Finding You, Again
Again 4 - Muscle Show

The aroma of cooking spread from the direction of the kitchen, automatically making several doors in the Manor open when kissing it.

Werewolves never refrain from delicious food. That goes for everything, no matter where it comes from.

El rushed up the stairs to the second floor and stopped in front of the Duke's room door.

"....and you certainly won't believe it, Mom ended up inviting them to eat at Manor instead. I can't imagine how I should explain that to another werewolf"

The Duke's voice that was speaking softly pierced through the door.

Duke is doing his weird habit of talking to a comatose Lui. El was not surprised, he was already used to seeing it first.

El is actually lazy to interrupt, but he also doesn't want to be in a difficult situation alone. Explaining the existence of 3 humans at the dining table is not an easy thing.

Just last night, he saw how while hosting Levana, the gray eyes of Kamaria and Shashi finally stuck towards this door.

They certainly smelled Lui's scent, but decided not to ask. The duke also saw that, but did not wish to explain.

The next pack that comes is Shavarana. They don't seem to be aware of Lui's existence, but that doesn't mean they don't know. They could just be polite. Pack Celaine who came after him also behaved the same.

With that ominous shadow, El opened the door and looked inside.

The duke was lying on his side next to Lui while gently stroking his pale hand. Oscar and Alva were sitting on the sofa, diligently reading Alva's book that arrived yesterday.

Oscar is completely blind about witchcraft, but that doesn't stop him from reading Alva's books. Hoping to find a way to get Lui up. He only looked up for a moment to hear the sound of the door opening, then his gaze returned to the direction of the book.

The Duke, who saw El at the door, got out of bed and walked up to him.

"Breakfast is ready, and for the chauffeur you must be there" El said.

"Hmpp..just tell me you don't want to be alone with them" the Duke snorted, as he walked into the closet to change clothes.

"Yup, why do I have to do Alpha work while you're around?" reply with fatigue.

The duke exited the room while grumbling a short length, but did not refute.

"Where's Mom?" he asked in surprise, usually Myra who went upstairs to call him a meal.

"Aunt Myra is calling the humans that are in my house" El smiled nervously, following Duke down the stairs.

His opinion was the same as Duke, according to him the idea of inviting three humans to the dining table was very bad.

They then descended the stairs quickly, not wanting to keep their guests waiting.

In the corner of his eyes, the Duke saw Aygul and Arana approaching him.

They have changed their clothes by wearing their own. Their clothes looked very striking in the Duke's eyes, due to their sharp color.

Behind her Kamaria preceded sitting on the sofa of the living room after previously snatching a cup of coffee from the table.

"For Duke! I'm glad you finally showed up. I thought I should eat with a foreign werewolf alone" Sapa Aygul, while sitting on the sofa in front of Kamaria.

Arana smiled kindly, then followed her husband sitting down.

"You won't be alone, there will be some unexpected guests in a moment" Duke said, also grabbing a cup of coffee at the table and sitting in the only remaining spot, next to Kamaria.

Kamaria's face that immediately sparkled with satisfaction, spared the Duke's attention, as he did not care about her in the slightest.

But not with Arana, she saw Kamaria, with narrowed eyes. He knew at that moment what had happened to him.

Aygul shrugged at Duke's words, "I like surprises" he said.

The Duke smiled hearing that. He was glad that Aygul had complied with his request to be casual, the Duke only hoped that the chances of them fighting would be smaller if they behaved more intimately.

But the other Alpha is still very stiff and calls him Alpha Theobald, even though he has asked them to call him Duke.

Duke had expected this to happen. Because werewolves are very territorial. If two alphas are in one region, there will usually be bloodshed.

Just because of his association with humans, the Duke easily held back that instinct. And looking at Aygul's attitude, it was likely that he was the same as well. But 2 different alphas, Duke could see them trying hard to be more civilized.

And then there was one Beta Siewolf who was without being asked by the Duke to be casual, currently shifting his position so that it barely stuck to the Duke.

