"Can I ask you something?" Katie asked once she was done interpreting the information she'd just been fed.
"What was your original plan if Cole hadn't shown up and I was to shift without my mate around to bring me back?" she asked.
"That was quite simple really… we were simply going to take you to the Lycaon home for a visit during that time, but then we got news of them coming here instead and cancelled those plans. It was going to be a bit more hectic than this, but it would get the job done," they said.
"I don't quite understand… once I shifted, Cole was then supposed to sniff me out and come and instinctively bring me back to my human form, was it supposed to be that simple?" I asked.
"Yes, it was supposed to be that simple. Is there something you know that we don't know?" they asked.
"I would be leaving the school unprotected in the name of going to see the Lycaons. What were you going to say to convince me to…"
"Oh, don't sweat the details. You know how we've raised you. The truth was also an option," she said to Katie. This was the one thing Katie could see would work in their plan. If she had known all this, she would not have objected to being taken with them to see Cole if he had not come to them instead, but within her, that sounded like a better way.
"I wish it had happened that way then," she mumbled.
"Why do you wish that?"
"On Sunday, my life won't be the same anymore… How will I step into that school as a werewolf hunter who is also a werewolf? It just doesn't make sense for me to make it seem like I knew nothing of the sort," Katie spoke up.
Aunt Marie burst into laughter on hearing her complaint, "How on earth is that what you're worried about?"
"What do you mean? Is there anything else I should be worried about?" she asked.
"Of course there is something else you should be worried about… Once your identity is revealed, it will only be a matter of time before your real parents claim you back from us, not to mention the anger that will be stirred up in the rogues that do not know of your existence. Cole will find out about you and will be very protective of you and so will the Lycaon family. A lot more will happen and you're worried about what you will look like when you step into the school," she continued laughing hysterically, her amusement slowly inching towards embarrassment for the young hunter, "not to mention, it will also mean that you will be the most dangerous werewolf in history and one that will cause fear from many across the entire globe, not just the rogues."
This next revelation registered differently. Katie had never taken into consideration what her power would eventually mean for the rest of the world, "How is that supposed to be very important? I just plan on hunting down the Rogue King and ending his life. That shouldn't worry anyone."
"And that will be a relief to the rest of humanity, but humans are also not the noblest of creatures. You will be seen by many states as a force to be reckoned with and you will be watched by many to make sure your power is kept in check. It will become commonplace for you to discover a spy or more than one watching your every move," Aunt Marie tried to explain.
"That is nagging in all ways imaginable," she stated.
"Yes, it is, but now you need your sleep… something tells me tomorrow is going to be an even longer day for you. There is no school, but there is an investigation that you still have to get through before your birthday on Sunday," she said, getting up from her chair to push Katie up to her room.
"You don't have to push me to my room… I have legs, you know," the young hunter tried while she was pushed all the way up the stairs and to her room. She pulled out her key and unlocked her bedroom door only to get pushed further in until she was shoved into the bed.
"Now get all the sleep you can before tomorrow," her aunt said out loud.
"I haven't even bathed yet… and my shoes are still on…"
"Are you sincerely not tired at all?"
"I am, but not on the verge of collapsing…"
Aunt Marie sighed before retreating to the door, stopping at its threshold, "You really do have a long day tomorrow. I received some rather disturbing news that you will have to look at in the morning to start your day, so get as much sleep as you can, because tomorrow will be another day for the ages," this came as a cautionary warning that was laced with all the care in the world. Her aunt was relaying a message- a plea, if you may, that Katie took to heart.
It was probably something that would have prevented sleep for an ordinary person, but this family was trained to prioritise and as of right now, sleep was the most important thing to her. She took a quick bath and slipped into the warm covers of her bed. Taking off the bandaids that she'd placed on her knuckles. The memory of knocking Ash against a tree came to her almost immediately, the last thing that occupied her mind while she slept. Something was odd about the boy while she stopped his head from hitting the tree itself.
His hair was smooth and silky as though he took extra care of it, but she'd brushed the observation away as mere coincidence. Why then was she remembering that insignificant detail at a moment such as this one? She thought to herself as she drifted deeper into the dark empty abyss and went unconscious.
....................
Jason served himself his serving of supper and joined his friend in the living room. Caden had his eyes pinned to the very spot that Ash had fallen asleep in the previous night. The feeling of loss clawed at him once more while the memories of the young boy came flooding back to him. "We'll find the killer, that we will, my friend."
"I can't help, but wonder that there is something we didn't know about Ash that was very important. I've been trying to wipe the feeling out of my mind, but nothing has worked. Something keeps irking the back of my skull," Caden said.
"It's probably nothing and you are obsessing over nothing. Maybe you could try contacting your wolf to see if he noticed something out of the ordinary," Jason said, providing the needed assistance.
"I tried, but all he could say was that there were some irregularities that he noticed in the boy's build, but nothing much to go on. It's probably nothing as well," he said.
