Liam loosened his grip.

Sergei dropped forward slightly as air rushed back into his lungs. Mikhail stumbled backward clutching his shoulder. Liam did not look at either of them again. He simply turned around and walked toward the long wooden table at the center of the hall.

He sat on it casually, one hand resting behind him for balance, the other hanging loosely over his knee as if he had not just crushed two giants into submission.

Sergei bent over coughing hard, dragging air into his chest like a man who had just surfaced from deep water. His pride was more injured than his throat but he said nothing.

Irina moved quickly to Mikhail’s side. She grabbed his broken arm without asking.

"Hold still."

Mikhail growled low but obeyed.

She shoved the arm back into place with a firm push. There was a dull pop as bone realigned. Mikhail clenched his jaw but did not scream this time. Within seconds the skin began knitting back together, muscle tightening, bone sealing itself with visible regeneration.

He flexed his fingers.

Rotated his shoulder once.

Twice.

By the third rotation it was already functioning again.

Werewolf regeneration was ridiculous.

Liam watched it with mild interest before his eyes shifted to Irina. The coldness that had been on his face minutes ago disappeared. In its place came a harmless smile, almost playful.

"So," he said softly, "what do you say you guys were talking about before I came in?"

Irina stared at him for a second.

She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "This guy is unbelievable."

Then louder she said, "We were trying to dig into Cain’s history."

The name made the air feel heavier.

Liam’s posture straightened slightly. The relaxed expression faded just enough to show focus.

Of course he wanted to know. That man had almost killed him with a single punch. Not even that. He had not even moved when he attacked.

"What have you figured out about him?" Liam asked.

Irina exhaled slowly.

"Nothing."

Liam’s brows lowered.

"Nothing?" he repeated.

She shook her head. "I have never heard that name in our circles. Not in Moscow, not in Saint Petersburg, not in the old packs, not even in the underground networks. I called my contacts inside Russia and outside Russia. Europe, Asia, even a few in the Americas. Nobody has ever seen him before."

She paused.

"It is like he never existed until today."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Sergei finally stood upright again, rubbing his neck. Mikhail stepped back beside him, both of them silent now. The earlier laughter was gone. The mood had shifted completely.

Lana folded her arms lightly and spoke carefully. "What if he was just strong and chose to live lowkey? Not everyone wants attention."

Irina lifted a finger immediately, shaking it gently.

"No," she said firmly. "Nobody that strong would have gone unnoticed. Not in this world. Power like that leaves traces. Rumors. Fear. Broken bodies. Even if he avoided big fights there would be whispers. There is always something."

She looked directly at Liam.

"But there is nothing. No whisper. No record. No legend. It makes no sense."

Liam tapped his fingers lightly against the table.

Then he looked at Lana.

"Do you still remember how to operate your way around the dark web?"

Lana’s eyes widened instantly.

"Yessss!" she almost shouted.

She turned fully toward him, excitement lighting up her face. "Liam you are a genius! If there is any information about him buried anywhere that is where I can find it. Forums, private servers, hidden networks, archived data dumps. That is where people hide things when they do not want them public."

She pointed at her own head proudly.

"And yes of course I can still work my way around it. You do not forget something like that. It is like riding a bike. Once you learn it you never lose it."

Liam opened his mouth to say something else but before he could get the words out she was already moving.

She rushed out of the hall at full speed.

The door swung slightly behind her.

Liam blinked.

He looked back at Irina with an amused expression. "Well that wen—"

The door burst open again.

Lana rushed back in, slightly out of breath, hair bouncing around her shoulders.

"Hey Irina," she said quickly, "you would not happen to have any laptops or computers hanging around here do you?"

Irina did not even hesitate.

"We have a couple," she said calmly.

Then she turned her head slightly toward Mikhail. "Take her to it."

Mikhail nodded once, respectful this time, all arrogance from earlier completely gone. "Follow me," he said to Lana.

Lana gave Liam a quick grin, already energized at the thought of diving into encrypted networks and hidden forums.

"Try not to break anything while I’m gone," she teased lightly.

Liam snorted. "No promises."

She disappeared through the doorway with Mikhail.

