Chapter 6

My eyes widen, heart squeezing at the sudden shift in her expression. Scarlette’s usual light fades. Her gaze drops, her lips barely moving as she murmurs, “You don’t need to feel bad. The hunters killed her… not the foxes.”

Her voice is soft, dulled, like it’s been scraped across grief. I can feel the ache threading between her words.

“So now,” she continues, eyes scanning the shimmering surface of the pond, “the hunter empire is practically gone. They couldn’t even handle the three deity foxes. The guardians ended it. Just like that.” She lets out a half-laugh, but it’s hollow. “It’s good… but also bad. I don’t have a cover for my identity anymore.”

She’s trying to stay strong, but the sadness leaks through, quiet and sharp. I hesitate for a second, unsure what comfort I can offer—but then I step closer and wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her gently. Her body is cold and rigid, as if she’s forgotten how to lean into someone.

She offers a small, crooked smile—half-hearted but sincere. The pain is there, behind her eyes, but so is understanding. Now, we have something else in common.

Neither of us has a mother.

After a moment of stillness, she exhales and tilts her head to the side. “You know, your Luna really needs to work on her barrier,” she says, tone returning to its usual playful lilt. “It’s so easy to pass through. I genuinely pity the safety of your pack.”

I huff through my nose. She’s not wrong.

Werewolves are supposed to have the strongest defence systems in the supernatural world. It’s tradition, really—steeped in history that stretches back thousands of years. Back when shadow beasts stalked the earth.

According to old texts, there were once dark creatures made of mist and silence—shadow-born monstrosities. They allied with the vampires during the ancient war. Werewolves were hunted, their numbers shredded like paper. The Moon Goddess herself was said to be furious. So, she struck a deal with other divine beings—gods of war, nature, death—to grant her children strength.

Their blessings became our legacy.

The classifications goes like this.

1. Soul Warriors.

When a mark appears on a wolf’s body, they are recognised as a soul warrior—born to protect their pack and their alpha. There are three main types.

— Silver Souls:

Their marks appear on the left shoulder. They possess claws and bites infused with silver—deadly to most supernaturals. Their silver doesn’t just wound; it corrodes.

— Toxic Souls:

Their marks rest beneath their jaws. They shift with normal teeth and claws, but everything is laced with venom—deadly toxins that cause paralysis, unconsciousness, or death depending on the strength of their opponent. A markless wolf? Dead in minutes. An alpha? Weakened or stunned—unless the warrior is exceptionally strong, in which case, even alphas can fall.

— Fire Souls:

Marked on the right shoulder, their bodies run unnaturally hot. Their claws burn like a blacksmith’s forge—hot enough to slice through walls, sometimes even metal. Their speed outclasses the others. Their senses are sharper. They can scorch flesh with a single strike and incinerate toxins from within by raising their internal heat. They’re loyal to a fault. An alpha’s word is law. Betrayal is nearly impossible.

2. The Warrior Captain

This elite fighter is born with the combined abilities of both the Silver Soul and Toxic Soul—or in rare cases, a Fire Soul. A Warrior Captain is a force of destruction, capable of bypassing even the natural resistances of other warriors. Fire Souls, normally immune to poison or silver, fall just as hard under a Captain’s dual strength.

They are faster, more durable, and deadlier than any other warrior. Their mark appears on either arm, and there can only be one per pack. Unlike the Alpha or Beta, this role is not hereditary—it is earned.

3. The Trackers

Trackers are second only to the Alpha and Beta in speed. Their power is subtle but vital—tracking the past through breath. By inhaling at a site and exhaling through their snouts, they release a thin mist that reveals what happened there. Images, sounds, movement—like watching the past replay.

Their perception is unmatched. They can see what others miss, hear through walls, and detect heartbeats buried beneath the earth. Some can even out-hear the Luna or Alpha himself.

They’re not primarily fighters, but they’re far from weak. Their markings lie on their feet; either ankles or heels.

4. The Guard-Gifted

These wolves serve only the Luna, though they still obey the Alpha. Their respect, however, belongs to her. Their strength is superhuman. Their sheer size puts most alphas to shame, and their wolves are colossal—towering and thick with muscle.

Their primary duty is defence—guarding the alpha estate only if a Luna is present, and the pack’s magical barrier. They terrify me, honestly. Their mark rests at the base of their necks.

5. The Healers

Their role is clearer, but no less critical. Healing is a hereditary gift, passed through generations. There are three kinds:

Herbalists: Specialists in medicine, potions, and natural remedies.

Curers: Able to draw out disease and decay from the body.

Aura Healers: The rarest—capable of healing by touch, manipulating the body’s energy field to promote rapid recovery.

They can’t raise the dead or cure cancer, but they can save lives in minutes when human doctors would need days. Their mark lies along their forearms.

6. The Beta

Imagine stuffing the power of a Toxic Soul and a Fire Soul into the body of a slightly smaller Guard-Gifted. That’s the Beta—a perfectly lethal hybrid. They carry overwhelming strength, fast reflexes, and brutal force, wrapped in one loyal second-in-command.

Their mark is centred directly over their chest—as if to announce the weight of their duty.

7. The Luna.

A Luna gains power the moment she becomes one. She’s the core of the pack’s emotional and mental wellbeing. Her gifts include empathic healing—able to mend emotional wounds—and barrier creation. Without her, the Alpha’s barrier is weak. In truth, a Luna is vital. Her mark appears on the back of either hand, though rare ones have them on the hips or chest.

8. The Alpha.

The Alpha is the pack’s crown and shield. Their power eclipses the rest—command, strength, speed, and enhanced abilities. Some have kinetic powers—moving objects, manipulating sound, thick chains, metal, stone, even plants. Others are rarer: wielders of silver, fire, ice, wind, or shadow.

Each Alpha has at least two unique abilities—no more. Except for one.

Alpha Hendrix Ajax.

Feared across the supernatural world, Alpha Ajax doesn’t just possess two abilities. He has more than any Alpha in recorded history. And many of them aren’t even in our known records.

That’s what makes him terrifying.

The mark of an Alpha rests on the side of their neck or across their back, glowing faintly with power when they command.

In the world of werewolves, strength is measured by three things:

Your numbers.

Your Alpha.

And his Luna.

Among all these marks, gifts, and divine blessings…

I have none.