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"But I waited for your letter! I waited like a fool, thinking that… perhaps you care enough to… write to me."

That revelation came to him like a thunder on a sunny day.

She was waiting for me?

"Did he write to you?" he asked, partly out of curiosity, partly regret.

She nodded gingerly. Klaus could only chuckle bitterly inside. "I see. He truly cherishes you, that much is clear."

It was meant as a consolation—to whom, he was not sure. It also served as a reminder, to whoever needed it, about the current status quo. The pinkette clenched her chest and glared at him, tears already hanging at the corner of her eyes. "You really don't care, do you?"

It hurt him terribly to watch the state she was in. Should I comfort her? But, if I do…

Suddenly a glimpse of someone at the distance behind Raelyn caught his attention. It was only brief, but that was all he needed. Chill ran down his spine as those words found their way back into his memories:

"…I'll hunt ya down and destroy everything ya hold dear! EVERYTHING! Ya hear me?!"

"Go home, Raelyn," he told her sternly.

The young woman, obviously still upset, followed his words and trudged back into the mountain. Klaus began to wonder whether he should escort her, but if the person he caught a glimpse of earlier was really whom he thought it would be, perhaps escorting her would backfire. Therefore, he remained where he had been.

Klaus closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the sharp cold winter air entering his system.

His big, round eyes and radiant complexion made him an ill fit to the world he was seeking to enter. He was rather young, too—no older than thirteen. Nevertheless, he proved his worth and was added to his pack. As per the tradition, it fell to Klaus as the Alpha to greet the new recruit, Nik.

"Welcome to the pack, Nik," Klaus greeted in an even tone. "From now, you are our brother as we are yours."

The young boy nodded eagerly as he grinned. Klaus could sense the disapproving murmur behind his back, but personally, he could appreciate that boyish innocence. He couldn't help but to smile a bit. "Let's take a walk."

Klaus turned on his heel and started to walk away. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure the boy was following him. "Yer the one they called the Alpha, right?" Nik asked eagerly.

"Yes."

"The one who took over the Queen, right?"

That took him by surprise for two reasons. One: for someone of that age, Nik was quite well-informed about the rumors of this world. Two: the Queen. It had been some time since anyone spoke of her name.

Most of his current territory used to be under the legendary Queen and his basecamp was known to be her throne in the past as well. However, truth to be told, everything about the Queen was regarded as a legend—including her sudden disappearance. His relatively quick rise as a gang leader was partly thanks to this rumor, actually.

"What're we gonna do in the area?"

"Patrolling, ensuring that the area is safe. That's why we must have a fearsome reputation, so that other gangs don't even think of messing with our territory."

"Ain't that what cops are for?"

Klaus exhaled long. For a brief moment, his thoughts flew back to the only thing that was left of his birth family: the memory of them. "Cops only move when things already happened… and sometimes they're just too late."

When he opened his eyes, there was only an empty winter scenery before him, with the not-so-bright town lamps as the source of light. Was it only my imagination? Was I thinking too much because of Bud?

Whatever it was, Klaus decided to turn back to his house. Just before he stepped in, the chill came back to him again.

"Sup, Alpha."

That voice. He could recognize that voice anywhere. He immediately stopped on his track.

Klaus glanced over his shoulder.

"Were you talking to me? It seems that you mistook me for someone else."

The sound of that man's laugh pierced the otherwise silent winter evening. "Ya can try be a sheep all ya like, but yer scent is that of a wolf! Ain't that yer motto? 'Always a wolf'?"

Klaus gritted his teeth. He should have known better; there was no fooling that person. Klaus turned around.

That man seemed lankier than Klaus remembered him last. For starters, there were scars he could not remember seeing before; his nose bent slightly to the side. One thing remained, though: he was a relentless hunter.

"Ya think ya can live in peace after what ya done?"

"Bars didn't clear your mind, I see…"

Suddenly, that man threw a fist at him. Klaus quickly dodged to the side and push his arm slightly away, throwing his attacker slightly off-balance—or so Klaus thought, because the next thing that he knew was a sudden pain in his stomach and he was thrown back from the pinwheel kick. Klaus groaned in a low voice. "Prison's a good trainin'. Always keep ya on yer toes!"

