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Chris sighs deeply as he pulls the hood of his jacket over his head, attempting to hide away from the few souls who wander along the road and keeping the rain from his face. It had started to rain again just like all those previous weeks and once again, he was unable to find any food. It just seemed to get harder and harder every single day for him to find any food for him and his little sister. He did not mind going hungry but he worried for Claire despite her complaints of being nineteen and able to take care of herself.Ever since their parents had died from the hands of hunters, he had raised her firsthand, teaching her how to shapeshift and appear as a human once she was old enough. He knew he was being overprotective but in this world, he couldn't afford to be lenient. He loved his dear sister and he wouldn't let anyone take her away from him just like how those hunters took their parents away. They were wolves, but not of pure blood. Their father, whom was human, met their mother when she showed up in front of his door on a rainy day just like this appearing as a human injured. Being a kind-hearted man, their father raised her back to full health. Moved by his kindness, she decided to reveal the truth to him and instead of being abhorred, he accepted her fully.They slowly fell in love and they had him first and then Claire six years later. They would have a happy six full years in which their mother would teach him how to shapeshift as a human and their father teaching them how to behave human, both of them showering him and his little sister with love.Only for their world to be abruptly ripped away when he was only twelve and Claire was six.It was hard trying to survive in a cold, cruel world at such a young age. He had to rely on his instincts and his parents’ teachings to find food and raise Claire throughout the years. They did eventually manage to settle in a city where Chris would join a human gang whom dealt with goods and supplied them. They were a terrible lot that did a lot of illegal activities but they gave a meager payment in goods to him so he couldn’t exactly complain.Until he got kicked out. Not because it was revealed he was a wolf but because he defied the leader. Not that he would regret it. It was bad enough that they went around stealing and threatening people to get those goods but he had drawn the line when they had kidnapped a family and were torturing the father in front of the mother and children.So he fought and freed them signing his own death warrant as he did but his instincts and sense of justice at the time were overriding his logic. He had taken Claire and made a run for it to another city, much smaller than the city they had settled years prior. Since then, he was unable to find work or any goods that could be shared with him.He was failing Claire. He was failing his parents.He had been walking down the muddy road when he heard snarls and growls along with piercing shrieks of pain by the rundown park just as the corner of the street. Curious and worried, he approaches the park and sees a bunch of humans being attacked by a wolf.Wait. A wolf!?The wolf moved so quick all he saw was a blur, the screams of pain from the humans cut short as the wolf ripped their throats wide open ending their lives. The scent of iron filled the air mixing in with the rain and Chris had to push down the bile rising up his throat as his sensitive nose prickled from the scent of death, choking him.Blood spilled out onto the muddy ground as the bodies fell one by one. In the middle of the dead bodies, there Chris saw the wolf clearly for the first time.It had a lean, slender body but he could see the muscles underneath that fur and skin and he knew the wolf would be able to kill him in a flash. But its fur… He had never seen such fur color. His mother's coat was as black as the night sky but this wolf was covered in golden fur that seemed to shimmer underneath the rain. And those eyes. Its left eye was a cool blue but its right eye was a piercing red.It gave off a haunting appearance, like those hounds of superstition his mother would tell stories of to him and Claire when they were children, with its fangs bared and snarling.Chris’s instincts told him to submit before it, screaming at him that this wolf was a pure-blood and not just any normal pure-blood. An Alpha. He had to else he be killed and that was the last thing he wanted. He found himself submitting, lowering himself and kneeling before the wolf as well as keeping his distance.“Half-blood.” He heard the wolf snarl with disdain as it glowered at him. To a human, it would have been a snarl but to him whom had wolf blood in his veins it was as if he was speaking to another person. “Yeah. So?” Chris retorted back, not too keen with dealing such a antagonizing wolf, unlike his mother. Seriously, discrimination upon first glance from another wolf when their kind have nearly been hunted to extinction? There was no time for the debate of pure and half bloods when the world had gone to shit. “I don’t have time to waste on the likes of your ilk. To think that a wolf would submit to a human is nothing but a disgrace to our kind!”Okay, that was it. He was not going to let this wolf walk over him and insult his parents at the same time.“You don’t get to insult my parents! You don’t even know them so get off your high horse before I teach you a lesson!” Chris snarls, about to lose his control on his human form.“A threat from an insignificant half-blood? You truly are as stupid as I think half-bloods would be.” The wolf snarls. But just as it was about to lunge right at him, a gunshot fills the air and the golden wolf shrieks in pain, falling onto its side with blood coating its fur.Shocked, Chris tried to find the threat but saw no one. However, his instincts were telling him that danger was close.He had to get out now before whomever shot at the golden wolf found him.Yet, despite the wolf’s condescending attitude, he didn’t have the heart to abandon it. Not when he knew there were more of them out there. In this world, it was kill or be killed and right now, they needed to look out for each other to survive. A pack was all they had now. That got him thinking, did this wolf have a pack of its own? If so, where are they? Shaking his head, he went and focused on the urgent matter at hand. He could ask those questions later. Running towards the wolf, he gently picks it up ignoring its weak snarling to back off and runs towards the rundown house at the edge of town where he and Claire lived.He really hoped he had made the right decision.

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Kicking the door open, Chris quickly kicks the door close behind him with his leg and carries the golden wolf now unconscious in his arms towards his bed. Once settled, he got a towel from the bathroom as well as a first aid kit that he had managed to find and stock up and quickly returned to the wolf’s side.Toweling the beast dry, Chris tossed the towel aside and takes out the bandages from the first aid kit along with a needle and thread and some disinfectant. While he had no knowledge of treating an animal let alone a wolf, he had treated injuries before and knew basic first aid. It would do for now until he could find Rebecca the resident medic to treat his new guest better. That is, if she was even willing to treat a wolf in the first place."Alright big guy. Wait, you're a guy right?" Chris checks and confirms the wolf was indeed male. "Yeah okay you're a guy. Let's see that injury of yours." He mumbles under his breath.  Checking the wound, Chris found the injury was a clean shot but he wasn't too sure if it had hit anything vital. All the more reason to find Rebecca once he slowed the bleeding down at least and let it not get infected. Screwing the cap open, Chris poured the disinfectant onto the wound gently but the stinging pain roused the wolf from his slumber and he snarled, twisting his body in attempt to bite Chris's hand off but the brunette sensed it and quickly pulled back avoiding the wolf's snapping fangs at the last second.“Stop it! I’m trying to help you!” Chris scolds the wolf.“I don’t need your help, especially a half-blood’s help!” The wolf snarls.“Look, stop being stubborn. You just got shot for goodness’s sake! Keep still!” Chris snaps back, moving back in towards the wolf and upon seeing his chance, pushed the wolf's snout down keeping the beast down as he tried his best to not let the wolf bite him and let him treat the injury.“Unhand me!” The wolf growls, attempting to get back up and snap at a few of Chris's fingers. But Chris wasn’t deterred. He applied more of the disinfectant and quickly tries to stitch the wound close but the wolf’s struggles to fight back made it too difficult. He eventually gave up, and as he didn't want the wolf to jar its injury any further, opted to wrap the wound in clean bandages with his other free hand. It'll have to do for now.  “There! See, that wasn’t so bad.” Chris said, pulling back.If said wolf could look annoyed, Chris swore that would be his expression. “I didn’t request for your help.” The wolf growled, still not too happy of being handled by a half-blood let alone treated by one. “Well consider then you’re lucky that there’s someone to help you out.” Chris shoots back equally annoyed and not intimidated once by the golden wolf. How can this one wolf be so ungrateful that he hadn't left him bleeding out in the middle of the park?“Then I’ll take my leave now. I have no need to stay in this place that just reeks of half-blood.” The wolf said attempting to get up but the blood loss he had suffered and the pain in his side still rendered the beast weak and he crumpled back onto the bed.“Would you just cut that out? You need to rest and recover." Chris said, setting the first aid kit away. "You’re like the first wolf I’ve seen in a very long time and I don't plan on letting one of our own die out there. Most of us are dead or we might possibly be the last of our kind. We should be teaming up to survive not fighting over our bloodline.” That only seemed to make the golden wolf even more incensed if that were possible. Getting back up, with his tail standing straight up in the air, hackles raised and with lips pulled back, the golden wolf growled angrily at Chris. Seeing it now standing at its full height, Chris could see that this wolf was large. Abnormally large. Even larger than his mother ever was. “Just how you easily throw out of us becoming a pack and so flippantly shows how much of an uneducated half-blood you are. We do NOT just accept anyone into a pack regardless of the stake at hand. That’s how a true wolf is and you should know that if it were not for the fact whomever laid with your human parent had put that through your thick skull!”That does it. Chris wasn’t going to sit back and let this wolf talk horribly about his parents. Casting aside his human form, Chris leaped from the chair he had sat on and snarls at the wolf, hackles raised and lips pulled back.“You don’t know my parents! They loved each other and raised me and my little sister unlike whatever pack you’re from!”Eyes narrowed, the golden wolf glared at the large, dark brown wolf with bright blue eyes and had never been more tempted to lunge right at the disobedient half-blood and tear his throat wide open. Even though he wasn't at his full strength, he would still be able to fight back if the need arose, even with the wound in his side that still bled albeit it had slowed down by now. He wasn't afraid to fight and if this half-blood dared to make the first move, he would end it just as swiftly. “If they did love you, they would have taught you everything! Of our proud history as wolves! But then again, you most likely don't see yourself as one. How could you when your wolf parent has committed the worst offense that of even sleeping with a human whom was and still is our enemy for decades!” The golden wolf snarls.“I know that! My mother taught me our history! Taught us the life that was out there for us wolves!”“Do not even consider yourself a wolf, you half-blood!”“Oh will you shut up!” Chris roars and leaps right at the golden wolf. They both tussled on the bed and snapped at each other, growling and snarling as the other attempted to bite their opponent. Chris may be more muscular but his experience fighting as a wolf was lacking and he found himself on his back, a paw pressing down on his throat nearly crushing his windpipe with the golden wolf over him.“Did you really think you could beat me? I’m an Alpha!” The golden wolf proclaims haughtily.Chris snarls back at the wolf in defiance ignoring his instincts that told him to submit before the large wolf. He knew what an Alpha was. His mother had told him as much. She had been a Beta that had lost her pack in a terrible avalanche, second in command to the Alpha, leader of packs and whose word is law.“Like I give a shit about that!” That infuriated the wolf even more.“Why you-!”They both stopped when they heard the doorknob turn and a young woman call out. “Chris! I’m home! Where are you?”“Oh shit! It’s Claire!” Chris panicked, pushing the paw off of him and rolling back up, turning human once more looking every bit a mess. He stopped then and looked over his shoulder at the wolf with a sheepish look. “You… You can shapeshift to appear as a human, yes?” He asks.The only response he got was a death glare from the wolf. Yeah, what was he thinking asking a proud Alpha to appear human the very race said Alpha despises?“I don’t need to appear human!” The wolf snarls.“Chris? Chris where are y-?” A young red-haired woman entered the bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her brother with his hair tousled and clothes messed up standing by his bed with an abnormally large wolf on his bed. “Chris who is this!?” Claire exclaims. “I-I can explain!”“You better damn well start explaining!” Claire shouts making Chris wince. He swore he saw the wolf on his bed smirk but he must be seeing things. Wolves can’t smirk last he checked.

