[THIRD-PARTY POV]
Silence.
Absolute silence was what the faction leaders could afford as they saw one of them hurled up and beaten up like there was nothing they could do for him. They were strong, but the hound had lost to the beast, there was just no chance for them all.
Criselda watched in silence, a silent smirk playing on her face. Maybe it was because Ulrike shouldn't have offered to volunteer. However, when Zelina turned to look at her, Criselda looked worried, and sadly, Zelina understood her.
Gideon was a young witch that stood no chance against the beast. He hadn't been in the fight, which could only mean that the beast had trampled on him while heading towards Ulrike.
Was he okay? No one knew and maybe that was why Criselda's heart broke for her protege, the man who was like a son to her. However, she would wait it out. She would wait and see if her son came back to him.
As they watched the horror unfold before them they came to the realization that everything had been right in front of them. Literally everything, then again, it wasn't like they were way too intelligent for the beast, but what were they supposed to think when they had just been played?
There was something more to the beast of the midlands. Something they should have paid attention to from the very beginning. Now they could understand why the warrior had said he would transform into a man because he wasn't entirely a beast.
The beast was one of them, a creature of the night and day, a creature that had abilities just like them, only that he seemed stronger than them all.
"He is a lycan," Delbert said, the realization shocking just everyone here. None of them had expected this, then again, in the supernatural world, the moon children were the ones who could easily transform into their human forms.
They should have kept that in mind since they were also children of the moon. They should have known that the beast could either be a lycan, a hound, or even a werewolf. Frankly, they had all been too preoccupied with finding the beast and stopping him, and right now, they had failed at both.
Ulrike was hurt, and while he would heal faster, they had failed to catch the beast. Sure, Ulrike had found his long-lost friend, but it wasn't like he would tell that to the other faction leaders, but then they had failed at having the beast in their custody.
"Where is King Eddy?" Zelina asked as she looked straight ahead of them, as the beast fought Ulrike. There was something suspicious about that stupid king. Why had he disappeared right before the beast showed up, or maybe he was the beast?
Maybe that was his main intent from the beginning, to prove to the leaders that he couldn't be stopped. And now that the beast was a lycan, and King Eddy was missing, the suspicions were justified.
The truth had been in front of them the whole time. Whoever this was, it had to be one of King Eddy's people or King Eddy, because Udrad was the home of the lycans, and no one had ever heard of a rogue Lycan.
No one had ever heard of a lycan that ran away from home and survived the midlands.
This was the lycan they were all worried about, the angry lycan that could tear them into pieces, and now that they knew what the beast truly was, they knew there was no way they would ever be able to subdue him.
The fight had been lost even before it began.
Nothing about this was okay and no matter what side they looked at it, they couldn't help but see how helpless they were.
King Eddy was the only one with a solution of how to make a lycan calm down, or even how to handle a lycan.
However, he wasn't here.
The beast fought Ulrike, to the point that the faction leaders were sure the hound would die. However, the beast looked in the direction of the kids who were clearly mortified, shoving Ulrike away.
This was the first time the beast had left its prey alive, and it was all thanks to the children, but was it really? Was it just about the children that scared Ulrike shitless or was it because of their promise to each other all those years ago?
There was no telling, however, the leaders could only be thankful to the kids. Maybe this was a lesson, for them to ensure they protected the children.
Everyone had the children to thank for this, the kids they had refused to open the gates for. The very kids that had been helpless, and yet they had just stood there watching like they were having fun.
Who could have known that the kids were the way to the beast's heart?
The beast walked towards the kids, shaking its head as if telling them he wasn't going to hurt them. He was assuring them that they were safe, that nothing would happen to them, and that he was their guardian.
"I won't hurt you. I'll walk you home but never come to these sides again. They are dangerous, all of them" the beast growled at the kids, careful enough to not let his true voice be heard by the faction leaders he could see clearly.
There was sincerity in his voice, especially when he offered to carry them home, something that no one had expected. Maybe that was why they had agreed to go with him, besides, it was obvious that the factions wouldn't treat the human children well, especially after what had just happened to Ulrike.
The kids, still petrified, didn't know what to do, other than agree to his offer, besides, it couldn't really be that bad, right?
As the beast carried the given kids and walked them home, King Eddy showed up just in time, and boy, did he see his whole life flash in front of him.
However, before anyone could ask him anything about the beast who was going away, the great king Eddy of the lycan kingdom had fainted, for the first time in all of history.
"Well, that's unexpected," Grant said as the lycan King fell to the ground, his friends looking at him in wonder.
Whatever had happened tonight, whoever this beast was, it had something to do with King Eddy. Or maybe he had just fainted because he realized that the beast was one of his own. Whichever it was, they would have a long discussion about it.