The night was heavy and still. The moonlight poured through the trees, painting long shadows across the forest floor. Derek and Magnus stood opposite each other, eyes locked, breathing hard. His wolf side was intimidating, he felt unstoppable.

Magnus took the first step forward, his face twisted with rage. His claws flexed, his teeth bared. Derek didn’t move. He stood still, calm, waiting. That calm angered Magnus even more.

With a snarl, Magnus lunged. His speed was explosive, a blur of muscle and fury. He slammed into Derek with enough force to shake the ground. The impact sent both of them crashing into a nearby tree, splintering it in half.

Derek grunted but recovered fast. He drove his elbow into Magnus’s ribs, the crack of bone clear in the air. Magnus roared and retaliated with a wild punch that sent Derek sliding backward across the dirt.

They circled each other again, both panting, both bleeding. Magnus’s lip was split, and Derek’s shirt was torn, revealing long claw marks across his chest. The smell of blood mixed with the sharp scent of pine and earth.

Magnus rushed him again, faster this time. His claws slashed through the air. Derek dodged the first swipe, blocked the second, but the third caught him across the shoulder. He winced but stayed silent. He retaliated with a quick uppercut that caught Magnus under the jaw. The force of it lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling backward.

Magnus rolled and came up on one knee, spitting blood. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and snarled.

“You think you can beat me without shifting?” he growled.

Derek said nothing. His eyes glowed faintly, cold and sharp.

That silence infuriated Magnus. He charged again, this time aiming low. He tackled Derek around the waist, and they both hit the ground hard. Dirt flew everywhere as they wrestled for control. Magnus’s claws tore at Derek’s back while Derek’s fists hammered at Magnus’s sides.

Elena stood several feet away, her hands covering her mouth. She couldn’t move. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Every sound, every grunt, every blow made her flinch. She had never seen anything like this.

Magnus managed to pin Derek to the ground and slammed his fist into his face once, twice, three times. Blood splattered the soil. Derek’s head jerked with each hit, but his eyes stayed open and unbroken. On the fourth hit, he caught Magnus’s massive fist mid-swing, squeezed, and twisted. Bones popped. Magnus howled in pain.

Derek rolled them over and slammed Magnus’s head into the ground again and again until the dirt beneath them turned dark with blood. Then Magnus kneed him in the ribs, breaking free. Both men staggered to their feet, panting like animals.

Magnus charged again, but this time Derek was ready. He met him halfway. Their bodies collided with a thunderous crack. Derek jumped drove a knee into Magnus’s stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs, then hit him across the jaw with a heavy right hook. Magnus stumbled but didn’t fall. He swung wildly and caught Derek across the face with his claws. Three deep cuts appeared instantly.

Derek didn’t react. He wiped the blood with his thumb, looked at it, and smirked faintly. That single expression made Magnus lose control completely.

He screamed and attacked. Blow after blow. Scratch after scratch. His fury made him fast, but his aim was wild. Derek blocked most of them, countered others. Every punch Derek threw landed with precision, to the ribs, the throat, the temple. He was fighting like someone trained to kill.

At one point, Magnus grabbed Derek by the collar and threw him through a tree trunk. The crash echoed through the forest. Derek hit the ground hard but rolled and stood back up as if it hadn’t happened. His chest rose and fell, but his eyes remained locked on Magnus.

Elena fell to her knees, shaking. She wanted to scream at them to stop, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

Magnus growled. “I’ll end this now.”

He touched his arm and ripped out a small charm, a dark, cracked stone with strange markings. The instant his fingers touched it, the air grew colder. A faint whisper filled the space around them, a voice only he could hear.

He had almost forgotten this gift, the power he had been promised by that unknown being. The one who needed Elena and in return gave him strength. He was just told that the little witch was the only one who could kill Derek and she was someone who could control light or something. He had witnessed the light himself when he sneaked into the pack the previous night and he had seen the wall of light, all so powerful.

