Chapter 1385: A New Meeting (Part 2)
After the meeting with the Dark Guild leader, Lupus remained seated at the dining table. Right in front of him sat a glass of one of the strongest, highest-percentage whiskeys that money could buy. He swirled the amber liquid gently, savoring the taste bit by bit as it burned his throat with every sip.
“Leader of an entire pack. Head of an entire city,” Lupus muttered to himself with a sigh. “And yet, there’s no one here to share a drink with? Where even is Ylva these days?”
He took another sip, the fire in the drink doing little to affect him due to his unique body, but the taste, strong and sharp, helped anchor him. It grounded him in a way nothing else could.
I’m honestly surprised there are humans out there who can even stomach this stuff, Lupus thought.
A faint smile formed on his face as he allowed himself to think about the future, about what was to come. But the moment was short-lived. The smile soon faded into a deep frown, and Lupus immediately placed his glass down with a light clink on the table.
“This is our first time meeting in person,” Lupus called out without turning his head, “and you chose to come unannounced?”
The door creaked slightly as it pushed open. A large, fur-covered hand could be seen gripping the edge. Slowly, the figure stepped through, a creature larger than even the biggest of Werewolves, its body almost demonic in shape. It closed the door behind it with an eerie calm.
“Though this is the first time we’ve met face to face… this is not the first time we’ve spoken,” the being said, its deep voice rumbling like thunder.
Lupus recognized him instantly.
The one he had once struck a deal with for the sake of his pack. A deal that still weighed on his conscience. It hadn’t been an easy choice, not at all, but it had placed him in a better position, and Lupus had told himself it was worth the cost.
“I am Unzoku,” the being declared proudly. “The first Werewolf in existence. So I hope, when you speak to me, that you do so with respect, not arrogance, and with a tone of gratitude instead!”
Lupus didn’t respond right away. He stayed silent, his mind working quickly as he evaluated the situation. If this creature truly was the first, then he had existed for centuries, maybe even longer. He had to be unimaginably strong.
The real question was: was he on Lupus’s side?
If Unzoku was truly one of them, then surely he cared for Werewolves, didn’t he? He had to… right?
But Lupus didn’t know about the separate deal that had already been made with Gary. Nor did he know the details of the meeting between Unzoku and Gary so far. All Lupus had to rely on was his own arrangement, and the stories told by the Book Keeper.
“Did you… deal with anyone on your way in?” Lupus finally asked, eyes narrowing.
Unzoku made his way to the other side of the table, his heavy footfalls echoing through the large room. He walked back and forth slowly, almost leisurely, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Why would I do that?” Unzoku said casually, tapping the side of his temple. “You know the terms of our agreement. Why would I go and do something that breaks the vow we made?”
“Right,” Lupus replied, nodding slightly. “So then this must be about the deal. I still have time left this year, you know. I don’t take kindly to those who go back on their promises.”
Unzoku stopped pacing and turned sharply toward Lupus.
“Hah! You’ve grown cocky,” Unzoku said, pointing at himself. “You dare to speak so boldly to me? Me?”
Lupus clenched his jaw slightly, remembering the vow he had made with Unzoku, and how little he had truly wanted it.
Back then, after learning from the Book Keeper, Lupus had prepared his own promises to offer. He had gone to Unzoku with a plan. But every offer he made was rejected, until eventually Unzoku had made the terms clear.
Each year, Lupus was required to increase his pack by at least 100 members. If that wasn’t enough, then a 20% increase over the previous year would be required, whichever number was greater.
So long as he fulfilled that promise, any new Werewolves turned wouldn’t be forced to transform under the full moon. A gift, perhaps. A mercy.
But to Lupus, it didn’t feel like a blessing.
When Dean had still been part of the pack, Lupus had made it a point to know every single member personally. He listened to them, understood their struggles, and carried their shared vision forward. They had all come from the same place, oppressed, broken, unable to live freely, and they rose together with purpose.
As the pack grew, however, that vision became harder to maintain.
New Werewolves joined without that shared history, and the emotional bond faded. Some were turned just to meet numbers, others without thought. And as the group swelled, control slipped through Lupus’s fingers.
That was why he’d built the Ironfang system. Why the Gardens existed. So that order could be maintained, even as the numbers rose beyond what he ever wanted.
But there was something else he learned, something worse.
The bond of the pack wasn’t absolute. It wasn’t unbreakable. It wasn’t forever.
The larger the pack became, the more that bond, the Alpha’s influence, began to weaken. Like a spell stretched too thin, its power diminished. Some members were even acting outside the pack’s rules, as if those rules no longer bound them.
And so, Lupus had learned the hard truth.
This vow was far from ideal.
“This time,” Unzoku spoke again, interrupting Lupus’s thoughts, “I’ve come because I need something from you.”
Lupus raised an eyebrow. “Something from me?”
“I need insurance,” Unzoku said.
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