Meanwhile, in an old building under renovation, a man’s grunt echoed against the quiet, unfurnished walls.

"Ugh... wa—water," a coarse voice rasped.

The man lay helplessly on the ground, beaten black and blue. Blood and dirt clung to his face and clothes, and even without restraints, he couldn’t move. His regenerative abilities couldn’t keep up with the beating he had endured all night.

Two men stood nearby, staring down at him with equal repulsion.

"Is it safe to leave him like this?" one of them asked. "He’s persistent. We’ve been beating him all night, but he’s still alive."

"What do you expect?" the other muttered. "He’s built like that. But compared to last night, he’s not healing as fast. We didn’t stay up all night for nothing."

The second man checked his watch. "The Alpha will arrive any minute."

"I’ll keep an eye on this one," the first nodded. "Go wait for the Alpha."

With that, the second man left. Once alone, the one who stayed snapped his gaze back to the abnormal werewolf they had contained the night before.

Disgust was clear on his face. No matter how many times he saw this filthy creation, it never lessened. If anything, it deepened.

His thoughts halted when the beaten man tried to get up.

He snorted. "That’s useless—" But then, his breath hitched.

His eyes dilated as the beaten man suddenly appeared right in front of him. Clawed paws stretched toward his face, moving inches away.

Impossible... how could he still... he thought, but then, a loud crash erupted through the space.

Yet the man who was almost mauled to death was still standing.

He held his breath, eyes shaking as a faint gust of wind rushed past him. Dust rose into the air, stinging his nose, and blood splattered against the hem of his pants.

Looking down, he saw the abnormal wolf back on the floor. This time with a foot planted firmly on his spine.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze and met a familiar pair of golden eyes.

"Alpha Elias!" he blurted out.

Elias tugged his ear with his pinky. "What did I tell you about these things, huh?" he scolded irritably. "They go feral. Actually, more unstable than a wolf that had gone feral. Lower your guard for even a second, and they’ll kill you."

The man lowered his head. "That’s on me, Alpha Elias. You warned us many times, but I thought he couldn’t move anymore."

"I don’t want to hear that apology again," Elias clicked his tongue. "Go. I want a moment with him."

"Yes, Alpha."

The man didn’t linger and quickly left, his heart pounding violently. Had Elias arrived a second later, he would’ve been mauled by that thing.

"You should be careful," his partner said outside. "Alpha Elias rushed here the moment I told him I left you alone with it."

"There’s no end to them," the man muttered, and both of them left the floor. "That almost got me."

*****

Inside, Elias glanced toward the entrance, ensuring the men had fully left the building. Only then did he turn his attention back to the man beneath his foot.

He pressed down harder until a sickening crack echoed as the spine beneath his foot cracked like twigs.

"Ahhh!" the man screamed, writhing helplessly.

"Seriously..." Elias clicked his tongue, running it along his inner cheek. "Ever since I arrived in this city, you things keep popping up like mushrooms."

The creature beneath him was the same one who had hurt Lynsandra at the bar last night.

Elias hadn’t witnessed everything. He arrived late—his warriors were already there—so he hadn’t rushed. He trusted them to subdue a single abnormality.

What he hadn’t expected was for Lynsandra to be present... and to confront it herself. Fortunately, she was drunk as hell.

"These creatures," he murmured, staring down at the writhing man, "just keep appearing out of nowhere."

This wolf right here wasn’t a real werewolf.

Yes, it had regenerative abilities and physical strength comparable to an average beta, but it lacked a true scent. He wasn’t what others called scentless, nor one who had lived with suppressants like many of the omegas.

What this thing was... simply wasn’t born a wolf.

A fake wolf, most likely like the ones Elias had caught before, who had confessed that they had undergone experimentation.

"But you’re the most resilient one we’ve caught so far," Elias muttered, shifting more weight onto his foot. "Answer my question, and I’ll let you go."

But the man only screamed louder as his insides twisted under the mounting pressure. Then, his spine snapped completely, and parts of his organs ruptured.

"Ahhh!!!"

"Oops." Elias lifted his foot. "My bad. I just remembered what you did last night and forgot I needed some answers."

He squatted in front of the writhing man. "So tell me, how did you become like this?"

Still, no answer, only screams.

Irritated, Elias grabbed the man’s hair — just like how this man grabbed Lynsandra’s last night — and yanked it upward. He didn’t mean it, but the entire clump tore free.

"Why does your hair break so easily?" Elias let go, staring at the hair in his hand. "I’m really testing my self-control. I shouldn’t be the one doing this."

He pondered for a moment, and then pulled out his phone. If he continued, he might just end up killing this thing before he got any answer.

His irritation wasn’t just about this creature. It was about what Lynsandra had said earlier. About Draven being smug. And about his absolute lack of patience for anyone who touched her.

"I’ll end up killing him," Elias muttered.

[Who are you calling? Him?] Draven asked. [No, I don’t like him!]

"I was thinking about it," Elias replied. "But after the last full moon, I decided to tell him."

So, he dialed the number. The line rang endlessly before being answered on the final ring.

"Did you answer on the last ring on purpose?" Elias growled. "Hey, are you trying to pick up a fight, huh?"

Compared to his, a calm voice responded. "How did you get this number?"

Elias blinked. "How did you know it was me?"

"I keep records of all contacts," August replied evenly. "Though I don’t recall giving you my private number."

"Just like you, I have my methods." Elias glanced down at the unconscious creature. "I need you to come here."

"No."

"Why not?"

August didn’t care to explain and was already about to hang up when Elias spoke again.

"I have an interesting test subject," Elias said calmly. "I thought you might care, especially since you canceled your last full-moon appointment to confirm the wolf lurking in your territory."

He paused, knowing August was quick to understand what he meant.

"I’ll send you the address," Elias continued. "I’ll wait thirty minutes before disintegrating him. Whether you come or not, that’s up to you."

Then, he ended the call. Elias stared down at the man, his golden eyes glinting with a red undertone.

"I don’t know if the Royal Pack knows about this yet," he muttered. "But if they do... it’s going to be a problem."

[A huge, huge one. Like a civil war kind of problem.]