The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth as the group made their way through the forest. The cool evening light filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the path. Maia, Rex, Annia, and Kore walked in silence, the weight of their recent altercation in Tierna still heavy on their shoulders.

As the journey to the Nest stretched on, the foul mood seemed to cling to the group, weighing down on them. Rex walked slightly ahead, his long white hair brushing against the collar of his cloak. His quiet presence felt like a storm waiting to break.

Behind him, Maia tried to maintain her distance, unsure of the situation or where she stood in the pack's complex web. The ritual that had bound her to them still loomed over her, and Rex's adamant refusal to mark her made her feel like an outsider more than ever before.

"Are you alright?" Maia asked, as they briefly made a stop, carefully tracing her fingers along Rex's stubbly chin which had turned an odd bruised colour. "The two of you could've easily stood up to that foulmouthed prick."

Rex could have told her that it didn't hurt as bad as it seemed, in fact, the little pain he felt was long gone, and the small tingling sensation caused by the tips of her fingers had all his attention.

"Will these be enough?" asked he, opening one eye to sneak a peek at the couple bags of goods, then at Annia.

"I think so," she sighed, rummaging through one of them, "besides, the hallowmorian envoy promised a bountiful offering upon their arrival."

She looked Kore up and down, her eyebrows furrowing together. His fur was all messy and the big pout on his lips left no room for doubt of his state of mind. His cheeks were smeared with mud, and half his braids had come undone.

"Let me take a look at your forehead," said she, brushing the messy strands to the side, and dabbed a couple times on his forehead with a wet rag.

"Ouch!" he cried, tilting his head, but Annia pulled him back to her grasp. "It hurts!"

"It better hurt! Do you know what you did back there?" she scolded.

"Whatever..." he mumbled. "We are all here and alive, aren't we?"

Maia pressed her lips tightly together, and as her eyes fixed on the injury on Rex's face the urge to lash out at the boy gathered in her chest. But Rex's careful gaze, which held hers in a silent tango of unspoken glances kept those heinous thought at bay.

"What are you looking at?" Kore blurted, as her eyes now met with his.

The tension that had settled in the group after the unfortunate event had remained, stretching from the bustling streets of Tierna to the quiet path leading back to the Nest.

"For the first time in my life, I am so not jealous of your hair, Rex," blurted out the young guy. "Just when- OUCH!" he jolted, sprinting upward on his feet, fangs out at Annia. "What did you hit me for?"

"What does he mean?" Maia turned towards Annia confused.

"He is the spitting image of his mother, that's what!" Kore blurted, but quickly covered his mouth with both his palms.

"There aren't many as he is..." Annia carefully worded. "Let alone Lykans."

Maia, wrapped in her thoughts, cast a glance at Rex, noting the stiffness in his posture. She had seen him like this before, a quiet storm building just below the surface. There was something unresolved, something unspoken in the air, and she had a feeling it had to do with whatever that merchant said. She wanted to know, what affected him so much.

"But why are they so ready to jump at your throats?" she asked Annia.

"Some are still afraid."

"I'd be afraid too if I were them!" Kore interrupted again. "Between us and them, we all know who would have won." He mimicked a few punches in the air, then smirked with confidence. "Am I right?"

Maia ignored the boy's comment, further pressing the matter.

"But why are they afraid? It's not like you were gonna do anything bad to them. You were literally just going about your day at the market."

"The Vencrossian people are still haunted by memories of things that happened." Annia begun. "You see... Some years back, before Charming Tyras, the current king's father, took the throne, this land was governed by a foreign ruler. Charming, who had no royal blood, fell in love with the ruler's daughter. Although he wanted to run away with her, he was captured and imprisoned."

"But he escaped!" butted in Kore who couldn't hold back his enthusiasm, despite Annia throwing him a serious glare. "With the help of his most trusted friend, Nixsus Furvus, our legend Alpha!"

At the mention of Nix's name, Rex's expression darkened, and Maia could feel his body tense beside her, but he said nothing. The story continued though, and Annia's voice grew more somber.

"Together with Gamza and his sons, Nix freed Charming from the prison which they call the Rozalius. And so begun a struggle for power."

Rex's lips pressed together, his eyes glinting with something unreadable, but he still said nothing. Maia felt a ripple of unease, but she remained silent, waiting for Annia to continue.

"Charming fought the foreign ruler with the blessing of one of the Empire's guardians." She paused, tightening the bag she looked through, then looked back at Maia. "They killed the ruler, and Charming ascended to the throne, marrying the foreign ruler's daughter he so loved."

Kore, who had been listening intently, interrupted with a grin. "And then, what happened? Did Nix go back to his pack? Was he happy?" His childlike enthusiasm cut through the tension, but it only added to the unease.

"Then came peace." Annia continued. "The new king's trusted hound returned to his pack. And the kingdom prospered for 15 long years."

Annia's gaze dropped, the atmosphere around them thickening.

"And then came the blessing ceremony of King Charming's children. A grand feast, as you'd imagine, the entire seven kingdoms were invited, and celebrations lasted for days." Annia bit the inside of her cheek recollecting her thoughts. "Then came the night of the hunting tournament. The night Charming was killed..." she continued, her voice so quiet that Maia had to lean in to hear her. "It was supposed to be just a hunting trip. Nix and Charming—they were usually a team, out in the northern woods. It wasn't unusual. They'd hunted together for years. No one thought anything of it, but that night... everything changed."

Maia felt the unease ripple through the air. Annia's words carried a weight that neither of the ones present could escape, and the flickering shadows seemed to deepen in response.

"The next morning," Annia proceeded, "the hunt turned into a nightmare. Charming was found—dead, deep in the woods. His body was mangled, as if he'd been attacked by some wild beast. The marks..." she paused, her throat tight, "the marks on his body—claw marks, deep and savage—were seen before. Nix missing would have prompted a help search party. After all, the king dead, and him gone missing, might have meant Nix had been in danger too. If not for those wounds on Charming's body..." she shook her head. "Lykan claw marks."

"So, the help party turned into a hunting party..." Maia softly concluded.

Rex's jaw clenched, his eyes turning to stone. He didn't want to hear this. He didn't want to believe it. But the seeds of doubt were being planted yet again, and he felt them beginning to sprout.

"But Nix was never seen again," concluded Annia. "And so, all that carry his blood were cursed along with the land they live on."

"Until the day a sacrifice was made..." Maia whispered, her trembling hand covering her stitched-up throat.

Kore, sensing the rising conflict, piped up, trying to lighten the mood, but his voice lacked its usual mischief. "But if Nix didn't do it... then who did?"

With his fists clenched together tightly Rex finally added:

"My father might have been many things. But a killer he was not!"