I dipped my fingers in the blood that spilled over the road, sniffing it. The bodies were gone. Whoever had done this had taken them. Maybe to cover their tracks, maybe for a darker reason. Either way, I would find them, and they would pay.
"Hey, Kaelen, there is something you need to see," Ronan Dray, my second and closest friend, called.
I got up, wiping the blood on my pants, the dark linen hiding the stain. I walked to his side, eyes narrowing at the sight before me.
"Well, we found the bodies," Darin Vex sighed, joining us.
The collectors were hung on the wall, nails embedded in their hands and feet, holding them in place, heads lolling obscenely, their throats cut.
"I want whoever did this," I snarled, voice a deep snarl so dark I could smell the fear on my men.
"Alpha, we have reason to believe the killers are from the Outskirts," Corren Vask said, standing at attention by my side.
I turned to him, teeth bared. "Then that is where we go next. Leave some men behind to get them down and bury them properly."
He bared his neck in submission, then rushed off to do as I ordered.
"Easy, big guy, let's find out what happened before we rush in and start slaughtering people," Darin cautioned, reaching up to pat my shoulder.
His shaggy blonde hair covered his face, obscuring his real feelings, a mask he often used. I could tell he was just as angry as I was, but there was logic in his caution.
Ronan stepped to my other side, nearly as tall as I was, but not nearly as large. His deep blue eyes looked black in the darkness, his brown hair adding to the shadow.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "If things are as bad there as we are hearing, I think they might be desperate."
"I don't care how fucking desperate they are, killing my men will not slide," I growled, whirling back to the horses that stomped nervously.
I mounted, giving the bodies one last glance, rage boiling through me like a living thing. This had been a cold, calculated attack.
I turned away, leading my guards through the streets. The Outskirts were in worse condition than I expected. The faces that peered at us were hollow, too thin, and gaunt. The roads and buildings were practically falling down, and the entire place stank of neglect.
"Where are the funds that are meant for the Outskirts going?" I snarled at Ronan.
Darin road up next to me, serious for a change. "If I had to guess, drugs and women. Why you decided to give Sylas control over them, I still can't figure out."
"He needed something to keep him out of trouble," I grumbled, frowning around at the neglect I saw at every turn.
"I don't think that is possible," Ronan sighed, "I will do an audit when we get back."
"I want him arrested. He has gone too far this time," I said, baring my teeth at the thought of my brother so openly undermining me.
We had never gotten along. My father saw to that, but I couldn't help but feel responsible at least in part for how he turned out. He was just as abused as I was, if not more, and tossed away like trash once it was clear I was stronger.
The people of the Outskirts started to gather, following us as we walked to the center of their "city."
I dismounted, handing the reins of my horse to Darin. I looked around at the people moving in to see what was happening.
"Who is in charge here?" I bellowed, voice silencing all murmurs.
An old woman hobbled forward, pushing an old man in a chair before her. His legs were missing, covered with a cloth, ending just beneath the knees. For a moment, I thought he was their leader, but she stepped around him, crossing her arms over her chest, power strong despite her age radiating from her.
"Do you want to tell me who killed my men? Why were they hung from my walls?" I asked loud enough to carry over the crowd.
She frowned, looking genuinely shocked by the news, "I don't know Alpha."
It was the truth, I could taste it. She didn't know. I took a deep breath, trying to get my temper under control. I wasn't my father. I wouldn't kill them all for the actions of one person, but I couldn't let this go unanswered.
"What is your name?" I asked more calmly.
"People call me Miss May, and while I don't know who did it, I can tell you the reason," she said darkly. Her eyes burned with fury equal to my own.
"I am listening."
"Our children were poisoned with tainted wheat. Our most vulnerable are being targeted. We lost an infant last night, and perhaps someone's temper got the better of them."
"I see," I said darkly, turning toward Ronan, who shrugged in confusion. Of course, he would never allow something like that to happen. "We will investigate that as well. However, I need the person who did this to be handed over to me."
The mutter went through the crowd, but no one stepped forward. I sniffed, trying to see if anyone here had the same scent as the murderer. I would know them if I could find them.
Movement caught my eye, and I turned toward it, narrowing my eyes at the shadows of the alley. I couldn't see who was there, but I could smell them.
The blood of the Collector's hung heavy in the air around them. I roared in fury, running toward them. Ronan shouted in surprise, trying to get down in time to follow.
"Stay here all of you and don't let them interfere," I roared, putting power into the order. I didn't need them to chase down one arrogant pup.
He was fast, weaving through the alleys and side streets with ease, vaulting over fences that I just barreled through, barely slowing me down.
I admit, I struggled to keep up. My body was made more for brute strength than speed.
