"How much further do you intend to drive? We need to pull over for a break." Aidan awoke to the sound of Hailey's grumbling. She had driven them for the first two hours of their journey before handing driving duties over to Gavin when he insisted they keep going. He stayed away from major highways, instead sticking to lesser-used back roads. All in all, they'd been on the road for at least four hours. Aidan, who hadn't slept at all the night before, took the opportunity to catch some shut-eye and was only now groggily dragged away from his slumber.

"We'll keep going until we reach a werewolf safe house about an hour's drive away," Gavin explained the plan. "Then, we'll switch cars before heading out again in the morning."

"Oh, alright. I'll need a bath and a change of clothes at this safe house of yours," she demanded in a non-negotiatory tone, pulling her long black hair into a simple ponytail. "I can't be wearing these sweaty clothes for much longer. And food. We need to eat. I'm beyond starving right now. Seriously!"

"Right, just relax. I'll sort it out when we get there," Gavin said while smiling widely at her, unperturbed by her demands. Aidan quietly eyed his brother and friend while trying to conceal a smile. It was nice to see them getting along so well.

The safe house was on the outskirts of a town in the middle of the countryside. It had its fair share of tourists wanting to experience the joys of camping without the discomfort and lack of amenities. Glamping, they called it. Aidan had read about it in a lifestyle magazine once a few years back.

The town itself had been on the decline until fairly recently, when a dynamic and entrepreneurial town committee member had taken a chance and opened a luxury campsite, marketing it to urban city dwellers as a great place to 'retreat to nature.'

The good thing was the three of them could pretend to be tourists, blending in with the many new faces that came and went on a daily basis. They stopped by a local strip mall to grab some clothes, new mobile SIM cards to replace the ones they had tossed and other basic necessities before heading to the safe house. Aidan couldn't help but compare the road leading there to the one near the facility, a lone road cutting through heavy foliage on either side.

The similarities had his overactive mind wondering if any supernatural things were lurking within the darkness of the trees but Aidan quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He just wasn't prepared to delve on it any further.

The single-story cottage Gavin pulled up to was quaint and well taken care of, although somewhat unremarkable. That was done on purpose, making it easier to hide in plain sight.

Hailey rushed off into the bathroom to enjoy her much-needed shower while Gavin and Aidan deflated on the main couch, catching up on years' worth of stories.

They talked about school and friends, about any relationships he'd had and how they all ended, albeit amicably. Then Aidan brought up work before finally arriving at the topic of the Unified Research Centre. He gave his brother a more detailed account of what happened in the facility.

"I was horrified when I found out about you working there," Gavin admitted, "but there was nothing more that I could do besides head over and stay as close as possible to the damn place in the hopes of spotting you. And, well, you never ventured out of the facility."

"Yeah, there wasn't any reason to, and you know I'm not an outdoorsy person," he answered his brother with a wry smile. "By the way, staking out an organisation that's actively imprisoning supernaturals seems like a terrible, terrible idea, but of course you went ahead and did it."

"Don't you think the last place they'd search is their own backyard?" Gavin smirked. "Besides, I was super careful. I knew what I was doing."

Later, when Hailey grouched about a proper meal, they got ready and headed to the nearby bar. Hailey and Aidan watched with round eyes as Gavin ordered two rounds of steak, a large pasta Bolognese, and a bowl of fries, all for himself. "It's a wolf thing," was his brief reply between mouthfuls.

"Oh, wow," Hailey closed her eyes in bliss as she chewed the juicy piece of steak in her mouth. "Told ya it'd be good," Gavin was smirking at her. They continued laughing and joking, enjoying the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the bar, with its friendly staff and touristy customers.

As they ate, Aidan let his thoughts drift away from the conversation and to the events of the night before, still finding it hard to accept that Robert wasn't the man he thought he was. He also struggled to push back the sudden memory of the dead guard, lying in a pool of blood. He hadn't pulled the trigger or intended anything awful to happen, but that didn't prevent Aidan from thinking the guard's death was partly his fault.

"Aidan, you okay?" Gavin asked quietly, pulling him back to reality. He quickly realised he'd been staring unseeing at the glass in his hand for quite a while. "Yeah," he answered too quickly, earning curious looks from his brother and friend.

