Chapter 1545: Steve’s Past (Part 2) It came as no surprise to the three of them that another pack of Werewolves existed at the Redwing Kingdom. That much, they had already expected. But what did catch them off guard, what made their hearts pound, was the revelation that Steve had just casually dropped: the other pack was led by his brother. His brother... Jack. If Steve’s words were true, then Jack was also an Alpha. Two brothers, both Alphas. The situation was eerily familiar to one they had heard of before, and when Gary and Kai’s eyes flicked toward Lupus, the thought was already written across his face before he spoke. “Interesting... two Alphas, brothers,” Lupus muttered. The words carried weight. The situation mirrored his own life. Lupus and his brother Dean had both become Alphas, and that story had ended in blood, conflict, and the fractured lives they all now carried. Hearing of another pair of brothers destined to hold such power stirred something inside him, a cold recognition of how easily history could repeat itself. Steve watched their reactions with keen eyes. “It seems that even far and wide, people have heard about the fate of two Alphas,” he said calmly. “The stories that say two Alphas will always clash. That they cannot coexist for long. I wonder why that is.” His lips curved faintly. “But here’s the truth, I wasn’t originally an Alpha. In fact, the very reason I became one was to prevent the fighting between me and my brother. It’s been many years since, and there’s been no incident between the two of us... at least, not yet.” He gave a short laugh, though it carried no real humor. The joke fell flat. None of them laughed with him. The air was too heavy. Because underneath his words, they all heard the same thing: the possibility that one day, Steve and Jack would clash, and when they did, it would not end peacefully. The weight of history pressed too heavily for any of them to find comfort in his light tone. Steve seemed to recognize this but didn’t linger on it. His voice grew steady. “You three told me about your situation,” he said. “So now, I’ll explain mine. From the beginning. The start of it is a tale everyone else here has heard many times, and our journey is long, so you may as well hear it too.” He paused, then began. “Both me and Jack were born into a wealthy family known as the Dem family.” The name alone hit like a bolt of lightning. Almost instantly, all three of them began coughing and choking on their own air. Gary and Kai exchanged wide-eyed glances as they patted their chests, coughing into their hands. Lupus, for his part, turned away and hacked violently near a tree, trying to compose himself. “Sorry,” Lupus managed between coughs. “A big bug flew in my mouth.” “Yeah, must’ve been a swarm of those things,” Gary added quickly, trying to cover for the reaction. Of course, all three of them knew exactly why they had reacted that way. The Dem family. The name was burned into their bloodline. It was their family too, Gary’s and Lupus’s family name. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. And if Steve was speaking the truth, then this story was far closer to home than any of them had imagined. Gary’s thoughts spun. We were Dems? Our family was wealthy? Then how... how did I end up like this? How did I grow up in poverty while he speaks of wealth? Steve didn’t seem to notice their shock, or if he did, he didn’t comment on it. He simply continued his tale. “Well, I hope my story doesn’t cause more bugs to fly into your lungs,” he said with a faint smile, before carrying on. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 “I told you before about bloodlines carrying the Werewolf mutation. Well, the Dem family was one of those bloodlines. My mother, my father, they weren’t Werewolves themselves, but they knew it ran in their DNA. So my father had several children, hoping one of us would awaken the Werewolf gene.” His expression hardened, his voice sharpening with bitterness. “And when the children showed signs, when they carried the Werewolf mutation, my father would sell them. Into slavery. That was his answer. His way of making profit from his own blood.” Gary’s chest tightened, rage boiling quietly in his gut. Sell them? His own children? “That,” Steve continued, “was how me and my brother Jack were separated. I showed signs. Jack didn’t. So I was sold, and he was kept. From the start, our paths were torn apart.” His eyes grew distant, as though he was remembering chains, cages, the cruel hand of fate. “I grew up a slave, raised to be nothing more than a weapon. A thing to be used for money. That’s where I learned to survive, where I learned to distrust humans. Family... the word meant nothing to me. After all, what did it mean, when my own family sold me away?” He clenched a fist but quickly released it, forcing his tone steady again. “When I became strong enough, I broke free. Escaped slavery. But even then, I had nowhere to go. Nowhere I belonged. My wandering eventually brought me to a Werewolf camp. There, I met others like me. And there was an Alpha.” Steve paused for a moment, perhaps weighing the memory. “I learned a lot from them. They taught me how to live as a Werewolf. But they lived secluded, hidden away from humanity, avoiding trouble. And I... I argued with them, constantly. I couldn’t accept living in secrecy, pretending the world outside didn’t exist. I believed we should fight. That we should go out there and save those like me. Those enslaved. Those chained. “In the end, those arguments drove me away. I broke off from the camp. I became an Omega Wolf. Alone again, but not lost. Because I had a purpose. I continued to do what I had done for myself, free other Werewolves. Rescue them, one by one.” His gaze grew darker, sharper. “You see, slaves are bound with magical markings, seals that tie them to their owners. It’s not easy to break free from those marks. Some never do. But I... I made it my mission to free them whenever I could.” The three listened in silence, their own chests heavy. “One of the major auction houses for Werewolf slaves,” Steve said, his voice dropping lower, “was a place called Zrey. And it was there... that I met my brother Jack, once again.” Through the story, the group thought maybe they would find a way to stop the Alpha’s from fighting. **** *** For updates on MWS and future works, follow me on my social media below. Instagram: jksmanga P.a.t.r.e.o.n: jksmanga When news drops about My Vampire System, My Werewolf System, or any other series, you’ll hear it there first. Feel free to reach out, if I’m not too busy, I tend to reply.