Jiah's POV
"Let's see what it is," I said, moving close to the bush. Sungmin followed behind, and Yula was behind him. After searching through, we found nothing! No one was in there.
"Maybe animals made those sounds," I said, turning to leave.
"Tonight doesn't look promising," Yula said as we sat on the ground, looking at the stars.
"Yeah, it doesn't. I think I buy the idea of attacking Wooyung's pack," Sungmin said, pulling our heads together as we devised a new plan! After sharing ideas, we all agreed to his plan. Sungmin accompanied Yula back to the house because we did not need her at Wooyung's territory for anything since she wasn't good at physical combat. When Sungmin returned, he grabbed my wrist as we darted away in a flash.
We soon landed in Wooyung's territory, and luckily for us, Omega Bean, a Canadian who had just joined their pack, was standing beside us without noticing. It was our best time to strike!
Sungmin looked at me and gave a wicked grin. I knew what was going through his mind from those nasty looks on his face. I nodded in response. In a split second, Sungmin stretched his hand and grabbed Omega Bean by the collar, pulling him onto himself. He sniffed the terrible smell of his body.
Before the poor boy could utter a word or even howl, Sungmin covered his mouth with his palm. His eyes shone with fear, he struggled to make a sound that would attract his other pack members but no one heard him from the dark, bloody corner where we hid. I held his wrist and bent toward his ear, determined to do this, even though we were aware of the implications of what we were doing.
"Make a sound and you'll lose your tongue," I whispered. My voice was cold and cruel.
He let down a hard gulp through his lungs, and I felt his pulse racing under my grip. Sungmin chuckled softly. "You're not dying tonight, Omega Bean," he said, licking his lower lip. "But you're going to help us if you want to see the next moon." I recognized those expressions. They always sat on his face whenever he was executing one of his risky plans.
The boy was trembling badly. His fair skin had gone pale under the moonlight. His voice trembled as he nodded quickly. Sungmin loosened his hand from the boy's mouth.
"Good boy," I smirked. "Now listen carefully. We need you to lure the weakest wolf in this territory out. It must look natural — no drama. If you mess this up, I'll slice through your ribs and hang your intestines on that tree," I threatened, pointing to an old, crooked tree that stood a few steps away.
Omega Bean gulped, his hands shaking as he rubbed his neck. "I—I can do that… I know a young Omega, Micah. He's always on patrol duty around this time, and he's not good at combat. I can call him here."
"Perfect!" Sungmin said with a grin. "Now move. But remember, if you try anything stupid, I'll snap your neck before you can howl."
Omega Bean scurried off as his figure disappeared into the shadows. Sungmin and I crouched behind a large boulder, our eyes fixed on the spot where the boy vanished. We did not plan to screw things up for ourselves. The air was filled with tension. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest, not from fear but from excitement.
"I think I fucked up. We should have gone with him," Sungmin said, tapping his head.
"No, he is too innocent to die, and besides, he only just joined their pack a few days ago. Instead of killing him, we can get the other wolf that he was talking about," I explained.
"Just tell me, do you find him attractive? Do you love him?"
"How could you even say a thing like that? Of course, I don't!"
"Why wouldn't I when you just did something stupid! Something that surprised me!"
I didn't respond to him anymore, and he didn't stop talking to himself either.
A few minutes later, we heard soft footsteps approaching. Omega Bean's voice followed, low and casual, as he led the unsuspecting wolf toward the dark corner that was filled with doom.
"I swear, it was right here," Omega Bean said, pointing toward where we waited.
Micah, a slim, young wolf with curly hair and brown eyes, stepped into the corner. "Where? I don't see anything—"
Before he could finish, Sungmin bolted from the shadows, grabbed him by the neck, and pinned him to the ground. Micah gasped, struggling to get free from Sungmin's grip.
"Shut up!" I hissed, covering his mouth. His eyes darted in horror as he realized what was happening. Omega Bean stepped back, a deathly pallor on his face.
"Now, listen, little pup," Sungmin said, tightening his grip. "You're going to take a nap, when you wake up, you'll already be part of something bigger than you."
Shock ran through Micah's veins, but he was powerless. Sungmin soon knocked him down with a hard blow to the side of his neck. The boy went limp instantly.
"We need to move now," I whispered, scanning the area. Sungmin grabbed Micah's lifeless body and threw him over his shoulder like a bag of feathers.
Omega Bean was still standing there, trembling like a branch of leaves. I gave him a cold stare. "Not a word to anyone, or I swear you'll be next," I warned.
He nodded so fast I thought his neck might snap.
Sungmin and I darted away with Micah's body in tow, moving as fast as a flash. The trees and rocks blurred past us. Within minutes, we were far from Wooyung's territory, the stolen Omega secured.
Back at our hideout, Yula was waiting with a mischievous grin on her face. "I knew you two wouldn't fail," she said, smiling at us.
"We got him," Sungmin confirmed, dropping Micah's body on the ground.
"Good. Now, let the ritual begin," I said with a wicked smile. The night was just beginning.
Sungmin carried him out, Yula and I standing beside him as Sungmin slit his throat, blood gushing out fiercely. The thick, warm liquid splattered on the ground and on our faces. Yula felt disgusted; she almost threw up. We all had a taste of his blood, each of us licking a drop from our fingers as the ancient ritual demanded. In that moment, we connected to our spirits, and through them, to our guiding star that wasn't physically visible at the moment! Our hearts pounded together in one rhythm, and the air around us grew heavy with a force we could not see.
Before we knew what was happening, lightning emanated from our midst, shining like the sun! A blinding flash surrounded us, its brightness nothing like any ordinary lightning. It felt alive, moving through our veins, our bones, and our very souls. The power was too much to bear, and our hands clung to each other tighter, our eyes squeezed shut, afraid of what we might see if we dared open them.
Suddenly, without warning, a strange force separated us, throwing each of us in different directions. Our backs slammed hard against the ground. A sharp pain shot through my spine, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. I coughed and groaned as I struggled to my feet. Yula was already trying to rise too, holding her side with one hand while searching for Sungmin with the other.
"What the hell was that?" I asked, my voice barely audible, still feeling the sting from the fall.
"I don't know," Yula replied, her voice shaky. "It felt like something bigger than us."
We raised our heads, and there it was — a large star shining brightly in the sky. It hung lower than the others and burned far brighter. It wasn't like the normal stars that scattered the night sky. No, this one was ours. We knew it. We felt its connection in our blood, in the very core of our beings. It was our guiding star.
"It's here," Sungmin said, standing with blood still staining his hands. "Our star… it has come."
But before we could celebrate or even understand what it meant, Yula's body went limp. She slumped to the ground, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
"Yula!" I screamed and rushed to her side, lifting her head gently onto my lap.
"She's breathing," Sungmin checked, his fingers pressed against her neck. "But her pulse is weak."
"What do we do now?" I asked, panic already rising in my chest.
"We need to get her back to the house," Sungmin said. "This is what Hayan warned us about… too much spirit connection at once. It drains you."
I nodded. Without wasting another second, Sungmin carried Yula in his arms, and I ran ahead, clearing the path. The night was quiet, no sounds of crickets or wolves howling — just a strange, heavy silence.
Our guiding star still shone above us, and though fear gripped me, a part of me felt proud. Finally, we had done what we had all waited to achieve, and it was successful.
But something inside me told me that we were in for something bigger. I didn't want to bother my head with too many things; I just wanted to be happy at that time. As we raced back to the house, I kept glancing at the sky. The star remained right there in the cloud, sitting comfortably. I heard something inside of me saying, "Welcome." It was indeed a beautiful feeling.