"Yeah, like I said. How long are those two lovebirds going to stay out? It's already ten o'clock," Jason groaned.
"I think they are having way too much fun to be bothered about the time," Caden replied.
"Yeah, you're probably right about that…" he said, his mind wandering back to the incident where he'd lost control of his wolf and attacked the one person in that school that he was starting to find interesting.
"What's with you and Sandra? She seems to have an effect on you," Caden asked.
Jason shrugged him off almost as fast as he brought up the conversation, "Let's stick to the one power couple that has much clearer sparks and keep the rumours to a minimum."
"Doesn't matter which way you spin it. I know how much you value having a mate over dating any random girl that you meet. This is not something you will be able to ignore for long. Could it be why you lost control? Would getting rid of her save you from the confusion of having her in your life to constantly distract you from your mission of finding your true mate?"
"That's enough, Caden," it was rare for Jason to get worked up over something as he viewed his world through a joker's eyes. Nothing was usually serious when it came to him, except if it concerned his comrades or his mate whom he was still bound to meet.
"Looks like I hit a nerve. So I'm right, aren't I? You have your eyes on Sandra… and it pisses you off because you know she's not your mate…"
"What makes you so sure that she's not mine?" Jason snapped, yelling at his friend.
"Well, has your wolf confirmed it? Would your wolf have wanted her dead if she was the one for?" Caden had his face right in front of Jason's at this point staring down his comrade, their red eyes flashing in response to each other's intense emotions.
"She's not eighteen yet… I won't be able to tell until then…" Jason said, his voice low, "What my wolf did was just in response to the loss of Ash, not because it was Sandra who was in that situation.
"If you say so…" Caden backed down, walking past Jason to go to the kitchen. The heat of the moment finally passed, leaving Jason to his thoughts. 'Caden, what are you not telling me?' he could only ask himself as in that moment he had noticed Caden's untapped rage boiling within him, threatening to come out at the slightest provocation.
Katie woke up after seven hours of sleep, an extended time of two hours compared to her usual five. This she did every weekend since there was no school and also in an attempt to remedy any excess exhaustion her body might have been going through. The things one learns after years of training. They would live and breathe under a system. A warm bath, brushing of her teeth and dressing up later found her taking a warm cup of the ever-coffee in the kitchen.
She sipped her coffee whilst trying to decipher who might have been putting on an act in the students that had been interrogated the day before. Each interrogation played in her mind clear as day as though it was happening in that exact moment. Futile as this attempt at going through the useless information was, she still found herself going through it to find any clues of who the killer might have been.
Aunt Marie walked into the kitchen a few minutes later heading straight for the coffee machine, her hair still a mess and dressed in a bathrobe, "Good morning, sweetie."
"Good morning, Auntie," Katie replied.
Aunt Marie yawned while she poured herself a cup of the hot beverage, "Based on how prepared you look and the thoughtful expression on your face, I can tell you are eager to hear what it is that I have to say to you."
"Yes, that would be correct. You read me quite clearly that it feels scary sometimes…"
"I raised you, Katie. There's almost nothing you can do to surprise me," Aunt Marie said, taking a sip of coffee and savouring the taste as it rolled down her tongue. This was the true definition of a coffee addict and it was known by the entire household that getting between her and her coffee was a mistake of a lifetime.
Katie waited patiently as her aunt took her time to savour the flavours on her palate, "How can someone love a taste that long? Doesn't it get monotonous for you to slurp coffee every morning?" she said.
"How is it that mankind never gets tired of procreation through sex?"
"I rest my case... No need to get too graphic," Katie said, dodging the loose tongue her auntie was about to take advantage of.
"Okay then, let's get to the point now, shall we? Yesterday, we received various strings of information that were meant for you, but you didn't receive them because you were unreachable. The first one was about the autopsy report from the werewolf that died yesterday. There was nothing out of the ordinary from what they could already deduce from the crime scene. There were no signs of a struggle and the throat of the victim was skillfully slit before they realized they were in danger. This means that the person who committed this crime was someone who would not arouse any suspicion of such a heinous crime.
They did, however, find something that was peculiar considering everyone's method of addressing the victim. How well did you know Ash Myster?" she asked.
"Not that well… Just that he was someone he…"
"That pronoun… I guess they were right…" she stopped me mid-sentence.
"What do you mean by that?" Katie asked, her attention peaking.
"Ash… was not a boy…" Aunt Marie said, "It's been rare for female rogues to appear. Every single rogue that's been killed or captured was a male. Those that were female were found to be either infertile because of lack of a uterus or suffering from traumas of rape and sexual harassment. The rogues have a… how do I put this bluntly… disgusting practice of treating the females among them as nothing more than breeders," she explained.
"Disgusting is an understatement for that kind of thing, but then…"
"This does bring up a lot of questions indeed… It was found that in the uterus of fifteen-year-old Ash Myster was an immature foetus that had died not long after her own demise," she said.
