Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty Seven
"It was about a week ago. My mother went missing, but before I could say anything to the Hunter Agency, they called me. They showed me proof of my mum being alive, a live video of her strapped to a chair and gagged. Her vitals were also being monitored. She was at their mercy and they had her bound in chains strong enough to withstand a Prometheus gift. That only told me that she had been ambushed or tricked since her gift is agility. My hands were tied… they warned me not to get any crazy ideas because they had ears everywhere. I didn't know what they meant at first until they started telling me things that I alone was supposed to know.
My last option was to hope that your intuition was good enough to pick up on everything that was going on. I was told to put on a good show and persuade a large turnout at the Hunters' training ground. I didn't want to, but what choice did I have. Any form of bad acting and my mother would be dead. I had to cause a commotion and lead a large number of civilians…" he couldn't stomach what he was saying at this point.
"Keep going Shaemus. As long as it's your mother involved, I can overlook everything you did, nobody died," Katie said.
"You might be able to overlook it, but I can't do that so casually when even now they still have my mother and might only be waiting to give me more orders that I'll have to carry out. I can't keep going for much longer, Katie," Katie could shake the feeling of relief and pride for her comrade. As much as he was in pain at the moment, she was only happy that he was still himself… as self-righteous as he had always been.
"Continue, Shaemus," she told him.
"When we got to the clearing, I wanted to find a way to tell you. The rogues were going to attack and I knew it, but I couldn't tell anyone. The only person I could trust in the entire school was you and simply because you are a pro hunter. That speaks for itself though I didn't know that you were a pro hunter until an hour before our meeting in the clearing. My last resort was to burn down the five minutes you gave me, wasting up all my energy, using it to try and relay the one message that I couldn't relay to you," he explained, chuckling at the end, "you have such a great intuition. I could see it in your eyes, the caution. The feeling that something was not right and all I needed to do was to help you confirm it."
"Do you really think they have spies that are always watching us?" he said.
"To prove it, they organized a meeting with one of them, a student in our same class passing as a human. There was no way I could tell that he was a rogue. Even as the student stood in front of me claiming to be a rogue, I couldn't help but laugh at him like it was some sick joke. That was… until he punched my gut," he closed his eyes cringing at the enemy, "that skinny boy packed a punch. I know superhuman strength when I see it. I just never thought it would one day hit me and not to mention from a fellow student. From that moment, everyone in the school was a suspect. I had no idea how many they were or who they were. There was even a possibility of being friends with them. The perfect infiltration, they called it."
"I met one of them. He went through a Prometheus evaluation and passed. He was just a child of fifteen years that I had saved the day before from Dexter. They are able to conceal their presence by suppressing their wolves using some pills. The downside is that the pills only work until they turn eighteen. Quite repulsive if you ask me," Katie said.
"That boy was still young. He is bound to have less information than the others who have been there for months. Rumour has it that some of them have been there for years," he said.
"The boy said the seven of them were all that were there and we killed them. I'm hoping he was at least right in that aspect. I have one question though. Why did you choose me?"
"I trust you, Katie. I have been put through hell in the past week. Of all the lessons that you taught me back then, one seemed to come back to me and that was trusting my intuition. The only person I could feel safe handling this information with no chance of being a spy was you. I just had to find a way to get the information to you without risk of anyone hearing us. And the only way that I could do that…"
"Was to frame me and have me brought here so that we can talk about this in private," Katie finished the statement, the entirety of Shaemus' logic finally settling into her mind. She couldn't blame him for trying to save his mother, but she also couldn't deny the fact that he still went through with the plan with no knowledge of how many of the rogues would be attacking.
"Exactly… I'm glad I could at least tell someone about it. It's been killing me," he laid back into the bed breathing out a heavy sigh of relief.
"Did they tell you why they wanted you to gather a group as large as that one?" Katie asked.
"No, they didn't. They would only say that they wanted the school to get a bit more interesting, but that was a lie, obviously. I came to the conclusion that they were planning an attack on the civilians that I would gather on that day. Once again, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you," he said.
"It's okay… my only aim right now is to get all the facts right and make a full assessment of how much infiltration they went through," Katie said, "I still wonder why you went through with it. What if they were more of them that attacked us?"
"Even if they were more, they weren't going to attack at once with a Royal, three alphas and a pro hunter on the scene. I don't know what their goal was, but it was suicide to attack. One other thing I noticed is that they always kept their numbers a mystery like they were many. This could have just been a smokescreen to keep me paranoid about how they were everywhere. The more I thought of it, the more I saw the chances of the civilians surviving," he said.
