The temporary outpost’s heavy door opened with a harsh metallic groan.

Cold air rushed in from outside, carrying the wet scent of concrete, distant seawater and old blood. Nikolai stepped out first, adjusting the collar of his jacket while the others moved behind him.

’Damn it’s cold... I guess Winter is just around the corner.’

Ten minutes passed faster than expected.

The wounded had received the serum, those who could still stand had been reassigned, and the small patrols near the lower access road were recalled. It was a simple order, but the sight of those hounds dragging themselves back with pale faces and ashamed expressions remained in the back of his mind.

’I should learn more about them and what makes them tick...’

Though they seemed relieved, there was something else lingering in the eyes that peered at him as they passed each other.

But most appeared relieved.

’How bad was it down there?’

Nikolai descended the short concrete steps and crossed the outpost yard. The nearby hounds and warriors lowered their heads briefly as he passed, but he barely reacted this time, just gently raising his hand on the way out.

"At ease, keep focused."

His mind remained fixed on the footage, a disgusting amalgamation of his wives.

The whole thing stank of Doctor Franz’s handiwork.

’I sit just Kumiko, Amphitrite, Selene and Nikita?’

His mind became fuzzy, angry that someone had used their likeness to create such abominations. Monsters created to lure men, nothing but lumps of pure desire to keep men following their behinds.

It wasn’t the erotic part that disgusted him. He enjoyed beautiful women, and he wouldn’t pretend otherwise.

It was just the theft... of his wife’s image.

The softness of Kumiko, the tight, sensual lower body of Amphitrite, Selene’s large yet well-rounded breasts with just the right amount of droopiness, and finally Nikita’s athletic and alluring figure.

He couldn’t allow other men to enjoy such things.

They were his.

And he’s alone, no matter how disgusting, chauvinistic, and arrogant it sounded.

These were traits he knew intimately, not just measurements or shapes; they were parts of women who slept beside him, argued with him and even bore his children.

’You really do know how to piss me off, Franz.’

The first team gathered near the armoured jeep.

Nikolai didn’t look back to see if everyone was following. The old version of himself would have done so. He would have glanced back, worried while counting their heads, preparing for the worst when one of them vanished in battle.

This time, he just gave them a vague nod and continued.

Selene and Nikita had their own tasks to complete. He knew that Ryan would ensure all the injured would be stabilised, while Sarah memorised the route. As for Vernan and Alexei, those two were veterans with their own way of doing things.

If Nikolai kept looking back, he would never move forward.

’Trust them.’

That heavy word resounded inside his mind as he stood beneath the dark red sky, with the patrols gone and now waiting in place for the filthy seductress who killed and maimed dozens of his brethren.

He stopped beside the jeep, turning his head slightly.

"Sarah."

"Y-Yes, husband?"

"Make sure you send the route we take, and any proposed changes to Selene and Nikita. I don’t want them to worry, and if something goes wrong, they also need the information to quickly support me."

"Understood."

There was a subtle huff in her voice, the sound as if she smiled while speaking.

Sarah never let him down, whether in business, the bed or in her new role as his bodyguard, which she requested.

Despite his offer to let her remain a stay-at-home wife like the others.

He loved that about her, how she could be affectionate and clingy, yet strangely continued to be professional in the same breath.

The rear hatch opened.

Nikolai stepped inside and sat down, letting the harness lock over his chest with a click. The interior lights shifted from pale blue to a muted red as the tactical system updated. A route appeared across the front display, cutting from the outpost toward the lower access road, then bending toward the dock warehouses.

The distance wasn’t far, which made things worse.

’These bastards attacked us so close to the outpost, they’re too arrogant.’

Or the obvious reason was to draw him out into the open; maybe it was a trap for his father, and because Nikolai came instead, the target just changed.

Nikolai leaned back against the seat, his thumb brushing the edge of the armrest.

For a moment, his thoughts drifted to the estate.

Was Dhalia able to sleep well in Madoka’s care, could Elizabeth endure without his late-night cuddle... and what were Viktroia and Leonid doing? He hoped the pair wouldn’t keep tormenting the tigress, as she was already concerned about her age.

