Chapter 3

My feet moved swiftly beneath me. I would appear as nothing but a blur to the untrained eye. It was dark and rainy, a perfect night to be on the prowl. I was not sure exactly where my target was, but I had good intel that he frequented a local establishment that catered to wolves. Not a bad place to start.

Driving would have been quicker, but I preferred to be on foot. The sun prevented us from being out in the day for the most part. That was the curse handed down from the gods. So I always jumped on the opportunity to be free in the night.

I slowed down and came to a halt tilting my head back facing the dark sky allowing the rain to hit me. I felt it pour over my body gently tapping on my suit asking to be let in. I would have love to feel it against my skin. Even through my suit it was so serene and cool, almost enough to quell the fire burning inside of me, but tonight I didn’t want it to be quelled. I wanted to be consumed by it.

I maneuvered atop a small building ledge that overlooked the bar giving me a view of people entering and exiting and allowing me to see some of the inside, while also keeping me hidden as I lurked freely in the shadows. From this distance had I not been wearing my suit, they would have been able to sniff me out.

Wolves ran in groups of around three or so. It would not be unordinary to see vampires in pairs, but I was accustomed to and preferred to be alone. I had never lost a fight and tonight would be no different.

I slowed my breathing encouraging my senses to work together until their scents hit me. There were quite a few wolves and some humans too. That could pose a potential problem.

I did not enjoy killing humans. In fact, I tried to avoid it. They were weak, ignorant beings for the most part and didn’t present much of a physical challenge. Typically I just fed from them when it suited me. I would target the corrupt and immoral and they would provide the sustenance I needed. Occasionally I would let them satisfy my other needs. Human men and women seemed to be eager to attempt to bed me, but they tended to be a bit clingy. Men - human, wolf, and vampire all alike - were most exasperating creatures.

There was one occasion where I saved a human woman from her male counterpart. He was a vile creature, a predator that attempted, and almost succeeded, to take advantage and overpower her physically. She seemed to be very young and innocent enough and I pitied her for some odd reason, so in a moment of weakness, I granted her a reprieve. He, however, saw no such mercy by my hands. That was a long time ago, though. Most likely one of the only humane things I had or would ever do in my lifetime.

Hunters were a different story. They had training and skill more than the average mortal, but my clan had little run-ins with them so far, although their interference to neighboring clans had become worrisome. Hunters were unbiased when it came to wolves and vampires. They despised us both equally. That did not matter much to me. I viewed them as more of a gnat, a pest, than an adversary.

But tonight, I was looking for a wolf, my natural enemy, and the only creature outside vampires who would put up any type of formidable fight, albeit they would ultimately fail in the end. Our long-standing feud was now more intense than ever. The truce with the Blue Stone pack had done little to quiet that. Other packs were joining forces in hope to gain enough members to overpower us. They had been recruiting witches under false pretenses of fighting for peace and maintaining nature’s balance. This is what my father had been concerned about. In reality, they were just as vicious and power hungry as us, if not more. The difference was we did not hide it.

No. We were the superior beings. That was just a fact. Vampires were a very proud race, and we would not be dominated by them. Although we were ruled by the sun, they were ruled by their wolf form needing to shift to access their full potential. They were mortal and grew old. We were immortal and lived forever. That’s not to say we could not be killed, but we did not die from old age or disease. Although we had our weaknesses, they had far more.

And then there was the smell, that revolting smell. What could smell worse than wet dog? Everything about them screamed subservience, and yet, they would still attempt to challenge us, to hunt us? I would take them out one by one if I had to.

I never questioned my distaste toward them. It was just a natural occurrence, and I was sure they felt the same about my kind. So be it. That was just the reality of the situation. We were warring species sharing the world not only with each other but other entities as well. They would never understand the hate that we were born with that lived and grew inside of us.

I brought myself out of my thoughts. It was easy to go off on a tangent about my mortal enemy, but my objective was clear. I was to bring in Ezekiel an alpha of one of the smaller packs. He had been acting as an intermediary between packs and had also recruited some witches to their cause.

Capturing him would provide an immense blow to their organization and possibly help in two ways. One, if we were able to capture him alive, there was a chance of gaining information from him, though that might prove to be difficult. And two, his sudden disappearance would cause confusion and divide amongst the ranks while also deterring future recruits out of fear of retaliation.