I shifted mid-stride, a gift that I alone had. Gaining on him as he darted for the trees, picking up speed, arms pumping with effort. He leaped at the last second, slamming his hand down on a weird square in his hand.
Pain slammed into me as I fell, a spike embedding deep in my side. A pit swallowed me, thousands of cuts covering my body, slicing through my fur and tough skin.
He stood over me, giving me a clear look at his face for the first time. He had dark, cold eyes, shaggy brown hair, and a look that told me everything in one look.
This was planned. I was meant to die here, and he had arranged it all. He smirked at me, then turned away. I could hear his steps retreating deeper into the forest, swallowing him in their dark depths.
I struggled free of the pit, afraid to turn back and risk losing more energy. I made it clear, crawling a few feet away, collapsing against the snow-covered ground.
A rustling a few minutes later made me lift my head, teeth bared, ready for another attack. If it came through, I knew I would be done for. This wasn't how wolves fought. Not an open challenge.
A small woman stepped forward, tentatively, hands outstretched in a placating gesture. My snarls turned to a low, uneasy rumble as she approached.
"Hey, I am a healer. I want to help you. I saw what happened. I just want to help," she soothed, voice like the sweetest music as it reached me. Her scent hit me like a slap a second later, making my eyes roll to the back of my head and a whimper escape me.
She smelled like lavender, growing things, like medicine, and safety. I opened my eyes, desperate for another look at her. She was kneeling by my side now, shaking hands, trembling over the wound on my side. The wooden spike had fallen away when I pulled free of the pit, leaving a huge gaping hole in my side.
Her dark green eyes took in my wound with a sharp intake of breath. Freckles painted her nose, like stars, her soft brown hair was loose around her shoulders like a veil. I couldn't think of how hurt I was, or that I was dying only of her.
Then she touched me, the barest brush of her fingertips. Power so intense it nearly made me pass out rolled through me. I could feel my wound closing. The tiny wounds disappeared first, the biggest wound slowly mending from the inside out. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. It itched like crazy in places I could never reach.
She jerked her hands back in shock, clutching them to her chest, eyes wide with horror as she slowly turned to meet mine. Her breathing was fast and erratic. She whirled around, digging frantically in her bag. Pulling out a roll of cloth, she pressed the entire thing to the wound, slowing the flow of blood as my skin healed.
I was lightheaded, the world spun unpleasantly for a few minutes, as the wound closed, as if it had never been there. I opened my eyes, feeling a lot better, all of a sudden.
"That is some power you have," she chuckled, licking her lips nervously. She was trying to lie, why? She saved me. Why was she trying to hide her gifts?
She scooted away from me again, and I took in the rest of her. A large sack of a dress barely hung to her knees, leaving her legs and feet bare.
She was shivering uncontrollably. It was infuriating. How dare she be so neglected that she was left exposed to the elements? Changing back, I crawled closer to her. She whirled around and yelped, holding out a small bottle to me.
"It is Willow Bark," her voice shook as she spoke, "It is for the pain."
I ignored it, crawling closer until I could bury my nose in her hair.
"No! I am sorry, I know what you think that was, but…" she said, trying to crawl backwards.
I grabbed her by the waist, spilling her into the snow, pinning her in place as I looked deeper into those eyes. Afraid she would vanish if I let her go.
"We both know what this is," I whispered, voice deep and gravely with the pull of her body so close.
"I can't!" she sobbed, thrashing.
I frowned, gripping her gently by the chin and forcing her to look at me. "Why not?"
"The Outskirts, the people there need me. I am the only healer, the only one keeping them alive…I can't…I can't leave them," she gasped, her eyes wide and desperate, the pupils blown.
"What if healers were sent? Food and supplies as well, then would you come with me willingly?" I asked in a deep snarl, making the words feral.
She shook her head, "The Alpha despises us; he won't let that happen! He already tried to poison us. How can we trust anything he sends? I can't risk it. Besides, he would rather see us dead than help us."
Her words hit like a slap. I pulled back slightly, realising for the first time just how much I had fucked up.
"I will fix this, then you will come with me," I told her, firmly putting my power into the words, a binding promise.
She gasped, going impossibly still for a moment, then cried out, fighting harder to get free, flopping to her stomach, trying to crawl away. Confused, I scooped her up as she thrashed in my arms, unable to get free.
"No!" she screamed over and over, trying to claw away from me.
"Stop," I ordered firmly, afraid she would hurt herself.
She obeyed, going limp in my arms. Alarmed, I tilted her back, cradling her. Her eyes were closed, mouth slack. I could still hear her soft breath and steady heartbeat, though. She had fainted!