Book 1 - The Lycan's Curse

The monster beneath

As night fell, Alastair decided to wander around Meteora City. It was quite a distance from where he was, so he used his speed to get there quickly. It felt as if he were racing against lightning, moving at an astonishing pace, he laughed in amazement. He arrived in the city in no time. However, there was one more thing he needed to control: the sharpness of his sense of smell, which overwhelmed him with various scents that unsettled his feelings.

The first place he entered was a club. He didn’t care that he was still a minor; his tall, well-built frame made him look like a fully grown man. Thick mustache and beard adorned his face, further masking his youth. This was the first time he had stepped into a random club, and to his surprised, he see Rio there, accompanied by two women. Rio noticed him immediately, locking eyes with him as if conveying something unspoken. He blinked slowly and approached Alastair, who stepped outside to meet him.

“What could be your business here? This is the first time I've seen you in Meteora City,” Rio remarked, shrugging his shoulders casually.

“Nothing much, I just wanted to hang out,” Alastair replied.

“How did you get in here?” Rio asked again, curiosity evident in his tone.

“I just ran,” Alastair answered tersely.

“Oh, did you finally figure it out?” Rio inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“That I’m a monster? Yes, I realized that a while ago,” Alastair retorted playfully.

“You're so cocky,” Rio muttered, making Alastair chuckle.

“Full moon,” Alastair pointed out, glancing up at the bright orb in the sky.

“Now I can smell everything about you, you need to mask your scent,” Rio warned. Alastair furrowed his brow, realizing he couldn’t detect Rio's animalistic side at all.

“How did you do it?” Alastair asked, bewildered. Rio displayed a ring on his left hand.

“This may look like a normal ring, but it was forged with various incantations and magic. A witch created this kind of ring for all of us,” Rio explained.

“How many are in your pack?” Alastair blurted out.

“That's too personal, why do you want to know? So you can drain all their blood, including mine?” Rio joked, causing Alastair to pause.

“Wait, you know I have vampire blood, right? Aren’t you scared of me?” Alastair asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

“You're not scary yet, so I took this opportunity to befriend you,” Rio replied nonchalantly.

“Well, we’ll see about that,” Alastair chirped.

“So can we be friends from now on?” Rio suggested.

“I see what you’re trying to do. You just want to befriend me because you can’t overpower me like those defenseless junior students on our campus, am I right?” Alastair said sarcastically, grinning.

“I won’t be scared unless your inner turmoil consumes your sanity. But that’s not the case; I have a purpose. I believe I've found a man in Aliyah's vision already,” Rio said, letting out a deep sigh. Alastair glanced at him, intrigued.

“What do you mean?” Alastair asked, leaning closer.

“You have no idea how powerful you are,” Rio stated.

“How do you know that?” Alastair questioned, furrowing his brow.

“You also have witch blood,” Rio said, trembling slightly, shocking Alastair.

“Do you mean I’m a tribrid?” Alastair asked, and Rio nodded.

“Tell me the main reason you’re telling me all this,” Alastair growled, pushing Rio against the wall.

“Because I need you to take responsibility for giving justice to our loved ones who have been killed mercilessly and horrifically, without remorse!” Rio blurted out. Alastair released Rio and sighed heavily.

“Right, sorry, i'm just giving justice to defenseless kids you bullied in school too.  " He said cockily. Can you help me discover my other hidden abilities or powers?” Alastair prompted, and Rio nodded nonchalantly.

“Let’s talk about that later. Do you want to drink something?” Rio suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“A blood drink, I guess,” Alastair replied.

“A whiskey, a beer, a wine, vodka, rum, etc....”

“I’ve never drunk any of that,” Alastair stated firmly.

“Just give it a try,” Rio encouraged.

“Rio, do you know about the small village that was burned down by the Lycans, killing all the residents, including my parents? That’s where I came from,” Alastair prompted, and Rio nodded.

“My father has files and data regarding those matters,” Rio suggested, furrowing his brow.

“Really?”

" In a remote mountain village called Lagartha, far from here, there is a small settlement known as Crescentmoon Valley, ruled by Alpha Lial and Luna Cresilda. The one who slaughtered them all is the King of the Lycaon, Gelle. They did the same to other villages of Shifters, not just yours, but many others as well. They have destroyed countless lives. They are ferocious and powerful.” Rio reading the file aloud. This was the account of Xandrino, the Alpha of the Silvermoon pack and Rio’s father.

A whirlwind of emotions surged within Alastair at that moment. An insurmountable amount of anger erupted from his inner turmoil, threatening to consume him.

Rio pulled Alastair into a room. “You are the only one who can help us, all of us. We are tired of hiding, tired of running in fear,” he said, but Alastair shook his head.

“What have the others, who are more powerful than I, did? What can I possibly do?” Alastair said sharply.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a stunning woman entered, casting a fierce glare at Rio.

“You shouldn’t have brought him here. It could put us all in danger now that he knows where we are hiding,” she whispered urgently to Rio. “We can’t trust him, I have seen terrible visions about him—horrifying. He’s a monstrous being that should not be alive.” Her words pierced Alastair’s heart.

“Don’t say such drivel, it’s too early to judge him. The course of fate can still change, can’t it?” Rio argued. " Plus, your vision is always subjective. "

Feeling overwhelmed, Alastair quickly left Rio’s house, deciding to return home as his father had been calling him on his phone for some time.