We were still kneeling.
Seven of us now.
The others were gone—and the silence they left behind screamed louder than their voices ever could.
Footsteps approached.
A man stepped into view.
He looked to be in his thirties, maybe older—hard to tell when life had chewed someone up and spat them out. His face was rough, permanently tired. Unshaved beard. Bloodshot eyes. A cigar hung from his lips like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
Alcoholic?
Veteran?
Both?
He studied us like broken tools.
Then he flicked two fingers upward.
"Get up," he muttered. "Follow me."
We obeyed.
Inside the building, my stomach twisted.
People my age. Younger. Training.
Punching. Running. Bleeding.
This wasn't a school.
This was a factory—for monsters.
As we walked, my eyes locked onto someone.
My breath caught.
Melissa.
No.
It couldn't be—
But it was.
Blonde hair. Sharp eyes. Calm expression. The same girl I'd crushed on for years. The girl I never had a chance with. One of my closest friends… once.
Johnny. Melissa. Me.
We used to be inseparable.
Now she didn't even look surprised to see me.
We kept walking.
The room we entered was large—too large—and it felt wrong. Like the walls were listening. Chairs were arranged in a circle.
The man gestured.
"Sit."
I did.
Whatever happens, I told myself, I'll follow.
He sat across from us and finally spoke.
//Stranger//
"I know you've got questions. You won't get many answers. Not yet."
He took the cigar out of his mouth.
"My name's Frank."
He let that settle.
"I'll be leading you. Teaching you the basics of being a werewolf."
A pause.
"You were all bitten by an alpha."
Murmurs.
"Sadly… a rogue alpha. He escaped."
That made everything worse.
Frank stood and paced slowly, stopping in front of each of us.
//Frank//
"That makes you omegas."
No one liked that word.
"But," he continued, smirking, "you bowed. You agreed to join the pack."
He looked almost amused.
"That erased your omega status. You're betas now."
A few relieved breaths.
"I'll be your temporary alpha."
Then, casually—
"Keep yourselves free Friday to Sunday."
And he turned to leave.
Brad exploded.
"What the f$€k?! That didn't explain shit!"
The room froze.
Frank stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
His eyes changed color.
Not human.
Not even close.
In the blink of an eye, he was there.
A blur.
A beast.
He grabbed Brad's hand.
//Frank//
"Lesson number one."
CRACK.
Brad screamed.
Frank twisted the arm the wrong way.
//Frank//
"Pain," he said calmly, "will be your daily acquaintance."
I almost threw up.
That hand wasn't supposed to bend like that.
Frank dropped him.
"Wait here."
And just like that—he was gone.
Melissa and Lorena entered.
Like nothing had happened.
They introduced themselves, calm and collected, as Brad cried on the floor.
They told us they'd pick us up on Thursday.
That changes would occur.
Super hearing.
Increased strength.
Heightened smell.
"And," Melissa added, "watch your temper."
Every single one of us looked at Brad.
Still sobbing.
Lorena walked over, grabbed his arm—
POP.
She forced it back into place.
Brad screamed again.
She didn't even blink.
This was Lorena.
Cold. Beautiful. Dark-skinned. Blue eyes like frozen oceans.
The silent kind of danger.
When it was over, we started introducing ourselves.
I swallowed.
Whatever I was now…
I was no longer human.
And I had a feeling this was only the beginning
When Melissa finished explaining, she clasped her hands lightly.
"I think," she said, "it would be nice if we introduced ourselves."
Only then did I really look around.
Five guys.
Three girls.
Eight strangers bound by blood and teeth.
James went first.
He was the oldest among us—a university professor. Gray touched his hair, and his posture was calm, steady, like nothing in the world surprised him anymore. Even after kidnappings, monsters, and broken bones, he remained composed.
The gentle type.
The kind you hope doesn't lose his temper.
Next was Harry.
A businessman. Owned a pub and a restaurant. He had swagger—natural confidence, the kind that said he'd already survived worse than this. He smiled like the situation amused him.
Then Ivy and Rose.
From a different high school. Freshmen like me… like Brad… like Kevin.
They stuck close together, eyes sharp, nervous but curious—like kittens who hadn't realized they'd been dropped into a wolf den.
After the introductions, I wanted to talk to Melissa.
I really did.
But every time I moved closer, she moved away.
Like distance had become a rule between us.
So I sat back.
Drowning in my thoughts.
That's when Brad showed up—with Kevin trailing behind him like a scared shadow.
Brad started talking about unity. About sticking together. About how we should watch each other's backs.
I listened.
Then I made my decision.
Brad leads chaos.
Chaos gets people killed.
"I'll pass," I said calmly.
His face darkened instantly.
"Tch."
He spat near my shoe.
Yep.
There's the Brad I know.
Then the air shifted.
A new presence entered the room.
A man in his twenties stepped inside, wearing clothes that didn't match anyone else's—like he belonged to a different world. His face bore a scar that dragged across his skin, sharp and intimidating.
But his eyes?
Kind.
"Andrew Sparter," he introduced himself.
Scary face. Gentle soul.
Melissa stepped forward again.
"One by one," she said, "you will swear loyalty to the pack."
My heart thudded.
When it was my turn, I swallowed and repeated her words.
"We will follow the clan and its never-ending rise.
We are, and always will be, the Darkmav Clan."
The moment the last word left our mouths—
Andrew began chanting.
Low. Ancient.
The room vibrated.
Fire exploded across my arm.
I gasped, clutching it.
A symbol burned into my skin.
A tattoo.
I stared at it, breath shaking.
Melissa nodded.
"It's done," she said. "You are officially pack members."
Just like that.
No contracts.
No undo button.
Then she told us it was time to leave.
We split into the vans we came in.
Outside, Brad kept running his mouth.
I ignored him.
In my van, Joe was already seated. Lorena sat beside him, phone in hand—completely relaxed. Probably playing games while the rest of us processed becoming monsters.
The van dropped me off at home.
Afternoon sun. Normal street. Normal world.
It felt fake.
I stood there for a moment, thinking about Johnny.
About the tattoos.
The distance.
The way he looked at me like he already knew.
I made my choice.
I turned and headed for his house.
Because whatever this curse was…
Johnny was already ahead of me.