"You call it survival when some of them are in rehabilitation because of the trauma they went through. In that commotion, it was very possible for them to die just from being trampled in the fray," Katie snapped at him. Shaemus closed his eyes, a painful expression gracing his face.
"I am not saying I justify what I did… what would you have done in my shoes?"
"You and I are very different people… especially when it comes to our power difference. That said, I'd probably hunt down the Rogue king. Something tells me he doesn't stay too far from the spies he wants to actively control like this. At the rate with which they are receiving orders, he can't be far," she surmised.
"Couldn't he be giving the orders through a phone?"
"That would be a convenient way to do it, but phone calls can be tracked and listened to. If anyone caught wind of a phone call that revealed their plans, his plans would be ruined," she said.
"You make a valid point, but what you are suggesting is…"
"The Rogue King is not far from here. He could be hiding in a hidden compound deep within the forest well out of hunter territory. And if I am merely overthinking it, he could be in town hiding in plain sight, that is if he found some way to mask his scent from every werewolf in the vicinity," She said.
"That would be a difficult task to achieve. If suppression of a wolf only works for underage werewolves as you said, it would be hard for him to mask his presence, not to mention the fact that he is among the high ranking wolves," he said. It was good to see that he could still reason even under all that guilt. The look was good on him, even after that, why couldn't she wipe the feeling of terror from her mind.
"Something is bothering me and won't let go of me," she said before she could stop herself.
"You mean like…" Shaemus was stopped when the rushed footsteps of someone running broke through the silence of the Detention Centre. Keys rattled along with the sound of the footsteps. The person was getting closer to their door. Katie checked her watch and it had only been thirty minutes since she was locked in and not an hour. Her feeling of dread got even more pronounced the closer the person came. She got up to her feet, her body shivering with the urge to get moving. After jiggling the keys into the keyhole frantically, the door swung open, a guard tumbling into the cell and dropping to his knees, completely out of breath that he could not speak even if he wanted to. Someone needed Katie's help and she wasn't going to make it in time…
Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Eight
Ash sat in the slowly emptying classroom trying to complete the work that had just been handed to them by the teacher. Catching up when one was actually trying to live a decent life wasn't as easy as it sounded, but it was better than having to be on high alert every time in your life and making sure to take pills that hide who you are
Remaining suspicious of everyone around you for probably knowing your secret and making sure to act natural while you lived with people that you knew were your enemy. Living that life was hard, although getting out of it didn't seem to be something that was easy.
Some of his friends that found out about him immediately unfriended him while the ones that sympathized remained close to him even though those were also cut in half when they were threatened to be alienated just like he was. Nonetheless, he did not mind any of that. He had been initiated into the Lycaon pack and was finally feeling a sense of belonging that beat the fake friendships of high school. He continued writing, slowly losing track of time as the students got out. Soon the class was empty and he was the only one there. His sensitive ears picked up on the silence. He was happy to get to feel his wolf's presence without fear of it being suppressed again.
Footsteps got his attention prompting him to raise his head to look at the door as someone entered the classroom. He sighed in relief when he recognized who it was. Someone he knew and could trust to have his back. "Someone looks jumpy," the newcomer said.
"Yeah, I'm still a bit jumpy. It will pass… that much I know."
"I wouldn't be so sure. How is the work going?" something seemed odd about the person talking to Ash. He wasn't the type to just walk around alone.
"Can I ask what…"
"You don't get to ask anything…" the tone changed into one that was cold and hostile, "not after betraying us like that." The smell of wolfsbane was the first to hit Ash's nose before his breath was cut off. Ash's assailant stood holding a blade covered laced with wolfsbane, one that dripped blood that was stained purple from the poison having slit Ash's throat in the blink of an eye. Ash's body fell to the ground and started to convulse and release more blood. With his throat cut the way it was, he couldn't make a single cry for help. The killer had made sure to make this quick and quiet. "You know it doesn't even matter if they find you. I'll be out of here real soon and by the time they find out… well, I'll be long gone."
The assailant threw the blade out the window and walked out of the classroom like nothing had happened, counting on the sick odour of the wolfsbane to keep the wolves away before they could smell the blood. He couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face and the feeling of satisfaction on getting rid of a traitor and in turn causing so much trouble for the hunters and the Lycaon pack. 'Oh dear Katie, I wonder what you will do now. I'm practically dying to know,' he relished his sadistic thoughts, his heart devoid of all feelings of remorse…
.....................…
Cole sat partially attentive to the math teacher and partially trying to think of different ways to make the evening one to remember. That was right before the sharp pain in his chest hit like a hurricane. He cringed at the pain and put his head on the desk trying to figure out what it was that was ailing him. Caden noticed his master's condition and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know… pain, unbearable pain in my chest. Like something's been severed," he said. Caden stood up from his seat in such a hurry that it caught the attention of the entire classroom.
