The Hunter

As I got back to the clearing I saw an SUV near the house. I took out the gun. There were two men, one man was pulling out his phone and the other was standing by. If I was a wolf I’m pretty sure they would have smelled me as I approached but not having a furry beast inside me was working in my favor today.

As I came up I shot the guy with the phone in the head, instantly killing him. The second one jump, shockingly his eyes went to the dead body and then to me.

“you shift or go for a gun and you die, do you hear me”

he nodded. He had to be in his early twenty, young and already signing his death warrant.

“you came here to take her to him?”

He looked unsure but nodded his head all the same.

A lie.

I edge closer to him.

“well, she’s gone. Her mate is picking her up. You know who I’m talking about right. The supreme. The ruler of werewolves. You heard of him right”

he nodded again looking like he was about to shit his pants. It seems his impending death has left him speechless.

“so you have a choice, bring me to him. Or you can stay here while my gun stays pointed at you and wait for a shit load of werewolves to tear you apart.”

Soon we were in the car. I check it first to make sure there were no surprises. I used his phone and called a friend.

“who the fuck is this?” a gruff voice said

“is that how you speak to the person who saved your life”

“Bodies?”

“the one and only, I need you to repay that favor”

“bitch I almost died yesterday”

“and today's a new day, stop being a baby. Kal is locked up right now and I need you. Besides I thought you might want to get revenge on the fucker who tried to put you in the ground”

“go on”

“you remember where we took you for medical attention, the pack”

“yeah”

“I need you to go to the border and wait there”

“Why, you know they won't let me in”

“Just follow my instructions and go there, make sure they can smell you but not see you. Don’t try to cross, also while you are doing that I need you to get any lone wolf you can. I mean anyone willing to fight. That’s hunters, omegas, someone who you know is not loving pack life, keep them on the standby”

“This is a big order,”

“so was saving your life”

“alright I gotcha, and it won't be hard to find wolves, ever since what happened with Bambi and me,”

“Bambi?”

“the girl who died, anyway more hunters are willing to listen. We are all on the ready”

“great ill text you if with further instructions and Pete, thanks man,” I said before hanging up.

After I hung up the phone the car was quiet, we were now about fifteen minutes to the pack broader. I was in the backseat, opposite side of the driver seat, holding the gun steady to his head. I notice man’s eyes would constantly move from me to the road, most likely trying to find a way not to grant what I requested. I looked straight at him.

“you know what it takes to be a hunter?” I started. Why not make conversation on our drive “patients, diligence, a strong stomach. One time a hunt had me stressed out for days, barely getting sleep. It was this murdering rogue I was after, at least that is what everyone thought at the time. He would come into pack areas in the middle of the night and kill high-ranking wolves, slashing their throats while they slept without anyone knowing. It was in a red moon pack. They called him the bloody ghost. It was a stupid name I know, but I’m called Bodies so who am I to judge?”

I moved to the middle of the back scooting up closer to him “Anyway, I stake out all night for the rogue and I couldn’t find him. I scan the perimeter, stayed in the weakest spot where the rouges could get in but no matter what I did I couldn’t catch him. I started thinking this motherfucker was a ghost.

Then I thought to myself, probably from the lack of sleep, how can rogue get in and out of pack territory and also the packhouse without being seen? And I went into the pack one night and I saw a shadow sneaking out of the packhouse covered in blood. You see it wasn’t a rogue, it was a pack member. An omega who just had this crazy blood lust and couple that with weird obsessive jealousy well the ending pretty much right itself am I right” I said tapping the gun to his temple “I didn’t kill him though. The pack took care of’em.”

I adjusted myself in between the front seats so I could stare at him “My point is, I have been trained to think about the little details to get my man. One slightest thing that seems out of place I can pick up on it now. So don’t think about making the left instead of a right. Don’t think about hitting a signal on your car or trying to go for the gun or whatever stupid thing that’s running through your mind at this moment. Because I will kill you. And I also have had a lot of experience in making your death fast and painful” I smiled before heading back to the back seat

“it doesn’t matter he will kill you. He will kill you and all you abomination” I laugh “you are a stupid wolf” I declared “but you're going to learn something today.”

We moved into the territory easily, I was hunch in the back unseen. This guy had been here much time before, if I had hoped it wasn’t true before I defiantly knew now. We didn’t go towards the Packhouse, we moved deeper into the territory, there was a small shed that came into view.

I saw the uncertainty in his eyes as he stopped “listen, I know this is hard for you, going against everything you believe in to help me and save your ass but I can see in yours eyes your not planning to die today, am I right?”

He swallowed loudly then replied “no”

“so how about you stick with that plan, okay? Do what I say and if your leader is so much smarter than me then he’s gonna get me anyway” he nodded “c’mon”

We walked into the shed it was well used but clean, maps laid out on a big wooden desk with different lands, circles around different parts, notes, and scribbles that I didn’t understand. I got the phone and took pictures of them anyway, sending them to Pete who I knew would transfer them to Gabriel per my instructions.

I heard another car come and go to hide in a small closet in the corner. looking at the guy one last time, I prayed his sense of self-preservation would keep him from doing anything stupid. Suddenly the door open, I hit the record button on the phone before putting it in my pocket.