"Ash was… pregnant?" the news kept getting more and more shocking. At the age of fifteen, what she was hearing felt like needles in her spine.
"Yes, she was pregnant and not to mention the signs of rape that were found on her. This girl had just escaped what must have been hell by simply pretending to be a boy," Aunt Marie said.
"Ash was still a newcomer in the school which probably meant she was raped before she got into the spy program the rogues are running. I already considered the rogues unforgivable for sending children to spy on hunters, but this is far worse…" Katie's wolf spurred from within her.
"Is there anything else they could tell about the condition of Ash's body and health by the time of his… I mean, her death?" it was difficult to switch between the two prepositions. Ash must have perfected her cover before she went into the mission, making it impossible to identify her gender.
"I wasn't so inclined to how this investigation was going by the time I heard of it and was thinking more of your safety at the point, but… now that I know what Ash went through, I would like you to put more effort into finding the killer and make sure you capture him alive. I have no doubt that once this information reaches the ears of the werewolves, they will be even more vicious than they already were, so be careful when you proceed with this case," Aunt Marie said.
"I will be careful… You mentioned having received a string of messages that were meant for me… Is that all that you were told?" Katie asked, her mind storing the information on the deceased werewolf.
"Oh yeah, there is one more. I was hoping it would help you find out some clues on who the killer might be," she said, "The werewolf that you captured finally woke up. His limbs were rendered useless and he was put through some interrogation to try and get information out of him. He was also a student from the school although he was seventeen and was more experienced than Ash. Interrogating him seemed impossible at first until he said something…
'I won't say much, but I do have a message that I'd like to personally deliver to the pride and Joy of the Hunter Agency, Katie Chase. The look on her face when I tell her… Makes my mouth water just trying to imagine what it would be like…' after that he was laughing hysterically with a maniacal look on his face. Further interrogation and torture methods proved to be useless against him."
This information gave Katie chills as she heard it. "Well then, I guess my first stop will be the Hunter's Agency."
"You're still going even when you know that the information might be useless," she said.
"It might be useless, but as you said, there might be a clue that could lead me to find out who the killer is," she said, grabbing a denim jacket from the rack by the door and slipping it on. "I'll get going. Are the werewolves going to be informed about this?"
"Yes, they have been briefed as well. Don't be surprised when you find them waiting by the Hunter's Agency," Aunt Marie said, "Godspeed, Katie." A reassuring smile in reply to the blessing was the last thing the two shared before Katie left the house. 'I'll find your killer, Ash. You can count on that,' her resolve burned bright as the thought ran through her mind spurring her to get moving faster and find the killer before they had the chance to make a clean getaway.
Aunt Marie was starting to feel sad as she felt the time she'd been living in come to an end. She watched Katie run out of the house, oblivious to what was happening. She hadn't even asked where her husband had been the whole time. It wasn't surprising for Katie to think that Tom was simply sleeping. The truth was… her husband hadn't stepped into their house since the morning the day before. 'Oh, Katie, you never asked why we never let you refer to us as mother and father… It was simply because… we didn't want you to anger your true parents, on the day when they came for you.
.........…..
"Cole, did you wash your face as I asked you to?" Jason's voice cut through Cole's sharp hearing stirring him awake as he dosed at the dinner table in the dining room. He'd been rudely awoken at six in the morning by his subordinate for something that was supposedly important. The lack of clues to what it was was still unknown to him which made it hard to take the guy seriously. After having struggled to find sleep the night before trying to figure out what Katie couldn't tell her, he had fallen asleep quite late and was currently sleep-deprived.
He'd washed his face to try and wipe the sleep from it, but the moment the last drop of water dried, sleep was back to haunt him. "We received information yesterday that you might want to listen to. The Hunter's Association reported what it is that they found out from the autopsy," this was enough to chase all the last remnants of sleep from the Royal's eyes.
"Is there something we didn't know about the way Ash was killed?" Cole asked.
"No, not really," Caden said, taking a seat opposite from him, placing a cup of tea in front of him, "but there were some other disturbing bits of information that they were able to discover that we did not know about Ash."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"The starting point of all that commotion would be that Ash was not a boy and rather was a girl…" the information resounded in Cole's mind after hearing it. Ash must have trained hard to be able to conceal her gender all that well, but the reasons for going to such great lengths were the ones that he now wanted to know. His wolf growled at the number of possibilities that one would have had to conceal their gender.
It was known that finding a female rogue was next to impossible and that if they were ever found, they were either infertile or on the brink of death from rape. On very rare occasions, sterile female rogues were found, but their bodies would be toned and littered with battle scars all over from the intense training they no doubt had to go through to pull their weight. There was no doubt in Cole's mind that he was about to hear the news that would rank among the most disturbing bits of information that his mind could fathom.
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