Hunter of Shadows - Levantus POV

The hunt went well, we managed to take down several boars and some deer throughout the night. The next night was a feast of our hunt and a celebratory send off of the food and supplies put together to spread across my kingdom to those in need.

And yet… it feels hollow. It feels like I’m sending these things out and going through the motions, but does any of if really matter? Is it enough?

I sigh and look at myself in the tall mirror. My mahogany hair has already been ruffled from running my fingers through my hair. An act of frustration I hardly notice I’m doing. My amber eyes gleaming golden in the sunlight filtering through my bedchamber windows.

It’s in these quiet moments of facing myself that my cold, emotionless expression isn’t there. Over the last couple of years, I’ve felt my lycan growing hungrier and hungrier, pacing and snarling, needing to mate. My rage becoming harder and harder to control. I’ve tried keeping him appeased by carefully taking lovers, but I’m never quite satisfied.

How much longer will I struggle? How much longer can I keep him at bay? The day I lose control means I will kill anyone without restraint and my men will have to put me down.

I catch myself running my hands through my hair again as I pace away from the mirror and step to a window, clutching my hands behind my back as I look outside. My chambers face the full gardens, maze, and fountain with a statue of our goddess at its center. The sounds of children’s laughter reach my ears from the maze and I feel my heart clutch. So much responsibility and so many secrets.

Turning away, I pace some more before Jasper enters.

“Lord, I have some news you’re going to want to hear.”

I pause and turn to him with a frown. His tone tells me it is of utmost importance.

“Rogue attack?”

Dirk comes in a moment later.

“Yes and no.”

He says before Jasper picks up.

“We have been hearing rumors of rogues turning up dead randomly. One or two here and there over the last couple of years. We assumed that there was a small fight of some kind and they lost.”

Dirk nods and interjects.

“But yesterday, rogues started to attack the Half Moon pack to the southeast. There were no fatalities; wounded, yes, some damage. But they are saying someone appeared with a wolf at their side. One person mitigated the whole attack. The figure was cloaked, no one can say they actually saw anything about this person.”

Jasper pipes up now.

“The people were able to take to hiding away, barricading themselves, their warriors taking post nearby to prevent rogues from getting to them. But the rogues never came after the figure and their wolf appeared. After waiting several hours, the warriors fanned out to check their pack… Ten rogues dead and they’d barely made it within the pack grounds. From how they were laid out, the attacks were drawn to a point, they tried to take the threat out. If any rogues survived, they fled.”

I frown as I start pacing. Is this a new threat or some sort of savior? Who is it? Dirk speaks up as though he can read my mind.

“We need to know who it is and whether they’re a threat or not. If they are a threat then we need to neutralize the situation before it becomes something else.”

I stop pacing and meet their gazes with my back straight.

“Both of you, take warriors and spread out. Take a look at the map, there’s a pattern to the rogue attacks I know it. Let’s see if we can predict where the attacks will happen next. I’ll take a group and go to a different location and see if we can meet this cloaked stranger.”

Jasper shakes his head.

“No sir, I’m sticking to you like glue, but we should round up Delta Connor and make him our third group.”

I nod my head as we walk out of my chambers and head to the war room to look over the maps with markings of rogue attacks, discussing most recent attacks to see if we can spot a pattern.

**********************************

It takes a couple weeks of planning and working on getting the council’s approval. Once the approval is there, they’ve give us regulations we have to follow. This causes us to go back over our plans once again.

Within this time, another two attacks occur and the same figure and wolf appear, taking out rogues before any real damage is done. Receiving this news makes me both tense and relieved. If this person is an ally, then we have quite a bit to be thankful for.

By now, it’s been a week since the last rogue attack and the rogues haven’t come again. Either they’ve been scared off, or they’re considering the numbers they’ve lost at this point.

We spread out in search of the person responsible for stopping the attacks. I grow more and more restless as we visit each pack, staying a few days, leaving a couple of warriors as we go. Searching for this cloaked savior ends up being fruitless. It seems they’ll only appear when rogues are attacking.

The question needs to be asked… how does he know when and where the attacks are going to take place?

After a month of traveling, it’s time to head back home. My frustration is clear, but I’m hoping my warriors will find clues or meet this person and get information back to us.

Our horse’s hooves are loud as we ride back toward the castle. We are about a day out when we are caught in a storm. I am just about to give the shout for us to break and take cover when the attack occurs. Our rear flank is attacked by rogue wolves that dart out from the trees. The storm dampens their scent making it easy to have snuck up as they did. Horses are slain, one of my men taken out by the time we have turned to start fighting back.

Lightning flashes and thunder booms above us while the torrential downpour soaks us. I roar as I shift into my lycan form and begin fighting four wolves at once. Howls, snarls, and growls can be heard as the battle rages. The smell of blood, even in this rain is heavy.

Another of my men falls, but we take five of theirs, but they keep on pressing. Ten more rush out from the trees to join the fray. A bright flash of lightning hits a tree nearby, cutting it in half. Then a ghostly howl is heard and another flash of lightning brings a cloaked figure and a wolf into view. It distracts the rogues and some of my men for just a moment.

The hunter is here…