Nobody moved.
Nobody even breathed.
The enormous black wolf stood beneath the flickering streetlight, its glowing red eyes fixed on the group. Behind it, more pairs of crimson eyes appeared one after another.
There were dozens of them.
Maybe more.
A low growl rolled through the street.
Britney's grip on Vyonna's arm tightened.
"Please tell me this is another weird awakening thing."
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew those creatures were real.
The first wolf took another step forward.
Its claws scraped against the pavement.
Then another wolf emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
Some were as large as motorcycles.
Others were even bigger.
Their black fur looked like living shadows.
The air suddenly became cold.
Very cold.
Liam slowly stepped farther in front of Trisha.
She looked at him.
"Liam."
"Stay behind me."
"What?"
"Just do it."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The same way it became whenever he was protecting someone.
More wolves appeared.
Grey swallowed hard.
"I think we should run."
"I agree," Amazon said immediately.
Nobody argued.
Because fighting monsters the size of cars sounded like the worst idea imaginable.
Then the largest wolf lifted its head.
It opened its mouth.
A deep howl exploded through the darkness.
Awooooo!
Every window nearby shook.
Car alarms suddenly blared.
Then all the wolves began running.
Straight toward them.
"RUN!" Bukar shouted.
Chaos erupted.
Everyone turned and ran.
Britney screamed.
Hamim almost dropped his drink.
Henry grabbed Grey's hand and pulled him forward.
Trisha ran beside Liam.
The sound of claws hitting the road echoed behind them.
They were fast.
Far too fast.
"Where are we going?" Vyonna cried.
"I don't know!" Alpha shouted.
A crash echoed behind them.
One of the wolves had leaped onto a parked car.
Its weight completely crushed the roof.
Britney looked back.
"I officially hate this day!"
Another howl echoed.
The wolves were getting closer.
Then something impossible happened.
Liam suddenly stopped.
Everyone kept running for several steps before realizing he wasn't behind them.
Trisha turned around.
"Liam!"
He was staring at the approaching wolves.
Completely still.
His golden eyes glowed again.
"Liam!"
He slowly clenched his fists.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
Confusion.
Shock.
And something else.
Recognition.
The largest wolf lunged.
It was only a few feet away.
"Liam!" Trisha screamed.
Then he moved.
Faster than anyone could follow.
He stepped forward and threw a punch.
Boom!
The giant wolf flew through the air.
It crashed into a car and rolled across the street.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Including Liam.
He stared at his hand.
Then at the unconscious wolf.
"I... did that?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew what to say.
The remaining wolves stopped.
Their glowing eyes fixed on Liam.
Then something even stranger happened.
They slowly lowered their heads.
As if they were bowing.
The entire street became silent.
Liam looked as confused as everyone else.
One of the wolves stepped forward.
It sniffed the air.
Then it looked directly into Liam's eyes.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then the wolf backed away.
Another howl echoed from somewhere in the darkness.
The wolves immediately raised their heads.
Their ears twitched.
A second howl came.
The creatures turned around.
One by one, they retreated into the darkness.
Within moments, they were gone.
Silence returned.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Then Henry blinked.
"I think our friend just punched a monster."
Grey nodded slowly.
"A very big monster."
Britney pointed at Liam.
"You punched it!"
"I noticed," Liam replied weakly.
Alpha looked at him.
"How did you do that?"
"I don't know."
Bukar frowned.
"Why did they bow?"
"I don't know."
"Why did they leave?"
"I still don't know."
Liam sounded frustrated.
Trisha slowly approached him.
"Are you hurt?"
He looked at her.
Then shook his head.
"No."
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then she suddenly hugged him.
Liam blinked.
"What was that for?"
"You scared me."
He looked surprised.
Then his expression softened.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry."
Before anyone could speak again, every electronic screen lit up.
New crimson words appeared.
THE MOON WEREWOLF HAS AWAKENED.
THE HEIR HAS BEEN FOUND.
PREPARE FOR THE NEXT NIGHT.
Nobody understood the final message.
Moon Werewolf?
Heir?
Next night?
The words felt heavy.
As though they carried meanings far beyond their understanding.
Britney looked ready to collapse.
"I miss yesterday. Yesterday was normal."
"Yesterday, you made me dance for three hours," Ethan reminded her.
"And I would happily do it again if it means giant wolves stop appearing."
Nobody disagreed.
Trisha slowly released Liam.
Her thoughts were racing.
Moon Werewolf.
That explained his glowing eyes and impossible strength.
But what did the second message mean?
The Heir has been found.
Her chest suddenly tightened.
For some reason, those words reminded her of the voice in her dream.
The Heir has awakened.
She shivered.
Liam immediately noticed.
"Cold?"
She shook her head.
"No."
She was lying.
Because she suddenly felt as if invisible eyes were watching them.
Watching her.
A cold breeze swept through the street again.
Then all the screens went dark.
This time no new message appeared.
Only darkness.
Far above the city, the three crimson rings glowed brighter.
For one brief moment, the middle ring pulsed.
Then somewhere beyond the buildings, another howl echoed.
It was not the howl of the shadow wolves.
This one was deeper.
Older.
Powerful enough to make the ground tremble.
Everyone went pale.
Liam slowly looked toward the darkness beyond the city.
And for reasons he could not explain, one terrifying thought appeared inside his mind.
Something was coming.
And tonight had only been the beginning.
Above them, hidden beyond the crimson rings, a pair of enormous golden eyes opened for a single heartbeat. They watched the city, watched the frightened heirs, and finally settled upon one girl standing beside the Moon Werewolf. Then the eyes slowly closed again, leaving only darkness and an uneasy silence behind for the moment there, as distant thunder rumbled across the crimson sky.