Mark’s breath fogged in the cold air as he stared into the golden eyes of the beast that had once been his brother. The rifle trembled in his hands.
"Jake…?" he whispered.
A guttural growl was his only answer. Then—movement. A massive black-furred werewolf lunged from the trees, slamming into Jake with a snarl. The two beasts rolled, teeth flashing, claws tearing into flesh.
Mark stumbled back. The legends were true. There were more of them.
Jake’s mind burned with fury and pain. The black werewolf—the one who had bitten him—was stronger, older. It fought not just to kill, but to dominate.
"You belong to the pack now," a voice hissed in his skull.
But another memory surged—the woman’s voice from his vision. "The curse can be broken."
With a desperate lunge, Jake clamped his jaws on the black wolf’s throat. Blood filled his mouth, metallic and hot. The beast howled, thrashing, before wrenching free and vanishing into the shadows.
Silence fell.
Mark slowly lowered his gun as Jake’s body convulsed. Fur receded, bones snapped back into place. Human again—but not unscathed. Jake gasped, naked and bleeding in the dirt. "It’s not over," he rasped. "There’s a way to end this."
Mark helped him up, jaw set. "Then we finish it."
Somewhere in the dark, the black wolf watched… and waited.
Also Read The Howling Curse: Blood Moon Awakening
