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"Yes," I answered with far less hesitation. "I'd like to at least try to find the wolf who turned me. I want to avenge my family. But even if I can't do that, after all the trouble I’ve caused and all the people I've hurt… I don't know.” I shrugged. "I guess I just thought maybe, now that I'm more in control of myself, I could try to be of use."
"You wish to atone for your sins," said Father Marius. Even though his tone was devoid of judgment, I still felt a strange sense of embarrassment.
"No, not exactly," I answered. "I know I can't make up for the things I've done, and I don't expect to be forgiven, but it would be better than nothing."
"Interesting," he mused, steepling his fingertips. To my amazement, he seemed to actually be considering my proposition.
Castor must have come to the same conclusion, because he looked over at his master as if he had lost his mind. It was the first hint of dissent I had ever witnessed from him. Proof of just how great his disdain for me was.
"Father Marius… you can't really be considering it?" he asked hopefully.
"It is a curious proposition, and not one I expected," the older cleric answered. "But it is not without its merits."
"You can't be serious," Castor said with an incredulous laugh. "He's a wild animal. A beast. He can't be trusted to roam freely around the Abbey, let alone to act as a hunter!"
One look from Father Marius was all it took to silence him. Castor seemed to regret his momentary outburst immediately.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Father de Leon," he said in a dangerous tone.
Castor jolted in surprise, but he gritted his teeth, his head bowed in apology. "Forgive me, Father."
Father Marius turned back to me, studying me intently. I felt a surge of panic, realizing my request had unintentionally caused a rift between them.
Shit.
As if Castor needed any more reason to hate me.
"Tell me something, young Edmond. Do you think you would be capable of hunting your own kind?” Father Marius asked. “And before you answer, keep in mind that the reality of the hunt often supersedes the limits of the imagination."
"I know I could," I said without hesitation. Just the thought of it was enough to ignite an all-too-familiar bloodlust, which probably was proof it was a bad idea. Nonetheless, the thought was too appealing to forgo if it was even a slight possibility. "I hate the wolf who turned me, and I hate the thing I became because of it. If the others are anything like that, I would have no regret over killing them."
"I see," Father Marius said, pausing for another moment. "I must admit, although we've never had a beast working for our side, it does present an intriguing concept."
"There might be a reason it's never been done," Castor said, almost under his breath.
Father Marius gave him a sharp look, but rather than scolding him again, he looked back to me and said, "I'm going to grant your request, unconventional as it is."
Castor grimaced, but he made no further attempt at argument. All I could do was stare at Father Marius in disbelief.
Was he just fucking with me?
No. As strange as he was, he wasn't cruel. At least not in my assessment, limited though it was. He was the only hunter who had ever shown even a semblance of compassion toward his prey.
"However, there are a couple of conditions," Father Marius continued. "You will, like any other new recruit, have to undergo considerable training before you're allowed to go out on the field. And you will be a recruit only on a trial basis, pending your performance."
"Yes, sir," I said, nodding eagerly. "That sounds very reasonable."
"You will also wear a silver collar to prevent you from shifting, both now and for the foreseeable future," he continued. "If and until you have proven yourself trustworthy."
I nodded. I wasn't going to complain about that, even if I wasn't sure how effective of a hunter I was going to be as a human. I had never been the most physically intimidating person. Beyond working out every now and then, and some vague memories of playing sports in school, I didn't have all that much experience. But I wasn't going to argue. Not when he was actually considering something I'd never thought was a remote possibility.
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Good," Father Marius said, still studying me with a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. "In that case, I will assign you to Father de Leon."
Castor looked up sharply, coming out of whatever dissociative state the older hunter's decision had triggered him into. "Excuse me, Father?"
"Technically speaking, you still owe each other a life debt," Father Marius explained. "It isn't good to let such things go unresolved. And as you say, he is anything but a typical recruit. As a result, he will require far more hands-on training and supervision, even with the collar."