’Focus, Nikolai.’

He couldn’t afford to soften right now.

He needed to become an impenetrable wall to protect them.

"We’re setting off, Patriarch." Sarah’s voice crackled from the front compartment.

The jeep started moving.

Outside, the outpost gates dragged open, and the vehicle rolled through with a low growl. Concrete barriers passed on both sides. Armed hounds watched from behind reinforced positions, their eyes reflecting the floodlights.

The look on their faces when he entered had changed.

Now they looked at him with a hint of expectation, fear and hope.

He wondered when those gazes stopped feeling like something aimed at another person.

The feeling of leading the family always felt temporary or something so distant and far away for Nikolai. Yet, after recent events, those feelings were fading, and he started to see himself as they did.

’Patriarch.’

That title used to feel so heavy and grand.

His grandfather’s image still stood like an insurmountable wall.

Nikolai still didn’t know how it looked on him.

But he was determined to overcome and surpass his grandfather and the previous Lords.

To bring an era of peace and tranquillity to the clan.

"That’s it, keep calm and focus on the mission at hand."

Nikolai mumbled to himself, trying to psyche himself up for the upcoming battle.

The jeep turned onto the lower road.

The city changed immediately.

The outpost’s harsh lights faded behind them, replaced by long stretches of broken pavement and half-built structures wrapped in torn construction sheets. Several cranes stood frozen above unfinished buildings, their dark frames cutting across the crimson sky like skeletal fingers.

"I thought the humans were going to complete these projects a few years ago... I was so lost in the wonder of maybe owning or living in one of these port-side properties with my wife one day..."

Sarah didn’t respond to Nikolai’s talk, just giving a soft hum every so often.

He didn’t really speak to her, but rather to himself.

A reminder of how far he’d come.

Smoke drifted between the concrete pillars, and the scent of salt thickened as the sea crashed against the barriers. From the moment the blood moon appeared, the water and tide became aggressive and unsteady.

Nikolai’s eyes scanned for the places where they had spotted the two women, marking the blind spots and dangerous areas.

This was where the footage had been captured.

The same road.

The same broken truck.

The same dead angles where the cameras failed.

He could almost see the woman walking there, hips swaying, face hidden, each step inviting someone to follow. A part of him wanted to fall for the trap... to see just how far they resembled his wives.

A filthy and vulgar part that irritated him.

Not because he wanted to deny his own desire, but because whoever designed the bait had understood Nikolai’s desire well enough to weaponise it.

"Slow down."

The jeep responded at once.

The engine lowered to a quiet rumble.

Nikolai unfastened the harness and stood before the vehicle stopped. Sarah’s voice came from the side channel, but he didn’t focus on the words. She just confirmed the location, the distance she could support him from and that the target wasn’t here.

He tapped the panel once, opening the hatch as he jumped out.

Cold air struck his face as he stepped deeper into the lower access road, his boots echoing through the darkness while a shallow puddle reflected the blood-red sky above.

Nikolai walked along for several minutes; nothing moved apart from the wind, the distant groan of bending metal, and the water slapping against the dock walls.

He examined the broken truck.

A dark stain marked the ground near its rear wheel, half-washed by rainwater.

He crouched beside the stain and scanned the area. It wasn’t enough blood for a corpse, maybe a struggle or fight, but it couldn’t be everything. His fingers touched the wet ground, then lifted them to his nose.

*Sniff*

The scent was fresh, a male werewolf frozen with terror.

He was alive before being dragged away somewhere, but the dense scent of the blood couldn’t be a light wound.

’Where and how did they drag him away?’

"Hm?"

Farther ahead, beyond the broken truck, something pale moved between the construction sheets.

He caught a glimpse of pale skin, then the curve of a woman’s hips... and her dark hair spilling forward to hide her face. Then the figure slipped behind a concrete pillar. The woman softly chuckled, the sound soft yet eerie.

He stared at the place she vanished and slowly exhaled.

"So you came out."

His claws grew, and his fangs lengthened as he stepped towards the construction site. With a twisted grin, Nikolai slowly picked up the pace and began sprinting towards the disappearing woman at ferocious speed.

"Come on then, try and seduce me!"