I stood in place, sweating with anxiety as I looked into the angry eyes of Conrad. Conrad's demeanor was as fierce as ever, glaring at me with a fury that could match that of an erupting volcano. Apart from that, I could barely see any signs of doubt in his eyes that says he is going to let us go. "The cops are on the move, Conrad," I added, matching his glare. "Karen may have killed some of the werewolf hunters but it does not change the fact that you and your men are also murderers. And by the fact that Karen is the mayor's daughter, we'll see who the cops might take side with." "There's a fire exit at the back of the fifth floor," Conrad uttered which confused me. "I am not giving you the chance because my conscience believes you are not the enemy. But let's make sure our paths will never cross again young wolf." then he withdrew and set his gun in his waist. "You said it yourself, Conrad," I replied in a firm tone. "Karen and I are already stuck in this buildi

Before I move my face closer to the microphone, I nodded to Mrs. Stanford to help her feel at ease."At first, I did believe werewolves existed. But everything changed when I, myself, manage to witness that nefarious incident back at the precinct." "I'm so sorry, Mr. Parker, but I didn't see your answer relevant to the question." insists the reporter. "Let me help you choose the right answer. Is Karen a werewolf or not?" As far as I notice, the werewolves and hunters around us slightly adjusted their bodies. It was a sign for me to get straight to the point. Similar to me, they also wanted this press conference to be done as soon as possible. On top of that, they all wanted to hear which side of the story I pick a side on. "Please take note your silence means agreeing with us, Mr. Parker." the reporter added. "and this press conference is about to end." Before I let my heart and brain decide what to pick a side, I locked eyes with Alpha Draku. Seated next to him were Julian and Jul

"So where should we take him then?" Johndale asks. "Even if my place would be the safest place on earth for him, I can't bring him there. Alpha Draku and the rest of the werewolf guardians visited me there once in a while." "My dad, who is the Sheriff of the town is going to kill us if I bring him to our house." Jackson insisted on his side. "Anywhere," I spoke out. "Someone's abandoned house. Beneath the ground. Anywhere, as long as it does not involve families or pack members." After a few minutes of debating, the van ended up in heart of a dense forest in the middle of nowhere. Jackson and I hop out of the van and studied the ambiance outside. Good thing Jackson always brings everything we could use if things like this happen to us; food, water, flashlights, and handcuffs. Johndale, on the other hand, serves as our eyes and ears at the werewolf hunter. I had to make sure no one could discover the hunter's whereabouts before we could think of a better plan

Jackson and I gulped in unison as we slowly put the guns in our hands back to the table. "Mr. and Mrs. Stanford," it was quite obvious that my voice was stuttering. "What are you two doing here?" As far as I can evaluate the situation, Mr. and Mrs. Stanford seemed to be unaware that their daughter was kidnapped yesterday. They were carrying a basket of chocolate and shopping bags. "Aren't we supposed to be the one asking you that, huh, Mr. Parker?" similar to Mrs. Stanford, her husband's facial expression was also blazing in flames. "And are you all unaware that carrying unregistered and illegal weapons are punishable by the law?" Everyone, including Jackson, immediately cleaned up the surface of the table and put all the weapons back into the travel bags. Their heartbeats were all in a race, and it also caused my brain to freeze. "And besides, this unit belongs to my daughter. We did not even ask a penny from any of your wallets to pay for this place." M

Exhausted and covered in blood, the surviving police officers breathed a sigh of relief as they realized they had somehow survived the battle. But the victory was hollow, as they knew none of their comrades would be coming home. An air of sadness and loss hung over the forest as they pulled out their radios to call in the cleanup crew. And as they hastily departed the scene, their lives forever changed, they could hear the mournful howls of a distant pack of wolves, perhaps already preparing for their next hunt. Five minutes later, I went back to the building and hop into the car, thinking about what to do next. "What happened?" Jackson asked me. "Forty-one police officers. Twenty-three werewolves. And eighteen hunters." I said, maintaining my eye level below the rearview mirror. "Those were the number of lives lost because of this exchange." "What?" Jackson remained his mouth wide open. I reached out to the steering wheel and started the engine of the car. We took off, but I d