His Crimson Mate

Younger Years

(Janessa's POV)

~Age 10~

It was the day after my little sister Lidiya's fifth birthday party. We still had a few guests over, and my parents were having a meeting after breakfast. My parents always took the opportunity to have meetings when my Uncle Jamie visited. He was the King of werewolves, after all. I wanted to be nosey and see what the meeting was about.

They always told me I was just a pup, but for some reason, I was always fascinated, or maybe it was just curiosity. I crept through the halls of the packhouse towards my father's office. I heard a shuffle behind me as I walked past the kitchen and up the hall. Then I saw a shadow in my peripheral. 3,2,1, "Ahhh!" my stalker shouted as they attacked me from behind.

I swiftly dodged the attack, spun around, wrapped my arm around his neck, and jumped on his back. I began to apply pressure to his neck as he fell to his knees, ready to pass out. He tapped my arm rapidly in submission, and I mushed his head and stood up.

"Got ya!" I shouted triumphantly to my twin brother, Quest, who glared at me as he rubbed his neck. "Hey, what are you two doing?" my little sister Lidiya asked as she turned the corner. "Shhh, I'm on my way to daddy's office," I told them as I continued my journey. "Who wants to listen to a boring meeting? I had something I wanted to show you in the woods. Something dead," my brother Quest whispered as he wiggled his eyebrows like the goofball that he was.

"Awww, I wanted you to come to play dollies with me," my little sister Lidi pouted. "Q, I will meet you out back in a little, and Lidi, we can play dollies after lunch," I told them before they finally both gave up and walked away. I crept towards my dad's office, got on the floor, and crawled over to the slightly cracked door. I could hear them whispering, and even though I didn't have my wolf yet, my hearing was still exceptional.

"Do you think they are coming for her?" I heard my mother, Luna Mylay Michealson, gasp in fear. "We don't know yet, sis, but we won't give up trying to get ahead of this," I heard my Uncle Jamie say. Uncle Jamie being the King of werewolves meant he got all types of juicy gossip, and I couldn't wait to listen.

"So you're telling us your source on the council said a demon is heading a revolution, and they think the target is the crimson wolf?" asked my Uncle Legend; he was my father's Beta and best friend. "Rumor has it," replied Uncle Jamie. "Can we even trust the council? Let's not forget, just a decade ago, they were working with the forces trying to sacrifice my mate!" I heard the agitated voice of my father, Alpha Quame' Michaelson.

"You know I have found all the traitors and handled them appropriately. No, this is from a valid source, and my niece's life is in danger," my uncle Jamie exclaimed. I subconsciously twirled my deep-red patch of hair at the front of my black hair. The patch of hair that they say makes me "special." I don't feel special.

"What are you doing, little one," my Aunt Dahmali asked as she waddled towards me. She was heavily pregnant with my twin cousins and was the mate of my uncle Jamie, the Queen of werewolves. She was also a vampire, making her one of the coolest women I knew. "Nothing," I stated sadly. "It doesn't look like nothing; it looks like you were snooping," Aunt Dahmali noted with a smirk. I just shrugged my shoulders.

At ten, I was already sick of all the secrets and dangers that came with my unique patch of red hair. It's frustrating, and I hoped my mate would be big and strong and able to protect me like my daddy. Daddy says I am too young to think about mates, but Franny, the lead kitchen Omega, says you are never too young to dream of the one you were created to love. It's all so romantic. My aunt Dahmali overheard some of the conversations that the grown-ups were having. She smiled down at me with pity.

"What do you say to some leftover cake from Lidi's birthday? I've been craving icing lately," Aunt Dahmali chuckled as she rubbed her belly, smiled down at me, and took my hand into hers. I smiled up at her as I stood to my feet, and we slowly waddled toward the kitchen.

~Age 13~

Kick! Jab! Uppercut! Kick! I took down yet another sparring partner. I heard clapping from the distance as my father approached. I beamed with pride that he saw my performance. My father's Gamma, Uncle Lonnie, stood there with a proud smile on his face also. He has been the one training me since I was ten. "Okay, next!" Uncle Lonnie shouted to the other pups as another set of sparring partners approached the sparring circle.

"Great job, princess!" my dad stated as he gave my sweaty body a side hug. "Thanks, daddy!" I exclaimed in excitement, relishing in his praises. I was such a daddy's girl, and I didn't feel bad about it. The whole pack knew the pups my age were barely any competition. My dad left, and we continued our after-school training.

"Thanks, daddy!" some of the boys mocked me as we packed up to leave. "You think your so great," a pup Gerry exclaimed. "Oh, look who is salty that they got whooped by a girl, again," spat my best friend Mina as she approached me from behind. She hated the boys, and even though we ran around with them, they didn't particularly like us much, especially me.

I dominated the boys in everything, and they might be able to take it from their future Alpha, but they can't seem to handle the defeat coming from his twin sister. I never said much to them, though. I wasn't much of a talker and sucked even worse at arguing. I would rather punch you in the face than sit there and exchange words back and forth. "Don't worry about them, Nessa," Mina stated with an eye roll as she locked her arms with mine, and we left to get changed before dinner.

