The Greywolf territory was mysteriously silent. Dark gray clouds hung low in the gloomy sky. It seemed as though it would rain any second. The deathly silence was broken on occasions by harsh whispers among anxious wolves who kept transforming between human to wolf forms. Their faces were filled with anticipation and restlessness. Their eyes glanced up ahead at the entrance to the Greywolf territory and each time there was nothing, they looked away, some in relief and others in great disappointment. The council, made up of Alphas from different packs paced uneasily, grim expressions in their faces, their long scary shadows moving with them. The sun was setting, leaving the forest bathed in partial darkness.

At the very center of the council was Lumina Greywolf. She was dressed in combat boots. Her hair was tied into a tight knot at the back. She stood perfectly still save for her fingers, which drummed consistently against her hips. Her eyes were sharp, trained against the entrance of the Greywolf territory. Her heart drummed steadily against her chest. She knew he would come. Two weeks had gone by since they sent the message, yet there was no communication from him. A cool hand rested on Lumina's shoulder and gently gave a squeeze. Elias, her father, stood calmly next to her. His demeanor was that of calm and composure. Carden stood just a few paces behind them, scouting the area in case of any appearance.

“I don't think he plans to show up. We've been waiting since dawn till sun down. What a waste!” Alpha Darren complained bitterly, his larynx bobbing up and down. He plopped himself down with a hard thump. “I'm going to kill that bastard!” Alpha Darren threw down a branch he was holding.

“That ingrate! If we had known we would have marched to his doorstep and killed him right away!” Alpha Vaste chimed in angrily.  Other Alphas nodded concurrently. All the warriors that had been prepared to receive Kieran all shifted in positions, unable to bear the agonizing torture of wait. “If the man is coming, let him, so he can face us, if he is not coming, let him tell us too so we can know what to do from here.” A warrior voiced out confidently.

Tension grew among the pack members, some of them started to move, headed towards the Greywolf exit. Lumina observed helplessly as all this took place, she looked to her father, and he gave her an assuring nod. “Right now I could be building a barrier, but I'm wasting time here. Dragonclaw pack. Let us leave!” A young bold alpha called out sternly, leading the pack members away from the Greywolf pack.

“ Nobody leaves!” Alpha Morrok commanded, his voice was low but firm. “This young Alpha has brought us together, something we could not do for the years we have led our members. We wait! We know how bad it has been for us. Being United is the only thing that will help us against Kieran and any other future enemy.” He concluded.

All pack members were silent, no one dared challenge Alpha Morrok. He was one of the oldest unchallenged Alphas. When he spoke his voice rumbled with authority. Alpha Ironfang opened his mouth to speak but was cut short by a piercing howl from one of the stationed warriors who were on the lookout for Kieran.

It was time.

“He is coming!” The warrior shouted in uncontained excitement, running towards the council..hearts drummed and small beads of sweat formed over the members' brows. They moved back subconsciously. A cold expression passed over Alpha Morrok's face, his eyes glinting fiercely, “Is there someone with him?” He demanded, with a low tone.

Lumina's breath was caught in her throat. She scanned the edge of the forest, eager to spot any slight change in the leaves, but it took awhile before anything of that sort happened.

She was about to tread softly on the treeline when black timberland boots appeared, abruptly stopping her in her tracks. There was not even a slight disturbance of the leaves when the man stepped forward. He walked nonchalantly, his lips curled into a smirk, short locks of hair dipped over his eyebrow. His sharp sea-green eyes were carefully trained on Lumina's, despite all the chattering and glaring from all the other pack members. His black t-shirt accentuated his flexing muscles well. The only thing that seemed dangerous about the man was his charming features, at first. When he got closer to the warriors, they took a step back. Beyond his smirk and the nonchalant gait, there was a dangerous air to his aura.

His steps did not falter, he was all alone in the midst of people who considered him an enemy and wanted him dead, his eyes glinted with amusement, his hands digging deep into his pockets, there was something about him, something unpredictable and fierce. Nobody dares to move. He was unlike any other rogue wolf. A strange silence filled the air, as if he had held their mouths shut, they couldn't seem to pry their eyes off of him. He stood head-to-head with Lumina, his eyes lingering on hers. Lumina looked back at him, a cold expression on her face. A cold knot settled on her abdomen as she watched him, beads of sweat formed at her brows.

“I did not realize you'd go this far. Just to get my attention. I must be very special to you.” He smiled sarcastically, reaching out to pat Lumina's hair. Lumina tilted her head to the side, letting Kieran's arm hang in the air. Carden moved a step forward and stood beside Lumina. He gave Kieran a cold death stare. Kieran did not flinch, he utterly ignored Carden's presence. “I see you made it out alive.” He mocked.

