I was born without a mother, and with a father who didn't know what to do with a pup who wouldn't stop crying. The pack raised me instead, fed me, trained me, beat the weakness out of me. I repaid them the only way I knew how... I bled for them.
By the time I turned twenty, I was next in line to be Beta of the Blackridge pack. Not because I was the strongest, that was Jared. Not because I was the fastest, that was Ivy. But because I was loyal. Loyal like a blade. I was sharp, dependable and willing to cut for the cause.
Loyalty was everything to me.
And then I broke it.
That was eight years ago...
"Alpha!" I bowed as I entered his office after been summoned. Alpha Philip had his back turned to me, looking out the window, lost in thought.
"At ease Ash." he slowly turned to face me. Philip just recently became the Alpha after his father passed away. We grew up together in the pack house but we weren't friends, we just acknowledged each other's existence.
I lifted my head to meet his gaze. He was a good leader that cared for his pack, ruthless too, rogues and rival packs did not dare to attack us, even when our previous Alpha passed. Those that did, met a gruesome faith.
"I have a mission for you," he finally spoke. "It is very important to me that it gets done. I trust no one else with this." I nodded my head.
"Whatever needs to be done, I'll see to it that it does."
I'm not a novice, I know what this kind of mission entails. Someone, somewhere is threatening the peace of the pack and they need to be eradicated. I don't like it- taking lives. But if it's for the good of the pack, I'll do it a hundred times over. It doesn't make me a good person, I never said I was. But I am a man who will do what is necessary for the people who raised him.
The rain hadn't stopped for three days. It turned the forest to mud and the air to mist. I had some men with me, we have been tracking the Hybrids for days now.
"We can't find jack shit in this, let's find shelter for now." Jared whined from behind me.
I ignored him and continued searching my surroundings. The forest was dense, we'd already swept the outskirts of town, if they were there, we would have found them. Hybrids have a distinct, pungent smell, different from regular werewolves and vampires. I can easily smell a hybrid from a mile away.
All I got from the town was traces of them, they disappeared into the edge of the forest, meaning they had to be close by, but this weather is not doing me any favors.
"Ash!" He whispered yelled. "I know how important this is to you but we are just wasting time and energy standing here. The rain is not letting up anytime soon."
I had wondered about that. Continuously we've had this downpour, I feel it's deliberate, planned. The Hybrids have strange powers we do not understand- elemental powers. Which is strange because neither werewolves nor vampires have such, so why do they.
Some believe they are blessed beings by the goddess herself. The vast majority, see them as a threat, if we give them a chance they will destroy the balance and try to rule over both worlds- humans and supernaturals.
They could honestly do it, if they have the numbers, but Hybrids are a taboo. If one is discovered, they are to be killed on the spot, no exceptions. They are scarce and hard to find, but recently, we keep getting tipped off on sightings.
"If this weather is their doing, even they would have a hard time navigating through the forest. There has to be some sort of sign, or path."
"Do you see one? Because I certainly don't. The whole ground is muddy. We could be stepping all over their tracks for all we know. I know you're the best tracker we've got, but even you can't find them in this."
He is probably right and I should listen to him. But I feel like I am missing something, like that feeling you get when a word is on the tip of your tongue but not ready to come out yet. Despite the rain, something glistened in the moonlight, from the bark of a tree.
"Move." I pushed the big muscled baby out of the way and examined the tree. Sure as a gun, there was a shiny metal lodged into it. I immediately scanned the other trees and found another one with the same shiny substance. I looked back to smirk at Jared before ordering him and the other two wolves to follow me.
With the metal guiding me, I was able to find the entrance of a cave. Well hidden and covered with interwoven branches and leaves. A good place to hide.
"We do this quietly and quickly."
"Where is the fun in that?" Jared whined.
He has always been the flashy kind, wanting to burst into hideouts and kill everyone on sight.
"We go in quietly, remember we are dealing with Hybrids here. You know how dangerous they can be."
"Whatever man."
I rolled my eyes before carefully stepping into the cave, it was dark and deeper than I expected.
"Hold up!" I raised a hand and reached for my flashlight. I checked the walls for traps or anything like that. Up ahead was a string with metal cans tied to it, a common trick to alert you if an enemy or a wild animal comes close. After a minute of walking I finally saw a dim light ahead. I unsheathed my blade and stuck to the wall. Ahead I could make out three bodies sleeping on the floor, one seated with his eyes closed and hand glowing. That must be the one causing the rain.
Ahead I could make out a dim light in the distance, there were more inside.
"I'm going further in, take care of these guys" I used our mind link.
They nodded in agreement.
I spun the blade in my hand and hurled it at the Hybrid causing the rain. The blade pierced his neck down to the hilt and he choked on his blood and struggled until he stopped. That served as a wake up call to the others, they sprang on their feet, alarmed by their dead friend.
In a fit of rage, one conjured a piece of rock from the ground and threw it in my direction. The rock was caught and crumbled in the hands of Jared, who already partially transformed. He had a sick smile on his face as he proceeded to fight with him and easily overwhelmed him in a close combat battle.
I proceeded further, determined to not let anyone escape. I went towards the source of the light. It was a dead end. There was a makeshift bed on the floor, a worn out looking bag to the side. Above, a line has been hung to dry clothes. And in the corner was a woman shaking with fear on the floor.
I approached her and she pressed herself into the cave walls, as if it will help her get further away from me.
"I beg of you, please don't hurt-" I sliced her neck immediately. I don't have time to listen to last words or pleads. Actually, I won't listen to them, it makes the guilt that much worse, I already have enough insomnia as is.
Her body fell to the side and revealed a covered basket with something moving inside. I used my blade to lift it up and gasped when I saw a baby squirming underneath. It cooed and wiggled it's feet, reaching out with it's tiny hands, trying to grab something, grab anything, it's mother.
My hand started to shake, I steadied it with the other, trying to keep my breathing in check. I know what I have to do, what I must do. There are no exceptions.
I raised the blade in my hands.
"It's for the sake of the pack." I whispered before bringing it down.