“Are you sure this is the safe place to discuss it?” Alexandra asked.

Daren tapped against a table, the two sitting in a restaurant booth with multiple people all around, chatting with each other. Soothing music played on the speakers above, with the chattering and music fusing into a mishmash of syllables and tones. Waiters and waitresses came to tables or booths, taking breakfast orders or bringing them to the customers. Daren breathed in the smell of pancakes and French toast in the air while he glanced around, with a man on the other side with a gray hat on the closest person to them.

“Because of all the people?” Daren asked in turn, with Alexandra nodding. “It’s as safe as can be. After all, anyone wanting to overhear two strangers must hear through this chatter first. Besides, I believe you’re famished, correct?”

Alexandra blushed before nodding. “It’s strange. I never felt this hungry before.” Alexandra wiggled her blue sneakers, which Daren bought for her, while a waitress came over with a large serving plate. To Daren, she handed over a plate of pancakes and bacon, with him smiling and nodding. To Alexandra, she handed three plates, one with pancakes, another with French toast, and the final with fried steak, each with sausages and eggs. “Thank you.”

The waitress nodded with a broad smile before walking away, striding to the back. Soon, Alexandra grabbed some maple syrup and poured it all over the pancakes and French toast before cutting them up and eating through them. Daren nodded, pouring the syrup on his pancakes before dicing and eating them, the sweet taste filling his mouth. But just as he got to the final bits of the pancakes, Alexandra chowed through both plates and sliced up the fried steak.

“I still can’t believe I’m getting through all that,” Alexandra said, blushing deeper as she ate the fried steak piece by piece. “And I feel like I can eat twice as much as what I have.”

“That makes a certain amount of sense,” Daren said, picking up a piece of bacon. “Your werewolf form is massive and muscular, enough that no one would be able to detect if you’re female or not,” Alexandra raised an eyebrow before she continued eating the steak. “Even transforming into a werewolf and back again uses a ton of energy. And given that you don’t look like you’ve eating while in a transformed state, your body is using too much energy that it needs to get it back. Hence, your enhanced appetite. Though I bet your metabolism is also enhanced, so you shouldn’t worry about gaining too much fat.”

Alexandra blinked, swallowing the last bit of steak. “No wonder it felt like I had a nasty hangover.”

Daren nodded. “It shouldn’t be too much of a problem yet. After all, I bet you were a werewolf for a half-hour to an hour, with the werewolf side of you unable to sustain it for too long. Still, I’m willing to cover for seconds if you still feel hungry. And lunch.”

“You sure?” Alexandra sliced through the eggs before scooping them up. “I mean, this must be cutting into your wallet.”

Daren shrugged before he drank apple juice through a straw. “Don’t worry about that. I’m more worried about you.” Daren leaned forward. “Let’s discuss possibilities and narrow them down.”

Alexandra tapped onto the brown, grainy table before eating the bacon. “Yeah.”

“Ever been bitten by a wolf before?” Daren asked before he drank water.

“No. I have never seen a wolf in my life. Plenty of deer, though.” Alexandra rubbed the back of her head. “Seeing them, not getting bitten by them.”

“That takes out the obvious.” Daren shrugged. “And I doubt you were bitten by an animal previously.”

“Never. I kept my distance—” Alexandra paused, frowning. “Er.”

Daren tilted his head. “Alright?” Alexandra paled, and he felt his left forearm flinch. “What’s wrong?”

Alexandra sweated, and she pressed her palms against her forehead. “I-I’m sorry. I—” She pushed on the temples as Daren felt a sharp pain on his left forearm, with him wincing. “Stop!”

“Alexandra.” Daren reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. “Calm down, please.” Her breathing became rapid before she relaxed. “I’m here for you.”

“Th-thank you.” Alexandra lay her arms on the table, her face pale. “Do you know anything about werewolves talking to their hosts?”