"Are you not going to take me around Manor? I'm very curious about the scenery here" he said in a spoiled wooing tone that gave Duke goosebumps.

If not remembering he was having a peaceful meeting with her, the Duke would have loved to shift away at that very moment.

But for the sake of manners, the Duke smiled "I'm sorry, but my schedule is very tight, Kamaria. I'll ask El to take you around" said the Duke, in a tone as cordial as possible.

Kamaria's words and tone were completely incompatible with the aura of the ruler he was in. The Duke was confused now.

"Oh.. Just call me Aria. And don't tell El, I want you to drive me" he whined, complete with the hand that now pulls the duke in full force.

Arana looked at the sight with annoyance. Kamaria must have known the duke had Zhena, how dare he tease her blatantly.

"No Aria. Excuse me. And it's breakfast time soon anyway"

The duke began to shift slightly away and released Kamaria's grip on his hand, but it was useless, as he kept following her shifting as well. It is impossible to escape from the entanglement of Kamaria.

Thankfully, help came a minute later. The scent of Myra he had been waiting for was approaching.

"Come in!" myra's cheerful voice, heard from the front door.

Followed by three pairs of awkward footsteps. Myra led them into Manor. Aygul and Arana immediately frowned.

"Who are they?" Arana instantly woke up, looking at them curiously, when the party had entered her distance of sight.

"They're humans who came with the Vampire clan" explained Duke slowly, which Aygul immediately understood.

But Arana needs a little more explanation. "Heh... What--oh those humans who provide blood for vampires!!!" yells.

Without trying to lower the volume for courtesy.

"Fuck!" Aygul scolds her softly and pulls her back to sit down.

Aygul's weakness is only one, namely his wife who is too enthusiastic and has high curiosity.

Kamaria at that time just looked at them without making a sound, her eyes were filled with curiosity, but her mouth was locked.

"Yes, you're right" Duke ended up being a fool for thinking about this too hard.

The Duke was sure that all the werewolves in the dining room heard Arana's call. At least he didn't have to bother explaining anymore.

The duke beckoned Aygul, Arana and Kamaria to enter the dining room, which had been inhabited by all of Manor's guests.

Their eyes were all directed at the three humans who were now standing awkwardly receiving all that attention.

"How can you be this low, so as to be a source of food for these vile creatures?" Alpha Rigel of Celaine sizzled with disdain.

The three humans who had just placed their bodies on the chairs, instantly froze.

The only women in the group immediately looked down, unable to look forward, but the two men bravely tried to stare at Rigel.

"The main reason is money, of course. They paid us a hefty sum" said the burly man called Barclay by Arkin.

"So we assume this is a job" Barclay continued.

"I'd really appreciate it if we could all get through this breakfast quietly. And Alpha Rigel, I hope you respect my guests" Duke said, running out of patience.

He was willing to host this meeting not to see the coachman debate about something he didn't care about.

Alpha Rigel looked very angry but his wife who was sitting next door, whispered softly and finally he calmed down. The woman who had been looking down was now glancing at the Duke with grateful eyes.

"So you agree with all this Alpha Theobald?" asked Alpha Urtzi from Shavarani while looking at Duke sharply.

"Of course not. I also find it disgusting. But considering that it was the only way that they could eat other than kill, I'll let it go" the Duke replied, immediately silencing Rigel's anger.

He finally just snorted and looked back at the plate. Alpha Urtzi nodded softly, agreeing with his opinion.

The woman who had been thanking Duke, pias heard his words. He had wrongly expected the Duke to defend him.

While Kamaria smiled satisfiedly at how Duke handled the problem.

Undoubtedly, Kamaria increasingly wanted a Duke who looked perfectly in her eyes.

The news of the Duke who already had Zhena did not make him retreat, moreover he did not see the slightest bit of Zhena's figure since coming here.

The breakfast atmosphere became cold and awkward after all that argument, according to Duke's estimation.

Myra looked at him with apologetic eyes, she did not think that far when inviting them to eat together yesterday.

