No Werewolves Allowed

Chapter nineteen

"Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red."
― Clive Barker, Books of Blood, Volumes One to Three

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Tyler and Cael's team busted in through the broken doorway that I had kicked down just moments before. There were other wolves behind him that hadn't been with them when we arrived. They'd rescued the hostages.

Tyler's eyes widened slightly as he scanned the room, full of mauled bodies and blood that were violently splattered on the walls and on the floor. His perplexed expression was replaced with fury within a split second, his eyes darkening with rage.

Cael's eyes met mine, for a moment they softened as his face held a relieved expression. He glanced around the room, his nose crinkling slightly in disgust.

"You killed everyone." Tyler growled, his teeth basically barred at me. I found my head tilting downwards as I nodded, finding it difficult to feel any sort of remorse -- not when I'd just seen what the hunters did to Tiara, and Ashton.

Those hunters destroyed my family and what I still loved about my life.

"I told you to grab the hostages and go." His eyes narrowed to slits at me, his face morphing into a deep shade of scarlet. No one ever disobeyed the orders from an Alpha -- no one except my team and I apparently.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop. If you'd been there and saw what we did..." I stared at the grimy floor below us pathetically. If only he had been there to see what the man did to Tiara.

"You think revenge is the answer to all this? We could have tried to compromise with them -- made a treaty with them." Tyler ran a hand roughly over his face, frustrated.

"Compromise?" My voice raised an octave higher than normal. "If the hunters wanted compromise they would've done it years ago. They don't want a treaty, they want us dead." Justin came up next to me, nodding firmly. My heart swelled slightly from his support. The rest of my team had suddenly cowered away in Tyler's presence.

"Tyler, she's not wrong." Cael finally spoke up, both Tyler and I snapped out heads in his direction. "You can't undo a system that's been in place for centuries."

Truth be told, there was no way for hunters and werewolves to coexist.

Both groups were taught that the other was the enemy. The hunters didn't see us as beings that had feelings and felt pain.

Tyler stared me down, his hard eyes on mine. His jaw was clenched, as were his fists. His gaze never wavered and I tried my best to hold my ground, though my wolf couldn't help but want to cower away as well. Tyler's wolf and his status was too intimidating. I did all that I could to avoid Cael's piercing gaze as well.

"It's too late isn't it." He finally said softly, after what felt like forever.

I blinked, baffled at his calm demeanour.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed you. It won't happen again." I sighed, my gaze finding the floor below us.

"It's fine. We need to get out of here, without hurting anyone else." Tyler said, louder this time so everyone could hear. Everyone in the room mumbled in agreement, even if they disagreed.

Tyler stepped out of the room, with Cael following closely behind him when an ear splitting alarm rang through the house. A bright red light flashed rapidly above our heads, illuminating the room in a disgusting bloody glow.

Frantically, I spun around making direct eye contact with a woman — a huntress — that leaned against the wall. She clutched her bloodied and mauled arm, half unattached from its joint as her other hand was still placed on the lever. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed onto the floor, her eyes shutting.