The forest was thick with tension as Luna, Alex, and Timothy made their way toward the location Dorothy had indicated for Quintus. The air felt heavy, charged with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Luna led the way, her focus sharp, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Alex's presence was both a comfort and a burden. He walked just behind her, his silence more imposing than any words, while Timothy lagged at the back, glancing between the two of them with growing discomfort.The quiet stretched on, palpable and thick. It was unnerving, and Timothy finally couldn't take it anymore. "So, why are we not talking?" he asked, attempting to break the suffocating stillness.Alex halted abruptly, spinning around to face him. "Should we talk about how you were supposed to keep guard over a small human who has nothing but a death wish?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it. "And yet here you are, following that same death-wish human on her little adventure."Timothy fell silent, a flush creeping up his neck as embarrassment washed over him. "I mean... it's nice to be quiet sometimes," he mumbled, looking down at his feet."Yeah? Well, maybe we should talk about how the almighty Alpha King of Wolves has trust issues and keeps a poor, weak human captive in his dungeon," Luna shot back, her voice fierce.Alex scoffed, a hint of amusement breaking through his anger. "Exactly! Poor weak human. Yet here she is, looking for a suicidal mission. So obviously, I need to stop her somehow.""Don't you dare, Alex," Luna warned, stepping closer to him, her voice low but filled with conviction. "Don't you dare say it like I'm enjoying this! I need to accept that I'm responsible for all this, so I need to end it. And for once, can you just trust me? I have no plans to die—not anymore."She took his hand, her small fingers wrapping around his much larger one, and for a moment, everything else faded. Yet Luna thought he felt different than usual. Then the intensity of their connection pulsed between them, and Alex's gaze darkened as he leaned in, his heart racing with the urge to kiss her, to bridge the distance that felt so insurmountable in that moment.But then a soft, strained voice cut through the air, halting him. "Um, guys?" Timothy's voice trembled, and they turned to find him frozen, caught in a moment of indecision. He had attempted to step away but had been caught in the act, his eyes wide with embarrassment.Alex sighed, stepping back from Luna, frustration simmering beneath the surface. He needed to maintain his composure, but Timothy's presence felt like a damper on everything they were about to share.Luna shot a look of relief at Timothy which he couldn't understand, her irritation flaring as she struggled to rein in her emotions. "nevermind" she muttered, and Timothy raised his hands in surrender, a sheepish smile spreading across his face."Sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt..." he stammered, the awkwardness hanging in the air as they resumed their journey, the moment lost but not forgotten.Once again silence stretched on as they continued, Timothy's curiosity finally breaking through. "So... where exactly is this place we're headed to find him?" he asked, glancing between Luna and Alex.At the question, Luna's shoulders tensed, and Alex picked up on it immediately. She hesitated, then responded with forced lightness, "The place where it all began."Timothy looked at her skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "How far away are we talking?" he asked, the fatigue evident in his voice.Luna jogged her memory, trying to recall the old paths she'd walked long ago. Her brow furrowed as she spoke. "It's not far... I think about 13 kilometers south of here.""Fifteen," Alexander corrected, his tone calm yet certain.Luna stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion flashing across her face. She took a deliberate step closer, her gaze locked on his. "How do you know that?" she asked, her voice low and edged with distrust.Alexander met her gaze evenly, unflinching. His response was quick, almost too quick, as if he'd been ready for the question. "Dorothy told me," he said, his tone measured, but there was something in his eyes—an unreadable flicker that only deepened her suspicion.Luna didn't move for a moment, her sharp eyes searching his face as if trying to decipher whether there was more to his answer than he let on. "Did she?" she finally said, her voice quiet but laced with skepticism.Alexander held her gaze but said nothing more, his silence doing little to ease the tension that hung thick between them but before anything of them reply Timmothy groan of annoyance stopped them. Timothy's eyes widened as he let out an exaggerated groan. "Fifteen more kilometers? Are we just... walking the whole way without a break?" He cast a hopeful look at Alex, wondering if he'd offer some respite.Before Alex could respond, his phone buzzed, interrupting the moment. He glanced at the screen before answering, "Charlie.""Alpha," came Charlie's voice on the other end. "I've just received an update from other packs—. The wolves affected by the poison are improving. Whatever remedy Dorothy used seems to