Deux's POV

  The scent of vender lingered in the forest air.

  Champ.

  I knew that scent anywhere.

  He had been here recently.

  Moving swiftly, I navigated through the dense trees, my senses heightened. The farther I went, the stronger the lingering scent became—until I stumbled upon something unexpected.

  An entire Alpha cn.

  Colpsed.

  Scattered bodies y motionless on the forest floor. Some slumped against trees, others sprawled across the dirt, groaning in unconscious defeat.

  I frowned. "Who did this?"

  Stepping closer, I crouched beside the fallen Alphas and inhaled deeply.

  Lavender.

  It clung to their bodies, unmistakable.

  I narrowed my eyes. "No way... Are you telling me Champ took down an entire Alpha cn by himself?"

  A smirk tugged at my lips.

  I shook my head, both amused and impressed.

  You've really changed, Champ.

  For him to handle an entire cn—alone—was no small feat. And judging by their state, they were battered and bruised but alive.

  There was no bloodshed.

  No fatal wounds.

  Champ had spared them.

  Of course, he did.

  That was just who he was.

  Even in a battle for survival, even when faced with overwhelming odds, he never killed.

  I exhaled sharply. "Still the same soft-hearted fool... But a powerful fool I would say."

  The air around me shifted. The scent of vender was fading.

  He was moving.

  Getting farther away.

  I had to follow him.

  Not openly—no, I couldn't risk being seen.

  But from the shadows.

  Because while Champ could handle an Alpha cn...

  He couldn't handle Silver.

  And I wasn't about to let that monster get to him first.

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Silver's POV

  I stood amidst the ruins of a crumbling building, inhaling deeply.

  Lavender.

  A slow smirk stretched across my lips.

  "They're here."

  I could smell them—Champ and his pathetic little cn. His presence clung to the air, unmistakable.

  But before stepping inside, something caught my attention.

  (Sniff!)

  Champ's scent.

  It stretched beyond the ruined building, fading into the distance.

  I chuckled. "Oh? Trying to lead me away, are you, Champ?"

  My smirk widened, amusement flickering in my eyes.

  "You want to py games with me?" I whispered to the night air.

  I stood still for a moment, considering my options.

  Then, instead of entering the ruined building, I turned away.

  Not in the direction Champ wanted me to go—oh no.

  I walked elsewhere.

  Toward another target.

  ...

  The night was still as I arrived at my chosen hunting ground.

  A cluster of Alpha cns was hiding here—I could feel them. Their fear, their desperation, their ragged breaths concealed in the shadows.

  They were waiting.

  Preparing.

  Traps littered the ground, invisible to the untrained eye.

  I grinned.

  Clever.

  But not clever enough.

  I stopped in the middle of their domain and exhaled loudly, making sure my voice carried.

  "I know you're hiding," I called out, voice smooth, taunting.

  Silence.

  No movement.

  But I knew they were listening. Watching.

  I chuckled, looking around, feigning curiosity.

  "And I also know some of you are exhausted," I continued. "You're running low on energy. You're hungry. Thirsty."

  A subtle shift in the air.

  I was getting under their skin.

  Good.

  I gave an exaggerated sigh before continuing. "Lucky for you... I have some information that might be useful."

  Still no response. But I knew they were intrigued.

  I leaned forward, lowering my voice just enough to sound conspiratorial.

  "There's an Alpha cn nearby," I murmured. "They have food. Water. Supplies. Only six of them. Easy pickings."

  Silence stretched thick in the air.

  I could practically hear the gears turning in their heads.

  "They're holed up in a ruined building, just north of here." I pointed zily in the direction of Champ's hiding spot.

  Then, like insects crawling from the darkness, they began to emerge.

  Shadows peeled away from the structures around me. Dozens of figures, all starved, all desperate. Their eyes gleamed with hunger—not just for food, but for survival.

  They moved as one, shifting toward the direction I had given them.

  Toward Champ's cn location.

  I stood still, watching them disappear into the night.

  My smirk never faded.

  Once they were gone, I chuckled under my breath.

  "Oh, Champ... You still don't understand, do you?"

  I tilted my head, eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

  I licked my lips, reveling in the thrill of the hunt.

  "I'll show you who I really am. I'll show you power. I will push you til' we meet."

  My smirk widened into something more sinister.

  "You'll kneel before me soon enough, Champ. And when you do..."

  I let out a slow, satisfied exhale.

  "You'll beg to be mine."

  ...

  ...

  ...

  Champ's POV

  "Jiggs! Marsh! Gem! Daryl! Martin!"

