The Cursed Shifters - Mateless

What Was That

A tiny blonde burst through the doors of Vareese’s warehouse, the little fireball was red faced and fuming but somehow still managed to look scared through her rage. ‘Good the fear might keep her alive.’ Vareese thought as he stared her down. The impetuous little wretch had a real problem taking orders and doing as she was told, he found her exhausting and infuriating, but she had proved to be useful even if she was a royal pain in the ass. She was almost as old as he was and quite strong for it despite her size, her real use was found in that she truly embodied the viscous nature of a woman scorned with everything she did. She was also possessed a quick wit  and was calculating, an advantage over a lot of the younger vampires who never thought past the next feed. “What is it, Claudette?” He said sounding bored and annoyed with her already.

                                “She killed them! That wretched dog chewed Tyler’s heart out of his chest, she didn’t even break his neck first!” Claudette was screaming, rightfully so, she sired those men, they were hers and she relished it now they were gone.

                                “Who killed them?” Vareese rolled his eyes, utterly bored at her theatrics even if they were founded.

                                “That f*****g ginger b***h! The one all the whispers talk about, the assassin with no face! She has one now! Her and her entire little pack of feral dogs, I’ve seen their faces!” That caught Varesse’s attention, He had been hearing about the mysterious assassinations for a long time but the only things they had ever found was unmarked weapons and a strand of long, deep red hair. The color wasn’t found in wolves however, so they decided it was either from a meal or the assassin had to be fae.

                                “You’re telling me that you saw a wolf with red hair?” His calm tone was in stark contrast to her screaming.

                                “That’s what you’re getting out of this?! She killed all of them, brutally! All you care about is the anomaly of her hair color?!” Vareese lowered his gaze on her and snarled baring his teeth. “Yes! The redhead is a wolf! Her wolf is even red, redder as it was caked in Tyler’s blood when she buried her jaws in his chest and tore his heart out!”

                                “Tell me what she looked like, now. Spare no detail.” Claudette rolled her eyes, exasperated by the lack of interest in what she had come here to tell him.

                                “Long red hair, dark red not carrot like a lot of humans, blue eyes, high cheekbones, her nose turns up a bit on the end.” She tried to stop there but Vareese leveled a look telling her it wasn’t enough and promising violence if she did not continue. “Ugh! She had a nice mouth and was probably about five foot five. Honestly, she was pretty enough that if she wasn’t a mutt, I’d add her to my collection. Petite and muscular with the right kind of curves for a girl, she looked like she carries weight in her thighs, but I would be willing to wager it is muscle not fat. Is that enough of a description your highness?” The last was a jab, an insult, she knew he was no royal and she spat those words at his feet. Vareese smirked in mild amusement, her insolence wasn’t going to phase him tonight, she had brought him valuable information.

                                “You’re dismissed Claudette, find yourself a room here since your nest is no longer safe and don’t worry, we will handle the little wolf when the time comes. I have been looking for someone like her for a very long time, I just have to decide how I want to handle her.” He mused as he waved a hand sending Claudette out. Soon he was lost in his thoughts, his mission would soon be finished and not long after that the vampires would successfully wipe out the wolves. The half breed blends of vampire and wolf they may let live, no one had really decided yet. ‘The girl, how would I like to deal with her, she has killed many of our kind, the wolves both fear and respect the faceless creature that has diverted so many crises from them. What would shatter them more efficiently? To hold her head before them and tell them I’ve killed the one who stalked the night rescuing them or to stand before them with her turned, sired to me, my bride?’ His musing and plotting carried on until the sun began to peak through the trees of the forest surrounding the warehouse.

                                Shiloh, Bex, Dre, Lennon, and Michael made it back to the packhouse, Shiloh was still wrapped in the thick velvet drape. “With how often you end up shifting and shredding your clothes you would think you would keep extras in your car.” Bex was right, this did happen a lot but none of them had extra clothes with them either.

                                “Well, if one of you had extra clothes it wouldn’t be an issue either would it?” Shiloh snarked, both girls giggled. “I mean if Dre just had an extra shirt, it would be an entire dress on me but NOOOO all he has is extra pants in the car. You guys do realize shirts are a requirement, no shirt, no shoes, no service.” Shiloh tried to look serious and Bex through her hand over her mouth trying to stifle the giggles.

                                “Why would I hide all of this,” Dre gestured the length of his torso, “from the ladies if I don’t have to?” Bex and Shiloh faked overly dramatic gagging as their response.

                                “Y’all are right though, Ill throw a robe or something in the car for these situations. Maybe buy a couple of emergency sweat outfits, something I wont be tempted to get out and wear.” The dry crusted blood on Shiloh’s face itched and cracked, and she rubbed at it with a piece of the drape she was wearing. “I really need to get upstairs to the shower and get this crap off of me.”

                                “Put some clothes on while you’re at it, I’ve seen enough for one night.” Lennon taunted, Shiloh just stuck out her tongue and flipped him off. Before heading up the stairs and down the hall to her room. She could hear her friends talking in hushed whispers still standing in the foyer and she paused in the hall to listen.

                                “What was that? She’s never gutted someone like that.” Michael, he sounded worried.

                                Lennon spoke next, “Heat was rolling off of her like a bonfire, I’ve never felt anything like it.”

