Chapter 47: Damn It
Magnus
The patrol units have been scouring the pack’s territory in relentless circles for the past two days, practically turning the entire forest upside down. They’ve searched every trail, every shadowed corner, and every half-buried crevice, desperate to find a clue, any sign that could explain how another ghoul managed to slip through our defenses unnoticed.
But nothing. Not a trace.
The mystery of its appearance gnaws at me. A heavy thought presses down on my chest as I come to a stop in the dense heart of the forest, near the place where Kaya was attacked.
The way that thing moved... it wasn’t normal. It drifted like a shadow, like a wraith caught between worlds. Even as it crept up on her, I could tell its form was wrong. Incomplete. As if it hadn’t fully emerged from the darkness it was born in. Like it hadn’t finished taking shape.
And then there’s the way it died. That, too, felt... off.
The first ghoul we encountered, and now this one, neither followed the patterns we’ve studied nor the behaviors we’ve come to expect. None of it makes sense.
"Alpha Magnus," Aksel’s voice cuts through my thoughts, bringing me back. "It’s been two days. We’ve come up empty. Maybe it’s time to head back."
I turn toward him, my eyes narrowing slightly as I study his face. I know he’s only doing his duty, trying to keep things practical, but frustration bubbles inside me all the same.
We’ve found nothing.