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“So you saved this wolf who just happens to be an Alpha. An Alpha whom just killed humans and oh nearly bit your hand off when you were trying to treat his injury. What were you exactly thinking, Chris?” Claire rattled off on her older brother, watching the Alpha with a wary eye.The wolf shot a glare at her as it stayed on the bed, crossing its limbs over as it settled down with its head held high looking every bit regal and proud. “I never asked to be saved if that is what you are wondering.” He growls in annoyance. It was bad enough dealing with one half-blood but two? Clearly their mother had no respect for their history if she went so far as to have pups with a human."I couldn't exactly leave him out in the rain after he was shot.” Chris argued back. "You could have your throat torn out and I wouldn't have been the wiser until I got back home!" Claire shouts, now furious with her brother's lack of reading the situation at hand. That piqued the wolf's interest. Clearly the sister, Claire it would seem, knew better than to trust another wolf. He did not mind this one bit as that was what he was taught by his pack at a young age. Out there, trusting another wolf just because they are the same kind would be your death warrant. “Your sister is a smart one. She thinks more like a wolf than you do.” Wesker suddenly said in a much more collected manner, interrupting the two."Oh, so you're calling me stupid now?" Chris frowns. "I'm not calling you stupid. You ARE a stupid mutt." The wolf simply replies. "NOW I'M A MUTT!?" Chris exclaimed, clearly exasperated with the wolf on his bed. As much as she was still furious at her brother, Claire had to hold back a laugh seeing how her brother and the wolf he rescued bickered. It was oddly entertaining. “Wow, Chris. What did you do to get on his bad side?” She chuckles.“I saved his life!” The brunette protested.“I would still survive. I’ve had worse. And you were manhandling me, half-blood. As if I needed your filthy hands all over me.” The Alpha huffs.Seeing how the argument was about to escalate, Claire quickly stepped in to steer the situation away. “So, can you turn to human like us?” Claire asks.The wolf's eyes seemed to flash with rage at such a question. “I can. But I would rather not seeing as I have no need for such a frivolous appearance.” The wolf growls.“But… isn’t it a better option to prevent yourself from being shot at like now?” Claire asks.Chris rolled his eyes exasperatedly and answered Claire's question instead. “Don’t bother asking him that Claire. He’s just too proud to do so because of his Alpha heritage.” Chris said sarcastically. “If you truly knew the history of our ancestors, you would know better than to mock our bloodlines.” The wolf snarls.“Um okay. By the way, my name is Claire as you must have heard. But we just never got your name. What's your name?” Claire quickly asked before a fight could even break out between her brother and the wolf. Geez, what is it about males and their need to start a fight?“…Wesker.” He replies.“Just Wesker?” “My first name is of no concern to you.” Wesker replies. Chris snorts at Wesker's rude response. This wolf was just getting on his nerves now. Remembering the injury, he gets up and heads towards the door. “Claire, I’m going to see if I can find someone to treat Wesker’s injury. I did my best to treat it but I just want to make sure it's nothing too serious and if possible get it stitched close.” He said, wondering why he still bothered helping Wesker. “Sure thing, Chris. Don’t worry about me.” She replies. Seeing the worried expression on her brother’s face, Claire rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine Chris. Just go.” She says exasperated. She loves her brother but sometimes he can just be too overprotective.“Fine. You better not hurt her, Wesker.” Chris shouts out and heads out of the house, pulling up the hood of his jacket over his head once more as he makes his way out into the rain and to the small city.  There weren’t a lot of doctors in the city especially vets. It was difficult, with most of the doctors in the city having moved on to the bigger cities or died all those years ago, and those who remained were always busy with another patient coming in be it they were injured or plagued with disease.Not to mention, he wasn’t too sure how to approach one of them and ask them to treat a wolf.‘Yeah I have a wolf in my house and I was wondering if you could treat him.’ Chris snorts. As if that would work. Most likely, they would call the hunters or the Enforcers to have Wesker killed. Turning around the corner, he saw a familiar face. A young woman with brown, short hair treating one of the homeless by an alley.Rebecca Chambers. He had met her during his ventures out in the small city when he had been trying to find a job or just trying to gather as much supplies as he could find. She had become fast friends with him and Claire after he had chased away a group of men that were threatening her to hand over the drugs she had in her possession. She’s young, only eighteen years old and had lost her parents a few years ago to sickness. Yet she still went around doing so much for the sick and injured regardless if she gets paid or not. There weren’t a lot of people like her nowadays. Those with kind hearts would end up either working themselves to death or getting killed out there be it disease or by mercenaries who took advantage of their kindness. It was a cruel world where the strongest survived and the weak were destined to die.“Rebecca!” Chris calls out to her, running straight towards her.“Chris! What are you doing here?” The young woman asks, giving a capsule of antibiotics to the sick old man and gave him instructions on when to take them before she got back up and hugged the brunette. “I uh… I need your help.” He said.“For what? Are you sick or hurt? Is Claire okay?” She asks, worried for her friends.“No, we’re fine. It’s just… can we talk about this somewhere private?” He asks.The young woman was confused but agreed nonetheless. “Sure.” She followed Chris to an abandoned building close by and that’s where Chris told her everything. About the wolf he came across in the park and said wolf getting shot with him as well as taking the wolf back to his home.“I really need your help to check on his injury to make sure its not as worse as it seems and not going to get infected. I’ve already treated the injury with basic first aid but he had been quite difficult so I couldn’t exactly stitch the wound close and I fear that it could get infected with it still remaining as an open injury." He says. “Was it a clean shot?” Rebecca asks.“Yeah. So... do you think you could help him out?” He asks, fearing that she wouldn’t agree to help Wesker. Hell, he didn’t even know how she would react knowing that there’s a wolf out and about. Would she call the hunters and the Enforcers? Would she run away screaming? His worries thankfully did not come to pass. “Sure, I’ll help. Let me just grab my stuff first from my home.” She says."Really?""Yeah, really." "You're not scared?""I like wolves. Whatever I knew about wolves I always read up on them from the books that my parents got and what I managed to gather up over the years.""And you never shared this...?" "It sort of slipped my mind. Sorry." Rebecca said sheepishly.Still, Chris wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth even if Rebecca did share this tidbit of news now. He blew out a sigh of relief that he hadn’t realized he was holding back and smiled. “Thank you, Rebecca. It really means a lot.” He thanks her profusely.“Chris, its fine. You’re my friend. Plus, be it a wolf or human, I just can’t stand the thought of a living creature suffering.” She says with a smile. Chris returns with a smile of his own. She truly is a one of a kind and he was lucky to have her as a friend.Still he had no intention of telling her about the truth about himself and Claire as well as Wesker. He suspected she had read about wolves as the creature from ages ago not as one that could shapeshift into a human. He also didn't want to talk with her about how his mother and father managed to well... do the deed. That could wait another time if not ever.

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Once Rebecca had grabbed her bag full of medical supplies from her home, Chris took her to his house whilst they made some small talk. He was glad that there wasn’t anyone else threatening her for the limited supply of medicinal drugs that she had. She already had to break her back just to find them.“What about you, Chris? Did you find any job yet?” She asks.Chris shook his head. “Unfortunately I still haven’t found one. I’ve had to resort to scavenging for supplies and some days I can’t find anything and me and Claire had to go hungry.” He sighs sadly. What a shame of an older brother he was if he couldn’t even take care of his little sister.“If you want, I can give you some of the supplies and some of the food I’ve gathered.” Rebecca offers but Chris denied the offer kindly. He already had a huge burden on his shoulders and he didn't want to lay this burden on his dear friend. She had enough on her plate as it is. “I appreciate it but you need those supplies more than ever for yourself, Rebecca.”“Still, if you ever change your mind, don’t be afraid to give me a call.”Finally reaching the brunette's home, Chris braced himself to see carnage inside his home when he opened the front door but thankfully everything was still neat and there were no screaming or howling. Heading into his bedroom, his eyes widened when he saw Claire talking animatedly with the golden wolf whom remained quiet but clearly paying attention to the young woman even remaining civil with her.'I saved your life and you nearly bit my hand off as gratitude but with my little sis you're all calm and polite. Wow.’ He grouches to himself, clearly very annoyed of said wolf.“Hey, Chris! Hi, Rebecca!” Claire greeted them, getting up from the chair she was sitting on and rushed to hug the young woman. “I’m really glad you came to help Wesker out. I wasn’t too sure if you’re fine with you know…”“Treating a wolf? I don’t mind that one bit. I always found them fascinating you know." Claire raised an eyebrow to that."Yeah... I forgot to tell you guys that." Rebecca says sheepishly."You're not scared of the old wives' tales of wolves snatching babies out of their cribs and killing any human on sight for revenge?" Claire asks. The young woman shook her head. "I never did believe those tales. They're just that. Tales. And that's not normal wolf behavior from the books I've managed to gather up and read.” She never really believed that wolves were out for their blood. That was just a myth meant to scare the children and get them to behave. She however believed that every living creature had a right to live and that included wolves.“I’ll try my best to treat his injury since I’m not a vet.” She said. Both Claire and Chris chuckled nervously. If only she knew how outdated those books were concerning their kind. Setting her bag full of medical supplies by her feet, Rebecca slowly sits on the edge of the bed, trying not to startle the wolf. Recalling the knowledge she had read up a long time ago on how to behave around a wolf, she approaches Wesker slowly, watching him and reading any body language that the wolf displayed.Wesker watched the human with a close eye. Clearly, this human was quite knowledgeable enough to know how to approach a wolf. Add in the fact, his instincts were telling him that this human was safe to be around.She appeared to be a young one too. He could see the innocence in this young human’s eyes and he was surprised that she could still retain such innocence in a desolate world such as this. His heart which he thought was long gone and dead seemed to tighten painfully seeing such innocence there. She reminded him of this one runt in his pack from long ago when he himself had still been a young wolf whom everyone in the pack protected dearly but also taught to defend and hunt himself. The runt was a playful, innocent little pup and it had been a tragic day when he died at such a young age due to sickness.   Lost in those memories, he lowers his guard and lets the human come closer and take a look at his injury, keeping quiet as she checked the wound and stitched it close after applying some anesthetic.Chris looked on in shock. Wesker was just letting Rebecca, a human, touch him! He had readied himself for the moment that Wesker would lunge right at her but all he saw was the large wolf lowering his guard even relaxing a tad bit as Rebecca came closer towards him.Claire was just as equally shocked and watched with wide eyes as Rebecca stitched the injury close and wrapped it once more in clean bandages.“There. All done.” She says with a soft smile. “So long as you keep an eye out on it and make sure he doesn’t move too much, the wound should heal nicely.” Rebecca told the duo. “Wesker huh? That’s quite an odd name.” She mumbles softly, stroking the wolf’s back. Wesker found himself relaxing more and he lowered his head onto the bed, feeling slightly sleepy. No! He shouldn’t fall asleep in the midst of a human and half-bloods.Yet the more Rebecca stroked his back, the more he found himself surrendering to the sweet song of slumber. It just sounded so tempting.“Well Chris thought of it.” Claire lied. “How did you come up with it, Chris?” Rebecca asks.“Oh I uh it just came up inside my head.” Chris replies, shooting Claire a glare only for her to stick her tongue out at him in retaliation.“I see. He’s quite docile for a wolf. Not to mention he’s gorgeous and abnormally large.” Rebecca comments, taking note of the wolf’s size as well as his pelt and the heterochromatic eyes. It wasn’t the typical wolf printed in those old books she would read as a child.“Trust me, he’s actually not.” Chris warns her.“Are you sure, Chris? Wesker was quite civil when you were gone. Maybe he just doesn't like how you stink up the house sometimes.” Claire teases her brother, making Rebecca giggle. Great. A couple minutes with Wesker and the Alpha had managed to turn Claire and Rebecca on him. And all because he kept quiet and remained calm (he bets that Wesker was trying to look adorable too). His left eye twitched in annoyance seeing Wesker quiet and docile on his bed, nearly asleep under Rebecca’s soft petting.“You know what, I’m going to go grab a glass of water. Do you want any refreshments?” Chris asks, trying to not sound annoyed.“I don’t really want to take up your time…” Rebecca said, still continuing to pet the gold wolf on the bed. “You're not, Rebecca. We haven’t caught up in awhile you know. Why don’t you stay here for a bit so we can catch up?” Claire asks eager to spend some time with their friend. Rebecca’s busy schedule didn’t leave them much time to meet up and hang out with for very long so they try to take every opportunity they could to do so when the chance arose.Mulling over the offer, Rebecca accepts it. “Alright. I guess I can stay for a bit.”“That’s great!” Claire exclaims and goes to sit on the edge of the bed a few feet away from Rebecca and Wesker, chatting animatedly with the young woman.Chris was glad that they could spend some time with Rebecca. It’s been awhile since they had her over. Just as he left the bedroom, there was a knock on the front door. Wondering who it was, he opens the door.Immediately his instincts flared up upon seeing whom was at the entrance and he gulped.Oh this was not good.

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“Is there a wolf here? I have reports stating that one was seen in this home.” The figure said right away without even introducing himself. The man was about the the same height as him and was dressed from head to toe in black military gear which riled up Chris's instincts to a whole time high. Not to mention that he also wore a gas mask which unnerved Chris even more. This man whomever he was just screamed of DANGER in big red letters. “I will not ask you this again. Where is it?” The stranger demands.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chris said quickly so as not to give away any suspicion to the stranger. “I’m not going to humor you here, boy. Step aside.” Chris thought of fighting back but that would just make himself look suspicious if not downright guilty if he did so. He couldn’t do anything but step aside letting the man pass by him and all he could do was clench his fists by his sides once the man had his back to him.“Like I said, there's no wolf here. Whomever told you that must be gravely mistaken.” He said once more trying to persuade the stranger to leave. But the man had no intentions of leaving. Not until he had found his prize. Flicking off the safety of his gun, Chris flinched and watched with wary eyes as the man readied his weapon and started to check every room inside the house. ‘God, I hope you change into a human right now you dumb Alpha before he comes into my bedroom.’ Chris thought to himself. He figured that Wesker along with Claire might have heard the gun's safety being flipped off thanks to their sharp hearing and he prayed that they managed to at least hide or that Wesker had decided to change his mind and shift into a human. Now would be a good time as he didn't want his little sister and friend to be held at gunpoint because of a stupid Alpha who was too proud to shift.Chris tried his best to steer the man away from his bedroom but the military-garbed man was clearly very persistent and he couldn’t dissuade the man from going to his bedroom.Swallowing thickly, Chris braced to shift to defend his little sister, his friend and the wolf he had rescued if things went south.Instead of a wolf on his bed much to his relief, what he saw was his little sister and Rebecca looking very red in the face except that Rebecca also had a shocked expression looking like as if her world had been turned upside down.He was however not prepared to see the most handsome man sitting up and leaning against the pillows. Clearly naked but thankfully his lower body was covered up with the blankets that seemed to be haphazardly thrown across his lap. He had to be the most handsome man he had ever seen. Blonde hair that was the same color as the wolf’s coat and the same heterochromatic eyes. Add in the fact, the defined muscles underneath that lean, strong frame. It was like those arms, broad chest and abdominal muscles he had appeared to be chiseled from stone.He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the death glare Wesker was aiming right at the man in black.“Where is the wolf? I will not ask this again." The man demanded once more. “What wolf? There’s clearly no wolf here.” Claire answers trying not to sound too nervous. A heavy silence filled the air as the man in black looked at the occupants in the room and Chris wondered what he would do next. If he so much as threatened his only living family and friend…Thankfully, the man did not. Lowering his gun, he left the bedroom without so much as a word.“I’ll be keeping a lookout for this wolf. If you ever see it, report it straight away.” The man only stated before he then left. Once he was out of the house, Chris breathed out a huge sigh of relief. “…Who was that?” Rebecca asked, still nervous from the earlier encounter with the man in black and shocked that she had just witnessed a wolf shift into a man.