Howling Fury (Book 1) (Being Edited)

Chapter 1

*****present time*****

Crouching on the rooftop of the warehouse, I watch the sewer entrance for any sign of movement. I overheard my alpha on the phone that there is a pack of ghouls nesting in the city. Ghouls are nasty creatures; with three eyes, horns, no hair or ears, poisonous fangs and claws. Their favourite meals are human hearts, but they prefer children's. They aren't exactly my favourite beings of the supernatural but I must admit I do enjoy hunting them. That could be to do with the fact that they're one of the few species that can be hunted without repercussions. The high council are not overly fond of my 'outings' but they can't do anything about it because it's not against the rules. Well hunting ghouls isn't. If it were something else however it would be a totally different story.

 You're probably wondering who the high council are. Well let me give you the basics. They are a group of supernatural beings who dictate a series of laws which the supernatural community must follow. Those who don't follow the rules are severely punished, often even killed to send a message to others who may attempt to do the same. There are members of each community; shifters, vampires, witches, fairies, etc and the leaders of the council are a group of  vampire elders. I don't bother with them and they don't bother with me. I follow the rules, though I do skip dangerously close to the edge of some of their boundaries. 

A bright light catches my eye and I look up into the sky. The moon rests on a sea of black and it conjures memories of my mother. At night when I was unable to sleep she would tell me stories about the moon.

Flashback:

"Mummy? Why does the moon look so sad?" I had heard this story many times but I loved hearing it. My mother always told it in a way that left me sleepy and gave me peaceful dreams. I don't know why but sometimes it was as if I felt a presence and knew I was safe from harm.

"Well Ester. The moon used to live amongst us shifters, back before humans roamed the earth. It was said that the moon created most supernaturals. That she was the mother everyone. Anyway, the moon looked after all and prevented anyone from straying onto the path of darkness. But one day a shifter, a dragon, decided he had enough. He turned away from the moon, choosing the path of darkness. Over the years, the dragon obtained followers, and with it, power. He eventually amassed enough power to trap the moon out of reach, forcing her to watch the torment the supernatural community inflicts on this world. It was said that one day she would speak through the chosen shifter and guide them to find the truth but no one knows who this special shifter is. For years, the dragons killed any shifter they deamed a threat just in case they where this chosen shifter. Any shifter who was different. This is why you must be cautious, Ester. There are people out there who will wish to harm you because you are special and they believe this prophecy may come to pass. But that is not a worry that one such as yourself must have on your shoulders. Your father and I will make sure no-one will ever harm you. Now go to sleep, little one"

End of flashback:

She lied. My mother and father can no longer protect me from harm. They are both dead, but I suppose they died keeping the promise. But still. I often wonder what my mother had meant when she told me that I was special until I realised it is not normal to be able to shift into both lycan and werewolf. I was branded a freak and many shapeshifters hated me; some often trying to kill me. That was until Mark came. He saved my life by taking me off the streets and taking me to his pack. If it was not for his kindness and patience I would quite possible still be on the streets today, nothing more than a feral animal.

Suddenly I catch movement from the side of my vision which instantly snaps me out of my thoughts. Looking over, I spot a lone figure silhouetted against the moonlight slowly stalking towards the sewer entrance cradling something in his hand. I shift slightly closer to the edge of the roof and peer down at the newcomer. From the scent he is human and I can see that the object clutched in his hands is in fact a camera.

I sigh to myself. It's Yale Thompson, a local reporter who had been nosing around any and all supernatural occurrences around town. After shape shifters became public knowledge, he was determined to discover more supernatural beings and expose them to the world. He has been to the school a few times and did noting but ask questions. Mark always politely asked him to leave. I suppose that's better than what I would have done to him.

I watch as he crouches above the entrance snapping a few pictures, the flash illuminating the area around him. As the lights fades I spot a hunched figure slowly stalking towards him on all fours. From the way it is moving it is clear to me that it isn't human. It stops and crouches low, as if it's ready to pounce. The idiot has no idea what is about to happen. I suppose I should just leave him to his fate. He deserves it for sticking his nose where it isn't welcome. Besides, I'm not actually supposed to be here. I was "ordered" to stop my little "missions" by Mark but of course I ignored him.

I hear a grunt from the ghoul and suddenly Yale freezes. Finally the fool realises that something is amiss. He slowly lowers the camera and swivels around, only to be smashed in the chest by a mass of claws and fangs. They both land on the ground in a mass of writhing limbs where they continue to wrestle with one another.

I move to jump off the roof when suddenly a huge shadow erupts from behind the struggling mass of human and ghoul. The giant creature grabs Yale's leg with a deformed looking clawed hand and begins to slowly drag him towards opening. The small ghoul dances around him like a child at Christmas. Yale is screaming, demanding the creature to let him go but of course the creature ignores him. I doubt it even understands what he's saying.

I catch a glimpse of the creature and my stomach drops. It's a queen; the deadliest and most powerful ghoul well known for its ferocity and bloodthirsty nature. These queens are rare (thankfully), their workers tend to form little groups of their own and tear their way through cities until they are stopped. Queens are notoriously hard to kill, though like all ghoul the heart is their weakness. The problem is getting close enough to reach the heart. I sigh at how predictable complicated this situation has just become. Not only has this situation just exploded out of control but now it is not just my own life at stake. To make matters worse the fact that the queen is here means that I will have to inform the council. They have to know everything that goes on in the community. I know right?

Yale lets out another scream and I stifle groan. I want to go and help him but I'm begrudged to. It is his ow stupid fault. He shouldn't go after the supernatural and not expect to be bit in the butt. I slowly run my finger along the iron blades strapped to my belt. Mark has tried to teach me that humans are like us and not the snot-nosed walking apes I believe they are. To me they just get in the way and are unable to defend themselves but apparently this opinion is frowned upon by many.

I hear yet another scream and look up in time to see Yale's head disappearing from view, closely followed by the smaller ghoul. I groan to myself. "May as well save the mud-ape. Don't want Mark to be angry that I let a human die on my watch. Besides, if I save a human Mark can't shout at me," I mutter before preparing myself and leaping off the roof.