“My boy. Stop provoking us. Every pack you have ever attacked has gathered here today, to seek retribution. You have killed and maimed their own, including mine. You've rendered us useless and turned us into a joke. Today we want you to pay for your actions, but unlike you, we are willing to give you a chance to explain yourself.” Alpha Morrok spoke calmly. His eyes trained on Kieran, an impartial expression on his face.

Kieran's chuckle was deep and low. He turned his eyes to Morrok, and one by one scanned every alpha that stood in the council. When he spoke his voice was cold and condescending. “How nice of you to assume moral grounds. All of you. Standing here, in your clean clothes and fake morals, standing here, to judge me for my actions. It sounds to me like you are just insecure. What does it have to do with me if you cannot protect your own pack? Perhaps you are not good enough to lead your packs. Ever wondered why?”

“You stupid boy! How dare you talk to us like that? We are your elders! You have no remorse, even after what you have done. We should kill you.” Ironfang cursed bitterly, his sharp bare teeth extending from his gums.

“Remorse?” Kieran asked smoothly. His eyes wrinkled with a smile. “You greedy, disillusioned old men. At least, I do not hide behind morality. You can see my distaste on my face, unlike you wolves in sheep skins. Pun intended. Try and kill me if you can. Ironfang, did you have the same remorse for my sister when you raped and murdered her?”

Huge gasps erupted from the crowd, members exchanged confused glances. Alpha Morrok's eyes bulged out in shock. “What the hell are you referring to, boy?” He demanded ruthlessly.

“Yes.” Kieran closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly. “Of course you don't recall. None of you do. Perhaps this will remind you.” He ripped off his t-shirt exposing the north star symbol tattooed on his toned chiseled chest. “Have a good long look.” He drawled.

Hushed whispers spread over the pack, “How can this be? Isn't he a shadowclaw? Wasn't the Northstar pack wiped out? But how can this be?”

“How can you be of the Northstar pack? They were wiped out 30 years ago? How…” Vaste spat out incredulously.

“You are not asking the right questions,” Kieran interrupted him. “The right question is why were they wiped out? Or better yet, why did you wipe us out?”

“You are clutching at straws. Pulling at strings and bringing back chaos that was solved years ago. We will not allow you to ruin the peace that has been built now.” Derek asked. “Prove to us that you truly are of the North star.”

“Very well.” A loud, rumbling howl vibrated through the Greywolf pack, in five quick successions, followed by a low guttural sound. It was the best known distinctive mark of the Northstar pack. They were well known for their astounding beauty - strong vocals, long dark luscious hair, deep sea green eyes and two webbed middle fingers. Kieran displayed all the characteristics of a true north star pack. But just above his tattoo, a distinctive little star inked in red stood out, staring back at the other pack members. The younger wolves who were born after the great bloodshed could not have been bothered to know what it means. But the likes of Morrok, and Derek and Wolfgang, who knew what it meant to have that little star inked in red above the dark blue star, were left speechless. A horrendous expression of fear and unease spread over their features.

“It cannot be,” Morrok whispered. His voice trembled as he took a step back. “No. It cannot be. You are dead. Your family.” His hands were scratching at his scalp with confusion, unable to believe what he saw.

“I bet you can see Lily's face now. My eldest sister. Do you feel her pain? Hear her screams?” Kieran drawled, taking a step towards Morrok. Morrok could not look at him, but when he did, his eyes danced wildly. His voice shook with bitterness and something else. “It was not me! They were all there. It wasn't me, it was them!” Morrok repeated softly to himself.

“Morrok, be a man and take responsibility for your actions. Kieran, are you the son of the all-mighty alpha Santora, the man who united all the alphas and led them during the great war against the humans?”  Vaste approached Kieran cautiously, peeking at his tattoos. “I was just a young pup then, I have not much recollection of the events as they happened. Most of them I heard from others. Your father was a great man, respected and loved by all. He gave us those lands we now own. Whatever happened to him was a great misfortune. I hope we can begin on a clean slate.” Vaste lectured, his eyes darting between Keiran and the other Alphas.

“I feel the same way. We should not hold any grudges. Let bygones be bygones,” Ironfang agreed quickly.

Lumina and Carden exchanged inquisitive glances. She looked towards her father, but he couldn't hold her gaze, his head hung low in shame. “Dad! What is going on? The man just killed our pack members. How can we just let him go? Pampering him with nonsense. He needs to pay for his crimes.” She said exasperatedly.

“No. No, we cannot.” Elias said weakly.

“What?” Lumina was shocked beyond belief. “Somebody explain what's happening here, happening  to me!”