The Wayward Mate

Chapter Twenty.

“Training and patrol schedules will be revised. Expect training sessions to be longer and more gruelling, expect to be separated into small groups for training so that I can assess each and every one of you, expect to be patrolling when you’re not training, expect to be worked so hard that your body will feel broken, until you are physically sick.”

I stood tall and proud on the podium where I had been convicted before these very men a year and a half ago. Enough time for Rieker to send out calls to hunters around the world, time to prepare an attack. As I spoke, I avoided the piercing gazes of Hunter, Yiannis, Matthias, Alex and Nick. I saw many of the men bristle and glare at me; none of them were pleased. “If you have any problems feel free to voice them now.” I growled, my eyes glowing; they may not realise it, but I was doing this to protect them and their families. I was being a hard ass and taking their hate so that they lived another day.

There was total silence as the men looked at each other, daring their friends and pack brothers to speak up with their eyes.

“Good, I will also be holding three self- defence sessions for all women over the age of 16.” Once they realised that I would be near their mates, sisters, nieces, cousins and daughters they were furious, the room was deafening with their shouts of outrage.

Reaching to my hip I pulled out my berretta and fired three rounds into the ceiling. The deafening sounds of gun fire silenced them. “I don’t care how much you hate me and the idea of me around your females, I am doing this so no man or woman is defenceless against the hunters.” I looked around the crowd and in their eyes I could see just how much they distrusted me. Holstering my gun I shook my head and smiled cruelly. “When the hunters come, while you are all occupied fighting them, they will find your women and children and they will torture, rape and kill them. You will not be able to stop them. You may not trust me, but you should distrust the hunters more; I am first and foremost a hunter, an assassin; but I am not hunting weres, I am hunting the hunters. What would you rather? Me around your mates, daughters and sisters for a few days, training them; or the sound of their screams as they are slaughtered while you can do nothing but watch?”

I knew the moment I had them. They were less afraid of me than the multitudes of hunters who threatened their families. Good.

“And when this is all over, you can dance on my grave for hurting your manly pride by equipping the women with skills to survive.” I snipped, stepping down from the podium and striding towards the door. The men moved out of my way and as I pushed the heavy stone doors aside I growled at the scent of blood. Drawing my gun once again, I took off running towards the smell of death.

Reaching one of the private rooms I pushed the unlocked door open and stepped in, gun drawn. Once I’d swept the apartment to make sure the killer wasn’t still here, I approached the woman lying in a pool of blood, lifeless eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling, limbs spread at odd angles with the hilt of a dagger poking out of her chest. The mark on the side of her neck showed that she was mated. There would soon be another death, for mates cannot live without their other half unless they have children. Some survive, especially if they’re not fully mated. Usually though, the remaining mate would fall into such heavy depression that they would lose their will to live and commit suicide or waste away into nothing. After all, the other half of their soul was gone and without it they would soon follow.

The heavy thuds of footsteps sounded from outside the room and before anyone else could enter I blocked them. “Find who else lives here and bring them to me, get a gurney and a doctor. There’s nothing else to do here but ready a grave, she’s dead.” A mournful howl broke through the corridor and I knew that her mate was here. “Grab her mate and make sure that he doesn’t hurt himself.” I ordered quickly.