I am the Night - the last She-Wolf

Chapter 12 - Hunters

Nathaniel POV

My wolf is on edge. It’s hard to contain him. Not to lose control and become a wild animal. He’s out for blood. He’s in pain because she is. I don’t know what is going on, but it feels like it’s getting worse the closer I get.

Sometimes I think I feel her fading in and out of this life. That’s when the pain hits the worst. It feels like someone cut right into me, violently tugging on my soul until it rips apart.

The King told me about that kind of pain. About losing a mate. I’m still not entirely sure why I got to get one. I don’t know why it’s a human girl. I don’t see how it makes any sense.

I’m not supposed to question the Goddess, but what else is there to do? She hasn’t been around for a long time, has she? Our numbers are shrinking. At least those of pure-blooded wolves. We don’t have any females left. Only humans. They live among us, but they don’t really belong.

Zeek trots up next to me, while I stare into the distance. His wolf is smaller than mine. A lot shaggier too. He takes in the view. Seeing more than I am, I am sure. I can‘t focus on anything lately.

“Nothing?” his voice echoes in my head. I blink a few times before I can focus on the wolf next to me. On the question, he’s been asking.

He wants to know if I can sense her. If we are getting closer. I can’t tell. All I know is that we are getting dangerously close to the compound. I can tell that something is going on over there. We’ve seen unusually much activity around here. They are looking for something. Someone. It has them distracted. Which might just make it easier to get into their village and get what is mine.

“Nate? You still with us?” Zeek nudges me with his head, making me respond with a low growl. It’s not smart to touch me right now. I am on edge.

“Can you still sense her?” He tries again but takes a cautious step back.

“Barely,” I answer and set my gaze back onto the landscape in front of us. Everything is white. The occasional blotch of black and green, where stones still stick out from under the thick blanket of snow.

It’s a beautiful view, but I cannot appreciate it. My mind is elsewhere, and I hate it. My wolf growls at my thoughts. He’s ready for this. I am not. I’m far from ready. I don’t even know what this is. I spend ten minutes with that girl and yes, she is merely a girl. Not a woman. Barely eighteen I suppose. She looked young.

I shouldn’t be here. I should be somewhere else. Doing something useful instead of chasing a wild intuition. I’m still reluctant to believe this is true. I think the last Alpha who had a mate was the King, but she died.

Death is something the Moon cursed us with for a long time now. So what is different about this girl? The girl is probably dying too. Right this moment. I can’t sense her. I don’t know if she’s asleep or if she stopped breathing entirely.

“This is driving me crazy,” I groan and shake my head. I shake my whole body as if that would rid me of the feeling.

“I can tell,” Zeek says, “this will turn out to be a good thing. I know you don’t want to believe it. I know you haven’t been raised that way. But you could just try to be happy about it.”

“Happy?” I hiss, “are you serious? What is there to be happy about? I don’t need a mate. I don’t need-,” A strange sensation hits me. Warmth that seems to be simmering inside of my chest. I huff out in frustration as I realize that it is my wolf, pining for a girl we don’t know. He misses her. I miss her. “It’s confusing,” I mumble and turn my head to listen for something. Anything else but the soft rustling of fresh snow.

“There’s a patrol out. A few miles west,” Barron says. He’s Zeek's brother and he volunteered to come with us. Probably to keep an eye on his younger brother. He’s a good man. “And a storm is coming. I think it’s best if we find shelter somewhere soon.”

“Fine,” I say unhappy about it. I could just continue this on my own. I could push through the storm, but it’s pointless. It only makes tracking someone more difficult. And with all the Hunters swarming around it’s too dangerous. As desperate as I may be to get to Mika, I don’t want to risk my friends' lives. I am responsible for them.

“Picked up the scent of two other wolves,” Barron adds.

“Rogues?” I ask concerned. They are usually not very civil. My guess is they are out on a hunt for those who are supposed to hunt them. But they’ll be happy to fight us too if they get the chance. To them, we are traitors to our race.

“Probably,” Barron says.

“Let's try to stay out of their way! I don’t want any unnecessary trouble.”

“Boring,” Zeek chuckles, “why not mess with them? I’m sure you wouldn’t mind letting off some steam,” he says to me.

“And that is exactly what‘s going to get you killed one day,” Barron growls at his brother, “keep your head in the game! This could be just two strays, but what if there’s a pack close by?”

“Geez, I was kidding. Relax, bro.” Zeek says and I can almost hear him roll his eyes.

“We should go find a place to stay tonight. Wait out the storm!” I interrupt what could quickly turn into a full-blown fight between the siblings. We are part wolf after all. That means we do have a temper. We have pride. And sometimes we like to get into fights. Just to see who’s the stronger wolf. It’s common between siblings. It’s something I don’t want to deal with right now.

It’s not far till we make it to the next small town. We shift back to human form so we won’t attract any attention. It’s easy to blend in. Contrary to common belief, we are not complete Neanderthals. Just men, able to shift into wolves.

The shifting part has become a little bit of a struggle for me because my wolf refuses to give up control. He doesn’t want to wait. He wants to claw his way through whatever stands in our way.

“You look exhausted,” Barrons says, shouldering his backpack. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“Can’t remember,” I mumble and run my hand through my face.

“This is tough on you, isn’t it?”

