It was night time, and the full moon shone at its highest peak, casting an eerie glow over the silent surroundings, interrupted only by the sounds of crickets and frogs. Jason and William sat by a fire, the other wolves having departed for the full moon hunt. It was quite surprising to see William still in human form, with only his wolf eyes visible. He had spent years mastering how to tame his wolf spirit, reaching the point where he could suppress his transformation. Jason, on the other hand, was different. He was born human, and even he did not know how he became a wolf, a daylight transformer, and a supernatural being above the rest. There was no need to revisit all the remarkable feats he had accomplished.
"Do you want to talk about why you let the Vam go?" William asked, initiating the conversation. Jason took a deep breath and spoke, "Would it be crazy to tell you that I really don't know why?" "There has to be a reason," William insisted. "I don't know, I just... couldn't watch her suffer," Jason struggled to say. "Do you care about her? No, let me change that, do you like her?" William carefully questioned. Jason looked at William with shock in his eyes. Was it becoming that obvious? He had tried to dismiss it, deny it, even ignore it, but it was true. His heart skipped a beat around Ella, and she drove his inner wolf crazy. He had almost held onto her when she hugged him. If he hadn't shown restraint, he wouldn't have let her go. "I... I don't know, okay! I'm confused, it's the spirit inside me," Jason blurted out. "You think she's the One," William finally hinted. Jason's silence afterward told him everything.
Sara's got her scent, and she's going after her," William informed him. "What!" Jason exclaimed. "Are you sure she'll be able to get far enough to escape them?" William said. "I'm not sure, she said she was going to look for her family," Jason told him with uncertainty. "You freed her to her grave," William calmly declared. Jason looked at him with full-blown wolf eyes. That sight would scare anyone, but not William. His inner wolf spirit didn't like the sound of that, but Jason knew it could possibly be true.
MEANWHILE IN THE DARK WOODS....
Ella was walking slowly through the woods. She had gone home to search for clues but found nothing. Now, she was wandering in utter sadness. Just then, she heard a noise behind her. There was a disturbance in the forest, something heading her way. She heard a howl and then noticed the full moon in the sky. It was the wolves! She had to run.
The chase began with Sara leading the pack. She could sense Ella from a mile away. There was no escape for her now. The pursuit continued until Ella reached a dead end. The random fleeing led her to a familiar place: the dreadful Pit Zero.
Why did Ella have to end up in this terrible place again? The memories of her near-death experience here still haunted her, giving her nightmares. She took a deep breath, pushing aside the trauma as a pack of wild Wolves pursued her.
Rushing, she found a hiding spot near the lower cracks leading to the pit. She sat there quietly, reciting her last prayers. After a while, she heard a familiar voice, "Come out, Vam! The chase is over." It was Sara.
Ella lifted her head in relief, assuming that Jason would also be with them. If he was there, they would just take her back, but then she saw Sara's face, and all the relief vanished into thin air.
Sara had the look of a ruthless killer, and there was no sign of Jason anywhere. She had learned a trick from William, but it didn't do much to hide her wolf-like features, clearly marking her as a monster in human form.
"I told you it would come to this," Sara taunted Ella. Unfazed, Ella simply asked, "So you're not taking me back alive?"
"No, not this time. And guess what?
He's not here to save you," Sara taunted her once again.
Ella didn't need to guess—she could clearly see that she was in trouble with no Jason to stop Sara and her pack from going into beast mode. Despite the situation, Ella kept her cool.
She couldn't afford to show fear or weakness now. She knew what Sara wanted, and she was determined not to give it to her.
"Won't you beg me, plead for mercy, or even try to negotiate?" Sara questioned mockingly.
Ella stayed silent. She understood that no matter what she did or said, Sara was determined to kill her.Sara walked toward Ella, with the rest of the fully transformed wolves behind her, ensuring that Ella didn't attempt anything unexpected. Ella backed off a little more, finding herself right at the edge of the pit.
In a surprising turn of events, instead of grabbing her, Sara stepped on the ground and applied pressure to the cracks, attempting to make Ella fall into the pit. As Ella realized what Sara was doing and tried to rush out, it was already too late. "If you want to act bold, then die with your stupid bravery," Sara sneered. The cracks shattered, bringing down the side where Ella was standing.
Jason woke up at the crack of dawn, feeling restless after a sleepless night. The question William had posed to him kept echoing in his mind, "Is Ella the One?" This term, "The One," was an ancient way of referring to a soulmate in the Wolf nation. According to their beliefs, a wolf was destined to have just one soulmate in their lifetime.
This soulmate, known as "The One," had the ability to connect with the wolf's inner spirit, stirring it in ways that could override the owner's will. Legend had it that The One could even soothe a fully transformed partner during a full moon. It was believed that The One could be either human or wolf.
It was inconceivable, unheard of, and beyond imagination that the natural enemies of the wolves, the Vams, could have any connection to "The One" equation. This realization left Jason feeling utterly confused. It simply couldn't be true, or could it? Then again, Jason wasn't just an ordinary wolf.
His transformation into a wolf had been a mystery to him. All he could recollect was being pursued by a wolf when he was a child. He fell, passed out, and when he awoke, there were no wounds, no bite marks, and no sign of the wolf. It was after this perplexing incident that he became the creature he was now – the big bad wolf.
His contemplation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The wolves had returned. As he gazed in their direction, he noticed that they were empty-handed and appeared weary, sparking instant suspicion within Jason.
The question that had been consuming his thoughts was suddenly voiced by William, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, "Did you guys find the Vam?" Sara strolled over to them and retorted, "I said we were going for a hunt, not chasing after that useless Vam." Jason interjected, "That doesn't answer the question," as he took deep breaths, attempting to discern the truth from the scents lingering on them.
Sara, aware of Jason's keen sense of smell, had already devised a plan to evade detection, but Jason's olfactory abilities proved too potent. "You found her!" he blurted out, unable to contain his excitement and surprise.
In that instant, Glover spoke from behind, "Why are we trying to hide it from him? That's what we went to do, right? We finished that Vam off for good." Before he could say another word, Jason lunged at him with deadly agility, seizing hold of his neck before anyone could intervene. "What did you do with her?" he demanded. Jason had caught Glover's scent because he had nearly captured Ella on the day they chased her.
As Jason tightened his grip and hoisted Glover up, Glover attempted to use his wolf strength to break free. However, upon glimpsing Jason's shimmering blue wolf eyes and elongating wolf fangs, it seemed as if the wolf within Glover retreated into its depths. Glover was overwhelmed with terror.
Sara had not anticipated this intense reaction from Jason. While she knew it would be painful for him to learn the truth, she hadn't expected such a violent outburst. She dreaded to think what he might do to Glover if he discovered their actions. Gripping Jason's arm, she pleaded, "Jason, Jason!" It was as if he couldn't hear her, so consumed was he with choking the life out of Glover. "I can show you what we did with her," Sara finally shouted. As those words escaped her lips, Jason released Glover.
He followed Sara to the site of the crime, leaving the others behind. It was essential; she couldn't risk the others finding out that he had freed the Vam.
Once they arrived, Jason asked, "Where is she?" Sara responded, "Jason, why are you acting so cold to me? After all these years, don't you see that I am in love with you?"