Something or someone was out there. Whatever it was, it knew they were here.
They were sitting ducks; did Annika not know this? He had never questioned her authority before and bit his lip to restrain himself. He had to get a grip. She was smart woman and had been through almost as many assignments with the Agency as Hayden. But she looked much too at ease with the environment. Maybe it was just him. Maybe he was starting to lose his nerve after so many missions exterminating rogue bands of faeries, trolls, goblins, and others who had no regard for the human city lying within their midst. He hoped he was just on edge and nothing would come of it.
Or he had already lost his nerve. Fuck.
This time around they were deep in the forest, much farther out than usual. On most occasions, the Agency was just called to minor infractions by the magicals surrounding the city. In the supernatural community, those who were threatening to expose themselves or their kind, or harm the humans in any way, were immediately marked for extermination. No questions asked.
Hayden wiped at his shades then removed them and blinked hard against the relentless snow assaulting his watering eyes. The neck of his jacket clung to him, sweat matting the hairs on his neck and freezing over two seconds later. His ski hat kept his head warm, but his fingers could already feel the bite of the cold seeping through the thick military-issue gloves. This was the part of the job Hayden hated the most: searching for rogue groups of supernaturals in the dead of winter. He knew it was required, but that didn’t mean he had to love it. Luckily this was only the third deep-woods mission he’d had to do in the winter season. Most supernaturals retreated into their habitats to avoid the cold.
“Hayden! Look out!” Annika’s voice was a mere echo, and he didn’t hear it in time.
He never got the chance to turn around, for he was thrown from his position and slammed against a tree trunk. Pain ripped through his body as his vision darkened. He could hear Annika and Rob calling his name as chaos ensued. The sound of guns firing and bullets sailing past his head barely registered in his half-conscious mind as he struggled to regain his grip on the now. The noise was almost unbearably loud, but his body refused to move, and his head lolled to the side as he fought to remain conscious.
Finally, his vision slowly returned, breaking through a foggy haze that made no sense. He was nowhere near his group. Ear-piercing howls bounced off the trees, pulling him back to reality with each brain-twisting sound. A blur of wolf fur flashed past him, moving toward the sounds of his comrades’ yells. The sight should have sent a panic through him, but nothing came. It was eerily calm inside, and his head swam as his eyes refused to cooperate and focus. He must have hit his head harder than he’d thought. Otherwise, he would be more alarmed about why he wasn’t concerned about anything.
A large white and gray spotted wolf approached him, snarling and baring its teeth through a rumble of growls. Hayden could barely get a good look at it as his vision refused to sharpen. He badly wanted to drift off into the beckoning sleep. The enormous wolf stopped snarling and sniffed him with a morbid curiosity, increasingly interested in the blood trickling from the gash on his head. Hayden tried to shift his position slowly, but his body refused to cooperate. He couldn’t move yet. Even so, he could feel his strength returning as his vision cleared up and landed directly on a pair of deep silver eyes.
Crap. This wasn’t good. There was nothing but malice in the wolf’s stare. What should he do? He was sitting at the base of a tree, his legs still splayed out in front of him, his arms weak and numb, feeling like rods of iron. His head wound seeped warm blood that dribbled down his brow and threatened to fall into his eyes. The only thing holding his head up was an indentation in the tree trunk. It was deep enough that he could see what the wolf was doing as it studied him with more interest than he cared for from a wild, magical creature. The wolf snarled as his eyes widened even more, and all the noise surrounding them slammed into him as his entire body screamed with pain.
He could move again, but hesitated to do so with the enormous wolf staring him down.
Shit! he thought to himself. This was far from a good situation. He could reach for the knife strapped on his left thigh, but the wolf would probably clamp his teeth into his arm before he reached it. There was also a gun strapped to his right hip; if only he could unsnap the holster, point, and shoot the damned creature… but there remained the same problem; the wolf was far too close and would probably get a grip on his arm before he was able to get off a round.
Dammit, he thought, his chest hammering harder and the wound on his head throbbing along with it. He was out of options. There was no one around to help him. Not one person from his team could even be heard over the increasingly thick snowfall drenching them with layers of new flakes. They were tapping against his jacket louder than he’d ever heard snowflakes fall before, sounding more like thick, heavy drops of rain. From the looks of it, sitting still was probably the best and only choice he had.
The wolf noticed he was conscious now but did not attack. It backed up and turned to look at the activity of its pack mates with interest. Taking the chance, Hayden used the opportunity to try to grab for his gun, but his right arm was sluggish and uncoordinated, refusing to respond. It ate up enough precious time for the wolf to return its focus on him. Changing his plan, he grabbed for the knife at his left hip, barely able to unbutton the sheath and slash it feebly through the air before the wolf clamped down on his arm. Razor sharp teeth slipped through the fabric of his jacket, down through his sweater, and straight into his flesh. Hayden screamed from the pain as the wolf squeezed harder, shearing his skin and threatening to snap his arm bones into two.