The younger blond hastened to find something to change the topic, and then remembered that he did have an important bit of information to divulge. "So... there's something I've been meaning to tell you, and I'm not sure what you'll make of it," he said to Gavin.

"Do you remember when we were young, and I'd have all these weird dreams that didn't make sense?"

Gavin slowly nodded, "Yeah, I remember you crying your eyeballs out because you were terrified."

Aidan inhaled slowly, "Some of the dreams involved werewolves, except I didn't know what they were back then."

His brother was a little disbelieving, "How can you dream of werewolves and not know what they were?"

Aidan huffed, "I mean, werewolves in novels and movies look nothing like the real deal."

Understanding suddenly hit Gavin. "Yeah, okay, okay, I get what you mean," he replied, nodding empathetically as he recalled Brandon's transformation five years ago and how the first thought he had right after was 'Aaah! Monster!' instead of 'Aaah! Werewolf!'

"In my dreams, I was being chased by them. Almost like I was being hunted," Aidan said, making Gavin frown. Aidan asked, "Do I dream of them because I'm, uh, part werewolf?" The idea of him being only half human was still a tough pill to swallow. "Have you ever dreamt of them when we were young?"

"Never." His brother shook his head, a thoughtful look forming. "It's got to be more than just a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"Unless you're some sort of clairvoyant, these are probably memories from a previous life." Gavin studied his brother, still thoughtful even as Aidan blinked at him owlishly. "I didn't think there was any truth to it, but it's a common belief that if a werewolf dies, their soul will eventually be reborn as another werewolf. Looks like it could be true after all. I'm thinking, somehow, you remember a previous life through these dreams."

Memories instead of dreams? That could explain how Aidan's mind conjured up such unbelievable creatures and foreign landscapes. But something still didn't quite add up, leaving Aidan the tiniest bit sceptical. "If I was once a wolf, why were other wolves chasing me, attacking me even?!"

Gavin hummed before replying, "Wolf history is complicated, especially in the early days. I guess I should explain everything from the very beginning, or else it won't make sense." Aidan nodded so quickly he mirrored a dashboard bobblehead.

Gavin tapped a finger on his chin as he tried to decide how to start the story. "Hmm, where do I even begin? Okay, well, firstly, werewolves, vampires and witches aren't natives of this planet. The Earth was once a portal world, linking three different worlds to our own."

Hailey, silently enjoying her food until that moment, couldn't help but join in the conversation. She repeated in awe, "A portal world?"

Gavin nodded at her, grinning at her almost childlike reaction. "I don't know how they work, but I guess portals were like tunnels between worlds? Anyway, when the portals were discovered, each race sent an exploratory team to Earth, and that's when they came into contact with one another as well. Relations between the vampires, wolves and witches were initially amicable," Gavin paused before chuckling humorlessly, "but I guess nothing good lasts forever.

"When things fell apart, the witches and wolves teamed up against the vampires, and each faction was busy gearing up for an all-out war. The vampires were outnumbered and outmatched in power. There was no way they could win against the witches' power and the werewolves' superior strength combined." Gavin paused to sip on his drink.

Aidan raised an eyebrow and said dryly, "The vampires are still here, so I guess things didn't go to plan?"

His brother nodded, "No one really knows how or why it happened, but the three portals began to destabilise and eventually sealed Earth completely from the other worlds, pretty much leaving those who crossed over through the portals stranded here. It was a stroke of good luck for the vamps, though, because it secured the safety of the vampire homeworld, even if it was at the expense of those already trapped here. Everyone's been stuck here for centuries ever since."

The table went silent, in total contrast to the laughter and merriment of the other patrons in the crowded bar. "Wow, that sucks," Hailey finally said. "My sentiments exactly," Aidan added.

Gavin gave them a small smile, "Yeah, I think I said the same thing when I first found out too." To Aidan specifically, he said, "To answer your question about wolves attacking wolves, shortly after the portals were destroyed, the werewolves banded together according to the clans they came from back in the original homeworld. But even amongst their own, factions were vying for power. It got pretty bad and very violent. Civil war broke out. Countless lives were lost just from the infighting."

Gavin paused just long enough to bite into a couple of fries. "Eventually, the clans realised they were about to wipe themselves out if they kept it up. And that's how the clans came up with a power structure, with a Clan Chieftain as leader of the government of sorts and the various Clan Heads as advisors. Together they are known as the Clan Executive Board or Clan Executive for short.

