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It’s about magic and the source of their powers.
No, they won’t run. They will fight, which means before this is through, I will stand toe to toe with a pack while Quinn leads the charge. I should have weakened them and killed her, since she was clearly important, but I cannot change what happened now.
“Is it done yet?” Lucien grouses, annoyed and tired.
I look down and swear. “Yeah, sorry.” I quickly serve it and grab two waters before sitting. I poke at my food, my stomach turning from the seriousness of everything I know is to come.
“Quinn will warn her pack,” Lucien starts as he eats.
I nod. I was thinking the same thing. “It will make it harder,” I add as I take a bite, barely tasting the food as I chew, glancing at Jai to see he’s still motionless.
It’s quiet for a moment, and then Lucien clears his throat. “I wonder what happened to the wolf you saved when you were a kid.” My head jerks up, and he grins. “I was there, Vale. I’m not an idiot. I helped cover for you. You were just a kid?—”
“It was a mistake,” I hiss.
“True.” He nods. “But I wonder where she is.”
Does he know? Is that why he’s asking?
“Probably dead.” Or will be soon.
He watches me carefully before going back to eating, and I force myself to eat, knowing I will need my strength. When I’m done, I sit back. “Whoever she is, she will be dead soon. We will hunt them all, no exception. We owe it to our race, to our people.”
Lucien is quiet for a moment. “Do you ever think that they aren’t monsters, but nature’s will? That we should coexist?”
I slam my fist down, and he snaps his mouth shut. “I tolerated that talk when we were training, but you know better now. Just look at Jai or the countless other men and friends we have lost over the years. We hunters are all that stand in the way of the annihilation of our race.”
“I agree that there are monsters out there, but maybe it’s like humans, where not all of them are evil. Some seem to just want to be left alone.” He swallows at my dirty look.
“Are you backing out of your oath as a hunter?” I ask cautiously. “Answer carefully, brother, because we might be related, but I will not tolerate you betraying our kind.”
“I’m just saying, it’s something I wonder.” He sighs. “You know I will go where you go, hunter or not. I just don’t want to be on the wrong side of history.” He stands, staring at me. “I don’t want to become the monsters.” He steps away.
I stare at him, wondering how much Quinn fucked with him to have him talking like this. I never should have left him alone with her. She clearly used her wiles against him, which is more of a reason for us to hunt and kill the pack and get him back on the right course.
Once she’s gone, he will be back to normal, and then we can go back to our usual routine and hunts.
The day drags on. I get in a couple of workouts and a shower before I clean and strip our weapons, but Jai still hasn’t woken. Lucien is also ignoring me, lost in his own world as he pushes his body to the limit in gruelling workouts before searching around the mill to check for any lingering wolves. We don’t know how long it will take Quinn to get back to her pack, and they could already be coming for us.
We need to be sharp, and once Jai is awake, we’ll move locations, dismantling this one and leaving them a nasty surprise—just in case.
After all, wolves are excellent trackers, and even if Quinn doesn’t remember her way back, she will remember the smells and trails. She will come, and so will her pack. We must be ready, so I keep myself busy and start building the trap.
I place some wood above each door and entrance with spikes that will slam down when triggered, the tips covered in wolfsbane. It adds to the tripwire we already set around the outer perimeter, since Quinn seemed to easily avoid that.
Once I’m done, I’m covered in sweat but feeling better. It’s my job to protect Lucien and Jai and I failed. It’s also my job to lead them, and I’m failing at that as well.
Maybe I shouldn’t lead them. Maybe I’m not strong enough. If Lucien is questioning his conviction . . . I don’t think I could do this without him or Jai despite him being a crazy bastard. We have survived through thick and thin together.
We are soldiers, we are hunters, and we are brothers.
I cannot lose that, so if I need to be stronger, then I fucking will be.
No wolf will take either of them from me.
As the sun starts to set, I’m heading over to check on Jai once more when he suddenly sits bolt upright, his eyes snapping open and landing on me.
What the fuck?