“It’s the one who shot me.” Wesker replied shocking both Claire and Chris along with Rebecca. "Wait how'd you know? I didn't even see the person who shot you!" Chris exclaimed. Wesker looks at Chris as if he was dealing with an idiot and points to his nose. "Scent. Or do you not use your nose as you don't use your brain?" Wesker insults the brunette which angered the young man. Before Chris could retort back, Rebecca interrupted him. “What!? Why didn’t you say anything? We could have reported this to the Enforcers back in town.” Rebecca exclaimed, alarmed that neither Chris nor Claire have done so. Why hadn't they done so? And then it hit her. Wesker had still appeared as a wolf then. Chris couldn't exactly report to the Enforcers (no matter how corrupted they are as they were the only means of a semblance of the law in this city) that he had a wolf whom had been injured. Wesker would have been killed on sight.  “Well, I didn’t know who it was at the time since I took Wesker out of that park and didn’t want to stick around to see whom had shot him. Not to mention the Enforcers would have killed him.” Chris said.“Yeah, I just reached the same conclusion as you." Rebecca mutters.She was still reeling however from the fact that she had witnessed a wolf turn into a man. "But what I don't get is how on earth did I just see a wolf turn into a man! Last I checked wolves don't turn into humans!" Rebecca exclaimed. A sudden realization then dawned on her and she turned looking at Claire and Chris with wide eyes. "Wait… are you guys also capable of turning into wolves?” Rebecca asked in disbelief and shock. What even was happening anymore she wondered. Chris wanted to say no but he knew there was no denying the truth any longer. The cat was out of the bag. It was better to tell her the truth now rather than hide it.“Yes. Yes we are.”“We didn’t really want to tell you Rebecca. Not like this.” Claire mumbled nervous of her friend’s reaction to all this. Would she leave now? Or even rat them out to that stranger? Perhaps even to the Enforcers back in the city? “W-We understand if you don’t want to be friends with us anymore. Just… please don’t tell anyone of this.” Chris pleads. Wesker watched with an expressionless look on his face wondering what the human would do next. All three were stunned when Rebecca glowered at them and crossed her arms in anger. “Of course not! I’m not going to report you to that man or the Enforcers! Chris, Claire, you’re my friends! And so what if you three are wolves? I told you before, I’ve never feared wolves before and I'm not about to start now.” Rebecca said, offended a bit that her friends would even accuse her of such.“I’m just shocked that’s all. It’s not every day you see a wolf turn into a naked man.” She says which only made her blush harder along with Claire. Which also then clicked in Chris's head at what had just happened when he had been outside his bedroom trying to stop the man in black from searching his and Claire's home.“You! You were naked! Right in front of my little sister and Rebecca!” He exclaims angrily.“So?”“So? So!? Don’t you have some decency?”“I’m an Alpha. Last I check, us wolves never cared about being decent in front of each other like you mere humans and half-bloods.” Wesker simply rebutted which only made Chris even angrier.Breathing in and out deeply as he attempts to calm himself, he sighs and that’s when he realized then that the proud Alpha who swore to never change into a human had just done so. With a mischievous smile, he pokes fun at Wesker for it as a means of payback for going naked right in front of his little sister and dear friend and for all the insults the wolf had hurled at him. “I thought you said you would never want to turn into a human so why are you on my bed as a human hm?” Chris teases him with a mischievous smirk.“Your sister was very insistent on the matter when we heard a safety from a gun being flicked off outside the bedroom.” Wesker grumbled, scowling at the brunette. This got a chuckle from Chris which only made the blonde-haired man growl loudly.“Laugh all you want. I’ll make you regret it once I turn back.” Wesker snarls.“With that guy running around in town? I don’t think so, buddy. You’re going to have to stick being human for awhile like us.” Claire scolds the naked man with such bite in her tone. “Why should I listen to you?” Wesker argues back.“Because you’re probably going to get us all killed, you idiot!” Claire shoots back.That got the wolf to quiet down. “…Fine.” He huffs and winces in pain from the injury in his side. Rebecca quickly went to his side which only alarmed Wesker and made him pull back aggravating the injury more and he hisses in pain. "Stop moving about. You're going to tear the stitches open. Here, I have painkillers." She said, rummaging through her bag and takes out a capsule of painkillers. Opening the capsule, she takes two pills and gives them to Wesker to take. At first, he refused to do so snarling that he won't be drugged and then later ratted out but Rebecca along with Chris and Claire managed to persuade him to take it insisting that they were not going to do such a thing. "Stubborn ass." Chris mumbles under his breath watching Wesker take the pills.“Alright, we need to let him rest. We can talk more about this outside.” Rebecca said, pushing both Claire and Chris outside letting the Alpha rest for the meantime as the painkillers did its job.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“I see. I’m so sorry about your parents, Chris, Claire.” Rebecca said sadly, sorrow flooding her once her friends had told her everything. Their parents, their little family ripped apart, and both of them struggling to live in a world that hated them. She wished she could do more to help her friends. “It’s okay. It’s been years…” Chris said but Rebecca knew he nor Claire would never be able to get over it. How could anyone get over the death of a loved one?In an attempt to cheer them up, the young woman then turns to asking some other questions about themselves. “Say, I never understood this. How did you get to still have your clothes on when you turn back to your human form?” She asks.“Oh that? Magic.” Claire replied.“M-Magic?” Rebecca asked, startled at such an answer. Magic can’t be real. Can it?“Well I remember my mother telling me that since this is the End of the World, the barrier between the living and the spiritual worlds are very thin. Thus, we wolves are able to learn magic and use it as we are the few who are able to be in sync with the spiritual world.” Chris explains. Claire hadn’t been born yet when their mother had told him this.“That’s fascinating. I mean, science has always been the answer to the world’s problems. I never suspected that magic would ever exist.” Rebecca said. It was quite mind-blowing to her. “Your science is what caused the world’s problems to begin with and reduced it to what it is now.” The three heard someone sneer from the bedroom.Looking over, they saw Wesker still in his human form and thankfully he was now wearing clothes.'Geez, of all the clothes he could pick, it just happened to be all in black. What is it about black leather and boots?' Chris wonders. It did not help that he could still see the muscles underneath Wesker’s tight shirt. He does look good in it though… Wait, why was he thinking how good Wesker looked!?“I… don’t understand?” Rebecca says confused.Wesker had been around far longer than the three so he wasn't surprised that they wouldn't know how it all began. Having been born into a world at the start of its dying days, he saw firsthand the destruction caused by the humans and their science. How their weaponry tore the earth apart and caused endless suffering to both beasts and humans. How their desperate need for an elixir of immortality led to such horrific battles. Add in the fact when the humans started to hunt their kind all because of what they seek for, believing that his kind could bring forth what they desperately wanted. For Paradise.It angered him greatly. They had caused the End of the World yet they refused to take responsibility for it, instead opting to seek desperately for a way out when they should accept their fates that they brought upon themselves. Not to mention how the humans blamed his kind for bringing about the End of the World when it was them. Typical humans, never the ones to take responsibility for their actions. It was why he had grown to despise humans to begin with and while he did not go around actively hunting down humans, he would not hesitate to cut down any human if they stood in his way.“You humans brought the End of the World upon yourselves what with your science. Tearing the world apart and those who live in it but not once claiming responsibility for it even going so far as to blame our kind! Humans are nothing but parasites and deserve to be gone!” Wesker snarls making Rebecca flinch in fear.“I-I had no idea.” She said looking down feeling awfully guilty. She knows she wasn’t born yet at the time but she could see the rage and contempt in the older man's (or wolf's?) eyes. Yet looking closely underneath that wave of negative emotions, she saw the pain in Wesker’s eyes. Even more guilt ate at her.Claire and Chris on the other hand did not see what Rebecca saw and grew furious at the wolf’s rudeness.“Hey! Cut that out! Rebecca isn’t like that!” Chris shouts.“She wasn’t even born yet! How can you place the blame of the humans on her?” Claire snaps.“It doesn’t matter if she was born yet. And you two do not have the right to talk about what I can say being the insignificant half-bloods that you are! Neither were you two born during that time when the world was ending and to think that your mother would lay with a human, the kind who destroyed the world. You three should be grateful that you never witnessed it.” He snarls, heading towards the kitchen.“Hey! What are you doing?” Chris asks, angry of Wesker’s unreasonable hatred of their bloodline. So what if they were half-bloods? What has happened had happened, there was no use in changing that. That was what he and Claire’s mother told us. Forgiveness is the answer not more hatred as she told them.“I’m grabbing some water. I’m thirsty.” Wesker replies harshly without even looking at the brunette, sauntering towards the kitchen as if he owned the place which irritated Chris.Claire glared at the wolf’s back and turned to comfort Rebecca.“I’m sorry.” Wesker’s ears perked up, his sharp hearing having caught Rebecca’s apology.“Your apologies mean nothing.” He grits out.“I know.” Lifting her head to look straight at Wesker, her face set with apologetic sorrow and guilt but there was sympathy and determination there as well.“I know that we humans can never make it up to you for what we did to the world and to your kind. No doubt that you went through so much more than any of us can say. But… I’ll do my best to show you that not all of us humans are bad. I’ll prove to you that we don’t always destroy everything in this world. Even if it’s just a small act of kindness, even if that action is insignificant in your eyes, I’ll prove it.” She says determined, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.Wesker stood there, still as a rod, when he turns around to look at her. Seeing the look of determination on such an innocent face brought that tightness in his chest. She really reminded him of that runt back then…“…I’ll hold you to that.” He mutters and turns back to grab a glass of water shocking all three people at the dinner table.“What was that?” Claire asked out loud.“No clue.” Chris replied.Rebecca however was glad that Wesker was willing to give her and perhaps all three of them a chance even if he sounded quite callous about it. It was better than any of them could ever expect from the wolf.Turning on the tap, Wesker takes a glass from the rack and fills it up before taking a long drink.“Wait. I thought you said you despised humans so how can you learn about what humans use to drink and let alone how to work a tap?” Chris asked then.“Just because I despise you lot doesn’t mean that I did not take my time to learn your habits and living. I have to know my enemy first and foremost.”“Right…”“Where will you go once you’ve recovered?” Claire asks, wondering what the wolf’s plan was.“I will go on my way to seek out Paradise. It’s out there. A place where only wolves can find it and I plan on going there to live out the rest of my days, away from the humans.” He says. It was better than staying out in this hellish landscape.Both Chris and Claire were shocked at Wesker’s reply, their eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.“Wait. Paradise? The one that our Mother would tell stories of?” Chris exclaims.“It’s not a story. It’s a real place.”“But… it’s just a legend.” Claire responds.“Your Mother should know it’s not. Every wolf can feel it in their bones, in their blood and soul. How else do you think wolves are the only ones that can find it but not humans nor any other creature on this planet?” Wesker states.“D-Do you feel it?” Rebecca asks.“I do. But the trek to Paradise is not easy. There’s a key. What that key is, it’s been missing for a very long time. I’m still trying to find it.”“So you’re saying you can’t reach Paradise.” Chris said, crossing his arms.“I did not say that.”“It’s fiction! There’s no way it’s true!”“If you want to believe its fiction, be my guest! If you three want to rot out here in this world where there’s no chance of living, then so be it! I intend on making this journey alone regardless. Succumb to your hellish fates for all I care.” Wesker snarls, setting the glass on the counter and stomps towards Chris’s bedroom to rest and calm himself down. There was no need to get himself worked up over such ignorant folks.

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“Should we believe him, Chris?” Claire asks.The three had decided to retire to the living room opting to watch some channels on the old television. The rain outside had grown into a storm and the winds howled outside giving a sense of uneasiness about them.Chris didn’t know what to believe. Paradise? It was just a tale. Mere legend.Yet… he can’t deny that there was something tugging deep in his soul. A tugging that called out in longing for a place he could truly call home.As a pup, he did not sense this feeling probably because he hadn’t honed his instincts yet. But it was barely there even he as he grew up and improved on his instincts. Some days it would be there and some days he couldn’t even sense it as if it hadn’t been there in the first place.His mother had told him of this sensation. A longing that only wolves can feel. She told them that legends say that this was their longing to reach Paradise. But their mother had simply told them that it was only that. A legend.When he was but a young pup whose imagination still ran wild, he had proclaimed he would reach Paradise but their mother would always shut that down immediately with a deep sorrow in her eyes.He never understood why. Now as he sat here mulling over his memories, he wondered why their mother insisted it was just a legend and nothing more until Wesker came along and told them that it was true all along.What was she trying to hide? “You know, on some days I get this weird sensation. It’s like this calling for a true home. A home that’s just warm and safe. Like this house, it doesn't stir that feeling.” Claire said out of the blue.That caught Chris by surprise. Claire never voiced that she had felt the same tug that he did deep in his soul.“You too? Why didn’t you say anything, Claire?” Chris asked.She shrugged. “We weren’t exactly able to sit around and share old stories that our mother used to tell us at bedtime, Chris.” She replied. Wandering around and just trying to survive, that was on both of their minds and Claire knew how hard her brother was trying to keep them both safe and she felt like she didn’t want to lay anymore burdens on his shoulders.“What are you guys talking about?” Rebecca asked, confused. She wasn’t sure what this Paradise was. Was it a city? A field? A town? She had never even heard of such a place.“It’s an old legend that our mother would tell us as a bedtime story when we were pups. But it’s just that. A story.” Claire told Rebecca.“But Wesker seems to think that it’s real. So, is it?” The young woman asked.“Truth be told, we don’t know. All I can say is that I and Claire sometimes do have that sense of something tugging us to go to a certain direction. Our mother did tell us that only wolves could find Paradise.”“So it must be true then!” Rebecca exclaimed. “Since you both feel this sense of direction, maybe there is some truth in Wesker’s words.”“I doubt it.” Chris mutters. Maybe Wesker had lost his mind. But the wolf seemed to be sane when conversing with them. Or had he gone senile from all the time he spent out in the hellish wilderness?“Look, Chris. I myself don’t believe Wesker. But… I believe in what my instincts are telling me. Maybe Paradise does exist. And maybe we should join Wesker in his journey to find it.” Claire said. While she was still wary of Wesker, out of all of them only he had the strongest sense of direction for Paradise and isn’t it better to live a place where they could live out for the rest of their lives in peace without worrying about going hungry or hunters going after them?“What!? Definitely not! That’s the last thing we should do! We’re fine here as we are, Claire!” Chris argues back even though that wasn’t true. They were most definitely not fine here.“You know that’s not true, Chris! We’re barely able to find food and our supplies are dwindling. Let’s face it, it’s only going to get worse from here on out.” Claire argues back.Rebecca felt out of place and awkward not knowing how to intervene the siblings’ arguing. She didn’t even know how to add in her opinion to a subject she was only hearing for the first time. Thinking its best to let the siblings work it out, she decides to go to Wesker and ask some questions she had on her mind regarding this Paradise as he seemed to be the most knowledgeable about it.Getting up from the couch, she heads to Chris’s bedroom, entering it and catching Wesker mid-transformation.Wolf ears the same shade as his hair poked out from his blonde hair and Rebecca couldn’t help but squeal internally at how adorable the shapeshifter looked. No grown man (wolf, shapeshifter whatever!) had the right to look that adorable.“What is it?” Wesker growls not too happy of the company that decided to interrupt him.“Um uh… can I ask you about Paradise?” Rebecca asks finally able to get her thoughts back in working order.“No.”“But-!”“I said no! You humans have no business of knowing about Paradise. My kindness only goes so far as to reveal the existence of Paradise nothing more. You’ll just soil it with your filth.” Wesker snarls, eyes flashing with anger, making Rebecca flinch.Frustration welled up inside Rebecca like a volcano. She was done with the wolf’s attitude. “I’m not here to persuade you to take us there!” Rebecca shouts angrily taking Wesker by surprise.“You’re… not?”“No! I just wanted to ask you what is this ‘Paradise’ and why are you so desperate to find it. Chris and Claire say that it’s just a legend. Their mother tells them so and that confused me.” Rebecca explains. “She’s a pureblood wolf so she must know that Paradise does exist like you do. So why lie?”“…I do not know. Whatever her reasons were, she took that to her grave. But… I can answer your questions in the meantime.” Wesker says. “Just do not expect me to take you three there.”Rebecca nods in understanding. “Of course. I understand.” She replies as she goes and sits on the edge of the bed. She was going to find out what Paradise is one way or another even if she were to never go there.While not all humans were terrible and she was determine to prove it to the wolf, she couldn’t help but agree on Wesker there. Paradise was better off without the humans knowing. Humans, for all the kindness they held, hold so much hatred that they will only seek to destroy or they hold so much greed in their hearts that they would exploit needlessly and hoard for themselves. It was better to leave Paradise untouched by human hands.