Daren raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I-I hear a voice.” Her hands shook as she lowered her head. “It pretended to be a caller until recently. Then, it said that it was the werewolf side of me that caused such rampages and took over my body. It also claimed to be me, but it couldn’t be. It is nothing like me.”

“I see.” Daren rubbed his chin. “Still, let me ask you. Do you feel angry at your former employers? Or your former landlord?”

Alexandra sighed, and when she lifted her head, he saw a glimpse of rage at the edges of her eyes. “I hate them. For how they treated me, dismissed me, and dropped me despite pouring it all for them. But what can I do? Anger never solves anything. Just makes things worse.”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Daren tapped his index fingers together as Alexandra blinked. “A string too tight will snap, and a string too loose wouldn’t play music.” Her expression filled with confusion, and he shrugged. “So, this werewolf side talked to you just now?”

“Y-yeah.” Alexandra rubbed the back of her head. “It hates you. It kept screaming how you shot it and wanted me to either get away from you or let it take care of you. It pushed hard, but it doesn’t seem strong enough, at least without my consent.”

“I see.” Daren sighed, rolling his eyes. “Did she say anything useful?”

Alexandra pressed her palms together, deep in thought. “Um, it said it lay dormant within me until a few weeks ago.”

“That’s a useful clue.” Daren tapped his fingers together, starting with the thumb and ending with the pinky. “Anything that happened during that time frame?”

“Nothing! All I did was beg for extra hours, begging my landlord for one last chance, and—” Alexandra stopped, her face paling while glancing at her right forearm. “There was something.”

“Eh?” Daren lowered his hands against the table.

“A few weeks ago, I had a doctor’s appointment,” Alexandra answered, her face turning white while leaning back.

Daren nodded. “Yes, I remember something about that when I looked into your files.” She blinked at him with confusion. He sighed, reaching into his aloha shirt’s pocket and taking out his TF Scriúire. “This allowed me to hack into other computers, no matter how heavily encrypted, not to mention locking and unlocking any locks and other neat tricks.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Alexandra said before he picked up a sugar pack and aimed the thin rod at it, with the light on it glowing green while it buzzed. He handed the packet to her, and she opened it, pouring out the gold flakes content. She blinked, looking within the pack. “H-how?”

“It’ll take too much time to explain the full details,” Daren replied. He placed the TF Scriúire on the table. “But yes, it’s what I used to look into your work files.” She stared at him, bewildered, as Daren shrugged. “If I recall correctly, you were in for a blood transfu—”

He paused, his eyes flinching, as Alexandra nodded and said, “Yes. When I went to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor said I needed some blood and scheduled an appointment.” Her eyes became dark, with a flash of yellow coming to them. “My former boss assigned me extra work after all on the appointed day, despite warning them on what’s going to happen.”

“Yes,” Daren said, nodding as he frowned.

“So, they injected a pint of blood on me,” Alexandra said, rubbing her right arm. “I spent the next few days sick with a fever, enough that I wondered if I would die. Part of me felt tempted to report or sue them for receiving blood carrying a disease, but I doubt anyone would believe me, and I don’t have the money to sue. Or any money at all.”

Daren nodded, tapping on the table as he envisioned pieces falling together. “Perhaps that blood has been engineered, carried carefully set viruses, nanomachines, or even a combination of those things. Something that was used to edit your body’s DNA structure, which might’ve been why you were sick.” Alexandra nodded, her face white. “You’ll become a werewolf under the full moon’s light because of that.” He shifted to the side. “Although, assuming that this isn’t a mythical werewolf you got blood from, I doubt that this was an accident by the hospital.”

“What do you mean?” Alexandra leaned forward, clutching the table.

