Chapter 10
Jamie
A guttural war cry sliced through the quiet of the alley, echoing through the night and vibrating deep inside my chest. Every muscle in my body snapped to attention.
I spun toward the sound, instantly alert.
Beside me, Logan and Edward went rigid, the ease we’d been savoring evaporating from their expressions as the echoes faded into tense silence.
Even Sera froze, head whipping toward the distant source, her body suddenly coiled as if readying for something even worse than us.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, my voice rough with strain.
Edward’s eyes narrowed, his posture shifting instinctively into the stance of a soldier preparing for imminent combat. “Whatever it was, it wasn’t human. And it didn’t sound like any feral wolf or lycan I’ve ever heard.”
Logan turned sharply to Sera, gripping her arm firmly but without cruelty. His voice was hard, his expression suspicious. “You know what that was, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. Start talking.”
Sera’s jaw tightened with rebellion, her chin raised stubbornly even as fear flickered briefly across her eyes. “I don’t owe you anything. Certainly not an answer to that question.”
Edward stepped forward, ice-cold calm radiating from his voice, betraying the danger lurking beneath.
“Let me be very clear, love. Aidan and Declan are out there injured, and they could be in danger at this very moment from whatever that was. If you’re holding anything back, now would be the time to reconsider unless you want that lovely little ass of yours spanked quite severely. ”
She hesitated, visibly torn. Her breathing had quickened, pulse hammering at her throat as she glared furiously at Edward. But behind her anger at us were recognition and a shadow of dread. Her silence was damning. She definitely knew something.
My patience snapped. “Enough of this,” I growled, stepping forward to tower over her, arms crossed firmly over my chest. “We’re done playing games, lass. Either you tell us what’s out there, or we’ll have to find a more persuasive way to get it out of you.”
She glared at me, defiance blazing in those brilliant eyes. “You think threats scare me, Jamie Buchanan?”
Logan stepped in close, his voice deceptively quiet, threaded with steel. “You misunderstand. They’re not threats. They’re promises. If our pack is at risk, we’ll do whatever it takes to protect them. Even if that means dealing punishments to our own mate as we see fit.”
The word mate visibly shook her, sending a conflicted shiver rippling across her frame. She clenched her jaw, uncertainty mixing with stubbornness all over her face.
Edward moved in again, relentless, his voice lowered to a dangerous growl. “You’ve got about three seconds to start talking before Logan and Jamie help pin you down right here and now so I can thrash that impertinent ass of yours. You won’t enjoy the process, love—though we certainly might.”
Sera’s breath caught, her cheeks burning as the image flashed through her mind.
I grinned. “I can see it now. You bent over Edward’s knee, your bare, wet pussy and your well-fucked ass exposed to the cool air and completely on display. He has your belt in his hand, the thick leather poised high to snap down hard on your naked ass.”
“I’ll be standing before you with my cock in my hand.
Your pretty mouth will be open wide taking me deep while you take your spanking.
You can scream around my cock,” Logan said.
“When Edward’s done punishing that sweet ass, we’ll take you and Jamie and I will take turns stuffing your pussy and your ass while you suck him off. ”
Her cheeks burned brighter, and she shifted on her feet, her arousal thickening the air around her. She was getting wet just thinking about it. I could scent it in the air.
“We’ll use and fuck all of those pretty holes of yours until you’re begging for mercy, but you’re being a bad girl and withholding information, so we’re not going to give you any.”
“We’ll fuck what we need to know out of you, little mate. It’s simply a matter of how long it’s going to take before you give in and surrender, but not before you’re very sore, and very thoroughly punished.”
She was quiet, her lips pressing together in a firm line and I knew she wouldn’t be able to stand that punishment for long before she caved.
Still, the thought of fucking her while her ass was marked from her own belt was enough to make my cock stir to life, and I had to fight back a low groan of desire.