"It's a theory," Gavin said, "but maybe you remember something from back then. If it was during the clan wars, it makes sense that you were being attacked by fellow wolves."

Aidan tilted his head to the side as he mulled over everything. "Okay, that does make some sense." He sighed, feeling as if the knowledge had somehow lessened a burden he didn't know he was carrying, "It's weird, but I feel relieved, finally knowing why I've been having these messed up dreams my whole life."

He slouched back into his seat as he digested everything Gavin said before suddenly sitting as straight as a wooden board, giving his brother and Hailey a mild fright. He exclaimed in shock, "Air-fried hamburgers! I'm a wolf soul reborn! Reincarnation exists!!"

"For someone who's supposedly brilliant, you're pretty slow sometimes," Hailey's comment was razor-sharp, as usual.

The rest of the meal was spent talking about more light-hearted stuff that had no relation to the supernatural world. Aidan's mind was saturated with werewolf history, and he didn't want more for today. After stuffing themselves with a round of dessert, they took a leisurely walk back along the now deserted road. The utter normalcy of the bar, filled with ignorant humans who knew nothing of the dangerous world running parallel to their own, left the three of them feeling content, the familiarity so comforting that for a moment, the events of the night before completely slipped their minds.

But they shouldn't have forgotten.

Aidan and Hailey were still joking and laughing when Gavin suddenly grabbed them each by the arm and began yanking them away from the tree line.

"Shit," he growled. At once alert, Aidan stared fearfully into the dark patches between the trees, trying to detect any signs of movement.

The reflective glow of multiple pairs of eyes suddenly dotted the shadows. He didn't know what they were, but it couldn't be good. He started counting but soon wished he hadn't.

"There's too many of them," Aidan said in realisation. Gavin grunted, "Relax, I'm much more powerful than your average wolf." But he didn't deny Aidan's words.

The first to appear out of the woods was a huge tiger, followed closely by several other large feline species, at least a dozen elk, some foxes and a handful of brown bears. Aidan blinked, unsure what to make of this weird animal parade. His jaw nearly hit the ground when the tiger stood on its hind legs and partially transformed into a man, although still maintaining those feline eyes, a long tail and black-striped orange fur covering his entire body.

The sight made Aidan think of the movie adaptation of Cats he'd been talked into watching by his university colleague who loved musicals and Taylor Swift. The bizarre and slightly nightmarish mash-up of animal and human hybrid visuals had done things to his brain, the same way looking at the tiger-man now was affecting him. There was something about the merging of human and animal physique that the human mind found hard to digest in all its creepy wonder.

Gavin tilted his head to whisper to Aidan, never taking his eyes off the newcomers, "Shifters, the only supernatural beings indigenous to this planet." Aidan hadn't seen any information about them in Robert's big old book of evil creatures.

Aidan whispered back, "How the hell did they track us?"

"They must have some sort of avian shifter with them. It must have been flying above us, undetected the entire time." Gavin could think of no other explanation.

"We have no bad blood with you, wereling," the tiger-man addressed Gavin in a deep, gruff voice that reminded Aidan of distant thunder. "We come for the humans who know of the whereabouts of our kin. Give them to us, and we will leave in peace."

"Firstly, these humans know nothing about your kin. They didn't even know of the existence of supernatural beings until yesterday," Gavin replied to the tiger-man while folding his arms across his chest. "Secondly, you've trespassed on werewolf clan territory. Leave now, and there will be no repercussions."

One of the foxes trotted forward and transformed, looking almost human except for the large pointy ears on its head, "We will not leave without them."

Gavin let out a guttural growl, already loosening the tie of his sweatpants in anticipation of shifting. "You'd better if you wish to live," he threatened in all seriousness.

In the distance, twin globes of light from a car's headlights suddenly caught everyone's attention, approaching at great speed towards them. Aidan glanced at it worriedly before looking at Gavin, who seemed a little less tense. 'Must be werewolf backup,' Aidan surmised.

Sure enough, the three men that alighted the car were instantly recognisable; Andy, Brandon and Charlie, the men his brother couldn't forgive even after five long years. They walked to stand ahead of Gavin.

