The air was thick with violence as Silver and Ulrich, in their werewolf forms, snarled and lunged at each other. I had never seen anything like it – the sheer power and ferocity of these two beasts battling it out. My heart pounded against my chest as I watched, helpless.

"Please, Silver, stop!" I screamed, feeling the weight of my humanity holding me back from intervening. Silver's eyes blazed with anger, his fur bristling as he bared his teeth. It was clear he wanted nothing more than to pin Ulrich down and assert his dominance over him.

But then, something unexpected happened. Ylfa transformed into her she-wolf form, sleek and silver, and leaped into the fray. "Silver!" she cried, her voice a mix of human and animal. "Calm down! You're going to hurt him!"

As if by magic, Ylfa managed to immobilize Silver's arms, holding him back just enough that Ulrich could break free. He moved quickly, his white werewolf form still graceful despite the wound on his side where Silver had scratched him. Thankfully, it didn't look too deep.

"You should learn to control your temper," Ulrich growled, seeming more calm now that Ylfa had intervened. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy – Ylfa was able to help Silver in ways I'd never be able to. She was truly the partner he needed, not me.

"Fuck you!" Silver roared, his yellow eyes filled with fury. But rather than continue the fight, he allowed himself to be restrained by Ylfa, glaring at Ulrich with a fire that refused to be quenched.

As Silver, Ulrich, and Ylfa shifted back to their human forms, I couldn't help but notice the way Silver's clothes lay in tatters around him. He stood there wearing only a pair of black boxers, his chiseled body on full display. Muscles rippled beneath his smooth skin, his broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist. It was as if he had been carved from marble by a master sculptor.

My jealousy flared when I saw Ylfa staring at him appreciatively, her eyes lingering on his impressive physique. As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't blame her. Silver was breathtaking.

With a fierce determination, Silver managed to free himself from Ylfa's grip. But instead of lunging at Ulrich again, he fixed his fiery gaze on the older werewolf and demanded answers. "How do you know?" he growled, his voice thick with barely-contained rage. "How do you know Skol killed my parents?"

Ulrich sighed heavily and sank into his armchair, his eyes focused on a distant point on the wall as if peering into the past. "I know because your mother, Estrid, came to me for help," he began, his voice somber. "She arrived one night, wounded and terrified. She told me how Skol and his betas attacked her and Kjartan while they slept, taking you with them."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Your mother tried to get you back, Silver," Ulrich continued, his voice choked with emotion. "But she was no match for Skol and his followers. So she escaped, and she begged me to help her. I agreed, allowing her to stay with us."

I watched Silver as his handsome face contorted with a mix of sadness and confusion. His strong jaw tightened, and he shook his head slightly, as if struggling to believe what Ulrich was saying. My heart ached for him; I couldn't imagine the torrent of emotions he must be experiencing right now.

Ulrich's voice broke as he continued his story. "I allowed Estrid to stay with us, but it was futile. Skol and some trusted betas of the Ironfang Clan soon came after her. They cornered us, and I saw Skol kill Estrid in front of my very eyes." He paused, tears streaming down his cheeks. "There was nothing I could do to save her. I failed her... twice."

Silver's sculpted features twisted into a snarl, his eyes blazing with anger. His jaw clenched and unclenched, as if he were trying to restrain himself from saying something he might regret. But then, with a sudden burst of fury, Silver threw his hands up in the air.

"Enough!" he roared, his voice like thunder. "These are all lies! I won't listen to any more of this!"

With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Ylfa hesitated for only a moment before rushing after him, her face etched with concern. I felt a pang of jealousy at how quickly she went to comfort him, wishing that I could be the one to offer him solace. I was about to follow them when Ulrich called my name.

"Red," Ulrich said gently, bringing me back to the present. "Please, stay. There's more I need to tell you. Please? I'll make some tea."

Reluctantly, I obeyed, taking a seat at the table while Ulrich prepared tea and crackers. As we sat down, he asked me about the details surrounding my grandmother Beatrice's death. I decided to trust him, recounting everything I knew, though it wasn't much. It's not something he could ever use against me anyway.