I wanted to push her up against the wall and drive my cock into her tight, wet heat until she was screaming out her climax, with her legs wrapped tightly around my waist.
But there wasn’t time for that.
Instead, Edward snapped his fingers. “Time’s up.”
Sera swallowed hard, the movement visible in the soft light of the moon. She licked her lips nervously, her gaze darting between us. She knew we weren’t fucking around. Then a flash of defiance passed over her face and she glared at each one of us in turn.
Edward stepped closer, arms folded in a pose of clear authority, his voice calm, edged with steel. “Tell us what’s out there. What is it?”
Her jaw clenched tight, rebel eyes blazing. For a heartbeat, I was certain she’d refuse, but something shifted behind her gaze; calculation, resignation, and finally, a reluctant sort of surrender.
“You can punish me all you want,” she finally bit out, each word clipped and precise. “And let’s be perfectly clear—I’d have never cracked. You’d never have gotten a word out of me.” She straightened, throwing her shoulders back boldly. “But I’m telling you now because I can’t fight it alone.”
Logan studied her carefully, suspicion giving way to curiosity. “You can’t fight what alone?”
“You idiots have no idea what you’re dealing with,” she finally spat, fury and fear warring in her voice. “That war cry you just heard belongs to someone infinitely worse than a pack of ferals or a few lycans. That’s someone you don’t want to cross, ever.”
“Who?” Logan demanded sharply, grip tightening slightly on her arm. “Start explaining right fucking now.”
She hesitated again, her body tensing as though preparing for a physical blow. “You ever heard the stories? About wolves who aren’t wolves at all, but something older, stronger, maybe even cursed?”
Edward’s gaze darkened sharply and his brows met in a scowl. “You’re talking about lycans. We’ve already dealt with lycans. They’re dangerous, but we’ve survived worse.”
She shook her head sharply, almost violently, frustrated. “No. Not just lycans. A creature more dangerous than anything you’ve ever faced. There are feral wolves, then there are lycans… and then there’s him.”
A chill crawled slowly down my spine, unease prickling beneath my skin at the haunted intensity in her eyes. Logan exchanged tense looks with Edward and me, clearly as unsettled as I felt.
Logan’s voice dropped lower. “Who is he?”
She stared up at us, expression fierce yet haunted, the reluctant truth emerging from her perfect lips in a tight whisper.
“My group—the Watch—we’re fully aware of lycans. We’ve studied them, hunted them, contained them where possible. But the game has changed.” Her gaze turned briefly distant. “They were just rumors at first, just fragments of intel here and there that we dismissed until the bodies started piling up.”
“What rumors?” Edward asked quickly, his military discipline guiding his questions like precision bullets. “Who’s responsible for the killings?”
She blew out a breath, visibly frustrated at having to share her secrets, but knowing the time had passed for concealment. “We call him the Elder Lycan. There were whispers and old stories about him. He didn’t just shift into a lycan; he mutated into a monster.”
Edward focused intensely on Sera’s face. “Explain.”
“The first true lycan,” she clarified, her voice grim. “Not just part man, part wolf. This one was monstrous. When he bites—human or shifter—his victims transform into lycans, twisted into creatures that are no longer wolves nor humans, but mindless killing machines. They’re completely feral.”
I exchanged a tense glance with Logan, dread twisting in my gut. “We’ve seen lycans. Vicious, strong, but we’ve taken them down.”
“You haven’t seen him,” she snapped. “He’s not like the others. He can think, use reason. He’s intelligent and is still in complete control of himself. He’s strategic, methodical, capable of planning, patience, and restraint. He’s been building an army.”
Edward frowned deeply. “An army?”
She shook her head sharply. “That’s the problem.
His bite transforms the victim—human or wolf—but they don’t survive long.
Three, maybe five years at most before their bodies burn out.
It’s the only reason he hasn’t overwhelmed us yet.
But even without a stable army, at least not yet, he’s still too powerful to ignore. ”
Logan’s expression darkened. “Then what does he want?”
