The Cursed Shifters - Mateless

    Rain beat down on Shiloh’s small form as she watched the warehouse, vampires flowed in and out of it like the tide. The sickeningly sweet smell of them burned her throat leaving the scent of rotting blood behind, even the rain could not choke the putrid scent. A vampire could never be mistaken for anything else with the way that sweet smell tried to hide the reality of what they are, it marked them more then anything. Shiloh’s small unit had been watching the warehouse in the freezing rain for hours but there had been no sign of the leader of this nest, he had to be inside and staying put. Dawn was approaching, soon the vampires would stop their endless coming and going to seek shelter, but the early light may reveal her and her band of shifters as they left their hiding places to return to the pack. Thinking it through she gave the signal to fall back.               Trudging through the sodden forest, mud sucking at her boots Shiloh began to consider going into the warehouse to deal with Vareese. Doing so would be risky, especially with the numbers they had seen coming and going with no idea how many would shelter there but if he never leaves the nest, they may have no other choice.               “Shiloh! What’s the plan? We have been doing watches on the warehouse for weeks and no sign of the target.” Bex, Shiloh’s second in command and best friend looked run down and freezing. Built like an sss and several inches taller the Shiloh’s meager five foot five inches, seeing Bex’s strong form so haggard weighed heavily on Shiloh.               “I am not sure yet Bex. I’ll weigh the options and present them to the Alpha.” Bex scoffed at Shiloh’s words and another team member let a very male giggle slip past his lips. Shiloh snapped, “Get it together Dre, we are still on a job! Until we make it to the cars and are driving home you keep it together!” He had the sense to try and appear remorseful but on such a large dark man it was a wasted effort.               “Shi, you know he’s just going to tell you to do whatever you think is necessary, why do you even bother going to him? Don’t feed me that ‘he’s the alpha’ bullshit either because everyone here knows who the real alpha of the pack is and that she just won’t take the job.” Finally reaching the cars Shiloh just tossed Bex a wary look and got in the front seat of her flat black Jeep. Bex flopped into the passenger seat while Dre and the two other members of the team piled into the other vehicle. As soon as Shiloh started the Jeep Bex cranked up the heat and resumed her lecture. “Seriously, why won’t you just take over? You run everything anyway and everyone loves you, it’s not like anyone would speak against it and you know that it is only a matter of time before both the power he is not supposed to be wielding and the lack of a real mate drive Terry mad.”               “The lack of a mate is the problem Bex. Right now, I am comfortably running the pack as best I can from the shadows. Keeping us safe leading you guys with no pressure to choose a mate. If I become alpha the pressure to choose will start because I will need to produce heirs and no matter who I choose he will eventually go mad without his true mate. Then my options are let the pack suffer or put down a man I may have grown to care for and at the very least has fathered my pups. If the male Alpas of other packs hear that I am Alpha they will seek to be my mate to merge packs and I would have an even stronger opponent to put down. Putting Terry down when the time comes is a much easier decision.”               “Goddess above, I never thought of it like that. Taking away our mates was the worst thing imaginable. What could our ancestors have done to earn us this punishment? What could have been so deplorable that the Goddess cursed us all to be forever without the other half of our soul?” Shiloh knew the topic of true mates was hard for Bex, she was a romantic. That was why Shiloh had never explained her reasoning, but it was time. As she drove her mind wondered through all that was going on in the world. The male alphas of other packs were quickly approaching the cursed age of thirty-five, no one knew why but at that point the wolf inside breaks without his mate to anchor him and before long the team would have to go deal with crazed alphas who were tearing their packs and the world apart in search of something that doesn’t exist. Female wolves outnumber male wolves ten-to-one because of males having to be put down far before their time. Fights amongst the females is common as they seek to mate with the same man, but some have looked outside their kind for a solution. The idea they hold is that perhaps a strong enough blend of races will cancel out the wolf and the males won’t go insane. Mothers desperate to outlive their future sons or women that wanted to be able to grow old with their mates. Shiloh was the result of such a union, her mother being a strong wolf and her father being who knows what else. Her mother never told her the details and Shiloh did not care to search. As the car coasted to a stop in front of the pack house Shiloh glanced at Bex who had fallen asleep with her mouth agape and her short pixy cut hair stuck to her face. Her best friend deserved more then this world ruined by their ancestors, and she would find a way to fix it for everyone.               