His scream faded into the chaos of howls signaling that the wolves had been victorious in defeating the trespassers. Hayden was now alone. Through the howling, he could hear snarling and jaws snapping as people screamed, grunted, and retreated back the way they had come.
He let go of the knife. It dropped into his lap, and finally able to move his right arm, he scooped it up and aimed it at the wolf’s throat, ramming it home. Unfortunately, he missed, barely slashing the creature on the shoulder. It let him go and snarled again before he managed to bring back his right hand and slam the knife right into the wolf’s upper left leg where it met the mass of its body. A shrill whine erupted from its throat before the snarl returned. Hayden readied for another attack, but the wolf took off running, a trail of blood splattering on the snow behind it. The rest of the wolves took notice and followed him, crunching away in the drifts as he galloped through the forest and disappeared.
Only his breathing and the patter of snow could now be heard. Hayden struggled to move his still stubborn legs and failed to get up. He pulled his left arm to his chest, cradling it and staving off the pain threatening to send him back into unconsciousness as he listened for his teammates.
He could hear nothing. He hoped they’d gotten away with their lives.
The fact remained that he knew he’d never see them again. He’d been bitten by a werewolf shifter. Part human, part wolf. Contaminated with their disease. It was the worst fate of all, for he would never be able to return to the Agency and work alongside his teammates again. He was considered tainted now, and that was exactly how he felt. Marred, discarded, and left for dead. They would certainly not return for him. It wasn’t their way, especially if they believed he’d been killed in action.
A far-off call caught his attention. His teammates were retreating but calling out his name and those of a couple of his other team members. He couldn’t make out the other names, but there was no mistaking his. Maybe Annika and Rob had gotten away. They would fight to turn back and find him or even just call his name out into the dead of the forest like they were doing now.
The rage and disgust filled him, and he turned away from the faint voices. He couldn’t answer them even if he wanted to. Pulling himself up, with the tree bracing him, he let his swimming head settle before treading through the deep, thick snow dri
fts, already fatigued from the head injury and blood loss from his arm. After tying a handkerchief around his wound to keep the blood from leaving a trail, he made his way deeper into the snow-laden woods, following the tracks not of his friends, but of the wolves.
There was only one thing left to do: find the wolf that had bitten him and kill it.
Chapter Three
* * *
Judgement
Staring through the line of trees, a noise from behind made him jump, and he turned slowly to find a woman wearing a thick fur coat, leather pants, and hiking boots. A rifle was in her arms, aimed in his direction. She was sniffing the air as she sized him up, her rich brown eyes taking him in as her warm breath steamed in the air.
“Put your arms up where I can see them.”
He dared not move too fast. If he knew one thing about people carrying weapons like that, it was that moving too fast either gained you an advantage over them or got you killed. The way she held the rifle told him she knew how to use it and wouldn’t hesitate to do so. He raised his arms up and folded them behind his head as slowly as possible. She’d been silent approaching him, and he felt momentarily foolish for letting her get the best of him. He was, after all, a trained assassin. He should have heard her breathing from hundreds of feet away.
“Listen, I’m not looking for trouble,” he said as she gestured for him to turn around and face away from her. It sounded cliché, but he wasn’t looking to fight. Any hope the woman would take his word for it swam in his chest as he waited for her to answer. At least she hadn’t pulled the trigger yet.
She scoffed, apparently finding his statement amusing. “Now, I’d like to say that I believe you, but if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that line, I wouldn’t be out here in this godforsaken forest in the middle of winter freezing my ass off, if you get what I mean.”
He began to nod, but she raised her rifle. “Unholster and drop that sidearm, nice and easy.”
Hayden did as he was told. He heard her come up behind him and pick up the gun. He was about to speak again when she poked him in the back with the rifle barrel, forcing him to take a step forward.
“Start moving if you know what’s good for you.” She poked him again, and he took another step forward and kept going until they reached a camp. He’d heard the voices in the distance and had hoped for rescue, but his heart sank as he realized that these were her people. There were a few men and women walking around a great bonfire in the middle of what turned out to be less of a camp and more of a small village. Three rings of cabins were arranged around the fire: large ones, small ones, and one enormous main lodge at one end of the main square of this small settlement. The woman kept poking his back to keep him moving. She marched him right through the middle of the square so everyone in the cabins could take a good long look at him. He was being paraded through the village like a prisoner being led to his hanging. The thought made his already frozen throat harden.
“Is this really necessary?” he asked. He tried to turn, wanting to get a better look at the woman, but all he got was a nice, snappy jab in the back with her rifle. She dug it in further than previously. He almost yelped in pain but clamped his mouth shut before he cursed her out.
“Everything is necessary, but you don’t have to like it,” the woman stated.
Hayden heard her sniff again and wondered if she had a cold, but then he realized the few people standing outside with them were also sniffing the air like they were taking in his scent. The disgusted looks on their faces made them appear as though they smelled something rancid and rotting in their midst. It was odd, amateurish, and awkward behavior, but he ignored it and kept on. He realized there was something strange about the entire group as he peered about, narrowing his eyes at them.