For a second Liam just stood there, then he leaned off the table and pushed himself upright. He took two steps forward as if he intended to follow them anyway.

Irina’s voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

He paused mid step and looked over his shoulder at her.

He yawned lazily as if nothing in the world bothered him. "Digging around the dark web seems fun," he said casually. "Right Lana?"

Lana’s voice echoed faintly from down the corridor. "No it isn’t! Half of the time you won’t even understand what I’m doing."

Liam rolled his eyes dramatically even though she could not see him. "Rude."

Irina watched the exchange with faint amusement. Then she turned and began walking out through the same entrance Lana had used, but instead of following that path she veered to the right.

"Follow me," she said without looking back.

Liam shrugged and did exactly that.

The hallway they entered was quieter, dimly lit with warm overhead lights that cast long shadows along the polished floor. The mansion always had this strange balance of luxury and tension. Soft carpets, expensive artwork, and at the same time the constant feeling that violence could break out at any second.

They walked side by side at first, then Irina moved slightly ahead of him.

Liam’s eyes drifted unconsciously.

She walked with confidence. Every step steady, hips swaying naturally with the movement of her body. She wore fitted dark pants that did nothing to hide the strength in her legs.

"Are you looking at my ass?"

Her voice cut through the silence so suddenly that Liam almost choked on air.

His face froze.

First blank.

Then confused.

Then mildly offended.

"No," he said quickly. "Fuck no."

Irina burst into loud laughter that echoed down the corridor.

She did not even turn around. "Relax," she said between laughs. "I know. I just wanted to mess with you."

Liam let out a long breath he did not realize he was holding.

"That was a serious allegation," he muttered. "Lana would kill me if she heard that."

Irina kept laughing for another few seconds before finally calming down.

Then she stopped walking.

She turned slowly to face him.

Her laughter faded and her expression shifted into something sharper.

"Why are you glaring at me like that though?"

Liam blinked.

"I’m not glaring."

"You are," she insisted. "You have that look. The one where you are thinking too much."

He sighed.

"Fine," he said honestly. "I was just wondering something."

She folded her arms. "About?"

"You’re a werewolf," he said plainly. "So how the hell were you using ice powers back in the subway?"

Her lips curved slightly.

"Yeah," she replied. "It’s possible."

Liam’s eyebrows shot up. "Of course I know it’s possible. I saw you do it. I’m asking how."

She held his gaze for a second longer before turning and continuing down the hall. He followed.

"It’s my innate power," she said simply.

Liam frowned. "What the fuck is an innate power?"

Irina slowed her pace slightly as if deciding how much she wanted to explain.

"In our world," she began, "being a werewolf is just one layer. It is what we are by blood. But some of us are born with something extra. Something that does not come from the pack. Not from the bite. Not from the curse."

She tapped lightly against her chest.

"It comes from here."

Liam listened carefully.

"An innate power is a personal gift," she continued. "It manifests naturally. No ritual. No training required for it to exist. It is just there from birth. Some never awaken it. Some discover it by accident. Some trigger it under extreme stress."

She glanced at him briefly.

"Mine awakened when I was younger. Ice. Cold. Temperature manipulation. It responds to my emotions, to my will."

Liam processed that slowly.

"So you are basically a werewolf with an elemental ability on top."

"Yes."

"And that is normal?"

"No," she said bluntly. "It is rare."

He let out a quiet whistle.

"So how many of you walking around with secret bonus abilities I do not know about?"

Irina smirked. "Enough."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "And you never thought to mention this before?"

"You never asked," she replied calmly.

They reached the end of the hallway where a large window overlooked the estate grounds. Moonlight filtered in, reflecting faintly in her eyes.

"There are things about you we do not understand either," she added quietly. "The gold under your skin. That pressure earlier. That was not normal. Even for someone strong."

Liam did not answer that.

His jaw tightened slightly.

Innate power.

Spiritual attack.

Divine energy.

Too many new terms in too short a time.

He looked back at her.

"So innate powers," he said slowly. "Are they tied to bloodlines? Or random?"

She tilted her head. "Sometimes bloodlines. Sometimes fate. Sometimes something else entirely. Nobody truly knows."

He stared at her for another second.