Alexander’s POV
Tyler also got up, flexed his muscles, and said, “Indeed, the werewolves of Shadow City are quite formidable, forcing us to use the potion our ancestors left behind.”
I found it amusing, and with a wary smile, I realized that these werewolf hunters had more than a few tricks up their sleeves.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. My heart pounded as Tyler and Jake, the werewolf hunters, glared at me with fury in their eyes. They had managed to evade Ethan’s attacks, and now, their silver pistols were drawn and aimed straight at me. But I couldn’t back down, not when Sophia’s safety was at stake.
I had tossed her onto Ethan’s back as a precaution, making sure she was out of harm’s way. She clung to him, her eyes wide with fear, but she trusted me to handle the situation. I couldn’t let her down.
“Lower your weapons,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. “She’s coming with us.”
Tyler and Jake exchanged a glance, their expressions hardening. They were furious that I had taken Sophia away from them, and they weren’t about to let her go without a fight.
“Over our dead bodies,” Tyler spat, his finger tightening on the trigger of his pistol.
I felt a surge of anger, my wolf instincts roaring to life. But I had to keep a cool head. Sophia’s safety depended on it.
“You don’t understand,” I said, my voice softer now, “She’s not safe here. You know the danger she’s in.”
Jake sneered, his pistol still trained on me. “And you think she’s safe with you? A werewolf?”
I took a step closer, my eyes locked onto Jake’s. “She’s safer with me than she is with you. I won’t let anyone harm her.”
Tyler joined in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, how noble of you, Mr. Werewolf. Taking a human girl under your protection. What are you planning to do? Make her your mate?”
My temper flared, and I bared my teeth. “She’s mine. I won’t let anyone take her away from the Shadow City.”
Jake scoffed. “You came into our territory, into our lives, as a third wheel. We knew her first.”
I shook my head, my resolve unwavering. “It’s not about who knew her first. It’s about who can protect her best. And that’s me.”
Tyler’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, his pistol still aimed at me. “You’re endangering her, you know that? Your underhanded means of having a human girl bear your child could ruin the peaceful coexistence between humans and werewolves. The hunters won’t stand for it.”
I felt a surge of anger at Tyler’s accusation. He didn’t understand the depth of my feelings for Sophia, the lengths I would go to protect her and ensure her happiness.
“I love her,” I said, my voice filled with sincerity. “And she loves me. That’s all that matters.”
Sophia couldn’t stay silent any longer. She stepped forward, her eyes filled with determination. “Stop it, all of you!”
Her voice cut through the tension in the room, and we all turned to look at her. She had a fire in her eyes, a strength that I had always admired.
“I love him,” she said, her voice unwavering. “I love him just as much as I love you, Tyler, and you, Jake. I want to be with him, and I want to have his children. You have to understand that.”
Tyler and Jake were taken aback by her words. They hadn’t expected her to speak up, to defend me so fiercely. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride and gratitude.
Sophia continued, her voice softer now, filled with emotion. “I’ve never been happier than I am with him. He’s the one I choose, and I won’t let anyone come between us.”
Tyler and Jake exchanged a glance, and for a moment, it seemed like they were considering her words. The tension in the room eased slightly, and I allowed myself to hope that we could resolve this without violence.
But then Tyler spoke, his voice cold and calculating. “Even if we were to let you go, do you think the hunters will let you live in peace? They’ll hunt you down, and they won’t rest until they’ve eliminated the threat you pose.”
I gritted my teeth, frustration building inside me. Tyler and Jake had a point. The hunters wouldn’t stop until they saw me dead. But I couldn’t let that deter me.
“We’ll face the hunters together,” I said, my voice determined. “We’ll find a way to live in peace, to protect each other.”
The room was filled with tension as Tyler and Jake, the werewolf hunters, countered my claims about peaceful coexistence between werewolves and humans. Their words were laced with bitterness and a deep-rooted history of conflict that I had never fully understood.
“A hundred years ago,” Tyler began, his voice dripping with resentment, “werewolves were confident in their power. They thought they were above humans, that they could exploit and oppress us without consequences.”
Jake nodded in agreement, his eyes locked onto mine. “They pushed us to the brink, and we had no choice but to fight back. It led to a war between werewolves and humans, a war that resulted in countless deaths on both sides.”
I frowned, realizing that there was a history here that I had never been told. The conflict between werewolves and humans ran deeper than I had ever imagined, and it seemed that the werewolf hunters had their reasons for their actions.
Tyler continued, his voice filled with anger. “Our ancestors, fearing the greed of the werewolves, secretly researched a potion that could give them the power to fight against werewolves in a short period. It was our only way to level the playing field.”
He and Jake held their silver guns, the very weapons that had been developed to combat creatures like me. I couldn’t deny that their motivations were driven by a desire to protect their kind, to prevent the past from repeating itself.
But I couldn’t back down now, not when Sophia’s safety was at stake. I had to protect her, no matter the cost.
“You can’t blame me for the actions of the past,” I said, my voice firm. “I am the Alpha of the Shadow City, and I have never harmed humans. We can find a way to coexist peacefully.”