Their eyes reflected the moonlight, causing them to look feral. He could see their retinas reflecting the light in a most unnatural way. There was nothing normal about these people, especially the low, resonating growls coming from their throats as he made his way toward the lodge.
People didn’t growl. Not like that, like they had a fierce beast about to pop out of their mouths. These people were not human, but if they weren’t, what were they? His rational mind pushed back against the obvious answer, but his gut knew the truth. He swallowed the cold hard lump of coal stuck in his throat as best he could without turning his head. The woman would surely give him another sharp jab in the back if he tried anything or spat an insult back at these wild people.
His heart raced. She was taking him to meet their leader, he was sure of it. What would happen then? Would he get his chance for revenge, or would it be the end of him?
As they approached the main lodge, he continued to wonder what the next step would be. The more they sniffed at him, the more he was sure this was some sort of shifter group, but he couldn’t confirm they were the wolves who’d attacked him. They could be any kind of shifter: cat, bird, bear… it didn’t matter. He was in trouble.
There was no back up here, no one to call who’d fight at his side. Nobody would come or even know where to find him. He was all alone in this.
He dropped his eyes to the ground and made out paw prints. They looked like the prints of the wolves who’d attacked his group earlier, and he now knew for certain that he had found the wolf pack he’d been searching for. Now he just had to find the wolf who’d bit him and make him pay. From the looks of this place and the malice each wolf was tossing his way as he approached the main building, it wasn’t going to be an easy task.
Another poke.
“Up the stairs and inside. They are waiting for us.”
***
“He’s been bitten,” the woman at his back announced to the council seated before them. A man and woman sat in the center on throne-like chairs, with others lined up next to them. Hayden had read enough about wolf packs to know that these were the pack leaders. Beside them on each side were their seconds in command and so on, leading down the hierarchy, with a total of eight people. Hayden puffed his chest and jutted out his chin in defiance, digging his eyes into each one, hoping to smoke out the culprit. If this was the how judgement in a werewolf court functioned, he had no choice but to do it their way.
The woman on the highest chair leaned forward, drilling her eyes into Hayden with harsh curiosity. Her gaze was powerful enough to make him shift his weight from one leg to the other. She was a pretty thing, with long blonde hair down to her waist threaded through with small braids looped in an intricate pattern. A classic beauty, with sharp hazel eyes that reflected the light like glass, translucent yet calculating, with unabashed intelligence. “What makes you think any of our wolves turned him, my dear sister Tully?”
Hayden liked her immediately. She was the voice of reason, that much he could already gather.
“I caught scent of him following us from the direction of the recent battle with the human assassins,” Tully said.
Ah, so they’d met the Wicked Grove Supernatural Regulatory Agency before and knew what it was. Great.
“I let him follow to see if he was pursuing our pack and to evaluate the threat. So, I circled out behind him for capture, which I did quite easily, and now present him for judgement.”
The Alpha queen leaned back in her chair, her expression largely unchanged but looking slightly amused at Tully’s account. She sniffed his scent as she pondered. Hayden wasn’t going to risk a judgement even from their queen. If he was going to challenge any of them, he had to do it now. Before he could open his mouth, the queen spoke again.
“Has anyone admitted to turning this man? It’s strictly forbidden, and they will be punished.” She stared down at him with amusement, but her mate glared at him like he was a pile of rotting garbage. His eyes shone, telling Hayden everything he needed to know about the ruling Alpha king. This was the wolf who had bitten Hayden. As a bonus, he was also the Alpha.
Just perfect, thought Hayden. He was the last person on this council he wanted to fight, but if that was what
was going to have to happen, so be it. He didn’t have to like it, but it had to be done.
“You’re the leader, right?” Hayden asked. The council fidgeted, snarling low, threatening growls at him. “You’re the one who bit me, aren’t you? I challenge you to a duel. I deserve retribution for what you’ve done.”
The entire assembly gasped at the request. Hayden was looking straight at the Alpha without regret. If the guy was too chicken to admit to biting a human, then this was the only way to get the Alpha to fight him.
The Alpha smirked, finding the challenge hilarious. “I don’t know what you speak of. That is not our way.”
His smile rose to his eyes with a genuine, contagious laugh which filtered its way through the court. His chuckle rang out, echoing in the cavernous lodge, and Hayden felt a chill run through his body as cold as the icicles forming outside. He clenched his fists at his sides and prepared to ambush the Alpha even if it meant certain death at the hands of his underlings. The woman who’d captured him slipped her hand over his elbow and squeezed it, turning toward him while leaning in so that he was the only one to hear her whisper.
“Don’t. Not here.”
Those three words were all it took to quell the angry beast inside, clawing to get out. He’d never felt such hatred toward another individual before now and suddenly found himself feeling lost and disoriented. Did Tully have some sort of magic in her voice? How had she done that? A moment before, he was ready to pounce onto the throne, shove the Alpha out of his seat and rip his head from his shoulders. One touch from the woman next to him had calmed the rage storming inside him. He turned and got a better look at Tully, surprised to find her looking almost exactly like the Alpha queen in front of him; they could have been twins.