Published at 26th of December 2025 7:30 am

Chapter 1653: Start Of A War

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Lilly had a sinking feeling she already knew exactly what these two men were. Even though she still hadn’t fully adjusted to the strange changes in her body, some differences in the scents around her had become unmistakably clear.

Humans... she was almost drawn to them. Their presence felt warm, comforting, like walking into a dessert shop and smelling freshly baked sweets, or stepping into a flower store filled with soft fragrances. There was something inviting, something soothing about them now.

But Werewolves?

Being near them was like stepping into a damp, mold-infested basement. Her stomach would twist instantly, her throat tightening as if her body itself rejected their presence. The longer she remained near them, the more unbearable it became, like a sickness building from within.

She hadn’t noticed that sensation earlier because she had been too shocked, too dazed by the corpse she discovered and the strange trance she had awoken from. But now, standing face-to-face with these two men, she felt it clearly. Their scent was overwhelming, harsh, pungent, painful.

And although she didn’t know the two directly, she had heard them utter a single name that froze her heart:

Steve.

Jack had spoken about Steve, the Alpha of the other pack. She had only met him once or twice, long before all of this had begun. The meetings had been brief, stiff, and distant. After Steve became Alpha, communication between the two packs had dwindled to almost nothing. A quiet, mutual understanding existed between them: if nothing was wrong, there was no need to talk. Because unnecessary contact risked misunderstandings, risked tension, risked war.

That was why even now, even with everything happening, Steve couldn’t simply walk up to Jack and say what he needed to say. Their relationship had become something fragile, one wrong step, and everything could shatter.

“Wait!” Lilly shouted, stumbling back as the two men stepped forward. “I promise this wasn’t me! I don’t even know why I’m here, I just woke up like this! Let me talk to Jack. He can explain everything to Steve. There’s no need to take me there yourselves!”

Her words came out in a panic, tumbling over each other. Too many thoughts rushed through her mind at once. A part of her believed that if she went with them peacefully, maybe, maybe, everything could be sorted out. But how long would that take? How long before Jack noticed her missing? He would panic. He might think she had been kidnapped.

And what then?

What if she spent too long at Steve’s camp with no access to blood? What if she lost control again? What if she hurt someone? Would they have any choice but to kill her?

She could already imagine it, her existence becoming the spark that drove the two Alphas into direct conflict, a war born from her. Bloodshed, heartbreak, everything torn apart because she couldn’t control herself.

She couldn’t bear the thought.

And when she saw the two men ignore her pleas, saw their arms and legs begin to transform, muscles rippling beneath their skin, she realized she had only one option.

She ran.

She turned on her heel and bolted as fast as she could. Her feet tore into the earth, leaving gouges behind. The two Werewolves blinked in surprise.

“What the, she’s fast!”

“No kidding! They said she killed one of us, of course she’s not just a regular human!”

Lilly pumped her legs harder, but she already knew the truth: she wasn’t fast enough. Not against them. Not out here. Not in the forest, the prime hunting ground of Werewolves.

The men leapt upward, climbing the thick trees in seconds. Their claws dug into bark as they bounded from branch to branch, moving with frightening speed. Then, with a powerful push, one of them launched himself toward her.

He crashed into her from above.

They tumbled through the underbrush, and Lilly hit the ground hard. The breath punched out of her lungs, and before she could recover, she felt the crushing weight of the Werewolf on top of her, pinning her down.

“No!” she screamed, forcing her arm upward with strength she didn’t fully understand. The Werewolf flinched, shocked that she could lift him even a little, but he gritted his teeth and pushed her arm back down with sheer force.

“You don’t understand how much I want to rip your throat out for killing one of ours!” he snarled, hot breath against her cheek. “But we need answers. And we’re taking you back alive!”

Lilly thrashed beneath him, every instinct screaming at her to escape. Her body trembled with power and panic. The Werewolf’s muscles strained, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep her pinned.

Then,

A hand grabbed the Werewolf by the back of his neck.

Before he could even look over his shoulder, he was lifted effortlessly, torn off of Lilly like he weighed nothing, and hurled through the air. He slammed into a tree with a violent crack, falling to the ground in a heap.

“What the hell...? Dillan, weren’t you supposed to be watching my back?” the man groaned, shaking his head.

But when he managed to focus, he saw why Dillan hadn’t helped.

Someone was standing between them and Lilly.

Someone they recognized.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the newcomer said, his voice calm but cold. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want to go with you? And she’s telling the truth, she wasn’t the one who killed your friend. I’ve been following her the entire time.”

The man who had crashed into the tree staggered to his feet, joining his companion. Their eyes widened.

“Lupus?” one of them called out. “What are you doing here? And why are you protecting her? You’ve been away, you don’t know what’s been happening back at the camp.”

He lifted a trembling finger toward Lilly.

“But look at her! She’s just like the ones who attacked us, she has the same smell, the same eyes. She’s not human!”

“I know exactly what she is,” Lupus replied. His stance didn’t waver. His expression didn’t soften. “And I’m telling you now, if either of you try to harm her, or drag her back to your camp by force, I will beat both of you into the ground. And because of our history... I’ll make it quick.”

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