be working."A wave of relief flickered in Alex's eyes but for a split second it darkened like he didn't approve of the news coming from the other end and then it was normal, though his tone remained firm. "That's good news, Charlie." He said rubbing his temple " But you better have an explanation as to why I found Luna and Timothy out in the woods, when I specifically asked you to keep an eye on her and not let her leave."There was a tense silence on the other end, Charlie hesitating before speaking. "I... apologize, Alpha. I -..." His voice trailed off, and Alex's face hardened."Tell me your excuse when we come back," Alex replied tersely, moving a short distance away for privacy. He exchanged a few more words with Charlie in a low tone, nodding at something only he could hear. Finally, he ended the call and rejoined Luna and Timothy, his expression thoughtful.As he approached, Timothy gave him a curious look, but when he felt Luna's nudge and questioning glance, he just shrugged helplessly, feigning ignorance.Alex cleared his throat. "The good news is the poisoned wolves are recovering," he said, glancing at Luna with a hint of relief in his gaze.Timothy exhaled deeply. "Well, at least Dorothy didn't lie about that. She did keep up her side of the bargain."Luna's expression remained cautious, her gaze distant. Something about Dorothy's help didn't quite sit right with her, and her instincts urged her to remain wary.Finally, she looked at the two men, snapping herself back to the present. "There's an abandoned house about five kilometers from here. We can rest there for the night since one problem is solved... now, it's just Quintus."Alex and Timothy exchanged glances before nodding, silently agreeing that a break might be just what they needed. As they began to make their way towards the house, the gravity of the upcoming confrontation weighed heavily on each of them, though the faint sense of relief gave them just enough hope to keep moving forward.As they approached the abandoned house, the wind howled softly, rattling the loose shutters and making the walls creak. Its exterior was aged, covered in moss and grime, with bricks chipped and the wood splintering in places. Despite its dilapidated look, it held an odd pull, like it was waiting for them.Timothy gave the house a dubious look, grimacing as he glanced at Alex. "This is... cozy," he muttered sarcastically, clearly reluctant to step foot inside.As Luna stepped inside, Timothy followed close behind, his expression uneasy.Alex lingered at the threshold, his gaze unreadable. When he finally stepped across the creaking floorboards, his lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile—one that didn't quite reach his eyes.Inside, the house was eerily pristine, despite its decrepit facade. Furniture was arranged too neatly, the air carried an unnatural stillness, and though no light came from the cracked windows, the room seemed unnervingly well-lit.Timothy glanced around, muttering under his breath, "Something's off about this place."Luna nodded, her instincts tingling as she scanned the room. "I don't like this. It's too... deliberate." She felt the weight of something unseen pressing down on her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.Alex stepped past them, his movements unhurried. "It's just an empty house," he said, his voice smooth yet detached.Timothy frowned, shooting Luna a wary glance. "Are you feeling what I'm feeling?"Luna nodded slowly. "Something's wrong," she whispered, her voice tight. But her eyes flicked to Alex, studying him. There was something unsettling in the way he moved, the way his gaze lingered too long on her before sliding away. His presence was... different.Then she saw it.The face was Alex's, every feature perfectly familiar, but the eyes were hollow, void of warmth or recognition. A chill raced down her spine as her heart began to pound. A memory surfaced unbidden—a man from her past, one whose very existence was a shadow she'd tried to escape.Her breath hitched.Quintus.Before she could voice her realization, Alex's lips twisted into a cruel smirk. The shift was so sudden, so wrong, that her stomach churned.With a speed too swift to comprehend, he moved. His claws tore through the air, striking Timothy chest in a single, brutal motion.Timothy's gasp of shock was the only sound before his lifeless body crumpled to the floor. His heart, still faintly beating, rested in Alex's blood-soaked hand.Luna froze, horror seizing her as her gaze locked on the heart—its rhythmic pulse slowing until it stopped entirely.Alex—no, the thing wearing Alex's face—tilted his head, his empty eyes gleaming with malevolence. "Not so fast anymore, Elynn?" His voice was taunting, dripping with dark amusement as he let the heart slip from his hand, the dull thud echoing in the silence.Luna's stomach twisted as his words hit her. The nickname Elynn clawed its way through her mind, the name she hadn't heard in what felt like an eternity."I hate the sight of blood, Elynn," he continued, his tone almost conversational, as though he hadn't just murdered Timothy. With a smirk, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, meticulously wiping the blood from his fingers.