“Genetic engineering isn’t exactly a ‘safe’ science,” Daren answered, remembering Blondie in his mind; an anthro arctic fox who dressed like a western cowboy. He was once a human before getting kidnapped and transformed with fighting skills and knowledge that rivaled Daren’s at the cost of his former life’s memories. “There are countless ways it could go wrong, especially with those having a fully developed body. Let’s take you, for example, if they messed up one bit. At the size you become as a werewolf, at the very least, should’ve given you heart failure, or have your muscles ripping through your skin or even tearing themselves out from your bones.” Alexandra stared at him, eyes wide as plates, before he added, “Don’t be too alarmed, though. As someone who witnessed you twice, I would’ve noticed if there was something wrong with your body.”

“Y-you’re sure about that?” Her hands shook as she gripped the table tighter. “W-what if I die tonight?”

Daren opened his mouth to respond before he picked up the TF Scriúire and aimed it at her. It buzzed as the light glowed blue, with him waving it up and down her body while she sweated. So it went on for several seconds before he stopped, releasing the button as the light turned off and stopped buzzing.

“From what I can tell,” Daren said, checking it over, “you aren’t suffering from any genetic defects.”

“That’s not reassuring,” Alexandra said before she flinched, the waitress returning to them. She cupped her hand over the gold dust as the waitress approached, giving her an impressed smile before handing the check to Daren. He put in a debit card while writing in the final price, adding a twenty-dollar tip to it. She nodded to him as she took it to the back, and Alexandra exhaled. “So, is it possible that you can use that—” she pointed at the TF Scriúire at him, “—to fix me?”

“It’s possible,” Daren answered, the waitress returning with both the card and receipt, which he pocketed. As soon as the waitress left, he spun the TF Scriúire between his fingers like a pen. “But I’m afraid it won’t be wise now.”

“What?” Alexandra rubbed her nail against the table, causing a minor scratch, as her orange eyes flashed yellow again. “Why not? It seemed confident it’ll take me over after tonight, so what can be worse than becoming a permanent werewolf?”

Daren’s left forearm flinched, a sharp pain coming from it, and he inhaled. “Whoever did this to you isn’t going to be some mad scientist living in a large mansion. More likely, this is the work of a large organization, at the very least as powerful as the government. The resources needed to create the materials, engineered blood, viruses, nanomachines, whatever, used to alter every last cell in your body won’t be cheap or easily available.” Alexandra turned to the side as Daren continued, “Plus, it doesn’t happen that you got everything right the first time in genetic engineering. You’ll need dozens, if not hundreds, of test subjects to perfect it. If anything, I doubt you are the intended final result, just a higher-ended prototype as proof that it can be done. I bet they’re hunting you down even as we speak, especially with the destruction you caused. If they find us and you don’t turn into a werewolf, we’ll be lucky if they kill us there and then.”

Alexandra remained silent for several seconds before she sighed and turned back, her eyes returned to orange again. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no worries,” Daren said, rubbing his left forearm. “Right now, we need to figure out the mastermind behind this and stop them if we can. But, unfortunately, I doubt they’ll create werewolves for a noble cause.”

“But we don’t have any clues,” Alexandra said as Daren stood up. “No leads.”

“We have one,” Daren said, striding to her side and patting her shoulder. “The hospital. If we can figure out who or what you got that blood from, we’ll likely be closer to figuring out this mystery.”

Alexandra nodded before she exhaled and got up and followed. Daren lifted his left forearm and rubbed it up and down, the wrappings on it enough that it didn’t expose any skin underneath it. She tilted her head at it, rubbing the back of her head.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your left—”

Daren grimaced as he growled, his expression darkening as he swung open the glass door. Alexandra blinked, his expression filled with guilt before she pursued behind him. The morning sunlight fell upon them, and when she saw Daren’s face, he had already returned to his neutral expression.

They soon got to her car, with her unlocking it as Daren spun around, shifting back and forth. He paused, a gray car parked nearby, much like last night’s one. He twisted his lips, feeling tempted to enter it, but he shook his head as Alexandra started the car engine, with it roaring to life. So instead, he hopped in, sitting on the passenger side’s seat.

