Therius sat with his arms crossed in his private cabin. The wooden table, chairs, and various other pieces of furniture, all crafted by his own hands, decorated the room. Most of them were ornamental, but now was hardly the time to appreciate his handiwork. As the Alpha of the werewolf pack, he was deeply stressed — this was turning out to be a rather unpleasant start to the new year.

Right now, it could be said that he was completely alone. His mother had passed away a long time ago, his father had died four years ago, and his younger brother had left the pack long before that. He had hardly any friends to speak of. Therius found himself respecting his late father more and more, realizing how his father had been able to hold the position of leader under such pressure and stress.

Usually, in a situation like this, his father wouldn’t hesitate to kill or eliminate those who posed a threat. But Therius was not like that. He was reasonable enough to listen to them first. Perhaps they had simply lost their way or needed help. Even if they were human or vampires — creatures he despised — as long as they weren't a threat, there was no reason to eliminate them.

After one of his pack members brought an intruder into his cabin, Therius looked up. His red eyes fixed on the person, studying them intently. A woman? He felt an odd sense of satisfaction. At least a lone woman in the middle of a snow-covered forest like this was unlikely to be much of a threat. And he didn’t feel the need to dispose of her in the brutal way his father would have handled such a situation.

But Therius knew better than to underestimate her. He wasn’t about to jump to conclusions about her race, either. There are many species today capable of shape-shifting and deceiving others.

"What brings you to a deep forest like this? Don’t you know this is the territory of the werewolves?" he asked, still watching her closely as though trying to gauge her reaction. If he received an answer that seemed false or detected any signs of threat, he wouldn’t hesitate to deal with her in the same way his father would have. Even if she was a woman.