Osiris POV
From a distance, I watch through binoculars as a small figure clad in black leather makes its way into the warehouse. I smirk to myself, knowing that the trap that we set for the Lycan King's assassin has worked. I will have to send a thank you basket to my plant within Lycan City.
I wait in silence for my cue. Today is the day that we put an end to the Lycan King's tyrannical rule over the rogues in this country. Once I take out the assassin, he will no longer be able to infiltrate my warehouses and camps. Then hopefully, we can live in peace.
The lights of the warehouse flicker twice, and that is my signal to move. Quickly, I make my way down the hill and toward the warehouse. I have planned to take out the assassin myself and send his head to the Lycan King in a gift-wrapped package. It will be a message that the Rogue Alpha and his people are not to be trifled with. But none of this will happen until I milk the assassin for all the information he has on the Lycan King. Until today the assassin hasn't completed a mission alone.
Not much is known about the Lycan King’s assassin. He only takes jobs under the cover of darkness and kills only his mark. Leaving no traces of himself behind. He has no scent. He has no fingerprints. Each kill is different. There is no rhyme or reason to his kills, only that they end up dead. It is like he is a ghost.
But as soon as I enter the warehouse, all of my plans fly right out of the window. This time things are different. The scent of wintergreen is thick in the air. I have never smelled anything so delicious in my life. My wolf, King, is howling in my head. Begging me to find the source of the smell. It is driving him crazy, and I am unable to keep him at bay.
I can feel King pushing forward in my mind trying to force the shift so he can hunt down the source of the scent.
Lifting my nose into the air, I inhale deeply. "Do you smell that?" I ask one of my men as he stands silently beside me.
The man lifts his nose into the air and sniffs quickly. "No, Alpha," he says awkwardly. "I only smell our men."
'Forget the mission,' King growls in my head.
'We don't have time for this,' I grumble back at him. 'The assassin is within our grasp.'
'Our mate is nearby,' King whines.
'Don't be ridiculous,' I tell King. 'The only people in this warehouse are our men and the assassin.'
King gives me a huff and retreats to the back of my mind. While I refuse to admit it. The thick scent of wintergreen is alluring. It makes me wonder if King could be right.
The sound of a muffled gun echoes through the warehouse, and I pick up the pace as I make my way through the aisles of boxes and large crates. A loud commotion is coming from the back of the warehouse, and I am afraid that I am not going to make it in time. We need the assassin alive, and while Razor and Todd are tough, they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed.
As I approach the back of the warehouse, I slow my steps. The struggle is happening just an aisle over. Peering through the boxes on the shelf, I cannot believe what I am seeing.
Todd has a little blonde she-wolf pinned to the ground loosely. “I don’t want to hit a girl, but I will,” I hear him say, but the blonde doesn’t seem to care. She spits in his eyes, causing him to lose focus, and she is able to wiggle free.
Looking around me, I find that I am alone. My men have stayed at their posts as instructed, so this little assassin cannot get away. I look back at the fight and watch as the little blonde leaps over Todd’s head and stabs a dagger into the side of his neck.
I know that I should not intervene, but I can’t take my eyes off her. I am both horrified and mesmerized but her tactics. Despite her small stature, she is strong yet graceful. She pulls the knife from his neck, and blood splatters over her face. She wipes the blood from her cheeks, unphased. This isn't her first kill, and I am almost certain that it won't be her last. Is it really possible that this little woman is the great assassin we have been hunting down?
'She is our mate,' King says proudly in my mind.
'If she is our mate, why does she not recognize our scent?' I challenge King.
'She is human,' King says with an air of satisfaction.
'There is no way a human just massacred two of my men,' I tell King, but he isn't listening. He is positive this woman is our mate.
She looks around the warehouse, and her eyes land on the shelf of boxes that I am hiding behind. Her bright blue eyes stand out from the bright red blood that is spread across her face. Under all of the blood, I recognize the little woman. She is indeed human. I believe her name is Willow. She is the King's aide. I have seen her face in the papers many times, standing at the Lycan King’s side.
My men come running to my aid, and I turn to them and signal for them to remain quiet. I keep a close eye on their faces, but none of them dare to look in her direction. They all have their eyes glued to my face, waiting for instructions. I turn my attention back to my little mate.
Her face remains calm as she hears the footsteps of the rest of my men running up behind me. The little minx takes off out of the back door of the warehouse.
Holding my fist up, I motion for them to stop. "Give her a head start," I say with a smirk on my face. If the little rabbit wants a chase, I will give her one. “In fact, make her think you are searching for her, but let her go."
"But Alpha," one of my men begins to protest. "She killed two of our best warriors."
"Razor and Todd got what was coming to them if they couldn't handle a little girl," I say harshly. “Does anyone have anything else to say about my orders?” I look around the warehouse, and no one is looking in my direction. “I didn’t think so,” I say angrily.
I walk back toward the front of the warehouse with only half of my men following me. My Beta, Matthew, comes running up beside me with a concerned look on his face. "We finally had the assassin in our grasp, and you let him go," he says in a judgemental tone.
“Her,” I correct him. “I let her go.”
“The assassin is a woman?” Matthew sounds astonished. “Are you sure?”
“Positive,” I grin as I think about her ass running away in her tight leather pants.
“So, why did you let her go?” Matthew demands to know.
"I have decided that we have another interest," I tell Matthew. "I need you to pull up all the information on the King's main aide."
