Episode 20

The moon was climbing the walls at the Black Pack headquarters. No one was taking action, and there was no news. They were living life as if nothing was happening. Then, she opened her mental communication with her father and learned that everything had already ended there. All the warriors of the Black Pack were dead, Alpha Tulio had fled and would probably soon arrive at the Black Pack.

"H E N R I Q U E E E!!!!!"

Henrique heard Luna's scream and rushed to her, fearing something terrible had happened. He quickly reached where his mother was and saw her in despair.

"What happened, mother?"

"They're all dead, son! They're all dead…"

"What do you mean, mother? Who's dead? My father?"

"Your father was the only one who survived and fled. My father said that all the wolves from our pack, who went to the battle, are dead."

"How?"

"He attacked your grandfather's pack and there was retaliation; they were fighting when Luana arrived with her group and attacked your father, but he did not die; then they attacked the warriors and killed all of them."

Henrique was devastated, looking around at the entire pack. He did not know how many warriors had gone, but they were certainly now severely lacking males. Many widows, pups, and elders were left, who would not live long without the warriors.

"How did this happen? My father never lost before; what will happen from here on out?" said Henrique, disoriented.

He could not understand what was happening in his life, as everything was a mess. It was the violent life with his father, that strange female, ghosts from the past, a failed mating, and now, they had no more warriors.

"What's happening to us, son? It seems we are cursed."

"Yes, it seems. Why don't you go to the White Pack and stay there for a while?"

Henrique was concerned about his father's return; if he had lost the war, he would come back furious and would take it out on his mother with all the violence he was capable of.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. I'll disappear, and he won't find me. He'll think I've left, but I'll be here, keeping an eye on him. I won't leave my pack in the hands of a madman."

*

The earth seemed to weep for the blood of so many lives spilled. Alpha Julio looked at everything with regret and ordered his people to wrap each body and send it to the Black Pack for the proper ceremony. He told his daughter, and Dimas accompanied the bodies. Denise wanted to accompany her mate, but he thought it was better for her to stay; she left the next day.

The flora and fauna were silent, fearful of something that could kill but not die. That thing in the shape of a wolf, ran like a madman, chased by what appeared to be blue flames. It crossed other packs' territories, scorching the earth with its footprints as it ran.

It reached the lands of the Black Pack, ran to the lake, and leaped in to cool down his overheated body. The blue flames dissipated, and the spot where he jumped nearly dried up until the water returned to its normal course.

He returned to human form and exhaustedly withdrew from the waters. He lay down on the riverbank, nearly fainting. Luna sensed his presence, and as her white wolf form, she ran to his whereabouts. She saw the body thrown on the bank but did not approach; she left him there and went back to the house.

She returned home, went down to the basement, where she kept her potions, and took those she would need. She went up to her room, packed two suitcases of clothes, and transferred them to a secret room on the top floor. She would hide in that room, closely watching the alpha, using her potions to conceal her scent, so her presence would not be detected.

*

Luana was waiting for the shaman's response when she felt Henrique's presence and allowed him in, despite not wanting him nearby, but she wanted to know how the pack was.

He entered the room quickly, went to her, and hugged her tightly, smelling her neck. It was something that took her by surprise, and she did not know what to do. So she let him stay there, feeling her body and scent until he calmed down.

"Most of them died…"

"Yes, it was predictable. It's the law of retribution," said the shaman.

Henrique moved away from his Luna to look at the shaman. He knew what she was talking about; he understood, but the pain was intense. He had always heard that they killed everyone, now it was they who had been wiped out. It felt like he had reverted to a boy with no hope.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Imagine the remnants of the packs decimated by your father?" said Luana, holding his face to look into his eyes.

"I'm already feeling it. You're rubbing salt on the wound. Don't you feel it too? You grew up with them."

She paused, looked at him, and remembered all those strong men who trained for war as if it was a just war, as if they were fighting for a decent victory, but it was all a deception by Alpha Tulio, for something they had not even suspected.

"Yes, I feel for them, but it would be worse if the killing continued. Understand?"

"No, I don't understand. No life deserves to die like that."

He moved away from her and looked at the shaman, asking:

"Can you explain or give some consolation?"

"There is no consolation; it is what it is. Vanity, greed, arrogance—a bundle of selfish desires that pervert what should be good into something bad."

"And what does that mean?" he persisted.

"Alpha Tulio wants to be sovereign, the supreme of all and to live forever. For that, he made a blood pact that protects him from death but is driving him mad."

"And what can we do?"

"Find out with whom the pact was made and where it is, to bring an end to it."

"Such a pact could only be made with someone very powerful. Do you know with whom it was?"

"That's not the question; the question is where Alpha Tulio has hidden it."

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