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Part One Hundred and Forty-Two
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2025-03-07 13:10:53
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Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Three
The room was quiet as Bryan held his hand up. Nobody said a word and Malachi sifted through random thoughts. He would have preferred to do this with the Alpha and Beta alone in the room but the members needed to verify the truth for themselves.โAre you confirming that you never broke into more than a hundred homes, tied up the human residents and emptied the contents of their safes?โ Malachi asked the Alpha.โThatโs correct, Alpha,โ Warren Brown said to Malachi.โAnd you donโt have a certain painting in your possession?โ Malachi asked him and he looked around unsure of what to say.Warren Brown swallowed nervously, realization flickering in his eyes as he watched Malachi intently. The truth would come out, it always did.โThe truth will set you free, Warren. The more honest and compliant you are now, the less severe your punishment will be,โ John said to him as Malachi walked up to Warren.Quentin was unsure of what to do, protocol didnโt allow for Council members to enter that circl
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-08Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Four
Josh and I got his car from the parking lot across from our apartment. We rarely used it because we were so close to everything. We walked everywhere we needed to go and only used the car when we had to. He drove to the address that Marcus had given us and we looked at the houses that lined the street heading towards the Country Club.It reeked of old money, new money and it made my skin crawl. Everything was in your face wealthy like it was a competition. I disliked it intensely, maybe because we were actually poor and we lived on a budget. We couldnโt just spend money like we wanted to.โMan, check out these houses, some rich ass people that live here,โ Josh said and I laughed at him.โDo you really want to live in a house like that?โ My voice was earnest and I was really interested in his answer.โWouldnโt you, man? Just imagine, lying there next to the pool, this cute little thing just handing you drinks,โ Josh said and I laughed at him.โMaybe for a week, then youโll get antsy an
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-09Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Five
Allen White was nervous, rubbing his palms over his thighs as he kept watching me. I didnโt look as dangerous as Josh did but I was dangerous as well. I could handle myself well and I wasnโt afraid of anything.โI have men outside the door โฆ with guns,โ Allen said to me and I smiled as I sat down opposite him.โI hope youโre covering their medical bills, because my friend is behind them,โ I said to him and he looked around the room for Josh and noticed the open window. Josh opened the door and smiled at me.โOkay, okay, Iโll open it, but I want you to really consider coming to work for me,โ Allen said as he walked to the painting and took it down from the wall. He placed it carefully to lean against the chair and I wondered why he was so protective over a fake painting.He took the money out and Josh was standing right next to him. There was more money in the safe and Josh took that out as well. He started thumbing through the stacks of money and grinned. I could see in Joshโs eyes wh
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-10Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Six
Malachi hadnโt slept since he left Fresno. He couldnโt get the thought of Kiran being there out of his head. The resemblance was uncanny and it had slammed into him as he watched him on the street, jogging.He really was losing his mind. He knew he was seeing Kiran everywhere because he wanted to see him. He wanted him to still be alive and be somewhere, but the truth was, Kiran was dead, he was just slow in accepting it.At the airport, Malachi pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and dialed Jessicaโs number. He was already walking towards the exit with Quentin next to him. โYouโve reached Jessicaโs phone. She has no surname at the moment but she does have a cat.โMalachi chuckled. She never failed to make him smile, even in dire times. โIโm leaving the airport now. Iโll be home in about two hours.โโIโm sorry, you must have the wrong number,โ Jessica said.โOrder some food, Iโm starving,โ Malachi said instead.โAre you really at the airport?โ she asked him.โWould I lie to you?โ
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-11Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Seven
Jessica shifted on the bed and cocked her head to the side. It wasnโt that Jessica didnโt miss Kiran, she dealt with sadness differently. She poured all of her emotions into her work and kept the sadness locked away. Malachi worried about that as well.โJames isnโt really helping Adara with the healing process. After he leaves, then sheโs all excited because Kiranโs out there,โ she said.They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes and Malachi stretched out onto their new bed. It would be Malachiโs first night in the house even though Jessica had been staying there for a week already, there were still unopened boxes everywhere.โWhereโs the cat?โ he asked her suddenly and she started to laugh.โI decided to give you one more chance,โ she said and he laughed. She crawled towards him on the bed and sat astride him as she looked at him.โI like this,โ Malachi murmured.โBut now that youโre back, youโre going to have to think of a way to make it up to me, you know you canโt leave me
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-12Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Eight