"Mr Caden, if you have a question… Mr Caden, Mr Caden, get back here," Caden was out of the classroom before anyone could stop him, his nostrils flaring, looking for the one scent that mattered to him in the school other than Cole's. He ran down a few stairs before the repulsive smell of wolfsbane hit his nose. He almost turned to go back when the scent of blood mixed into the one of wolfsbane. It wasn't just any blood though, it belonged to the person he was looking for.
"Cole, get out of the classroom right now. Something terrible might have happened to the new pup," Caden said through the mind link. His body was frozen in place, a feeling of dread taking over him. Cole emerged from the classroom staggering, the teacher following behind him.
"If you needed to go to the infirmary, you could have just said so," the teacher yelled in exasperation.
"This has nothing to do with my medical condition. Get back to the lesson," Cole said to the teacher in an authoritative tone, "and excuse my other comrade to come with me." The teacher rolled her eyes in disbelief and simply walked back into the classroom. Seconds later, Jason came out and helped Cole walk, catching up to a frozen Caden at the staircase.
"Hey Caden, what's with the…" his question stopped halfway when the scents got to him as well. An alpha would be heavily weakened if it didn't know the cause of the feeling of loss and this was what was happening to Cole right now. Caden knew what the pain he described meant which allowed him to make the suspicion that Ash was in danger, but now he stood frozen unable to continue for fear of the reality that his mind kept trying to prepare him for.
"Caden," Cole's voice had a hint of anger to it, "stop wasting time."
The message was clear in his words and was enough to get Caden moving again. He ran ahead allowing Jason to lead Cole there at his own pace. The scent was impossible to miss and soon enough classes were werewolf students were starting to run out of the classes away from the source of the smell. Panic was taking a bit longer to set in which worked well for Caden since he was able to go through the hallway before it filled up with panicking students. Unfortunately, this also meant that the culprit had all the time in the world to make a swift getaway.
He finally found the classroom that was supposed to be the smell was thickest and got in, his hand on his nose. He turned to face the back of the classroom and froze at the sight before him, his body began to shiver in rage, fear and loss. Emotions that, up until now, had never been invoked at the same time at such a magnitude. Ash lay in a pool of blood, his eyes lifelessly staring up like he was looking at the someone towering over him. the smell of wolfsbane originated from a slit in his neck that ran across his throat. He wouldn't have been able to scream for help with that kind of wound. He also didn't know how to mind link since he was only recently a pack wolf. 'Who would do such a thing?'
"Did you find the source of the blood?" Cole's voice came in strained through the mind link.
"Yes, alpha, I found the source of the blood," he said.
"You rarely refer to me as your alpha… What happened?"
"Just get here… and see for yourself," Caden's voice was completely empty of all emotion. All he knew was anger and a strong sense of revenge. It took everything he had to keep himself rooted to the spot on the ground. He wanted to hunt down the person that had committed this heinous atrocity and end their lives in the most creative and painful way he could think of.
A little over a minute after talking to Cole, he turned up with Jason, "Damn that scent is thick in here," Jason said, his voice sounding, "Hey, Caden, is this…"
"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke? If it is, then it's not a funny one…" Cole spoke, his voice spelling danger.
"That pain in your chest is what an alpha feels when they lose a pack member…" Caden spoke, "Ash… is dead," the three of them shared the same thoughts of murderous intent as they stared at the dead body of the fifteen-year old that they had only recently taken into their custody. Memories of Ash's innocent smile and crybaby nature only helped to fuel their anger.
"He was innocent. He was only a child," Jason was about to start rambling.
"Stop speaking in the past tense. It doesn't help quell this rage," he said.
The first people to arrive were Sandra along with some of the teachers. Katie was nowhere to be seen in the group of people that came. Sandra steeled her face and made a call to the Hunter Agency to tell them of what had just transpired within the school. There was an uncomfortable silence for some time before the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, however, they were not the first to arrive.
No one noticed how or where she passed when getting in. Katie just appeared frozen at the front of the classroom, her body shivering with fear. Sweat beaded her forehead and stray strands of her hair stuck to her face. To the werewolves, she still had an overwhelming scent of the forest with her which showed she'd been running. 'Where is she from?' thoughts originated from the three werewolves as well as Sandra. Sandra had noticed her leave with the principal, but she did not know where exactly she had gone.
One more thing that caught their attention was Ash's hand. In his own blood, using the last of his strength, he had endeavoured to write something on the ground but wasn't able to finish. His energy had only allowed him to write one letter. The letter, 'K'…
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