The Kitty Cat's Mates (ManxMen)

9 | Back in the Pride

Hugh was a loud man in his fifties, oddly intriguing, but sharp. His blonde hair, threaded with silvers, was slicked back; beard shaved like he had just attended a business meeting.

"I hope you guys had a good night's sleep," He said, voice lively.

Bryce's stomach rumbled as a delicious smell escaped from inside the kitchen. If they were in Manhattan, oh, he would have raced to the kitchen.

King diverted his attention to scanning the house. It still looked the same as he remembered: a custom-built loghouse, grandeur, and screaming money for a place made only out of wood. He shifted on his seat and stared at the empty chair from across the other side of the table. There, with them, was Hugh, his wife, Minerva, and Annabelle, their sunny-blonde haired kid whose hair was tightened in a two-sided ponytail. King thought she was quiet for a kid.

"Can't believe it's been five years. I'm still getting used to seeing you all big and, uh, mature looking."

"Yes... mature looking." Pandora stared at the two, who pretended to ignore her. "Anyways, thank you for having us, Uncle... King—"

"Drop the title. We're all a family here," Hugh chuckled.

Pandora nodded.

Awkwardness entered the room.

Minerva cleared her throat. "Well, how's Nilia?" she coughed out.

"Y-yes, how is she doing?" Hugh went along.

Bryce grabbed candy from a jar in the center of the table, unwrapped it, and threw it in his mouth. "Ehh, mom's doing great. Though she's busy running the shop," he said as he crunched down on the candy.

"Shop?"

"Convenience store. She's the manager."

"That's good." Minerva nodded.

"And how are your studies? If I remember correctly, King is just about the same age as Axel. Nineteen, am I right?"

"I'm still eighteen."

"Unfortunately, he's still not ready for jail."

"Just shut it, Bryce." King spat.

"What? I'm legally correct, okay? You always bully me, I could file a suit."

"Who the hell bullies the Jupiter?"

Bryce kicked him with the peak of his slippers, and King kicked him back. It was an old argument, one that started when King made him cry for the first time when they were kids until Bryce had gotten used to it. Hugh and Minerva laughed at them.

One of the maids then walked in on the room, a large plate of carved roast turkey on her hands. King and Bryce stopped.

"And what about you, Pandora?" Minerva asked.

Bryce and King immediately went for their pieces when the plate got served.

"I'm also eighteen."

"And Bryce?"

"Sixteen, ma'am," Bryce responded, his fork was pinned firmly on one of the turkey legs.

They idled by having small chitchat until Hugh finally found an opening to say what he wanted to say:

"I, uh, apologize for what happened the other day. We should have taken extra precautions. . . including yesterday's ordeal with Vance."

"It's no one's fault, Uncle Hugh," Pandora replied, placing her spoon and fork down. "Besides, it happened outside the border. No one literally would have expected that. And Vance, well—"

King frowned and ignored Pandora's gaze. No way in hell would he overlook what that rascal did yesterday.

"Vance might have caused you trouble, but I would like to ask you to try to approach that boy. He's been going through rough times."

King huffed. As if he wasn't, he thought. Everyone was.

"Did you get any specific details about the werewolves?" Hugh probed, deciding to drift away from the topic.

"They were all in their wolf form," Pandora responded, hinting the answer.

"Though we did perceive their scent, so that's a lead or too. If we ever come across them again, we'll definitely recognize it," King added.

"And the vampire?"

The three shook their heads. The only thing they got as well was the vile stench. Not that they could use it, the vampire was dead, after all.

Hugh rubbed his chin. He shook his head." Anyways, the werewolves that chased you, well, I just have a wild guess to who they might be."

They tilted their heads back to Hugh, the question — who — flashing in their eyes.

"I don't want to pin any blame without evidence, but they always make it into the headlines these days. Too much that I won't be shocked if they were really the ones you encountered."

"Who?" King asked the question they both had in their minds.

Hugh looked at Minerva, emitted a helpless look, then back at the three. "There's a newly established pack presiding on the South, former slaves of the Du Marais. They're establishing influence amongst clans—"

"Du Marais?" Pandora repeated, clarifying what Hugh said, with an inquiring look on her face.

The Du Marais was a notorious clan of filthy rich vampires and a filthy bunch of inhumane pigs that called themselves nobles, who took pleasure in torturing and oppressing their slaves in unimaginable ways. Being descendants from a clan that stood since the beginning of time had probably boosted their ego to an ungodly amount of narcissism. Tierra Madre might also have the riches a regular person might have wanted in his or her life, but with the Du Marais included in the discussion, they were incomparable.

"Wait, don't tell me they were the ones who took those bloodsuckers down?" Bryce's eyes widened.

"Bullseye. They're quite infamous, I see." Hugh chuckled helplessly. "After those vampires' downfall, the current leaders of the new pack assimilated all the slaves. And the number of slaves isn't even a joke. You'd be surprised to see the changes they did in quite a few years. Even I couldn't believe it."

"Seriously?" Bryce threw rhetorically.

King felt his curiosity getting piqued by this new pack. Inhaling a sharp intake of breath, he asked Hugh, "What's the pack's name?"

"Lykaios," Hugh replied. "Men of the Dead they call themselves, led by the three alphas, the Lykaios triplets."