The forest was dead silent. Smoke from the burning huts drifted lazily into the night sky. The only sound left was Magnus’s ragged breathing as Derek held him off the ground, one massive clawed hand wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Who sent you?” Derek’s voice came out deep and rough, like gravel grinding together. His red eyes glowed faintly in the dark.

Magnus struggled against the grip, his claws scraping helplessly against Derek’s arm. He tried to breathe but couldn’t. Derek’s hand tightened just enough to make his lungs scream for air. Finally, Magnus raised both hands weakly, signaling he would talk. Derek loosened his grip slightly but didn’t put him down.

Magnus gasped and coughed hard. His eyes darted between Derek’s monstrous face and the shadows behind him. He could feel the heat of Derek’s breath against his skin. The beast’s eyes didn’t blink, didn’t waver.

“It wasn’t me,” Magnus rasped. “It was them.”

“Who?” Derek asked, his voice low.

Magnus swallowed hard, the movement painful against Derek’s grip. “That somebody,” he said. “I don’t know who they really are. They appeared to me after that night, after you humiliated me.”

Derek said nothing. His silence was heavier than his words.

Magnus continued, his voice trembling. “They weren’t like anyone I’ve ever met. The power around them wasn’t natural. It wasn’t from this world. I thought I was dreaming until they spoke.”

Elena stood a few feet away, still frozen. Her heart was beating so fast she could hear it in her ears.

Magnus’s words came out in short breaths. “They said they’d give me what I needed to destroy you. That your end would come through magic, through a power you couldn’t withstand. In return, I was to deliver her.” His eyes darted toward Elena.

Derek’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak.

“I didn’t understand why they wanted her,” Magnus said. “But I agreed. The offer was too good. They gave me this power, told me how to summon it when I faced you. I thought it would kill you.” He coughed again, spitting blood onto the dirt. “But it didn’t. It didn’t even hurt you. That fire should’ve burned you to ashes.”

Elena looked between them, confusion and fear battling inside her.

Magnus’s breathing grew faster. He looked straight into Derek’s glowing eyes and whispered, “They told me one more thing… before they disappeared.”

“What?” Derek’s voice came out like a growl.

“They said—” Magnus hesitated, trembling. “They said she… she will be your undoing.”

Elena’s heart stopped for a second.

Derek’s grip tightened. His expression didn’t change, but something changed in his eyes. It was anger, confusion, maybe both.

Magnus started to laugh weakly, a low, broken sound. “You’re powerful, Derek. But even you can’t fight fate. She’s the key. She’s...”

He never finished the sentence.

In an instant, his body stiffened. His eyes widened in shock. A faint red glow appeared beneath his skin, spreading fast like cracks in glass. Smoke began to rise from his mouth, his eyes, his ears. His body trembled violently.

Elena gasped. “Derek...”

Before she could move, Magnus let out a sharp scream as his entire body burst into flames. It wasn’t normal fire. It came from within him, burning through flesh and bone. His screams echoed through the forest, raw and terrified.

Derek dropped him, stepping back as the flames consumed what was left. Within seconds, Magnus was gone, there was only a pile of black ash remained where he had stood.

The fire died as quickly as it started. Silence returned, heavy and cold.

Elena covered her mouth, trembling. Her stomach turned at the smell.

Derek stood still for a moment, staring at the ashes. His chest rose and fell slowly, the faint glow of his eyes dimming a little. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move.

Then he turned toward her.

Elena took an instinctive step back, her legs shaking. Derek was still in his beast form — tall, broad, terrifying. His fur was soaked with blood, his claws dripping, his breathing deep and steady. He looked at her with eyes that burned faintly gold again.

She couldn’t run. Her body wouldn’t move.

Derek took a slow step toward her, then another. The ground trembled beneath his feet. He stopped a few inches away, towering over her. His wolf side growled softly, the sound vibrating in the air.

For a moment, they just stared at each other.

Then, slowly, his body began to change.

The sound of bones snapping filled the silence again, but this time slower, calmer. His fur receded, his claws shrank, and his snout shortened. His breathing became human again. Within moments, Derek stood before her, human, bloodied, and completely naked. His eyes, however, still glowed faintly under the moonlight.

Elena’s lips parted, her breath shaky. She tried to speak but nothing came out. Her head spun, and before she could steady herself, everything went dark.

She fainted.

Derek caught her just before she hit the ground. He looked down at her face, it was pale, fragile, and unconscious. For a moment, something shifted in his expression. The fury faded, replaced by something else. Something softer.

He lifted her in his arms and turned toward the dark path leading out of the forest. His steps were slow but firm. The night was still, but the faint echo of what had happened lingered in the air.

The forest carried the weight of what it had just witnessed , death, power, and something darker waking beneath it all.

Derek didn’t look back. He walked until the shadows swallowed both of them.

The moon hung low, half-hidden behind the drifting clouds. The air was colder now, too quiet.

A few moments after they were gone, the ashes where Magnus had burned began to stir. The wind picked up, swirling them into the air.

From the darkness, a figure appeared — tall, cloaked, and silent. The air around it rippled slightly, like heat from a fire, though there was no warmth in it. The figure stood still, watching the direction Derek had gone.

A faint smile formed beneath the hood.

The voice that followed was soft, but it carried across the forest.

“So it begins.”