CHAPTER 5: THE BEAST WITHIN
1763 Words
The roof of the limousine ripped open with a deafening screech.
Cold rain poured inside.
The clawed man crouched above them like a predator, his silver eyes glowing beneath the flashes of lightning.
"We've finally found you..."
His gaze remained locked on Selene.
"...Princess."
Selene's breath caught.
Princess?
She looked around in confusion.
"Who are you calling—"
Before she could finish—
The attacker lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Kael pulled Selene against his chest.
The attacker's claws slashed through the air where her head had been only a second earlier.
CRASH!
The claws tore through the leather seat instead.
Foam exploded everywhere.
Ethan reacted instantly.
He drew a pistol fitted with silver-tipped rounds and fired.
BANG!
The attacker twisted unnaturally in midair.
The bullet grazed his shoulder.
Instead of crying out...
He smiled.
Then sniffed the air.
His grin widened.
"So it's true..."
He whispered.
"The Moon Princess smells exactly as the prophecy described."
Selene's heart pounded.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You will."
He reached for her again.
This time...
Kael moved.
Faster than she'd ever seen anyone move.
One second he was beside her.
The next—
His fist collided with the attacker's jaw.
BOOM!
The impact hurled the man completely off the limousine.
He crashed onto the wet highway, rolled several times, then sprang effortlessly back to his feet.
The motorcycles skidded to a stop behind him.
Even from inside the speeding limousine, Selene could see the impossible.
His broken jaw...
Was healing.
Bone shifted beneath his skin.
Blood disappeared.
Within seconds...
He looked completely unharmed.
"No..."
Selene whispered.
"...That's impossible."
Kael didn't answer.
His attention remained fixed on the attacker.
"Drive."
Ethan pressed harder on the accelerator.
The limousine surged forward.
---
Several hundred meters ahead...
The highway entered a long tunnel.
Darkness swallowed them.
For a few moments...
Only the sound of rain and the engine filled the vehicle.
Selene looked at Kael.
His knuckles were bleeding.
Yet even as she watched...
The cuts slowly closed.
Her eyes widened.
His wounds...
Were healing too.
She looked from his hand...
To his face.
"...You're like him."
Silence.
"...Kael."
His jaw tightened.
"Answer me."
He finally turned toward her.
"Yes."
The single word made her blood run cold.
"You're not human."
"No."
"What are you?"
His gray eyes met hers.
Before he could answer—
The limousine exploded sideways.
BANG!
Another vehicle slammed into them.
Selene screamed as the car spun violently across the wet road.
The driver fought for control.
Tires screeched.
Metal scraped against concrete.
Finally—
The limousine crashed through the tunnel barrier.
It came to a violent stop.
Smoke rose from the engine.
Silence.
---
"Everyone report."
Kael's voice remained calm despite the wreck.
"Ethan?"
"I'm fine."
"The driver?"
"Minor injuries."
Kael looked at Selene.
"Are you hurt?"
She stared at him.
Of all the questions...
That was the one he asked?
"I..."
She checked herself quickly.
"...I think I'm okay."
He nodded once.
"Good."
Then he opened the damaged door.
The rain had stopped.
An eerie silence surrounded the tunnel.
Too quiet.
Kael stepped outside.
The motorcycles slowly rolled toward them.
One...
Two...
Three...
Six riders.
All dismounted.
All smiling.
One after another...
They removed their helmets.
Every single one had glowing silver eyes.
The first attacker stepped forward, dusting off his jacket.
"I was hoping you'd survive."
Kael closed the limousine door behind him.
"So was I."
Selene peered through the shattered window.
She counted them again.
Six.
Against Kael.
Even if he was...
Whatever they were...
The odds were impossible.
She reached for the door handle.
Ethan stopped her.
"Don't."
"I have to help him!"
"You'd only distract him."
She looked at Ethan in disbelief.
"There are six of them!"
Ethan's expression remained strangely calm.
"I know."
"Aren't you worried?"
For the first time...
Ethan smiled.
"A little."
"But not for the Alpha."
Selene frowned.
"...Then for who?"
Ethan looked through the cracked windshield.
"For them."
Outside...
The six attackers slowly surrounded Kael.
The leader cracked his neck.
"You've always been arrogant."
"One against six?"
Kael loosened the cuffs of his rain-soaked shirt.
Then...
He removed his expensive suit jacket.
Folded it neatly.
And handed it to Ethan without taking his eyes off the enemy.
"Hold this."
"Yes, Alpha."
The attackers laughed.
"Still pretending to be human?"
The leader's smile turned savage.
"Fine."
"We'll show your little bride..."
"...what monsters really look like."
A chilling howl echoed through the tunnel.
One by one...
The attackers' bodies began to change.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Clothes tore apart.
Silver fur burst through their skin.
Within seconds...
Six enormous wolves stood where the men had been.
Each nearly the size of a horse.
Each baring rows of razor-sharp fangs.
Selene couldn't breathe.
Her mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.
"W...wolves..."
One of the beasts snarled.
Another scraped its claws across the concrete.
The leader lowered himself into a hunting stance.
"Your turn, Lycan King."
Every wolf charged at once.
Kael didn't move.
Not even an inch.
Then...
His gray eyes slowly began to glow...
Gold.
The tunnel trembled.
Six monstrous wolves charged together.
Their claws scraped sparks from the concrete as their thunderous footsteps echoed through the darkness.
Selene's heart nearly stopped.
"Kael!"
He didn't move.
Not until the first wolf was only a few feet away.
Then...