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“So nobody knows what Paradise looks like? Only that it exists?” Rebecca asks, processing over what Wesker told her.“Correct. The accounts vary. Some say that it’s a field full of life and endless food. Others dictate that it is a secret location on a mountain hidden away from humans. And so on. But all pureblood wolves know deep in their bones that it does exist. Even when we were pups.” Wesker replied quite patiently as if he were teaching a young pup. In a way, Rebecca was just like the pups in the pack he had been in. Still young in terms of human years and innocence flashing in her eyes despite the cruelty that the world had thrown at her.He doesn’t know if that should be a blessing or a curse.“Why do you seek it so badly when all this time you have never been able to reach it?” Rebecca asks. It seemed like a lost cause.“…The truth is, I do not know myself. All I know deep in my bones is to seek it.”“So it’s not a need to find a better place to live out your days?”The wolf shook his head. “That is one part of my reasons of finding it but there's more to it. Even when I was just a pup, I knew deep down in my bones to seek for it. Aside from a place away from humans, I feel like whatever I seek will be answered there.”“And that answer would be… a home?”“Perhaps.”“Perhaps?” Rebecca was confused at the wolf’s answer.“Home is supposed to be a place that welcomes you and warms your soul from what I've been told and what I've seen. Even when I know seeking Paradise would give me a chance to live, I don't feel that welcome and that warmth from Paradise itself. I just… I don’t know what I truly want anymore. I've... lost myself. I can't even remember what home feels like anymore.” After the death of his entire pack, he always lived day after day, surviving through another whirlwind of danger not caring nor bothering to delve into his wants nor attempt to find what could be the semblance of a home. Born into a world where destruction was rampant and surviving through it and the aftermath of it left none of his wants nor any soul-searching to be looked into.“…Maybe someday you’ll figure it out.” Rebecca says kindly with a soft smile.The wolf was taken aback at the young human’s kindness. All his life, he had been met with indifference and cruelty be it from humans or other animals. Yet, this one human… showed kindness when no one had ever done so. It was so foreign yet a part of him craved for it, taking the small measure of kindness and tucking it close to his heart.Who knows if he would ever meet any human who would greet him with kindness like Rebecca did. He doubted it. And it was then that his subconscious mind made the decision he thought he would never make in his lifetime.“You can come. You and the two half-bloods.” He says quietly.Taken aback by this offer, Rebecca’s jaw dropped in shock. “W-What?” She stammered. “You are friends with the half-bloods are you not? I doubt you would leave your friends here in this desolate city.” He says, still appearing emotionless as he said so.“I-I… Y-Yes! Thank you, I’ll let them know now!” Rebecca exclaims with joy and before Wesker could stop her, she had wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly and making him freeze.“Y-Yes. Can you please let me go now?” He asked, trying to peel her off of him but not wanting to use his full strength as he didn’t exactly want to hurt her.“Yeah, sorry. I’m just… really happy. Thank you again, Wesker.” Rebecca said as she got up and ran to the living room to tell the good news to her friends.Sighing, Wesker sank back among the pillows shifting back into a wolf. What was he thinking? Offering them to come with him? Why did he bother helping them? They would only slow him down. So why did he tell the young human that he would allow them to join him on his journey to find Paradise itself?‘You’re making a big mistake, Wesker.’ He told himself.Yet, why does his heart feel that he hadn’t made the wrong decision at all?    “Are you serious, Rebecca!? Definitely not! It’s just a fictional place! And why did you even bother going to talk to Wesker letting your head get filled with such grandiose tales?” Chris exclaims angrily, furious that Rebecca had went to ask Wesker more about this Paradise and worse getting them all tagged along on this senile wolf’s journey when he and Claire were having an argument. They would get killed out there!Claire however after listening to Rebecca’s story couldn’t help but feel more emboldened by this, feeling hopeful for once in her life. The lingering feeling that tugged her soul only fueled the decision she was about to make.“I’m going.”“What? Claire, not you too! Are you seriously going to listen to Wesker!? Didn’t you hear me when I said that it’s just fiction?” Chris exclaimed in shock.“Yes I heard you Chris loud and clear the first time! But seriously, Chris. You can’t deny that your instincts are telling you the same message as mine are. Maybe it’s because we’re half wolf that the message to get to Paradise never came on so strong. But if there’s even a remote chance to get to Paradise, to let us live a life in peace away from the horrors of this world, why not take that chance?” Claire shoots back, trying her best to persuade her brother to join them.“Still… you know of the treacherous journey that awaits us. Mom told us how dangerous the journey was in her bedtime stories. We’re safer here.” He says.“Really Chris? Where food and supplies are running low? Where people are constantly threatened by the gangs that roamed around the city and the Enforcers not doing a damn thing or acting just like those gangs extorting folks for whatever resources they have left? And let’s not forget the hunters!”“Guys…” Rebecca tries to intervene and calm the two siblings but they were too heated to even notice her.“Guys please, let’s calm down!” Rebecca yells even louder to attempt to get them to stop. Suddenly the door slammed open startling the three people and cutting the argument between the siblings short. Turning on their heels, their hearts sank to their stomachs seeing the Enforcers.“Well well. I couldn’t help but interrupt your conversation about this 'Paradise'. We hunters know that only the wolves know about Paradise.” The head Enforcer said, a brute named Michael whom was second in command to Chief Irons and was a hunter as well. Just like his ragtag band of Enforcers.  The young adults however did not see the man whom wore the gas mask from earlier. They weren't sure if that was for the best. “What do you want Michael? We have nothing here for you right now.” Chris said trying to stay calm.“Oh but you do! All this talk about Paradise that I and my hunters managed to catch… got me thinking that you three might be wolves.” Michael said with a cruel smirk. His men stepped inside the house all aiming their guns at them.“It would be perfect for us to catch more wolves for us to use in our endeavors just like Leon here.” Michael said as a wolf with a black collar around his neck growled at them.The gig was up. “I won’t let you take Claire to be your pet! Rebecca’s human so leave them alone!” Chris snarls, his control over his human form wavering as his rage grew.“Or what? You’re outmanned and outgunned. We’re taking you in to break you or we’ll kill you regardless. Men, open fire!” Michael ordered and the men flicked the safety on their guns off. But before anyone could react, a gold blur leaped in between them and had pounced upon Michael, clamping down on the man's throat with its sharp fangs.“Wesker!?” Chris exclaims, his eyes wide as he realized whom had attacked the Enforcer.The wolf paid no heed, growling deeply as it tore open the brute’s throat and leaped off the man to land on all fours right in front of Chris and the young women, letting Michael drop to the ground gurgling and choking in his own blood as he bled out. Leon lunged in ready to kill Wesker but Chris quickly shifted and tackled Leon away.The medium-hued brown wolf snarled and Chris and the mysterious wolf faced off, snarling as they circled around staring down the other with lips pulled back watching who would make the first move. Why was this wolf fighting against them? Where did he come from? He never recalled seeing a wolf among the Enforcers. And why the hell is he even siding with the Enforcers!?All these wonders ran rampant in his skull but that would quickly go away when the wolf who was Leon leaped forward, fangs bared and ready to tear Chris’s throat out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The whole house erupted into chaos. Gunfire filled the living room as the men tried to kill the wolf whom had taken down their fallen leader but they were no match against Wesker's strength and speed. One by one, they dropped like flies as Wesker tore right into them. Claire wanted to help but Chris barked at her to take Rebecca and run. "Go! Just go! We can take it from here!" "But-!""It's too dangerous for Rebecca! As well as for you! Just go!" Chris shouts as he leaps away from the brown wolf's snapping fangs. “Come on!” Claire shouts, grabbing Rebecca’s wrist and pulls her towards the kitchen where the back door was. They could make their escape through there. However, one of Michael’s still surviving men had noticed them making a run for it and quickly raised his gun ready to shoot at Rebecca.Luckily for Rebecca, Claire had seen the glint of the metal gun from the corner of her eye and quickly shifted into a wolf with russet fur, snarling and lunging towards the man biting down onto his wrist making him cry out and drop the gun. Her instincts to protect Rebecca ran rampant inside her as she glared at the downed human snarling and growling. How dare he hurt her friend? Her wild instincts washed over her baying at her to get rid of the human that threatened a pack member and before Rebecca could stop her, Claire had torn open the man’s throat.Tasting the metallic tang of warm blood in her mouth, Claire returned to her senses with wide eyes as she looked down in horror and shock. “W-Wha-?” She couldn’t believe what she had done as she stepped away from the man as disgust and horror welled up inside her.She had never killed a human be it as a wolf or her human self. Her stomach rolled and bile rose up her throat. What had she done!?Shifting back to human, she shakily tries to wipe the blood from her mouth and tries to spit out all the traces of blood that still coated her mouth. It only left her sickened even more as her hands came away with blood splattered over it. “C-Claire? It’s okay.” Rebecca said, trying to comfort her friend despite being shaken of witnessing said friend rip a full-grown man’s throat out.“R-Rebecca, what have I done? I-I killed him.” Claire whimpers in shock, shame, and guilt.“He didn’t give you a choice. It’s okay. Come on, we have to go.” Rebecca said, taking the shaken woman’s wrist and pulls her out of the house, heading straight for the forest that bordered on the edge of the city. She hopes that both Wesker and Chris would make it out alive as they ran.
'Please make it out alive you two.'
  Back in the house, Chris fought fiercely against Leon, snapping fangs at him and avoiding the other wolf’s bite as Leon lunged for his legs again. “Stand down! Why are you working with the Enforcers! You’re a wolf!” Chris exclaims.“I am not a wolf! I am a dog! You’re the cause of the world’s destruction! You destroyed our lives!” The wolf snarls ferociously.“What are you talking about? That’s not true!”“Shut up!” Leon roars and leaps right at Chris but yelps in pain when a great force tackles him to the ground and pins him down.“Wesker!?” Chris cries out in shock. The golden wolf’s muzzle was drenched with blood and his eyes flashed like fire making Chris tremble slightly as his instincts screamed danger out loud. He hated that his whole body reacted and forced him to prostrate himself before the Alpha without his will. He hated that the Alpha held such power over him. He hated it.“Stand. Down.” Wesker growls. “Or I will not hesitate to end your life right here and now.”Leon having never faced the full on rage of an Alpha couldn’t help but whimper in terror. Seeing this great wolf over him with fangs coated with the blood of his pack and cold eyes that promised a painful death left him shaking to the core as his instincts yelled at him to submit or die.“Why do you fight against us? You are a wolf are you not? Why side with these disgusting humans?” Wesker snarls, demanding the wolf to answer his questions.“I am not a wolf! I am a dog!” Leon protests only to be cut short when Wesker pressed his paw harder onto the wolf’s neck nearly crushing his windpipe.“How can you say that? Do you not hear the song of our ancestors running through your veins? Do you not trust your instincts!? Why do you work with these hunters whom hunt our kind?” “I told you... I am a dog! And they saved me... when I had been wandering... around as a stray.” Leon choked out, growing even more terrified when he saw the growing rage in the other wolf's eyes.  “Saved you? These brutes that threatened to harm even humans and kill our kind?” Wesker says in disbelief, his whole body starting to shake from the rage that was surging through him.“T-They found me when I was weak and dying. They nursed me... back to health when they could have j-just left me to die. They took care of me still…” Leon tries to argue but Wesker interrupts him with a vicious snarl.“They are USING you. They saw not a dog but a wolf and thought that they could use you for their dirty work. Why do you think they would bother saving you when you were just a pup instead of killing you outright? It was all because they saw nothing but a tool! To think that you are that blind and deaf to your own existence… Did you even not hear what they said when they threatened those three!?” Wesker snarls growing even more enraged.“I-I…” Leon's resolve was coming apart. He did hear what Michael had said. But he figured that was simply a nickname for him. All those times, Michael had called him their 'wolf' many times because of how good he was at hunting. It couldn't possibly be because he was a wolf... is it?“I should end your miserable life right here and now!” Wesker roars but Chris shoves Wesker aside before he could do so, standing in between the young wolf and the older wolf.“Step aside, half-blood! We do not need a traitor in our midst.”“No.” Chris spoke out, despite his instincts telling him to stop and submit before the Alpha. “No? He worked with those humans who threatened to take your sister and force her to be their pet along with you as well! The same humans whom would gladly kill you all if you do not submit to them! Do you not recall? Not to mention, he reeks of the scent of the wolves he has helped hunt down and slain! He. Must. Die!”“Will you stop and just look for one second! He’s terrified!” Chris snarls, moving slightly aside to let Wesker get a clear look of the shaken wolf. Leon was utterly terrified, desperately trying to hide his face underneath his paws with his ears flattened all the way back against his skull and his whole body trembling with fear.“Listen Wesker, I figure that maybe Michael and his Enforcers had a hand in making him believe he is a dog not a wolf as well as blaming us wolves for the destruction of the world. He was all alone dying when he was found and rescued by a human whom treated him well regardless of their intentions. He was merely a pup so it’s not a surprise that he latched onto them. They were probably the closest thing he had to a pack.”“Then he’s a fool.” Wesker growls eyeing the young wolf with disdain.“No. He was just seeking a family. A pack. Remember, he was a pup whom was alone in the world with no guidance.” Chris rebukes back.“Give him a chance, Wesker. He… He just lost his pack. We can show him the truth of what he is and what a proper pack can be. A pack that won’t use him for ill.” Chris tries to persuade the older wolf.“Oh? I don’t recall calling us a pack.” Wesker said angrily.“Well since we’re sticking around with you, we might as well be.” Chris frowns."So... you've decided to join?" "Well I have to since you told your stupid fictional tale to my friend and my little sister!" The two wolves glared at each other, neither side backing down until finally Wesker turns on his heel with a snarl. “Fine! But if he dares to attack any of us again, I will not hesitate to put him down.” The wolf said before heading out the back door and tracking down the two remaining members of the pack by scent.