He watched her from the shadowed corner of the training hall, hands clasped behind his back. Her brown eyes radiated bravery, radiated a raw, untamed power, the kind of strength he had once dreamed of standing beside. But he was wolfless, and the path he had chosen left no room for dreams.
"Boss…, is she really going to infiltrate the villa tonight?" one of the men murmured beside him.
"She should be able to," he answered, looking away from her with some kind of emotion. Tonight he doesn't care; he's staking all with his men. They would all attack the Alpha villa.
The main source of power in the werewolf world was held by Alpha Drey and his people.
Now he was down, so they should be scattered and unable to hold against Becky with her strong wolf power and his men with all the hypnotized wolves.
He had everything under control tonight, so he thought.
In the villa, the old man had finally found the drugs. From one tree, he extracted the juice. He'd said to test it on Alpha if it might work, but luckily, the Alpha started to shift. He was no longer agitated; the injection effect seems to have been countered.
His eyes now turned black as he stared around restlessly. Under 5 hours, Alpha Drey was back to his human form but was exhausted from holding his wolf form for days.
"Where's my brother?" he asked immediately he could talk.
"Dwae went out of the city. I'm sure he's chasing a new girl," Anita said.
"Alpha, I was so scared. I'm so happy you're okay now," she added with tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm fine; don't cry here," Alpha Drey scolded her nonchalantly.
"Let the old man go back to his hut. He was banished by Dad. I won't bring him back because of this little favor; however, I owe him one," Alpha Drey said.
"Okay, I understand," Anita nodded.
The old man was escorted back to his hut after receiving plenty of gifts from the Alpha. He could sense incoming doom and wanted to speak to the Alpha but was not allowed.
"These kids would be the end of each other," he murmured, shaking his head as he walked out of the villa.
- - -
Becky POV:
My claws and speed were enough to take on anyone, even if I still couldn't shift fully. But tonight wasn't training; tonight I was being sent to kill for him. My stomach knotted. I kept telling myself this was for Blacky one last thing, and then I'd see him, free him, and leave this city behind.
"Boss said you should get ready," a voice called from outside the room. "Okay, I'll be out soon," I answered, gripping the dagger on the table until my knuckles ached.
I had other plans. If tonight goes well, I could be free.
I heard footsteps approaching. "Are you set?" the masked man asked from the doorway. I just nodded, not in the mood to talk.
"Remember, this dagger is for his heart." He said, "And you would be the one to infiltrate, then send a smoke signal for my men to bring backup," he added.
"I understand," I replied, my throat dry. Staring at the dagger on the table, could I do it? I wondered…
The villa was so big, with a lot of muscled, tanned men walking and patrolling. I realized the scent of something on them. Was this a werewolf villa??.
I crouched in the wet grass just beyond the lights on the wall, breathing through my mouth so my scent wouldn't carry.
The Masked Man had told me to "survey first, strike later," so I was here counting guards, mapping blind spots, and tasting the fear of what I was about to do.
By midnight I would go to the old man to get blacky for the treatment, and that was my only motivation.
I shifted my body when something clicked under my boot. Too late.
A whoosh of air. Then silver-laced netting shot up from the ground, wrapping me like a spider's web. The silver burned; my claws sparked but wouldn't cut through. I hit the gravel with a grunt, tangled, my heart racing.
Wolves poured from the trees and shadows, some in fur, some half-shifted, eyes glowing.
Their growls rose like thunder. "Intruder!" one barked.
I thrashed once, then went still, calculating. There were too many. Even at full strength I couldn't fight them all, so I retracted my claw.
"Enough!" a clear voice snapped.
The pack parted, and Anita stepped through. She wore a dark uniform trimmed with the Beta's mark on her throat. Her eyes glowed amber in the dark. Her gaze found me instantly, and instead of surprise, there was something colder: contempt.
So Anita was a werewolf too, who was then normal in this city.
"Release her," Anita ordered. Two guards hesitated, but she raised her hand, and they backed off, though the silver mesh stayed around me. She walked right up until the smell of her wolf enveloped me.
"Well," she said, tilting her head. "So you're still alive."
I swallowed. "Anita… you live here?" My voice cracked.
Her lips curved into something that wasn't a smile.
"You think you're worthy of being near Dwae?" Her voice cut like claws. "Don't curse him, miserable human. He has enough to carry."
"I… I'm not…," but she cut me off with a growl.
"You have no idea what you've stepped into. Leave now and never come back." She turned to the guards. "Throw her outside the gate. If she comes back, break her legs."
I looked at her.
"Does Dwae leave here?" I asked.
But she hissed, "Still trying to pretend you're not stalking him."
Two of the wolves yanked me up, dragging me across the courtyard like a sack. I started to think, why would Dwae be living in the same place I was meant to kill someone? So many speculations formed in my mind.
They dumped me outside the giant gate. The gate slammed shut. My palms stung where the silver had burned them.
I sat up slowly, wiping blood from my lip. Anita's words echoed in my skull. She lived here. She had called me human. Protecting Dwae.
Why? How? What did she know that I didn't?
But I had seen enough: the guard rotations, the back wall, the scent trails. That was what I needed, even if my pride felt shredded.
I pushed myself to my feet, breathing hard. The night swallowed me as I limped back toward the Masked Man's camp. I was going to save blacky tonight regardless of what. If Anita were there and she stood in my way, I would take her out. I owe her no loyalty.
By the time I reached the edge of the woods, my burns had stopped throbbing, but Anita's words hadn't. Miserable human… don't curse him. She'd looked at me like I was nothing. And she'd called Dwae's name like she belonged in his world.
I hated her and her guts. I swore to tear her apart one day when I finally mastered my power. It seemed being a human here was so miserable.
I saw so many werewolves howling and aggressive when I passed by the hall. I wondered how the masked man who wasn't a werewolf could have them do his bidding.
"You're late." His voice came from behind.
"I was caught ," I said. My throat hoarse.
"They've set traps. Silver nets that burn the skin. Guard rotations at the north and east gates every thirty minutes. The south wall is weaker." My voice broke. I hated that it did.
He stood up with an air of authority. "Show me." He pushed the map toward me, and I traced the patrol paths with a trembling finger, marking where I'd been caught, where the nets had sprung up.
When I finished, silence pooled between us. The only sound was the crackle of the fire and the soft panting of the wolves.
"They threw me out," I said at last, surprising myself. "The Beta. Anita. She's… living there. She asked me to stay away from Dwae. Calling me human." I laughed once, sharp and bitter. "She has no idea."
The Masked Man didn't answer at first. His gloved hands curled into fists, then loosened. For a heartbeat I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes before it vanished behind the mask.
"Good," he said finally. "Let her think what she wants. It makes our job easier."
I stared at him. "Our job," I echoed.
He moved closer, a dark silhouette framed by the fire. "Midnight," he said quietly. "You go in from the south wall. My men will circle from the east. You'll mark the target with the dagger. Send the smoke signal, and we'll finish the rest."
His gaze held mine longer than usual, almost as if he was checking for cracks in my resolve. "Can you do this, Becky?" he asked.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream that this was insane. Instead I nodded once. "I can."
He stepped back. "Then rest. In a few hours everything changes."
I turned away before he could see my hands shaking. Anita's words echoed again. Miserable human. Maybe she was right. Perhaps I wasn't worthy of anyone. But I still had Blacky to save, and that was enough to walk back into the villa's teeth at midnight.
"Don't do it, Alpha Run…" It was my wolf voice screaming and pleading.