“Look at him,” Zeek says, “it’s tough on him alright!”

I sigh and rub my temples, “I’m not in the mood for this. I just want this storm to pass and get going.”

“He just wants to save his girlfriend,” Zeek jokes, but it’s causing me to growl at him. “Act human, man,” Zeek chuckles.

“I’m going to act human and kill you!” I mutter, “I am not in the mood for jokes. I’m tense, I haven’t slept properly in days and I’m on edge. It wouldn’t take much to rip out your throat. Don’t push it, Zeek!”

“You’d miss me,” Zeek mutters.

“Not sure anyone would miss you,” Barron adds with an amused tone to his voice.

“Can you please just shut up? Please? I’m also fighting a major headache.” I’m fighting a lot lately. Pain. Strange emotions I’m not ready to face and a headache for days. I’m tired. I’m just so tired of it all.

The town is relatively quiet as we pass the streets. A few people glance at us. We are strangers to them. Strangers that don’t belong here. Sometimes I wonder if they can sense something is different, but they can’t quite put their finger on it. Maybe like a deer, sensing a predator.

It would be easy to take out this whole village with just the three of us. But what’s the point? Live and let live. I’m not like my birth father. The man who would have –just for the fun of it- raided this town. Driven by his ideology that our race is somehow superior to humans.

Rogues are obsessed with that. They are obsessed with the Goddess, which makes it only harder for me to believe in her. To me, her name always has a bitter ring to it.

“Tavern,” Zeek points out and in a very human manner wraps his jacket a little tighter around himself. I know he’s not cold, but he’s good at pretending. It’s as I said: We blend in perfectly if required.

“I’m starving,” Barron sighs in relief and we make our way through the icy street into an old, rustic Tavern. It’s packed. Villagers have gathered here. Maybe in anticipation of the coming storm. We even spot a pair of Hunters. Parading their stupid uniforms.

Sometimes I wonder if they know how dangerous it is to show up at places looking like that. It would take nothing much to kill them in an instant. I wouldn’t even have to change.

My wolf snarls at them. I am staring. “Nate,” Zeek hisses into my ear, “keep moving!”

“They might know something,” I tell him with my thoughts. “When she was in the woods with me, they were after her. One of them caught up.”

“I know this,” Zeek says, “she’s at the compound. That’s where we are headed, right?”

“She’s in pain,” I growl, “and they must know something!” Before I can stop myself, I push my way through the crowd, getting closer to the pair of Hunters. They are both nursing a large schooner of beer. They look comfortable, relaxed, and not even a little aware of the wolves that just walked into the bar.

“Hunters?” I say and they both look up, “all the way out here?” They don’t answer. They just eye me suspiciously. “I guess I should thank you for your service,” I try. Maybe this needs a different approach, while I try to keep my temper in check.

“You’re welcome,” one of them says.

“Passing through?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Me and my friends are too.”

“Where are you headed?” the one with dark hair and a patchy beard asks.

“Up north,” I answer, “we always wanted to take that trip. Hoping to see a few wolves too.”

“Wolves?” The bearded one says, “hiking these woods is not a fun trip, son. It’s dangerous.”

“Ah, whatever,” I wave him off. I know they love to give lectures about how dangerous Lycans are. It’s amusing to listen to their warnings. Right now it’s a means to an end.

“You shouldn’t brush it off like that,” the other one says.

“You guys do it all the time, right?”

“We are trained for the occasion. Especially now. You should head back home!” the older one says.

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, chances are high, you will see one of those things and it’ll be the last thing you’ll see.”

“I'm not afraid. Unless... are you hunting someone especially dangerous?”

“Not really,” there’s a third Hunter. He’s young and he looks bored. He just got himself a fresh beer, “we are just patrolling the area. All the action takes place where you are headed. North.”

“Sounds fun,” I say, “your compound is in the north, isn't it?”

The young Hunter nods, “rumor has it someone escaped our prison.”

“A wolf?” I ask, trying hard to keep an easy smile on my face. But my shoulders are tense. Someone escaped. What if it’s her? How? And why is she still in pain? Maybe it’s someone else. But if there is some wolf on the loose, it means security is up. It makes this trip even harder. Almost impossible.

“Hardin. We are not supposed to scare civilians with these stories,” the bearded man says, “no need to worry. Our presence here is just a precaution.”

“A wolf escaped?” I ask again, my patience wearing thin.

“That’s the rumor,” Hardin says with a shrug, “orders are not to kill him or his company. She’s to be captured.”

“She?” I ask, my heart beating faster now.

“Hardin! That’s enough!”

I’m about to take a threatening step closer to them, but Zeek grabs my arm and pulls me back, “there you are,” he says cheerfully. “Don’t kill them in the middle of a bar, i***t!” He adds, so only I can hear him. “Hey, Hunters!” he laughs, “never met one of your clan. How’s it going? Can I buy you another drink? For your services and all the good you’ve been doing?”

“We are set. Thank you,” one of them says.

“Alright. I take my friend then and buy him a much-needed drink. Have a good night.”

“Stay save,” the man with the beard says.

“Always,” Zeek laughs and with a little force pulls me away from them.

“She’s on the run,” I say, “headed north. I think.”

“Okay?!”

“Further north, Zeek. That’s the Darklands!” I say terrified of what might expect her there. Terrified that I might be too late to help her in any way.