What the Duke wanted most at this time was for the sun to quickly set, so that the cursed encounter could begin immediately.

-----////-----

The last pack that came was Pack Moonrise, a small pack where Myra came from.

Who became the Alpha in the pack after Myra became Zhena at Blackmoon, was Jacy Kalani, the uncle of Myra.

The company of Moonrise arrived at dusk carrying three werewolves. Myra was overjoyed when she finally met her family after such a long time.

"You're getting pretty niece" said Jacy looking at Myra's white hair. Myra laughed when she heard that.

Jacy then gave a warm hug to Duke which she replied awkwardly.

He's never met Jacy before. "It's a pity that you look too much like Owen" he said as he looked at Duke's face.

The duke only smiled hearing that, puzzled as to whether or not that sentence was a compliment.

Myra immediately invited him into Manor, while Duke came back out, because the Hunter troupe was coming.

And right, not for long, their car approached the gate of Manor.

"Digig!" Duke greeted warmly Abel who got down from the car, to the point that Abel stopped stepping in surprise.

The Duke rarely takes a stand. But because of the tension that had previously occurred in Manor, Duke was relieved to meet someone who did not have the potential to invite him to fight, besides Jacy of course.

"You look bad" Abel said as he looked at the Duke in surprise.

The Duke was supposed to sparkle happily after marriage, but Abel felt sadness and despair.

"The story is long" said Duke, without any intention of telling a story.

"If that's what you want" Abel said as he patted her on the back.

Behind Abel, Faust appears as well as a sun-scented Hunter and plum, but the smell of medicine overpowers that scent. When he saw the hand that was wrapped in bandages, Duke could guess the origin of the medicinal fragrance.

"You--" Duke recognizes the hunter.

He was a hunter who was riding on his back a few days ago. The Hunter bowed his respect to Duke.

"He insisted on coming along because he wanted to thank you" Abel said as he rubbed the young hunter's shoulder.

"No need" said the Duke. He just did what he should have done.

"Whatever it is, you have saved my life" he said, looking at the Duke boldly.

It was rare for any human to dare to go into a fight with the Duke. Aside from the unusual color of his eyes, the aura the Duke emitted usually frightened them.

"What's your name?" asked Duke, with interest.

"Lael Maaz" he replied with gleeful eyes, as he was finally able to speak a little long with the Duke.

Since meeting Duke, Lael has been very amazed by what is in Duke, and of course Abel knows. That's why he brought her here.

The Duke reached out a hand that Lael immediately greeted with joy.

Abel smiled looking at that, it was not strange if Duke had any fans.

In addition to attracting enemies, the Duke's strength would also bring in many admirers. But not with Faust, his face frowned not liking the scene earlier. He looked relieved, as the group began to walk.

The Duke did not bring Abel to Manor, but went straight to where the meeting took place, the library pack.

The building was chosen because of its size large enough to accommodate all guests. El had arranged for some bookshelves to be shifted close together so that there was a large empty room in the middle, which was,

There had sat Aygul, Akhtar, and also Urtzi together with his Zhena, Magena.

They each carried a book and were reading diligently, or perhaps pretending to be diligent. Because their attention instantly shifted as the Duke's entourage approached.

Aygul raised his face as Abel walked into the room, his big smile brightening.

"Abel Franklyn---great pleasure to see you again, buddy" she said without hesitation hugging Abel warmly.

Faust's already extremely sinister face, increasingly wrinkled at the sight.

"Faust--- You don't want to hug me?" aygul asked, as soon as he saw it, while stretching his hands wide.

From his attitude the Duke estimated he had known Faust before.

But Faust answered Aygul's request with a pretty middle finger.

"Another word about my childhood, I will shoot you in the foot without hesitation" said Faust, viciously.

"Alright" Aygul seemed to still love his feet, until he waved in surrender and overtook Abel who was having a meeting with Alpha Urtzi.

After that, change the Alpha that comes. The next sequence is Beta Kamaria and Shashi.