Kurt gave a satisfied smile before he chomped on a strawberry, his fingers tapping against the table. “Interesting discussion those two had.”

He grabbed a spoon and tapped it against the coffee cup twice, ringing through the restaurant’s babble. Seconds later, a waiter stepped toward his table, white as death, and his hands shaking while handing over the check. Kurt looked at it before he pulled out his card and handed it back while adding a one-dollar tip. The waiter rushed out as though the surrounding area was cursed, and he curled his lips back.

“The servers here get overpaid anyways,” he said. His glasses flashed in the light. “Especially when it comes to the real champions of restaurants.”

The waiter returned, and as soon as the card was back on Kurt’s fingers, he rushed into the back. He got up, but instead of going to the glass doors, he spun around, heading to the table where they had their ‘private’ talk. Gold dust lay on one side of the table, glittering in the light, and his eyes glistened.

“Might as well gather this up for him.” After pulling out a small plastic bag, he poured the dust inside, sealing it up and pocketing it.

Kurt chuckled, adjusting his gray hat before he adjusted his coat and stepped to the glass door. Already, Alexandra’s car drove out into the distance, with numerous others blocking his view. His steely eyes stared in that direction for a second before he went to his gray car.

He opened the driver’s side before sitting within, popping open the glove compartment, and dialed in the numbers. He rubbed his fingers against the wheel as the phone rang for a couple of seconds. Then, it clicked, with the other side answering, and he grinned.

“Watford Hospital. How can we help you?”

“This is Kurt,” he said and waited a couple of seconds. “I’m glad that my reputation even reached there. Now, I have some instructions that I need you to carry out. Failure to do so will bring wrath from Reiner and me. Understand?”

A minute passed before he hung up, satisfied with sending orders. His thoughts went back to the discussion and then to the mysterious man, ‘Daren Crevan,’ who acted at Alexandra’s guardian angel. A gem founded by chance, and he would not toss it away for anything. He dialed the phone again for another call.

“This is Kurt,” he said and sneered when he heard Dirk groan. “Now, here is what I want from you two idiots. And remember, no killing. Even Reiner wants him alive.”

A few minutes passed before Alexandra parked before the Watford Hospital, towering over tall and extending much broader than any buildings downtown. Daren unbuckled himself before he glanced at the facility, with its white paint peeling or cracking at some places on the wall. He twisted around, the parking area half-full and with multiple kinds of cars, vans, and trucks around. He got out, with Alexandra following and with her hair flowing from the breeze.

“So, this is the place?” Daren asked, craning his neck up as Alexandra nodded. “I thought it happened in a specialist place, not a general hospital.”

“This isn’t exactly a large town,” Alexandra explained, standing there as Daren walked around the car. “Because of that, all medical needs are combined into this large building. But if you need fancier stuff or skilled specialists, you’ll have to go to a nearby city over fifty miles away.”

“Sounds tough,” Daren said, and Alexandra nodded, though she paled, the hospital cold to her. He clasped her on her shoulder, causing her to jump in fear. “Anything wrong?”

“I never like going to hospitals,” Alexandra answered, rubbing her right head temple. “Not because these doctors are terrible, but because it reminded me of my parents.” She paused, her shoulders sacked. “Five years ago, they got into a car accident where a speeding driver crashed into their car. They were taken here, and I came as fast as I could when I found out. I spent hours praying that they’ll survive, but when the doctors came that they had passed away, I cried for the rest of the day. The man who killed my parents with his recklessness was never arrested, and he disappeared. Because of everything, I was landed with medical and insurance debts, forcing me to drop out of school to get a job and eventually sell the house, so I went from rental home to rental home ever since.”

“I’m sorry,” Daren said, lowering his head as he remembered Hayden. “Remember, you’re not alone in this world. Some people are willing to lend a hand, such as me. Just give the word.”