"This is clan territory. Your presence is unwelcome here, and I ask that you leave," Andy, the one with the forelock of white hair, demanded authoritatively.

"We will, along with the humans." The tiger-man shifter wasn't backing down.

"You don't get to make demands," Andy's voice held a finality in it.

"Then we fight!" The tiger and fox shifted back to their animal forms while the other animals began spreading out in a bid to encircle their targets. The situation had gone downhill in seconds. Hailey shuffled closer to Gavin, her eyes darting about fearfully. Aidan stood his ground while the four wolves took up defensive positions in front of Hailee and himself.

"Gavin, you should have waited for us," Charlie said softly, his dark eyes calculative as he surveyed the shifters' movements.

"Why? So, you can try throwing Aidan off a cliff while my back's turned?" Gavin's antagonistic reply was laced with barely repressed fury.

Andy sighed tiredly even as he stared the tiger shifter down, "I can't stop you from hating us, but don't let that cloud your judgement. By coming here on your own and keeping us out of the loop, you've put your brother in danger." Gavin remained silent.

The strawberry blond-haired man, Brandon, took advantage of the moment of silence to speak up, "We need to get the humans into the car while we fight. It's the only cover we have. Start moving before they have us surrounded." Immediately, the wolves started backing up, angling towards the car. The shifters quickly guessed their intentions, the tiger roaring to signal the attack.

Aidan intuitively sensed they needed to get out of the way. "Hailey, run!" They turned and began running towards the car as the animals rushed forward. Aidan heard the shredding of cloth behind him as the werewolves transformed and charged forward, the sounds of clashing bodies reverberating sickly in the air. Hailey dove into the front seat as Aidan stumbled into the passenger seat. "Damn it! No keys!" Hailey cried out, and they began searching desperately throughout the car without any luck.

Aidan looked out the windscreen at the fighting. Up above, the lone avian shifter revealed itself, a brown sparrow whose anxious chirps were barely perceivable over the commotion below as it frantically flew to and fro. Gavin was in a one-on-one fight with the tiger, and he was winning. As the tiger lunged forward, Gavin reached out and swiped him hard with a front paw, sending the enormous feline flying backwards several feet.

From the looks of it, the other werewolves were holding the line against the others, although barely. Aidan took a deep breath. He needed to make a decision, which he hated doing because misreading the situation and making a bad judgement call might get them both killed.

He ran a hand frantically over his messed-up hair. 'Think, Aidan! Use that supposedly smart brain of yours and get Hailey to safety!'. He quickly weighed their options. As much as he hated leaving Gavin behind, they couldn't stay here. They were helpless, dead-weight humans who were fragile and easily breakable. It wouldn't be doing them or his brother any good to stick around. Turning to Hailey, he said, "We're sitting ducks here. I think...maybe we should run back to the bar? The shifters might not attack if we're in a crowded place."

"Got it. Let's go," she said, trusting Aidan's judgement without hesitance and giving him a modest boost of confidence that he'd made the right choice.

Aidan quietly pushed open his car door before dropping low to the ground, moving on all fours until he reached the car's trunk. Hailey emerged from her side a second later. Together, they ran down the road as fast as their legs could move, although Hailey, the fitter of the two, ended up in the lead. They'd barely run a hundred meters, yet Aidan already felt like his lungs were on fire. 'If I survive tonight, I swear I'll work out more!' He promised himself as his legs shakily kept their pace.

Without warning, the road in front of him disappeared. One moment, he was running behind Hailey, and the next, he was in the dark cover of the forest.

Aidan suddenly felt the whole world turn topsy turvy before everything began moving past him, fast. It took him several moments to realise that he'd been picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and that he was now being kidnapped! Bundled away by someone moving so fast, he could hardly make out the silhouettes of the trees in the dark forest.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as a line from the ancient manuscript Robert had shown him sprang to mind; Of greatest magnificence is the speed of their attack, double that of the fastest human alive.

Vampires.

'Oh no, oh no, oh no,' Aidan went into panic mode, taking a sharp breath to scream. Out of nowhere, another being appeared behind him just in time to force a cloth gag between his parted lips before tying it behind his head. Aidan began struggling with all his might, but the vampire had a death grip around his arms and waist, effectively pinning him tightly to their shoulders. He could do nothing but scream into his gag as the vampires took him ever further from his brother.