Chapter 1644: Teaming Up?

Steve’s pack had spent most of their time staying close to the camp these past few days. It was unusual for them. Normally, his group would be out taking on quests across the mountains and forests, helping nearby settlements, earning coin, and strengthening relationships with surrounding territories. They were well-known for traveling far and tackling difficult tasks no one else wanted.

But now, they stayed local. Whenever they did accept requests, they only chose the ones that were nearby, small errands, local hunts, escort jobs that didn’t require venturing too far. Steve had ordered it himself. He didn’t want any unexpected flare-ups or misunderstandings happening before he heard back from Gary, Kai, and Lupus.

He trusted those three, but the situation was too delicate to take chances.

Even if those three told the truth about me sending them there, Steve thought as he walked through the camp, that should still open the door for a proper conversation... right? Jack wouldn’t attack on sight if he knew.

He moved between makeshift tents and wooden structures, nodding to pack members as he passed. Many were sharpening blades or maintaining equipment. A few were napping in the branches of nearby trees. Others were wrestling or training, keeping themselves occupied.

It should have felt like any normal day.

But it didn’t.

Because looming over all of it, over the smiles, the laughter, the attempts at normalcy, was the shadow of Unzoku.

If Unzoku hadn’t appeared...

If he hadn’t pushed the idea that Steve needed to fight Jack...

If he hadn’t insisted that the balance of the world depended on the clash of two Alphas...

Everything would have been perfect.

Maybe the solution, Steve thought grimly, is just to get rid of Unzoku entirely.

But the idea immediately led into another.

Would we even have the strength? Maybe... maybe if Jack and I worked together, we could do something.

The more Steve considered it, the more that possibility started to feel real rather than foolish. But for that to happen, they needed information first. They needed clarity. And for that, Steve was waiting, maybe a little too anxiously, for the three newcomers to return.

As he circled around toward the center of the camp, greeting a few pack members who waved at him, Steve suddenly heard shouts break out.

“What happened?!”

“No... it can’t be, this hasn’t happened in a long time!”

A commotion surged near the entrance of camp. Steve moved swiftly toward the sound, and soon saw a group of four werewolves returning. They were all wearing beast-armored gear, dust covering their shoulders and legs. Their expressions were dark, grim, heavy.

But what caught Steve’s eye was the wooden structure they carried, a crude flat table, planks tied together with rope. On top of it lay a body.

One of their own.

The four carefully lowered the table onto the ground before Steve. His chest tightened as he looked at the lifeless figure. The corpse was torn apart, ripped brutally, pieces missing, wounds far too violent to be from a normal beast attack.

Steve took a knee, placing a hand gently over the fallen pack member’s arm.

“One of our family members has fallen...” Steve said softly. “Prepare the rites. We honor them as we always do.”

His voice was steady, but the weight behind it made several pack members bow their heads.

As preparations began around them, people gathering wood, lighting torches, whispering prayers, Steve focused on the returning group.

“What happened?” Steve asked, though his tone already implied he feared the answer.

One of the werewolves stepped forward. He was shaken, still breathing somewhat erratically.

“It was like before,” he said. “The same thing that happened the last time.”

Steve’s eyes narrowed.

“They looked human,” the werewolf explained. “Almost entirely. Their faces, their bodies, the way they stood. But their eyes, they glowed red like embers. Their nails were elongated, sharp, and their teeth... their teeth were like beasts.”

He swallowed hard.

“And their smell. Even though they looked human, they didn’t smell human. Not even close. The scent was wrong, like rotten sweetness mixed with something... hungry.”

Steve’s jaw clenched.

“We ran into a few of them at first. Because they looked human, we hesitated. None of us wanted to harm someone innocent. We’ve been working for years to build our reputation, to show people that werewolves can be trusted. We didn’t want to ruin that.”

He lowered his gaze.

“But they weren’t thinking. They weren’t talking. They just attacked, completely feral. We had no choice but to defend ourselves.”

The other three nodded. The pain of the loss was evident on their faces.

“We kept moving away, trying to retreat... but more of them kept following us. They were relentless, chasing us through the forest. And they were strong, stronger than normal humans by far. They could track us by scent, even when we tried to mask it with the wind.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“We managed to escape... but one of us didn’t. They caught him, dragged him down, and we couldn’t save him.”

As Steve listened, his expression hardened. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. There had been an incident before, an attacker who entered the camp looking almost human, yet clearly wasn’t. Red eyes. Beast-like teeth. The same sickly scent.

They had dismissed it as a one-off, some deranged individual or unlucky curse.

But now...

A second incident meant something much bigger was happening.

“Did anyone see you battling these human-beasts?” Steve asked carefully. That was important. If normal people saw werewolves killing what appeared to be humans, it could ruin everything they had worked for.

The group shook their heads.

“We don’t think so,” one replied. “Anyone nearby was probably already killed by those things. But... there could be more. They might track us back here. They seemed to follow scents incredibly well.”

Steve exhaled slowly.

There was a chance, maybe more than a chance, that all of this was connected to Unzoku.

Maybe these creatures were his doing.

Maybe this was his way of wearing them down before forcing the Alpha clash.

“Listen,” Steve said, raising his voice enough for everyone nearby to hear. “From this moment on, no one is to accept any quests. No one is to leave the camp alone.”

The pack members froze and listened.

“Expand the patrol radius around the camp,” Steve instructed. “Spread out in every direction, but stay in pairs. If any of you smell the same scent as before, those creatures’ scent, do not engage. Do not investigate alone.”

He pointed to the four who had returned.

“You remember their smell. If you smell it again, or sense danger of any kind, report back immediately.”

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