Chapter 382: Shadows at the window...

Ramsey

Eight hours ago

There was something about the human world that bothered me—the way they had such casual regard for their own safety. They had regard for systems that couldn’t protect them, channelled their love and energy to things that ought not to be and then the constant hypocrisy of loving animals, not wanting to harm them... and the strange things I’ve witnessed since I arrived here.

They do not understand the natural order of things and in their everyday life do their best to go against it. They leave their children unguarded, their loved ones vulnerable to threats they couldn’t even imagine. Police patrols arrived after the threat had already caused damage.

Here, it was all...pretend. A play for security in a world that had never truly been safe.

I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lyla collapsing, saw the blood pooling beneath her, felt the terror that had gripped me when I thought I might lose everything that mattered. I hated myself for getting angry with her earlier, for not being there the moment she started bleeding, for letting my frustration cloud my judgment when she needed me most.

Now she had withdrawn again, pulling back into that protective shell she created when I became too much to bear.

I checked my watch: 2:03 a.m. I’d finally managed to soothe Lyla to sleep for the second time that night. She kept having nightmares, shouting out in her sleep, thrashing against invisible things that I couldn’t fight for her. Each cry tore at my heart, but there was nothing I could do except hold her and whisper soothing words until she settled again.

Unable to stand the compression of the tiny human house any longer, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the kitchen and carried a chair out to the small balcony. The night air was cooler here, helping to clear my head as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

My phone buzzed with an incoming message. The sender was listed as "Unknown," but as I read the words, I felt anger simmering inside of me.

Alpha Ramsey Kincaid, you have been summoned. Appear before the court within a fortnight or prepare to forfeit your title and the legacy of your ancestors. Bring the werewolf you made your Luna. There are questions and debts.

The more I stared at the message, the more anger built in my chest. Of course, I knew what the Hollow Kin were—ancient Lycans who held authority over our entire species in the supernatural realm.

They were the silent checkmates, existing before the rise of Lycan rule, and they only intervened when the natural order was at risk.

want to summon me now, of all times? When Lyla was hurt, when our

my phone’s light and listened,

target. They were slowly approaching from the left side, where the bedroom was. Humans usually go to bed before midnight, so it couldn’t be a

footsteps approaching, I knew

soundlessly, melting into the darkness. I crossed the

inside, shutting the door gently behind me so that I wouldn’t

sheets, and her face was scrunched in exhaustion. She was snoring softly, occasionally whimpering at whatever demons she was fighting with. I wanted to comfort her desperately, but first

quietly went to the window and locked it, then rechecked the lock to ensure it was secure. The footsteps were

life if necessary. The moon was shining faintly in the sky, barely illuminating anything within our house, and it didn’t help that the streetlights were faulty,

smell wafted up to my nose, a combination of

the glass, I could make out shadowy figures moving in the yard below. Lycans do not possess

readied myself to attack if any of them managed to break through the window, every muscle coiled and prepared to fight. But then I heard something strange: loud distress noises coming from outside, followed by the sounds

amazement as someone fought the creatures in our yard. The defender moved with speed and strength. I strained my eyes to make out who it was that was fighting, but

Finally, the putrid smell began to fade, and the sounds of fighting ceased. Whoever had defended us had apparently

I needed to investigate, I quietly made my way outside and rounded the corner of the house. A tall figure was dragging what appeared to be bodies away from our property, moving

closer. In one fluid motion, it leapt away from me and

But when I examined the area more closely, I found

of the bedroom, watching the pack doctor

babies were fine and that their mother was probably just stressed, but the

had her meals on time. Occasions where she’d insist that she

asking me some questions when Lyla started

against Miriam’s body, sobbing. I stood there helplessly watching as the healer checked her vitals, murmuring quietly to the doctor about

this morning was part of the problem. To further prove my suspicion, I went back later this morning, when the skies

been someone from

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