The pack stood frozen, eyes locked on Valen. His presence was commanding, a force that even Ethan couldn't ignore. This man—this werewolf—radiated power unlike anything Ethan had felt before. It wasn't just raw strength, but experience, wisdom, and something else that tugged at the back of his mind. This man had seen war, true war, and lived to tell the tale.
Valen's gaze swept over the group, his eyes flickering with a glint of cold calculation before finally resting on Ethan. "I didn't expect to find the new alpha this far out," he remarked, his voice low but steady. There was no admiration in his tone, only a simple acknowledgment of fact.
Ethan, still catching his breath, took a cautious step forward. "You know who I am?" he asked, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
"I know more than you think," Valen replied, his expression unyielding. "But that's not important right now. What matters is the danger you and your pack are in."
"The hybrids," Lydia cut in, her voice sharp with suspicion. "What do you know about them? Why are they after us?"
Valen glanced at her briefly before returning his focus to Ethan. "They're not after you," he said, his tone as heavy as iron. "They're after all of us. The hybrids are just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Something darker is stirring, and it's going to consume everything in its path if we're not ready."
Ethan's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Valen's words. The immediate danger of the hybrids was clear, but this suggestion of a larger, darker force was unnerving. "What's coming?" he asked, his voice edged with urgency. "What are we up against?"
Valen stepped closer, his presence towering over the young alpha. "The Shadow Council," he said, the name dripping with malice. "They've been operating in secret for centuries, manipulating events, controlling outcomes. They've stayed hidden, pulling the strings from the shadows. But now, they're moving openly. The hybrids are their foot soldiers, their enforcers, and they won't stop until every werewolf is either under their control—or dead."
Ethan exchanged a glance with Lydia, the weight of Valen's words settling heavily between them. This wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about war.
"Why now?" Lydia asked, her skepticism evident. "Why have they waited so long to make a move?"
Valen's gaze turned distant, as if he were remembering something from a time long past. "Because they've found what they were looking for. Something ancient. Something that can tip the scales in their favor."
"The Relic of Fenris," Marcus muttered, his voice weak but laced with fear.
At the mention of the relic, Valen's eyes narrowed. "So you know about it," he said, his voice betraying no surprise.
Ethan frowned, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "What the hell is the Relic of Fenris? Enough with the cryptic answers. If you want us to trust you, you need to tell us everything."
Valen crossed his arms, his eyes cold and calculating as he studied Ethan. For a moment, Ethan thought the man might walk away without another word. But then, with a deep breath, Valen began to speak.
"The Relic of Fenris is a weapon," he explained. "Not a sword or a gun, but something much older and more dangerous. It was said to have been forged by Fenris himself—the wolf who fought and killed Odin during Ragnarok. According to legend, the relic contains a fragment of his soul, a power so immense that it can warp reality itself. The Shadow Council has been searching for it for centuries, and now they're close to finding it. If they get their hands on it, they won't just wipe us out—they'll remake the world in their image."
The weight of his words sank in, and the pack exchanged uneasy glances. Ethan felt a cold knot forming in his stomach. The idea of a weapon capable of reshaping the world was more than troubling—it was terrifying.
"And you?" Ethan asked, his voice low and suspicious. "Why are you here? Why now?"
Valen didn't hesitate. "Because I'm the only one who knows how to stop them."
Lydia scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "So what? You just happened to show up at the exact moment we were under attack? That's a hell of a coincidence."
Valen met her gaze evenly. "There are no coincidences when it comes to the Shadow Council. I've been tracking them for years. When I heard about the hybrids, I knew they'd eventually come for you."
Ethan glanced at his pack, seeing the doubt in their eyes. He understood their hesitation. Trusting a stranger, especially one as mysterious as Valen, was a risk. But Ethan's instincts, the very ones that had guided him through countless battles, were telling him that Valen wasn't lying.
"What do you need from us?" Ethan finally asked, his tone cautious but open to the possibility of alliance.
"I need you to fight," Valen replied bluntly. "I need your pack to be ready for what's coming. The Shadow Council will come at you with everything they've got. But if we work together, we might stand a chance."
Might. The word hung in the air, a cold reminder of how uncertain the future was.
Ethan clenched his fists, feeling the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him. He was the alpha now. Every decision he made would affect the lives of those who followed him. And yet, he couldn't ignore the truth in Valen's words. The hybrids were just the beginning. If the Shadow Council truly had a weapon like the Relic of Fenris, then the stakes were far higher than he had imagined.
"We'll fight," Ethan said at last, his voice firm with resolve. "But you need to prove to us that you're on our side."
Valen's lips curved into a grim smile. "You'll have your proof soon enough."
A sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves around them, and Valen turned his gaze toward the sky. The moon was still high, casting its pale light over the forest, but there was a tension in the air now—a sense that something was coming.
"We don't have much time," Valen said, his voice low. "The Shadow Council is already making their move. We need to get ahead of them, or it's over."
Ethan nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: they were no longer just fighting for their survival. They were fighting for the future of their kind—and maybe even the world.
"Let's move," he said, his voice filled with determination. "We've got work to do."
The pack, though battered and weary, rallied behind him. They knew what was at stake now. There was no turning back.
As they set off into the forest once more, Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. The real battle was still to come, and it would test them in ways they had never imagined.
But no matter what happened, he would be ready. They all would.
The Last Werewolf was about to face his greatest challenge yet.