Moon Child

A New Assignment

- Alex Thorn –

I woke at the loud banging on my door. Leticia hugged me from behind. Her bare breasts touching my back. “Thank you for last night” she whispered as she kissed my shoulder before letting me go. She began to get dressed but I’m still tired from last night. I buried my head on my pillow.

THUD THUD THUD. The loud banging continued. f**k.

I grudgingly got up. Grabbed the nearest item I can cover myself with. And opened the door to see who dared bother me at this hour.

“DAMN IT Adam! It’s 7 in the morning! During our break! What the hell are you doing here” I angrily yelled at the man in front of me. His sheepish smile always annoyed me, but it’s extra annoying this morning.

“Alex, what are you… oh, hi Leticia!” Adam waved as he moved past me. Ugh. If he wasn’t Calum’s messenger I’d kill him right here and now. Wait. Calum’s messenger. On a Sunday morning? This doesn’t sound good.

"Why are you here?” I asked again as I slumped on my sofa. Bracing myself for his answer. Is this about another job? But it’s only been two days since we got back. I barely warmed my bed. Damn that Calum, damn them all for disturbing my well-deserved break. Adam turned the television on, ignoring me. Leticia bid us goodbye saying something about work. But I don’t really care. We sleep together. But that’s all there is to our relationship.

“Adam” I called out to him exasperated.

“Calum asked for us, we’d meet up in an hour” He answered but his eyes were fixated on the television in front of us. He changed the channel to local news and it featured the town we previously destroyed. I saw how his eyes shifted as the news reporter showed the dead bodies lying around. I don’t get him sometimes. I was about to speak again when I heard another knock on my door. Who is it this time?

“James, Gunner” I acknowledged them as they went inside uninvited. James took a seat at the bar beside the living room and lit a cigarette while Gunner went straight to my kitchen and began brewing coffee.

“Please tell me why you’re all here” I asked annoyed.

“We decided to meet up here, since your house is nearest to Calum’s” Adam answered nonchalantly. Gunner walked towards me and handed me a cup of coffee. I mouthed a thank you as we joined James at the bar.

“Alright, I get that, but why an hour before? I would still be sleeping were it not for you guys” I complained.

“But were you really sleeping? We passed by Leticia on our way here Alex, we know you.” James chided.

“Calum said to find him first thing in the morning before we meet with the Council of the West Pack, he said there might be a new job for us” Gunner joined in on the conversation.

“He said it was important” Adam added.

“But why am I only hearing about this now?” I looked at each of them, trying to sound like a Beta all of a sudden. But man, it still so early in the morning. I almost groaned.

“We tried to call you last night but all we hear from you were moans and curses, so - ” Gunner shrugged at me. f**k I must’ve accidentally answered the phone last night. I burned red from the thought.

“Relax Beta, it’s not like we didn’t know already” They laughed in unison to my annoyance.  

- Calum Beckett –

“James” I called out to him from my study. They arrived surprisingly on time with the short notice I gave them. What’s more surprising was - they were able to drag Alex here so early in the morning.

“Alpha” James said as he made known, his presence in front of me. We needed to discuss in advance before our meeting later with the Council of the West Pack. The West Pack. I repeated in my head. Those cunning wolves are the last in my list of preferred clients because of their long history of manipulation and disloyalty.

I looked at the grandfather’s clock at my side. It was the only thing I was able to salvage from our burnt house. It was old and it stopped working a long time ago. A constant reminder of the time when the attack happened. The time I last saw my family. Quarter to nine in the evening. 

After our supper, I was accompanying my two older sisters when one of our guards barged into their room. He took the three of us towards a small tunnel. We heard people from behind, screaming, as they breathed their last. But the guard pushed us to continue. It was only a matter of time when the intruders found the entrance to the tunnel. The guard who protected us stayed behind and told me which way to go. I took it upon myself to save my sisters. But I failed. Only I remained from my family. I know, because I watched as they killed my sisters. It made me sick to my core. And I will never forget that.

I rebuilt my pack from scratch. Since the fall of the Southern pack, I trained hard to bring back the honor that once was my family. I took odd jobs as a mercenary. With only Alex and I, we made our pack one of the most powerful again. But taking on jobs was still necessary to gain intelligence on the whereabouts of the silver child. Though I didn’t want to accept this job, time constraints pushed me. Word was out that packs began to form alliances again to find the child and it is only a matter of time when history repeats itself. War is on the loom. I have to hurry and find that child. Only its death could prevent this war.

“I pulled out an all-nighter for this, Alpha” James said as he placed a binder on the table between us. I almost forgot I called him here.

I bit my lower lip as I tried to set aside my thoughts of the past and focus on the document in front of me.

“This doesn’t look like it was prepared overnight” I looked up at him and saw the pride in his eyes.

“Well, I knew sooner or later we’d have to deal with them, so I… kind of prepared ahead”

I didn’t have to ask just how ahead he was because the data he collected dated back at least three years before this day. James really outdid himself today. I knew I could count on him, but there’s always a surprise under his sleeve.

I stood up from my chair and patted his shoulder for a job well done.

“Let’s go” I motioned for him to follow me. I took a quick glance at the grandfather’s clock before closing the door behind me.

We walked along the long hallway with loud chatter echoing from the conference room. I can hear Adam cursing and laughing at the same time. But by the time we entered the room, it suddenly fell dead silent. James found Gunner in the room and joined him while I went straight to the front passing by each and every one who looked at me attentively.

“Alright. So, here’s our plan.”