Claiming The Last Lycan

TOO LATE

“A— A— Alvar...” Avena stammered, clasping her shivering hands tightly against her chest. Panic surged in her eyes as she felt an unnatural bubbling within her.

Her hands trembled violently, and then it hit her—a searing wave of pain that crashed through her body like nothing she’d ever known or felt. "Argh!" A raw, guttural scream tore from her throat as she doubled over, her entire body convulsing. Her skin burned as if it had caught fire, the sensation so intense that her knees buckled beneath her.

"It hurts!" she managed to choke out between screams, but the words were barely coherent.

Alvar watched in horror as her bright grey eyes shifted, their usual warmth replaced by an eerie, insane yellow glow that seemed to be one with the sun.

“Arghh!” Another agonizing scream erupted from her, causing her face to contort in pain. The sound reverberated through the room, piercing its confines and spreading outward, echoing across the Alpha quarters and rippling throughout the entire pack.

It was as if an invisible force carried it, ensuring every corner of the territory felt its weight. Suddenly, the once-bright, gleaming sky darkened ever so slightly, and thunder roared in the distance, the weather shifting as if it was about to rain.

"What is going on?"

"Is it about to rain?"

Whispers erupted from every corner, spreading from the pack house to the surrounding homes. One by one, people left whatever task they were immersed in and stepped outside, their eyes drawn skyward.

Their gazes widened in disbelief as they watched the sky continue to darken before their very eyes, thunder roaring with an intensity that sent shivers down their spines.

The pack members exchanged startled glances, their expressions mirroring the shock rippling through them all. It wasn’t as though they had never seen a darkening sky or heard thunder before; It was just that, for the past ten years, BasRoq Pack had not experienced anything like this.

No one could explain it. Some whispered of a curse, others feared it was the Moon Goddess punishing them. Whatever the reason, for the past ten years, BasRoq Pack had endured relentless heat and unbroken sunshine, with not a single drop of rain to quench their parched lands.

And now, out of nowhere, it seemed as though rain was imminent. The thought should have brought relief, even joy, but instead, it filled them with unease.

An ominous premonition hung heavy in the air. Though they yearned for rain, they couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling creeping into their hearts.

You see, even if it was finally going to rain after a drought that had lasted over ten years, nature should have given some warnings—signs in the sky appearing two or three times before the downpour.

But this? This sudden shift was unnatural. They couldn’t help but wonder: was something about to happen—something that would change BasRoq Pack forever?

"Argh!" Suddenly, a growl shattered the uneasy silence. The sound reverberated through the air like an earthquake in their souls, chilling everyone to the bone.

This growl—it felt as though it had come from the heavens themselves, majority of the pack members thought that, but the stronger ones amongst them was able to pick up where the sound came from.

"It came from the pack house," someone muttered.

Others who had figured that out as well nodded in agreement, their eyes darting toward the grand building in the distance.

"Was it the Alpha?" another asked, hesitant.

The growl had the power and authority of an Alpha’s call, but something about it felt... different. Not just was the voice slightly different from what they were used to hearing, it was also raw, primal, and almost otherworldly.

Was it possible for the Alpha to increase in power? No one had ever heard of such a thing happening before.

"There’s only one way to find out. Let’s head to the pack house!" someone suggested.

The crowd hesitated, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. It was a strict rule: no one approached the pack house without being summoned or invited. The only exception was to report urgent matters. Breaking this rule could result in severe punishment.

But curiosity was a powerful thing. The strange sequence of events—the sudden darkening sky, the roaring thunder, and now the earth-shaking growl—was too much to ignore. Slowly, their curiosity overshadowed their fear and hesitation that they all found themselves hurrying to the pack house.

In the pack house, things were just as chaotic as they were outside.

A crowd had gathered in the huge courtyard, murmuring among themselves in hushed tones. The deafening growl just now had come from the Alpha’s quarters and they were curious to know what was going on. However, none of them dared to approach. Though they were privileged to reside in the pack house, the Alpha’s quarters was strictly prohibited to them.

