James fell deep into thought. He really wanted to test out isolating his physical strength without shifting, but he had a few lingering questions first—and currently, no one around to ask.
Times like these were when he genuinely wished he was still within the safe confines of the pack territory.
He paused mid-thought.
Wait... I actually do know someone who can answer this.
The moment the realization hit him, James shifted his posture, settling into a cross-legged meditation stance on his floor.
Taking a long, deep breath through his mouth, he held the air in his chest for four seconds, then exhaled slowly until his lungs were completely empty.
His muscles slowly unstrung themselves. He kept up the rhythmic breathing for five solid minutes—inhaling for five seconds, holding, and exhaling for four.
Rinse and repeat. He could feel his racing pulse settling as he actively chased the calm state of mind he'd tapped into before.
Every time he'd encountered the inner beast in his subconscious, he had been in a relaxed, meditative state.
The very first time, he had just finished a brutal fight, so the creature's aura had been wild and erratic—but tonight, everything was quiet.
With his mind completely relaxed and his physical body centered, James began to sink deeper into his own subconscious.
Unlike last time, he wasn't trying to draw upon his raw magic. Instead, he plunged much deeper, descending straight into the bedrock of his soul.
When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of a lush, moonlit garden. The soft, rhythmic trickling of a nearby lake echoed through the night air.
The landscape looked identical to his previous visit—profoundly peaceful, surrounded by tall stalks of emerald bamboo—except for one major difference. Looking up toward the sky, there was no sun.
Instead, a brilliant full moon hung suspended in the dark void, illuminating the realm in a pale, silvery glow.
He had never seen his subconscious at night before.
Staring up at the sky, he could see millions of distant stars twinkling against the darkness, while the surface of the lake below radiated a faint, ethereal light. Everything felt vibrantly alive.
Turning his head toward the stone bank behind him where the beast usually resided, he spotted a creature lying comfortably on the smooth rocks. It was an average-sized wolf.
Yet, despite its relatively harmless posture on the ground, the wolf's sharp eyes were wide open, casually tracking his every movement.
The creature had clearly been aware of James's arrival long before he had even fully materialized.
Okay, it's not twelve feet tall this time, so I actually stand a chance, James noted mentally.
The last time he'd seen the wolf in its towering, monstrous form, he had ended up getting his head figuratively chopped clean off his shoulders.
Tonight felt different.
The wolf stared at him, and even though no physical words left its snout, James understood the intent behind its piercing gaze as clearly as if it had spoken aloud.
'What brings you here?'
If anything, the beast looked more annoyed by his intrusion than hostile. James took a seat on the soft, mossy grass about six feet away from it.
"Can a guy not just want to spend some quality time with himself?" James asked with a faint grin.
If the wolf had human eyes, it definitely would have rolled them.
Once again, the intent behind its golden gaze flashed into James's mind:
'Do not lie to me. You are here because you want something.'
Well, guess there was no bullshitting his own soul.
"Alright, fine, since you're being so blunt..." James rubbed his hands together, trying to pump himself up. "So, like... you remember our deal?"
Now that James thought about it, wasn't making a deal with his inner beast technically just forming a binding pact with himself?
Food for thought.
The wolf let out a low, gravelly huff through its nose, shifting its weight on the rocks.
It didn't bother opening its jaws, but its deep, echoing voice vibrated straight into James's mind:
...You lost...
"I mean, sure, Raze beat my ass a bit," James admitted.
The wolf shot him a flat, unamused look.
"Okay, fine—a lot," James corrected, groaning slightly. He really didn't enjoy being dragged by his own inner beast, but facts were facts.
"However... if we're being completely technical about this," James continued, dialing into his inner lawyer,
"let me refresh your memory on the exact phrasing I used during our arrangement. I said, and I quote: 'The fight with Raze is today. If I go out there and absolutely handle business—if I push him to use the absolute maximum of his power without relying on a full, wild transformation—do we have a deal? You stop trying to slash my brain into confetti every time I look inward?'"
The wolf simply stared at him, its golden eyes silently asking: And?
