Chapter 2

Laken heard her cellphone suddenly ring, pulling her off from her angry state for a moment. It was her younger half-sister Zuri, but she answered it blandly with a small smile on her face.

“Bad morning, I see,” her sister’s soft voice said on the other end.

“You could say that,” she answered with a sigh. “Why do you call, Zuri Blythe?” she asked with a piqued interest, absent-mindedly swinging her chair from side to side. It was like a mannerism that she was not so aware of.

“My birthday’s coming up, remember? And can you come this time? I promise there’s no party. Only the three of us,” her sister said quickly.

She slapped her forehead. Yes, it was two years ago since they celebrated her sister’s birthday together, and it was a party, which she hated. People had different strong smell, which made her sick.

Her mind calculated the time she was going to spend there. Her sister’s birthday was next week. And during this time, she would be busy for the Film Festival. Perhaps she would be able to make it, though with Sue’s help, of course. Since her sister promised it was only the three of them, which meant including her stepfather Mohegan Blythe, it was fine. He was a fine man and a father to her all these years. He was always there for her and her sister when their mother died ten years ago. She was only fourteen, and her sister was nine.

“Um... yeah! Sure! I’ll be coming over,” she decided.

“That’s great, Laken! I am so, so happy!” Her half-sister squealed. “I really, really missed you, you know?”

Her heart seemed to melt. She swallowed and smiled. “I missed you, too, little sis. I’ll see you then. I promise.” She put down the phone and sighed while she massaged her temples. She then rested her head on the back of her swivel chair. She thought of something to gift her sister.

‘Now what should I give her?’

***

“I don’t think you understand even though I already made myself clear!” Bleidd growled. He caught Matias by the collar, pushing him into a corner. “I’ve already told you many times before. No more goat-eating!”

The Hispanic shifter glared back at him, breathing heavily. “What am I supposed to do? I’ve been raised like this!”

Bleidd gritted his teeth. “You’re to follow my order this time, Matias, raised or not.” He let go of the other shifter’s collar. He looked around the room. The others dropped their gazes to the beige-colored tiled floor. “You know why I’m not letting you do whatever you want.” He sighed. “It’s for all of us to survive. Someone is out there tracking—killing—every wolf for years now! And I cannot let that someone find us! Do you understand?”

The spacious room was quiet. As the alpha of the Yellowstone pack, he pledged to himself that he would not let that fucking son of a bitch out there get to them—just like what happened to his parents that night almost two decades ago. Until now, he could not forget that scent. It was like that person carried death himself. He just knew in his gut it was that killer who murdered some neighboring states’ pack members. That wolf killer must be near now. Bleidd had to protect his own whatever it takes. They were his family ever since he lost his parents.

Matias went out ahead of the others. He sighed as the others murmured they were also going out of their fallout-like shelter, which was under a huge barn. He had this built a couple years ago. He used the slush fund his parents left for him. The traceable money was used for his education and boarding school until he graduated from the university in Wyoming. For about five years now, he put up some local businesses so he would not need to get out of the state.

It was already dark when he went up above ground. In the nearby bungalow house that housed most of his pack members, they were busy preparing food for dinner. But he had no appetite to eat anything even though his best friend Makoce’s culinary skills were unrivaled. He took off his clothes and ran towards the forest, turning into his werewolf form. He felt free as the wind touched and caressed his fur gently.

He had no idea that he already passed the border of Wyoming to Idaho. Still, he did not stop. Running in the night with the moon almost in its perfect circle was exhilarating. He felt powerful but without care in the world. He had to get away from his pack to think what to do next. What if that wolf killer was able to trace them? He seemed to get closer as days went by. He was not sure what he would do if he saw him again. Would he ask why his parents were butchered before his eyes? It was still a puzzle for him why his loving, caring parents were killed.

He halted when he heard the flowing of a stream. He went over there to drink its clean, cool water. He thought it was actually refreshing and sweet. The moving water reflected the moon it was almost blinding when he stared at it. The running water made the moon dance and deformed. Across from where he stood, a tree line was close by. He slowly backed away when a couple of silhouette emerged from it. He ducked his head as he slowly walked backward.

“Really? We’re going to have a skinny dip at this time?” A tinkling laughter sounded.

He looked at the woman with red head. She was petite. The other one with black hair was tall and slim. The two stripped their clothes and placed them in a safe distance before they slowly went into the water. He watched them take a dip. The two young women still had not noticed him as he blended in the shadows, behind the huge rocks. As he continued to back away, his right hind foot stepped on a twig that caused a noise, making them look straight in his direction.