Kamaria unceremoniously placed herself next to Duke who happened to be still empty.She began to feel destiny was on her side.

While the Duke let out a heavy sigh, he wanted Myra who was sitting next to him.

Flanked by Kamaria and Aygul was a little excessive for him. Sometimes they both talk too much.

Jacy and Myra came together. They were both very happy to see Abel.

Easily, the three of them were immersed in the nostalgia of the fight at Moonrise two decades ago.

They all greeted Abel warmly.

The Duke grew curious about Abel. What exactly has he been doing all this time? He's not only friends with his father, but the whole Alpha that's here. How did he get close to that very stiff Rigel?

The figure that appeared next, being a surprise to Duke, Alva walked slowly into the library.

The Duke looked at her with questioning eyes, Alva only gave her a nod while looking towards Abel. Apparently Abel persuaded him.

Alva then sat to the right of Myra and looked blankly ahead, signifying her laziness to be here.

"Coming" the Duke sighed softly, looking at the door.

"Who?" Akhtar, who was sitting next to Aygul, looked at the door.

"Blood" the Duke replied as he pursed his nose.

Aygul took a breath and looked at Duke.

"Do you smell it?" aygul asked, once again taking a breath.

The distance between this library and El's house is quite far. The other Alphas who heard the conversation did the same thing, but like Aygul, they had yet to catch the scent of a vampire.

"The Duke's nose is more sensitive than an ordinary werewolf, the catch distance of his nose is farther than yours" Abel said cheerfully.

He didn't mean to be bad, but soon the atmosphere turned a little tense. One Alpha stronger than the other? It was the same as the battle invitation.

Even Aygul tightened his hands to prevent his instincts from taking over. Except for Jacy, he only smiled slightly looking at Duke. He knew for sure how powerful the Duke was, and did not want to embarrass himself by challenging him.

Duke automatically felt the tension in the air and growled low in the throat, he would be happy to welcome their challenge. Maybe it will be powerful to clear his mind for him.

A few minutes passed without a sound. They were all trying to hold back the wild nature that was trying to take over.

Faust also felt that, he stroked the waist where his gun was tucked away, preparing for the worst possible.

"Good evening!" Oulam's heavy voice broke the silence and severed the tension in the air.

"Evening Oulam, Arkin" Abel first spoke. He stood up and greeted the two of them with a hand job.

"You two?" abel asked, glancing at the door. I wish there were vampires coming.

"Yes, they're too tense to meet new blood" Arkin said coldly. He shook Abel's hand, but did not smile.

"Sit down" Abel pointed at the empty chair and they sat down.

The tension that formed between the fellow werewolves earlier, changed with a high degree of vigilance. They have the same enemies, vampires!

Abel casually introduced them one after another. The duke, Kamaria and Aygul gave nods in favor of courtesy, when Abel mentioned the names Arkin and Oulam. But Urtzi and Rigel just blinked.

With his more laid-back nature, Oulam did not take issue with it, but Arkin did not. Her face signaled she did not like the cold reception, but Arkin held back and then turned his gaze elsewhere.

Abel introduced Alva just by saying her name, of course some Alpha was a little surprised.

But Aygul gave a look of understanding, the absence of aroma and the lack of signs of Alva's life, simply explaining who Alva was.

Abel noticed all the tension with a smile. He knows this is not an easy job. At least no claws are coming out tonight.

"Alright, we've all gathered, so I declare this meeting to begin" said Abel, in a high tone. Trying to make the atmosphere more alive.

Everyone looked at him, but no one reacted, so Abel continued.

"As we know, this group was formed because of the threat of one vampire who had wild ideals to kill all of humanity" he said. He was relieved as several heads gave a reaction with a nod.

"This meeting is in addition to discussing how the forces of Crispin's forces, also to assert that all of us in this room will be on the same side when the war happens" he added in a more serious tone.

This most important issue, the slight splash of the ashes of treason, would set them ablaze.

"I wonder what reason you guys want to fight Crispin. The thing he offered was very tempting" Urtzi interrupted Abel.

