Looking at the one they called Lycan, he was quite menacing. But his appearance, terrifying as it may be, was softened by his radiant smile and good looks. He was a few meters from Fenris, and the others were smiling at all of them.


    "You must be Fenris. Buck''s told us all about his best friend," Lycan said.


    "His what?" Fenris asked, looking shocked and annoyed.


    "I''m Lycan, the leader of this group. Welcome," Lycan said, extending his hand. Fenris looked at it and just walked away.


    "He''s a rude one, isn''t he?" the woman said.


    "I told you the hunters won''t find you here, and I meant it. You leave now, and there''s a good chance that someday they eventually will," Lycan said, watching Fenris leave.


    Fenris stopped in his tracks and looked behind him toward Lycan and the rest.


    "How are you so sure the hunters won''t find us here?" Fenris asked.


    "Follow me, but first, put on some shirts and a pair of shoes. Just because we can turn into an animal doesn''t mean we have to behave like one," Lycan said.


    "Buck, show him to his room. I''m sure he''s forgotten where it is," Lycan said.


    Buck nodded and walked ahead of Fenris, then gestured with another nod for Fenris to follow him.


    They walked together in silence for a few minutes, then Buck began to speak.


    "Well, you''ve met Lycan, so let me tell you the others'' names. The sorcerer is Gwendolyn. She''s been a part of this pack from the start. Try not to get on her bad side. I’ve done that a few times, and it’s gotten me struck by lightning, burned by fire, and once drowned in a pool of water. The other two werewolves are twins, Alden and Aria. They can do this awesome thing during the full moon... nah, I don''t want to spoil it for you. You''ll have to see it for yourself," Buck said.


    Fenris listened without saying a word. Buck was quite the talker.


    They reached the room Fenris woke up in, but Fenris refused to wear the white shirt. Buck revealed a closet full of clothes, and Fenris picked a black shirt and some boots.


    After that, Buck took Fenris to the exit of the building. Looking at it while leaving, it was bigger than Fenris had thought. It seemed like an abandoned castle. Some parts of it were broken, and plants were growing out of the walls.


    The only thing that indicated that this place was still inhabited was if one were to go inside.


    Fenris and Buck passed through the guards, or the ones Fenris thought were guards. They had swords, and some had halberds, but no more, just leather clothing. From their scent, it seemed they were human.


    "Do they know what we are? And if they do, why are they here?" Fenris thought.


    Moving along, they ran into Lycan. When he saw them, he smiled once more. Fenris had met a lot of werewolves in his life, but none seemed as cheerful as the one in front of him.


    "Good, you''re all dressed. Take a walk with me," Lycan said.


    Lycan and Fenris began their walk, but Buck didn''t follow; he was asked to stay behind. Looking around, Fenris saw they were in a forest, but not like others. The floor was filled with grasses, and there were more trees than usual.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    In other forests, the trees weren''t so many because a lot of them would be cut down, and there was no clearing in sight. In other words, there were no signs of humans ever being here.


    "Stop," Lycan said.


    Fenris stopped walking as Lycan ordered.


    "We''re here. This is why no hunter will ever find us," Lycan said.


    Fenris looked in the direction Lycan was staring at, but there was nothing.


    "What am I supposed to be looking at? It''s just more forest," Fenris said.


    "Look again, this time using your wolf eyes. No one would be able to spot this," Lycan said.


    Fenris did as Lycan said. His eyes glowed yellow, and he could see something that looked like a wave but had a shape. It was in front of them, over them, and behind them. It covered the castle and a large area of the forest in a dome-like shape.


    "What is this?" Fenris asked.


    "It''s a barrier preventing the hunters from ever finding us here," Lycan said.


    "You reminded Buck earlier about what happens when werewolves come together. They get found more easily, but I''m sure you''ve never known why.


    In most hunter groups, they are assigned something called a seeker. They are Faiths who worship the God of Truth, and they have the power to look for anything or anyone. According to Gwendolyn, we werewolves have some kind of specific light source to them.


    When we are alone, we shine dimly, hardly noticeable, and sometimes missed. But when there are more of us together, we shine more brightly, like a forest fire.


    But thanks to the barrier, they can''t see that light source. So, I would say this is the safest place for any werewolf to be in," Lycan explained.


    Fenris was left speechless. If what Lycan was saying was true about these so-called seekers and the barrier that was preventing them from finding the werewolves, then he was done running and hiding.


    He could stay in one place without having to worry if he''d find a hunter next to him every day of his life. It sounded almost too good to be true.


    "However, this is only a temporary solution. We don''t have much room and resources for every werewolf, so we had a limit. I decided to let them enter here. We almost hit it, but Buck insisted on saving the last spot," Lycan said.


    Hearing this, Fenris was extremely grateful to Buck. He’d still be alone, wandering the globe. Maybe now he could live a little more peacefully than he ever had.


    "I see that look on your face. It''s saying, ''Finally, my problems are all over,'' but it''s far from the truth. Yes, we live here without the fear of hunters, but I want to make this a reality for all werewolves everywhere, and everyone here is helping me do just that," Lycan said.


    What Fenris was hearing Lycan say sounded like pure fantasy, something that could never happen. But then again, if he was told a place such as this existed, he would think the same about that.


    "How do you plan on doing that? By taking on the entire world?" Fenris asked sarcastically.


    "What if I wanted to?" Lycan asked.


    "Well, then you''re insane. The humans outnumber us greatly. They also have magic. We stand no chance. Our only option is to hide and survive," Fenris said.


    "Well, what if I told you I had a solution for that, a way to increase our numbers?" Lycan asked.


    Fenris slowly turned to Lycan and showed a bit of disgust in his eyes.


    "Oh, you''re not one of those, are you?" Fenris asked.


    This wasn''t the reaction Lycan was expecting from the young werewolf. He thought Fenris would be curious or simply not believe his claim.


    The reason for Fenris''s disgust was because years ago, he ran into a couple of werewolves preaching about how the werewolf race was on the verge of extinction, and that in order for them to save it, they had to breed with random werewolves and humans.


    It was so revolting to Fenris, especially when they made claims like, "It was for the greater good."


    "If you''re one of those breeding creeps, I think I would rather take my chances out there than here," Fenris said, moving away slowly from Lycan.


    "No, no, no, no, no! I know what you''re talking about, and I swear I''m not one of them," Lycan said, waving his hands.


    This made Fenris feel a little easier. But if he wasn''t one of those sickos, then what did he mean by increasing their numbers?


    "Tell me, Fenris, have you ever heard any tales of an Alpha werewolf?" Lycan asked.