~Age 16~

"Come on, it's right up here," one of my brothers' best friends, Sampson, shouted. He will be my brother's Gamma one day after his father, our Uncle Lonnie, retires. Mina and I rolled our eyes as we followed the crew of boys deep into the woods of our pack lands. We enjoyed our little adventures but had begun to grow weary of treks to see dead animal carcasses. Bears and deer die every day, wooptydo.

I noticed the scent of the atmosphere change and my wolf, Hera, immediately became on high alert. My wolf came in four months ago on my sixteenth birthday, and I couldn't be happier. Her deep, dark red color is a sight to behold. Only two more years and my wolf will be mature, and we can find our mate. I can't wait! Hera growled in my mind, and I knew something was wrong. "We have left Blood Moon pack lands. We need to turn back," I said, and all the boys looked back in shock. "What are you chicken?" spat Gerry as we continued forward.

Suddenly, I smelled the stench of rotting flesh, but not the flesh of an animal. It was something worse. We stopped before a pile of dirt and leaves hidden under a fallen log. "Here we are!" beamed Sampson. "What have you been doing leaving the pack grounds, Sammy?!" I scolded him while Quest and I stepped forward to inspect the discovery better. Quest moved the log, and we both kicked at the dirt and leaves until a cold, dead hand rolled from underneath.

"Ahh!" Mina screamed as she clutched my arm tightly. I quickly removed the rest of the leaves and gasped. It was a pale, rigid body with a lifeless look in its eyes. By the look of its fangs, it was a deceased vampire. "What the hell?!" Quest shouted. I was too shocked to speak. What was a dead vampire's body doing just outside our pack borders?

As we inspected the body, we began to hear growling. At first, I thought it might be our father, pissed off, we left the pack grounds, but the scents that came with the growls were unfamiliar. The smell of rotting garbage hit my nostrils, and even though I'd never met one in person, I knew who that stench belonged to. Rouges! The growling increased as we saw six rabid wolves approach us with thick, white saliva dripping from their jaws. Everyone screamed and huddled together.

Quest, myself, and two other pups were the only ones out of the nine of us who had their wolves. Everyone else was either just shy of fifteen or just shy of sixteen. Mina wouldn't get her wolf for another month. "Shift!" my wolf Hera shouted at me through our mind link. My body shifted on its own, and I stood tall in all my glory. I may not be fully mature yet, but Hera was already larger than many adult wolves.

Quest shifted into his large dark gray wolf, Serg, while Max and Alec shifted as well. We tried our best to form a circle around the remaining five who weren't of age to turn yet. "Daddy!" I shouted through mindlink in fear before all the feral rogues attacked at once. No amount of training can prepare you to battle an actual enemy aiming to kill.

We all tried to fight in our wolf forms, but once the rogues attacked, our protective circle scattered. I clawed and sliced at the wolves in front of me, and at that moment, everything felt natural, almost like a dance. I heard a loud shriek and looked in horror at my best friend being shaken like a rag doll in between the teeth of a rogue.

Suddenly, everything slowed down except me. I charged toward Mina as everything and everyone moved in slow motion. I saw the pain and fear in my friend's eyes as the rogue tore through her flesh. I quickly jumped on its back, feeling Hera in complete control.

Hera dug her nails into the rogue's back, leaned forward, clamped her teeth around his neck, and ripped his throat out. Blood gushed in my mouth as I heard another painful howl and saw Alec's wolf being ripped apart by a rogue. Again, everything moved slowly as I ran towards them quickly. The rouge was on its hind legs pinning Alec against a tree while biting his shoulder.

I slid next to the tree, extended my claws, and sliced the rogue's stomach with all my might. His insides spilled onto the ground before he dropped dead. I heard growls and saw the other four rogues cornering me near the tree. I felt a moment of fear when I looked into their hungry, hateful eyes. The fear was quickly replaced by determination when Hera bared her teeth, ready to take them all head-on.

Suddenly, enormous wolves jumped through the air, attacking the rouges and tearing them to pieces. It was my father and his warriors! They made sure to keep one alive for questioning. I looked around and realized Mina, Alec, and the rest of our friends had disappeared, and it was only Quest and I remaining.

Once the scene was under control, and we showed them the dead vampire, my father finally commanded us to shift, and we were handed a change of clothes that we quickly put on. We couldn't even look at him as we held our heads down in shame.

"So you think it's okay to leave the pack grounds unattended?!" my father shouted angrily. Quest and I both shook our heads no, vigorously. "You did this, Nessa?" Daddy asked in awe as he looked at the human bodies of the dead rogues I killed. I looked away, realizing I had killed someone. It was easier to do in the heat of the moment when they were in wolf form, but now that they shifted back, I felt sick.

"Will Mina be okay?" I asked daddy with a shaky voice. "I don't know, Nessa; she has no wolf to heal her. Let's go to the pack hospital to check on her and Alec," he told me as he wrapped me in his large arms and ushered my brother and me away from the scene.

