I hastily got out of bed, bare feet touching the cold floor. The need to act, to confront this revelation, pulsed through my veins. I opened my bedroom door and faced Hunter's imposing figure in the hallway, as if he had felt the same urgency as me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice filled with agitation. Hunter stared at me with a grave expression, as if carrying a burden on his shoulders. “I remembered whose scent was in your house, Fierce. I came to warn you.”
My eyes met his, and my mind connected the dots. “You're talking about the scent of...”
He nodded. “Jeff.”
The words hit me like stones, confirming my suspicions. Jeff, the werewolf who once belonged to our pack, was now implicated in the disappearance of my children.
A shiver ran down my spine as I processed the information. “You felt it too?”
He nodded again. “Yes, it was Jeff who was in your house.”
At that moment, Caleb woke up, seemingly awakened by the situation's urgency. His eyes met mine, questioning. “What's happening?”
I took a deep breath, trying to contain the storm raging within me. “The werewolf involved in our children's case is Jeff.”
Hunter's eyes narrowed, understanding and fury shining in them. He turned to Caleb. “Where is Jeff?”
Caleb, still somewhat sleepy, scratched his head. “Jeff? What does Jeff have to do with this?”
Hunter wasted no time explaining. “He is involved in the disappearance of Fierce's children. Where is he?”
Caleb, now fully alert, breathed deeply. “I don't know.”
Hunter held Caleb against the wall, his fangs threateningly visible. “I won't ask again.”
Caleb, somewhat surprised by Hunter's action, raised his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I don't know, Hunter. I haven't seen Jeff in a long time.”
Hunter tightened his grip, frustration evident in his eyes. “When was the last time you saw him?”
Caleb took a deep breath before answering. “It was when I did the Alpha King Garnet job years ago. The job I mentioned at dinner.”
Hunter frowned. “What was the mission Garnet assigned you at that time?”
Caleb hesitated for a moment before speaking. “It was to kill the wolf destined for Zora, allowing her to be free for you. After that mission, Jeff and I went our separate ways.”
The gravity of the situation deepened, and a knot tightened in my stomach. “We need to find him before he harms my children,” I declared, feeling the weight of duty as a mother.
Hunter agreed. “We better go now.”
Caleb, apparently forgetting the imminent danger, looked at us with bewilderment. “Aren't you going to eat something?”
In the midst of a crisis involving our missing children and the revelation that Jeff, the werewolf responsible, was involved, Caleb had the audacity to mention food.
Hunter, impatient, replied, “Eating is not our priority now, Caleb.”
Caleb, reluctantly, agreed but still muttered that he would grab a quick snack to take with him. He began to descend the stairs, but before we could follow him, a deafening crash echoed from downstairs. The sound of breaking windows cut through the air, and within seconds, thick smoke began to spread through the hallway.
“Run!” shouted Caleb, his voice muffled by the growing confusion.
Hunter acted quickly, holding me in his arms, his eyes fixed on mine. “Let's get out of here.”
We ran through the corridor, dodging the toxic smoke filling the space. The sense of urgency increased with each step, while grenades echoed, announcing an imminent threat. Our only escape route seemed to be through the windows.
“To the room!” ordered Hunter, leading the way. The door to the room opened in front of us, revealing the shadowy interior. The darkness contrasted with the spreading smoke. Our only way out was the window, and I felt adrenaline pumping through my veins.
Hunter held me firmly, and Caleb was in front of us, guiding us through the corridors blocked by the fog. The agitation was palpable, and our footsteps echoed in the empty rooms.
Finally, we reached the window. Caleb opened it urgently, the cool night air flooding the room. The sound of grenades still echoed, and smoke seeped through the window cracks.
“Let's go!” shouted Hunter, encouraging us to leave. Caleb descended first, followed by me, and lastly, Hunter. We landed on the lawn in front of the house, distancing ourselves from the imminent danger. Smoke rose from the building, obscuring the view of our now chaotic home.
“What's happening?” I asked, looking around for answers. Hunter looked at the burning house, his expression serious. “Someone is trying to stop us.”
“What do we do now?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the tragedy unfolding before us.
Hunter, with a piercing gaze at the burning house, responded seriously, “The people who did this are still around.”
My next question was instinctive. “Where?”
Hunter turned to face me, his golden eyes shining with restrained fury. Before he could answer, a transformation began before my eyes. Hunter's body twisted, gray fur covering his human form. He emerged as an imposing wolf, his golden eyes intensified by the fury pulsating in his veins.
