The Alpha Billionaire's Secret

Chapter 4: Clashing with the Coven

The city never slept, and that was especially true for the nocturnal monsters that prowled it. A wolf with blood red fur rushed through the alleyways of the city, expertly avoiding any human eyes that may spot him. The autumn air blew through his fur, causing him to exhale slowly as he ran.

'Enemy spotted,' he received through the pack mind-link right as the scent of vampire blood hit his nose. He peeled back his lips from his fangs, rushing along until darting into a narrow alleyway. There, he was joined by several other wolves with various fur colors like black, white, and brown. The crimson of his own stuck out, though him being twice the size as the other wolves here was also a huge indication of his status.

Zaros's glowing red eyes fell upon a white-furred wolf, who had his nose pointed deeper into the alleyway. Jecht sent to the Alpha, 'In there. They tore the throat out of an innocent human. Saw it myself'. The Alpha winced, letting out a low growl. He lashed his tail and bunched up his muscles, signaling with his body language that the pack should move forward. Then, he launched himself into the alleyway, passing by several dumpsters billowing the scent of rotting food. The mixture of that with vampire blood wasn't the most pleasing to the stomach.

He leaped over a fence, making a turn through the narrow area before running almost nose-first into his first target. The scene before him made his heart clench and his eyes widen.

A vampire was standing over an innocent human woman in scrubs, likely a woman returning home from a late-night medical ward shift. Her throat was torn open, splatters of blood dripping down the brick of the building and coagulating on the ground in puddles. There was a gaping wound on her throat, dealt no doubt by the cruel fangs of this city invader.

A wave of anger crashed over Zaros, but he kept his cool calm, stalking closer to the vampire who'd done the deed. Or, rather, vampires. There were several more behind him, all dressed in cloaks like they were performing some dark ritual. Definitely not the usual city clothing he was used to seeing of vampires living in this city.

Other wolves began creeping up behind him, their heads lowered and fangs bared. They were ready to attack at a moment's notice, and merely a second later, that moment came. Zaros flicked his ear and launched himself forward, barreling into the male vampire, who was holding the defenseless nurse and burying his teeth into his neck. Shouting rose up through the air as members of this aggressive coven drew knives and charged forward.

Zaros kept his focus on one target at a time as blades sank into his hide, not worrying about it too much given his highly enhanced healing. He focused on using his teeth to rip out flesh, for perhaps he could battle this fiend off in time to find the human help she needed. He succeeded in dealing enough damage that his fur was now matted with the vampire's blood. Licking his lips, he noted that, at least farther from the garbage and closer to the vampires, the scent was palatable. Though, quite like scenting a steak near trash, not nearly as appetizing.

Having mauled his target, he looked over to the human woman, giving a low, worried growl. He pointed his nose toward a black wolf and sent, 'Reginald, take care of this woman. Ensure she is stabilized, if possible, and get her to the hospital. Explain that you found her mauled by strays.'

The pack's healer obeyed the word of the Alpha, dragging the human off to the shadows and away from the ongoing battle to hopefully ensure she would heal properly. Meanwhile, Zaros's focus returned to the remainder of the vampires -- three, to be exact, as he and his pack had wiped out four. He noticed abnormal aching and stinging in his muscles, but he paid that no mind as he barreled into another target. This time, he placed his jaws against her throat.

“You intrude upon our city and hurt the people we protect. We have a system here. Tell me your objective and I will grant you a much faster death than I originally planned," he snarled, projecting his voice into her mind. Not a common ability of any ordinary shifter to communicate this way with vampires, but then again, he wasn't an ordinary shifter.

He didn't expect a straight answer, and of course, he didn't get one. He did, however, get a key piece of information.

“Halfblood freak," the vampire snarled, snapping her fangs in his face. “Abominations like you deserve to be slaughtered. You and all the people that protect your status." Zaros snarled in frustration and lunged for her throat, ending her quickly. Unfortunately, the other two vampires escaped in the chaos, but at this point, the scouts were regrouping and panting.

Zaros shook out his crimson coat, still bleeding and letting out a snarl. Slowly, it dawned on him. 'They used silver,' he sent flatly to the others. No doubt, they had been fully intending to do as much damage as possible to him and his pack. His healing was slowed, and though he'd be fine, it'd take a few days to completely heal all of the deep punctures they dealt.

Nothing to do about that now. He pointed his nose toward the end of the alleyway and led the other wolves out, once more sticking to the shadows until they found their way to their vehicles. On the way back to the packhouse, he couldn't help but mull over what that aggressive vampire had spat at him.

'Halfblood freak'...

He scowled, annoyed that his status would dare be challenged by that bold but stupid group of vampires. They didn't know how his city worked, and he would be merciless when stopping these ridiculous blood games given innocent people were getting hurt in the process. The secrets of the monsters in the shadows wouldn't be kept for long, at this rate. They were teetering toward humanity finding out soon, and this was making matters worse.

'Perhaps this is what they intend,' he thought to himself as they pulled into the driveway. With an exhausted sigh, he made his way inside, dreading the busy week ahead that would be consuming his mind right alongside the other world he was a part of.