2

I slowed to a jog as the cabin came into sight; it was exactly where Liam said it was going to be. I picked up some dirt and rubbed it on my clothing before running my fingers through my wig several times. I inhaled before ramming my shoulder into the trunk of the tree.

"Bloody hell!!" I cursed, cradling my arm and approaching the cabin.

"Please, help!!!" I cried out. "Please help me."

It was so easy getting into the act, the door creaked open, revealing an old, dark-skinned woman with hair as white as the moon, her brown-coloured eyes surveying me before zeroing in on my injured shoulder.

"Heavens!!! Come in, child." She said, helping me into her cabin. It was sparse, with just a curtain to separate the sleeping area from the rest of the cabin. 

"Sit!" She fussed, gently pushing me into a ratty chair. "What on earth are you doing so deep into the forest?" She asked.

"I got lost." I whispered, crying out as she poked the injury.

"This looks really bad. I will have to cut your shirt off. I don't think you can lift your shoulder to remove it." She explained picking up a pair of rusted scissors.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"E..Emma." I cried out, wincing in pain. "I'm Samara, you are in good hands." She whispered, smiling at me. I let her cut the shirt off, exposing the reddening skin. She handed me a piece of cloth, and I stared at her, confused.

"Bite on it; your shoulder is dislocated, and I have to fix it." She explained. My eyes widened, releasing that this was going to hurt like hell since my pain threshold has been significantly lowered. I bit into the cloth, watching her with wary eyes as she gently clamped on my arm.

I let out a loud groan, my eyes crossing from the pain as she popped the joint back in place. Black and blue spots floated about my vision before everything went dark.

*****

I woke up in pain, my arm was in a sling. I used my uninjured hand to flatten my wig.

Good, it was still in place.

"You shouldn't move that arm too much." She said, her back to me, hunched over a fire pit. The smell of cooked meat wafted over to me making my stomach growl, the sound echoing in the enclosed space.

"Don't you worry, breakfast will be served soon." 

I stiffened.

"Breakfast?!" I echoed.

"Yes, you were out all night; coupled with the dislocated shoulder, you seemed to have developed a fever." She explained bringing over a bowl of piping hot stew. "Eat up." 

She set the bowl on the tray, and I tasted the stew. It was not bad at all; Liam could definitely learn a few things from her when it comes to seasoning.

The thought of him sent a wave of guilt through me. I hoped he was okay. From the dosage, I knew he was already at the consulate. I could only hope he understood my reason.

"Is something wrong with the stew?" She asked, I realized I had been lost in my thoughts for a while.

"No, I'm just... it's nothing." I whispered, taking another spoonful. She smiled and got to her feet, leaving me to eat.

Once I was done, I made my way out of the hut, following her humming to the back of the hut, she was placing a couple of strange purple flowers into a large iron cauldron filled to the brim with a dark liquid before stirring it in. The flowers dissolved immediately, the dark liquid glowing before it turned a dark blue colour.

"What is that?" I asked, staring at it. I had never seen anything like it before.

"Bræw," she answered. "It's an old family secret. The people in the wood like it."

“People in the woods?” 

She nodded but didn’t explain any further.

I nodded, leaning against the wall, watching as she used a ladle to pour some into a cup before taking a sip. She hummed in approval before offering me the cup. I raised a brow, staring at the contents of the cup as if it were going to lunge at me.

"Try it. You might like it." She cajoled. I sighed, taking the cup from her hand and taking a sip.

"Fucking hell!!! That tastes like old wellies."I cried out, gagging. Samara laughed, her shoulders shaking in mirth. I shot her a glare, wiping my mouth with my arm.

"It is an acquired taste." She conceded.

"How on earth can they drink this?" I asked. She shrugged, grabbing a long rubber tube and placing one end into the cauldron.

"Can you help me with that barrel?" She asked, pointing to it. I walked over, rolling it in her direction, grunting at the weight.

"Why is this larger than the rest?" I asked, watching her place the other end of the tube into the empty barrel.

"This particular one is heading to the leader’s cabin." She replied. I stiffened at that, carefully moving away from it.

"Years ago, a woman was passing through," she began. I frowned, confused.

What was she talking about?

"I'm sorry... what?"

"You asked me why they take the bræw," she said, reminding me.

Oh…

"Yeah." I nodded. She blew air into the tube, creating enough suction, and before I knew it, the liquid was travelling into the empty barrel through the tube, the blue liquid sloshing and gleaming.

"I was relatively new, anyway, the woman was a guest of the leader, and she bought some from me as a gift to him. I guess he must have really loved it because he decided to come down here by himself to talk to me about supplying his people with bræw in exchange for free passage to their land to buy whatever I needed." She explained.