  I shouted as I rushed back to the ruined building where I had left them—only to find it empty.

  My heart pounded.

  Where the hell are they?!

  For a split second, panic gripped me. What if something had happened? What if Silver had—

  But then—

  Rustling.

  I immediately dropped into a defensive stance, my senses on high alert. I followed the sound, moving silently through the ruined corridors. My breath was steady, my muscles tense.

  Then, from behind a colpsed section of the building, I heard—

  "Hold on! The rice is at the very bottom of my bag! Just wait, okay?"

  Jiggs.

  Struggling.

  With... food?

  I turned to the corner, and sure enough, there they were—Jiggs, bent over his bag, wrestling with supplies, while the others stood around like kids waiting for snacks.

  I blinked.

  Then I burst out ughing. "You idiots!"

  Their heads snapped toward me, faces lighting up with relief.

  "Master Champ!"

  In an instant, they rushed toward me, checking me over like a worried family.

  "Champ, you're covered in bruises!" Jiggs fretted. "Did you already fight someone?"

  I grinned. "What do you think? I wouldn't miss out on the action."

  Jiggs huffed. "Damn it, you scared me! I saw the Alpha cn count dropping while you were gone—I thought you got wiped out!"

  "Actually," I smirked, "that was me. Took down an Alpha cn all by myself."

  Marsh and the others beamed.

  "Master Champ! You should've brought us along!" Marsh said.

  "We could've shown you everything we learned from you!" Daryl added.

  "And what, leave me here alone? No way in hell!" Jiggs snapped.

  I chuckled. "Well, regardless, good job holding down the fort and protecting Jiggs."

  Jiggs scoffed. "Yeah, right! These guys didn't do anything but pester me for food!"

  The Betas ughed, and I shook my head. Typical.

  Still smiling, I turned to Jiggs. "Speaking of which... any chance you saved some for me? You know, maybe something to restore my energy?"

  Jiggs dramatically pulled out a bag and held it up like an offering to a king. "Here you go, Your Majesty! I set aside a whole portion just for you!"

  I raised an eyebrow. "All this? For me?"

  "Yes, yes, just eat and rest already," he grumbled.

  I plopped down beside him, stuffing food into my mouth as the four Betas kept watch. Meanwhile, Jiggs pulled up his ptop, scanning the data.

  "How many Alpha cns are left?" I asked between bites.

  "Hmm... based on my counter, six remain," Jiggs said. "That includes Deux's cn, our cn, and Silver himself. The other three... I'm not sure who they are."

  I frowned. "Silver never came here?"

  Jiggs shook his head. "Nope. No one else has been here but us."

  I exhaled.

  "Was this a good thing? Or a bad thing? Had I successfully thrown Silver off, or was he just toying with us?"

  Jiggs sighed. "Honestly, we won't know until we see him in person."

  Then his eyes flicked to his ptop, and his expression darkened.

  "Jiggs?" I asked.

  He swallowed. "Uh... is it just me, or has the Alpha cn count stopped dropping? It hasn't changed in a while..."

  I furrowed my brows. "Maybe they're resting."

  "Hopefully," Jiggs muttered.

  I continued eating, trying to shake the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine.

  Then—

  (Sniff!)

  My eyes widened.

  "Get ready," I said, my voice sharp. "We have company."

  The others immediately snapped to attention.

  "How many?" Marsh whispered.

  I clenched my jaw. "Not just one, but three Alpha cns."

  Silence.

  Then—

  "THREE?!" Jiggs shrieked like he had seen a ghost.

  I spped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet!"

  "Three Alpha cns are coming for us?" Gem whispered, his voice tight.

  I nodded. "And they're already inside the building."

  A tense silence stretched between us.

  "What do we do, Master Champ?" Daryl asked. "We can't fight off three cns at once."

  I turned to Jiggs. "Do you have a map of this building?"

  Jiggs blinked, then quickly pulled up a blueprint on his ptop. "Yes! Based on our location, there are three entrances. If I had to guess, the three Alpha cns are each taking one entrance to corner us."

  "Meaning we have one escape route," I concluded.

  Jiggs pointed at the screen. "There's a fire exit at the back of this floor. If we take it now, they won't be able to catch us."

  I grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?"

  We moved quickly, staying low, navigating the crumbling corridors until we reached the fire exit.

  And then—

  Jiggs let out a strangled gasp.

  "Sh—! You've got to be kidding me!"

  I turned to him. "What?"

  He pointed at the door. "It's locked."

  Silence.