But Alexandra shook her head. “It’s my mess, not yours. Speaking of which,” she turned to him. “Why are you helping me?”

Daren rubbed the back of his head, his fingers brushing against his dirty blond hair. “I never enjoy being on the sidelines while others need help.”

Alexandra tilted her head, doubtful, but Daren shrugged before he stepped toward the hospital, with her following. He opened the glass door, letting her step in first before coming in, the air condition breeze blowing at them from above. The main entrance held a couple of clerks sitting behind a desk, with no one else in the lobby. With Alexandra beside him, he stepped over and tucked his left arm behind his back under this blue aloha shirt.

“Hello there,” Daren said, with one of the clerks looking up. “My acquaintance here would like to check her medical records here.”

“If you could share your IDs with us, we’ll see what we can do,” the clerk said.

Alexandra nodded and reached into her pocket, pulling out her driver’s license and social security card before handing them over to him. He took them and turned up from the license to her and back a few times, his expression gaining a slight fearful edge to it. Daren felt his stomach tighten, his instincts screaming at him as he glanced around.

“If you excuse us for a second,” the clerk said, tapping the other clerk’s shoulders. She blinked at him for a moment before he got up. Then, she sighed and got up as well, following him.

“That was simple enough,” Alexandra said, with her sighing. “I would’ve thought they would prevent us from finding out.”

“Same here,” Daren said, though an edge to his voice made her stare at him in surprise. “I’m not sure why, but something is off.”

Alexandra raised her eyebrow at him. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

The two clerks stepped back to the desk. “It’ll take a while for us to get permission to get the medical files for Ms. Winter here.” He handed the license and card back to her, with her pocketing them. “If you want, you can wait at the lobby here.”

“Thank you, but is it alright if we wander around the hospital?” Daren asked, with the clerks blinking at him. “We won’t go far; you can always page us.”

“That’s unprecedented,” the clerk said, with some sweat forming on his forehead. “But I don’t see why we should stop you as long as you stay out of offices and patient’s rooms. OK.”

Daren nodded, grabbing Alexandra’s hand; they walked to the side, stepping into a hallway. The two clerks kept staring at them until they left their sights, with Daren’s instincts screaming at him from all around. His expression darkened, but he pressed onward, their footsteps echoing throughout the hallway.

“What are you doing?” Alexandra asked, with Daren hurrying on and Alexandra quickening her pace to keep up. “Shouldn’t we wait back there?”

“I don’t like this,” Daren answered, shaking his head. “This feels off, as though we’re on a timebomb.” He passed by a doctor, who glanced at them with confusion. “But I don’t see another way. So, here’s my plan. We sneak into one of the doctor’s rooms and hack into their computer. With my TF Scriúire, it should be a simple task. Then, once we get everything related to that blood transfusion, we’ll get out as fast as possible and not by the lobby.” He glanced at a fire exit. “I’ll need to disable the alarm, but it’ll only be for a moment. Finally, we’ll get into your car and drive out ASAP.”

“W-what are you so afraid of?” Alexandra asked, twisting around as though she was stuck in prison.

“I don’t know,” Daren admitted, narrowing his eyes. “But this isn’t the only time I felt we were being watched. Last night, when you turned into a werewolf, I felt it too, though I didn’t see anyone around me.”

A few doctors passed them, though only one stared at them and twisted around. But they continued onward, the air sterile of any kind of smell other than bland and the floor cleaned to a polish. Various doors, both doctor offices and patient rooms, were shut tight, and Daren tightened his grip on Alexandra’s hand. Soon, he spotted one doctor’s office with a window on it, the blinds down, and, after checking for anyone around, he reached into his aloha shirt with his left hand and pulled out the TF Scriúire.

He aimed it at the doorknob, unlocking it with a click, and he opened it, the lights turning on from the motion. The empty office, cleaned of dust and with the back wall holding a bookshelf with multiple files, lay within. He smiled a bit at the computer at the desk and, after double-checking the hallway, rushed in with Alexandra, shutting the door and using the TF Scriúire to lock it.

