Chapter 10 Hunters In The Shadow

Ethan

I walked back and forth along the edge of the laboratory, my hands clasped behind my back, observing Dr. Elio as he eagerly mixed chemicals in their respective bottles. The laboratory was crowded with machines and wires, and a strong, awful smell from the chemicals made my stomach churn in discomfort.

My gaze scanned the rows of countless steel cages, where wolves, once free and proud, were now confined under their captor's cruel gaze.

The tag on one red wolf's fur read, "ColdValley Pack." The red she-wolf continued to resist the tight chain around her neck and four feet, refusing to give up her strength after six months in captivity. Despite being injected with Moon Pearl seed serums designed to weaken wolves, she remained the strongest.

The other wolves drew strength from her resilience, showing their resistance. She was their source of strength; if she broke, they all would.

Lord Raven Dark targeted her specifically.

Weaker wolves had surrendered without enduring much torture but were useless to Raven, their wolf instincts underdeveloped and weakened by Moon Pearls, slumped on the ground.

Guilt gnawed at my conscience as I shook my head in pity.

"Prepare for injection, Subject 20!" Dr. Elio announced, his voice echoing through the sterile room, holding up a serum filled with a whitish liquid.

My jaw dropped, my heart sank. 'Oh no, this will break her spirit and strength.'

Zino, who had been assisting Dr. Elio, stepped forward and courageously entered the red wolf cage. The red she-wolf lifted her bloodshot gaze and sneered in agony, as if she wanted to tear him apart.

However, Zino knew she couldn't harm him due to the chain restraining her. Seizing the moment, he skillfully inserted the needle into her back, causing her eyes to dull.

Immediately, "hawoooo!!!" she let out an ear-deafening, painful howl and cried incessantly without pause.

I shook my head, feeling uneasy. "How effective?" I asked, trying to maintain a detached tone.

"Eighty-nine point five percent," he replied, clearly excited. "This is the breakthrough we've been waiting for."

I glanced up to see Lord Raven watching from upstairs, his expression cold and inscrutable. His presence always unsettled me, but I pushed my doubts aside. I had sworn loyalty to him.

The red wolf suddenly stopped howling, sinking to her knees and whimpering-a behavior she had never exhibited before since her arrival. This showed that the serum indeed worked!

"Increase the dosage; I want her to change back to her human form immediately! I want her in my bed!" Lord Raven's voice echoed from the stairs.

I was forced to look up in his direction, blinking rapidly. "You can't just force her to transform. The Moon Pearl dosage is too high; it's locked her in wolf form," I argued.

"Darn it! Elio, get her out of this immediately!" he groaned, directing his command to Dr. Elio.

Dr. Elio nervously scratched the back of his head, avoiding Lord Raven's intense gaze. "Y-You only told me to tame the stubborn wolves, which I'm already working on. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Shut up!" He snapped angrily, "You can't tell me what to do!" He stormed away.

"I will follow your instructions," Dr. Elio agreed, though unsure where to start.

My eyes focused on the red she-wolf, still whimpering weakly on the ground. She seemed to have lost the will to fight. I could clearly recall her human-like face, with long red hair and smooth legs. Her beauty had caught Lord Raven's attention first, a fact she was aware of.

If I remembered correctly, after Lord Raven's sexual advances, the next morning she transformed into her wolf form following the injection of the Moon Pearl and became extremely aggressive.

My anxiety grew as I left the laboratory and climbed the stairs. Each step I took, the painful moans grew louder, heightening my unease. The sounds were unmistakable-Lord Raven's cruelty knew no bounds.

I pushed the door open and found Lord Raven in a horrific act, vigorously thrusting into the young she-wolf without giving her a chance to rest. My heart sank when she attempted to resist; he slapped her hard across the face and held her hand firmly above her head.

Lord Raven furrowed his eyebrows. "You're all beasts, deserving no mercy!" He growled in her ear, intensifying his movements despite her bleeding.

He angrily noticed it and pushed her off the bed. The young girl fell to the ground, her eyes swollen from crying excessively, and her body red from how Lord Raven handled her on the bed. She looked up, saw me, quickly picked up her clothes from the ground, and ran off

Lord Raven put on his black robe, tied it around his waist, and sat down on the couch. Beside him was a tray filled with five black blood serum from the wild wolves. He reclined on the couch, took out a vial of serum, and slowly injected it into the veins on his neck.

"Ughhh!" He groaned in pain as he injected the black blood into his body.

For twenty years, this had been his routine, leaving me curious about why he continued to inject the wild wolves' black blood into his veins. What was his purpose? What was his mission in intentionally making the wolves wild just to extract their black blood for his own use?

I had never asked him about his reasons for doing this. Because I'm scared.

After injecting the last serum, he was covered in sweat, with pulsing green veins on his face that quickly returned to normal. He let out a deep sigh, relaxed on his couch, and examined his nails, with an air of superiority.

I nervously approached him and took a seat across from him, but he didn't acknowledge my presence.

"The doses administered to those wolves will cause them to go wild and could jeopardize our plan," I stated, intertwining my fingers as I leaned forward.

He flashed his usual sly smirk, continuing to steeple his fingers. "Ethan, your loyalty seems to be faltering. Stay focused on the main goals and disregard those animals."

"But those wolves are innocent. The dosage will make them aggressive, disrupt their instincts, and turn them into beasts," I reminded him of the potential consequences of the overdose.

He erupted into a loud, menacing laugh, sounding like a sadistic lunatic. "Let them run wild... that's exactly what I want!" He spread his arms and continued to laugh maniacally, giving off an air of insanity.

I pondered his true intentions for the wolves. Despite being his right-hand man for years, Lord Raven still kept secrets from me. The only information I managed to extract from him was that the wolves had committed unforgivable sins that he was determined to see them pay for with their lives.

Suddenly, one of our agents burst into the room, out of breath and on his knees. "I have two pieces of bad news and one piece of good news," he announced.

"Start with the bad news, then the good news, and end with the bad news." I said.

Our agents nodded in agreement. "Um...Firstly, a group of unknown men has kidnapped total of sixteen young men and women in the city, and their whereabouts are currently unknown," he began.

Lord Raven scoffed dismissively. "Let them perish for all I care," he waved his hand, signaling the agent to continue.

"However, we have located the ring you have been searching for over the past fifteen years," the agent said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Lord Raven jumped to his feet, leaning in eagerly towards the kneeling agent. "What did you say?" His eyes widened with anticipation.

"A taxi driver informed me that he had driven a woman holding the same ring you have been seeking," the agent replied.

A smirk played on Lord Raven's lips as he leaned back. "Where is the ring now?" he demanded, reaching out his hand. "Give it to me," he instructed.

The agent's shoulders slumped nervously. "T-The woman reportedly pawned the ring at Ceca's Shop," he stammered.

Lord Raven's expression darkened. "Then what are you waiting for?" His fists clenched in frustration.

"I-I apologize, my lord. By the time I arrived, the shop had already been destroyed," the agent muttered, his voice trembling.

In an instant, Lord Raven's fist struck the agent's chin. The agent's head snapped back, eyes widening in shock as he stumbled, clutching his painful jaw.

"Find the woman who sold the ring, bring her before me, alongside the buyer. I want to know who's involved." Lord Raven's voice was cold and commanding.

"Y-Yes, my lord," the agent replied, bowing repeatedly as he exited the room.

"And if anyone dares to stop you, kill them," Lord Raven added with a steely gaze.