RHETT
3 Years Later
MacTire held my heart, but I couldn’t help visiting the borough I grew up in when out in the field.
Recruiting new Enforcers for the INE.
I found myself missing the familiarity of the streets. The people – half human, half shifter. Most without a spirit animal.
A town us half breeds built, grew, and protected. Hunters as Lamia called us but what was a hunter?
The town wasn’t big, but it was a place where half-breeds gathered – safety in numbers - we had become a close-knit community. Even still, we were constantly heckled and subject to the packs that surrounded us. Always trying to strong-arm our community or take what they thought belonged to them.
Hybrids – Where one parent is a shifter the other human or no spirit animal – were born one of three ways. Either they were purely human or gained a counterpart that was weaker in comparison to full-blooded shifters, or there was us. The ones like me. Neither human nor shifter. A being that had enhanced physical attributes yet no spirit animal.
My little sister was fully human, even though we shared the same parents. Our mother was a werewolf, father was human.
More than a handful possessed the same gifts I did. The enhanced speed. Healing faster than the average human. Our heightened senses. Yet we possessed no spirit animal and even with our abilities, we paled in comparison to shifters with rank and a good majority of warriors. However, my abilities were like none I had ever encountered, I had the mark of the Queen's knight, and it only made me stronger in every way.
There were probably more half-breeds in the small town of Briarshire, where my sister Ria and I grew up than anywhere else in the realm. And there were only a handful at best here.
At least that’s what most believed until King Kellen returned with a new queen and laid claim that there had been many in Bhakhil.
Each half-breed I knew of that possessed enhanced gifts also had a sixth sense of sorts.
Mine – I could detect a lie a mile away. And I also had a knack for pulling the truth from the most difficult of prisoners. Usually, those who were weak-minded or had a lesser spirit animal.
Alpha Travis says it’s because I have a trusting face and a strong aura. His Beta and one of my best friends, Josiah, a bear shifter, believe it’s because of the spirit animal I was never given.
Personally, I don’t give a fuck. It’s a handy trick. An ace up my sleeve so to say.
If a person feels compelled to tell me the truth, all the better for it. Only those with low ranking will spill the beans freely. Shifters of higher ranking take a lot more effort. Even then it's not a guarantee.
Detecting the lie makes it easier to draw the truth out.
It had been three years since Lamia and Kellen crossed into another realm.
Our realm had changed drastically with Aodh's army crossing through. Bringing with it, creatures that stalked the night and prayed on victims wild and not. To make matters worse Senko’s demonic dogs ran freely through the continent. Thousands of them and changelings were on the loose along with the monsters Aodh brought with him, plaguing the towns and villages.
Even larger packs like New Moon were regularly attacked by Aodh and Senko's leftovers.
Aodh had kept himself hidden, sending his army to do his dirty work. None of us were spared. Reports had even come in from the western continent that they had been attacked and smaller kingdoms had been overrun by Aodh in his search for a way to bring his promised bride back. Lamia.
For three years we have fought the shadows and what lurks in the darkness.
I hardly saw anything of MacTire and knew Travis was looking for a new Gamma and still needed a Delta.
This didn’t bother me. I was numb to pack life.
After the battle on the Cambiador border and losing Jonda, my allegiances and cause had shifted.
I had dedicated myself to the INE, to hunting down the foreign and unholy creatures that now stalked this realm and had become the basis of things that go bump in the night.
I was gone for weeks. Sometimes months.
Sending Angelica to the Sea Dog pack would have been the right thing to do. But selfishly, I couldn’t let go of my daughter.
Yet here I was. Standing outside a brothel. Hundreds of miles from her yet again. This time I had left my daughter in the Kodiak Kingdom with my sister.
Other times she stays in New Moon.
Most of the time, MacTire is her home and Mrs. Brown raises Angelica.
Some father figure I am. Jonda would have been disappointed. I catch myself with the thought. I honestly don’t know what Jonda would have thought.
I didn’t know her that well. Just that there was a deep connection I felt towards her.
I often wonder – in her right mind, what Jonda would have said if she was looking down at me. Watching the way I raise – or lack of – our daughter.
Angelica was the light of my life. I just didn’t know how to show it. Her deep red hair reminded me of her mother. But she had my soft green eyes.
