CHAPTER THREE

The enemy of your enemy is your friend

Star leaned against the kitchen counter of the Sheriff's house when she saw lights in the driveway. The room was still dark when she heard keys jingle in the front door keeping her body hidden from view. 

“Good evening Sheriff,” Star spoke when he threw his keys onto the table beside the door. Not expecting the intrusion, he drew his gun from the holster and approached the kitchen with it in hand. 

“Who are you?” His voice sounded pissed off and under any other circumstances, she would have laughed. 

Star stepped into the light, letting her face come into view and when realization dawned on him, he dropped his weapon. 

“Star?” He asked with shock, lacing his tone. 

“Who killed them, Jeremy?” She asked, not bothering to answer his question. 

“You were the woman that called 911.” He pieced the puzzle together quickly, but she wasn’t interested in pity or pleasantries. 

“Who. Killed. Them?” She stepped forward with a murderous look on her face. 

“Star, your father had a lot of enemies.” Jeremy tried and her eyes narrowed. 

“I know that just as well as I know that you know who did this to them.” Jeremy stared at her before he sighed. 

“Sit down.” Star took a seat on the couch across from the Sherrif and watched as he ran a hand through his hair. The man was a good friend of her father’s and no doubt knew what he did for a living. 

“My dad may have had a lot of enemies, but this wasn’t done by werewolves.” Jeremy shook his head, feeling years older than he actually was. 

“No it wasn’t, but just because they were hunters, doesn’t mean werewolves were their only enemies.” Star tilted her head to the side. “When your father started the detail ten years ago, he protected a small part of the forest surrounding the town, while the larger part of the state was protected by a bigger group led by a man known as Stone. As your dad gained popularity in the hunting world, more hunters left Stone’s group to join your dad’s which struck up a power struggle between them.” Star shut her eyes tight in pain. He didn’t have to say it out loud to know why they were killed. 

“He wanted to take control of the whole state.” Jeremy nodded gravely. 

“Over the years he’s managed to wipe out every small detail that came into existence, but your father was too powerful for him to take down so easily, until now.” Star’s jaw clenched, she wouldn’t let him get away with this. 

“Something doesn’t add up, how would dad allow themselves to be so vulnerable, it seemed like there wasn’t even a struggle.” Jeremy’s jaw clenched. 

“Sabotage. Before Mike Grady started working for your father he was Stone’s right-hand man, your father found out that he’d been feeding Stone information just a few days ago, but before he could react they ambushed them. We found traces of wolfsbane and nightshade in the water supply which is known to cause paralysis and muscle weakness even in humans, apart from other symptoms.” Star couldn’t listen to anymore, she didn’t know what she would do to right the wrongs, but she had made up her mind that they would pay. 

“They’re going to pay for what they did, I’ll make sure of that.” Star stood from the couch with hatred coursing through her veins. 

“Star, that isn’t a good idea. They are dangerous people, you will only be endangering your life by trying something.” Star smirked, she was numb to the fear, she had nothing to live for without her family by her side. 

“Don’t worry about me, just stay the fuck out of my way.” She announced and marched to the door. 

***

Star stripped off her clothes wearing nothing but a black vest and black leggings with combat boots before smearing her body from head to toe with dirt and spraying the scent neutralizer she got from The Academy on her clothes. 

The night after Star left the Sheriff's house, she snuck into her father’s study from the window and spent the night going through all his books on packs in the state, not surprised by the extensiveness of his documentation, when her eyes landed on a familiar face. 

The man’s name was Maximus Lockwood, the Alpha of the largest pack in Maine. Unlike other packs in the state, the map of his territory was marked out in detail, Star suspected it was because her father was planning an elaborate attack on them, but given her earlier encounter, she was glad the attack didn’t take place. 

Measuring the distance from where the packhouse was marked relative to her own on the map, she found that the border of the Lockwood pack was only five miles into the forest and the packhouse ten miles beyond that.

Star was standing a few feet away from where the border markings were in view, she’d spent the last few nights staking out the border to grasp their patrol routine, in three minutes they would be changing shifts which gave her a ten-minute window to get in undetected.   

Sucking in a deep breath, she took off at full speed in the direction of the packhouse, her eyes were accustomed to the darkness allowing her to see any obstructions in her path, she ran for ten minutes straight before she slowed her pace. She had a good head start, her GPS showing her that she had just over five miles to go. 

When the break in the treeline came into view she dropped closer to the ground and plotted her way to the large mansion that stood behind three smaller houses. From her research, the alpha’s office was one floor up at the back of the house and the best way to gain entrance to it was to go through the infirmary.

