~Nico~
It's been almost a week since I've last seen Blake. I hope he's safe on Pack grounds. I quit my job at the cafe, feeling that it was too risky to keep it since the hunter knows I work there. I've also stayed away from Uncle Joe's house, sleeping at the bar more often than I used to.
Now, I'm sitting in the middle of the woods with three other people; Damien's men. There's Kai, Sage, and Ana. All three are vampires and all three are trained to blend with the shadows. They've been training me for about a year now, so I'm almost a quarter as good as them by now. To make up for my lack of skill, I use magic to conceal the rest.
"I'm glad you're joining us again, Nico," Sage says. She's a short girl with olive skin and chestnut brown hair.
"I should be thanking you guys for letting me intrude," I reply.
"Aw, you know you're welcome anytime," Ana butts in, sitting beside me on a log. She has silver-blonde hair and gray eyes. She looks like a model.
Kai stands against a tree, looking gloomy and serious as always. He's of Japanese descent. "Try not to get in our way, though."
"Got it." Once again, I'm the weak link in this chain. I can't mess this up.
"Oh, Kai, you're always so serious. You need to calm down sometimes," Sage complains loudly.
"No, no, it's fine. It's better safe than sorry." I put my hands up to calm her down. I don't want them to start fighting again.
Right now, the four of us are waiting for night to fall before we go to the location that we know Nyx's men are at. Then, we'll follow them under the cover of shadows. We just have to sit and wait until then without being caught. For now, I've put up a small barrier around our camp so that no one can spot us or hear us if they're far enough away. Kind of like an invisibility cloak.
"So, let's go over the plan one more time," Ana suggests.
All four of us circle around a fallen log where we have laid a map down. A red 'X' marks our location. A blue circle shows where our enemies are supposed to be by nightfall.
"Sage and I will be ahead of the men, watching where they will go and scouting ahead. Kai and Nico will be at the rear, assuring that there are no reinforcements or stragglers." Ana points out the four positions to each of us. "Kai, you will be doing most of the tracking. Nico, you make sure that no one else is following them. Sage, you'll be doing the scouting ahead, while I'll focus on watching their progress. If things start to go sour and they have reinforcements, then we'll have to pull out and try again. There are already ten men to track as of right now. Any more than that and it will be difficult to retain cover."
"The men are all werewolves. There are no vampires or druids in the mix," Sage points out, "so we have to be extra careful that they don't smell us."
~*~*~*~
After we take an hour discussing our plan, we sit around waiting for night time. Slowly, the sun drags across the gray skies until darkness descends upon the woods. Quietly, like a subtle breeze or the shadows themselves, we move through the trees without making a sound. Ana and Sage disappear into the gloom ahead of us. Meanwhile, Kai pulls ahead of me while I hold the rear. With the help of a spell, I'm just as invisible and quiet as the rest of the squad. My once clumsy self has been honed into a precise blade.
The flames of a campfire come into view, lighting up a small clearing and revealing the figures around it. I can hear the fire crackling from a mile away. The smell of brush and gasoline is strong in the air to my sensitive nose. These guys must be very brave or very stupid to light a fire and give away their location. Or maybe it's a trap.
I hide in the bare branches of an ancient oak tree, keeping out of sight. I watch the figures moving around the fire. They're drinking and eating dinner jovially. Are these the right guys? A sense of irritation builds up in my chest. If they are, how can they just sit around and enjoy themselves so leisurely? I shake my head and take a deep breath. I'm not supposed to be watching the camp, but the surroundings. I need to make sure that they don't have any hidden members.
My werewolf eyes scan the gloom with ease. Nothing to see. My limbs grow stiff as I sit patiently, waiting for the men to start moving to their leader. To Nyx. When it is safe to do so, I readjust myself to get a better view of the woods. My breath is coming out in small white clouds as the air grows cooler and cooler. I glance at the sky to see roiling black clouds begin to gather. Crap, it looks like it's going to snow any minute now and they haven't even begun to move. It's good to keep us hidden, but it's harder to keep them under watch with the storm.
Voices from the camp knock me out of my sentry mode. I peek around the trunk of the tree I'm hiding in to get a good look at the men.
"We should get moving," One with a burly voice says to his companions, "it'll be a bitch to get back with the storm that's brewing."
The majority grumble an agreement and the camp begins to break down. I smirk, finally. I return to keeping watch, but again there's no movement. A few moments later, snow is coming down from the heavens in a flurry of ivory flakes. My ears perk up as Kai comes up behind me. I turn to look at him, blinking through the snowflakes blowing in my eyes. He makes a few hand signals gesturing for us to move out and begin following the targets. I nod in understanding. A few seconds later he disappears as he returns to his post.
