"WIFEY! NOT THE GRILLING STATION!" Looking horrified, Vincencio screamed as he quickly rushed to where her wife was.
"Huh?" Skylar looked behind her while holding a knife instead of grilling tongs.
"LUNA! THE KEBAB!" the others shouted as they saw how their Luna could easily burn food without even trying. "You burned the food."
"Oh, my bad. Cooking is not always my forte." She chuckled like it was nothing new, and her small but growing pack shook their heads.
As promised, the couple, together with their family and growing pack, Night Rose, finally united in one certain land that Skylar owned and inherited from her parents, located between the boundaries of the city and her family's land. Skylar's men finally regroup and merge with Vincencio's, where love also finds its way between them. They all focused on getting to know each other, settling better than the couple even anticipated, and finally, their pack became truly official.
"Never gets old." Vincencio sighed, shaking his head since her wife was still not good with flames. Skylar might already be used to cooking in the kitchen, but outside, grilling is definitely not good.
"And you can't ask for anything." Skylar teasingly winked, making Vincencio pull her waist to capture her lips.
Within two years of focusing on stabilizing their new home, the roles of everyone flow smoothly without getting in each other's way, and move perfectly in sync. They were always helping and supporting each other in the field where they were lacking, making their leaders, their bosses, their Alpha and Luna grateful for them. As a token of appreciation, the couple decided to have a wonderful outdoor grill picnic at the pack house backyard, leading to an unforgettable Skylar's signature burned food.
"Get a room." Ayed teasingly whined, stopping them from kissing before it became torrid, teasing Skylar's cooking skills. "We'd better get used to this kind of alarm from our Luna – I mean, our Alpha."
"Sorry, guys, if my mom had zero cooking skills." Irina teasingly apologized on behalf of her blood mother, making the others laugh.
"IRINA," Skylar warned.
"Just saying, Mom. I remember Dad said that you were once not allowed to enter his kitchen without burning it down." She replied innocently, making Skylar frown.
"Blame it on the eggs." She refuted but hid her face on Vincencio's neck. She was embarrassed.
"Now, blame it on kebab." Prince joined in teasing their boss, making the rest laugh more.
"Prince, shouldn't you be with your sister, patrolling?" Skylar shifted into a warning, making him flinch.
"Ahm, just grabbing this." Prince quickly dodged, grabbing a well-cooked barbecue for his patrolling team before running away, "Bye."
"Chicken," Medina said as she approached them carrying Skylar's firstborn, who had been looking for her parents. "See, there's mama and papa."
"How's my babygirl? Did you behave well with Aunt Medina?" Vincencio asked his baby, taking it from Medina's arms.
"She's behaving until she cries, heading to the door. To me, it seems like looking for you." Medina answered before adding a tease, "Or perhaps, she smells something burning out here."
"HEY!" Skylar quickly reacted, making them chuckle, but enjoying their food. But Medina's expression went serious, and she knew that already. "Hubby, take it from here. Medina and I have to discuss something."
"Brief me later." He replied.
"I will." She smiled, kissing the two people in her life before assigning Irina with something. "Irina, help your Dad for a while, but be guarded."
"Always." She replied as she began playing with her baby sister.
***
At the pack house office, Skylar sat on her chair while Medina showed a file report from her delta, Josh, who was shadowing Fredric's movements around the city and keeping the mysterious nomad away from her businesses.
"Did Josh have any update from Fredric?" Skylar asked while reading the file report.
"He has been doing so since last December, and this one, just recently," Medina answered, adding some captured images of their movements in the areas they frequently visit. "And this footage came from Josh's team assigned to watch the company, the hotels, and small businesses in the area where Fredric had a couple of chill times and a friend's business meeting."
Skylar watched how the nomads kept watching Fredric's movement and interaction with my businesses, but what caught her attention was the appearance of Rudolf Strange in certain footage. She quickly enlarged the footage and watched him carefully as he had his coffee at a certain café where Fredric was having a business meeting with a client.
"He's collecting information about Fredric's transactions." Skylar mumbled, making Medina nod in agreement before adding amusingly to what her brother had left only for her to see, "Oh my dear brother, he's playing big."
Fredric Message through the CCTV:
The clock is prepared. Only the tick is missing.
Skylar chuckled before standing up from her chair and looking outside, carefully watching the entire pack. Seeing the brewing dark clouds forming around the city, Skylar can't help but feel excited to join the fun.
"Medina, tell Joey to prepare my new suit." Skylar sinisterly commanded, making Medina straighten up.
"Full set?" Medina wondered, making Skylar turn and meet her beta's gaze.
"Full set because Rose Slayer is about to tick." With her usual smirk, she dangerously answered before adding, "And get ready, because the media will roar again."
"Then, I'll tell the others." She nodded.
"Please do." She said, letting Medina do her job before sending a telepathic message to Vincencio, "Hubby, let Ayed handle the security with the rest of the pack with Irina."
'Trixalyn?'
"Don't worry, Irina and Medina can handle that before the real game begins." She replied, grinning as she walked down to their bedroom to get ready before continuing, "It's time, Hubby."
'Alright, let's meet on the field.'
"This is going to be fun." Skylar chuckled as she prepared her weapons, from blades to web strings to her favorite new twin guns.