She prayed that she hadn’t sweated through all the dirt she rubbed on herself as she hid from a group of guys entering the first house, the clearing behind the house seemed empty much to her relief as she ducked below windows and moved along the brick walls. 

An open window on the first floor of the infirmary was just the access she needed, jumping through the window, she rolled straight under the bed when she heard voices nearby, they seemed to be standing just outside the door. 

Star sighed in relief when the shadows went their separate ways and silently exited the room she was in. She entered from the right-hand side of the house, which meant that the stairway would be on the far right which led straight to the Alpha’s quarters. 

Spotting no one in the hallway, she crouched down to avoid being seen by the people in the rooms and made it successfully to the stairway when suddenly she was thrown against the wall and a hand closed around her throat. 

The poor lighting made it hard for her to see the face of the person who’d caught her, but when he opened his mouth her body sagged in relief. 

“You almost made it, human.” Maximus recognized the girl he’d saved in the woods. “What did you think? You’d sneak into my packhouse undetected and make it all the way up to my quarters without me knowing? Tell me, what did you plan to do up there?” His eyes narrowed and his head tilted sideways at her. 

“I have a proposition.” Maximus was shocked at the lack of fear in her voice.

“You wanted me to catch you.” Star smiled inwardly at his tone. 

“I needed to talk to you.” She answered simply. 

“What could a hunter possibly want from a werewolf? I understand you’re new at this, but in case it hasn’t occurred to you, your kind murders mine for a living.” He started harshly, his fingers closing around her neck tighter. 

“I’m not one of them.” Star tried, but he wasn’t having it. 

“Then I suppose the rogues in the forest killed themselves with your arrows?” He asked sarcastically. 

“I killed them, but only because they tried to kill me.” She stated frankly and he shrugged. 

“Fair enough. What do you want?” His hold loosened around her neck, but his hard body still trapped hers against the wall. 

“I’m here to offer an alliance.” Maximus’ was intrigued, “Stone killed my family and I want to make him pay for what he’s done.” A smirk grew on Maximus’ face. 

“What makes you think they didn’t deserve it, after all, your father has killed so many of my pack members over the years, why should I spare your life and avenge his death?” He narrowed his eyes on her.

“Perhaps he did, but I didn’t and I’m asking for your help.” staring deep into her eyes, he saw determination, she would find a way regardless of whether he was on her side or not. 

“I helped you once before, technically you owe me.” Star nodded.

“So let me help you get rid of your problem once and for all.” Hearing her words, Maximus grabbed her forearm and pulled her up the stairs behind him, shoving her into his office, he locked the door behind them. 

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“The same reason I came to you for help. Haven’t you ever heard that the enemy of your enemy is your friend?” Maximus chuckled darkly. 

“Oh but sweetheart, you too are an enemy.” He smirked. 

“Just hear me out, if by the end you think I’d double-cross you, you can end my life right here in this office.” Maximus considered her words before nodding. 

“According to them, I have yet to return from The Academy, two days from today is my last day to show up with a body in tow which means they have no idea that I know my family is dead. Word on the street is that Mike Grady has people out looking for me, which means he probably wants me dead too, but if I get to him first, he has no choice, but to tell me the truth.” Maximus frowned at her logic.

“He’ll never tell you the truth,” Star smirked at that. 

“Exactly, my bet is that he will blame their deaths on you, and if I play my cards right and get him to let me get my revenge on you and your pack, I’ll be in Stone’s house before you know it.” Maximus frowned in concentration. 

“You’re saying you want to become an informant?” Star nodded. 

“Yes, in return for my father’s information on your pack, I get to join his group and exact revenge on you for killing them.” Her offer seemed too good to be true. 

“How do you know they don’t already have all his information on my pack?” pulling a piece of paper she tore from the book, from her pocket she unfolded it and laid it on his desk. 

“Dad had a secret safe below his desk in his office, I used to sneak into his office as a kid and once found the book that this came from. My guess is that no one else knew about this book since it was still there when I went back a few nights ago, everything seemed to have been taken already.” Maximus studied the map of his territory, frowning when he saw the tiniest details that the hunters seemed to know about them. 

“I’m guessing this is how you gained access to my land without anyone seeing you?” Star nodded. 

“There’s a lot more information in that book that can help them.” Maximus walked around his table and took a seat on his chair, motioning for her to do the same. 

“Supposing the information in that book is true, giving it to them would only put me at a disadvantage, what do you plan to do about that?” He leaned backward, interested to hear how she planned to outsmart a group of hunters.