No matter how much I knew Jonda had lost her mind during her last moments. That it was no longer her behind the wheel in her head – I could never unhear the words she spoke to Mike.
‘It was always you.’
I could never forget the way she looked when she thought my mark was his.
‘Mike is my mate. He is the father.’
No matter how many times I push the thoughts away, they still plague me. Especially at night when it’s the quietest.
I look up at the full moon, squinting my eyes at its brightness. On a night like tonight, wolves would be howling and werecats would be dancing. The Clans would hold a feast. All to celebrate the rising of a full moon.
But all was quiet, and doors were locked in fear of demonic monsters raiding the village.
Even with the presence of Enforcers, the people still feared the creatures that came straight from hell. Enormous horses with horns that could gut and impale you in seconds with blood-red eyes that burn straight into your soul. Giant dog-like creatures with fur around their necks, feet, and the tips of their tails. Their skin was hard like armor making it difficult to pierce through with a weapon. And the worst of all, the birds that resembled something ancient and prehistoric. Black and scaly with a beak full of jagged sharp teeth.
In the distance a child cried, the sound cutting through the bleak night, as the moon shone down on quiet streets.
I made my way across town to Sapiens, an old tavern that still operated on the outskirts of Briarshire. An establishment that had been passed down through generations and had even withstood the great Lycan wars from two and a half centuries ago.
With my enhanced hearing I could make out the lowly chatter of patrons and the giggles coming from the women who worked there. It was a bar, but it also doubled as a bordello house.
Opening the heavy door, the sounds from inside pour out. The door slams behind me and then for a few seconds, the main parlor falls in silence as multiple pairs of eyes land on me and take me in.
Once they establish who I am and am no threat, they carry on about their business.
“Whisky. Neat.” I tell the bartender, crossing the room and perching at the open space at the end of the hard wooden topped bar, which had seen better days.
I slide a note over the wooden top when my drink is sat down before of me. “Leave the bottle.” The bartender nods and walks away, taking the generous amount I gave him.
I turn to face the room, taking a sip and watching the patrons who are here to have a good time.
“Been a long time Rhett.” I recognize the voice and turn to see Suzie flip her honey-colored hair over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes at me when she has my attention. “You’re looking good.” She says, tongue darting out to lick her lips as her eyes drag up and down my body.
I offer her a coy smile, equally checking her out. The years had been kind to her even with her profession. Her eyes were still a bright and cheerful brown. Not a single strand of her hair was out of place. The red lipstick she wore only served to make her lips look more luscious and juicier.
Once upon a time, I would have never entertained screwing a girl who was my sister's friend and her age. Now though, as I look at Suzie and feel a stirring in my pants, I realize she is no longer the little girl I remember and is all woman with curves for days. That and she’s just another means to take my mind off the shit storm our realm has been through for the past three years.
For a fleeting moment, Jonda’s face fills my head. The image quickly evaporates just as fast as it was conjured. Jonda is dead and even if she hadn’t thrown herself off the roof of the New Moon palace, I didn’t know if there would have ever been an us.
“You’re looking exceptionally cute these days Suzie. The years have been good to you.” I say lifting my glass to my lips and averting my eyes from the younger girl.
“Did you come to drink or play Rhett?” The words dripped from her tongue in a sultry tone. Her small hand casually stroked my bicep. Her innuendo was not lost on me.
“Both,” I state knocking the drink back and heavily placing it on the bar behind me. She weaves her hand into mine and I grab the bottle before she can lead me through the bar and upstairs to one of the private rooms.
I looked around once in Suzie’s room. And noted the scent of multiple men and the stagnant smell of sex that lingered in the air. My senses had only become stronger in the past three years, and I could distinctly decipher how many men she’d had just this evening.
Pulling the cork with my teeth from the bottle still in my hand, I spit the stopper on the floor and gulp down the harsh brown liquid. The burn down my throat makes me feel alive yet also serves to numb the mind.
I undo my pants as Suzie peels her pink dress from her shoulders, trying to make it look sexy. I don’t really care as it does nothing for me. I’m already hard at the thought of working out my frustrations. Her pretty face helps, but I’m not interested in anything else. Just the sex. I'm paying to use her, for my own satisfaction. Not hers.
“Get on the bed,” I command, letting my pants fall to my knees.
