Blood Moon's Tears

The air grew thin as tension crackled in the atmosphere, casting a shadow over Eirena and Sama’el. Their eyes locked, a mixture of disbelief and betrayal shimmering in the dim light of their shared space. The weight of Sama’el’s words hung heavily, threatening to shatter the fragile trust they had been trying to build.

Eirena’s wolf, her constant companion, broke the silence. ”Some people never change. I suppose causing others to suffer is how he finds satisfaction.”

Eirena countered, her voice laced with a hint of irony. ”We aren’t exactly saints ourselves. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black."

Her wolf nodded in agreement. ”True, but in this situation, he’s the pot. It’s not like you relish the lifeless faces of your targets. Plus you do it to survive. What’s his reason for continuing on his part?”

Eirena contemplated their words before breaking the silence. “Guess we should find out instead of having a staring contest.” She redirected her attention to the man still seated between her thighs, addressing him directly. “You torture people?” Her voice quivered, a mix of anger and disbelief tainting her words. “It would have been nice to know that before you saw me practically naked. Is it some sick fantasy of yours? Is that why you do it? To get off on other people’s pain?”

Sama’el’s expression faltered, regret clouding his hazel eyes.

Inwardly, Sama’el chastised himself. ”I knew I shouldn’t have told her,” he lamented silently.

Sama’el struggled to respond, his voice wavering with remorse. “Eirena, I never wanted you to know about this. Keeping it from you would have been the best option. Everyone has their demons okay, and I did it not because I relish the look on people’s faces as their fear and desperation drips off of them. I have a pack to see about and if it’s to keep this pack going then I’ll use my abilities to make sure the information I get out of my sessions is worth enough so my pack doesn’t go hungry for winter. I’m alpha and therefore it is my duty to do what is necessary!”

Eirena’s wolf scoffed, dismissing his explanation. “What a load of bull. Let’s take him down. I’m sure his head will fetch a high price. It’s like killing two birds with one stone. We avenge our pack and cash in big for a traitor to Wolfen kind.”

Eirena thought about it but decided that she would rather deal with Sama’el when Drake is taken care of. Heck when almost all the members of the Blue Ash Pack are handed into the association. It’s only right for Sama’el to experience what it is to have your pack taken away from you.

Eirena’s fists clenched at her sides, her silver eyes burning with fury. “You think torturing others, selling information extracted from them, is justified? That the ends somehow justify the means? You could have opened a business. A legal one and get your pack funding from the Wolfen council like any other pack!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief and anger. She got up from the hot spring, making her way towards where she had left her clothes.

Sama’el’s voice pleaded for understanding, though he knew it was a difficult path to tread. “Eirena, it’s not as simple as that. I never wanted to resort to this, but I had no choice! You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

Eirena’s gaze hardened, her voice cutting through the air. “No, I don’t and I don’t care to hear about it because you did have a choice. There is always a choice Sama!”

Sama’el’s thoughts raced, guilt and regret swirling within him. ”Not for me. There never has been."

Desperation tinged his words as he reached out to her. “Where are you going?”

Eirena’s expression turned to one of pure disdain, her voice dripping with disgust. “Somewhere far away from you. I don’t want you following me, and don’t you dare try to find me. You sicken me.” With that, she placed her clothes in her mouth and shifted into her wolf form—a majestic brown wolf with an extremely fluffy coat.

Unaware of the presence closing in on her, Eirena sprinted through the dense forest with unparalleled agility. Her focus was resolute, determined to leave behind the confusion and conflicting emotions that threatened to engulf her.

Suddenly, she felt a force collide with her from the side, sending them both tumbling to the ground. As Eirena regained her bearings, she found herself face-to-face with Drake, the Gamma of the Blue Ash Pack, who had unknowingly tackled her in an attempt to halt her escape.

Drake’s ice-blue eyes widened in surprise as he realized who he had tackled. Looking around in hopes that his alpha would understand his actions, he noticed that she was alone and most likely running away from the alpha. His thoughts raced, questioning her sudden flight and the urgency that drove her to flee.

“Eirena?” He called out as he shifted back into his human form, his voice laced with confusion and worry. “What’s wrong? Why are you running away?”

Eirena’s wolf tensed, torn between her duty as a bounty hunter and her desire to escape the complex web of emotions that entangled her. The realization dawned upon her that Drake remained unaware of her true identity, unaware that she was pursuing him as her target.

Silent and cautious, Eirena’s wolf maintained a defensive posture, uncertain of Drake’s intentions. She considered her options, her mission to capture Drake was still paramount in her mind.

Drake, his concern evident in his voice, continued pressing for answers. “Eirena, please,” he implored, a note of urgency creeping into his tone. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Eirena’s wolf hesitated, her inner conflict weighing heavily upon her. She knew that revealing her true identity as a bounty hunter would complicate matters further. Instead, she chose a different course of action—one that would allow her to fulfil her mission while ensuring her own escape.