“Come on. Let’s get going.” Chris said, nuzzling Leon's side reassuring the young wolf that Wesker won't be ripping his throat anytime soon. “But… he’ll kill me.” Leon whimpered.“He won’t. I’ll make sure he won’t try to kill you. Trust me.” Chris reassured the wolf, adopting a much friendlier tone.“Why would you go out of your way to help me? I’m a dog, your enemy? I’ve helped my pack hunt and kill wolves.” Leon says confused of why this wolf was helping him. Shouldn’t wolves kill any living thing on sight as he was told since he was young by Michael and the other Enforcers? So why was this wolf not killing him right here and now?“You’re not a dog. And you were misled. I can't blame you for following what you've been taught since you were a pup.” Chris says as if it’s the most simple answer ever.Somehow, that placated the young wolf and Leon slowly got up though he was still a bit shaky on his paws. “Is he… a family member or a friend?” Leon asks, his gaze turning to the open door where the golden wolf had run out through.Chris snorts. “Neither. But I’m going to be sticking around him for a bit. And I think it will help you find your way to the truth as well.”Leon shifted, feeling like he was betraying his pack if he did decide to go and follow this wolf and his pack. But... his pack was gone. And although they might have tricked him and used him for their dirty work, they were the closest thing he had to a pack. He didn’t wish to leave but there was nothing for him here. Not to mention, there was Irons. Fear struck him then. Irons would probably kill him for not being able to protect his men. The man had no qualms of hurting him whenever he messed up. He recalled the numerous times he had been beaten by Irons but what puzzled him was why Michael and the Enforcers never stepped in to save him.He refused to believe he was a wolf. It couldn't possibly be that. But still, unlike them this wolf had stepped in between him and his leader to save him. He just saved his life when he didn’t have to! So he made his choice then. “…Alright. I'll go with you.” “I still think that was quite dumb what you did. You could have been killed by your pack leader.” Leon then comments. “Leader? Wesker?” Chris chuckles humorlessly. “Yeah, he’s not my leader. I just found him in the park after he had been shot.”“In the park? There were humans that had been torn up clearly by a wolf. Are you saying you saved a wolf that was responsible for those attacks? He killed those humans!” Leon spat, his hackles raising in anger as he remembered the corpses of the humans that Wesker tore up. He couldn't believe how stupid he was! How could he have let himself trust this wolf so easily when his pack leader had killed those humans and his pack? How could he have let his courage evaporate so easily in the face of a wolf when he had hunted so many before and let fear get a hold of him? How couldn't he protect his pack and those humans? All these thoughts rummaged through his head as horror, anger, guilt and shame swirled inside him. “I know.”“So why did you save him? It's clear he's a cruel beast! And to think I agreed to join you! I won't join a pack whose pack leader slaughtered humans!” The young wolf was about to leave when Chris stepped right in front of him, stopping him. The dark brown wolf fixed the young wolf an icy glare then. “You think I saved him all because he killed humans? You think I willingly joined because of his slaughters? It’s not because of that! It's because I can’t stand the thought of Wesker being killed and especially after learning there might be more of our kind out there!” He snaps.“You mean YOUR kind! And to save him because he's just the same kind as you? You truly are the lowest!”“Watch it! It’s because of me that you’re still standing here. You think I'm the lowest? Newsflash! You're just the same as me too! You said it yourself! You were a pup dying out on the streets, at the lowest point of your life until Michael and his Enforcers saved you! They gave you a pack! And what about me and my little sister hmm? We lost our parents at an young age but unlike you, we had no one else there for us! We had to survive on our own with me being the one to raise her when I was barely an adult! I just didn’t want to be alone anymore and I’ll bet that you didn’t want to be alone too now. Am I right?” Chris continued, watching the young wolf with angry eyes yet full of sorrow which shocked Leon.The dark brown wolf remembered how lonely it had been when it was just him and his little sister against the world. When there was no one to sing lovely lullabies to them or read bedtime stories. When there was no one out there to protect them and love them dearly. Claire had been so helpless back then that he had to be both brother and parent to her and at times it had felt too much.There was no one to help him then."Well? Am I right?"“I... I...” Leon wanted to say no but Chris was right. He didn't want to be alone anymore. Irons wasn't a part of his pack. Never will be. He had nothing now. "Y-Yes." “Then come. Since you have nothing here, come if you want to live.” Chris simply replied and ran out of the house, not caring if Leon chose to follow him.Hesitating slightly, Leon takes one last look at his fallen pack. The sight of them dead nearly made him heave and he wanted to cry and grieve over them. It felt like this chapter of his life was over but yet he felt that a new chapter was opening up before him. It was his decision now to take it or refuse it. He knew what the outcome of his life would be if he decided not to follow Chris. Life or Death. Simple as that.So he chose to follow the wolf out the house to his new pack. He should hate them for what they did to him. But he found himself that he couldn’t. Not when he recalled the sorrow in the dark brown wolf's blue orbs.Didn't mean that he would stop being angry with them anytime soon however.

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Chris followed the scent of his sister, his friend and Wesker all while Leon followed closely behind him. Neither of them talked more, figuring that there was nothing else to talk about and it was necessary now to regroup first. It didn't take long for him to find where the rest of them had run off to. He found his sister and Rebecca along with Wesker by the side of the river in the thick forest. Wesker had been watching a distressed Claire wash her face and rinsing her mouth as best as she could, spitting out the blood that lingered in her mouth, with not a single emotion on his face while Rebecca knelt by her friend's side as an anchor of comfort for the young woman. Chris's heart started to pound behind his ribs as fear gripped him. Was Claire injured?The wolf then glowers at Wesker whom still had an impassive look on his face. How ruthless must he be to not even bother checking on his sister and making sure she was alright after that harrowing fight all while he wasn't around yet to do so?He was just thankful that Rebecca was trying her best to help Claire despite still being shaken by the whole experience itself. Rushing over to the two women, Chris shifts back to his human self and checks his little sister for any injuries.“Claire, are you alright? Are you hurt?” He asks, worried sick for his little sister, gently grasping his sister’s shoulders trying to turn her towards him. Did one of Michael’s men manage to hurt her? He checked for any injuries but found nothing. Still, seeing his little sister so distressed and shaken worried him sick.Claire didn’t say anything as she was too busy trying to wash the blood off her face and out of her mouth whilst trembling like a leaf. It was clear that she wasn't ready to talk yet of what she had done so Rebecca took over and explained what had happened to Chris when he and Wesker were busy dealing with Michael and his men along with the wolf that tagged along with the Enforcers.Chris felt his heart stop and guilt started to flood his soul. His little sister, the one whom he had sworn to protect, had taken her first kill. He had never wanted to expose her to that side of the world. He had tried to keep her as far away as possible from that dark, nefarious side of the world.And he failed.He remembered when he had first killed. He had never been so sick and disgusted with himself as guilt, horror and regret churned through his heart. Yes, it was to defend himself. But that still shouldn’t have been the reason to kill.Claire spat out the last traces of water and blood before she then looks over her shoulder at her brother, putting on a shaky smile as she tries to put on a brave face but Chris could easily see through her act. “I-I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”“Are you sure?” Chris asked, still worried sick for his little sister.“Yes, Chris. Don’t worry. What about you? Are you alright?”Chris knew his little sister was trying to direct the conversation away from her well-being in question and although he wanted to address it, he knew better than to push his little sister. When Claire wanted to share with him what happened, it will happen in due time when she made her choice. The last time he tried to get her to speak her mind had resulted in them having a huge argument and neither one of them talking to each other for days. “I’m fine. Wesker managed to save me. He stopped the newest member of our pack from harming me.” Chris said.“New member of the pack?” Claire asked, confused now.Chris turned and pointed to the medium-hued brown wolf looking both terrified and still upset, unable to look at them in the eye with his ears laid flat on the top of his head."Chris what the hell? He tried to kill us!" Claire shouts angrily. "He shouldn't be here with us after what he did!" That finally got a reaction from Wesker. The golden wolf snorted loudly. "Even your sister seems to agree with me on that, half-blood." Chris fixed a baneful look at the older wolf. "And like I said, we should give him a chance. He didn't know any better." "Know any better? What the hell are you even talking about?" Chris then explains to both Rebecca and Claire about Leon's situation and why he attempted to hurt them. "He believes himself to be a dog and he has no one left. You know how it is in this world. Either you work together to survive or you perish on your own. We have to give him a chance." Chris finishes.  "Well, what does he have to say? Is he going to attack us when we have our backs towards him?" “...No. I… just wanted to help those whom were my family." That made both Wesker's and Claire's hackles rise and they both started growling which made Leon jump slightly from fear but he stood his ground. "I'm still upset with what you did. What HE did." Leon adds, throwing a glare at the older wolf whom met Leon's glare with his own frigid one. "But... I can't go back. Irons would kill me and... and I don't want to be alone." "He needs to learn and we have to help him see the truth of what he is. It won't be easy but I promise you he won't harm anyone." Chris spoke up, trying to defend Leon. “…If you're so sure, Chris then fine. I'll accept him into the pack." Claire replies. "But you’ll still need to prove if we can trust you. I mean, you did attack us.” Claire snarls at the newcomer.“That’s fine with me.” Leon said.“Um, excuse me but what were you three talking about exactly?” Rebecca asked. Since she was human with not even an ounce of wolf blood in her, she could not understand what the other members of the group were saying.“Is there a possibility that he could shapeshift into a human like you guys?” The young doctor asks wondering if the newcomer can indeed appear as a human like her friends and Wesker. This also got her wondering how do the wolves even understand human speech considering that Leon and Wesker seemed to show a level of understanding of what Chris and Claire are saying. Unbeknownst to her, it all came from an ancient pact made long ago. While the humans nowadays are unable to understand the language of the wolves, the wolves were still ingrained with the knowledge of the languages of both human and wolves. Nobody knew how it came to be but legend states it was due to a spiritual pact made between wolves and humans when they were allies. But when the humans broke the pact, they lost the knowledge to communicate with the wolves but the wolves themselves since they did not break it, were still able to retain that knowledge.Leon grew puzzled at what the human woman said. Turn into a human? How does that exactly work?Wesker rolled his eyes when he saw Leon looking confused and puzzling over the question. “I’ll admit that at least you keep to your roots without protest although all for the wrong reasons. But unfortunately, as much as I despise the practice, wolves have to turn and appear as humans in some situations. Do you not have any knowledge of such?”Leon shakes his head. "No, I don't."Now irritated, Wesker sighs and turns into his human self once more all dressed in black stunning Leon. “It all leads back to the ancient magic that we as wolves were born with since ancient times and has remained with us ever since. It's also this magic that is said to help us in understanding human speech. Feel the magic flowing deep inside your soul. What do you picture yourself as? Once you can answer that question, you will be able to transform.” Wesker explained.Leon nods and closes his eyes, feeling that flow of magic that Wesker mentioned. He didn’t know what it was like since being raised by humans had lessened his instincts as a wolf. But some nights he did feel an urge, or an instinct. Something deep and primal. Was that the magic Wesker mentioned?Leon concentrated and focused deeply, following that trail and without realizing it, he had transformed himself into a human. A handsome young man with light brown hair whom looked to be in his early twenties and just about the same age as Claire. And... he was naked making both women blush and cover their faces with their hands. "Oookkaaayyy, I did not need to see another naked man just hours after I saw one." Claire groaned. Rebecca merely blushed even harder. “Congratulations.” Chris said, startling the young wolf a bit. “You did it. Although, yeah you still have a long way to go on how to harness that magic." Leon at first was confused that was until he looked down and saw hands instead of paws. He yelped, touching his face to find that he didn’t find any fur but instead skin and hair. Just like his former pack. “I’m… human?”“Well sort of. You now appear as a human but you’re still a wolf.” Claire said, still not daring to peek at Leon. “That reminds me. I never caught your name. If we're going to be a pack, we might as well get to know each other." She says.“It’s… It’s Leon. Or that’s what the humans called me then.”"Okay Leon, I think it would be great if you could just shift back to normal. I'd rather not see your privates any longer." Claire said. "Privates?" Being a wolf or as he believes a dog didn't exactly leave Leon a lot of lessons in human etiquette. "Oh for the love of... Just turn back!" That made Leon jolt in surprise and it was a good thing too as this loosened his hold on the magic keeping this form resulting in him shifting back to his normal self. "He's back to normal, guys." Chris laughed. Both girls dropped their hands from their faces and were not amused at all. "Let's go. We don't have all day teaching this pup." Wesker stated then. They all watched as Wesker shifts back into a wolf and starts heading into the forest not bothering to even wait for them. “Hey wait up!" Claire shouts, shifting back to a wolf and taking off after the older wolf. Chris rolled his eyes. Even after escaping a harrowing experience, Wesker still couldn't afford to give them all a break. 'Why is he even in such a rush anyway?' He wonders. "Rebecca, you can climb on my back. You'll tire yourself out if you try to catch up with us.” Chris said."But won't you get tired?" She asks worriedly."Nah. I'll be fine. Come on." Chris said, turning back once again into a wolf, waiting for Rebecca to climb onto his back.Once she was on his back, he barks at Leon to follow him and the wolves then take off running after Wesker and Claire deeper into the forest. To where, neither of them except for Wesker knows.