Suzie obeys, her dress pulled down below her breasts. She scoots backward hitching up the bottom of the dress and spreads her legs to reveal her pussy. “I’m not ready, Rhett.” She stammers. “I need a little more or there is lube over there…” She points to the bedside table next to the single bed.
I set the bottle down after another swig, look at the tube of lube but leave it where it sits.
I shake my head, grab my cock and give it a few pumps.
I don’t use the lube, Instead, I spit on my fingers and roughly shove two of them into her channel. The female whimpers at the rough contact so I do it once more.
She feels wet enough, so I don’t give it any more thought before shoving my cock inside her and begin fucking her harshly.
I’m not gentle. There’s nothing romantic about what I’m doing or how I’m treating her. I’m using her.
I close my eyes as I pound into the tiny girl, images of Jonda conjuring behind those tightly shut eyes once more. I latch onto Jonda's image and pretend it's her I’m inside. Mentally replaying the only night I ever had with her until I’m spent.
I pull out of Suzie and silently come all over the sheets. The last thing I want is another child.
Suzie lay breathless, chest heaving, and hands still tightly wound in the sheets. I pull my pants up, take out my wallet, and place a handful of notes on the bedside table. Leaving her the bottle of whisky too.
“You could go again if you wanted Rhett.”
I hear Suzie's hopeful voice as I reach for the door handle and pause, not bothering to turn around. “Maybe next time.” I sigh before exiting.
The night is warm with a slight breeze. I keep my eyes and ears open as I leave the tavern and make my way back to the motel. Noting the bell that still sits atop the old church.
Though no one attends the church anymore and the bell is used to warn the town when Packs would attack. Or nowadays new monsters.
I think back to the last time I heard that bell ring. It must have been five years ago now. I remember that night clearly. It was before I had fully come into my gifts when Ria was only eighteen and the Alpha Arshard had come for the females of this village. He would have taken my sister if Lamia hadn’t turned up and ripped his heart out.
I thought they were dark days back then. Not anymore. Not with how fucked up things had become with the absence of Queen Lamia and King Kellen.
RHETTI trek from the Bordello house back to the motel. Passing the house, I grew up in. Another family lived there now, but the small house still looked the same - with worn outer walls that were once white, fading over time.Much like my memories of a happy time that seem so far away now.When I was eleven and Ria was only six, my father was attacked by a wild bear. His injuries were so severe that he bled out in the woods behind our house. There was no chance for him even if he could have called or crawled for help. Two years later our mother died. Her health had slowly declined, and her wolf began to fade until she left our mother for good.We were told she died of a broken heart. I believe she just gave up. Gave up on life and gave up on us. From then on it was just Ria and I. I helped around the village, picking up odd jobs here and there while still trying to get some kind of education and raise my little sister.Times were tough but we saw them through.“Didn’t know if we woul
RHETTThe large ghastly beast rears up letting out a grimacing snort and takes off in the direction of Dana as soon as its hoofs hit the ground. Charging her down.Dana revs the bike as the beast closes in on her. The other four take note and begin to turn in the same direction. I move quickly pulling two arrows from my quill and placing them against the bow. My thumb brushed over the small trigger button activating their electrifying modifications.As they gait, I poise. Ready to release my grip. I pulled the bow taught waiting for the perfect shot. Just as they move, I release the two arrows. They whizz through the air, a hushed whistling sound coming from them as seek out their targets.The arrows split as intended and hit their targets. Two of the beasts screech out as the arrows meet their flesh and light up upon contact, shocking the beasts and causing them to fall to the ground. The other two scatter in the direction of the first.As fast as I can run, leaning on the wolf stre
MATHIASI bit the inside of my cheek roughly and the metallic taste of my blood filled my mouth. I was trying not to lose my cool at my father-in-law as the triples climbed all over me. The boys were playing nicely but little Miss Amali was trying to take me down.On any other day, I would laugh at the thought of my tiny daughter trying to bring me to my knees. But that wasn’t the case today.Today my agitation was in full swing. I had just had to deny Bhakhil more troops as we were thin on the ground ourselves on this side of the realm. I understood the second continent was under more duress than us but New Moon and Riocht couldn’t keep sending our own warriors to aid them.Asiarian was doing what they could but even their forces were struggling. Hunji’s brother Rostam, king of Asiarian was fighting Aodh's army on a daily basis on all different fronts and lending aid to the other kingdoms on the second continent.I had been out there myself and fought against the dark army. In a bid
