When he confirmed she had indeed figured him out through the security cameras that he had hacked in the school, it was clear to him that for as long as he was close to Brigadia, he was a dead man and this urged him to run without stopping regardless of his terrible athletic abilities. He'd stumbled and fallen a number of times and the sweating had drained his body of the drug that suppressed his wolf. This was causing his eyes to flicker between yellow and brown. However, this also gave him a bit of werewolf strength to finish his run. After collapsing at the camp, his wolf had also gotten exhausted and stopped bothering him on trying to come out.
They watched their comrade leave the camp and stayed quiet for a while so that he would put some distance between them, "When are we leaving? If it's even tonight, I have no objections." Kyle stunned the rest with his words.
"Were you planning to drive him to his death this whole time? Demitri is really skilled, you know. He was transferred into this unit for that very purpose," Chad spoke. Kyle stared at the alpha with an astounding look written all over his face. If it wasn't for the bright red eyes that stared back at him, he probably would have overstepped and acted like the boss.
"I have a bad feeling about waiting for him. Katie Chase is not someone I want to mess with. I was only under her radar because I managed to become her friend before she had a chance to suspect me. That's why I've survived this long, but if she gets wind that I am still less than ten miles from her, nothing will stop her from finding me," Kyle tried.
"You sound delusional, boy wonder. There is no way that's going to happen. But why didn't you mention earlier that the Rogue Killer belonged to the Chase family… and that name?" Chad asked.
"I don't know if she belongs to the Chase family because she refers to them as her guardians, but she also doesn't know why that's the way it should be," Kyle replied.
Chad and the others shifted uncomfortably, thoughtful expressions on their faces, "It can't be… Is it too much of a coincidence? Does she possess a Prometheus gift?" he asked.
"Yes, she does," Kyle replied.
"Why is the Rogue King interested in a hunter that young from the Chase family?" Chad was not happy with this turn of events. The fact that Kyle had left out these points was only because he was testing how hard-headed Demitri was and now he'd sent himself to his death with no knowledge of how dangerous the enemy was. Although, it was hard to think that a hunter could be as dangerous as Kyle proclaimed her to be. Chad himself was having trouble believing the child's tales.
Memories of the times that he'd spent with Katie ran through his mind confusing his priorities. Kyle was never able to see Katie fighting because she always made sure he was safe and away from the fighting. Her senses were too sharp for him to risk a stealth mission either. He wasn't very talented in anything other than his art of deceit. Killing Ash was the only dirty work that he'd ever been forced to go through, but that was just about it. His ideals as a rogue remained unchanged, however. And just as every rogue shared in the desire to end the human race, so did he. His cunning ways had kept him alive since he'd been dispatched as a spy in this region.
"There are some things that are reserved for the Rogue king himself. Making a decision based on his knowledge when it has leaked into his ranks could prove dangerous. Alphas have the desire to make such decisions and it makes it difficult if he has to deal with something like that," Kyle explained his reasons for keeping silent when he was asked to relay more information on the Rogue killer and his findings while he was in Brigadia.
"Well then, that settles that. You seem confident in the abilities of the Rogue killer. Nonetheless, the least we can do is trust a dead man's last wish and wait for him till the time we spoke of before leaving," Chad spoke up.
"Such noble ways for a rogue… Did the ruffian ways of the rogues dull while I was on my mission?" he asked.
"No, they did not. Everyone's still as boisterous as ever. You might want to work on those muscles if you are to survive in there. If it wasn't for your special standing with the Rogue King, you'd be scraping the barrels at the end of meals just to get something to eat," Chad chuckled.
"May I have your name at least?" Kyle asked.
"Chad… and that's all you need to know. As for the name, Kyle Dwyer, there is not a soul among the rogues that doesn't know it. Your tales of the Rogue killer have made you quite famous," he said.
"I'm pleased to hear that. Although it doesn't feel that way when it's possible for me to find a dimwit like the one who just ran towards his death," Kyle rubbed his temples. He'd done his best to make the stories believable and yet still keep the full extent of the Rogue killers ferocity, "I guess information loses integrity when it's passed through many channels. Seeing as he was from a unit that's not too familiar with this place, he must have heard stories that sounded far-fetched and even joked about it with his friends over a beer."
After a moment of silence, the kettle began to his and the rogue that had set it up got to serving the tea. He added herbs and different ingredients to it that he'd found in the cabin. A closer look at the man's face told Kyle everything that he needed to know about his behaviour. His cheeks were full and his body was more of fat than it was muscled. His arms were built with the muscle showing through undoubtedly, but his stomach stuck out loosely. This was usually how one could tell that the rogue was a chef. Even with their talents in the kitchen, they were still required to be strong such that they weren't a liability during missions such as this one.
Kyle received the warm cup from the man and marvelled at how nice the tea smelt. He wasn't good in the kitchen and so took the time to appreciate the explosive sweetness that erupted in his mouth when he sipped the cup. "Mario there is one of the best of them chefs… The Rogue king had him come with us so that he could give you five-star meals on your way to the hideout. Honestly, the man treats the spies like nobility," Chad huffed.