How could a weak witch like her wield such powers? He burned more with fury, he needed to take down Derek for good.

He could feel the energy burning through him, wild and uncontrollable. His eyes turned completely black as he grabbed Derek by the throat with both hands.

The stone broke and chant came out of him like a scream, rough, desperate, half in pain. Words that didn’t belong in any known language.

The moment he spoke them, the world seemed to tilt. A wave of heat exploded from his hands, and Derek’s body burst into flames.

Elena screamed.

The fire spread fast, covering Derek’s chest, arms, and face. The smell of burning flesh filled the night. Magnus didn’t stop. He held on, pushing every ounce of his strength into the spell, even as his own skin started to burn from the backlash.

Derek’s body hit the ground with a dull thud, flames consuming him. Magnus fell to his knees, breathing hard, his vision blurring. He could barely lift his head. The power had taken everything from him and he slowly returned back to his human form.

He stared at the burning figure on the ground, a faint smile crossing his bloody lips. “It’s over,” he whispered.

But then, the fire flickered.

Magnus frowned. The flames began to die down on their own, fading away as if smothered by invisible hands. Smoke drifted into the air, and through it, a shadow moved.

Derek stood up.

His clothes were burned away, but his body was untouched. Not a single scar remained. His eyes glowed a deep gold that pulsed like molten light. His expression was calm, almost amused.

He tilted his head and let out a small laugh. “Weak.”

Magnus stumbled back, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. “That’s not possible,” he muttered.

Derek took a slow step forward, then another. The ground seemed to quake under his feet. His body began to change, not slowly, not painfully, but with the violence of something breaking free.

Bones snapped in quick succession. His arms grew longer, his muscles bulged and twisted. The sound was brutal, like wood splitting. His skin tore open in several places as thick black fur pushed through. His jaw cracked and stretched forward, forming a muzzle filled with sharp teeth.

Elena screamed again, covering her ears. The noise of bones breaking and flesh shifting was unbearable.

Magnus fell backward, terrified. He had fought monsters before, but this was something else.

In seconds, Derek was gone. In his place stood a massive beast, bigger and more terrifying than anything Magnus had ever seen. His fur was dark and coarse, his claws like knives. His eyes glowed with burning red light that cut through the darkness.

He growled, deep and guttural, and the sound made the trees shake. Magnus could barely breathe. The air around Derek was heavy with power, enough to crush a man’s spirit.

Derek stepped forward, each move slow and deliberate. His claws sank into the ground as he approached. He reached down and grabbed Magnus by the throat with one massive hand, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

Magnus kicked and struggled, but it was useless. Derek’s grip was like steel.

Derek’s voice came out as a growl, half-human, half-beast. “Who sent you?”

There was no emotion in his tone, only dominance, control, and rage.

Magnus tried to speak, but only a choking sound came out. Derek’s claws tightened slightly, and the color drained from Magnus’s face.

Elena watched everything from where she knelt, frozen in place. Her whole body shook. She couldn’t take her eyes off Derek.

He wasn’t the same man who had walked into the forest earlier. He wasn’t human anymore. The creature standing before her looked like something out of a nightmare, powerful, cold, and merciless.

The sight of him sent a wave of fear through her so strong it hurt. Her heart pounded against her ribs.

In that moment, she understood why everyone feared Derek. Why his name made even the strongest men shudder.

He was a monster, a being made for destruction, not mercy.

She could barely breathe as she stared at him. The moonlight reflected off his fur, his claws dripping with blood. His growl vibrated through the air, low and steady.

Elena’s lips trembled. She finally understood.

This was not just a cursed man fighting for survival.

This was a beast that had been waiting to wake up.

And now, it had.

She whispered under her breath, voice cracking, “Dear God.”

The words barely left her lips as Derek stood there, holding Magnus by the throat, his red flaming eyes burning through the dark like fire.

The forest was silent except for Derek’s breathing.

And for the first time, Elena truly saw the monster everyone had been talking about.

The monster that wore Derek’s face.