I nodded and watched in silence as she worked, helping her bring the barrels closer to the cauldron while she filled them and we covered them with the wooden lids. The sound of a car caught my attention. I turned just in time to see a pickup drive up to Samara’s hut.

"Hello Samara." The man greeted, a frown on his face as he glanced at me before pulling something from the bag; it was wrapped in brown paper.

"Hello Gary. This is my niece Emma." She introduced me as she collected the package. I had to hide my surprise as to why she introduced me as her niece.

"I had no idea you had a niece," he asked, eyeing me.

"Her mother's Lauren, you and I both know Lauren and I aren't on the best of terms. After her death, she came looking for me." She explained, and he nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"It's nice to meet you Emma."

"Nice to meet you too, Gary." I replied. It almost felt like a crime, interacting civilly with a member of this bloodthirsty, murderous pack. He turned his attention to Samara.

"Is the bræw ready?" He asked. She nodded, gesturing to the sealed drums. I watched in silence as they loaded it into a pick-up.

"Goodbye Samara. It was a pleasure doing business with you as usual." He said, tossing me one more glance, but I kept my head down. I didn't like the attention he was giving me. They drove off, and I turned to Samara, who had gone into the cabin. She came back seconds later.

"So you make transactions with them?" I inquired.

"Why don't you really ask me the question that is on your mind?"

I sighed.

"Why did you tell him I was your niece?"

"They don't take kindly to strangers in these parts. If I had said you had stumbled onto this place, he would have killed you before you could offer an explanation." She explained. I wanted to ask her more about them, but it might look suspicious, so I didn’t.

*****

"Hello Adelaide."

"Eda," I sighed.

"You should go back home." She said, I scoffed.

"Not a chance. Not when I am this close."

"It won't end well. Turn back and live your life as peacefully as possible."

I saw a flat piece of stone and picked it up.

"Why?"

"It will be for the best."

"For who exactly?" I asked, not bothering with getting an answer from her, before stabbing the sharp end of the rock into the palm of my hand.

*****

Jolting awake, I was back in the cabin. The sting from the cut made me look down at my palm. Sighing, I got up from the bed and walked out of the hut. There was a small drum of water. I gently wiped the cut, hissing and mentally cursing her for making me cut myself.

I walked back into the cabin. Sitting on the bed, I pulled my duffel bag to me, ruffling through the contents. When my eyes landed on the pills, I only had one left.

That's odd... I was so sure I packed more than that… shit, I left some in Liam’s bag… fuck.

Frowning, I did a quick calculation in my head. Each pill lasted for two days, depending on the strength of the wolf. For a lycan, I knew it was diminished to a day or less than that. I had only two choices at this point.

Skip a pill and risk being sniffed out or carrying out my attack.

Both were risky; I didn't know the Mont Blanc area enough to actually make my way around being caught. Cursing and running my fingers through my hair, I wondered what I was going to do. I could not afford to turn back when I was this close. Everything would have been for nothing. 

Think... Adelaide... Think.

I huffed, laying on my side.

Yes!!!

Like a lit lightbulb, the idea came to my head immediately. Giddy, I sat back up. It was a risky one, but it would work.

Tomorrow I would leave Samara's cabin, come up with an excuse that I needed to go back since I was healed, then come back at night and sneak into the barrel, heading for his house. With my mind made up, I pulled the itchy covers over my body and drifted to sleep. Jacob Mont Blanc would be dead and I would relish it.

*****

 I approached Samara by the fire, it was afternoon, the next day. 

"Uh… my shoulder's all healed, and I was thinking of heading back into town. I should be thinking of going back home. Thank you for your hospitality." the side of her eyes crinkled as a smile took over her face.

"You're welcome, Emma. When do you plan on leaving?" She asked.

"Any moment from now actually.” I replied.

Wiping her hands on her dress, she approached me, and I let her pull me into a hug.

“Stay safe." She replied, smiling. She walked me to the clearing, and I walked into the forest, glancing back to see her waving. I waved back and trudged on.

I stopped about half an hour away from Samara's cabin. Looking around, I spotted a cave and made my way to the entrance. It wasn't as deep as I expected, but it would do. 

I placed my duffle on the cave floor, pulled out a jacket and scrunched it into a makeshift pillow, placing it against a rock and laying my head down on the pillow. I had skipped today's pill, and I was starting to feel the effects of the pills leaving my body. My eyes fluttered closed, and I drifted off.

*****

I was back in her cave. Groaning, I looked around for a sharp-edged stone or anything that would cause me enough pain to jolt me out of this connection.

