Meeting Aiden

Logan

We had been holding a siege for days, without any progress. Miguel advised me to stay calm and wait for Aiden's mistake, which would come soon, but I was eager to attack the enemy and end the lives of all the traitors. The forest was silent. I hoped to resolve the situation as quickly as possible so that I could return to the castle.

That night was especially cold, the full moon shining brightly in the sky, our only source of light in the darkness of the forest. The full moon reminded me of the she-wolf that supports Charlotte and I wished in my heart that they were well.

"My lord," Michael said, catching my eye

"Take two soldiers and check the perimeter, look for any recent trace of them, and come back immediately if you find anything relevant," I ordered and Michael left without saying another word.

Michael was very quiet that night, which was uncharacteristic of him. He used to lecture me about being kind to my enemies and being a better person, but it was all nonsense. I decided to wait and observe before taking any action. I didn't want to jump to conclusions about what was happening.

A few hours had passed and familiar sounds began to emerge from the nearby trees. Suddenly, several wolves came charging at us while the soldiers were resting. Several were seriously injured in that first attack and others were killed immediately. A large group came towards me while the other group focused on the soldiers. It wasn't a surprise, given that we had fully assumed the risk that a trap was being set by Aiden, a last act of desperation to try and escape me.

The first wolf that came towards me met its end quickly, when I punched it and removed its head with my hand. The other wolves stopped and reorganized themselves, trying to devise a new tactic that might work. It's natural for weaker groups to band together and try to defeat a powerful opponent, but the situation was that those wolves didn't have the strength to attack me, even as a collective.

"That piece of shit, send me some wolves that I might have a challenge against," I said angrily as I stood up from the position I'd been occupying since we set up camp. "Whatever, I'll get it over with and go after him."

The wolves wavered for a moment but decided to attack even though their bodies were shaking in the face of my power. I leaped and fell right in the middle of them, my exposed canines reaching for the arm of the one on my right and with a strong tug, I tore it off, limping in the opposite direction and hitting another wolf. Another jumped on my back in his wolf form, but I pulled him off by grabbing the back of his head and throwing him away. Two lashed out at my legs, digging their teeth into my calf and thigh, but that was nothing more than a tickle to me. I grabbed one by the head, then pulled his jaw with my other hand, ripping it completely off.

Blood splattered on my face and the delicious smell made me hungry. I opened my mouth, slipping the corpse's throat inside and biting down. The blood filled my mouth, and the softness of the flesh made my mind lose itself in a maddening frenzy.

"Logan!" I heard Michael calling, I turned around and his face was pale, his hands trembling, as were those behind him.

I looked down at a pile of bones and flesh in my hands, my whole body bathed in warm blood that was already drying in places. I ran a hand over my head, taking a deep breath and putting my mind in order. I had lost control once again. The curse seemed to have been getting much worse since Fenrir was born, and I couldn't tell if the reason was precisely his small existence and the Goddess' realization that her curse would finally come to an end, forcing her to worsen my situation much faster than had been anticipated. I couldn't think about that, I had to focus on what mattered.

"Report," I ordered, standing up and wiping the dried blood from my hair as best I could.

"Half of our soldiers have been killed," Michael said, trying to hide the tremor in his voice. That's why he would never get the rank of alpha, he would always be a mere, useless beta in a pack.

I looked at Michael and those behind him, all of whom were badly injured, some without arms or legs, but alive. They too had been attacked. Aiden knew where we were and that we would be more relaxed at a certain time, so he sent some of his wolves to attack us as a distraction. I looked around and noticed a movement a little further away, going in the opposite direction from where we were, and, without saying anything, I jumped up and started running.

Aiden's stench filled my nose. He was with a few more of his stupid followers, but I couldn't smell Diane or Fenrir; only Aiden. I didn't know what they were doing, but I'd think about it after I caught him and finally ripped his head off.

"Same old coward," I spoke loudly and everyone I was chasing looked back in shock, even Aiden who smiled and accelerated his run. A few wolves stopped in a pathetic attempt to stop me. "How many more are you going to kill to get away from me, Aiden?"

As I ran, I grabbed one of the wolves by the head and pulled it with me. Then I threw it against a tree in front of Aiden, causing the fragments of its body to scatter and Aiden to slow down and change course. It's possible that Diane was hiding somewhere else with my son, anticipating Aiden's arrival. I know he wouldn't take me directly to Diane and my son, but he would try to prevent me from locating them.

Some wolves following Aiden ran away and left him behind, while others kept trying to slow me down. It was all pointless. Killing those wolves didn't make me feel good. They were simply obstacles in my path that had to be removed.

The forest was shrouded in deep darkness, only a few faint rays from the moon were able to penetrate the dense treetops. I advanced along the winding path, my heavy paws crushing dry leaves under my feet. Aiden was cornered, but there was no sign of fear on his face.

The air was charged with tension, and the sound of breaking branches and night birds interrupted the silence of the forest. I finally found Aiden, standing under the shade of a towering tree right in front of me. One move and his head would be in my hands. Aiden laughed out loud, an irritating sound that echoed through the forest.

"Did you think you could get away from me, Aiden?" I roared angrily. "You're going to pay for every fucking breath you've ever taken in your miserable life."

Aiden's laughter ceased, and he remained calm, despite the imminent threat of having his life taken by me. He raised his chin, his gaze frantic and mad. "You don't understand, Logan. This is for all the lives you've destroyed, for everyone who's suffered under your tyrannical reign."

Then it was me who started laughing. "Strange that, as far as I remember, it wasn't me who left my wife to die and then the daughter, but you."

The tension in the air increased as Aiden and I slowly approached each other. Aiden assumed his Lycan form, much smaller than me. There was no respect between us, only hatred and a thirst for revenge. Aiden's fate was as clear as the moon: death.

I advance, trying to hit Aiden's throat with my sharp claws, but he manages to dodge and rolls to the side, out of reach. Aiden runs away from me for a few minutes, trying to slow down our pursuit. I know I need to end this soon. Eventually, Aiden makes a mistake. I feint an advance towards his throat, causing him to dodge to the opposite side, and then grab his arm, throwing him against the largest tree nearby. Aiden was badly wounded, but instead of giving up, he looked at me harshly, as if daring me to kill him.

"You can't kill me," he said in a firm voice. "Your son and his companion are in my power."

"You're so desperate to live that you're already making up absurd lies." I snarled and lifted him by the throat, ready to tear him apart.

"You think I'm lying? Then go and talk to Michael, ask him where Charlotte is right now." At the mention of Michael, Aiden knew exactly what he was getting into and how I would react, but I just smiled at him with superiority.

"Just this once, as your last wish, we'll do as you wish." I dragged Aiden back to where my soldiers were camped and treating the survivors.

I looked around and saw Michael tending to his wounds; as soon as he saw Aiden breathing, his face paled.