I stand up, but my knees buckle under my weight. My eyes widen in surprise. What happened? I try to stand again, but my legs go numb. Crap. Sometimes I forget that I'm not a hundred percent immune to the cold weather. I may not feel it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect my body. The cogs in my mind are turning. I can't use a heating spell because it'll give off a distinct smell of smoking lavender, but if I don't do something soon, then I'll be left behind and fail the squadmates.
Gritting my teeth, I push myself to my feet, feeling dizzy and strange. I try and wiggle my toes to get some feeling back in my legs while I hold onto the trunk of the tree for support. Maybe if I shift into my wolf form I'll be okay. I don't think the spells I've created will fade if I do so either... probably. It's not like I have a choice. I feel the familiar cracking of bones and sprouting of hair as I shift. I suddenly feel warmer than I did before, meaning I can feel my legs again.
I start pursuing the small pack from downwind, remaining in my rear position to scan for interlopers on our mission. I'm busy watching and following when I smell something foreign in the snowy woods. Blood. It's coming from up ahead. My heart thumps in my chest nervously. Did one of the wolves get attacked? Or did they discover one of the vampires? Do I move in and check it out, or do I stay here and wait for Kai to come and get me? What if he's the one fighting?
Letting curiosity get the better of me, I sneak to a safe distance away from the targets we've been following. My jaw drops in disbelief. It's a blood bath. All ten of the wolves have been annihilated in what could only be a minute or less. How? Who? But a cold chill in my blood tells me I already know the answer. My eyes survey the scene, catching on a dark figure that stands in the middle of the bodies. When I comprehend what I'm seeing, I feel sick. It's a beautiful lady with a lean build and silver hair that falls to her thighs. She's licking the blood of the wolves off of her fingers.
I remain stock-still and watch, too scared to run away and too scared to make a sound. I know that if she notices me I'm chopped liver. But it's as if she could read my mind because two silver eyes meet my terrified blue ones. I barely even blink before she disappears. I look around me, but a hand is wrapping around my throat with impossible strength. Stronger than Blake. Stronger than Alex. Probably even stronger than the Alpha himself. My wolf form melts away and I return to my human one. What? How? Did she change me back?
I grab at her hands, choking for air. Her silver eyes are chilling and merciless, looking straight through me. Her brows scrunch together for a second before her grip lessens. I breathe in painfully through my bruised throat as she drops me to the ground.
"You're the welp, aren't you?" She inquires. Her voice is like silk, yet loud as church bells inside of my mind. It seems to fill up every crevice in my mind until I can't think.
"W..elp?" I gasp out.
Her head cocks to the side as she appraises me. A horrible revelation comes to me. She was sent by Nyx, wasn't she? Nyx is having this woman kill all of the werewolves in her place. A wave of hot, boiling anger seethes in my chest. Of course, she wouldn't get her own hands dirty, now would she?
"I was ordered to exterminate all of the werewolves in this city, but my employer was specific about one wolf remaining alive until the end. They said to kill you last. Are you that wolf?" She stares at me with those horrible silver eyes unblinkingly.
"Depends. Is Nyx your employer?" I spit out bitterly.
"That's correct. So, I assume you must be Nico then." Her tone is monotonous like a robot whose sole purpose in life is to kill.
"Who are you? Why are you working with Nyx?" I glance around the trees to see if I can catch any sign of Kai or Ana or Sage. Anyone who can get me away from this monster.
"I am Celeste. I was summoned by Nyx to do a job for her. I have no choice but to obey those that summon me because I'm a demon. I need to complete contracts in order to obtain my freedom."
"A demon? Those exist?" I guess my knowledge of the supernatural is limited after all.
"Indeed, they do," She confirms.
I massage my throat tenderly. I know that she won't kill me right now because Nyx is a sick, twisted being who wants me to suffer, so I can somewhat relax-- as relaxed as one can get around their potential executioner. "How many contracts do you have to complete before you're free?"
"I currently have completed three million tasks. After another million, I will be set free." Is that a note of pride I hear in her voice? I shake my head, not important.
"Isn't that an insane amount?" I question.
"It is a bit heavy, but a demon lives for a very long time, so it's fair." The serious look in her eyes tells me she believes what she's saying.
In the corner of my eye, I catch the shadow of a figure hiding amongst the trees. Is it Kai? I quickly avert my eyes back to the demon. I don't want to put him in any danger by giving away his presence.
