William's POV As I walked with Ava, I tried to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. “The port was a bustling hub of activity, with merchant ships coming and going, carrying all sorts of exotic goods from the far reaches of the world.” I looked around. “And yet, despite the chaos and noise, there was an unsettling feeling of stillness in the air, as if everyone was just going through the motions.” I had left Thomas to oversee the ship's unloading, trusting him to handle the logistics while I set off to find Mallam Abu's place. “Who's Mallam Abu?” Ava asked me suddenly. “He seems like a large commodity seller on the surface, but he’s actually one of the biggest suppliers of slave labor to Europe.” I heard Ava gasp at my reply. We pushed our way through the crowd of sailors, travelers, and merchants. It was a maze of tents and stalls, with vendors hawking their wares from every direction. “So, where's Mallam Abu?” Ava asked me as I scanned the stalls. “I don't know…” I saw a
Thomas' POV "William, Ava, you have to come with me," I said. “It's really urgent. An important… issue has come up." William and Ava exchanged a worried look before quickly breaking their embrace. “Let's go," William said, his voice equally serious. We met Mia at the other end of the deck of the ship. “Mia, what's wrong?” Ava asked. “Well…” She glanced at me. “Well, I was walking through the bustling streets of Casablanca, taking in the sights and sounds of the city, when I noticed a man following me. At first, I thought he was just another tourist, but as I made my way into an alley, he was still behind me." Mia paused to look at me with uncertainty and I nudged her with my eyes. “Go on.” "Well, you see, I stopped in my tracks and turned around, facing him directly to confront him but he held out his hand, offering me a business card. ‘My boss would like to meet you,’’ he said and I hesitated, trying to assess the situation. But I just couldn't follow him. I mean, I was in a fo
Thomas' POV "I need two of you to follow Johnson and track his every move," William instructed. "We can't afford any mistakes on this mission." “We can do that,” two of our werewolves, Tom and Jim, volunteered for the task. William nodded. "I need you to be hidden," he said. "Follow him, but don’t let him know you're there. Report back to me as soon as you have any info." With a nod, Tom and Jim slipped away. The rest of the pack gathered around William, waiting for the next set of orders. "We need to get going," William ordered. "We need to reunite with Mia and Ava as soon as possible." "What took you so long?" Mia asked, a note of concern in her voice as William, the others and I returned to the ship. "We were starting to worry." William breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the rest of the crew gathered together on the deck. "Things didn't go as planned," he replied. "We ran into some trouble on land and were delayed longer than expected." Mia smiled. "But you are all here n
Jim's POV At Johnson's house, we positioned ourselves as we had done earlier to listen and watch his every move. "Alright, let's go over this one more time," Tom whispered. "We are going to stay here and watch Johnson's every move. If he contacts anyone, or leaves the house, we need to know about it. And we can't take any chances. We have to be as quiet as possible." I nodded in agreement as I took position. "Let's do this.” For the next few hours, we stayed hidden, observing Johnson from afar. We watched him eat, sleep, and even interact with his associates. “I hope you're taking note of everything—who he talks to, what he says, and even what he eats—I’ll go check the other side,” I told Tom. “Sure,” he responded. As we continued to watch, a lot more began unfolding in front of us. "This man is definitely more than he led us to believe," Tom whispered as we watched Johnson. "Good thing, Alpha asked us to return." "We will just have to be careful," I replied. "We have come thi
William's POV The Crimson Tide was now out at sea on its way to France. As we sailed along, suddenly a bright light interrupted our peaceful night. We saw a ship in the distance, its lights shining brightly in the darkness. "What is that?" one of my shipmates asked. "I don't know," I said. “But whatever it is, we need to be prepared." We all watched as the ship drew closer and closer. It was a large ship—much larger than ours. "That has to be the Maj Cartel," one of the other shipmates said, sounding worried. "They've found us." "We are not going down without a fight," I said. "We will show them what the Shadow Clan is made of." As we watched the ship draw nearer, we all prepared for the worst. We did not know what was coming, but we knew we had to be ready for anything. "Ready yourselves, if this is what I think it is, it is time to feast!" I commanded. "We are going to show them what we are capable of. "Stay put everyone, hold your positions, we have to be sure." Just then,
William's POV As we arrived at the secret location, the crew of the Maj Cartel's ship was already waiting for us. Mia came up to the deck of our ship as I stood with Ava. She had a big smile on her face as she saw Ava and I together. "Ava, it's so good to see you again!" Mia exclaimed, walking up to the two of us with her arms open. "I've missed you so much these past few days." Ava smiled, taking Mia in a big hug. "I've missed you too, Mia. It feels like it's been forever since we last saw each other." I stepped forward, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "We made it, everyone. We have the loot, the new ships, and we're all here together." Mia and Ava broke their hug, exchanging looks of gratitude and affection. "Thank you, William," Mia said. "Are we heading to France now?" "We have to trade our ship for a bigger one," I replied. "That means we have to quickly go ship shopping." The crew of the Maj Cartel's ship returned to the Crimson Tide as we set sail for our next
Mia's POV "Captain! Captain! We're here! France is in sight!" shouted one of the men, his voice muffled by the wind. I rushed to the port side of the ship, my eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of land. And then, there it was. France, in all its glory. I breathed in the fresh sea air. We'd made it—and even better, we'd arrived early! William turned to the crew, his voice shaking with excitement. "Congratulations, everyone! We've made it to France, and we did it in record time." The crew erupted into applause and cheers, their voices echoing across the water. We made our way to the merchant's warehouse, and as soon as we docked, William sent a message to her: "Madame, your spices have arrived, and your other cargoes will be delivered to you tonight." As William and the other sailors were busy offloading the ship, I was surprised to see the merchant herself driving up the pier in her horseless carriage. She stepped out, her eyes locked on William. "I have come to inspect my c
Mia's POV The morning light filtered through the lace curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. Me and the merchant lay in bed, tangled together in a knot of sheets and limbs. For a moment, it was silent between us, and I relished the peace of being close to her. Then, the merchant spoke, her voice soft and low. "Mia, last night was..." She paused, searching for the right words. "It was amazing." I grinned, feeling a warm glow spread through me. "I know. It was like we were in our own little world. Just the two of us—completely lost in the moment." I kissed her on the lips softly. The merchant nodded, her eyes bright with emotion. "I never wanted it to end. I wish we could stay like this forever." I chuckled, reaching out to caress her cheek. "Me too, my love. But for now, let's just enjoy this moment." The merchant leaned into me, her body pressing against mine. "I love you, Mia," she whispered, her lips brushing against my ear. I smiled, pulling her closer to me. "I love