“Is that necessary?” Alexandra asked as Daren strode around the desk. “You could’ve just turned the lock.”

“True. But, this way, even using a key won’t unlock it,” Daren answered, turning on the computer.

“B-but they won’t stand getting locked out,” Alexandra said as it booted up, with him sitting on the chair. “They might call the police and break down the door.”

“True. It’s why we got to be quick.”

Daren pointed the TF Scriúire at the monitor, and within a second of buzzing and glowing green, it logged him in. He twisted his wrist while clicking with his mouse, and soon, various files opened, the foremost being Alexandra. He nodded, gesturing for her to come around.

“Here are your medical files,” Daren said, with Alexandra nodding while inhaling. She pointed at the screen, which he pointed his rod-like device at. “So, let’s figure out that little blood transfusion.”

Soon, every related data regarding the transfusion appeared on the screen, and he skimmed through them. But the more he read about it, the more he frowned, and he clicked on the computer. Finally, with more files popping up, he leaned back, shaking his head.

“This is worrying.”

"What is it?” Alexandra asked, leaning in closer.

“I found out whoever you got your blood from, and a name popped up: Anneliese Quill.” He pointed at the picture, showcasing a blond-haired lady with brown eyes. “However, there are gaps that no sane hospital would allow. No SSN, medical history, or any history in general; there’s not even a blood type listed.” He bit into his finger. “And given that she supposedly gave blood, knowing what blood type she has would be vital.”

Alexandra craned her head, her forehead furrowed. “She looks familiar.” She turned to him. “Can that, um, tool do an image search?”

“Certainly.” He pointed the TF Scriúire at the image, and a web browser popped up. Seconds later, it displayed an image search of the very lady, finding a match, but the lady had a different name: Meg Damon. “What the?”

“I thought I saw her before.” Alexandra pulled her hair back. “She’s an actress in a TV show. But why did she hide her name?”

“I don’t think that’s the case.” He brought back the medical files, squinting his right eye. “If this was a false identity to prevent people from noticing their autistic actions, they would’ve tried much harder. With this, they didn’t try at all. It was as though they were forced to accept these terms and not even the bare minimum.” He shook his head. “No. Something much more sinister is going on here.”

“B-but why?” Alexandra asked as Daren turned off the computer. “Why do all of this just to make me a werewolf?”

“That’s the question.” Daren rubbed his chin, feeling like a missing piece was staring right in front of him. “At the very least, this organization must be government related.” But his tone suggested otherwise. “What am I missing?” He turned to Alexandra. “Do you know any major corporations or governments nearby?”

“W-what? None.” Alexandra shook her head. “I’ll be surprised if any of them made a major station here, let alone take notice of this little town. The only real major organization here would be the Reiner’s Faction.”

Daren’s eyes lit up. “Did you say, Reiner?” Alexandra blinked before she nodded. “I heard of that group a day and a half ago. I was told they have a major hold within the location, correct?”

“‘Major’ would be an understatement,” Alexandra answered. “They have a solid hold in three states alone, destroying or assimilating any rivals. It’s said that Reiner has a home here, hidden in the woods.”

Daren shifted his eyes around. “If that’s the case, then maybe they have something to do with this.” He turned to the door. “We spent too much time here already. We need to—”

At that point, the doorknob rattled, causing Alexandra to jump back, her eyes widening with fear. Daren got up, an M1911 materializing on his belt, and he unholstered it. He aimed it at the door, where a series of thuds came from it, the door shaking. He strode over to it, peeking through the blinds, and grimaced.

Outside, a man with a brown and black striped suit stood before he stepped back, a machine gun slung around his shoulders. He joined with two others, with another three at the other side, each at a ninety- degree angle toward the door while carrying machine guns. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, with Dirk and Ford at the other end, even as a man in a gray suit came into view, pushing his coat back before adjusting his round glasses.