"I'll enjoy these privileges while they last…" Kyle said.
"What makes you think they'll go away?" Chad asked him bewildered by the boy's sudden choice of words. He spoke as though he was going to die.
"I don't know why I thought of that. Living the life of a spy pretending to be the best friend of that… monster wasn't as easy as it sounds. I thought I'd die the moment I was discovered," Kyle did not want to say it at the moment, but as he told the others this half-baked excuse, his mind continued to warn him of danger that was to lie ahead, was the Rogue killer to find out where they were.
......….
Demitri ran through the forest at his top speed, keeping his feet skilfully trekking the quietest spots on the ground. Training in the art of stealth allowed one to run at their fastest and still allow them to produce barely a whisper of sound. Thoughts of the way the boy would speak did not leave his mind. He'd been directed to a house near the outskirts of the town that was apparently the only one without the anti-werewolf mechanisms turned on. That way, he would be able to get in without a problem. 'Those guys better just wait and see. They'll soon realise just how weak they've allowed their stealth teams on this side of the world to get.
Even for pro hunters, that many stealth teams would be impossible to defeat without having a problem, 'The nerve on that boy… Making up such stories as though he thinks the rest of us will follow blindly. What is he trying to hide? Could it merely be that he failed at his task and wants a way to keep more of the rogues from investigating this place? What if he's getting closer to cracking the…' something hit his nostrils as he ran through the night bringing his thoughts to a stop.
'Royals, many of them… what are Royals doing here? And why the hell so many?' he brought his run to a halt and sniffed the air some more. This was so that he could try and figure out how many he was talking about, but the scents were too mixed up for him to distinguish between all of them. 'All the more reason to stay in my human form… shifting would cause so much trouble for me,' he thought as he continued on his way as predicted by his instructions.
'One mile to the town… This is when the so-called Rogue killer was supposed to show up and…'
"Would you happen to know Kyle?" a feminine voice interrupted his thoughts driving his heart into overdrive. For a moment, all Demitri could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. He hadn't been able to pick up on the scent of the person that had found him. He could tell that the voice was directed to him despite how dark it was. There was no doubt that this person was talking to him. The voice was filled with so much malice that it shook him to his core. His resolve was starting to crumble as he realised that there was no reason for a civilian to be wandering out in the woods at night. He had not yet even reached the routes that he expected the hunters on patrol to be using. This person was too far from the city and had found him as though they had even planned to meet in this very place. 'How long was she watching me?' was all he could ask himself as he finally met the murderous eyes of the fabled Rogue killer.
Katie had let Cole escort her once they were done with the school. They walked on in silence, thoughts running through Cole's mind while he thought about the new arrivals at the hotel. Katie must have picked up on his discomfort and poked, "What's wrong? You've been on edge for quite some time now," he said.
"Just remembering what I have to deal with back at the hotel. Anything to delay my arrival there," he said. When the others had joined him at the hotel, he'd discussed the matter of there being Royals in the same hotel as they were. As of right now, they were to lay low and not cause any alarm as they did not know the reason for the presence of the Sirius family. His curiosity eventually got the better of him, "Hey, have you heard of Royals in town?"
"No, I haven't… Are there any Royals in town that I don't know of?" she asked.
"I was under the impression you would be able to detect them with your weird mojo…" Cole said, waving his arms around to emphasize his point. Katie rolled her eyes over his foolishness.
"That's not what it is… I don't know why the Chase family doesn't simply teach this, but apparently, it's frowned upon because of how far-fetched it sounds. Anyway, it's just a gut feeling that every…"
"You can spare me the lecture. I know about that. I learnt it from the branch of the Chase family that serves the Lycaon family. They told me all about it, but when I carried out my own research and tried to find out more about it, they revealed that there was nothing I could do about it since that ability is drained out of a werewolf or simply because Prometheus doesn't aid werewolves as much as he does humans," he said.
"Talk about the gods really gives me chills," Katie said.
"I was under the impression you weren't afraid of anything," Cole teased. They were finally reaching the house that they walked up to just the day before. Katie could tell there was something wrong with the werewolf, but she decided to avoid poking any harder than she'd already tried. If anything, the one thing she could relate him to was someone who was trying his best to be patient about something and if she was right, he only needed to wait one more day…
"The gods are something else entirely… To think that this entire war was a result of one of their disputes is proof of that. The moon goddess plunged the human race into the…"
"Don't speak like that of the moon goddess. She is the guardian deity of the werewolves. I would not have you sully her name so lightly," Cole spat. Katie was taken aback by the sudden outburst. If anyone, he was the one person that shouldn't have minded talking that way of the moon goddess and yet he defended her. This behaviour amused and yet pleased her at the same time.
"Does that mean you have nothing against her?" she asked him, seeking his gaze. They had reached the driveway that led to her house as their argument dragged on.
"I have nothing against her indeed. She's not perfect, but she's done a lot to try and make up for it," he defended.