With a fierce determination burning in her eyes, Eirena’s wolf made a decision. She locked her gaze with Drake, communicating her intent through their primal connection. She would take him with her, as her captive, as she fled from the pack.

In a calculated move, Eirena’s wolf shifted her focus from escaping alone to securing Drake as her ticket to freedom. She circled around him, her movements purposeful and assertive. She emitted a low growl, a warning laced with determination.

Drake, still bewildered by the situation, remained unaware of Eirena’s true motives. Confusion and concern were etched upon his face as he tried to make sense of her actions.

“Eirena, what are you doing?” he asked, his voice a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

Eirena’s wolf responded with a steadfast gaze, her determination unwavering. Without uttering a single word, she pounced on him, tackling him to the ground so hard that the impact knocked him out which worked in her favour. Eirena shifted back into her human form and put her clothes back on before calling the association to send someone to collect her target.

“Agent Eriena Izumi reporting in. I have successfully located and incapacitated the target, Gamma Drake Sadoku of the Blue Ash Pack. I require immediate assistance for extraction. Coordinates will be provided upon request.”

Nightfall draped the forest in an inky darkness, shrouding Eirena and the unconscious form of Drake. With careful precision, Eirena swiftly bound Drake’s wrists and ankles with vines that were close by. She knew it wouldn’t hold him for long once he awakens so she had to work fast. Using all of her strength she dragged his dead weight behind her toward the edge of the territory hoping that the backup she called for would take care of the wolf’s manning the perimeter.

As she got closer to the edge of the pack’s territory grunts where heard coming from behind her, indicating that Drake was coming to. Eirena was just grateful to have made it this far without anyone noticing her and Drake staying unconscious for as long as he did.

Eirena narrowed her eyes, her voice filled with a chilling determination. “I know a few businessmen in the Wolfen society that would love to get their hands on the Gama that charmed his way into their packs to get a hold of classified information. You know, the bounty on your head is quite high?”

Drake’s eyes widened in disbelief, pain throbbing through his head. “What? Argh, my head. Bounty on my head? You’re not saying that you… you’re a-” he stammered, struggling to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

“Bounty hunter? Yeah.” She finished his sentence. “Also I wouldn’t think about mind-linking anyone for help, it wouldn’t end well for you, for you’ll be dead by the time they arrive.”

Drake’s voice trembled with desperation as his heart rate increased. “Eirena, please! You’re supposed to be our future Luna, my future Luna. You can’t do this!”

Eirena stopped walking, turning around and crouching to make eye contact with Drake, her wolf right there on the surface as they held his gaze, Eriena’s features hardened. “Save your begging for the bounty association. I have no intention of killing you myself. You weren’t the one that killed the Alpha and Luna of my pack. So you’re not on my list.”

Without warning, Eirena struck Drake in the face with all her strength, causing him to lose consciousness once again. She knew he would only be out for a few more minutes, which was all the time she needed to rendezvous with another bounty hunter who would take him off her hands.

As the man she dragged behind her via rope-like vine started to grunt again indicating that he was beginning to wake up, she spotted a guy dressed in all black fiddling with something shiny in his hand.

The man smirked, his tone laced with arrogance. “You took longer than usual. You don’t take this long to get someone away from their pack. Is the great Eirena starting to lose her touch?”

Eirena shot him a withering glare. “Shut up and let people like you. I got tangled up with his alpha for longer than I would have liked okay.”

The man’s voice took on a mocking tone. “Tangled up, huh? We could call it that. But since it’s just the two of us, how about you let me have a sniff? The association claims you’re the best because you can control your pheromones and don’t rely on brute force.”

Eirena’s inner wolf growled lowly, her voice laced with a warning. “One more inappropriate comment like that, and I’ll hogtie you just like I did him. Don’t underestimate me. And don’t think for a second that smelling my scent will give you an advantage. I can easily mask it. So, it’s a waste of time. Cross the line again, and I’ll personally deliver your head to the association and explain that it’s for your insubordination.”

The man’s expression soured, realizing the severity of Eirena’s words. “Right. Anyway, open the trunk for me so I can put him in there.”

Eirena complied, opening the trunk of the vehicle and giving Drake a final smile as he blinked open his eyes, only to see the trunk closing shut before him.

With her mission accomplished, Eirena’s focus shifted to her own well-being. She made her way to the Fading Rose, relieved that the association had sent the man with a change of clothes. She didn’t want to enter the bar covered in blood. Though she couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable with what she had done, at the same time she convinced herself that capturing as many of Sama’el’s pack members that have bounties on them was payment for all the trouble she’d be going through.

Thankfully the bar was open this time and seemingly more packed than she had ever seen. As she manoeuvred through people, she finally managed to snag a seat at the bar’s counter where she was hit with a scent that brought back memories of her old pack which made her want to cry right then and there.