The Hunt´s Mark
1117 Words
Marco´s POV
My insides filled with fury when I sent a message to my Beta, Josh, asking for updates on Alina and all I got was his silence.
The rage grew like a beast inside me when I called him and received the reply that he was no longer at his post. He had been chased by her.
And the anger became something almost palpable when he told me he didn't know where she was.
I clenched the phone in my hand, gritting my teeth, feeling the pressure against the bones in my fingers. My patience was already thin, and Josh was playing with the last vestiges of it.
- Go back to the pack. I want you in the dungeons.
I hung up before he could say anything. I didn't want excuses. I didn't want explanations. I wanted results.
I left him there for hours. He knew what was coming. I don't tolerate failure, especially one of this magnitude. As a Lycan, I was brought up under the law of zero tolerance.
When I finally entered the damp, dark dungeon, the smell of sweat and blood permeated my nostrils. The cramped, cold stone walls seemed to absorb the moans and screams that had echoed there before. The air was thick with fear and submission.
Josh was kneeling in the center of the cell, his head down, his shoulders tense. His whole body was already waiting for punishment.
I walked towards him, and every step reverberated in the chamber. My silence was more threatening than any words I could say.
- You already know what's going to happen, don't you? - my voice sounded casual, almost indifferent, as if it were a simple protocol to be followed.
Josh nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor. There were no justifications, no pleas. He knew that none of this would change what came next.
My eyes darkened. In an instant, I advanced.
The first blows were quick, precise. My fists met his body without hesitation, each punch carrying the weight of disappointment. I felt his bones give way under the force of the impacts, but he didn't resist. He didn't scream. He just accepted it.
The deafening sound of each blow against his skin was accompanied by his irregular, heavy breathing. I could tell he was trying to stand, but his knees began to buckle.
A kick to the stomach knocked him down.
He coughed, spitting blood onto the stone floor, panting.
I put my foot on his head, pressing it against the cold floor, forcing him to feel the dirt, blood and dust mix with his own sweat.
- How did you lose sight of her? Your only job was to keep an eye on her.
He took a deep breath before answering, his voice hoarse, trembling.
- I was there, Alpha. I was watching... but she spotted me. Somehow, she knew I was there.
I frowned. My chest rose and fell, the fury still pulsing.
- Go on.
Josh swallowed.
- The next thing I knew, she was behind me. She threatened me. She had... the same eyes as you.
My expression hardened.
- And when did you intend to tell me this? What else happened?
Josh hesitated before continuing.
- But how could that be possible... I mean, she only didn't break up with me because she wasn't interested.
The silence that followed was deafening. The blood roared in my veins.
- “She spent the whole night chasing me,” he muttered, as if speaking out loud would make it more real. - But she didn't kill me. I think she was just having fun.
He paused before adding, with a somber tone:
- She asked if I liked the view. She knew I was there all the time. Ever since she killed that man and put the remains in the garbage bag.
My fists clenched. If Alina managed to manifest as a Lycan, that meant she was awakening.
But that shouldn't be possible.
She could only awaken alongside a male.
And she was alone.
I took a step back, releasing the pressure on Josh. He didn't move, just took a deep breath.
- Get back to work,” I ordered, my voice low and cutting. - And don't mess things up this time.
- “Yes, Alpha,” he replied, still on the ground.
Without another word, I left the dungeons.
My fate was already sealed.
Dila would have to explain herself to me.
The door to the witch's house was already open when I arrived.
She was waiting for me.
Dila was sitting at the table, drinking tea, her expression calm, almost amused.
I took a seat in front of her, without beating about the bush.
- She's already showing,” I said, my voice full of frustration. - This shouldn't be possible. She doesn't have a mate and she isn't mated. If she did, I would have known and killed her.
Dila watched me for a long moment before replying.
- Everything is possible. She's not just a female. She's a direct blessing from the Moon Goddess.
She smiled.
- I'd say that's something to celebrate, wouldn't you?
My gaze hardened.
- And why didn't you tell me about this possibility before?
- Because it wasn't expected.
- She managed to detect my Beta while it was watching her.
Dila tilted her head, intrigued.
- That's interesting. Her senses are sharper. That means she'll surprise us a lot.
She stood up and returned a few moments later with a dark vial.
- This is for your Beta. It will prevent her from detecting it... for a while.
I held the glass between my fingers.
- I hope it doesn't take her long to show up.
Dila laughed softly.
- She will. After all, why shouldn't she? You just don't know where she is.
I clenched my jaw.
- A Maybane attacked her.
- So we're dealing with someone who knows exactly who she is. There's no way we can lose her.
Her last word hit me like a blade.
“Lose her.”
My blood boiled, and my vision darkened.
With a growl, the table was thrown against the wall. The tea glass shattered on the floor. My chest rose and fell, my claws coming out involuntarily, I was losing control of my wolf, it was obvious.
I've been waiting for her for 14 long years, it was the wait of my life and I wouldn't allow it to slip through my fingers like dust.
Dila remained still, just watching me with an enigmatic smile.
I wouldn't lose her. Not at all.
I would kill whoever i had to.
- Writer
