It really was happening, but Fenris was yet to truly believe it. He hadn’t set foot in one of these worlds that Lycan and the rest had told him about.

  “What about the rest of you?” Fenris asked. “Are you setting off like the rest of them?”

  “Aww, are you going to miss me, Fenris?” Buck said, smiling.

  “Yeah, sure,” Fenris said sarcastically.

  “I will not be joining the travelers,” Lycan said. “I have been with the head noble, so I won’t be able to join the Traveler’s Guild. Gwen will be maintaining the barrier that shields us from the hunters, along with her other duties that require her talents.”

  Fenris, taking a better look at Gwendolyn, noticed how heavy her eye bags were. She struggled to stay awake, and the meal that was in front of her lay untouched.

  “Buck will be leaving in a few days. Truthfully, I would have preferred he left with the others, but he insisted on staying here with you just for a little while.”

  Fenris looked at Buck, who still had a smile on his face.

  ‘Lucky me,’ Fenris thought sarcastically. He didn’t wish to spend any more time with Buck, but it seemed he wouldn't be able to get rid of him easily.

  “Alden and Aria, however…” Lycan turned to the red twins. He sighed. “Will be staying here at the castle. They’re too young to join the Traveler’s Guild.”

  “No, we’re not!” Aria protested. She banged the wooden table. Her claws and fangs elongated slowly.

  Alden, her brother, reached a hand out for her, but she growled at him, causing him to step back. Lycan looked at her dead in the eye with a blank expression, not fearing her outburst in the slightest.

  “I keep saying this, but no one either listens to me or believes me. We’re fifteen! That’s the minimum age required to join any kind of guild. So why are you locking us in here when we can be out there doing something!?”

  Aria panted, waiting for Lycan’s response.

  “If you’re done yelling, then I’ll answer you,” Lycan said. “I don’t care what the guild rules are, Aria. It’s far too dangerous for someone your age to go on missions that threaten your life.”

  “Too dangerous? Are you serious?” Aria asked. She chuckled loudly. “We’re WEREWOLVES. We were born in danger. Nowhere is safe for us. Not out there and not in this stupid castle.”

  Her words roared and echoed throughout the entire hall. Gwendolyn turned away from her. Her brother had his head down. Fenris took an interested look at the she-wolf while Lycan’s face remained static.

  She took a deep breath in and let it out. “I have a chance. A chance to fight back. A chance to pay back the human that took everything from me and my brother, and you won’t let me because you don’t care.”

  Her voice was low and cracking, almost like she was on the verge of tears. A swift change from her earlier wrath.

  “That isn’t true,” Lycan argued. “Perhaps saying I don't care was a cruel statement. I do care, Aria. I care a lot about all of you. I know you want to do your part—and you will. But you and your brother aren’t ready yet.”

  Aria’s attitude changed from pleading back to rage. She stood up from her seat and looked at Lycan, her eyebrows shaking and her teeth grinding. She threw her plate of meat on the floor, breaking it to pieces, and stomped out of the hall. Alden hurriedly followed after her.

  The room fell silent. An air of awkwardness quickly filled the space for those who remained.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “She’s got a point,” Fenris spoke up.

  Now, this time, Buck gave him a death stare—an unusual facial expression for the jolly werewolf. He wasn’t the only one. Gwendolyn looked at him with great annoyance.

  Fenris saw how they looked at him. But he didn’t care. The only person’s reaction to his statement that was noteworthy would be the pack leader.

  He looked at Lycan, whose facial expression remained the same: blank. His sitting position didn’t change.

  His back was forward, his fingers interlocked, and his chin rested on his interlocked fingers. He was a hard man to read.

  “The fact that she’s still alive means she’s killed a fair share of humans. We all have. None of us are innocent. She’s not a child. Not really. So is age really the only reason you’re keeping her from joining the Traveler’s Guild?”

  Lycan didn’t answer Fenris immediately, creating an uncomfortable silence in the hall. Maybe Fenris was testing the waters by questioning the pack leader’s decision, but he wanted to know how Lycan thought.

  His life was in his hands, after all. It was only common sense.

  Lycan smiled—not the reaction Fenris was expecting at all. He thought Lycan would dismiss his question or yell something like, How dare you question me.

  But he got a smile. To be fair, Lycan hadn’t answered his question yet. Maybe the smile was a dismissal—just a polite one.

  “I can see why you’d think that,” Lycan finally spoke. “But despite what my reasons may be, tell me, do her actions scream maturity to you?”

  Fenris thought back to a few moments ago. Thinking a little deeper, he realized what he saw was akin to a child asking their father for something and lashing out when they didn’t get it.

  “No, right? Despite what she's been through, and despite the age requirement for the Traveler’s Guild, I still see her as a child. Her time will come to be a part of all this. It’s just not now.”

  Fenris contemplated Lycan’s words. They were sound, but not entirely convincing to him. Didn’t it make sense to let her be part of the pack’s missions? She had already unlocked her lycanthropy. The hunters—no, the world—wouldn’t care how old she was.

  She would still be a werewolf. A monster to be wiped off existence in their eyes. To Fenris, it seemed like Lycan was trying to protect the innocence of a girl that was already gone.

  Wait, why do I even care? Fenris thought. I’m staying here for my own goals. How Lycan chooses to run his pack shouldn’t be my concern as long as I get what I want.

  “As for Beowulf…” Lycan said, bringing Fenris out of his thoughts, “...he will be staying behind.”

  Fenris’s eyes widened in surprise. His gaze turned to the bulky werewolf beside him. Fenris had fought him and saw he was a formidable fighter. He thought that Lycan would have sent him out with the rest of them for sure.

  “Just like Alden and Aria, there are young ones among us. Not all have unlocked their Lycanthropy. Beowulf will stay behind to protect them.”

  “Protect them?” Fenris repeated. “I thought we were shielded from the hunters.”

  “We are!” Gwendolyn blurted out.

  “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be cautious,” Lycan said. “And besides, Beowulf’s role isn’t just as a protector—he’s also a caretaker. With most of the adults gone, they will look towards one of their own for protection and guidance.”

  “AND I SHALL PROTECT THEM!” Beowulf proclaimed. He got up from his chair. “I SWEAR IT ON MY LIFE. I SHALL WATCH OVER THE NEXT GENERATION. NO MATTER THE CHALLENGE. I SHALL FULFILL MY DUTY….”

  “Thank you, Beowulf,” Lycan said. “That’s quite enough.” Beowulf bowed and took his seat.

  “Plus, we’re trying to be discreet and he’s a bit much,” Buck whispered in Fenris' ear. A useless effort since Beowulf could hear them clearly if he wished to. But still, it was more polite.

  “He’ll also be training you on fighting like a human and fighting like a werewolf,” Lycan said. “Your fighting results were less than satisfactory. I will not let you join the Traveler’s until Beowulf says you are ready.”

  They had all finished their meals a while ago and were now leaving the dining hall. Before Beowulf left, he looked towards Fenris.

  “I’ll be outside training—waiting for you. Don’t keep me waiting too long,” Beowulf said.

  He had left the hall. They all had—even Lycan. Fenris and Buck still remained. Fenris got up from his seat and was in the process of leaving the dining hall.

  “So, which one are you going to first?” Buck asked.

  Fenris turned to Buck. “What do you mean?”

  “You still gotta talk to Gwen, remember?” Buck answered. “The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be to make things right with her. Like it or not, you need your own runes if you’re going to survive in those other worlds—believe me.”

  Buck stood up and walked past Fenris, leaving him at the dining hall.

  Fenris stood in silence, contemplating Buck’s words.

  Which one should he go to first—Beowulf or Gwendolyn?