"Did you notice anything missing from Beatrice's house?" Ulrich inquired after I had finished my story.

I frowned, thinking back to the chaotic state of the house when I had found her. "It was a wreck, like someone went through her stuff," I admitted. "But I wouldn't know if they took something. Do you think someone was trying to steal from her?"

Ulrich didn't answer right away, instead staring at the steam rising from the teapot as if lost in thought. I could tell there was something weighing heavily on his mind – something important. But what could it be?

Ulrich poured tea into two cups and placed a plate of crackers on the table. I picked one up, nibbling at it absentmindedly as he took his seat across from me. His wound seemed to be healing already, no longer bleeding and looking less painful than before.

"Red," Ulrich began, sipping his tea. "After Beatrice moved the Hoods back to the Black Forest because of the Ironfangs, we formed an alliance to kill Skol."

"Wait, what?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "Why?"

"Skol is after something very dangerous," Ulrich said gravely. "Something that could have grim consequences for both werewolves and humans alike."

I leaned forward, curiosity getting the best of me. "What is it?"

"Beatrice agreed to help me kill Skol with the Hood's assistance," Ulrich explained, ignoring my question. "I even sent out spies and offered Beatrice information about Skol's habits and when he was usually alone so they could catch him by surprise," he added, taking a cracker from the plate.

It was the first time I was hearing about this. I wondered if grandma had entrusted this information to anyone else, or if she didn't have the time to put their plan into action.

"Was my grandma really plotting to kill Skol with you? Tell me why," I demanded.

"We both believed he needed to be stopped, and that killing him was the only way. He's always been ambitious, narcissistic, and full of hatred. You see, Skol despises humans. He considers them inferior to werewolves. He even went so far as to think eating them was acceptable."

My stomach churned at the thought of werewolves eating people, and I couldn't help but flinch. The idea of Silver being close to such a monster made me worry. Surely, he couldn't agree with Skol's twisted beliefs... could he?

"Anyway," Ulrich continued, soaking one of the crackers in his tea before taking a bite. "After Skol moved his pack to the Fontainebleau forest, I thought I'd never see him again. But I was wrong."

I watched as he chewed thoughtfully, my curiosity piqued. He swallowed and sighed, clearly pained by the memory.

"Once Skol was back, his werewolves started attacking the Nightshade Clan. Then one day, he came to pay me a visit, unannounced and bold as ever." Ulrich's eyes darkened as he recalled the encounter. "He told me outright that he was forming a werewolf army."

A lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to swallow. The thought of an entire army of terrifying werewolves, all under Skol's command, sent shivers down my spine. The sheer destruction and chaos they could unleash would be unimaginable. Innocent lives lost, families torn apart... it was a nightmarish vision.

Ulrich picked at the crumbs on the table with his index finger, continuing his story. "Skol had already absorbed the Bluemoon Clan that lived in the Fontainebleau forest," he said, his voice steady. "Some other lone wolves had joined him as well. He wanted me to resign as the leader of the Nightshades and pass control onto him, but that wasn't all..."

My heart pounded in my chest, anticipating what dreadful reason Skol could have for such demands.

"Before we managed to get him away from our camp," Ulrich said, his eyes locked onto mine, "Skol revealed the real reason why he was after me... What he truly desired was the secret for turning a human into a werewolf."

I choked on my tea, nearly falling off the chair in shock. "What... what are you saying?" I mumbled, coughing to clear my throat. Everyone knew that werewolves were born, not made. "That's impossible!", I exclaimed, but Ulrich simply observed me quietly, and I felt a chill down my spine. "Isn't it...?" I asked, incredulously.

My mind raced, trying to process this unbelievable revelation. If it were true, then Skol's ambitions were even more sinister than I'd imagined. The thought of him having the power to force anyone, any human, to become a werewolf caused my body to tremble in fear. And the worst part? Silver was right in the middle of it all.