He did not say specifically, but everything in the room knew, he asked Arkin and also Oulam.

"Oh, our reasoning is very simple. We cannot live without humans. If Crispin plans to kill all humans, it means we will starve" Oulam replied in a light tone.

It makes sense, but it's just a joke of course. Crispin will not be so foolish as to slaughter his own food until it is not left alone.

"And you think we'll believe it?!" rigel snapped, annoyed at Oulam's casual style.

"Lam! You can't joke at a time like this" Abel scolded softly. Oulam simply shrugged, glancing at Arkin.

Arkin held up his seat, then placed his pale hand on the table.

"Crispin is a vampire, but he has done the most disgusting thing: drink the blood of the forbidden inhumane. In addition, he also did not hesitate to tear down another vampire clan that had been hundreds of years old. In other words, he was the trash we had to clean up. Actually we'd rather clean it ourselves, but we know the trash has become much stronger, more than we could have imagined"

Arkin's voice may be clearer than Oulam's, but his maturity and calmness make all who sit listen to him without refuting.

Rigel and Urtzi looked at them with their eyes still hesitating, because it would be very dangerous if the vampires changed course.

But for the Duke it was enough, he would finish them off without a second thought, if in the end they chose to betray, it was that easy. His strength would overcome them easily. Power that no other Alpha has.

"For me, because I'm enjoying my life so much right now. I don't want any stupid war to make me difficult" Aygul said, citing his reasons for joining this side.

No one asked him. Aygul takes that stance, simply so that the Vampires do not feel cornered by Urtzi's question.

His demeanor was as casual as Oulam, making Duke think the two of them were here just because they wanted to fight.

"I want to protect Pack Levana, our not-so-numbered numbers will run out if we fight. I know for sure humans have terrible weapons. Inhumane might have won, but Levana's blood was too precious to shed for such ridiculous reasons. We have been living peacefully for several centuries" Kamaria put forward a more noble reason.

Which certainly makes the Duke wonder. There was no sound of wooing and shrill like this morning, only the voice of a stern Alpha. His attitude was like a chameleon that changed according to his place.

"Celaine, will fight for the werewolves for the same reason" Rigel said briefly.

"Crispin has destroyed my wife's family's pack. That's a strong reason, I think" Urtzi clenched his hand on the table furiously.

"He killed my father and also ate his heart about 6 months ago. It would be ridiculous if anyone thought I would join him" the Duke replied flatly, he glanced at Myra whose hardened face restrained his emotions.

The Duke stroked Myra's back slowly, regretting having said something that made her mother sad.

"I'm sorry to hear that" said Aygul, bowing his head in sympathy.

Mumbles of sorrow spread, and Myra responded with thanks.

"That means she killed the husband of my only niece. That's the reason I'm here" Jacy said suddenly, making her head that was staring at Duke and Myra turn away.

"Well, we've all understood each other I hope" Abel said, smiling.

He did not ask Alva, who had not shown any reaction. And obviously Alva doesn't want to explain anything to anyone. Abel ignored him too.

"Not yet" said the Duke suddenly.

"I also want the assurance all Hunters are on our side" he said firmly. He would not forget the few Hunters he saw in Lavrentiya.

Faust's face instantly darkened, he did not want Duke to show the Hunter's ugliness before them, but given what they did to his brother, Faust ended up being silent.

"Whatchu mean? Of course Hunter's on our side!" Kamaria answered in wonder.

"You gonna say it, or me?" The Duke gave Abel a chance to explain everything.

"Eh..all right" insisted Abel. It seemed that he actually did not want to discuss this either.

"A few days ago, the Duke and my grandson Faustina managed to approach Crispin's horde at Lavrentiya, where they saw some traitorous Hunters joining Crispin" Abel said.

The betrayal embarrassed him.

"You seem to have had a very interesting week for Duke" whispered Aygul, with an envious smile.

The Duke only smiled, because Aygul was right. Putting Dom's death aside, that day was a lot of fun.