"Technically," James said, praying this wouldn't result in him getting mauled,
"I never explicitly specified which maximum power. Base form, hybrid form, or full beast form. Raze had to push his base form to its absolute physical limits just to handle me in that ring. Therefore, I technically fulfilled the precise terms of the deal."
The beast let out a low, dangerous snarl, the fur along its spine bristling slightly.
"Come on, let's be logical here!" James argued, raising his hands.
"I was handling the fight just fine! Granted, I was temporarily blinded, but I was holding my own—well, right up until he went for that low blow."
The creature looked thoroughly annoyed by his loophole, but it didn't attack.
Instead, it rested its massive head back down on its paws, treating James like an irrelevant nuisance.
Having successfully made his point, James leaned in slightly. "So, look... since we're basically best friends and all—"
The beast let out a menacing growl, its upper lip curling back to reveal rows of deadly, razor-sharp fangs.
Its body instantly expanded, its shadowy frame swelling until it towered over six feet tall on all fours.
"Friends!" James quickly rephrased, putting his hands up defensively. "I meant co-workers!"
The beast slowly settled back down into its resting pose, its size shrinking back to normal. James let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
Jesus, almost got eaten again.
"As good co-workers," James tried again softly, "could you maybe drop me a few hints on how to master partial transformation? If you help me out, I'll literally use my savings to buy you top-grade red meat."
The wolf's ears perked up instantly at the mention of fresh meat.
Oh... now that's a good offer.
"So... is that a yes, or—"
SNAP.
Before James could finish his sentence, his eyes blinked, and the peaceful garden vanished.
In an instant, he was back in his apartment, sitting cross-legged on his bedroom floor in the exact same meditation pose.
Glancing over at the digital clock on his nightstand, he realized the entire conversation in his inner mind had taken barely a couple of seconds in real time, even though it had felt like five full minutes down there.
"Well... guess that's one route shut down for now," James muttered, rubbing his neck. It looked like he wasn't getting a shortcut to partial transformation tonight. How disappointing.
As he went to stand up, his heightened sense of smell caught something drifting through the room.
James paused, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air again. Wait... I know that scent.
Walking over to his bedroom window, he unlocked the latch and pushed the frame up a few inches, allowing the cool night breeze to wash into the room.
He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, sifting through the scents carrying across the city grid.
Beneath the metallic tang of exhaust and damp concrete, he picked up a distinct, sharp citrus aroma—intertwined with a heavy, dangerously violent undertone.
He frowned, taking another slow, focused breath.
For some strange, instinctual reason, the scent carrying over the wind felt almost like a direct call, pulling at his senses.
"Why does it smell like... it's trying to invite me over?" James murmured softly into the quiet room. He had never encountered a scent that carried such a bizarre, intentional pull before.
/
Usually, James would have ignored a strange pull like that.
He was naturally cautious—almost paranoid at times.
However, the scent carried a familiar trace, and its underlying intent didn't feel hostile in the slightest.
"Fuck it. What's the worst that can happen?" he muttered to himself.
Deciding to head out, he pulled on a hoodie over his shirt, making sure his mom's necklace was safely tucked beneath his collar.
As he pulled his shoes on, he made a mental note to pick up some quality red meat later to keep his end of the bargain with his inner beast.
Speaking of buying stuff... he decided to check his bank balance first.
Unlocking his phone, he tapped into his banking app and waited for the screen to load.
[ ACCOUNT BALANCE ]
$50.76
A deep frown creased his forehead. He was officially hovering at bankruptcy levels of broke. He desperately needed to secure a part-time job before his next stipend hit his account.
Fuck...
He'd start applying for jobs immediately after this detour.
Letting out a heavy sigh, James grabbed his keys from the counter and walked over to the kitchen.
He picked up a small plastic grocery bag containing a few random convenience store snacks he'd bought earlier—including a bag of sour gummies—and made his way out the door.
Locking his apartment behind him, he picked up the pace, jogging down the stairwell and out onto the cool street toward the origin of the scent.
Even though it was past two in the morning, his heightened night vision made the urban landscape look almost as bright as early dusk.
Ten minutes later, James arrived at his destination.
This wasn't just the edge of the tree line—he was standing quite literally deep within the thick, dark woods bordering the city limits.