"Well, I have a lot of werewolves to take care of, so I must be going. I'll be seeing you soon enough, though," Celeste turns to leave, ready to go off and murder some more of my former pack members.
"Wait!" I call after her, standing up shakily from the snow.
She stops and turns. "You can't stop me, welp. I will complete my contract."
"I can't let you kill a bunch of innocent people because a psychotic goddess wants you too. If you want to get to my pack members, you'll have to go through me first. Either way, you'll be breaking your contract." I smirk with fake bravado. I don't even know what I'm talking about. What if she just goes ahead and kills me anyway? I clearly don't think things through.
Celeste takes long strides toward me, not hindered by the snow or the howling winds. Her face is completely blank as she towers over me. She has to be more than six feet tall.
"You are brave for trying to protect the pack that kicked you out, but stupid to try and pick a fight with me. For now, I need you out of the picture. I'll give you a good dream, but the reality you'll wake up to will be a nightmare." She sets both of her hands on my cheeks before I can even react, forcing me to look into her eyes.
I stare into the flat silver pools until everything around me turns white. The dark night fades away along with the frigid blizzard. Even the woods I was in have disappeared. What's happening to me? I squint my eyes as the white light glows brightly. When I can finally see again, it's day time and I'm at the Pack grounds.
I gasp, looking around me in concern. I can't be here. I'm not allowed to be here. How did I get here? My heart is pounding in my chest as I search for a place to hide before someone spots me out in the open. I'm about to shift and run for the woods when a familiar, nostalgic scent floods my nose. The sweet scent of lavender and fresh mulch. I whirl around to see Alex walking toward me with a big goofy grin on his face. For a second, I feel the wall I've built around myself crumble into sand, but I hastily pull myself back together.
"What is this?" I ask Alex, gesturing at the pack grounds.
His smile turns from happy to confused. "What do you mean?"
"Why am I here? Why did you bring me here, Nyx?" I hiss, inching backward.
Alex just laughs. "Are you pranking me, Nico? This is our home. And, who's Nyx?"
I look at him in utter disbelief. "You think that I would fall for that? Why don't you just show your true colors already, Nyx. I won't play your little mind games." I cross my arms stubbornly.
Alex's happy expression drops to one of concern. He holds out his arms tentatively as though I'm a frightened animal. I try and back away, but a short hedge keeps me from doing so. Alex's thick arms wrap around me and I gasp. It's warm. It's hot even. I can feel his body heat soaking into my flesh and comforting me. I haven't been able to feel like this since Nyx came into my life. Tears form at the corners of my eyes.
"It's okay, Nico. I don't know what you're talking about, but you're safe now. Please, just trust me." Alex's soothing voice washes over me, making me melt into his arms, a sobbing mess. My knees buckle and we sink to the ground together. Alex pats my head affectionately and I can't help but cry harder.
This isn't real. It can't be. This is just some delusion. Even if Alex comes back from Nyx, he's still dating Kayla. He isn't mine. But this feels so real. So right. Staying for a while can't hurt...
"I love you, Alex," I say between sobs, clutching his shirt tightly in my fists. It's the one thing I've always wanted to say to him, but because I'm a coward, I've failed to do on many occasions.
Alex squeezes me tightly, kissing the top of my head. "I love you too, Nico. It's going to be OK, I promise, so please calm down and talk to me."
"I'm sorry, Alex," I mutter, "I'm so sorry. For everything. I've been a terrible person and an even worse mate. I know that I'm unworthy, but I hope that you'll accept me-"
"Nico? What are you talking about?" Alex gives a nervous laugh, "We've been mated for a year now. I've already accepted you. No matter what, I'll always accept you."
I stop crying at that. We're already mated? My eyes glance down to our hands and I spot two silver, laurel bands, one on each of our ring fingers. I feel my heart fill up, and my face turns crimson. Tears start pouring again. I see now; this world is everything I can't have, but everything I want.
"Are you feeling better now?" Alex asks after I've stopped crying for a bit. We changed locations to a deep-blue-colored house in a secluded part of the pack grounds.
I sniff noisily but nod my head. "What is this place?" I question, looking around the interior. It's nicely furnished and looks homey. A bunch of picture frames hangs on the walls of the house, but I'm too far to get a good look of who they're of.
Alex's brows scrunch together. "This is our house, Nico. Are you sure you're OK? Should I call the doctor?" His hands are entangled in mine, making my stomach tumble with butterflies.
"Ah no. I'm okay, I just had a bad dream."
A/N: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I might be editing it after it's published because I just finished writing it right now, but that's not important. I want to thank all of you, The Wolf has almost reached 20k views. I'm excited for that day.
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