The Alpha's Assassin

Ch. 7

I feel my heart skips a beat while I stare up into his eyes intently. I find nothing but true, genuine care for me. I feel butterflies flutter in my stomach, unnerving me. I gulp slowly and look down at my hands on Kain's chest. His hands feel comfortable on my hips, like they belong there. I drop my head to his chest and let out a heaving sigh.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

His voice is teasing, joyful almost. He pulls the hair away from my face and tucks my hair behind my ear. I look at him out the corner of my eye, hiding behind my hands.

"I don't even know."

My voice comes out as a whisper, barely audible to my own ears. Kain's super-hearing manages to hear it anyway. His head dips down to mine, inhaling deeply. He seems to be trying to comfort me and himself at the same time. A cool breeze blows through the cave, reminding me that we're both naked. I pull away from Kain and look around the cave, trying to find my discarded clothes. Kain notices my gaze and motions towards the back wall where he had the clothes drying on the wall near one of the lamps. I look over them to find them still damp, so I walk over to one of the many storage crates stationed near the end of the cave. I bend down and pull out one of my many backup outfits. I luckily gathered a lot of matching underwear, and slip it on quickly. I hear a low rumble from Kain, watching as his eyes darken slightly.

"How do you manage to look better in just underwear than in nothing at all?"

He prowls towards me, watching me for the chase to begin. I almost give in, until I hear something snap from outside the cave. I still, straining every sense to sense the person trying to sneak in outside the cave. Kain notices the change in my mood, stilling as well. The being outside hears the change in our atmosphere, making itself seem quiet. I start making noise, continuing like I didn't hear them. I quickly throw a clean shirt at Kain, gathering his underwear and throwing some pants at him. He puts them on quickly.

"I don't know. Maybe I was just born that way!"

My voice comes out teasingly and seductive as I quickly pull on my clothes. My face doesn't match as I strain my hearing for the person. I can hear them sneaking up to the entrance of the cave, trying to be quiet. I make my way over there silently, sliding a few daggers into the holster I have attached to my leg. Kain watches me, in his own defensive stance. The person makes it to the mouth of the cave, peeking around the corner into the cave. First mistake.

I grab them by their throat, dragging them into the cave. I quickly pin them down with a knee on their chest. It's a stranger, not from my pack. I quickly scan the guy, noting the uniform he's wearing. It's the black military style of Alpha Ryder's pack. The one bordering ours. His agents are welcomed in my pack, so why send one secretly? I place myself out of the way of the guy's legs, making sure he can't kick me. My hand is still around his throat, keeping him pinned underneath me. I lift my knee from his chest just enough to let him talk.

"Speak."

The command is harsh, demanding. My voice is no nonsense. I get tired of the games Ryder likes to play.

"Alpha has a new job for you. He needs it done in the next two weeks."

The man's voice is gruff and bitterly scalding. I pretend not to notice as the man struggles to reach the file stored on the inside pocket. I keep my knee on his chest, eventually moving to just have my foot placed on his chest to keep him on the ground. I realize he could easily just push me off, but I honestly don't care. If he wanted to fight, I was fine with that and a small part of me wanted to show off for Kain. The man eventually got the file out of his coat and I snatched it from his hands. The man growled at me and I growled right back, daring him to try anything while putting more pressure on my foot. The man wheezed but didn't do anything else.

I quickly flip open the file, scanning the contents.

"Male. Age 54. Werewolf noble. Sunshine Pack. One living daughter. Wanted dead for crimes against the pack belonging to Alpha James Ryder."

I nodded my head swiftly, snapping the file closed and looking back down at the man. I saw the look of fury in his eyes and decided to give him a chance, to try and rid himself of some of his anger before I sent him back bloodied and bruised. I took my foot off of him and turned my back to him, placing the file on top of one of my unopened supply crates. The man took his chance like I thought he would and decided to go for the sneak attack. I was suddenly pinned against his chest, a knife to my throat.

"You've disrespected me way too much, little girl. Time to pay."

His voice drops to a growl at the end. I watch as Kain's face morphs from shock to anger. I have to fight from laughing at the man's words. I fail, and burst out laughing, slapping my thighs in the process. Both men stare at me while I wipe the tears from my eyes.

" 'Time to pay.' Hah, you're funny!"