"This is definitely where it came from," James muttered, glancing around at the towering oaks. He couldn't help but marvel at the absurdity of his own life: following an unknown supernatural scent into a pitch-black forest at 2:00 AM. His survival instincts were truly top-tier.
Looking up toward a rocky outcropping overhead, he spotted them.
Caius stood tall atop the ledge, looking stoic as ever against the moonlight.
Mira was casually leaning against the jagged rock face below him, picking at her nails, while Talia stood with her hands resting cockily on her hips, her absurdly massive broadsword strapped securely across her back.
Somewhere in the deep shadows behind the outcropping, Rowan was lurking.
James couldn't actually see the man directly—the assassin was literally folded into the dark contours of the forest.
'So... a shadow user can literally meld into natural shadows,' James noted internally, making a firm mental check.
It seemed shadow manipulation wasn't just limited to basic physical constructs.
Before he could process anything else, two soft, sudden impacts hit him directly in the face as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck in an enthusiastic headlock.
"You finally made it!"
James recognized that hyperactive voice instantly. There was only one woman he knew who would be this ridiculously excited to see him at two in the morning.
Luckily, his body had instinctively braced for the ambush the second he spotted her golden curls, though the sheer kinetic weight of that massive broadsword on her back still forced him to take a sudden step back.
He winced slightly, adjusting to her weight as she leaned on him.
James's nose flared, taking a subtle breath. Ah, so it was her scent. The pull that had drawn him all the way out here was Talia's personal scent, infused with a faint, deliberate trace of her aura.
"He got here in under thirty minutes," Rowan's quiet voice echoed as his head popped smoothly out of the shadow cast by the rock face.
Mira looked thoroughly pissed, crossing her arms with a sharp glare. "You owe me."
"Why the fuck did he run so fast?!" Mira grumbled, looking thoroughly annoyed at losing whatever deal they had made.
James, meanwhile, was struggling under a sheer lack of air.
"Can I... breathe, please?" he wheezed politely. He kind of needed oxygen to survive.
Talia instantly let go and hopped off him, looking wildly giddy, as if she were eagerly anticipating a prize.
James felt a faint sense of dread—he had a strange feeling he was forgetting something important.
Ignoring her hyperactive energy for a second, James turned his head toward Caius. "What did they bet on?"
Caius looked down from his high perch, his expression unreadable as he answered in his usual dry tone.
"Mira bet that you wouldn't arrive for at least an hour. Rowan bet that you would arrive much sooner."
James gave them a bizarre, baffled look. They were literally placing sports bets on his commute time.
"I told you he'd hurry!" Talia boasted proudly, puffing out her chest.
"How was I supposed to know your stench carries across three city blocks?!" Mira shot back venomously.
Before Talia could draw her massive broadsword and start swinging at her teammate, James politely held up a hand between them, stepping into the middle of the dispute.
Man, it seemed like Mira possessed a PhD in rage-baiting Talia—though earlier today back at the cabin, it had felt like the roles were reversed.
Before another screaming match could erupt, Caius stepped down from the ledge, his steady presence instantly clearing the air.
"Talia was chosen to project the calling aura toward the pup because she has spent the most operational time with him," Caius explained calmly.
"Therefore, her scent was the one his hybrid instincts would recognize most readily."
Mira gritted her teeth in irritation, while Talia beamed like a praised golden retriever.
James chose not to get involved in whatever pack hierarchy drama was going on there.
"That's cool and all," James said, shifting the small grocery bag in his hand, "but why am I out here? The last message I got basically said I should keep a low profile for a bit."
"We have an active field mission," Caius answered, his low, resonant voice cutting through the rustle of the autumn leaves.
"Like... right now right now?" James asked, hoping against hope that he meant later this weekend.
Caius raised an eyebrow, his piercing gaze settling on the teenager. "Do you have prior obligations to attend to?"
Even though his tone sounded like a polite question, it clearly wasn't.
Caius was vaguely aware that as a college student, James had academic responsibilities—and it was late October, meaning midterm season was right around the corner.
