Blood Ties

3

Cadence heaved a sigh and strolled up to the young girl. "You're not going, school will be starting for you soon and you need to focus on that."

Thea crossed her arms and stomped her foot against the wooden floorboards. "That's not fair, you guys get to do whatever you want—"

"It's decided, Ghost," Erisa stated, coming to Cadence's side and they towered over Thea. Her cheeks went rosy and her lip trembled like she was being punished.

"Besides ... I'll need someone to take care of the kitten. Do you want her?" Erisa added after a moment.

Thea's eyes lit up and her wide smile couldn't be hidden. "Really?"

Erisa nodded. "Yeah, you can have Mila. Quick, go and get her. We'll drop you off at your house."

Thea scrambled and took off down the hall.

Cadence snorted and threw her arm around Erisa's shoulders, pulling her in. "Quite manipulative, Erisa."

"I'm trying to protect her," Erisa mumbled wistfully, face frowning in thought. "Uncle Frankie tried so hard to protect me. Besides, the cat wakes me up in the middle of the night and it drives me up the wall."

Cadence understood the protectiveness, she would do the same.

——

Cadence felt tainted. In more ways than one. A sensation of feeling defiled and corrupted when something bites you and refuses to let you go. In usual occurrences, this would be a lycan bite. Delving their canines into your skin and marking your soul to be bound to the moon. Transitioning into a werewolf.

The worse act that can be committed against a hunter.

She wanted to be purified and by doing so, it will be in serving revenge.

"Are we nearly there?" Erisa asked. She had recited that question too many times to count now and it was beginning to grate on Cadence's nerves.

"Yes, you idiot." Cadence snapped.

Erisa kicked the back of Cadence's seat and swore under her breath. "Good thing Thea isn't coming, huh?"

It extended their trip by a few hours to take Thea back to her home and even more stalling with her parents wanting them to stick around.

Tristan didn't want to refuse Mr and Mrs Sterling, so they all decided to have lunch with them which was one of the delectable feasts Cadence had in a long time. Erisa and Cadence were glad they had no intention of burying their daughter once she brought the kitten to their home.

The Sterling family are quite prosperous within the community of hunters. Larrens are known for their brutality, Jaeger for the quietness in burying their head in books and Sterling sat on thrones of wealth and silvers.

They spend more money on funerals than anything else.

"Turn here," Cadence ordered and Tristan did so, the jeep bumping against the rocky dirt.

"In all my years of hunting, I've never been in Lycus's lands before," Tristan muttered.

"Many hunters haven't and for good reason." Cadence concluded and tried to swallow down the growing unease.

Without warning, the car jerked and skidded to a stop, dust clouding around them.

"There are mutts all around, Cadence," Tristan pointed out and put the car in park. "Lycus always this protective of his lands?"

"I mean, he's an Alpha. But there's been a few mistakes here and there," Cadence trailed off.

Accalia and Cadence trespassed over a month ago, Alexene, the Canus pack member ...