The Alpha’s Hunter

Chapter One

The night was cold, as usual. Even though she had grown accustomed to the cold, Lyra could feel it in the way the wind moved through the trees restlessly, as though it carried a warning with it. The forest was dark and thick with an eerie silence that she did not particularly like.

The silence was never a good sign if the insects were silent too in the dead of the night.

She crouched low on a thick branch that had fallen off a tree, and kept her body and breathing steady. There were uneven patches of dirt and fallen leaves strewn across, but they did not make a sound. That meant one thing; it was here.

She had been tracking it for hours. She had followed the broken branches, the deep claw marks on tree bark, and the faint scent in the air that now had a place in her brain. She was very sure the werewolf was here.

Lyra adjusted her grip on the blade in her hand. She turned the metal so that it caught a faint glint of moonlight before she lowered it again. Her eyes stayed fixed in the forest. She was waiting patiently like the predator that she was.

Soon, just as she predicted, she heard a quick sound behind her. She knew not to turn immediately, so she listened instead, and heard another sound. This time, it was a low growl barely above a whisper. The sound seemed to be very close to her skin. Lyra moved then, in an instant.

In one swift move, she dropped from the branch and rolled on the ground, just as something huge crashed down exactly where she had been only a few seconds before. The bang from the landing made the dirt and leaves on the floor scatter into the air.

Lyra came up on one knee to face the monster which she now saw clearly.

The werewolf stood a few steps away from her. It looked tense, and its chest was rising and falling with heavy breaths. Its eyes glowed faintly in the blackness of the night, as it looked directly into her own eyes with a mix of anger and hunger.

And boy, was this monster large. She knew werewolves could be big, but this was the biggest she had seen in a long while. And it looked really strong too.

It dug its claws into the ground as it took a slow step forward. Lyra rose to her feet slowly. She was calm and controlled like before, as she had faced wolves in the past. She was waiting for it to attack, but it did not. Instead, it stared at her like it was studying her, which was... different to her. Usually she didn't waste much time getting her mission done. But she never attacked first. That was her fighting strategy.

"Easy," she said quietly, although she knew it wouldn’t listen.

The werewolf let out a low growl, and pulled its lips back to reveal its sharp teeth. It let out an even primal growl again and attacked.

Lyra did not see it coming. The werewolf moved so fast that she was only able to dodge the first strike by an inch. The monster's claws sliced through the air as she turned as fast as she could to swing out her blade from its sheath.

The werewolf circled her again, and closer this time. Its eyes did not leave hers for even a second.

Lyra held her sword tighter now. She could feel the wolf thinking and plotting its next attack. She was studying how it would attack so that she would counter the attack. But just like the first, the next attack came without warning.

This time, the wolf aimed for her throat.

Lyra was not lucky enough to dodge the wolf's claws entirely this time, as she was not as fast as it was. The wolf's claws grazed her shoulder and tore through her jacket. Her skin came in contact with claws, and she was overcome with pain in that instant.

She staggered back immediately, to create some distance between them, but the werewolf was not done yet.

It charged faster towards her now. Lyra could see the aggression in its eyes. She prepared herself despite the pain she felt and blocked two strikes, but she was already losing her composure.

This wasn’t going the way it should.

It was unlike her to call for backup due to how efficient her fight skills were, but this was beyond her. She touched her ear and the little earpiece crackled.

"Lyra, report." She said with a heavy breath. She kept her eyes on the wolf. "Target is stronger than expected," she said, "I’ll need support."

There was a short pause at the other end before someone spoke in response.

"Back-up is on the way. Hold position."

Lyra exhaled slowly. Holding position was not an easy task when the thing in front of her wanted to tear her apart.

The werewolf growled and charged at her again, but this time, Lyra did not dodge.

She flung her flashing blade forward while aiming for its side. The wolf twisted at the last second, but was not fast enough to avoid the deep cut from Lyra's blade.

It gave off a loud, angry sound as it stumbled back. Lyra expected the wolf to fall, but it looked up at her with hurt eyes, and something else behind its eyes. This was confusing to her because she could feel a strange pull in her chest as she looked at the wolf. But it was fleeting. The fight started again.

The wolf charged towards her again, but was stopped by the blaring sound of engines that had broken through the forest.

Lyra heaved a huge sigh of relief. The wolf looked around while backing up, but two figures landed right in front of it. These were Helix Dominion operatives.

They opened fire immediately on the werewolf who was now growling at them and trying to find an opening, but the pressure was too much now.

Lyra saw an avenue to give the final blow, and she did so with her sword. The werewolf collapsed to the ground and became still in no time. The forest became silent once again.

Lyra stood over the wolf and looked down at it in victory as she usually did. She ordered the operatives to lower their weapons.

"Target secured," she said to them while still looking at the wolf's body. Some operatives carried the body into the van and the crew left the forest.

The ride back to Helix Dominion headquarters was a quiet one for Lyra. She felt victorious after conquering another monster for her master, but she also could not understand why she felt a little sad for accomplishing this mission.

The werewolf was restrained in a reinforced container. It was barely conscious and was held in place by chains with silver lining on the edges to keep it weak.

Once they got to the facility, Lyra went straight to the containment room as she always did when a mission was successful. She stood beside a table as her master, Draven Korr entered the room.

The containment room could pass for a sophisticated laboratory and office. It was made of glass and marble, from the door to the windows. The only thing that wasn't made of glass was the ceiling. It was made of silver-like material instead. The wolf's body had already been laid on a table in the room by some operatives, and some lights were already installed above it.

It was Dr. Selene Virek, a deadly scientist, who designed the containment room. She came in behind Draven Korr, and was already studying some readings on a screen. She was highly trusted by the master.

" Is this the one?" Draven asked.

"Yes," Lyra replied and straightened her neck immediately.

He stepped closer to the glass to observe the restrained wolf inside.

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then he turned slightly to look at the doctor.

"Begin analysis," he ordered.

Now, Draven was a scary looking man with a mustache that covered his upper lip. One could argue that his moustache was unkept, but they would no doubt admit that it made him hotter and scarier. Draven was not so strict, but there was just something about the way he walked and talked that made everyone working for him shiver when he was angry. That was why everyone did their best to accomplish any mission he assigned them. Draven took a liking to Lyra because she was more efficient than other operatives, but there was also another reason entirely, which no one knew except for Dr. Selene Virek.

Selene nodded and got to work immediately. She put on the machines and began doing what she knew how to do best, while Lyra watched her from where she was.

After a long while of testing and typing, Selene called their attention.

"This is… interesting," she said quietly.

Draven looked at her. "What is interesting?"

Selene turned the screen toward him. "This wolf... is not random. Its markers match a specific group."

Draven’s eyes narrowed. Since when did Selene care for groups?

"Which group?"

Selene hesitated for a second, and gave Draven a knowing look.

"Virek?" Draven called. He only called her surname when he was dead serious.

"It's Ashenwood, sir," Selene said and gulped.

Lyra could see her master and the doctor shared a look. Draven didn’t react immediately but a smile slowly formed on his lips.

"I am not surprised," he said, "considering its size and the fact that Lyra had to call for backup."

Lyra frowned slightly. "What is Ashenwood?" She asked.

Draven turned to her. "A...different pack. Not like the others."

Lyra was still confused. "Different, how?"

Draven walked slowly toward her and stopped a few steps away from her.

"You’re going to find out," he paused and reached for her cheek with his palm, "when you get there."

Lyra stared at him.

"Effective tomorrow, you will infiltrate the Ashenwood Pack, my dear soldier," he said. "You will go there, gain their trust and learn everything you can."

Another pause.

"And then, we must attack."