I arrived at the spot in the forest where I would be making the trap a few minutes later.

Setting traps on the ground wouldn’t be effective since they most likely will be traveling through the trees. So instead, we laid our traps in the trees.

It was a simple trap; once triggered, it would launch a net at the target. As I was going about setting the trap, I instantly felt something that drew my attention. I immediately activated my thermal vision to see what it was.

A giant wolf-like monster was heading towards me. By its smell, I immediately knew who it was.

"Kaelen. He must’ve been tracking me by my scent."

There was a massive surge of bloodlust directed at me.

"ROAR!!"

Just then, a massive roar tore through the forest. I immediately went on guard.

At the pace it was moving, it would get to me any second now. That’s why I acted fast and immediately went back to the village, with the beast hot on my tail.

When I got back to the village, I casually strolled inside as if nothing was wrong. The guards covering the gate said nothing. They didn’t even notice the bloodlust of the monster approaching.

Once inside the village, all that was left to do was wait. I waited until I heard the first panicked screams.

"Help! Monster!"

It was the guard who shouted, but his screams were soon met with the sound of flesh being ripped apart.

The entire village erupted in chaos at that very moment as they saw the giant wolf monster that appeared on top of the gate.

The creature let out a massive howl as its bloodlust washed over the entire village.

Some’s first instinct was to run, others to fight, but none could stand up to the monster.

The monster ripped them apart with a savage thrust of its claws. It turned into a one-sided massacre. Blood painted the ground red as limbs were ripped off with ferocity.

Their screams merged into distorted howls of pain. Out of all who attacked, none could lay a hand on the beast, and soon their bodies lay at its feet.

"The beast of Gévaudan ," Veyron mumbled as he suddenly appeared beside me with Liora by his side.

His face went pale as he stared at the monster.

"Kaelen? Could it be?"

The old man wondered if the beast in front of him could really be his grandson.

"Grandpa, what should we do?" Liora asked, cutting into the old man’s thoughts.

"No, stay back. It’s too dangerous. I’ll handle it," he said as his eyes began to turn yellow and claws began to grow from his fingers.

His muscles expanded, making his body look bigger. It seemed he inherited the same trait as Roran.

He didn’t spare a second before charging at the monster. Seeing his approach, the beast let out a loud roar before pouncing on all fours towards Veyron.

The two of them met, and the result of their attack created a small sonic blast that ripped through the air like a knife.

It seemed Veyron could hold his own even for his age, but from the small display, I could already tell that the monster outpowered him.

In the resulting collision, Veyron was sent sliding back several feet. He struggled to not fall, but just before he could regain his footing, the beast struck again.

Its massive claws moved towards Veyron’s throat in a deadly arc. With the attack threatening to take his life, Veyron barely raised his hands in time to block it, but even then, he had to sacrifice his right arm.

The beast ripped Veyron’s arm from his shoulder as if it was nothing. Veyron howled from the sheer agony of the situation, but his screams were stopped short when the monster latched onto his other arm and, in a frightening display of strength, lifted Veyron into the air and swung him just like you would do a piece of cloth.

The ground below him was smashed from the impact when he collided onto it. Blood gushed out of Veyron’s mouth, but the monster wasn’t done yet.

The beast dragged Veyron’s body along the ground by his arms, creating a sickening blood trail. Then, using its overpowering strength, it began smashing him against the buildings.

At this point, everyone in the village was forced to watch as their last remaining hope was being beaten to death. Some cried, others begged, but there was no one to help in their time of need.

I watched their hopeless faces and couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied. The stage was now set.

Just then, I saw Liora, Derrick, and my mother were going to act, but I moved quickly and stepped into the monster’s line of sight before them.

The monster froze when it saw me, then tossed Veyron aside like a broken toy he no longer had any use for.

Veyron’s face was a bloody mess with limbs twisted into horrible shapes and bones sticking out of his flesh.

The moment he fell, my mother and Liora rushed to him while I kept the beast’s attention.

Its nostrils flared, and saliva began pooling from its mouth, creating a small puddle on the ground.

" It was you! " Suddenly the beast spoke. " You were the one that killed my father. "

"Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed your own people. It’s the curse. It’s messing with your head, but you need to snap out of it, Kaelen."

Hearing me mention Kaelen’s name, chatter and confusion erupted from everyone present.

Was this really the work of our future alpha?

No, it can’t be!

I knew exactly what was going through their minds.

Just then, I saw Isabella rushing onto the scene, but I stopped her with just a single glance.

Whatever needed to happen now needed to be done by my hands alone. I had already set the stage for it.

Right now, everyone had lost their trust in Kaelen. I made sure everyone saw his breakdown yesterday. How he attacked his own sister and killed his own friend after accusing him of stealing.

No matter how much he shouted that I killed his father, no one would ever believe him.

Steam flared from Kaelen’s nose as he got down on all fours. Then in the next instant, he lunged at me.