She hesitated briefly, uncertainty flickering again in her gaze.
“We’re not entirely sure, but from everything we’ve gathered, he seems fixated on destruction and chaos.
And now he’s here, right in the heart of Ireland, turning wolves and humans alike into lycans, feeding his madness and leaving a trail of death and destruction. ”
Edward studied her carefully, clearly reassessing her entirely. “And your group, this Watch—you’ve made it your job to protect humanity from threats like him?”
“We have,” she answered steadily, holding his gaze. “We’re the last line of defense. We contain threats. Neutralize them when we must. I’ve spent years hunting wolves because they threatened human survival. But this…” She trailed off, her voice catching briefly before regaining its iron steadiness.
I blew out a long breath, exchanging quick looks with Logan and Edward. This night had taken a dark, complicated turn. “Sounds like we’ve got a shared enemy,” I murmured, meeting her gaze seriously.
She nodded slowly, clearly still conflicted, but recognizing the truth. “If we want any chance of stopping him, we’ll need each other.”
Edward’s expression turned grimly determined. “Then we’d better get to work. Starting with finding out exactly where this Elder Lycan is hiding.”
Logan released her arm slowly, his eyes locked firmly on her face. “You have any leads?”
“A few,” she admitted softly. “And one of them points right into the bowels of the city.”
Silence fell briefly among us, the weight of the revelation settling heavily. Logan stepped closer, expression intense. “If you’re really with us now—no more secrets. Agreed?”
She met his gaze squarely, fire briefly flaring in her eyes before grudgingly nodding. “Agreed.”
“Is there anything else you know that we need to know?” I pressed.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing between the three of us warily, as though fighting every instinct she had. Eventually, she sighed audibly, reluctantly giving in. “This creature, this Elder Lycan thinks, reasons, strategizes. But more important, his bite is different.”
Logan narrowed his eyes sharply. “Different how?”
She glanced away briefly, tension visible in every line of her frame. “When he bites someone—human or wolf—they turn lycan. No exceptions. It’s not like a regular wolf bite or even a normal lycan bite. There’s no resisting, no fighting it off once you’re bitten.”
I stiffened visibly, my eyes flicking between Edward and Logan before returning to her. “So, what happens if Aidan or Declan get bitten by this Elder Lycan?”
Her expression turned grimly serious. “If they’re bitten, it’s a death sentence. Born wolves can’t survive it; there’s no fix, no cure. They’ll turn, become violent, savage lycans until their bodies burn out. The same goes for regular humans. They’re lost as soon as that bite lands.”
I felt a cold chill snake sharply down my spine, my voice tense as I spoke up. “And what about those who were human but have been turned into wolves—like Declan and the rest of us? Do we have any chance?”
Her gaze shifted between the three of us, evaluating carefully, clearly hesitating to offer even a shred of hope.
“There’s one slim possibility. Humans who’ve been bitten and turned into wolf shifters like you three, you have a chance.
If you’re bitten by the Elder Lycan, there’s a twenty-four-hour window.
If within that window, you’re bitten again by a pure wolf—a natural born wolf shifter—that second bite can counteract the Elder Lycan’s poison and neutralize it. ”
Edward raised his brows, expression tense, calculating. “So, you’re saying if this Elder Lycan bites me, I’ve got exactly one day to get bitten again by a pure wolf, or I’m lost?”
She nodded slowly, seriousness etched deeply into her face. “Exactly. But remember, it’s only for humans turned wolf. Born wolves don’t have even that slim chance. Humans don’t either.”
I shook his head slowly, blowing out a harsh breath. “Then let’s bloody hope Declan and Aidan are still alive out there and untouched. Otherwise, things are about to get a whole lot worse.”
Logan’s jaw tightened visibly, eyes narrowing in grim determination. “We don’t have any more time to waste. We need to find them, fast—and pray we’re not already too late.”