  Then I groaned. "WHO THE HELL LOCKS A FIRE EXIT?!"

  Jiggs threw his hands up. "I KNOW, RIGHT?!"

  Gem's face paled. "Master Champ... what now?"

  I tried smming the door as quietly as I can but still no luck.

  I exhaled. "If the fire exit is locked and there's no other way out, we have two options."

  The others leaned in.

  "One, we break down the fire exit by force."

  "Or two..." I gnced at them with a smirk. "We charge head-on and fight all of them."

  Jiggs turned white. "THERE'S NO OPTION THREE?!"

  I gave him a thoughtful look. "Well... Option three is we all die horribly. Want that one?"

  "CHAMP, THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES!" Jiggs whisper-yelled.

  "Then that leaves us with option one!" I grinned. "Start looking for anything we can use to bust this door down!"

  The Betas scattered, searching through the debris.

  Meanwhile, I pressed a hand against the locked door, inhaling deeply.

  I could feel the enemies closing in.

  Time was running out.

  We scrambled through the floor, desperately searching for something—anything—to break down the fire exit. The urgency of the situation made every second feel agonizingly slow.

  Then—

  "Umm, Champ?" Jiggs piped up, hesitating slightly. "Maybe this could help?"

  He pointed toward the far corner of the room, where a massive steel beam y covered in cobwebs.

  I rushed over, inspecting it quickly.

  "Jiggs, you genius!" I grinned.

  "Of course! Now, let's lift it!" Jiggs puffed out his chest and grabbed one end, straining with all his might.

  ...Except, the beam didn't budge.

  Not even an inch.

  I stared at him. The veins in his neck were popping out. His arms were trembling. His face was turning an arming shade of red.

  For a moment, I was torn between ughing at Jiggs' ridiculous struggle and panicking over our current predicament.

  "Champ! What are you just standing there for?! Help me!" he wailed.

  I snapped back to reality. "Gem! Marsh! Daryl! Martin! Help me and Jiggs lift this thing!"

  The five of us quickly grabbed hold of the steel beam.

  Jiggs, meanwhile, immediately let go and stepped back, cpping his hands together. "Great job, team! Keep going! You're doing amazing!"

  I gred at him. "Really?"

  Jiggs grinned. "What? Moral support is important!"

  Rolling my eyes, I focused back on the task.

  "Alright, on three!" Jiggs instructed. "One... two... THREE!"

  (SLAM!)

  The steel beam crashed against the fire exit door with a deafening sound, making it tremble violently.

  "That was LOUD!" Jiggs yelped.

  "Good!" I shouted. "It means we're close enough to bust this door!"

  Then—

  "I heard something! They're here!"

  A voice from outside.

  We all froze.

  "Crap! We've been found!" Jiggs whisper-screamed.

  "No choice! We have to break it down NOW!" I ordered. "Jiggs!"

  "Right! Again! One, two, THREE!"

  (SLAM!)

  The door creaked and bent inward slightly. The lock was beginning to weaken.

  But so was our time.

  "One more! We're almost there!" I shouted.

  Jiggs raised his hands dramatically. "I CAN SEE THE LIGHT!"

  "ONE, TWO, THR—"

  We halted.

  Jiggs suddenly stopped counting, his face draining of color.

  "Uh... guys... bad timing..." he whispered, pointing behind us.

  We turned—

  And there they were.

  Three Alpha Cns.

  Each group had just entered through the three main entrances, their leaders standing at the front.

  The air grew thick with tension as the Alphas sized us up like prey.

  One of them smirked. "So, whoever takes these guys down gets all their food and supplies?"

  Another Alpha chuckled darkly. "Sounds like it's going to be a bloodbath before anyone gets to eat."

  The third leader grinned. "Three birds hitting with one stone."

  Jiggs swallowed hard. "Champ... any bright ideas?"

  I exhaled. This was bad. Not for me, but for my team.

  We had no choice now.

  "We fight," I said. "Marsh, Gem, Daryl, Martin—get ready. Jiggs, find cover. Stay close but don't get caught."

  "Okay!" Jiggs squeaked and immediately scurried toward a more secure spot.

  Just as we prepared for battle, something unexpected happened—

  A group of five Beta males stepped forward, blocking the path between us and the approaching Alphas.

  Wait.

  These weren't just any Betas.

  They were Deux's men.

  I blinked in shock. "What are you doing here?! How did you find us?"

  One of them stepped forward. "Master Deux sent us. He anticipated you might be in danger."

  "Deux?" I murmured.