"Hah!!. This is not new to Abel, some of you are jerks" Jacy chuckled, remembering how Hunter helped the witches attack the Moonrise pack.

"Yes, I admit it. But don't worry, the Hunter that Duke rescued from there, provided more than enough information to know who was a traitor. We have now cleared it. All the Hunters that exist today, will work hard to hunt Crispin" explained Abel with a spell.

"Everything? Supreme Council approves cooperation with Inhumane?" the Duke did not believe it, Abel used to complain they were very conservative.

There must be a strong reason that made them agree.

"Well, they had no other choice" Abel reached into something from his pocket, and placed a small round object as big as a hand, made of shiny platinum.

The duke looked at him and saw the cross-cutting handgun and sword engraving, flanking the small crown. There were small ancient letters surrounding the circle of the image. The duke frowned not understanding.

"You're appointed Chairman of the Supreme Council Hunter?" Arkin exclaimed in shock, recognizing the thing.

It was platinum, the highest-ranking symbol in the Hunter range.

"Yes, being active 2 days ago, they finally admitted that I was great" Abel said, laughing at his own jokes.

"Your bad habit of being funny at the wrong time is still the same" Myra shook her head at Abel's laughter.

"alright. I'm sorry" Abel put the plate back in his coat.

"With a report from Lael, we managed to remove all traitors from the ranks of the Council, thus I can guarantee Hunter's loyalty" he said, with more seriousness.

The Duke nodded in satisfaction as he looked towards Lael who was smiling happily. He turned out to be more useful than Duke had anticipated.

The Duke is glad his actions to save Lael were not in vain. With this too, it means that he does not need to kill many humans during the war.

"What was the reason they joined Crispin? He killed Hunter as entertainment during dinner" asked Duke, their attitude still unreasonable in his opinion.

"Hmmm. Hunter lives in the shadows, we keep the humans. But humans don't know about our existence. Crispin promises a more normal life" Abel said bitterly.

This fact is quite pathetic actually, Hunter's wishes are so simple, but it doesn't make them true.

"That's a very sad reason" Myra said, unconsciously voicing her heart.

Faust's body stiffened hearing it, but then threw away his face.

The mood turned bleak again.

Without any warning, the Duke suddenly rose up suddenly and looked around. Everyone in the room was shocked.

"What's wrong?" Myra asked worriedly, she knew the Duke would not do such a thing without a compelling reason.

"Something's coming" the Duke said with a huff.

He knew this was a little impossible. If there were any intruders in the pack, the warriors he scattered in all directions would definitely howl. But Duke knew for sure that his instincts would not go wrong.

There's something breaking through Blackmoon's pack protection magic!!

"I didn't smell anything" Aygul stood up and kissed the air. Kamaria, Rigel, Jacy and Urtzi were also the same.

"Me too, but I wouldn't be wrong"

Duke stomped his feet in annoyance, as his nose still did not catch any scent.

"What do you mean Duke?" Abel also started to look panicked.

"What's that?" Kamaria pointed at the empty floor behind the Duke.

There appeared two diagrams of a circle of light with a blue-colored glow. A magic circle with complicated symbols that the Duke could not recognize.

The circle is getting brighter and brighter.

"That's impossible!! No magician can break through this magic pack" Alva exclaimed in ruffian.

And that's right, the protective magic in this pack has been amplified for thousands of years. Only a stupid witch tries to break through. He'll die of exhaustion before he succeeds.

Without much thought, Faust and Lael pulled the gun out.

A furious growl rang out from the four Alphas in a standby position to transform, even Arkin and Oulam had taken out their poisonous hooves and were preparing to jump.

"Oh---!!" An understanding cry was made from Abel's mouth, when a body appeared in the middle of the light diagram.

Everyone present squinted as the light grew brighter, making their pupils shrink.

When the light dimmed, Duke could clearly see the figure that appeared, but his brain refused to process the oddity he was seeing at the moment.

Because a strange word alone, not enough to describe it.