Chapter 12: End of the Beginning

Alexander rushed through the streets and killed as many Huntsmen reinforcements as possible, but there seemed no end to their masses. Unlike some of the Huntsmen he had fought before, these only had strength in numbers. Even at the rate, he was killing them, there was no end in sight.

He decided to ignore the weaker foes and rushed ahead to the Beast King's pack. They were severely outnumbered and surrounded by heavily armored Huntsmen. They were still fighting; however, it was a losing battle. Observing the Huntsmen, Alexander noticed they were hard-pressed to keep the pack surrounded. A single break in their formation could cause chaos and turn the tide of battle.

He charged in behind their lines and drew the Huntsmen's attention. The sudden distraction only lasted for a moment, but it was enough for the pack to take advantage. The wolves breached the wall the Huntsmen had formed, and the battlefield erupted in chaos.

The tides of battle quickly shifted in their favor, and the Beast King's pack started nearing victory. The wolves pushed the Huntsmen back with such ferocity that the streets began to run red with their blood. The Beast King's pack was relentless, and even after the Huntsmen started to retreat, they did not cease their onslaught.

Amid the chaos, Alexander found Arkin.

"They are retreating! We need to take this opportunity to escape!" Alexander shouted over the noise.

"I will not call back my forces. This is the final loose end. If we extinguish the Huntsmen here and now, the natural balance will be restored. Killing their leader alone will not be enough. Someone may rise and take his place. We have to wipe the Huntsmen out as a whole; we must erase them from history."

He swallowed hard. " Sidero isn't dead; he escaped me."

"What?" Arkin turned to Alexander with venom in his voice, "You let him get away?!"

"I had no choice. If I stayed to kill him, you and your pack would have been whipped out."

"Compared to exterminating Sidero, the losses we suffer are insignificant. The Huntsmen may get a new leader, but no leader would be as dangerous as Sidero."

"I already lost my love and the only family I had. I refuse to lose the closest thing I have to a family."

Arkin shook his head. "It seems you have missed the importance of stopping Sidero. But now that he has escaped, we must kill every last Huntsman. At the least, it will take Sidero many years before he can restore the organization. Because you are the one who let Sidero escape, I expect that you will help us tie these loose ends," he laughed.

He smiled, agreed to help them, and followed the pack's lead. Together they pushed the Huntsmen back to their hideout. After they had all fallen back into the main building, the pack followed them and slaughtered every last Huntsman. Only after the final Huntsman fell did the werewolves leave the city.

"Where will we go now?" Alexander asked.

"I will report back to the master, and you are coming with me. there are still some things we must discuss."

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"You let him escape! How?!" Fenrir roared.

His anger was so great it shook the earth and the sky. Even though Alexander now possessed his power, he was barely able to keep himself from fainting in the display of anger.

"I didn't have..."

"You should have killed him! As long as Sidero lives, he will always be a threat." Fenrir growled. "But Arkin explained that you saved him and his pack. I cannot condemn you after saving my children; however, because you allowed him to live, Sidero is now your responsibility. It may take a long time, but I am confident he will reestablish the Huntsmen. When he does, he will come for you."

"I know, and I will be prepared for when that day comes. I will not allow for his genocidal actions to go unpunished."

"And you will be the one to punish him. The power I have given you will grow, much like Sidero's and my own. The next time you face him, you will be his better. Until then, I expect that you will track him and be the balance of this land."

The story continues.