Chapter 5 – Wolves Beneath the Night
(First Person POV – Charlotte)
I was doing what I always do at this time of night, delivering drugs. I know it's not legal, but legality doesn't matter much in the slums. Survival does. I'm not an Unnatural, which means I don't have any special talent or advantage here. My little sister, though, is an Unnatural, and in a week, she will take the Night Watcher Qualification Exam. If she passes, she'll be allowed to hunt void beasts outside the city walls. Only those with a Night Watcher badge can hunt legally and sell materials. Without resources, she won't pass. Without passing, we're stuck here. So I do what I have to do.
I kept my head down as I walked through the dim streets toward the meeting place. It was an old slum house that looked like it had survived longer than it should have. When I reached the door, I knocked three loud times and then three soft times. After waiting three seconds, I repeated the pattern. It was the signal the gang had given me.
The door opened just enough for me to slip inside. I entered immediately without looking back, and the door closed behind me with a quiet thud. Inside, I kept my head down. In the slums, only members of the top three gangs can walk confidently without being told to lower their gaze. I belong to the sixth-ranked gang, the Shadow Wolves, the weakest of the six major gangs and the newest. I don't care much about rankings as long as I get paid, but the hierarchy still matters.
I was led downstairs into the basement, which served as the real meeting area. I handed over the package I had been carrying to the side counter. Tonight wasn't for regular trading; it was for the leaders to discuss business. That meant the lower members stood along the walls while the leaders sat at the large table in the center.
About sixty people were present, ten from each gang, no more and no less. Despite the number, the basement was spacious enough to hold everyone comfortably. In the middle was a heavy table with six chairs, each occupied by a gang leader. I lifted my head slightly to observe.
From strongest to weakest, the gangs were ranked as follows: first, the Overlords; second, the Fallen Angels of Death; third, Silent Killer; fourth, Monster; fifth, Poison Master; and sixth, the Shadow Wolves, my gang.
Our leader, Rose, was known as the Wolf Queen. She was an Unnatural whose talent allowed her to transform into a three-meter-tall wolf. Her Physical Star Rank was 2, impressive for the slums. Only the leaders of the top two gangs could match her strength directly, and even they struggled if she used her wolf form. That strength was why our gang hadn't been destroyed yet.
The room gradually fell silent as Aadhav, the leader of the Overlords, stood up. He looked like a frail old man, thin and unimposing, but no one in the slums underestimated him. His nickname was "True Overlord," and it wasn't given lightly.
"It's good to see all of you here," he began calmly. "Though I doubt anyone enjoys pointless pleasantries."
The other leaders nodded.
He continued, explaining that the police had once again begun interfering with their operations. Normally, that wouldn't be surprising, but the pressure had increased significantly since a new police chief had taken control. The old bribery methods had stopped working.
Knōdalon, the leader of Monster, stood up abruptly. He was large and muscular, with a talent called Strength Multiplier. His nickname, "Mindless Troll," wasn't entirely inaccurate. He suggested simply bribing the police as usual and killing those who refused.
Vishakaya, the leader of Poison Master, laughed openly at his suggestion. She was a beautiful older woman with light green eyes and a talent called Poison Mist. Her mocking tone only irritated Knōdalon further. She pointed out that the new police chief likely had political backing, making simple bribery ineffective.
Before the argument could escalate, Kira, the leader of Silent Killer, spoke in a cold voice that silenced both of them immediately. His talent was unknown, but his reputation was enough to prevent further conflict.
Zen, the leader of the Fallen Angels of Death, then explained the larger situation. Void beast activity had increased due to rising ambient void energy. Forest regions were thinning, leaving more unabsorbed void energy in the environment, which made void beasts more aggressive. The Night Watchers were preparing large-scale hunts, and the police wanted to stabilize the slums before those hunts began. If the gangs caused chaos during that time, the Night Watchers might intervene.
Rose spoke next, calmly pointing out that the police's plan depended entirely on the gangs not resisting. If they pushed back strategically, the police would struggle without Night Watcher support.
The discussion continued for nearly an hour before the leaders reached a decision: they would first weaken police influence in the slums before dealing directly with the chief.
After the meeting ended, we were ordered to leave separately to avoid drawing attention.
As I walked away, my legs ached from standing so long. I took multiple detours on my way home, just in case someone had been watching the meeting location. That was when I felt it, the unmistakable sensation of being followed.
At first, I pretended not to notice. In the slums, showing fear too early invites danger. But when I saw the shadows behind me stop trying to hide, I knew I couldn't ignore it.
I ran.
This wasn't careful running; it was desperate. My lungs burned, and my legs protested, but I didn't slow down. I could hear at least three sets of footsteps chasing me. They moved confidently, not like random opportunists.
I turned sharply into an alley and kicked over a rusted trash can behind me. It crashed loudly, but the footsteps didn't stop. My heart pounded in my chest. If they caught me, I might never make it home again.
I rounded another corner at full speed and collided with someone.
The impact knocked me onto my back. Pain shot through my spine as I looked up to see who I had run into.
The moment our eyes met, a chill ran through me.
One of her eyes was pure black, like a bottomless abyss. The other was blood red, deep and unsettling. They weren't injured or glowing—they were simply wrong in a way that made my instincts scream.
Her face was calm, almost emotionless. It was as if my collision with her hadn't even registered as an inconvenience.
For a brief moment, I forgot about the men chasing me.
I wasn't afraid of gangs. I wasn't afraid of police. I wasn't even afraid of void beasts.
But as I lay there staring into those mismatched eyes, I felt fear crawl up my spine.
And she hadn't even spoken yet.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE:- I tried to use talent holders instead of the original word unnatural but i gave up on it because the word talent holder or awaken feels too unoriginal so I will stick to unnatural from now on.)