The pack house was quiet as Shiloh crept down the halls to her suite. It was only five in the morning, Alpha Terry would not be up for a few more hours so she decided to shower the mud and chill from her skin and get a little sleep before discussing the rather unproductive mission. Closing the door to her rooms Shiloh began to strip the rain-soaked gear from her body as she crossed to the bathroom, discarded weapons, holsters, and clothing trailed behind her. She turned the shower on and faced the mirror waiting for the water to heat up, her bright blue eyes stared back at her worn and tired, red hair had escaped the tight braids she wore to hang damp in her face, mud and dirt smeared across her pale skin obscuring the high cheekbones beneath, and the usually pouty lips were dry and tinted purple. These long weeks watching for the vampire were taking a toll on all of them.               “What do I do?” She asked her reflection solemnly, “Going in holds great risk to my team but the next time Vareese leaves his nest could be for another attack with all the vampires geared to fight. Which risk is greater? Do we go in covertly or muster our full force for a frontal assault? Goddess help me, I do not know what to do.” Pushing herself from the sink Shiloh turned to the shower and stepped in, relishing the feel of the hot water stinging her icy skin as she washed the grime away. Once she was clean and dizzy from exhaustion, she wrapped herself and her hair in a towel and trotted to the bed which she threw herself upon and slept restlessly.               Having been plagued by thoughts of the curse and Vareese, Shiloh’s sleep was not rejuvenating but rather draining. Her mind never stopped and she flailed in bed as if she was fighting an army alone. When she pulled herself from the bed her body ached and it was nothing more then her own will that propelled her forward to retrieve clothes to dress and meet with the alpha. Ripped jeans, a black tank top, combat boots, and unbrushed hair thrown into a bun was the best anyone was getting from her today. A glance spared to the mirror revealed circles under her eyes and a hollowness to her cheeks.               “Well, I hope coffee is enough to fix this mess.” Rolling her eyes at herself Shiloh headed to the kitchen to grab coffee with a little vanilla cream and whatever pastry was available to scarf down. The pack house was lovely with its creamy marble floors and eggshell painted walls, a very classic beauty accentuated by the art and pottery tastefully scattered about but to Shiloh’s tired eyes it was far too bright. A sigh of relief almost escaped her when she stepped into the kitchen, the black marble countertops and stainless-steel appliances seemed to soak up the light and offer her some relief. The cook, Janice, offered her a nod but said nothing, everyone in the kitchen knew Shiloh was unpleasant before her coffee and to just stay quiet. Making it to the large coffee maker Shiloh spotted a box of doughnuts from the best bakery in the area and flipped it open, a dozen of her favorite blueberry cake doughnuts lay inside. She poured her coffee, adding a little sugar and some vanilla cream, scooped up two doughnuts, and headed toward the door. As Shiloh reached the door, she shoved one of the doughnuts into her mouth, turned to Janice and grinned around it before slipping out.               Both doughnuts were gone before she reached the Alpha’s office, and she took her last dreg of coffee as she opened the door. Alpha Terry set at his desk, his beta Darren in front of him and the second chair empty. Shiloh dipped her head slightly as she entered the room, the movement showing respect and submission to the Alpha, but Terry knew it was just for show because Darren was there. As she lifted her head, she caught sight of herself in the giant mirror on the wall behind the desk, placed there by a past Alpha who claimed he wanted those who came to him to see their own fear as they addressed him. The coffee and doughnuts had put some color back into her face, perhaps enough to convince the men in the room that she did not need to take some time to recuperate.               “Report Shiloh, did Vareese ever leave his nest last night? Has the threat been neutralized?” Alpha Terry tried very hard to be commanding but without the natural gift of an alpha he sounded more like a demanding child imitating their father. Terry was the Beta of the last Alpha who was lost in a battle with no heir, so Terry stepped up. He really is doing ok with the position as far as keeping economics going and he listens to Shiloh’s instructions without hesitation which keeps everything else in balance, but he just was not meant to lead.               