Chapter 40: No mistake
Thor
I raised my sword and swiped just above Rex’s head, the blade cutting through the air with enough precision that it forced him to duck without actually touching him.
"Run! We can’t fight them together!" I screamed, my voice sharp and urgent as I watched the humans turn and begin to flee.
They didn’t hesitate.
Fear took over instantly, their steps uneven at first before they found rhythm and bolted in the opposite direction.
I turned as well, already moving to follow—
—but just at that moment Axel attacked.
He moved fast, faster than the eye could properly follow, closing the distance between himself and the nearest humans in a heartbeat. His nails morphed mid-motion, lengthening into claws that caught the fading light as they sank into flesh.
Partial transformation.
Something only true alphas could do.
He killed two of them before they could properly react, their bodies collapsing almost immediately under the force of his strike.
I didn’t even spare them a glance.
The dead didn’t matter.
The living did.
I bolted after the other two who had managed to escape, my sword still drawn in my hand as I pushed forward, my steps light but fast.
"Be back before nightfall," Rex warned from behind me, his voice lower now but still carrying enough for me to hear.
There was no time to respond.
I didn’t slow.
I had no intention of letting them escape—not after they had seen Axel and Rex’s human faces after shifting from their wolf forms.
That alone was enough to seal their fate.
Their pace was uneven, their movements clumsy as they ran. I followed behind them at a steady distance, not rushing yet, letting them exhaust themselves. Humans weren’t built for this. Their breathing grew louder, heavier, until it became almost painful to listen to.
Eventually, they slowed.
Then stopped.
A long way from where we had started.
Both of them bent forward, hands on their knees, huffing and puffing as they struggled to collect their breath.
"I—I think we lost them!" the younger man I had spoken to earlier gasped, his voice strained, each word coming out uneven.
The older man didn’t respond immediately.
He dropped to his knees instead, his body giving in as he struggled to breathe, his chest rising and falling too fast, too shallow.
Even from where I stood, I could hear it.
The weakness in it.
Before he even spoke, I knew.
He wasn’t coming with us.
"Run!" he ordered suddenly, his voice breaking as he forced the word out. "I’ll cover your track, Helden."
Helden shook his head immediately, panic filling his eyes as tears began to gather.
"We... we lost them! We can run at a slower—"
"They are wolves!" the older man snapped, cutting him off, his voice rising despite the lack of strength behind it. "Unless you want us all to die here today!"
His breathing hitched again, his body trembling under the strain.
"You saw how they killed Wret and Maniken," he continued, his voice cracking now, grief slipping through despite the urgency. "Run!"
Helden hesitated, his entire body shaking as he looked between the man and the forest behind us.
The older man turned then.
His gaze landed on me.
And for a moment, it felt like he had known all along.
"Take Helden and run," he said, his voice quieter now, but firm despite everything.
I nodded.
Stepping forward, I grabbed Helden by the arm before he could react properly, pulling him with me as I turned and began to run again.
He stumbled at first, his legs weak, but fear pushed him forward.
We ran.
For a long time.
The forest stretched around us endlessly, branches catching at clothes, roots threatening to trip careless steps. I kept my pace steady, not too fast, not too slow, letting him keep up just enough.
It wasn’t until much later, when I glanced up at the sky and saw how dark it had begun to get, that I finally slowed.
"I hunt around here sometimes," I said, my voice steady, almost casual despite everything. "I just arrived in the village. I’m with a merchant group."
He turned to look at me, surprise flickering across his face even through his exhaustion.
"Oh! I didn’t know," he said between breaths. "Usually merchant teams only come on the last day of the week."
He kept walking forward, though it was clear he was barely holding on. His steps dragged slightly now, his breathing still uneven.
I continued beside him.
"Wolves," I said, my tone shifting slightly, just enough to guide the conversation. "You said you were told to watch out for them. Have you seen them before?"
That was why I was here.
To find out everything I could.
Before I killed him.
With the blood rushing through his body, his mind clouded by exhaustion and relief, he didn’t hesitate to answer.
"There have been sightings," he said, a faint smile forming despite the situation. "Wolves kidnapping women. Reports have been released, and orders that they be killed on sight."
I nodded slowly, listening closely.
"...It’s a gruesome affair," he continued, shaking his head. "They kidnap women with children too. Who does that?"
He cursed under his breath, his disgust clear.
But I didn’t care.
I just needed information.
"These wolves," I pressed, "what do you know about them? Killed any?"
He shook his head immediately.
"Of course not. You saw how huge they are! It’s my first time seeing one of them," he said, his pace increasing slightly as if the thought alone gave him purpose. "A sword wouldn’t be enough. We might need one of those new weapons that are being produced."
I frowned slightly, though he couldn’t see it from where I walked behind him.
New weapons.
That didn’t sound good.
But it was enough that they barely knew anything about us, just as it should be. The moment they became aware that we were a species of our own, everything would change.
They were weaker.
But they had numbers.
More than we could ever hope to match.
We lived in small packs.
They built cities.
Villages.
Armies.
Seeing as he had said all I needed to hear, I reached for the dagger at my waist, pulling it free as I prepared to end it quickly—
Footsteps.
Behind me.
Fast.
I turned, just in time to see the old man I had left behind rushing toward me, sword raised, his voice tearing through the air.
"Fucking monster!"
At the same time, Helden bolted forward without looking back.
So he had suspected.
Maybe from the beginning.
They just hadn’t dared act on it.
Killing the old man was easy.
I stepped forward, grabbing his head and dragging the blade across his throat in one smooth motion. Blood spilled instantly, his voice cutting off into a wet, choking sound as he dropped.
He hit the ground, struggling for breath, his body finally showing what real desperation looked like.
I didn’t stay.
Didn’t check if he was dead.
The forest would take care of him.
I turned and ran.
Helden had gained distance, but not enough.
I chased him, my speed far greater, my steps barely making a sound against the forest floor as I closed the gap between us.
A frown spread across my face as the trees began to thin.
The village.
We had reached it sooner than I would have liked.
Helden stumbled forward, crossing into its border, relief almost visible in the way his shoulders dropped—
I caught him before he could go any further.
My hand grabbed him, pulling him back as the dagger slid across his throat in one clean motion.
He didn’t even get to scream.
His body dropped at the edge of the village.
And then—
A sound.
A gasp.
I turned to look expecting to see nothing since the gates of the encampment was still in full view only to see a young boy who had clearly snuck out one way or another. He was small, and it was dark enough that he wouldn’t be able to recognize me.
I could let him go as I focused on his unruly hair and dirt covered skin
A young boy stood there, frozen, his eyes wide, fear filling every inch of his expression.
"F-father..." he whispered, his voice barely there as he started at the body on the ground.
For a moment, he didn’t move. Then he turned, ran and I followed immediately. There was no hesitation. No pause. I caught him easily, my hand grabbing him and pulling him back before he could get far.
The dagger moved just as quickly.
A single slash.
Clean.
His body went still almost instantly, dropping to the ground without another sound.
I didn’t look at him again.
There was no question of leaving him alive simply because he was a child.
All he was—
was a loose end.
And I had tied it.
Turning away, I darted back into the forest, my movements quick and steady as the darkness swallowed me once more.
I felt nothing. Not regret. Not hesitation.
Nothing at all.Only the quiet certainty that I had done what needed to be done.There we’re some mistakes, one didn’t make twice.
