“It’s not another trip back in time, is it?” groaned Nat, holding his bulging stomach. “I’ve just eaten three pieces of cake.”

“No magic needed,” said Iona, “not this time.”

The boys followed her as she positioned herself at one of the computers. Her fingers flew expertly across the keyboard, a small frown of concentration creasing her brow. Random data scrolled down the screen for a few seconds, then — success! PROTEUS popped up on the screen, complete with a howling wolf logo.

“You work for them?” asked Nat.

Iona shook her head. “I used to,” she said, still frowning slightly. “Three years ago, Professor Paxton disappeared and I was ‘no longer required.’”

“But what … why …?” stammered Nat.

“Shhhh, I’ll get to that in a moment,” she said. “Since my dismissal, I’ve been hacking into the Proteus files. I made these images from security camera footage at Helleborine Halt.” She turned to Woody. “These are the people who betrayed the clan and who will stop at nothing to find you.”

A color image of an immaculately dressed man came into view.

“This is Dr. Gabriel Gruber,” said Iona grimly. “One of Harvard University’s finest. He’s a great example of the fact that looks can be deceptive; he’s absolutely stark barking mad. Dr. Gruber tricked Professor Paxton into telling him about the Wolven study. Not only that, he persuaded the Special Weapons Division that he could create an indestructible telepathic band of mercenaries: you know, soldiers who will fight for money, not because they care which side they’re on. To do this, he planned to combine the DNA of the superintelligent and telepathic Wolven with the cunning and near-immortality of the werewolf.”

She clicked onto the site again. “And this drop-dead gorgeous specimen is Lucas Scale.”

Nat and Woody both recoiled in horror. Grinning straight at them, orange eyes glowing malevolently, was the creature from Nat’s nightmare.

“Nooo … it can’t be …” Nat shuddered, all the color draining from his face. “That’s the wolf thing in the woods — from my nightmare.”

Iona’s eyes widened. “You have dreams about Lucas Scale?”

Nat nodded. “My mum told me there’s no such thing as monsters, but it’s not true, is it?”

“Scale was human once,” said Iona. “He was bitten by one of the Halt werewolves; he tried to reverse the contamination, but it went wrong halfway through and his condition is deteriorating.”

“But how come I had a nightmare about him?” asked Nat, puzzled. “It’s Woody he wants, not me.”

“As Scale becomes more wolf than man, his enhanced senses will tell him that Woody is still near,” explained Iona. “He isn’t strong enough yet to target a specific telepathic subject, but he’s getting better all the time. It won’t be long before he gets lucky.”

To Nat’s relief, the image of Lucas Scale was replaced by another: two enormous men in polarized glasses.