I laid down on the bed as Phil, the tattoo artist, started working on my new ink. Josh was on another bed adding to the sleeve on his arm. My tattoo was half of a wolfโs face in a Samoan design with the caption โFight or Dieโ underneath it.Josh had phoned some old friends he still had and had arranged for an introduction to the man that ran the fight nights in California. We went to the first one and just watched. The place was packed and I felt sure that I could have taken that nightโs fighters easily.We had been participating in fight nights all over California and Marcus wasnโt very happy with us when we both handed in our resignations on the same night. He yelled and then offered us more money.We had been fighting two fights a night three times a week and we stayed in cheap motels and traveled to the next city or town as the fights moved locations. We had both started out with twenty grand, worked out our expenses for meals and accommodation and in two monthsโ time we had alrea
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-12Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Forty-Nine
It just felt natural when I got into that ring, the next move and the next one. I just knew how to counter and block and what to do to win. Losing was never an option with me and I wondered if I had always been that way.I loved the adrenaline rush as my opponent stepped in and I watched him. In my head I would calculate what type of fighter he was, size him up and know exactly what to do. Josh had laughed the first time I had switched sides and led with the left instead of my dominant right.Tonight, though, I would be fighting some guy from Europe, their best against our best. Sort of like a semifinal round if this was a competition, which I guess it was sort of, we had worked our way through California and packs from other states had started attending and I had beaten them all. Josh called me a celebrity in the underworld of fight nights.We had heard rumors of this guy I was fighting tonight, he only did death fights in Europe and this would be his first tap out fight. I had never
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-12Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty
Malachi sat in his new study, everything still felt new and he was getting used to the layout of the new house. They had invited Adara over for dinner with the twins and James and Shoran had been invited as well.The weeks had passed agonizingly slow, and Kiran had been missing for ten months. It was hell and Malachi still felt the pain as fresh and clear as he had that first day. He still couldnโt get himself to accept that he was dead. He didnโt have a body to mourn over, hadnโt set his sonโs spirit free and without that heโd never give up that last sliver of hope he still clung to.James had also come over a few times and they had trained in the new gym room built to one side of the house. He tried to keep the bonds alive between everyone but as time dragged on he was afraid that the fragile bond might break.Without Kiran, things seemed meaningless to them. It had been months with no word, no sign except the few times his imagination had run away with him and he had seen him in ev
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2025-03-13
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Fireย ย ย Epilogue
I sat down behind the desk and moved the mouse. The laptop came to life and I looked at it. I read the letter that I had written to Adara ten months earlier. Wow, I really did love her. I looked down and a huge wooden chest stood behind the desk. I wondered what was inside. I opened a drawer and there were cables and stationery, normal stuff you would find in a drawer.I tried the next one and it was locked. I looked at it and then felt beneath the desk where I sat, a few inches forward and took the key down from the magnet that was fastened there. How did I know that? I just knew there would be a key for this drawer. I unlocked it and pulled it open.It was full of A5 diaries, in numerical order, starting from 1994. I opened the first one and it was filled with my handwriting. I began to read it. It began when I was fifteen years old and it described my first teenage relationship. I skipped forward and read the last few pages. It was filled with wolf laws, training with Malachi, stor
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Eight
Malachi and I finished our coffee and sat staring at each other. It felt oddly comfortable to be sitting there with him. I could tell that he loved me fiercely because his eyes and his aura, that I could see, were soft.โLetโs take a walk,โ Malachi said.I went upstairs and got dressed in my own jeans, boots, and a t-shirt. I grabbed a sweater that Adara had given me the night before and pulled it over my head. I went back downstairs and Malachi stood in front of the open sliding doors.I followed him outside and across the garden right into the forest. I looked around me, this was beautiful. We walked in silence until Malachi stopped in a clearing, it felt kind of magical and I felt silly for thinking that.โThis is sacred ground to us. Ten months ago you fought against twelve witches right here,โ Malachi walked over to another spot and knelt down on one knee. โRight here, this is where you disappeared right in front of our eyes. Your cloak transported you somewhere and we had no ide
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Seven
Adara walked back down the hallway and into the living room. There were pictures all over the walls and I stood in front of it and looked at them. I was in many of the photos and it was hard to look at them and not know when they were taken. I smiled a lot and I guessed I was happy with my previous life.โCute kids,โ I said as I looked at a canvas array of two babies.โTheyโre also yours,โ Adara said to me and I looked at her in shock.โI have kids?โ I asked her, stunned. She smiled as she walked forward.โThis one is Kai, you chose his name, and this one here is Saga,โ she said and I could see that she loved them very much.โHow old are they?โ I asked her.โOne and a half, they could only crawl the last time you saw them,โ she said and I didnโt know what to say. I didnโt remember them.โI think I should show you to a room and then tomorrow when Malachi comes back we can talk, Iโm sure you have a hundred questions,โ she said and I smiled at her. I followed her upstairs, my wife, mothe
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Six