It was a few days after the attack, and I was sitting on a side porch of my uncle's palace. I had fallen into a depression after what happened. Even though Alec faired well because his wolf eventually healed him, Mina wasn't so lucky. She was paralyzed and in a medically induced coma. She had severe injuries, and multiple parts of her spinal cord were completely shattered.

They are worried she may never be able to walk again. Even after she gets her wolf, it won't be able to regenerate her missing vertebrae. I was heartbroken. We should never have followed those stupid boys into the woods. But then my brother and everyone else would probably be dead if I weren't there.

I thought back to the dead bodies of the two men I killed. I was a murderer, and for a good reason. What scares me the most is the lack of remorse I was beginning to feel as the days went on. So my parents sent me away to the Royal Pack to "get some air." I scoffed at the thought of getting air in one of the stuffiest places on the planet. Yes, the luscious woods are to die for, but is it worth being woken up at 5 am every day by some random Omega in your bedroom, opening the curtains? Like, where is the privacy?

It was getting dark, and I wasn't ready to go in, so I walked toward the edge of the balcony and jumped six stories to the ground. One thing I've learned from my aunt Dahmali and all the lessons she's taught me is how to be light on my feet. I stealthily slipped behind a tree, stripped of my summer dress, and shifted into Hera's large crimson wolf.

I took off running through the pack grounds. I might not live here, but I was familiar with the lay of the land, and I took advantage as I maneuvered through the terrain. There was a large lake on the east side of the pack's forest, and Hera stopped there for a drink.

"Hello there, Janessa Michealson," a deep voice said from behind me, nearly scaring the fur off our back. I growled at the intruder. Who could this be on my uncle's pack lands? I didn't recognize him, but he didn't smell like a threat either. "Can you please shift so we can talk?" the man asked, as I looked at him suspiciously.

"Please, I promise I am no threat," he stated as he pulled back the lining of his vest. His vest had embroidery of two wolves with their heads howling to the moon, two swords crossed beneath the wolves pointing upwards, and they were golden stitched with a purple background. The crest of the King!

I quickly sniffed my surroundings and found some clothes. I found a long, tan, baggy dress that looked like a potato sack, shifted, and threw it over my head. "Who are you?" I asked the man at a distance. I didn't want to get too close in case this was some sort of ambush. I absentmindedly pushed my dark-red piece of hair behind my ear. "You can call me Sempai," he said plainly. "Sempai?" I questioned, still not understanding what he wanted from me.

"Yes, pup, I know who you are—the Crimson Wolf. I also know you have just been through a terrible ordeal," Sempai stood up straighter and looked me in the eyes before continuing. "I have a proposition for you," he stated. "What kind of proposition? I'm not into making deals with devils," I said to him, even though my wolf was at ease, letting me know I wasn't in danger.

"I will train you to become a part of the King's Assassins, but you will only become one if you pass the final test once you come of age," Sempai explained. I laughed and scoffed, "I am the King's niece, and there is no such thing as the King's Assassins." "It wouldn't be a secret organization if everyone knew about it, now would it? But maybe you've heard of them by another name? The Dark Angels?" Sempai questioned.

My eyes widened in shock. Yes, I've heard the legend of the Dark Angels; they were an ancient society of assassins who maintained the balance of good and evil. I thought they were only myths or had been shut down centuries ago. Could it be?

"Sh-Shouldn't you be talking to my parents or something?" I asked nervously now that the gravity of the situation had hit me. "The King is the only one who knows of the Angel's existence. That is enough for now, and you will be sworn to secrecy if you accept. "What am I accepting exactly?" I asked him.

"To become a King's Assassin, to maintain balance and serve justice. In return, I will show you things you won't learn anywhere else. You will be able to defend yourself from the evils which will come against you," he explained. I gasped. "What evils?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Oh, pup, you are a blessed wolf, and darkness will come for you. I will ensure you are prepared, but you will owe your time to the Angels," Sempai stated. "How much time?" I questioned. "We will work that out at another time. For now, we must train you to be able to pass your trial in a couple of years at eighteen. If you do not pass your trial, you will not become an Angel, and we will wipe your memory of the last two years of training. If you do pass, your first mission will be shortly after," he said.

I let out a deep sigh at the proposition. I should have been able to protect Mina before she got injured. I've already killed at the young age of sixteen; could I do it for a living?

Suddenly, I got the courage and asked, "Could you show me some techniques?" Sempai smiled widely and asked if it meant I would commit to training, and I agreed. That was the beginning of my intense training. Sempai would mysteriously show up on my pack lands with no scent in the middle of the night to train me.

He usually showed up around one in the morning, and sometimes he would work with me until the sun came up. I would crawl back through my bedroom window and collapse on the bed just for my alarm clock to go off less than an hour later, then I would have to get up for school. I was drained, cranky, and tired all of the time, but I was becoming physically and mentally stronger.

Some nights were the torture nights, where Sempai would torture me for hours, and I couldn't even scream. It was rough, but I could feel my hardened shell building. While most of my friends enjoyed the rest of their younger years, I trained in secret to become a cold and calculated killer.