                                “I’m pretty sure I saw fire in Fayrah’s eyes, but it could have just been the reflection of all the red in that room, very tacky and stereotypical.” Dre.

                                Just when Shiloh was about to start walking again Bex spoke, “You are all being absolutely ridiculous, you know how protective she is over the entire pack, they are her people, we are her family. I was going to die, he had me, of course she shredded him! She is overprotective to a fault, and we all know it but there is no one I would rather have at my back.” Shiloh smiled to herself and again began the trek to her room. Bex continued scolding the boys, “Lennon, no s**t she was hot, how many times has she described what it feels like in her chest when she’s truly angry? She has always told us it’s like a tiny dragon is in there where her heart should be, breathing fire and heating up her core. Imagine how angry she must have been to see that knife at my throat…” Shiloh could no longer hear them once she shut the door to her room.

                                 Dropping the drape, she padded to the bathroom and turned the shower on hot. There was dried blood everywhere, in her hair, smeared on her face, streaks down her neck and chest, spray from the throats she tore out all over her body. She looked like either the villain or the victim in a horror movie, she couldn’t decide which. She stepped into the shower and watched as the clear water began to run brick red. Turning her face up to the water, she slowly regained free movement without the pulling and cracking feeling of the dried blood, once her face was clean, she tilted her head back and her shower suddenly looked like a slaughterhouse. Shiloh’s thick hair had soaked up far more blood than she realized. Once all the blood had been rinsed off, she lathered up her hair and body and scrubbed until the feel of it was also gone.

                                Steam poured from the bathroom when Shiloh finally emerged, wrapped in a fluffy royal purple robe. Bex sat on her bed waiting for her, already showered, and changed into her pajama shorts. “You, ok?” she asked, pointed but soft. Bex knew Shi, she knew she wouldn’t say a word unless asked and she wouldn’t lie, possibly evade but the girl was practically incapable of lying.

                                “Yeah, I am. What about the boys?”

                                “Oh, you heard that, sometimes we forget that your hearing is a bit better than the rest of us. They were a little freaked, that was more violent than we are used to from you. Usually, you go for quick and concise, no room for error or escape, just strike and done.  You took your time, and it shook them up a bit. It was really more of a Lennon move then yours. I think you have been spending too much time together.” She laughed, they all spent too much time together.

                                “Lennon was right about the heat, I didn’t know anyone else could feel it, but it was like an inferno inside me, I saw that knife to your throat and the rage from both Fayrah and I could have burned the city to the ground if it was a tangible flame. I don’t know why I am so different from everyone else; I know I have a mystery dad, but Lennon’s dad is a vampire, and he still blends in with the pack. We have a couple half human members as well, not that I would really expect much in the way of abnormality from them.” Bex wore a thoughtful expression, she knew that not being normal weighed on Shiloh, it always had.

                                “When you are ready to try and figure it out, we are all here to help you along the way. Even if it’s bloody or messy, or hell starts a war!”

                                Shiloh laughed a bit. “I highly doubt we would start a war figuring out why I am weird. My dad is probably a redheaded witch, they can do all kinds of weird stuff.”

                                “Oh s**t, our Alpha is a witch! All the other packs better watch out!” Bex and Shiloh busted into laughter, eye watering gut clenching laughter.

                                Shiloh wiped her watery eyes and tried to catch her breath, “You should head to bed, we go after Vareese tonight and it was a very long day. Not the resting up I told everyone to do. We can’t push the attack back at all because of Alpha Terry’s engagement party being tomorrow night.”

                                “I think we both know that Dre and Lennon would not have been resting anyway, they wouldn’t be now if their little girlfriends weren’t already in bed asleep when we got back.” Bex stood from the bed and took a step toward the door. “How do you think it will all play out if we return true mates?”

                                Shiloh looked at her lap, “It will be chaos, so much corruption has set in without mates to keep Alpha’s balanced, vain hateful women who sought power have managed to get into the Luna position in many packs, the younger Alphas are strained and neglecting their packs trying to keep mates they were not meant for happy. There will be chaos in the leadership. As wolves bump into their true mates and walk away from their chosen ones there will be heartbreak and jealousy. The curse has not yet finished it’s work, the worst I fear will come after it is broken, but eventually it will all even out and life will be as it should be again.”

                                Bex nodded in understanding, “We will handle it, together.” Shiloh smiled slightly and nodded back as Bex turned back to the door and left. It was all true, their world was crumbling, wars amongst themselves, Alphas too young to lead, lower ranks taking the position when there was no heir, beauty and seduction winning the Luna position instead of heart and integrity, it was a mess, and the broken world was allowing the vampires more freedom than they should have, attacks on packs, from both vampires and rogues, had increased. They were falling apart.

                                Shiloh burrowed under her thick comforter and wrapped herself around her pillow wall, snuggling in. She needed to sleep; another long night awaited her. If only her thoughts would quiet. She tossed and rolled, taking half the pillows with her every time she turned, but her mind would not stop, all the what ifs of the coming fight and the curse rang through her mind. Conversations she may never have played out over and over. What if they find the fairy wolf? How would she convince it that it was the key to everything? Fayrah grumbled sleepily in her mind, wanting rest as well. Shiloh rolled again and as she settled back in she heard a voice, sweet and soothing with many tones like a choir song, “Sleep child, I wish to speak with you.” And Shiloh slept.