***
As the night took over the sky, there was a newly appointed official as the city mayor. Everyone was having a feast, congratulating the newly elected mayor, but in the shadows, among the crowd, a quiet hunter spied everyone like a hawk. However, when the hunter's eyes landed on the prey, the mayor suddenly felt nauseated as if he saw how he was going to die, but he ignored it. He focused on the celebration, making her forget it until he was alone at the municipal's veranda and took a breather, but he got chills.
"It's not safe being alone here," a captivating, mysterious woman said, approaching the new mayor's spot.
"And you are? I haven't seen you around, even during the campaign." The new city mayor chuckled and politely asked her, but the woman just shrugged her shoulders. "I'm Noel Valenzuela."
"Ruby." She answered before looking out to the night sky, adding, "It will pour later. I gotta go. I don't want to get caught in bad weather."
"Take care then." Noel politely responded, but Ruby wasn't done and stopped her tracks.
"It's you who must," Ruby whispered, taunting before proceeding on her way, leaving the man puzzled.
"What – wait!" Noel called out, but Ruby was gone, and her message struck his brain like a curse. He began having a recollection about his dark yesterday and started quivering, "No, that's impossible…she's gone…she can't harm me…she can't…"
He made himself believe that he wouldn't be harmed and enjoyed the party; however, on the dark side of the party, Ruby bumped into someone.
"He's shaken but pretending to be fine," Ruby whispered, giggling before leaving the party like she was never there.
In the shadow, a figure took form, and a woman showed up, smirking at the message that had been left to her. She chuckled softly before retreating into the shadows, but her eyes still locked on the prey – Noel Valenzuela, one of the retired platoon commanders who betrayed a young general for wealth, security, and a position in the government. But now that he has gotten what he wanted, it's time for the ghost to collect his debts.
"Finally, you're home."
A taunting, amused voice coming from the shadows welcomed Noel at his house. He was frightened as he quickly opened the lights, revealing a mysterious woman in a dark suit from head to toe.
"WHO ARE YOU? HOW DID YOU GET INSIDE? GUARDS!" In panic, he shouted, demanding, although he already had an idea who the person was standing in his office. The woman, Rose Slayer, laughed like a madwoman, scaring the old man more.
"Shut up, no one is going to hear you." She tauntingly smirked, making Noel frighten before continuing, "Your guards were sleeping, patrolling, and guarding your family away from your dirt."
"What do you want? Money? I'll give it to you, just leave us alone." With relief in his sigh, he quickly demanded, hoping she would leave, but Rose Slayer was not just killing her prey for money; she was ending their bad doings alongside her vengeance.
"Us? But it's only you who has a life debt on someone." She scoffed, correcting him, and from there, Noel finally showed the truth.
"No…" He mumbled. He knew what was standing before him – a death sentence.
"Hm, you know her. You watched her crumble and didn't do anything in exchange for this life." She taunted while snapping her fingers.
"YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT ME!" He shouted, crying from the guilt of yesterday.
"Maybe, but she does." She said, shrugging her shoulders before turning her back to him, saying, "The general knows everything and everyone who killed her, and now, the clock will begin to tick now that she's back, collecting old debts for the life you all took away."
"NO!" He collapsed on the ground, begging, but Rose Slayer only saw darkness in him.
"Goodbye, Mr. Valenzuela, the rotten rat." She whispered, giggling before snapping her fingers, making the web strings wrapped around him tightly until he was chopped into pieces. Then she slipped, leaving her usual mark, a tainted rose and a message of every crime that the man committed to get into his position. "This is a fun return."
***
Breaking News: the newly elected city mayor, Mr. Noel Valenzuela, was found dead in his office with a note of his crimes and a tainted rose. Investigators concluded that the infamous Rose Slayer is back in action, killing corrupt officials. Yet again, they said, they won't tolerate such brutal crimes and will find the culprit.
The death of the newly elected city mayor spread like wildfire, alarming anyone who might be involved in such a crime. However, at the Night Rose pack, the pack members who learned the news gave their Luna a disbelief look, and as for Skylar, it was nothing new.
"What do you expect? Your Luna is the famous killer in the city." She nonchalantly stated, making her men ignore her arrogant words. "Hey! It's true."
"They know. They just know you around the house." Vincencio said, chuckling while playing with their baby in the playroom.
"Hubby." She whined as she joined them, and quickly her daughter sat on her lap before tickling her.
"It's a fact." He chuckled before adding, "Anyway, Fredric sent an email hoping to have a meeting this Friday for the last launch of the new project game."
"Oh, the M.S.," She recalled the last project they talked about before she gave birth, making Vincencio look confused. Then she continued, saying, "The Mafia and the Slayer game."
"Why did it feel like it's about us?" He amusingly wondered when her daughter threw her toy toward him. Reflexes, he caught it, but playfully glaring at their daughter, laughing mischievously.
"Inspired, perhaps." She answered before the three of the play like any normal family. However, the woman in their household was quite dominant, which Vincencio finally took notice of, making him frown. "What's with the frowning?"
"I want a son." Vincencio answered, making Skylar chuckle before adding, "I don't want to be topped without fight."
"Do you want a baby brother, Trixalyn?" Skylar asked their almost two-year-old daughter, who was now playing with her blocks and Legos, about which the couple found a builder in her.
"I don't mind having a brother to wrestle with," Trixalyn answered, focusing on building a house based on the pattern guide.
"Then be a good elder sister in case it happens," Skylar said gently, caressing her baby's hair.
"When? How?" She asked innocently, making the couple chuckle.
"Stay innocent, babygirl, and don't answer that, Wifey." Vincencio quickly answered before Skylar went into full detail explaining it.