“So is it done?” I heard Voren say as he came in

“wh-where is everyone?” the guy stutters

“in their places, the Supreme is a reck, last I heard he was ordering Charlie's death. He’s gonna be on this like a flea on shit for a while, nothing can look untoward. So where's the body? is it in the truck? we have to place it in that last place to make this plan work”

“there was a bit of a problem”

“what problem”

“apparently the supreme mate is not dead”

“what, that not possible”

“she was there?” he rush out

“who, who was there”

the guy started to panic, I could hear it, fucking scary prick “I don’t know what happened, I got there and there were bodies, and then Danny was making a call and he suddenly was on the ground with a hole in his head, and she she”

“she who, who, Charlie? Are you talking about Charlie? No no, tell me you killed her, tell me. I have to call, I have to tell him”

I moved out of my hiding spot and pointed my gun at him “don’t worry Voren your gonna make that call but it gonna go a bit differently” he looked a bit started but collected himself

“Charlie, the child let me explain”

“explain how you were about to set me up for murder? Please I’m all ear”

“Let put the guns down and we can talk”

“sorry Voren I was born at night not last night”

“you don’t want to do this,” he said calmly

“no, I’m pretty sure I do”

“you were always so headstrong, always fighting, always running towards the danger. I told Vahn how you would be a asset to our warriors but he wouldn’t listen.”

“far jump from thinking I would be an asset to joining a group of genocidal maniacs who wants to kill me” he looked sadly at me, but no fear was in his eyes

“I didn’t want to. He came to me”

“The Shadow,” I confirmed

“yes my son, he was getting into a bite of illegal activity to get money into the pack. The shadow found out, he came to me and said he would make an example out of him. Throw him into a cell to rot for 10 years. Not able to see the outside world, his mate, his children. I begged him not to, I begged on my hands and knees. He smiled like he won a game, he said fine, that he would spare him if I did a couple of things on the side for him”

“like adding rouge to your pack”

“yeah, wolves with the same vision as his, extremists who were kicked out of their packs. At first, it wasn’t much, add a couple of mangy wolves who didn’t live on pack land, then it was requesting hunts and hunter even if I didn’t need them, making up some excuses and they weren’t coming back.”

“and the day I came back”

“I didn’t know about the attack, I swear. I didn’t but once you left The Shadow came to me, he was furious, you were supposed to die. He ranted like a mad man than suddenly got quiet. He said things don’t always go plan but then that is when you get inspiration. He came back days later with this plan.”

“to set me up, to make it where no one would even question my death,”

“yes, he seems to hate you, I’m not sure why but I don’t help you are half-human. “ I smiled to myself “Charlie I love you, child, I do, like a daughter. But he is my son”

“and you love him more”

“yes”

“does Vahn know about any of this?”

“no, he didn’t even know he was found out, I would never drag him into this”

I nodded understandingly “it would be ashamed if not only you drag him into it, but he died from it”

“what do you mean?” he looked perplexed, still not seeing what was right in front of his face. I didn’t blame him, he never saw the gritty side of what I do, didn’t know how dark I could get. He would know soon.

“I don’t know if what you’re telling me is the truth but what I do know is your going to help me get to the shadow.”

“I can't, if he finds out he would...”

“I would.” I cut him off “I would kill him, I would kill Vahn if you don’t help me. I have rouges on the ready, so close to your boulders I’m pretty sure your boulder patrol can smell them. It wouldn’t be hard to slip away through all the chaos and do it.”

“you wouldn’t, I known you, Charlie, since you were a little child, you came into my pack, I have seen you grow. I know you, you couldn’t, you wouldn’t”

“You know me better than anyone on this plant Voren, but still I only let you know so much. You’re partly right, I wouldn’t want to. But The Shadow is right too, things don’t always go according to plan” I said before shooting a bullet into the driver's head and grabbing Voren by his throat.

I move too quickly for him to fight back, I bang his head into the wood desk three times hard, before tripping him on the floor right next to the newly dead body

“look at him, that will be Vahn, that will be him. I will kill him, I would do it and leave his body waiting in your room for you. I will pin his eyes open and prop him on a fucking chair in front of your door so when you open it, the first thing you will see is his body. look at him and see Vahn”

“stop. stop! let go. let go of me,” he pushed me away from him, I stumbled but caught myself. I held the phone to my ear, pretending to be on a call, I had him right where I wanted him “Pete you ready?” I said looking down at a distraught Voren on the floor, “so what’s it gonna be?”

he was shaking on the floor, turning his head back and forward, mumbling “a monster, you’re a monster”

“yeah probably but not as big as your boss. And not as big as you who let innocent people die”

“I didn’t want it… I didn’t”

“come to terms with your demons later. Now you make a choice, what it gonna be, hell raining down on your pack and the death of your son, or help me”

He stared at me now, those piercing green eyes that once held love and affection, look at me like they just seen me for the first time, and hate prevalent in them.

My heart was breaking since hearing his voice on that phone. He was my friend, my family, my confidence. I may have been a monster but he was a traitor and for once seeing that look didn’t bring on self doubt that it would normally. The feeling that spread through my chest was so hot I felt like I was on fire and my hate for him felt stronger than what he held in his eyes.

“fine” he relented, standing up “I will take you to him, but even when I bring you to his doorstep don’t think it will be easy, your going to have more than him to fight”

“nothing for you to worry your pretty head about, you just take me to him. And don’t try anything cute, I will have someone back here, ready to kill Vahn if you betray me, and I will make sure you come back alive to meet his corpse. Time to go”