You know, this was where the most powerful man in the pack resided—a leader constantly at risk of life-threatening attacks. So, it wasn’t a place where just anyone could wander freely.

And so, they stood there, rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do.

"Where did that growl just now come from?" A sudden voice rang out.

Instantly, the restless murmurs ceased as everyone turned to see a young lady approaching with a commanding air. Her blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her piercing brown eyes seemed to see through the very fabric of the world. A book rested casually in her hand, as though she had been interrupted mid-read.

"It’s Embry Von," a young man whispered, his face lighting up with a dreamy smile. His admiration was painfully obvious, but the crowd was too consumed with the situation to care about his lovestruck gaze.

"It came from the Alpha’s quarters, Miss," a young lady answered politely.

Embry was well-known throughout the pack, not only for her exceptional fighting prowess but also for being best friends with both the Alpha and Princess Avena.

Moreover, she was a Von!

Her lineage alone carried immense weight, and her status in every sense commanded a level of respect that made it impossible for anyone to dismiss her presence.

"Hmm?" Embry raised an eyebrow. "But that voice didn’t sound like our Alpha’s."

The crowd nodded in unison. It was a thought that had lingered in their minds but remained unspoken out of fear.

"I need to find out." Without a moment’s hesitation, Embry began striding toward the Alpha’s quarters.

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances before instinctively following her.

They just couldn't help it.

The people outside the pack house had just arrived in the courtyard at that juncture, only to see other pack members moving toward the Alpha’s quarters. Concluding that they must be heading to the main source of the growl, they didn’t bother to ask questions and hurriedly joined the growing procession.

You see, even the palace guards—meant to be stationed at every corner of the pack house and its gates—were trailing behind Embry toward the Alpha’s quarters, curiosity pulling them from their posts.

So, with no one left to enforce the usual order, there was nothing to stop the crowd from entering the pack house and surging toward the Alpha’s forbidden domain.

The sheer number of the crowd was overwhelming, packing the long hallway to the brim for the first time since its creation.

Back in the Alpha's chambers, Avena's condition had taken a drastic turn.

She was now completely naked, the remnants of her gown scattered across the floor like shredded paper. It looked as though a feral beast had savaged her, ripping her clothes to shreds in a desperate attempt to have a bite of her body.

The prestigious Princess of the BasRoq Pack lay bare in all her glory, stripped of all modesty. Yet she didn’t seem to care—or perhaps she was beyond caring. It was as if she wasn’t even aware of her nudity!

She lay sprawled out on the floor, writhing in agony as her body convulsed uncontrollably. Her legs twisted into odd, unnatural angles, and the room was filled with her groans of pain, and the hair-raising sounds of her bones cracking.

The terrifying part was that it was also visible. Her limbs moved in unnatural ways, the bones visibly shifting, twisting and reshaping beneath her skin.

Standing just a few steps away, Alvar was frozen in horror. At first, he couldn’t tell what was happening to Avena, but after he saw her gown being ripped apart by her own body, and heard her bones cracking, breaking and even reshaping, realization struck him like a blow. The sound, the sight—he knew what this was. Of course, he did.

After all, if he couldn’t recognize it now, what kind of Alpha or wolf would he be?

Avena, who had never shifted before, was finally shifting! He should have been happy for her as this was something she'd always wanted but the thought filled him with nothing but dread. No, this couldn’t happen!

He couldn’t let it happen. If Avena fully shifted, it would spell disaster. The risks were too great—she’d be exposed, and the pack wouldn’t hesitate to turn on her.

Her parents and the rest of her kind hadn’t been spared, and she wouldn’t be either. Even as Alpha, Alvar wasn’t sure he could protect her if the pack united against her.

Ah! The more he thought about it, the more dreadful he felt. He had to do something, anything. Springing into action, he darted to her side and, without a second thought, pulled her trembling body into his strong, steady arms, holding her tightly.