“I need to find them,” Hunter said, his voice now a deep growl, before launching into the darkness of the night.
“Where is he going?” I asked, a slight tremor in my voice.
Caleb, who watched Hunter's transformation with a mix of fascination and apprehension, answered my question with another question. “Has Hunter always been that big?”
I stared at him, somewhat perplexed by the casualness of the question given the situation. “Why don't you transform into a wolf and help Hunter?”
He returned my gaze, his expression a mix of uncertainty and discomfort. “Why don't you do the same, Fierce?”
His question caught me off guard, but it wasn't the time for word games. “I asked first, Caleb.”
He sighed before answering, “I'm having trouble connecting with my wolf.”
My expression turned serious. “Me too.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Are we being punished somehow?”
The idea hung in the air, a possibility we dared not ignore. Still, I couldn't stand there waiting for answers that might never come.
“Even if we've been punished, I won't stand here waiting for Hunter to come back,” I declared, my determination reigniting within me.
With a firm look, I began walking in the direction Hunter had taken. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air as I advanced across the lawn toward the darkness that swallowed the landscape. Caleb hesitated for a moment before following my steps.
“Wait, Fierce,” he called out.
I looked back, ready to face whatever was to come. “What is it?”
Caleb looked in the direction Hunter had gone, concern marking his features. “I'll go with you.”
***
I walked in the direction Hunter had taken, the grass under my feet damp from the night dew. The glow of the flames diminished as I moved away from the house. The scent of the night forest lingered in the air, but Hunter's absence was palpable. I wondered where he, in his lupine form, could have gone when a terrifying scream tore through the night.
My eyes met Caleb's, and without saying a word, we both knew that scream was from a human... undoubtedly someone who had crossed paths with Hunter.
“Hunter,” I whispered, and Caleb nodded, his serious face reflecting the same concern I felt.
Without hesitation, we headed towards the forest, the sounds of the night blending with our quick steps. The screams echoed, becoming eerie guides leading us to their source.
As we advanced through the woods, the screams became louder and more desperate. A growing tension seized us, each step adding to the uncertainty of what we would find at the end of this nocturnal search.
Finally, we reached a clearing where the darkness of the night was interrupted by a grim scene. Hunter, in his alpha wolf form, held a black-clad man against a tree. Beside him on the ground lay another body, marked by Hunter's massive paws.
I stared at Hunter, his grayish fur gleaming in the dim moonlight. “What are you doing?”
The terrified man turned his gaze to me and pleaded, “Please, ask the werewolf to let me go.”
Hunter, with his golden eyes fixed on the man, pressed him even harder against the tree.
“We need answers, Hunter. Let him go,” I commanded, but the wolf showed no signs of relenting.
Hunter squeezed the man harder against the tree, his golden eyes shining with intensity. “Where are the boys?”
The man swallowed hard, his expression of pain evident. “I don't know about any boys. I was hired to attack the house.”
Hunter bared his teeth at the man, a silent threat. “Who sent you?”
The man, named Maxwell, revealed his boss's name. “Maxwell. The boss's name is Maxwell.”
Hunter, ruthless, asked, “Where can we find Maxwell?”
The man replied, his tone desperate, “Cheyenne, Wyoming.”
Caleb and I exchanged glances, the information echoing in our minds. Cheyenne, Wyoming – the next destination in our quest for the truth. Even in his lupine form, Hunter emanated an intensity that prevented us from questioning his actions.
“We need to go to Cheyenne,” I declared, my mind already plotting the next steps. “Now you can let him go, Hunter.”
Hunter nodded, as if agreeing, but in a swift and wild movement, he pressed his massive paws onto the man's chest. A final moan echoed through the clearing, but it was drowned out by the sound of Hunter's claws tearing the man's body apart.
The disfigured body fell to the ground, marked by the alpha King's claws. The justice of the alpha King was not always compassionate, and I knew the marks left on that man would extend beyond the skin; it was a warning.
“It is done,” Hunter declared, his words echoing in the night.
“That wasn't necessary,” I murmured, even though I knew Hunter's anger was justified.
“He could have betrayed us; we can't allow that,” Hunter, now with blood-dripping claws, turned to us, his golden eyes still sparkling with fury. “Now this Maxwell has a lot of questions to answer.”
Caleb, who had been silently observing, agreed. “And we'll go there to ask them.”
Without looking back, Hunter set off again through the dark forest, and I, along with Caleb, followed his steps, knowing that the path ahead was filled with challenges and dark revelations. The quest for Maxwell and the truth was just beginning.