"I can see that. Good for you, I suppose."

"And nightmare for ya and those ya care for!" He stalked closer to Klaus and grabbed his collar. Klaus could smell the mix of tobacco, beer, and blood. "Ya remember what I said back then? I come to make good of me word."

He threw Klaus back to the ground and left. Klaus could feel his heart pounding against his chest and sweat starting to form despite the coldness. One person came into his mind… and he could only think of one way.

Klaus forced himself to stand up. Instead of walking back to his own house, he staggered towards the Antique Shop. He knew he must do it now, when he was sure that that person was not in this area. With one hand holding his pained stomach, he knocked on the door continuously.

The door swung open with Iris on the other side. She was clearly annoyed, but when she saw the state he was in, her annoyance immediately turned into worry. "Klaus! What happened to you?"

"Sh! We need to talk—in private."

"You don't want to go to Mari—"

"Iris, please."

Iris clammed up and nodded understandingly. She let Klaus in and helped him to reach the nearest sofa. Mistel saw him and approached him in worry. Before he could say anything, though, Iris stopped him and said: "Please fetch Marian."

"It's fine. This is not as bad as it seems…" Klaus groaned.

"You need to see him as soon as possible!"

Klaus looked at Iris helplessly. "I won't die even if I don't see him for another hour, but if that person saw Mistel dragging the town doctor to this area, he would surely figure out that Mistel is related to me."

Iris hesitated for a moment before relenting to Klaus' demand and asked Mistel to wait upstairs. She quickly prepared a bag of ice and a cup of warm tea and served them to Klaus before taking a seat across him. "Now, I think you have something important to tell me."

He nodded curtly. "My past is catching up with me, Iris… in this town. That person… he came back."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. "That person… who?"

Klaus pressed the ice pack against his pain, feeling the cold starting to numb his senses. "The last person I would want to cross path with these days…."

"What do you need me for?" the novelist asked straightforwardly. "Surely, there is something urgent you want to tell me."

Klaus nodded. "Raelyn…"

"But, she is not alone in the mountains. Ibuki would…"

"Could you just check on her, just for a moment, please? Get someone to go with you for your safety… but don't be too obvious."

Iris chuckled in an attempt to lighten up the situation. The wryness in her voice couldn't be missed, although Klaus still appreciated her effort all the same. "Subtlety has always been my forte."

Blood was dripping down the edge of his hands as the soreness began to crawl across his knuckles. He panted heavily as Craig struggled to get back on his feet. He knew he beat him a good amount, but his opponent was known to be one of the toughest in the area; Klaus couldn't be sure whether this was enough to force his submission.

Klaus looked around. Most of Craig's crew were already beaten or fled the area. His own crew was not much better, either. It really came down to between the two of them.

"Look, we can end this now, Craig. None of our guys can take more fight now."

Craig wiped off the blood that trickled down the corner of his mouth as he glared at Klaus. "Ye bastard!"

Craig brandished a knife. In a last-ditch effort, he dashed towards Klaus with the knife blade pointed straight at him. Klaus' fatigue caught up with him in a bad timing; he was not fast enough to evade it.

Suddenly, a figure stood between him and the knife, taking the blow meant for him. It surprised both men.

"Nik!" they called out in unison.

Nik stared at Craig. "Brother…" he panted. "Don't… Alpha is… good."

"Nik! What'cha sayin'?! Nik! Nik!"

Nik fell onto the ground with a thud. Craig and Klaus forgot their fight for a moment and tended to him. Klaus held his breath when he saw his wound; even if they rushed him to the hospital now, there was no guarantee he would make it out alive.

The two young men could only watch in silence as he drew his last breath.

Craig glared at him. "It's yer fault Nik died. My little brother… ya played his with mind and now he died cos of ya! I won't forgive ya, I'll hunt ya down and destroy everything ya hold dear! EVERYTHING! Ya hear me?!"

With his past slowly catching up on him... what will Klaus choose?

Wait for the next update!

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