His golden eyes burned brighter.
An invisible pressure exploded outward.
BOOM!
The air itself seemed to shake.
The wolves skidded to a halt.
One by one, they lowered their heads instinctively.
Fear.
Pure, instinctive fear.
Even Selene felt it.
The hairs on her arms stood on end.
She couldn't breathe.
"What..."
She whispered.
"...what is happening?"
Ethan never took his eyes off Kael.
"Dominance."
"The instinct of every wolf."
"The stronger Alpha commands..."
"...the weaker wolf obeys."
The lead wolf growled through clenched teeth.
"Don't..."
"...bow to him!"
The others struggled to move.
Their muscles trembled violently.
Some managed to lift their heads.
Others couldn't.
Kael finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
Yet it echoed unnaturally through the tunnel.
"You crossed into my territory."
"You threatened my people."
"And you came for my wife."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"You've earned your punishment."
The lead wolf roared.
"I'm not afraid of you!"
He lunged.
The others followed.
This time...
Kael moved.
He vanished.
Selene blinked.
One moment he stood in front of the limousine.
The next—
BOOM!
The lead wolf flew across the tunnel, smashing into the concrete wall hard enough to leave a deep crater.
Dust filled the air.
Before anyone recovered—
Kael appeared behind another wolf.
His elbow struck its ribs.
CRACK!
The beast cried out as several ribs snapped.
A third wolf leaped toward his back.
Without turning—
Kael caught it by the throat.
Lifted the enormous creature with one hand.
And slammed it into the ground.
The concrete shattered beneath the impact.
Selene covered her mouth.
It wasn't a fight.
It was a m******e.
---
The remaining wolves circled cautiously now.
Gone was the confidence they'd arrived with.
One whispered,
"...He's stronger than the reports."
Another stepped back.
"We should retreat."
The leader spat blood onto the road.
"No!"
"If we return empty-handed..."
"...Alpha Ronan will kill us anyway."
At the mention of Ronan...
Kael's expression darkened.
"So."
He walked toward them slowly.
"Ronan finally lost his patience."
The leader snarled.
"You have no idea what's coming."
Kael stopped.
"I know exactly what's coming."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I've been waiting for it."
---
Inside the limousine...
Selene stared through the shattered windshield.
Nothing made sense anymore.
The glowing eyes.
The wolves.
Kael's impossible strength.
This wasn't the world she knew.
It couldn't be.
Her breathing quickened.
"I must be dreaming..."
"No."
Ethan answered quietly.
"You've simply discovered the truth."
She turned sharply.
"What are they?"
Ethan hesitated.
Then looked at Kael.
The Alpha gave a barely noticeable nod.
Only then did Ethan answer.
"They're werewolves."
Selene laughed.
A nervous, disbelieving laugh.
"No."
"They don't exist."
"They've existed far longer than humans realize."
She shook her head repeatedly.
"This is insane."
"It usually feels that way."
She looked back outside.
Kael stood alone against six monsters.
And somehow...
The monsters were afraid of him.
"Then..."
She whispered.
"...what is Kael?"
Ethan's expression became solemn.
"There are wolves..."
"There are Alphas..."
"And then..."
He lowered his voice.
"...there are Lycans."
Selene frowned.
"What's the difference?"
"A wolf transforms."
"A Lycan evolves."
"The first Lycans were blessed by the Moon Goddess herself."
"They are stronger."
"Faster."
"They heal almost instantly."
"And their authority is absolute."
He looked at Kael with unmistakable respect.
"Our Alpha..."
"...is the last pure-blooded Lycan King."
---
Outside...
The leader suddenly smiled.
"You've won long enough."
He reached beneath the torn remains of his jacket.
From a hidden sheath...
He drew a silver dagger.
The moment Kael saw it—
His eyes narrowed.
"Silver."
The wolf laughed.
"Not ordinary silver."
He raised the blade.
"It was blessed with wolfsbane."
Ethan's face lost all color.
"No..."
Selene looked at him.
"What?"
"That weapon..."
"It can kill a Lycan."
Before she could process his words—
The wolf charged.
Faster than before.
The dagger flashed through the air.
Straight toward Kael's heart.
Time seemed to slow.
Selene acted without thinking.
She threw open the limousine door.
"Kael!"
She ran.
Ignoring Ethan's desperate shout behind her.
The wolf smiled.
Perfect.
This was exactly what he'd wanted.
He changed direction at the last second.
Not toward Kael...
Toward Selene.
His claw shot toward her chest.
She froze.
Too late.
She couldn't dodge.
The claw was inches away—
Suddenly—
Kael appeared between them.
The silver dagger plunged deep into his side.
A sickening sound echoed through the tunnel.
Selene's eyes widened in horror.
Blood.
Dark crimson blood spread across Kael's white shirt.
For the first time...
The Lycan King cried out in pain.
The wolves began to laugh.
"You protected her..."
The leader grinned triumphantly.
"...just as Alpha Ronan predicted."
Kael staggered slightly...
Then slowly looked down at the blade buried in his side.
His golden eyes...
Began changing.
Not back to gray.
But to something far more terrifying.
A molten crimson.
The tunnel shook.
Cracks spread across the concrete walls.
Every wolf's smile vanished.
The leader's confidence evaporated.
"...No."
He whispered.
"He can't be..."
Kael lifted his head.
His voice was no longer entirely human.
It was deeper.
Ancient.
Filled with a rage that made the earth tremble.
"You..."
He pulled the dagger from his body.
"...shouldn't have made her cry."
- Writer