"Vena! Can you hear me?" he whispered urgently, his voice shaking as he held her tighter. His eyes searched hers, desperate for any sign of recognition. "Please, you have to stop this. You need to calm down!" Nearing the end of his words, he was practically bellowing, something he hadn’t meant to do. Yet, Avena didn’t respond. It was as though his voice didn’t reach her, drowned out by the chaos within her. She continued writhing in agony.

Suddenly, her body began shaking violently, as though something within her was trying to break free. Alvar held her tightly, but her thrashing made it nearly impossible.

Her groans turned into deep, guttural, inhuman sounds that made his stomach churn. The sharp, horrifying sound of her bones snapping filled the air.

Her arms stretched unnaturally, and her fingers bent at grotesque angles until sharp claws pushed through her skin.

Her legs jerked and twisted, bending at odd angles, while thick, silvery-black fur began spreading over her shuddering body.

"Vena, stop this! Stop!" Alvar shouted, his eyes turning bloodshot.

She couldn’t let this happen!

But Avena didn’t stop. Instead, her back arched, forcing him to loosen his grip as her body grew larger, stronger.

"Argh!" A low growl rumbled from deep within her, swelling into a feral roar that reverberated through the air.

She rose to her feet, and with a speed that defied all logic, her face began to change. Her delicate features warped as her jaw extended outward, her teeth lengthening into sharp, gleaming fangs.

But her body didn't stop there. Her legs stretched impossibly long, her height surpassing seven feet, while her nails morphed into long, deadly claws and on her face, two wolf-like muzzles emerged.

Alvar couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath as he stared at the now towering creature before him. When the lycans were ruthlessly murdered, he was only a boy so he had only ever seen images of Lycans in ancient books, but now, face-to-face with one for the first time, he felt an unfamiliar unease creeping into his chest.

What unsettled him even more was that there was something distinctly different about Avena. Though this was his first time seeing and standing in the presence of a Lycan, he refused to believe that all of her kind carried the same aura she did.

There was an undeniable air of authority about her—a commanding presence that felt eerily familiar. That domineering aura, it was just like the one he carried himself.

Could it be...?

The thought made his heart race, but he couldn’t bring himself to finish it.

“Alvar, d… did I shift?” Avena asked suddenly, her glowing amber eyes wide with shock as she glanced down at herself.

Shift? Shift! Her words jolted Alvar back to reality. Avena had shifted!

The one thing he had fought so hard to prevent had finally happened!

Shit!

"Avena, you need to quickly shift back to your human form!" Ignoring her question, he said urgently, jerking up from the floor. "The pack members can’t know you’re a Lycan.”

"I... I need to shift back?" Avena repeated, her conflicted gaze locking onto his.

She had finally shifted—something she had long dreamed of—but now, she wasn’t even allowed to savor the moment. Instead, she was being asked to hurriedly shift back to her human form.

The way he was acting, it was as if she was a curse. She didn't know how to feel. But she knew he was right. These people had slaughtered her kind, and if they knew what she truly was, they would do the same to her. She was even shocked he wasn’t already attacking her himself.

But then, how was she supposed to shift back? She didn’t even know how it had happened in the first place.

"I... I don't know how," she stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hearing her words, Alvar couldn't help but sigh. A deep sorrow settled over him, knowing there was only one way to keep her safe now. The realization weighed on him like a burden he wasn’t ready to carry.

But saying the words out loud felt impossibly hard.

Minutes passed in tense silence before he finally spoke again, his voice solemn and laced with pain. "Then you need to leave the pack. You are not safe here." He kept his gaze fixed on the ground, unable to look at her as he moved quickly toward the door. "There’s a hidden passageway beside my chambers that leads out of the pack house. Come on, I’ll take you through it."

His hand trembled as he reached for the door, pushing it open and gesturing for her to follow. But before Avena could take a step, the murmur of voices reached their ears. Before they knew it, a sudden crowd had gathered at the door, with Embry standing at the front.

The pack members?

Alvar’s heart instantly sank to rock bottom.

It was too late.

It was all over.