, right? Even if I want to believe you, I canât take that risk so easily.â
Gary nodded. âWe get it.â
Steveâs eyes glowed faintly red once more as his Qi faded. âMore than anything, the reason Iâm inclined to believe you,â he said, âis because of what you mentioned about Unzoku. Only a handful of people know of him , and from the sound of things, heâs even stronger in your time than he is now.â
Gary, Kai, and Lupus shared uneasy looks.
Steve stepped closer. âStill, I canât let my guard down just yet. If what youâve said is true, then Unzokuâs reach might go farther than any of us realize. So hereâs what weâll do.â
He folded his arms. âYouâre going to live with our camp , eat what we eat, train where we train, and follow our rules. Youâll stay among us until I decide I can trust you. Once youâve earned that trust...â
He paused, his gaze steady.
âThen Iâll tell you everything I know about Unzoku.â
The tension slowly faded from the air, but the weight of his words lingered.
For now, the three of them were safe , but it was clear that this was only the beginning.
They would have to live like the Werewolves of the past, earn their place among them, and somehow convince Steve that they were on his side.
****
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