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The forest was silent with not even the chirp of a bird in the air as the pack of wolves silently ran through, the atmosphere surrounding the landscape empty and lifeless. For Chris, it had been ages since he had been on the run through such a desolate place. The last being when he had to escape from the human gang he fought against with Claire. Once again, their lives were uprooted not by him but by the stranger in front of them.He, his sister and their friend wouldn't be here if he had just left the golden wolf to die back in the park. 'But no, you just had to save him because you couldn't stop being selfless for once.'  Chris scolds himself internally.Regardless, he had made his decision so he'll have to lie in the bed he made. As they ventured deeper into the forest without nary a word, Chris figured that the least he could do was ask Wesker where he was taking them to. But when he attempts to ask Wesker where they were going, all he got was silence."Wesker? Hello, I'm asking you where are you taking us? Do you even know where you're going?" Chris asked and again all he got was silence, frustrating him even more.Huffing in irritation, the brown wolf gathers a short burst of speed and runs ahead of the pack, skidding to a stop right in front of the Alpha stopping Wesker and the others right in their tracks.“Look Wesker, the least you could do is answer my questions. I'm going to ask again and I want to hear an answer this time! Where. Are. You. Taking. Us?” Chris snarls.“Where do you think I'm taking you?” Wesker remarks calmly.“I'm not going to play this game again! Do you even know where we're supposed to go? Cause it seems like you have no idea where to go since you haven't even found this so-called ‘key’ that's supposed to lead us to Paradise!” Chris barks angrily.“I never told you that this journey would be easy. You should know that by now or have your mother coddled you too much?” The golden wolf stated nonchalantly, not even fazed by Chris’s anger.That insult only angered the brown wolf even more and he would have lunged right at Wesker if it were not for Rebecca on his back. “Hey, let's not start a fight here." Claire intervened (though she was just as upset as Chris for Wesker's jab at their dear mother), trying to reason with her brother and Wesker but both wolves seemed to ignore her."I told you to not insult me and Claire's mother!" He growls. “I never recalled taking orders from a half-blood.” Wesker rebuts, and if he were human, Wesker would have been smirking. “That does it!” Chris roars. Rebecca yelps when the brown wolf rolls her off of him and leaps right at Wesker fangs bared much to the shock and horror of everyone except for Wesker. "Chris stop!" Claire screamed. "No, Chris!" Rebecca cried out.Leon was just utterly confused. Here was this wolf that had saved him and gave him a chance to join a pack led by a wolf that had killed humans and his family yet he was attacking the same wolf? Was this how packs work? He wasn't so sure if he should be in such an violent group.Before Chris could even run his claws across Wesker's face, the golden wolf had slammed his paw right into the side of the brown wolf's face making him see stars and dropping to the ground like a stone. “You dare challenge me?” Wesker snarls, his vision slowly turning red at such insolence. Not even in his own pack would a wolf dare challenge the Alpha lest he or she wanted to have their throat ripped out.“I dare! You may be an Alpha but I could care less of your status! The world doesn't care about that anymore!” Chris sneers as he shakily gets back up, hackles raised.'How dare this half-breed speak of such insolence!'  Wesker met Chris’s fury with his own hackles raised and fur bristling and standing on end, fangs bared ready to sink those teeth into the insolent wolf's throat.Seeing the situation escalating second by second, Rebecca steps in attempting to intervene and stop them but to her surprise as well as Claire's, Leon leaps in and lands right in between the two wolves. While he held no love for Wesker, he couldn't let the golden wolf hurt the wolf whom saved his life. Not to mention how he saw the human woman named Rebecca attempt to rush in between the two wolves. It would have just ended in disaster if she did as she wouldn’t be able to stop a fight between two massive wolves.“Will you two cut it out!?” Leon barked.“Stay out of this!” Wesker snarls at the younger wolf, furious that the newcomer would dare to stop him.“Come on, Wesker. Let’s not fight!” Claire shouts, trying to reason with the older wolf. “Chris! Stop it!” She shouts at her brother but he simply ignored her. It seemed that the fight would become inevitable. If it were not for a feminine voice popping out of the blue and interrupting them, Chris would have been on the ground bleeding out with Leon not far behind.“Now, now. Is that anyway to make allies in this time?” Ears perked, the pack turns their attention to the source of the mysterious voice and sees a black wolf with dark brown eyes step out from behind the trees without nary an ounce of fear. “Who are you?” Chris demanded.“My name is Ada. And you are encroaching on my territory.”Wesker’s eyes narrowed. He couldn't place it but the scent wafting from the stranger was a familiar one. But where? And that’s when it hit him. “You’re part of the Wong clan.” He said.“And you’re the last Alpha of the Wesker clan.” She said.“Wong clan? Wesker clan?” Claire asked, confused of this new development.“Strange. Seeing as you are a wolf, I assume you would have known about the clans. But then again, you are a half-breed so I am not too surprised of it. Let me explain this clear enough for you.” Ada said, as she approached them closer. “There were once many clans of wolves. My clan is known for their great stealth. We are able to melt into the shadows using magic but unfortunately that isn’t enough to save much of my clan. As for the Wesker clan, they’re known for their legendary strength, inhuman agility and rapid healing.”Chris then glanced back at the golden wolf. Strange yet it made sense. In the ensuing fight back in his home, the bandages had come off not that Chris noticed at the time but now that he had calmed down, he got a good look at the wolf's side noticing how the gunshot wound was completely healed leaving just a scar in its place. “It’s quite strange seeing you this far out, Wesker.” The wolf said. “And last I checked, the Wong clan were up north. What are you doing here?”“My clan is on a hopeless journey so I left. There was nothing for me there but here, here I've managed to find word of the ‘key’.” She said. That got Wesker’s attention along with Chris and Claire.“You know of the 'key’s' location?” “I wouldn’t be here if I did not know.”“Then tell me before I sink my fangs into your throat.” Wesker demands. Chris quickly jumps in, attempting to stop Wesker from hurting the stranger.“We don’t threaten our potential allies, Wesker!” Chris snarls.“Move, half-blood! Before I tear your throat open!”Again Leon tries to intervene but a hard swat of Wesker's paw across his head sends the wolf barreling him over to land on his side. "Leon!" Claire shouts, rushing over to the young wolf's side and tending to him. Seeing how riled up both Chris and Wesker were and poor Leon hurt, Rebecca decided enough was enough. Getting up, she jumps right in between them, arms out with a angry frown on her face.“Please don’t fight! We can’t afford to fight among each other! We need to work together or else we can’t survive out here.” Rebecca said, wondering if they understood what she was saying. At first, the two wolves glared at each other but slowly they started to calm down albeit still on the edge and Rebecca couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Shifting into a human, Chris glared at the golden wolf. Wesker did so too meeting Chris with his own glare. “You’re right, Rebecca. I'll... do my best to work together with Wesker even if it makes me want to gag.” Chris growls.Wesker merely just huffed in annoyance. Leon and Claire shifted then with Claire helping him up and Leon reassuring her that he was fine now. His attention then snapped to the stranger as she shifted and his eyes widened, his cheeks dusting with a shade of red when he saw the wolf now turned human. She was gorgeous with short, black hair and dressed in a red shirt and black pants, even though she seemed to radiate a deadly yet mysterious aura off her that made him break out into a cold sweat. It wasn't as oppressive as when he faced Wesker and he didn't feel threatened of her, although his instincts still told him to submit to this wolf regardless. Ada was merely amused of the younger wolf's reaction and chuckled. Even Claire herself couldn’t help but tease Leon mercilessly for his reaction while Rebecca giggled.Clearing his throat to get everyone back on track, Wesker once again demanded Ada to give the location of the ‘key’. It had taken him years in his search to find it and now he was so close. He was not going to waste any more time waiting not when it was just within his grasp.“The key isn’t here. It’s flowing through her veins.” Ada said.“Flowing through her veins?” Chris said, confused of this statement. That also left the other wolves and Rebecca confused as well. Was the 'key' a living being? “Her? Since when has the flower… no. No it can’t be!” Wesker exclaims much to his growing horror and fury.“The human didn’t consume it if that is what you are thinking, Wesker. In fact, she never consented to this fate of hers.” Ada continued.“Then how does she have the Stairway of the Sun in her veins?”“As you well suspect. The humans’ sciences.”"Wait, the 'key' is a flower?" Chris exclaims. All this time, Wesker had been searching for a flower? And how the hell is a flower going to be their key to reaching Paradise!? "You don't know?" Ada asks, quite surprised of this. "Ignore him. He has believed that Paradise is merely a tall tale until now." Wesker says, silencing Chris with a frigid glare. With a growing suspicion of where this conversation was going, Rebecca then added in her thoughts, “Genetic engineering? It’s not a far off possibility considering that we have developed genetic engineering to nearly 100% since the days of the past.”“But… why?” Claire asks. It didn’t make sense. Why would they genetically engineer the DNA of a flower to a human? Why is this flower so special?“Because that flower is the same flower that the humans were attempting to use in their vain attempt to create an elixir of immortality. Since the flowers cannot survive after being ripped out of their natural habitats, they have all gone extinct. These flowers were essential for guiding those of us to Paradise. That flower was the ‘key’ I've been looking for so long.” Wesker said. “So… that’s why you couldn’t find your way to Paradise all this time?” Chris asks, now understanding why Wesker never made it to Paradise. “…Yes.” Wesker replies softly but his voice held a tone of anger and bitterness.“Where is this person now?” Leon asks with a frown. He didn’t like the idea that there was a human being kept captive for whatever reason be it for immortality or otherwise. No one deserved to be locked up against their will. He wasn't alone in that. The rest of the group were just as inclined to help break free this person out.“She’s being kept captive in one of the labs that belongs to Umbrella, just atop the mountains ahead. You know of them well enough, Wesker.” Ada said.Just the name of this Umbrella was enough to elicit a great rage from the Alpha. Chris wondered why but it was clear that Wesker and Umbrella had a past and a not so great one at that.“We set off now. The sooner we get the ‘key’ out, the faster we can make our journey.” The Alpha said, shifting back to a wolf and starts running ahead of the pack. Chris, Claire, Leon and Ada too also shifted and followed after Wesker, with Rebecca once again on Chris's back.Whilst Chris now understood and could sympathize in the Alpha's poor search to reach Paradise, he still wasn't too happy with the wolf. But if they were to make it on this journey, he would have to tolerate the Alpha's behavior for now.But if the Alpha was to continue with that attitude, well then...Things won't end up pretty between them for sure.

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Huddled in the corner of a windowless room that had been her prison for so long, a young girl simply dressed in a white robe stared at the wall as she tries to ignore the bruises and healing pinpricks dotting her aching wrist. She should be used to it by now but she never could. Every single day since she was born, it was always pain. Pain that greeted her each time she woke up from the world of dreams she would retreat to whenever she slept. It was the only reprieve she could get. She could hear the howlsing of the harsh winds of the world outside, the cold seeping into the small room making her shiver and tighten the thin blanket around her even more. She just wanted to be free. Even though she knew the world outside was a harsh white world, she’d rather go and run free outside than be kept captive in this prison of hers.Even if the world is a wasteland outside like what her parents told her, it was better than being inside here and treated as a guinea pig endlessly.The door suddenly creaked open and Sherry tensed, turning her gaze over to the door to see her mother enter. “Testing again?” Sherry asks.Annette nodded. “I know that we’ve already run tests on your blood Sherry, but Mr. Spencer wishes to see the results from another couple of new tests he wanted us to run. And… he’ll be there as well to oversee the results.” Her mother warned her.Sherry immediately froze in terror. She still remembered when she was much younger and how the cruel man would force her parents to put her through so many tests, many of them painful, and what’s worse he would sometimes watch her even as she cried and pleaded for them to stop.But they couldn’t. If they so much as dared to, Spencer would hurt her parents. She had watched her father get beaten bloody to the point he was near death on one instance when he had refused to do more tests on her.And as much as she hated the tests, as much as she hated being kept prisoner, as much as she feared Spencer greatly, she still loved her parents and she couldn’t bear watching them get hurt all because of her. She just couldn't hate them for what they were doing when they were suffering too. Annette always hated on the occasions that Spencer would come in to oversee the experiments. It was bad enough that her daughter was terrified of the man and that they were forced to put their daughter through multitudes of tests, each one more painful than the previous one, but the President of Umbrella just had to pressure them with hidden threats if they did not comply.Yet, they were cowards to defy the President of Umbrella. Terrified as she and her husband were, they just never had the will to defy the man. Not since William tried to stop Spencer from putting Sherry through so much.They had to comply and obey Spencer or suffer the consequences.Consequences that usually would end in you going missing or your death.How did they all end up in this terrible situation? What was supposed to be a promise to save people and the world by creating a revolutionary treatment only led to terror and using their own daughter as a lab rat. They never wanted to use Sherry as a lab rat but by then they were in too deep.She hated feeling helpless, unable to break free from the chains that Spencer had wrapped around her and her family. She hated that she couldn't fight back. But most of all, she hated having to watch their daughter having to suffer in silence all because of her and her husband's actions.“Come on Sherry. We should head out now.” Annette said.There was nothing that Sherry could do to stop what was coming so she got up and followed her mother out of the room, dread filling her with every step she took towards the labs. Every instinct told her to flee and never look back. But she shoved those instincts down. Even if she tried to run, the armed guards would catch her before she even reached the outside world.It however didn't stop the terror that coursed through her and reached its peak when she and her mother finally reached the entrance to the labs.The terror was so great that she nearly let her fight or flight instinct take over. She just wanted to run and never look back. She didn’t care if she even had to die out there in the cold. Anything was better than to be subjected to the horrid pain all over again whilst being watched by those unempathetic eyes.  Nearly slipping on a patch of ice, Chris quickly regained his balance so as not to throw Rebecca over and stop them both from falling over the edge of the cliff. Heart pounding, he looks over the edge to find nothing but snowy darkness. God, how high up were they now? The journey to the mountains was an arduous one with everyone struggling to climb the mountains except for Wesker and Ada. The light snow at the bottom of the mountains had started to fall harder, covering the rough terrain with leg-deep snow. By the time they reached the base up on the top of the mountains, the snowy winds had become so loud and harsh making it near impossible to see through the weather. Add in that it was just utterly freezing that it even penetrated their bones through their fur.Rebecca was glad that she had put on her thick winter jacket, gloves,  insulating pants and boots before she left for Chris's home back then. Sometimes, the rainy days in the city would be frigid cold. So cold that many people whom weren’t dressed warmly would freeze to death even in their own homes as most homes do not have a heater or even a fireplace that could keep them warm.It had nearly cost her all her entire savings just to buy these clothing as these items were a rarity and most of the time they were sold by traveling salesmen. She was just lucky enough to have met one of these traveling salesmen when the man came into her clinic seeking treatment.The snow had become thicker then even reaching up to the wolves’ chests, slowing them down even more. Trekking through the thick snow was just tough, with Chris feeling like his legs were about to freeze and fall off. No doubt, the less experienced members of the pack felt this too. As they drew closer, Chris feared that this rescue mission would end up with some of them getting hurt. Possibly even killed.Perhaps it would be best for Claire to sit this one out with Rebecca and Leon while he, Wesker and this Ada go off and rescue the supposed 'key'. While Leon could fight, he feared that the wolf would hesitate in harming another human putting them all in great risk. Eventually, they were able to see the near camouflaged lab that was painted white under the heavy snow. While there weren’t any guards seen and the base seemed defenseless, both Wesker and Ada knew enough that there would be traps set out for them and the guards would be hidden nearby ready to shoot at anything that came running in.Seeing a boulder a few feet away that could keep them hidden from straying eyes, Wesker barks at them to go and hide behind the rock. Once they did, Chris then spoke up to his sister, "Claire, I think you should stay here with Rebecca and Leon.""What?" Claire questioned, confused as to why her brother would suggest such a thing. "I won't let you and Rebecca be put in harm's way. While Leon can fight, he most likely won't dare harm a human making him a liability. It would be best that you three stay here." That angered the younger wolf. "Are you serious, Chris? Are you seriously suggesting I wait out here while you, Wesker and Ada go off to find the 'key'?" "Yes! It's too dangerous, Claire!" "Since we joined Wesker, our lives are going to be full of danger, you should know that by now. I'm not going to just sit back here while you do all the job!" She snarls.  “Anyone of us can get hurt! Including you and I can't let you get hurt!” He argues back. He had promised to keep his sister safe no matter what. Claire however wasn’t backing down. “No matter what, we were bound to get hurt one day. Our lives have always been surrounded by danger, Chris. We always have to keep our true identities hidden, and even when we are humans there’s always threats to our lives from armed robbers, the Enforcers, smugglers and so on. Disease is also at every corner. And that’s just the short list.”“But-!”“Look, Chris. I understand you’re trying to be the overprotective big brother. But I’m no longer a child. I can fend for myself. Even if… if I had to go that far.” She mutters.That pained Chris’s heart. He knew how it had felt right after he took a life even if it was for self-defense. And while a part of him wanted Claire to try to be as far away from the violence that prevails in this world, another part of him knew that sooner or later she would have to go through the same horrors he went through. She was right. It was bound to happen sooner or later. “…Alright.” He mumbles. “Are you done?” He heard Wesker call out to them, noticing then the golden wolf fixing an annoyed glare. "We can't afford to waste any more time here." "Y-Yeah. Yeah we're done." Chris mutters, shooting a glare of his own back at the Alpha. "Prick."“I don’t see any guards. Maybe we should just enter now.” Leon said, taking a step forward only to be pulled back by the scruff of his neck. Pulling the young wolf back, Wesker glares at Leon then. “Have you lost all your complete senses?” Wesker remarks snidely.“I-I just thought-!”“You clearly have been pretending to be a dog for too long that you’ve lost all your instincts as a wolf.” Wesker snarls, fangs out and appearing very intimidating towards the younger wolf. Leon yelped and scampered back, terrified of the Alpha's sudden burst of anger. Claire and Chris then stepped in, placing themselves in between Leon and Wesker.“Leave him alone! You can’t exactly blame him for his poor instincts considering how he was raised.” Claire snarls.“He has to start learning now! If he could hone his instincts to hunt his own kind, he can use it to act as a proper wolf.” Wesker huffs in annoyance.“Seriously, what is your problem? Can you just stop treating us like dirt all because we're not the typical wolves you encountered?” Chris growls, getting even angrier. He barely registered Rebecca whispering in his ear to calm down and not do anything stupid. “I won't. Why should I lower my pride for half-bloods and a fake?”“We're your pack, remember!?”“Do. Not. Proclaim. Yourselves. As. My. Pack. We are traveling as a pack but we are not A pack! There's a difference. Prove yourselves first if you wish for me to respect you all.” Wesker retorts back. Turning his back on them, he then starts to discuss with Ada on how they would be able to sneak in. His sharp scent of smell told him there were guards not far off from where they were. The snow may impair the humans' vision but he figured that they would be equipped with high-tech gear that would allow them to see clearly through this weather.Spencer never failed to ensure his men are all well-geared. He had learned that before firsthand. “I can smell the guards close by but I figure you have already sensed them. Perhaps, we could ambush them." Ada said.  "Too risky. We can't afford to risk the alarm drawn on us." Wesker says. Noticing the armored vehicles parked close by to the entrance to the lab, an idea came to Wesker. "We could sneak by hiding behind those armored vehicles to reach the entrance." He suggests. "I do see two guards by the entrance." Ada says. Lo and behold, there were indeed two guards but Wesker was already two steps ahead. "Use your magic to keep us hidden. I'll do the rest." Wesker says.Casting her magic, Ada cloaked them all in the shadows of the landscape, quietly sneaking towards the armored vehicles. Upon reaching their hiding spot, Wesker went forth still cloaked in Ada's magic and in the blink of an eye quietly eliminated the guards with a swift bite to their throats.The guards never even knew what hit them that they didn’t even have time to elicit a cry.Looking over his shoulder then, Wesker beckons the rest of them to come now before their cover was blown. Chris, Claire, Leon and Rebecca shuddered seeing the blood coating all over the Alpha's snout. They still needed time to process that they may have to fight humans, even kill them. They weren’t exactly like Wesker whom would kill a human with no hesitation.Ada, whom had a calm look on her face, ran ahead snapping the three wolves out of their stupor. Hesitantly, they too quickly joined Wesker and Ada, hoping that they wouldn’t have to kill any more humans.But as this was a rescue mission into a lab that was owned by the biggest corporation in this ravaged world, they doubted that they would get out of this without any more bloodshed.

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Pinned and held down onto the cold steel table by the leather straps around her wrists and ankles, Sherry cried and whimpered in pain, biting down on her lip hard enough to draw blood all while the CEO of Umbrella watched her with cold eyes not caring of the little girl writhing in pain.Her parents however felt differently. William just wanted to stop all the tests, but he couldn’t. Not at the risk of him and his wife getting killed and leaving Sherry all to fend on her own. As much as it broke his heart having to latch tubes down along his beloved daughter’s spine watching as her blood and spinal fluid flowed out of her all because of the will of a tyrant, he had to do this.His wife was also on the verge of breaking down watching their daughter suffering. It was even worse knowing that they were the ones putting their daughter through so much suffering.“T-That should be enough.” William said, reaching over the control panel to stop the extraction of the bodily fluids only for Spencer to stop him.“No. I will deem when it’s time to stop. Continue on.” The man said coldly.“But Mr. Spencer, she-.”“Are you disobeying my order, Mr. Birkin?”William flinched from the barely hidden anger lacing the man’s words. “N-No, Mr. Spencer.” He stammers.Annette and William continued as Spencer ordered them to, taking more blood and more spinal fluid despite their daughter’s cries and pleas to stop.Sherry just wanted the pain to stop. Her throat was already hoarse from screaming and she could barely speak anymore. She didn’t care how the pain would stop, all she wanted was it to be all over.As if her prayers were answered, the alarms in the lab started to sound and the whole lab turned a gleaming red. Spencer’s eyes narrowed in annoyance of this and he snapped his fingers, the guards behind him immediately standing at attention, ready for his commands. “Deal with the intruder. I don’t care who it is, just do it now!” He orders the Captain of his armed guards.The man nods and barks at his men to go forth and find whomever had entered the facility. “Shoot first, ask questions later!” “Stop the process right now. We can continue this for another time. Take her back to her room and keep her under careful watch.” Spencer then orders the two scientists.“Of course.” But both William and Annette had other plans. This could be their chance to escape now. But what Spencer said next dashed all their hopes of escape from this infernal place. “And if you both think of escaping this facility with your daughter, don’t bother.” He said, beckoning a few armed guards to come forth.“Keep watch of them and make sure they don’t try to escape. If they do, kill the parents but leave the girl.” The guards obeyed the order and kept a close eye on the scientists as they released Sherry. As soon as Sherry was free, they viciously bark at them to move then, leading their prisoners out of the labs and back to Sherry’s room ready to fire if need be.  Snarling in frustration, Wesker attempts to find any sign of the 'key' as the world turned red and the wails of the alarms assaulted his sensitive ears. It couldn't be possible that they tripped the alarm as Ada had kept them hidden in the shadows. But then again, the newer members of the pack may have been careless enough to set off the alarms even with the aid of Wong's magic. Or perhaps, there was a possibility that this facility was outfitted with strange traps that could detect them unlike the other facilities he had infiltrated in his quest to find the 'key'.Whatever the case, he had no time to contemplate for answers. Right now, they were on a race against time.   “I smell the ‘key’. She’s this way.” Ada suddenly said, looking in the direction of the hallway to their left.Turning towards the direction that Ada pointed out, he too then caught whiff of the scent.The Stairway of the Sun. The flower that he had been searching for so long. “Let’s go. We have to hurry before reinforcements arrive.” Wesker shouts over the loud din and dashes out from the shadows, abandoning all the need for stealth as that was now useless. They quickly followed after the golden wolf, running through the hallways without stopping for a moment to breathe.Armed guards seemed to stream out of the woodwork the further they went in but Wesker easily dispatched them one by one with his unnatural strength and speed. Ada too helped in dispatching the guards, melting into the shadows and lunging forth unexpectedly ending each and every single one of the humans with a swift bite to the throat. On the other hand, the other wolves hesitated all for a multitude of different reasons. Chris just didn’t want to kill anyone as he didn't want to spill anymore bloodshed but when the armed guards started firing at him, his little sister, Rebecca and Leon, he had no choice but to fight back.Dropping Rebecca off of his back, he pounces with a snarl, tackling the guard and finishing the man off with a crushing bite to the throat. Although queasy at the thought of taking another human life, Claire too was left with no choice. She had to protect her brother and friend. Leon was in a bigger dilemma. Having been raised by humans, he could not stomach killing a human. In his eyes, humans were family even if Wesker disagreed vehemently against it and start preaching about how the humans were their enemies and that his pack had simply been using him. Regardless of whether his former human pack had used him or not, they were the ones who saved him and took care of him when no one else did.Not Wesker. Not another wolf. But a human. Even when a bullet whizzed past him and nearly hit him, he still refused to attack. Another bullet flies by and he leaps back, yelping in fear. It was clear that these humans didn’t exactly feel the same way as he did and his inner instincts as a wolf screamed at him to fight back.FIGHT! KILL! DO YOU WANT TO DIE HERE!? Yet despite how his inner instincts screamed at him, he attempts to shove them down. He couldn’t kill humans. That wasn't what he was taught. He just couldn’t.Until some of the guards started aimed at Rebecca. She had nothing to defend herself but she wasn't just going to stay put and let them shoot at her like a sitting duck. With a cry, she rushes at one of the guards ready to punch him in the face. Leon then realized if he didn’t stop the guards now, Rebecca would die before she could even land her fist on the guard's face. He had to make a choice now.Refuse to fight and let Rebecca die. Or fight and save Rebecca.Who was it going to be?It was a difficult choice. A human for another human? But unlike the guards, Rebecca had been nothing but kind even accepting him knowing that he was supposedly a wolf and after he had attached her and her friends. It was clear then. Making his choice, the young wolf lunges at the guards with fangs bared and rips out the throat of the guard whom had his gun aimed at the young human woman, joining in the fray of the battle.He nearly retched when the taste of human blood splashed in his mouth and shivers of revulsion ran down his spine tasting the hot iron of the red liquid gushing out from the guard's throat. He felt like he had committed the ultimate sin and betrayed those he deemed were his family. Still, he fought, telling himself over and over that this was all to protect Rebecca and to free another poor soul entrapped in this hellhole. They continued on, taking out more and more of the guards until they finally reached the room where Sherry was kept in. The two armed guards came charging out but Wesker was ready for them and he quickly dispatches them before they could even fire a single bullet. Once they were dead, he shifted into his human form along with Ada and the other wolves.“W-Who are you?” William demanded, putting his daughter and wife behind him in an attempt to protect them from these strange intruders while he was comprehending what he had just saw. His wife and daughter were just was wide-eyed seeing the wolves shift into humans.“You do not need to know who we are. What I demand is you hand over the ‘key’.” Wesker says coldly.“What!? Never! We won’t hand our daughter over to you! She’s been through enough!” Annette shouts, clutching her daughter tightly, her rage of her daughter being taken only to land in another world of pain and suffering overriding her fear of them.“If you won’t, then I won’t hesitate to cut you down.” Wesker growls, taking a step forward but Chris quickly leaps right in front of the blonde, stopping him.“Like hell you will! They’re just parents trying to protect their daughter! I won’t let you just kill them!”“She is the ‘key’ however. The Stairway of the Sun is a part of her.” Ada then steps in. “We haven’t come this far to come out empty-handed.”“Wait… you know of the Stairway of the Sun?” William asks in astonishment.“Of course. We wolves revere the flower and seek it as a means to guide us to Paradise. That is until you humans took them all just because your kind could not face Death in the eye.” Wesker snarls.“Then… William, we can escape with them. We can take Sherry and escape this place!” Annette said.“What makes you think we’ll let you come with us?”“Please. Please, let us come with you. Sherry, she still needs us and we’re the only ones who know her condition. We can share as much information as you want! We just want to be free of Spencer!”A dark look crosses Wesker’s face, his red eyes flashing and his fangs bared, upon hearing that name. For whatever reason that the pack and the humans did not know, it was clear that just the name of the CEO being uttered seemed to spark a great rage from him. “Spencer is here?” The wolf snarls.“Y-Yes.” William replied.“Look, let’s just take them all out and go, Wesker! They’re also right too! They might be able to answer any questions you have such as why the Stairway of the Sun was genetically engineered into their daughter.” Claire argues, trying to convince the older wolf.“…Fine! You two can come with us.” Wesker says.  With that said, William went to pick his daughter up from his wife and carry her in his arms. They then all ran out of the cell hurrying for the closest exit.“There’s an exit close by that leads to the parking lot! We could get on one of the military trucks just outside the facility to get us out of here.” Annette tells them. “Lead the way then!” Chris says. They ran down several more hallways before bursting out onto the parking lot. Several armed guards saw them emerging from the lab and started firing at them as they made their way to the closest truck just a few feet from the entrance.They ran as fast as they could, dodging the oncoming bullets, but then suddenly Leon cried out in pain as a bullet managed to hit him in the shoulder, making him stumble and fall onto the freezing snow.“Leon!” Ignoring the danger, Claire rushes back alongside Chris to help the young wolf up and they all started running once again towards the truck. William got in, glad that the key was still in the ignition and started the engine, with Rebecca helping Annette set their daughter in the back before hopping in.“There’s some winter coats in the box in the back. Please take them out.” Annette told Rebecca. The young woman did so, giving the coats to Annette, William and helping Sherry put one on so they wouldn’t freeze to death out here in the cold. They didn’t exactly have fur unlike their wolf companions. Wesker and Ada hopped in next with the last three members of the pack reaching the truck right behind them. Chris and Claire both helped Leon in before then hopping into the truck themselves just as William stepped on the gas.Without another look back, they drove off in their getaway vehicle as the guards still continued to fire at them.Shivering from the cold, Sherry looks around to see snow falling as far as the eye could see.It was all so strange for her, having been born in a life isolated from the world outside.But she welcomes it nonetheless.The world outside was even more beautiful than she could possibly imagine let dream of. This was what she had dreamed of. Freedom. And now she was finally free with her parents by her side.

