[Katakam Wildlife Reserve]

Fangxi looked at his dishevelled visage in the steel doors and fixed his appearance as much as possible. He hated everything that had anything to do with The Reach. Especially his Shu-shu, Zeng Liqin. He wanted out. Unfortunately, that didn't seem possible, at least in the near future.

The younger son of the Huang family was his last chance to fix the mess and retire.

A beach house in the Bahamas and being free of his Shu-shu's clutches is what the young man craved with all his heart.

After failing to nab Haojun at the airport and confessing the same to his Shu-shu, Fangxi had promised the latter that he would make sure to fix his mess up and infuse The Cure with fresh, unending supply of blood, come what may.

Two days later, Fangxi knew where the idol was hiding and who was in charge of his safety.

He had never liked Haoyu's favorite boy much. And now, after what Zhao Zan had managed to pull off, Fangxi hated him to the core.

Obviously, he had immediately informed his Shu-shu about the same and offered to kidnap Haojun right from under Zhao's watchful eyes.

To his surprise, though, his Shu-shu had stopped him and ordered him to wait till the right moment.

"The earlier he shifts, the weaker the blood will be." Shu-shu had informed his nephew. "Moreover, the chances of failure are higher if we try to force it."

Agreeing with his uncle and boss, Fangxi had waited patiently, watching the bodyguard and his charge grow closer and more comfortable around each other.

But as luck would have it, this time as well, he had failed to capture the idol who had unexpectedly turned out to be a handful. What was more, the unlucky nephew was afraid that he had compromised his identity too.

Scared shitless, Fangxi had once again returned to his boss empty-handed. However, the old man had gone easy on him.

"What's important is that you injected him. He doesn't have his people around him. Without his anchor, he will be like a wolf without a pack. Don't worry, son; he will shift, and once he does, he will kill and then there will be no going back for him."

The next in line to inherit the empire he was helping run presently, Fangxi entered the bloody OT.

'Why does this bastard always ask me to report to him here!?' He wondered and bowed in a mock display of respect when he saw his Shu-shu waiting for him.

"Did you find him?" The graying man asked, flicking the lit cigarette towards him. Ducking was not an option and invariably, the sparks from it brushed Fangxi's face before falling to the floor. Abandoned before its time.

"Not yet, Shu-shu, but I will. Rest assured."

The old man chuckled. It chilled the younger man to the bone.

"Son, don't you dare fucking lie to my face. Just give it to me straight."

Fangxi bit the inside of his cheek, and tasting metal, he replied, "I followed him. He was headed to the pit, but I got distracted and lost him."

The old man raised his brow, "Distracted?"

"Alpha1." said the man simply.

"Well, well, well. The prodigal son returned to the place he hated most. I wonder why?" He thought out loud before gesturing to Fangxi to continue.

"I shot him, but there was something different about him. The bullet bounced off of his chest too. He... I thought he would kill me, but he..."

"Not interested." Zeng Liqin interrupted, "Fangxi, you have survived and have returned to me without anything to show for your efforts. You keep disappointing me. If only my mother would have not started and polluted our blood... " he sighed wistfully.

"Sorry, Shu-shu."

"Your 'sorrys' will get you killed if you don't prove your usefulness soon, son." The old man warned. "What are you waiting for? It's time to change course. Gather everyone. Let's make the boy come to us."

Nodding like that was the best thing he had heard all day, Fangxi bowed and left his uncle's sight.

'Just you wait, old man. Your days are numbered. The reach will belong to me soon enough. And as for the Cure, I have never wanted any part of it.' He muttered under his breath. He had gone up against Alpha1 and survived. He didn't need his uncle anymore to tell him what to do.

'Just pretend to be his person one last time, Fangxi. You will be free soon.' The man promised himself as he briefed his subordinates about the change in plans and left the Wildlife reserve. From there, Fangxi drove to where he had been hanging around for days, the place he knew he would find Haoyu and his 'mystery woman.'

***

Within minutes, Zeng Liqin arrived at the Huang residence and was welcomed with open arms by his maternal uncle: the eldest member of the Huang Family, Huang Yilong, Haoyu, and Haojun's grandfather.
Haoyu, aware that the news of his brother going missing would create unrest in the family, had hidden the fact from them and left for Zhao Zan's residence.

He shouldn't have. For now, a wolf had entered his home with evil in his heart and honey in his words.
As the night grew darker, the foe, disguised as a beloved family member of the Huangs, fooled them.

Before the sun rose over their home, they had already fallen prey to his dirty tricks. Not even Haoyu, who was keeping Xueai company, could alert his people before it was too late.

Now, all Zeng Liqin needed was to figure out how to get to the elusive idol who had escaped from his clutches twice already. But this time, with the mighty Huangs under his control, he was sure that the boy would walk into his lair on his own.

After all, the Huangs were known to be self-sacrificing. How different would the youngest Huang be, especially now, when Zeng had already triggered the shift.

[Chapter word count: 1019;
Word count so far: 21416]