Plopping down in the empty chair Shiloh began to speak in what she liked to think of as her military general tone “Vareese again did not leave the nest last night, there was wave after wave of vampires coming and going but he was not among them. Either he leaves very rarely or the information we obtained about his whereabouts was incorrect. None of the scouting missions have revealed any hidden ways in or out of the building. Our options appear to be going in with a small team utilizing stealth or a full-frontal assault. In a full assault he could run, and we would lose him.”               Alpha Terry considered briefly, “Stealth, use your team, they’re the best we have. I want to avoid unnecessary casualties. You’re dismissed.”               “I’m not done,” Darren looked up shocked at the stern tone, but Alpha Terry just paused his paper shuffling and looked up. “I wish to research the curse and seek break it. The damage it is causing to our species can’t continue, the packs cannot survive and once they fall the species will as well. I need your help, as the Alpha you have access to records the rest of us do not. I need anything you can find related to the curse. What offense was so great, how we can repent, or what can be done to break it? I refuse to believe that the Goddess would have cursed us in such a horrendous way without giving us a way out.” Both the men stared at Shiloh in utter shock, no one even spoke of the curse anymore let alone considered breaking it. It was impossible, the will of the Goddess unquestionable. Shiloh opened the mind link to Alpha Terry and let her Alpha tone through, “You will find me the information I need.”               Alpha Terry snapped out of his shock first, “As you wish but your prime directive is to solve the Vareese issue not chase a pipe dream.” He tried to cover his inability to control her with a cold tone, but Darren still gave him a questioning look. As a born beta Terry still had a measure of control over all the lower ranking wolves, not the compulsion of an alpha tone but a fear of repercussions born of his lethality. Shiloh had no fear of him. “I’ll see what I can dig up. You’re dismissed.”               Shiloh stood in one fluid motion, more of a feline grace then that of a wolf and left the room. Unsure of whether her team would be out of bed yet she sent a text to the group conversation with instructions to meet in her rooms. Making her way down the hall Shiloh noticed an unusual amount of activity in the pack house, ‘probably a party of some sort being prepared,’ she thought. Opening the door to her room she was met with the deep tones she had chosen to decorate in, rich purples and burgundies scattered amongst the black furniture and bedspread. The pack house was lovely but far too bright and “clean” for her taste, Shiloh felt at home with darker tones and lots of homey touches in the form of throw blankets, pillows, and her plush rug. Anyone not used to her rooms would probably be shocked by the transition from the bright hallway. Spreading the warehouse floorplan and area map out on the coffee table she scowled at it and remained so until she her doorknob turn.               “Come, sit. We have much to discuss.” One after another her small team filed in Bex in the front looking much refreshed with the life back in her eyes and curly pixie cut hair. Dre followed after Bex, his hulking size and coffee skin a dark contrast to her light tan and blonde hair. Behind Dre came Lennon and Michael both lean and muscular but that is where their similarities ended Lennon had a supernatural beauty to him that came from the vampire his mother had chosen to father him, raven locks that he wore long and icy blue eyes while Michael looked more like a wolf with his green hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair, he and Bex could pass for siblings. They were a hodgepodge looking group but the most effective their world had ever seen when it came to taking out a threat.               “We are going in after Vareese, the options were us go in covertly and take him out or a full-frontal assault that could cost us lives and end in him escaping if he saw the threat. As we all know the warehouse is surrounded by forest with the only direct rout in being the gravel road that connects here with the main road,” Shiloh slid her index finger along the map pointing with her long black nail. “From our surveillance we have noticed a hatch in the roof but no other access points beyond the front door. You all know I prefer we enter from different access points, but it does not appear to be an option this time, so we need to come up with a solid plan. There is a good chance that the hatch drops right into Vareese’s private quarters as the floorplan indicates a loft in that area. Opening the hatch would be all the notice he needed to be ready to fight us.”               