The jet landed and I opened my eyes. I felt better although I could still sleep. Everything felt like an awkward dream where you didnโt know you were dreaming. I kicked Joshโs leg and he woke up.โWhatโs up man, did we crash?โ he asked and I laughed at him.โI think weโre in Seward,โ I said to him as I looked out of the window.Malachi, Jessica and James had walked down the stairs and two cars stood waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Malachiโs Zeta, Quentin, was loading our duffel bags into the first SUV.โThese guys travel in style,โ Josh said and grinned at me. We walked off the jet and got into one of the SUVโs Malachi showed us. We were driving with James. Malachi and Jessica followed behind us.โSo this is Seward, where I live?โ I asked James and he nodded.โAll our lives weโve lived here, went to Seward High, graduated, then we went to college,โ James said and Josh laughed.โShould have known your ass was educated,โ he said as he looked out of the window. Malachiโs car overtoo
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Five
I looked intently at Josh. Everything he said was true and a sudden idea occurred to me. I wasnโt going anywhere with these people alone.โCome with me then, help me figure this out. You have no pack, but you have me and I have a pack, a family, a home. I would never just leave you,โ I said to him and he nodded at me.โFine, letโs go ice-skating or shit,โ he said and smiled at me.โIโll go with you on one condition,โ I said to Malachi.โYes?โ Malachi didnโt seem worried about my condition, he only wanted me to leave with them.โJosh goes with me, Iโm not leaving him behind,โ I said to Malachi and he nodded.โOf course. Gather whatever you want to take. Our flight back leaves in three hours,โ he said.He walked towards the door holding Jessicaโs hand. James turned to look at me and I could tell that he was sad. I could feel it deep within myself.โDo you feel that?โ he asked me and I looked at him.โI feel your sadness,โ I answered him.โThatโs one of the things you can do. You can fee
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Four
โWe donโt care what you selling, bargaining or want. We ainโt interested,โ Josh said as he closed the door behind me and stood next to me. I had an uneasy feeling about this and I was glad that I wasnโt alone.The older man looked at me with curiosity and I wondered what he wanted from me. His gray eyes seemed to search for something in mine and I couldnโt look away. It was almost like he was trying to read my mind.โHe doesnโt recognize us,โ the older man said to the younger man and woman with him.โAm I supposed to know who you are?โ I asked the older man.The younger man stepped forward. His eyes held sadness and he looked intently into mine. He put both of his hands on my shoulders and squeezed lightly. It all felt too surreal like I was supposed to know him.โMy nameโs James,โ he said and then he hugged me tightly. I just stood there with my arms by my sides not knowing what to do. He let go of me after a while, sighed deeply and then looked away.โI think you might have me confu
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Three
It felt like I got tunnel vision until I could only see him, moving in the ring. I was focused and I saw the plan forming in his mind. He was going to move me until he had me on the ropes and then deliver his killer punch. I saw it happen in slow motion.โHeโs going to come from the right and then the left, the punch to your jaw will be a right hook,โ the voice said clearly in my head and I dropped my hands as I stood up right in shock. I couldnโt move my head as Georgeโs fist hit me so hard I felt my jaw dislocate.I was on my back, coughing up blood and the crowd was going wild. Josh was right there by my head. โWhat the hell happened, whyโd you drop your arms man?โ He was yelling at me and the announcer bent over me.โTen count then the fight continues, unless you tap out.โ I shook my head and started to get up.I pushed my jawbone back into place and I felt it start to heal. I looked up at the Council members sitting there and somehow I knew that the older man was speaking to me i
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-Two
I stood in that back room and wondered about the Council memberโs presence. Everything that Josh had told me about them was terrible. They were rich old men using the system to their advantage, getting rid of packs that irritated them and executing people as they saw fit.He wanted nothing to do with them and neither did I. I had enough things on my plate to worry about their presence. Josh and I werenโt interested in becoming Council Zetas, no matter what they offered us.I shook my head and I took my shirt and shoes off. I had to get my head in the game. Tonightโs fight would probably be the hardest one by the look of my opponent. He was ready for me. I closed my eyes and centered my energy.I saw the fight play off in my head, in slow motion, punch for punch, kick for kick. This guy was a street brawler, I decided. His punches would hurt and he could get a knockout on the jawline.He wasnโt fast but he was strong and usually won his fight after a few punches, where he would then sn
Fireย ย ย Part One Hundred and Fifty-One
Malachi walked down the hall, hoping that John wasnโt sending him another tribunal email. He was tired and he wanted to spend time at home. The kids were changing so much and every time he came back from a trip it felt like heโd missed something new they were doing.Adara was doing her best and she really was a terrific mother. Those two kids wanted for nothing. She read bedtime stories to them, told them stories about Kiran, they were healthy and well looked after.He could hear them all laughing in the sitting room as he closed the door to his study and switched the laptop on. He waited for it to switch on and then accessed his Council encrypted email and typed in his password.The email was from John with a video attached.โMalachi,I hope youโre sitting down while reading this. I received this video from a California Alpha, he always sends me these when new talent steps onto the scene for consideration as Council Zetas.Good luck,Johnโ.Malachi frowned at first. They didnโt need