"Is the attack on the Sirius Royal family part of what she has done to make up for all this? The moon goddess has the ability to communicate with werewolves at will. Unlike Prometheus who doesn't share the liberties of communicating with humans, Celeste has the…"
"That's enough, Katie… What are you trying to achieve here? My thoughts on the moon goddess will remain unchanged regardless of what you say about her. Besides, even as you say all that and continue to point out all her faults, I do not detect any malice behind your words. Only sadness… Is there something you would like to share… or is it something you also can't tell me right now and I should be patient?" the question was a direct attack. Just like the day before, he probed into information that she had no wishes of telling him.
"What's the harm in telling you?" she said, this time to herself, "This question I've asked myself over and over again. What's the harm in telling you, but everyone involved tells me not to. And that you must know at the right time. I don't know what the endgame is or what they are trying to do…" Katie fell silent, having let her emotions spill enough, her mind quickly curbed her irrational dialogue and forced her to shut up. She kept her gaze to the ground while she spoke, "Good night, Cole. Trust me when I tell you that you will find out when the time is right, but for now, there is nothing I can tell you…"
With that said, she walked up the driveway, with no plan of looking back to see what was going on with the face of the Royal. Cole watched her walk up to the front porch, trying to decipher the ramblings she'd let slip if only for a moment. He knew now that she wasn't the reason the information couldn't be relayed to him, but something else was bothering him. He was thinking over whether to reveal it or not. It didn't feel important at first, but the more distance she put between them, the more he felt like saying it, "The Sirius Royal family is in town and they are staying at my same hotel."
Katie froze at the mention of the Sirius Royal family. This was not at all what she'd expected when he told her that some Royals were in town. In fact, she expected him to be talking about the rest of his family. It wasn't that much of a surprise to have the Sirius family present on the day that their long lost daughter finally got to shift, but that didn't make it any easier. "I'll be looking forward to meeting them," she said before opening the door and entering the house.
She shut the door silently leaning onto it with her forehead with her eyes closed when she heard the click that signalled the locking of the door. Sighing, she was about to go through what had happened that day, but the room did not feel empty. No, in fact, both her guardians sat by the kitchen counter watching her regain her composure. "Long day, huh," Uncle Tom began having noticed her awareness.
"Yeah, long day," she replied. She walked into the kitchen, hugging Aunt Marie and going for the coffeemaker. The one addiction that this house could not get rid of. Once she had taken in a couple of sips, the guardians began their barrage of questions, asking for details on everything that had happened during the investigation. They asked for what she'd been doing the whole day after that and complained about how worried about her that they were.
She took her time answering each of their questions as she had only one mouth to speak and an audience that she trusted with her life. There was no doubt about it, she loved her guardians unconditionally. After what Cole had told her about the Sirius family that was living in Brigadia, she couldn't help but watch the smiles on her guardians' faces more intently almost as if it were the last time.
She arrived at the part of the story where she realised Kyle was Ash's killer and paused to let it sink in. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yes, I am. After I found out, I ran to school to see if he was lying about having set up his project for the Founder's Festival tomorrow," Katie said.
"I don't understand… How does that have to do with proving he was the one that killed Ash?"
"When I talked to Chandler, he told me that the perpetrator won't need to hide from her much longer and yet on my phone call with Kyle, he hinted on having coordinated the project remotely. I spent part of my day checking on missing students and managed to realise that one of them was supposedly working on his project, but when I remembered talking to them, they'd been playing video games the whole day and not working on the rocket instead. One more thing that drove me to that conclusion was the fact trust..." she said.
"The only way to get under the radar of a Chase hunter," Uncle Tom said, mid-explanation.
"Exactly… That helped me realise just how much I was on a wild goose chase. I thought I was missing something when I interrogated the students at the school on that day, but nothing was being misread. All the students were innocent. The one student who wasn't was also the one I couldn't suspect just because he was my best friend…"
"That about sums it up," Aunt Marie said.
"By the time I had those many pieces of the puzzle sorted out, it should have been obvious. But Chandler had given me one more clue that would lead me to him. He said the culprit was someone close to me. Someone I wouldn't see coming and that he'd been here for much longer than I'd realised. At first, I took that to be some kind of twisted game he was playing to try and get a reaction out of me, but it fit within the puzzle nicely. Unfortunately, when I got to the school project, nothing had been set up and there was no sign of the booth was going to be used the next day…" she continued to tell them about the recording and everything that happened after that.
"Umm, Uncle Tom, where have you been the past few days? My last memory of you is you torturing me about sleeping with Cole," she said, cursing herself for noticing later than she should have.
"Took you long to notice… I feel so loved," the man pouted.
"Yes, you are, Uncle… Yes, you are," she replied, raising her cup to him as a toast to how much he was loved.
Uncle Tom chuckled at the dismissive behaviour and gave up the tantrum before it got any further, "I have been tending to some new esteemed guests in our small town," he said.
"Would it happen to be… the Sirius Royal family?" Katie asked, forcing the words out of her mouth.
"Who told you about that?"
"Cole told me… He picked up on their scents earlier when he was at the hotel," she said.
"Fair enough…"
"Why can't I tell Cole who I am?" the question came faster than she could stop it. It had been eating away at her for a while and the way they'd reacted to her simply knowing that her biological family was in town did not help her curiosities.