Bex was the first to chime in, “If we attack during the day sunlight is going to pour in through that hatch, it could buy time for us to drop in without being attacked or he could flee into the warehouse immediately when he saw it.”               “Or he could stand back out of the light and as we dropped in shoot us or throw knives from a safe distance, too risky.” Lennon always pointing out the flaws, it had probably kept us alive on many occasions but drove us all a bit crazy.               Dre spoke up next, “What about a distraction, not something ahead of time to draw people out because that could cause him to leave his quarters but at the same time as we are opening the hatch. It could cause him a bit of distraction and cover the sound of the hatch opening.”               “That would mean one of us is not with the group inside the building, someone would have to stay outside to trigger whatever it is.” Michael, never keen on splitting up but always ready to do what has to be done. This team had been his only family, his father had gone mad from lack of a true mate when he was only nine and his mother had been the one to put him down. Unable to deal with taking the life of the father of her child she killed herself leaving Michael alone. The other two men in the group were more imposing but if any one of them was under threat Michael was the most vicious of them all in defense of his siblings.               “Three go in, two stay out to implement the distraction. No one will be without backup and as long as he is in fact in his loft it will be a simple drop down, kill him, pop back out, and flee.” Shiloh summed up.               “But what if he isn’t in his loft Shi?” They all knew this was a possibility that would complicate things immensely, but Bex was the only one ready to bring it forward.               “If it is in fact his loft, we wait, conceal ourselves within and wait for him to return. If we drop in to find that it is just used as a closet or some other nonsense, we will have to search the building and probably fight our way through. Everyone will need to have their link open to me, only use the one formed through the blood bond if necessary, as Vareese may be able to pick up on it, it broadcasts much wider then a one on one link. We will need to come in from different directions and leave the same so I want one car here,” Shiloh pressed her finger to the map of the area indicating the place they had parked the night before, through the forest to the west of the warehouse on the main road, and here, a side road further off through the forest behind the warehoused. So whose going in and whose causing a ruckus?”               The bickering began immediately, and Shiloh just sat back and chuckled as she watched her brothers and sister argue about who was going into the fray and who was going ‘sit on the sidelines.’ They all wanted to go in. ‘Fayrah are you there?’ Shiloh spoke gently to her wolf, at twenty-four she was past due to find her mate, so her wolf had started to mourn. Fayrah would rarely speak anymore and did not find joy in watching her family as she once had.  ‘Where else would I be Shiloh? I live within you, always together.’ She sounded so somber. Shiloh hated to give false hope to anyone, but she needed to tell Fayrah what she was doing. ‘Fayrah I have told Alpha Terry,” Fayrah scoffed at the title. “I have told him to acquire me all texts related to the curse that took our mates from us. We are going to fight, Fayrah, we are going to bring them back.” Hesitant excitement rolled from Fayrah at Shiloh’s words. Looking outward again at her still bickering family Shiloh thought to herself about all they had been through, about how old they all were. Bex was a year younger than Shiloh, but the boys were all a bit older, soon their wolves would begin to become restless and before too long the men would start to go mad from the constant thrashing and anger of the wolf inside them. For them she would break this curse, for her brothers’ lives she would find a way. She had planned to tell them about this next mission today but instead she decided to wait until after the Vareese problem was solved and she had more information. “Ok, ok, that’s enough. Bex and Lennon you’re with me,” Bex stuck her tongue out at Dre in victory, “Dre and Michael you will be forming a distraction. I don’t particularly care what kind as long as it is loud, and you can get out of the way. Blow up the side of the warehouse for all I care, a few less vampires to deal with.” Shiloh chuckled knowing good and well that Dre would absolutely try to convince Michael that they should blow up one entire side of the warehouse. “I want you all to hit the training field today, tonight sleep, we need it to pull this off. Eat well today and tomorrow and at seven tomorrow night meet me at the cars ready to go, the attack will happen just before dawn so we can utilize the sunlight when we escape. I’m serious boys sleep, I want you rested for tomorrow night, you can play with your little girlfriends when we get back.”