But while human studies were important, the elders in the pack had lived through half of modern history; they could easily tutor the kid to catch up if necessary.
"Yeah, I kind of have a physics class in like six hours," James said dryly.
Mira scoffed from the side, rolling her eyes dramatically as she leaned against a tree trunk.
"Look at the rookie chickening out already. What's the matter, pup? Scared of a little dark?"
"I'm not chickening out," James defended himself smoothly, not taking the bait. "I'm just calculating how many hours of sleep I can realistically survive on."
"The operation will not take long," Caius assured him. "We will be back well before sunrise."
"Oh. Well, if that's the case, I'm in," James agreed readily. That was all the confirmation he needed.
Besides, getting to see real supernatural field operations up close was undeniably cool.
"You will be briefed along the way," Caius commanded, turning on his heel to lead the group deeper into the forest.
The squad fell into formation, James trailing alongside them.
As they walked, Talia kept glancing over at him, practically vibrating with excitement. Finally, she bumped her shoulder against his, leaning into his ear.
"Sooo... pup... did you bring me something?" she whispered playfully, tapping his shoulder.
James blinked, a sudden memory clicking into place. Right! The snacks!
"Wait, you were serious about that?" James asked. Seeing her giddy nod, he reached into the plastic grocery bag he had been carrying.
"Look, I didn't know your exact taste, so I just grabbed these."
He pulled out a bright, neon-colored candy wrapper and handed it over.
Talia's eyes sparkled with genuine delight as she read the bold text on the packaging: SUPER SOUR GUMMY WORMS.
"Ooooooh! You hit the absolute jackpot!" she squeaked happily, tearing the bag open without hesitation and popping three sour gummies into her mouth at once.
"Man, it's been so long since I had these!"
While Talia was happily munching away on her candy, James reached back into his plastic bag and turned toward Mira.
"Oh, hey—Mira!"
The brunette girl glanced over her shoulder, her brow arched aggressively. "What?" she barked in her usual rowdy, defensive tone.
"I didn't know what you liked either, so I just grabbed these," James said, tossing a red bag through the air.
Mira caught it effortlessly. She looked down at the label—FLAMIN' HOT CHEETOS—and narrowed her eyes before ripping the bag open and tossing a chip into her mouth.
"It's... not bad, I guess," she muttered, looking away. Yet, through his heightened senses, James picked up a subtle, warm shift in her aura—she was secretly thrilled. Nice, nailed it.
James then glanced toward the shadows near Caius, where Rowan was walking. "So, Rowan... I really don't know what you like. Mind telling me for next time?"
Rowan, who was currently communicating something quietly to Caius, paused.
James noticed that a faint barrier of dark aura and suppressed sound wrapped around the two senior pack members, shielding their private conversation from his ears.
Cool, so shadow magic can be used as an acoustic shield too. Good to know.
Rowan's shadowy figure tilted his head back toward James. "I like fish," he offered plainly before vanishing back into the gloom.
James noted it down mentally.
"So, Talia sweet, Mira spicy stuff, Rowan fish, and Caius cornbread." James noticed a twitch on Caius body at the sound of cornbread, like a crack addict smelling crack.
Though James put it at the back of his mind, there was no way someone like Caius would have such a big addiction.
Clearing his throat, Caius dropped the acoustic barrier and addressed the group.
"Our target tonight is a rogue Moth Queen," he explained, his voice turning cold and serious.
Talia, Mira, and Rowan didn't react—they had already been briefed back at the cabin. This information was strictly for James's benefit.
"A Moth Queen?" James asked, his eyes brightening slightly. "Like... the species that produces that hallucinogenic, hypnotic powder?"
Caius stopped mid-stride, turning his head to look at the hybrid with a faint spark of surprise.
"You are familiar with their biological traits?"
James raised a hand modestly.
"Not from personal field experience. But when I went to Lady Selene's clinic with that injured guy a while back, she used a dash of Moth Queen powder to sedate him. She explained a few basic facts about their ecology to me while she worked."
Caius nodded approvingly, satisfied. "Good. Then you already understand the baseline danger. Let us proceed."
A/N 3k words, 2 more mini arc to go.
Might be 3, vote with powerstones