“Our answer may have just come to us,” Daren said, taking a step back while aiming low with Alexandra approaching. “Either that or they want revenge for a petty incident.”

“Huh?” Alexandra stopped when Daren held his palm at her. “Who?”

“This is Kurt, the chief second to Reiner himself of Reiner’s Faction,” the man in the gray suit said, with Alexandra turning pale. “We want you to peacefully surrender. The both of you, Daren and Alexandra.” Daren twitched his fingers. “If you do not surrender within the next five minutes, we will force ourselves in.”

“Aww. Isn’t that a shame,” Dirk said, his arrogant tone coming through the door. “Now, you and the bitch must come out.”

“Yeah, you dumbasses!” Ford said with a laugh.

Daren twisted his lips even as Alexandra stepped back. “Who is this Kurt?”

“K-Kurt, like he said, is the number two of that gangster group,” Alexandra answered, clutching against the desk tight. “Some said that Reiner wouldn’t even get far without Kurt by his side. He’s ruthless to enemies, unforgiving to even his subordinates, and intelligent to know which person to bring in, either through money, blackmail, and torture.”

“Great,” Daren said, and he closed his eyes.

Within moments, visions appeared before him on how to proceed with getting away from this trap, with one having him pull out his special green hilted katana he had named Kakaru. With it, he could generate a shield that blocked bullets and fired back from the other side. However, six machine guns could wear down his defenses far quicker than usual, he couldn’t get a good visual on the targets and could hit another, and one could even shoot Alexandra herself.

Another had him bursting through the wall, wielding Gèar and Kakaru and perhaps fusing them and slicing them down. Yet, the same problem appeared, with a stray bullet hitting her or his defenses wearing down. And with each new idea that came to him, the same flaw came again, and he gritted his teeth. Only one vision had a possible chance of victory, and he glanced at Alexandra before he shook his head.

“I can’t,” Daren said before he holstered his pistol, with it disappearing.

“You-you sure it’s wise to surrender?” Alexandra asked, curling her arms against her chest.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Daren lowered his head.

Any remaining color on Alexandra turned white before she grunted, pressing her hands against her ears. “Th-that thing wants to take over. It screams at me, saying it’ll take on everyone there. But it wants to kill you first. I-I don’t think I can hold it off for long.”

Daren sighed before he stepped over to her, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s always a struggle to fight against your shadow.”

“Huh?” Alexandra blinked before she shut her eyes tight. “W-what do you mean?”

“Alexandra, listen to me,” Daren said as his left forearm flinched from the pain. “You may not want to listen to this, but you need to. The werewolf side of you is just as much as you are now. You and she are the same,” She shook her head before she bit into her fist. “It’s true. You’ll know it in time. And I promise that we’ll get out of this mess eventually. Trust me.”

Alexandra opened her eyes, doubtful, but she nodded as Daren felt the pain in his left forearm fade away.

“One more minute,” Kurt said. “Oh, and please hand over that curious tool you have. I’m sure Reiner would like to know how to use it.”

Daren sighed, pulling out his TF Scriúire against the doorknob and pressing its button as it buzzed and glowed green. The door clicked, and he opened the door, stepping out with his hands up. The six gun wielders pointed them at him, with Kurt smiling while gesturing with his hand. He dropped the TF Scriúire and kicked it to him, and Kurt picked it up with a grin.

Dirk chuckled, stepping forward and grabbing Daren by the arm. “Awww, are you disappointed? Be grateful that you’re being taken alive.”

The other four stepped into the room, dragging Alexandra out, as Ford stared at Kurt, eager with a hungry expression. He sighed, and after waving his arm, Ford grinned and slammed the butt of his machine gun on the back of Daren’s head. He fell down with a thudding noise as Ford smiled wide.

“That’s for the humiliation, you asshole!”