The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night
Chapter 52: Just like your father... gutless

Chapter 52: Just like your father... gutless

Yuki, whirling, sliced a Beta’s throat, his corrosive blood smoking. "Focus, Kaiser!" he growled, dodging an attack. He leaped onto a branch, throwing a blade that embedded in a wolf’s eye. "Four left!"

Hugo, facing Jay, felt his strength waning. The Löwen was too strong, too fast. A claw sliced his shoulder, making him howl. "You’re nothing," Jay roared, advancing. "Just like your father... gutless." Hugo, enraged, retaliated, his fist slamming into Jay’s jaw. The Löwen stumbled back but chuckled, his wounds already healing.

Katrina, reloading, shouted at Hugo: "Own it!" Hugo growled, wiping blood from his lip. "You knew about me?" he snapped, dodging Jay’s strike.

Kathy, firing an arrow, replied: "Since the start. You were clean. You? Not so much." She took down a Beta, leaving three. "We hunt scum like Jay."

Kaiser, shocked, helped Yuki fend off a Beta. "Clean? I don’t get it. What does that mean? Were you spying on us?" he growled, plunging his dagger into its flank.

Katrina snickered, leaping to the ground. "You’re cute when you’re paranoid." She fired, an arrow grazing a Beta’s head, making it howl.

Hugo, gasping, stared at Katrina. "And me? What am I to you? Are you gonna kill me?" His voice trembled, torn between anger and doubt. Kathy dodged the question, firing another arrow. "Move. We’ll talk later."

The fight intensified. Ben, lightning-fast, sliced a Beta, killing it. Yuki, bleeding heavily, cut another, his corrosive blood making the wolf howl. Two Betas left. Kaiser, doped up, shoved a wolf away but took a blow to the ribs, collapsing again. "I’m gonna die," he muttered, laughing despite the pain.

Jay, dominating Hugo, grabbed Ben by the throat, lifting him like a puppet. "You’re finished, vampire," he roared, his claws sinking into Ben’s shoulder. Ben growled, his glowing red eyes flaring, but he was spent.

Hugo, desperate, felt the beast within him roar. His friends were dying for him. *Shit, I’ve got no choice.*

He closed his eyes, his skin trembling. His black veins pulsed, his bones cracked. A primal howl rose, guttural, shaking the clearing. The Betas froze, their yellow eyes wavering, torn by his authority.

Kathy, reloading, murmured: "An Alpha..." Her tone was calm, but her eyes gleamed with respect. Yuki, on the ground, bleeding, muttered: "How is this possible? You’ve been hiding this. Damn, Hugo..."

Kaiser, getting up, chuckled: "I knew you weren’t normal, man." He swallowed an L-dopa pill, his reflexes returning. "Let’s finish this!"

Ben, still in Jay’s grip, spat blood. "Hugo... do it, damn it!" Jay, furious, tightened his hold, his claws piercing Ben’s skin. "You’re dead, Alpha," he roared, turning to Hugo.

Hugo, half-transformed, muscles bulging, stared at Jay. His voice, raspy, vibrated: "Let him go, asshole." His golden eyes blazed, his skin trembling as if it would tear. The beast was there, ready to explode, but he held it back, just for a moment.

Katrina, from a tree, fired an arrow that grazed Jay’s head. "Move, Hugo!" she shouted, her voice trembling but firm. Kathy, on the ground, took down a Beta, leaving only one wolf. "We’ll handle the small ones! You deal with the big guy!"

Yuki, staggering, threw a blade that embedded in the last Beta’s heart, killing it. "Hugo, now!" he growled, collapsing against a tree, spent.

Ben, freed by a surge of strength, sliced Jay’s arm, making him roar, and hurled him against a tree. Ben collapsed, dazed but alive. "Hugo..." he whispered, his voice weak.

"Interesting," Jay growled, his claws extending. "But you’re not ready."

Hugo closed his eyes, his skin trembling, his bones cracking.

A howl ripped through the night, louder than before. Hugo fell to his knees, his skin tearing like paper. His muscles bulged, his spine cracked, black fur bursting from his body. His hands became razor-sharp claws, his face elongating into a drooling maw, fangs prominent. He rose, massive, twice the size of the Betas, an Alpha Jagd bordering on nightmare-level. His golden eyes, fierce, locked onto Jay, raw authority radiating from him.

Kaiser, mouth agape, chuckled: "Damn, he’s really a Wunder... after all."

Jay, for the first time, looked unsettled. The alpha’s power was far greater than he’d anticipated. His mane blazed. "You’re nothing to a Löwen!" He charged, claws aiming for Hugo’s throat.

Hugo leaped, his claws slicing Jay’s chest. The Löwen roared, retaliating with a paw strike that gashed Hugo’s shoulder. Blood sprayed, but Hugo didn’t flinch. He howled again, a shockwave paralyzing the remaining two Betas. Their bodies trembled, torn between Jay’s hold and Hugo’s authority. One collapsed, whimpering; the other hesitated, backing away.

"You’re mine!" Hugo roared, his guttural voice shaking the clearing. He charged Jay, claws sinking into his flank. Jay howled, his claws slicing Hugo’s torso. The fight was titanic: trees fell, the ground churned beneath them. Hugo, enraged, sank his fangs into Jay’s shoulder, tearing flesh. The Löwen retaliated, claws piercing Hugo’s back, making him stagger.

"Hugo!" Ben shouted, getting up, his vampiric claws extended. He sliced a hesitating Beta, killing it with a precise throat strike. "Move, man! You’re stronger than him!"

Yuki, staggering, threw a blade that embedded in the last Beta’s heart. The wolf collapsed, its body smoking from corrosive blood. "Hugo, finish him!" he growled, leaning against a tree, spent.

Katrina, from a perch, fired an arrow that grazed Jay’s head. "Aim for the heart, Hugo!" she shouted, her voice firm. Kathy, on the ground, impaled a dying Beta, ensuring it wouldn’t rise.

"She seems to enjoy torturing corpses," Kaiser muttered to himself.

He pushed through the pain in his ribs. He plunged his dagger into a Beta already on the ground, growling: "I’m not a killer, but damn, you’re asking for it!" He chuckled, wiping blood from his face.

Jay roared furiously, "You’re not an Alpha!" he spat, his claws aiming for Hugo’s eyes. Hugo dodged, his claws slashing Jay’s face, drawing blood. The Lowen recoiled, blinded for a moment, but his wounds were healing too quickly.

Hugo panted, his Jagd body vibrating with rage. He was powerful, but Jay was more experienced, a natural predator, a Lowen with Scourge potential. Every blow Hugo landed was met with a more brutal retort. A claw slashed into his side, making him roar in pain. Blood flowed, soaking his black fur.