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Down and down the mountain they went, never stopping even when there was no trace of Umbrella's men in sight and only the howling winds was the only thing that they could see and hear around them. Being careful as to not slip on the icy roads, William drove carefully but quickly down the road that led them to the base of the mountain. Heart pounding, he peeks at the side mirrors every now and again fearing that Spencer's men would show up and end this chase. Luckily for him and the pack, it would seem no one was going after them."Leon! Come here, let me take a look at the wound." Rebecca says. Still in his human form, the wolf shifts closer, whining in pain as he clutched his still bleeding shoulder. The young woman quickly got to work, gently prying off Leon's hand and carefully peeled the bloody wraps of his shirt away to get a closer look at the bullet wound. "It went through so I don't have to pry a bullet out but I have to stop the bleeding or else you'll bleed out." She says. "I just need a first aid kit."  "Here. There's a first aid kit here." Annette said, taking a kit out from one of the boxes in the military trucks and sliding it across the floor towards Rebecca.Thanking her, Rebecca quickly gets to work taking out the essentials.  "This is going to sting a bit." She warns Leon.As the needle dug in, Leon cries out in utter pain and pulls back unable to take it. But if he continued to reject their help, he would most definitely bleed out. "Hold him down, Claire." Chris says, going over and keeping a hold on the wolf's shoulders. The red-head did so, grabbing and holding down Leon by his arms. The wolf whined and cried out as Rebecca starts suturing the wound, crying out and struggling in the grip of the siblings. "Just a little more! I'm sorry!" "Damn, that hurts!" Leon shouts. "Just a bit more to go!" She says, her deft fingers swiftly stitching the wound close. With the last suture, Rebecca quickly snips the thread off and pours the bottle of antiseptic over the wound earning another cry from the wolf. "Done!" She pants, unrolling the thick roll of white bandages and wraps the wound ensuring that the bandages were wrapped in place and firmly. "I always hate it when I have to get stitches." Leon mutters, recalling the times where he would have get his wounds closed up after several nasty hunts. "You wouldn't have to get stitches if you had simply not hesitated during such a crucial battle." Albert patronizes the wolf. "Back off, Wesker. He still helped us in the end." Chris snaps back. "Yes, of course he did." The blonde says sarcastically. "Look, he's been raised by humans his entire life. Cut him some slack a bit." Claire butts in. "You won't be saying that when we get attacked again now that we are being hunted." "Wait. Hunted? Are you saying that Umbrella is going to be after us?" Rebecca asks with wide eyes. That made Annette laugh in disbelief. "Did you actually think you would get away from Spencer once you broke us all free? The man is tenacious and won't ever let Sherry free. She's just too valuable to him." This angered Chris. "What the hell, Wesker? I don't mind freeing someone who doesn't deserve to live as a guinea pig for a sick man's twisted reasons but you never mentioned that we would be on this company's hit list!" He snarls."Then you're an idiot to not have presumed it.""You can't just dump this on us when we don't know why this little girl's DNA is genetically engineered with that of a flower let alone about Spencer! Hell, we don't even know the whole story between your deal with Umbrella!" Claire exclaims just as furious as her brother. Ada decided then it was best to step in lest a fight broke out between the Alpha and the half-bloods. The last thing they needed was to fight in their getaway vehicle and cause a ruckus that would distract their human driver. "I think its best everyone here knows what's going on, Wesker." "And why should I choose to share with them about my past, Wong?""You know what will happen if you don't. It'll backfire on us if they aren't prepared." Wesker growled but deep down, he knew Ada was right. He had to tell them of what they were getting into or they would all face the consequences including him. "Fine! I'll only tell them what's necessary for them to know." Turning his attention then at the others, he barks at them to settle in. "Listen carefully. I won't repeat myself again." So he begins his tale. "Before you were born, as the world was turning to hell, many of those humans from huge corporations tried to find ways to save their own skin. But none of them would bring about a devastation unlike anything except for Spencer. He discovered the Stairway of the Sun. How I do not know. But he did and he would lead huge expeditions to the lands where the flower grows, excavating them all to grow in his labs. But the flowers can never grow in those cold, steel labs. They can only grow in the lands that they have lived and died in their entire lives. So one by one, the flowers perished until none remained." He explains, getting increasingly tense and angrier as he continued. "Until now?" Rebecca asks. Wesker nods. "Until now." He says, looking at the little girl whom was now sleeping in her mother's arms. That would make sense as to why Wesker hated Umbrella and its CEO. Yet why did Chris feel like Wesker wasn't telling them the whole truth? He could see the rage swirling in those red and blue orbs yet there was a lingering sadness in them which he had not expected to see at all. He hadn't even thought that the wolf was capable of showing any other emotion aside from anger. "Care to explain as to why your daughter has the scent of the flower coursing through her veins then human?" Wesker questions Annette. The woman sighed. It was bound to happen that their rescuers would start asking questions. "My husband and I joined Umbrella because Spencer had promised to help save the world. We were ambitious and wanted to prove ourselves. We did admirably because then he assigned us to work on the Stairway of the Sun three months later. Yet, like you said, the flowers just couldn't grow in the labs. No matter how much we tried, they all died one by one. It was getting to the point that we were going to lose the last flower and Spencer didn't want to lose his commodity." "So what did he do?""He... He forced us to genetically engineer our daughter with the DNA of the flower." Annette said shakily. She still had nightmares of that and had never forgiven herself for it. She knew her husband hadn't forgiven himself either for letting it happen. "And you just let it happen!?" Claire exclaims, furious that these two humans would even let that happen. She knew her parents would rather die first than do the bidding of such a monster. "As if we had any other choice." The human woman hisses. "If we didn't do it ourselves then Spencer would just take matters into his own hands. He would have us killed and have someone else genetically engineer the DNA of the flower into Sherry. You don't know how many would follow Spencer to the grave so they could get in the man's good graces." The wolves and their only human friend was aghast of this. Just how cruel was the CEO? Wesker, however, seemed to be the only one who didn't appear to be surprised of this which only made Chris even more suspicious of the blonde."He... He isn't that insane to do that is he?" Rebecca muttered, simply in shock. "Yes. Yes he would." William suddenly spoke up without taking his eyes off the road. "He's a monster. He has the power, the technology and the loyalists to let him do whatever he wants without giving a second thought. What was an unethical line, he would just break it not giving it a second glance." Rebecca retched. She had sworn to use the science she learned to help people so to hear someone willing to break the ethics she had followed all her life just for his own power made her ill. Leon, Claire and Chris were just as equally sickened. "Not surprising. You humans always eat each other when it suits you." Ada simply commented before then heading for the back of the truck. "I'll keep an eye out." "We're not like that!" Chris protests angrily. "You're one to talk, half-blood. You've been sheltered all your life. You wouldn't know." Wesker snorts.That only made Chris even more incensed but before he could argue more, Annette interrupted him. "He's right. You don't know of what we've seen and been through. If you knew, you would have agreed with him." Seeing her brother about to snap, Claire then decides to might as well get to know their new human members. "If you're going to be joining us, what's your name? I mean, we already heard you call your husband William and your daughter Sherry." "I'm Annette. And what are your names?" Claire then introduces herself, and introduces the rest of the members of the pack to Annette. "Although I'm confused as to why you aren't surprised that we wolves can turn to humans?" That made Annette chuckle. "This isn't the strangest thing I nor my husband has ever come across. We've seen worse." She says, a haunted look crossing her features quietly. Whatever it was that had left this human and her husband shaken, the others didn't want to know. As they reached the base of the mountain, Birkin asks where they should head to. He hadn't been to the bottom of the mountain in years. The whole landscape just looked different from when he last saw it. More empty and desolate if that were possible as when he had retreated to the top, it was already a land of dust as far as the eye could see.  “Just keep driving.” Wesker simply ordered him.“But…”“Keep. Driving.” The blonde-haired man snarled, his canines lengthening into fangs promising a world of hurt if the human man didn't do as he said. William yelped in fear and quickly stepped harder on the gas then, making everyone nearly topple over in the back from the sudden burst of speed.“Careful!” Claire shouts in alarm, hanging onto the side for dear life as did the others whom were nearly thrown out. "William careful! Don't wake Sherry up!" Annette scolds the man in the driver's seat and got a sheepish apology. Thankfully, the little girl still slept peacefully in her mother's lap, the experiments from earlier having taken a toll on her. “Stop scaring him, Wesker! We just made it out with our lives. I’d rather not get thrown out at the last second.” Chris snarls.Wesker did not take well to the challenge. “Oh? Or would you rather we die by bullets because they caught up to us, half-blood?” Wesker sneers.Chris grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest, refusing to look at the other wolf. He wished he could teach Wesker a lesson but he'd rather not wake the little girl. His sister merely rolled her eyes at the two men’s childish behavior. She honestly was not ready to act as babysitter for them. Leon had already fallen asleep, too exhausted from the blood loss with Rebecca by his side keeping a close eye on him. The only one enjoying the whole debacle and watching it play out with amusement was Ada. It wasn't everyday you see a half-blood challenge an Alpha without getting their throat ripped out. Ada knew just how dangerous Wesker was unlike the other members of the pack so to see him submit so easily to the other wolves and humans made her wonder what had changed the older wolf. 
'You grown soft, Wesker.'
Thankfully, no further arguments occurred throughout the journey. Even Chris and Wesker didn't bicker like they would. William drove on through the desolate landscape with Wesker guiding the man where to go. Inhaling the scent of the flower that coursed through Sherry's veins, it was like his sharp senses had been amplified to another level and he could focus on a point in the distance that he knew was Paradise.Claire, Leon, Chris, Rebecca and Annette soon fell asleep joining Sherry in the realm of dreams, exhausted from their successful breakout, leaving only Wesker, Ada and William awake.“You know, I never expected you to bend over so easily to such demands from pups. Half-blood pups no less.” Ada started to tease Wesker. While Ada was around the same age as Leon and Chris, she found that they were so naïve still and their lack of fighting reminded her of the defenseless pups in her own clan.  Thus the nickname she reserved just for them.That only made the wolf irate. “I’m making sure they remember where they are in the pack.” He growls.“Well, you’re doing a pretty bang up job about it.” Ada said sarcastically.“Enough! You should know your place, Wong.” Wesker snaps.Instead of being cowered by Wesker’s intimidating threat, Ada merely chuckles. “If it’s any indication how you let the pups run amok without a care of positions in the pack, I think I’ll follow them as well. Good luck with trying to stop me.”“E-Excuse me… how long do I have to keep on driving?” William asks softly, a tad nervous stepping into their conversation. He really didn't want to get his head bitten off by a wolf right after he and his family had just escaped. “Just keep driving.” Wesker ordered the human.“But we’re losing gas. We need to find and reach a town to get some gas. Perhaps also allow us to rest in the town? Everyone’s clearly tired.”“Are you attempting to argue with me, human?”“I-I’m not!” William knew he had to choose his next words carefully else he get his throat ripped out leaving his wife without a husband and his daughter without a father.“I’m just suggesting considering how most of your pack are sleeping. Not to mention, my daughter and wife are just as exhausted as them. Surely, you don’t want my daughter falling sick since you need her to reach Paradise.”"How do you know of Paradise?" Wesker seethes, snapping his cold gaze at the man. William tried not to tremble seeing those red and blue eyes glaring ice cold daggers at him."Spencer wouldn't stop ranting about it. How he keeps on saying that the flower will lead us all to Paradise. I also did my research from my own end. Paradise, a place that only wolves can reach. And you're a wolf. It's not hard to connect the dots from there." “...Fine. I’m assuming you know where the next town is?” Wesker asks. He still wasn't too pleased of another human knowing of Paradise but with Spencer at the helm of Umbrella, he wasn't surprised that they would know. The human was obsessed with reaching Paradise. A fruitless venture but it hadn't let the human stop him. Why else would he slaughter his clan, the guardians of the Stairway of the Sun? Unfortunately, Birkin did not know of the closest town. Considering he had lived inside the lab never venturing beyond the mountain and Spencer never letting him out since he and his wife stepped foot into Umbrella's labs, any knowledge of the outside world was null. One could talk to him about the life sciences but anything beyond that, he was completely clueless of. “I… I don’t.” That angered Wesker but before he could rebuke him, Ada then spoke up.“I know of a nearby town. I passed by it earlier before I met you and the pack, Wesker.” She said.“Then tell this useless human where to go. I tire of having to deal with him.”Ada had no problem with that and started to give out directions to William leading them to town.   By the time they reached the town, the moon had already risen. It was much smaller than the town that Chris, Claire, Rebecca and Leon were from but on the bright side, there were fewer people which meant less people that would ask questions about them. Parking by the side of an old inn, the large pack went inside to rest.Luckily for them, Rebecca, Claire and Chris had some money on them. Although they weren’t left with a lot after paying a couple of rooms for everyone. Whilst the small family shared a room, Claire would share a room with Rebecca, Ada with Leon and Chris with Wesker. While Chris didn't like the arrangement, he figured now was the best time he could get Wesker to answer some questions he had. He wasn’t going to let the wolf walk away not without answering all of them. “Good night, Chris. And please, don’t fight with Wesker. We don’t want to get kicked out in the middle of the night because you two just couldn’t get along.” Claire tells the older man off.“I won’t. I promise.” Chris said.Claire however wasn’t convinced but didn’t say much more on it, giving her brother a hug before then quickly joining Rebecca to head to their room.Once everyone had retired to their rooms, Chris turns and locks the door behind him, then addressing the older wolf. "Why is it that I feel like you're not telling the whole story, Wesker?"“What do you mean by that?”“When you were telling us about Umbrella, I noticed the sorrow in your eyes. Don't deny it! Not to mention how you didn't even look surprised as Annette listed out what Umbrella is capable of. You seem to know this Spencer on a personal level so do you mind sharing about it?”“No.”Chris rolled his eyes. 'So you want to do this the hard way, huh?'“You better start talking, Wesker. I'm not going to let your personal grudges put my sister and my friend as well as everyone else in danger! So start. Talking.” Chris growls. It was clear that Wesker was getting even more upset of Chris's defiance and persistence but the brunette could care less. If they were going to fight, then he’ll just take it outside with him.“Fine!” Wesker spat. “Sit down because I’m going to tell you everything.”