"You're making a mistake." Her soft voice came from behind me. I sighed, turning to face her.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion." I retorted, walking around her.

"Killing the Alpha Prime is not going to bring your parents back. It will only cause more pain."

I stiffened, halting in my stride before turning to her.

"I am here to cause Jacob Montblanc the most amount of pain before I end his miserable existence."

"Don't do this, Adelaide."

"Do what? Avenge my family?" I questioned stepping closer to her. "I prayed to you for years to punish him for his crimes. You never answered, not even a pulse of reassurance. I nearly lost my sanity, and now that I am so close to achieving my aim, you're talking to me about not causing pain to others." I spat, turned on my heels, and made my way to the opening of the cave.

"Killing him won't get rid of your anger." She whispered softly. I ignored her, staring at the plunging 50-foot waterfall, closing my eyes, I fell.         

****

I was back in my cave, exhaling slowly, I calmed my racing heart.

Beep!!!

"Fuck!" I cussed, jumping in fright, before slapping my hand on my watch and turning off the alarm.

3.00am

It was time.

I pulled the bag to me and got the gun out. I traced my initials that were engraved into the side. I opened the cartridge, making sure the bullets were in. I had six bullets, but all I needed was one. I grabbed the gun holster and secured it to my thigh before slipping the gun in. 

With that, I walked out of the cave and took off in the direction of Samara's cabin. The effects of the pill had all but left my body, and I could feel myself becoming stronger and stronger.

I slowed down as I reached her cabin, surveying my surroundings. I could hear her slow, steady breathing, meaning she was asleep. I headed to the back, prying the lid of the barrel off. Looking around, I saw the rubber tube.

Moving silently, I grabbed the tube and placed one end in the barrel and the other end in an empty one. In a few minutes, I had transferred enough into the barrel. Making sure everything was back where she kept it, I climbed into the barrel, heading to Mont Blanc's Alpha's house, and manoeuvred the lid on top, engulfing myself in darkness. It was a tight fit, but I pulled my knees to my chest, ensuring my gun was nowhere near the remaining bræw.

Now all I had to do was wait.

               

*****

Voices roused me from my sleep, stiffening as I felt the barrel being moved. I could hear muffled conversations between Gary and Samara.

"Oh, that's too bad; she left this afternoon." Samara answered, Gary mumbled something, and she laughed.

"See you later." He said, I could feel us moving. I guess the barrels had been loaded onto the pick-up, and we were on our way towards the pack. A few minutes later, we stopped, and I felt the barrel I was in being lifted. It was set down, and gravity shifted, meaning we were in an elevator. The barrel was lifted once again and placed on the ground. I could hear footsteps fade away. I waited for a bit before tapping my watch, it lit up.

10.00 pm

I placed my palms flat on the lid and gently pushed; it creaked before giving way. I caught it before it clattered to the ground. I stood up, quietly getting out of the barrel and replacing the lid.

Stretching, I looked around. I was right; it was a cellar, and I could see similar barrels arranged. I sighed in satisfaction as blood rushed back to my knees and legs, wincing a bit when I tried walking.

I guess the pills haven't worn off yet.

One of the perks of being a lycan was that you could sense your surroundings; I crouched, placing a hand on the wooden floor, eyes closed. We were alone; Jacob was on the first floor. I easily knew it was his presence due to the power I felt emanating from him. Alpha Primes were that powerful, some more so than others, and he was no exception.

I slipped off my shoes and opened the door, slipping out of the cellar and onto a long corridor. The walls were bare, with only the light fixtures on the decking illuminating the way. I walked up the corridor, and there were stairs leading up.

Jacob had still not moved from his position. I made my way up the stairs, careful not to make any sound. Finally on the ground floor, all the lights were off, but I could still see everything clearly.

I turned and saw that the stairs did indeed continue to the next floor. The first floor I tapped into the house one last time; he still had not moved.

Perfect.

I walked up the stairs and onto the first floor, letting my senses lead me to him. He was standing in front of the ceiling and floor windows. A tall, hulking form of muscle and raw power in the shape of a man, I stood a few feet away from him. Quietly, I pulled the gun out of the holster and pointed it at him.

This was it, after nine years... I was finally going to avenge my pack. My hand shook as I flicked off the safety. The sound echoing around us. His back stiffened and he tilted his head to the side.

"Well, this is new." His voice was deep, dark and dangerous. I jutted my chin out, straightening my spine, glaring at his back.

"Jacob Mont Blanc, it's high time you pay for the crimes you committed." I spat.

He turned, crimson eyes meeting mine.

What?!...