I can tell the man's face is bewildered before my words sink in. He growls again and presses the knife deeper into my throat. I don't flinch, used to the feeling. I sigh and decide to start the fight myself, before this poor man shifts into his wolf. I can feel him vibrating already. I knock my head back, smashing my head into the guy's chin. He lets go of the knife, clutching his chin. I swiftly turn around to face him, and give him a swift kick to the side through the turn. He stumbles, now clutching his side. He tries to land a punch to my stomach. I simply slide out the way and bring my elbow down on his back while he's still down. Pathetic. He gets knocked back down to the floor, falling face first. I bring back my leg like I'm going to kick a ball and land a light kick to his temple, knocking him out cold.

I heft him up on my shoulder, and throw him over the small lake onto the land outside of it. I throw him through the waterfall and watch him land face first on the dirt. I wipe my hands clean and turn back around. Kain is staring at me with wide eyes, eyebrows raised. I sigh and pick up the file, skimming over it one more time.

"Will be seen in neutral grounds. At Alpha Jaxon's full moon ball and Alpha Ryder's annual pack gladiator games. Job should be done in two weeks. Make it seem like a heart attack."

I snapped the file closed once more and hiked my knife holster farther up my thigh. I open the small side pouch it has and put in a small vial of cyanide, just enough to shut down the nervous system and make the death seem like a heart attack. I strap on my favorite knives, daggers and throwing knives equally. Even though I prefer the throwing knives more, I don't know if he'll have guards or an entourage. I pull my shirt down to cover the holster, thankful that my shirt is long enough.

I take my Smith & Wesson 9mm and stick it in the back of the waistband of my jeans and flop my shirt back down over that as well. I make sure it's fully loaded and turn the safety on first. I call out to Kai, finding her in the far back of my mind.

'Are you ready?'

'Do we have a choice?'

I sigh internally, agreeing with her. I've always completed Alpha Ryder's jobs, and I dare not think about what would happen if I disobeyed him. I nod to myself and look outside, around the waterfall. The moon is close to its horizon and my instincts tell me its about 3 or 4 am. I rack my brain and figure its Wednesday morning. The moon is almost full, and knowing my alpha, the party will be held this Friday. I don't honestly want to kill him at my alpha's party. I figure Alpha Ryder's gladiator games will be the following day, as he usually wants to outshine Alpha Jaxon. I decide to do it then, pretending to be a server for him. I'll need a way to get in, but Alpha Ryder should have at least notified his guards that I'll be there. Even if they didn't let me in willingly, I could just sneak in without anyone noticing. I look around for my bag and realize I left it on the front grounds of the school. The school is gated, but I don't doubt the fact that some people are still willing to steal.

I sigh out loud this time and gather everything else I had in the cave. I look back over at Kain to find him staring at me with closed off eyes. I walk over to him cautiously, holding my hands out in front of me.

"Kain? Is everything alright?"

Kain flinches at my voice, jumping away from me. I try not to let it sting my heart, consoling myself that he's probably just in shock. He is the first people I've... shown that I'm an assassin outside of those who already know. I drop my hands and clench them at my sides. The silence between us stretches on and on, filling me with a sense of unease.

"Are you gonna say something?"

My voice is soft and weak, pleading. Kain fists his own hands, turning his head away from me. I get the message and turn to leave the cave, avoiding the waterfall. I make sure to take what I need and run through the forest, back to the school. The moon is still shining brightly when I come onto the pavement. I see my bag sitting on the ground, and pick it up walking over to my car.

I fish my keys out of my bag and open my car, plopping myself down in the front seat. I lay my head on the steering wheel and just sit. I let my thoughts drift around in my mind, trying not to latch onto any of them. I decide to check my phone, seeing missed calls from both of my parents. I groan and check my messages. 20. Great.

I look at the time. 6:45am. My father should at least be awake. I decide to call him first.

"Jasmine! Your mother has been worried sick about you! Where have you been?!"

I pull the phone away from my ear, cringing.

"I'm sorry. I decided to go over to Kaylee's house because she and Mark visited me after school. We were talking for most of the night and I forgot to call you guys. I apologize. Besides, I got a new job from Alpha Ryder. It distracted me for a bit."

I hear a huff from the other end of the line.

"Alright then. I'll tell your mother you weren't kidnapped so she calms down. Make sure you come back to us soon, okay?"

"Okay. Sorry, Dad."

I end the call and stare dimly out the window, watching the sky lighten. I feel numb, ever since I left the cave. Kai has stayed in the back of my mind, silent. I can feel her sadness radiating through me, but I don't how to fix it. Kain didn't even want to look at me when I left. I don't know what to do.