KELLEN“Seneca! Not so loud.” I growl at the tiny girl who dances in the barren field, humming a tune to herself. Not that there is anyone around to hear her. A tune I had never heard and not one that she had heard from Lamia.She stops twirling to look at me. Eyes made from sea glass peer up at me and she sweetly says, “Papa Kel, but the wind says to dance.”I frown and crouch down so I’m at her level, “There is no wind little one.”“The moons papa, they are the wind. They sing to me.” She points to the sky where the three moons are just starting to appear. Soon the haze of the day would vanish giving way to the dusky dark hue of purple.Just then her golden hair flutters, as if caught by an unseen and unfelt wind. Yet the air remains still. “It’s time to go in,” I tell her, standing and reaching my hand out for her to take.Instead of taking my hand, she leaps forward, grasping my leg, “Up papa Kel, up!”I lift her easily, holding her in my arms and her short legs grip onto my waist
RHETT Riocht’s palace came into view as we wound down the road that ran through the Morngord forest. A forest that no matter how many times I rode through still gave me the creeps. It was indeed haunted and with Morgan’s gifts, being able to raise the dead, having a haunted forest surround a palace made for good defenses. As far as I knew, and I had no idea why, Aodh’s hellish monsters would come nowhere near Morngord or Riocht. It was one of the last safe places in this realm. I pull the bike to a stop outside the main gates, Dana pulling up beside me. “Wow!” She gives a low-pitched whistle as she takes in the beauty of Riocht’s palace. Lamia and Mathias had built a new road, bypassing the Southern Lycans village. The guardians, as they had called themselves, had remained hidden for centuries. Tucked away from the cities and the technology that had survived the Lycan wars. Like the northern Lycans, they were now packs of peace. In truth, After the great war two and half centuries
RHETT Dinner was… pleasant. Strangely pleasant. The conversation was kept light, mostly all of us catching up on things we had missed. I sat back in my chair after demolishing the hearty spread that was laid before us feeling full and satisfied. It was the first decent meal I had had in a long time. Either everyone was saving talks for the meeting, or no one wanted to bring up the elephant in the room. I personally was highly curious to know what Morgan's visions had been and what she and Mathias had planned. It didn’t escape my attention that Alpha Travis was not present, nor had his name even been mentioned. It was oddly strange for him to not be a part of this… whatever this was. He had been friends with Lamia, Kellen, and Mike for years. Far longer than anyone else sitting at this table. With the exception of the parents of course. The only other person who was remotely close to Travis was Hunji who had remained silent and stoic as usual. His eyes never leaving his little witc
RHETT We wait for Morgan to provide us with an answer. Her pause is long and torturous. She looks between Marcus and Mathias then over at the old Beta who nods and Morgan sighs, “The gatekeeper. We haven’t figured out who the gatekeeper is though.” “Why do you look so fearful?” Finn scowls at his sister. “She’s not afraid,” Hunji grumbles. “She doesn’t like the role this gatekeeper plays in opening the veil between realms, is all.” Tristan steps up to the center table and grabs five worn scrolls. Abner helps him unroll them and they lay them out on the table for all to see. Except they are face down and the way they lay, you see a scripture on the back of the scrolls, barely visible. But it’s there. ‘Only in death can the gatekeeper walk between realms and open the way.’ There is a faint drawing of a tree and the words ‘the blood of the heart from he who walks between shall open the way.’ “What the fuck does this mean?” Tobias asks, slightly moving the pages. As he does, the writ
RHETT After Mathias had left the meeting everyone else mulled around for a few minutes. They went over the books and documents looking for a clue as to where said dagger might be or even the tree but no reference to either was found. After several hours of coming up with nothing and going over what Morgan had said, we disbanded. We all began filing out of the auditorium. It was late in the evening and the moon's glow peeked through the wide windows of the palace. I was crossing the courtyard to my room, noticing the warmth of the moon, and basked in it for a moment. Closing my eyes and remembering simple times. Even though Orion had tried to claim Riocht and had set the Crawlers upon us it seemed like much simpler times. Orion was strong and powerful, but he could be killed. Unlike Aodh. Mathias and Finn had faced him and failed. Maybe Lamia and Kellen were better off not being here. Maybe wherever they were was a better life. Maybe they had built themselves a new beginning. I dou