"Ah, what's the matter Alpha?"

All the grogginess disappeared from Beta Ren's eyes when he opened the door and found Alpha standing outside.

"Our meeting was at 9:30, right?" After saying that, he looked back at the clock to double-check that he hadn't seen it wrong.

"No, it's not about the meeting. I'm here to fetch Tendo.”

"Tendo? But he didn't come here."

"You wouldn't know because he must have come through the window," he gestured with his eyes towards Haruto's room.

Haruto heard a knock on his door and assumed it must be his dad waking him up.

"Coming, Dad".

He rubbed his eyes, slipped on his slippers, and walked toward the door to open it.

Upon seeing the Alpha, all the sleepiness vanished from his eyes like a dissipating cloud.

"Good morning, Haruto."

"Ah, G-Good morning Alpha."

"Haruto, Alpha is here for Tendo."

He heard his father's voice coming from the kitchen, where he must have been preparing breakfast.

"Tendo? But he is not here." Haruto said with a mixture of confusion and concern.

Asahi pointedly looked behind him, prompting Haruto to turn around. To his surprise, he was shocked to see a lump covered in a duvet on the right side of his bed, slightly moving up and down with the rhythm of peaceful breathing.

Asahi bypassed Haruto and headed straight towards Tendo. With a swift motion, he thwacked Tendo's forehead with his finger, causing Tendo to abruptly wake up upon contact, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Did you sleepwalk here?" Asahi questioned.

Tendo rubbed his forehead, a touch of discomfort etched on his face. He turned around, intending to resume sleeping, all the while grumbling under his breath.

"Let me sleep, Asahi. Why are you disturbing me this early in the morning?" Tendo protested, his voice laden with grogginess and irritation.

"Look around yourself and tell me," Asahi retorted.

"Are you going to wake up this instant, or should I pour cold water on you?" Asahi threatened.

Tendo didn't want to move. He was captivated by the comforting scent of the duvet, finding it both peaceful and intoxicating. He gently rubbed his nose against the duvet, savoring the sensation, before finally opening his eyes.

Blue orbs peered at Asahi from behind the duvet. They darted slightly, scanning left and right, before settling on Haruto, who remained rooted in his spot near the door.

After processing everything, Tendo abruptly sat back against the bed, a mix of realization and unease coursing through him.

"Dad, you're right. I-I must have sleepwalked here," Tendo admitted, his gaze fixed on Asahi's eyes, searching for any signs of disbelief.

He could never reveal the truth about what had happened to him and how he ended up here, brought by Nevalis, that cheeky wolf. Tendo knew that he would instantly fall asleep upon encountering the bed. If Asahi hadn't mentioned sleepwalking, he didn't know what story he would have to concoct to escape this situation.

"You don't sleepwalk," Asahi stated firmly, his tone laced with a touch of skepticism.

His response came out in a somewhat hesitant manner, "Ah, yeah."

Yes, I don’t sleepwalk. What should I do now?

Tendo pondered, a mix of uncertainty and anxiety coloring his words.

He furrowed his brow, scratching his forehead in thought, desperately trying to come up with any plausible explanation in that moment.

"Ah, I don't know either how this happened. It might be due to my wolf," Tendo finally uttered, his voice decreasing a few decibel at the end.

Asahi listened attentively, giving Tendo's explanation some thought. Throughout his life, he had witnessed many werewolves whose behavior changed after their wolf emerged, but sleepwalking was unheard of. This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon, but he reminded himself that everything about this child defied the norms.

"Okay, that could be a plausible reason. Now get up, wash yourself, and come outside for breakfast," Asahi commanded in his authoritative Alpha tone before he turned and left the room.

------------

Outside the Crescent Moon Pack territory, in a room within a well-known hotel, a middle-aged man in a tailored suit, possessing a well-built and muscular physique that exuded strength, leaned against a sofa while savoring his coffee slowly. His attention was captivated by the view outside the window, where a vast jungle was shrouded in rainy weather.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door, and someone entered the room. Despite the newcomer's arrival, the middle-aged man continued to gaze out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Without diverting his attention, he casually remarked, "It feels like you've brought some good news."

A smile spread across the face of the other man in the room, the same mysterious figure Tendo had encountered in the early morning. "Yes, a very good news," he replied.

The middle-aged man finally tore his gaze away from the window, placing his coffee cup on the table. His curiosity piqued, he inquired, "Tell me."

The answer he received was unexpected, causing him to abruptly stand up in surprise. In his haste, he knocked over a tea cup, which clattered to the floor.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m 100% sure.”, the spectacle guy said.

The initial shock on Alessio's face was quickly replaced by an ecstatic smile, and he couldn't contain his excitement as he began pacing back and forth.

"What should we do now?" Alessio asked eagerly. "Take me to him. I want to see him now."

Alessio walked over to the spectacle guy and shook him vigorously, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

"Relax, Alessio," the spectacle guy said.

"He's not going anywhere. We need to proceed with caution. He's currently inside the Crescent Moon Pack territory, and we can't simply barge in like this. We need to plan everything meticulously. Besides, he's still very young. Let him grow first. He's only just developed his link with his wolf, and his powers haven't fully emerged yet."

Alessio took a deep breath and calmed himself. "You're right. We have to devise a plan to bring him to our territory. This isn't the right place for him to learn. He needs a suitable environment to develop his skills."

The spectacle guy nodded in agreement. "I've also heard that Asahi, the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, adopted him after the death of his parents. So, he's under Asahi's care now. And you know Asahi; he's very possessive about his pack, and now he considers this boy his family. He won't let us take him."

Alessio sighed, realizing the complexity of the situation. "Yes, we need a better solution," he muttered, sinking back onto the sofa and gazing out the window, lost in thought.

After a moment of contemplation, Alessio turned toward the spectacle guy and spoke with determination.

"Marco, I think we should reveal our identity as Royals."

Marco, the spectacle guy’s expression turned agitated, and he quickly sat in front of Alessio on the other sofa. "You can't be serious. That's our trump card. We can't reveal it right now, especially when we know the Lycan hasn't gained his powers yet."

"I'm not suggesting we do it right now," Alessio clarified. "But in the next four to five years, we need to prepare ourselves to reveal our identity. It's the only solution I can think of. I have a grand plan in mind. This way, we won't have to engage in a direct confrontation with the Crescent Moon Pack to get the Lycan. Asahi himself will hand him over to us," Alessio said with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Besides," he continued, "it's time to make Asahi realize that he isn't the strongest werewolf in the world. He has now his weaknesses."

Curiosity piqued, Marco inquired, "What's your plan?"

Alessio shook his head. "Let's discuss it with the other two. We can't accomplish this without them." He began packing his suitcase.

"We're going back?" Marco asked.

"Yes," Alessio confirmed. "We've achieved what we came here for."