I waited and watched the patrons in and around the building. So far everyone had just been in great spirits and looked like they were enjoying themselves. I detested that. Laughter and joy were not actions I partook in.

At least an hour had passed, and I was growing impatient. I tried to remind myself impatience begot imperfection and I needed this to be perfect. It was not every day I was tasked with capturing an alpha. Most likely it would not be easy, but that only made my excitement grow.

I continued to stalk my unsuspecting prey as Father’s words rang in my head. “The time has come for you to honor your commitment.” This was the only commitment I had made, that I had chosen for myself, and even then, I had been swayed from a young age. I had to become a warrior. Once I realized that, I decided to put my complete effort into being the best, and now here I was. I would not have it any other way, though. This is what I looked forward to. Fighting, rage, and violence was all I knew and directing all of that towards my enemy was what made me feel alive.

But I needed to wait for the right moment. I had to play this smart. Although I did come here seeking a fight, I could not rush in on unfamiliar territory leaving myself with no geographical advantage up against threats unknown.

No. I needed them to come to me unprepared and caught off guard. I needed to get them outside somehow, something quick and simple.

A fire.

This had been one of my plans depending on how the night went. My version of a Molotov cocktail. I flicked the lighter on between my fingers and pulled out an alcohol-soaked cloth from the bag I carried around my waste. I wrapped it tightly into a ball bigger than what could fit easily in my palm. As I lit the cloth ball, it ignited immediately. Had my hand not been protected by my suit it would have been scorched instantly.

I reared my arm back and pitched the ball hard, but there would be no batter on the other end. It landed like a heavy stone due to the force of my throw and I watched as flames erupted inside. Not quite enough to make a boom, but it served its purpose.

Screams filled the bar as people ran frantically through the door. I imagined no one would have been seriously injured since I had purposefully aimed at a spot that seemed to be empty, but there were only so many factors I could control. My main focus was to get them outside and separated.

People flooded the exit and ran towards the cars, tires screeching as they peeled off. I knew the humans would scurry in fear. The wolves would linger wanting to investigate. I did not have to worry about the human authorities appearing. There was an agreement that they stayed out of wolf and vampire business.

I paced from the shadows waiting for who I had come for wondering if he was, in fact, here. A few minutes passed and I finally saw some stragglers by the door. Strong build, gruff looking, cocky, glowing eyes and of course that stench. Wolves.

“Did you see what it was, Alpha Ezekiel?” One of them called out into the building.

So he was indeed here.

“Where did it come from?” Another questioned as they peered into my direction, but I was still hidden by the shadows.

With a fluid movement I jumped from the balcony landing perfectly on my feet standing in front of them about 50 yards away. There were three out here and Ezekiel was inside. That made at least four.

“Who the fuck are you? What do you want?” One yelled at me squinting his eyes.

The rain was pouring now creating puddles at my feet. I pulled out my dagger from the sleeve on my right leg and spun it in my hand ready to use.

“You do not want to find out who I am. I am here for Ezekiel. Hand him over to me without issue and I may let you live.” I stared at them blankly, noting the seriousness in my tone. They eyed my body up and down then looked at each other and laughed. The grip on the hilt of my dagger grew tighter. I was unsure of what they found humorous, but I had become accustomed to this. I was sure they knew by now I was a woman, and my petite figure did not help the matter either. This would not be the first or last time I was underestimated.

“A little thing like you? And it looks like you’re all alone too. Come on over here. Let’s have some fun.” The one who had been doing most of the talking walked toward me when I did not move or respond. He was young and just as cocky as ever. A sly grin stretched across his face.

How insolent.

That one had a big mouth, and I was more than eager to shut it for him.

Before he could take another step, I tossed my dagger in the air grabbing it by the blade and slung it at him with extreme force. The dagger swished through the air rapidly hitting him in the right shoulder with enough force to knock him off his feet. There was a crack as the blade broke through bone. He yelled out in pain, and it was like music to my ears. I’m sure it was excruciating. Pure silver had that effect on wolves. He wouldn’t be able to pull that out by himself and soon would be too weak to be of any concern soon, which meant he would not be getting in my way anymore.

I rolled my neck around then from side to side as I stretched my arms above my head.

It seems like they wanted to do things the hard way and I, of course, was more than happy to oblige.