"Why the sudden interest in her?" Matthew eyes me suspiciously. "I thought we were just in Colorado to kill the Lycan King's assassin."
"Plans have changed," I say simply, not wanting to divulge too much information to my Beta just yet. “We will be staying in Colorado a little bit longer.”
Matthew glares at me, but he doesn't question my orders. "What of the warehouse?"
"Burn it to the ground," I command. "Let the Lycan King think that he did something productive here tonight."
"But Alpha," Matthew interjects. "A quarter of our product is in this building."
"It doesn't matter," I wave my hand in dismissal. "We can always grow and make more."
Matthew gives me a dissatisfied grunt, but he clears the warehouse and burns it to the ground, just like I asked him to do. Covering my nose and mouth with a handkerchief, I am careful not to breathe in any of the smoke as I make my way to the car that is waiting for me.
Pulling out my burner phone, I dial the one number I have saved in it.
A gruff voice on the other end of the phone answers. "Hello?"
"I think it is time we meet in person," I say with a bit of a chuckle in my voice. "I will be at your office tomorrow morning."
Without another word, I hang up the call and toss the phone out of the window as I drive away.
Willow POVBy the time the sun rises the next day, I am already dragging ass. My night spent in the tree was an uncomfortable one. The Rogue Alpha's men searched for me until the wee hours of the morning. I barely had enough time to get home and changed to head to my day job. Checking the watch on my wrist, I have five minutes to get up to the top floor of the building. The elevator takes at least three minutes if I am alone. Bursting through the front doors of the central building in the center of Lycan City, I see a crowd of people waiting for the elevator. "Fuck," I mumble under my breath. I am going to be late. Uncle Faris is going to have a fit.The she-wolf at the front desk looks at me with amusement in her eyes. "I don't think you are going to make it in time, Lo," she laughs. "Fuck you, Amy," I hiss back at her, and she clutches her chest and feigns heartbreak. Looking from the stairs to the crowd in front of the elevator, I kick off my shoes and run for the sta
Osiris POVA pretty redhead is sitting at the front desk of the main building of Lycan City. She is bobbing her head up and down to the music that is playing in the lobby and pops the gum that is in her mouth. Standing in front of her, I watch her with interest for a moment before I knock my fists gently on the desk in front of me.The redhead looks up and jumps back at the sight of me. She lifts her nose discreetly into the air and sniffs gently. I know she checking to see if I am a werewolf or human. Her nose wrinkles in disgust with the realization that I am a rogue, and she scoots back awkwardly in her seat."Can I help you?" She says, clearly uncomfortable with my presence."I have a nine o'clock meeting with the Lycan King," I say confidently.The redhead turns back to her computer and flips through a couple of screens. "The King doesn't have a nine o'clock appointment."My face falls in disappointment. I thought at least that the King would have the decency to meet with me afte
Willow POVWhen Osiris mentions the burning warehouse, I keep my face neutral and scroll through the apps on my tablet. It is not the first time I have sat in this office and pretended like I don't know what is going on. Osiris and the King stare at one another. Neither one of them is willing to speak first. The tension between the two men is palpable. So much so that when my phone rings in my pocket, I fall off the desk with a yelp. Osiris catches me by the shoulders before I hit the ground in front of him. Even through my shirt, I can feel the electricity between us. Our eyes lock onto one another for a moment, and it is as if the rest of the world dissolves away. My arms go weak for a moment, and the tablet slips from my hands and lands on my foot. The corner of the tablet hits the bridge of my foot, and hiss out in pain. I begin to hop up and down on my foot, holding my other as I try to breathe through the pain. "She is a graceful one," Osiris says jokingly as he lets
Willow POV Standing in front of the elevator, I tap my foot impatiently. The mutterings and whispers of everyone in the office are beginning to get on my nerves. After what happened this morning and my fight with Chad, they have lots to talk about now that my back is turned. Lauren's nasally laugh catches my attention, and I glance at her out of the corner of my eye. She is sitting on a desk chatting with one of the other she-wolves in the office. They are pointing in my direction and laughing loudly. That bitch will get what is coming to her, I think to myself. Just as soon as I finish this last job, I am going to kill her for fun. Looking back toward the elevator, I let out a frustrated sigh. The elevator never takes this long. In the reflection of the elevator, I can see Osiris standing quietly behind me. His eyes are glued firmly to the back of my head, and there is a scowl on his face. I don’t understand why he cares so much about my well-being. Finally, the doors o
Willow POVThe light that is shining above me is too bright. It feels like the light of the sun is shining in my room, only there isn't any warmth to go along with it. Pressing my hand to my forehead, my eyes fly open when I feel the warmth of the palm of my hand. I don't have my gloves on. Sitting up in the hospital bed, I look at my surroundings. The room is crisp and white. The sheets on the bed are paper thin and scratchy. Somehow I made it to the hospital, and I let out a sigh of relief. The doctors and nurses at the edge of Lycan City know not to touch my hands. Wrinkling my nose at the smell of antiseptic. A sharp pain stings through the bridge of my nose, and I gingerly reach up my hand to touch it. By the feel of it, my nose has been reset and bandaged. Leaning back in bed, I sit on my hands to ensure I don't accidentally touch someone and try to recount what happened before I passed out. Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between what is real and what I sa
Osiris POVI watch with amusement as my small mate jumps up from the hospital bed and rushes around the hotel room, clad in only a hospital gown and a pair of latex gloves. Unsuccessfully she tries to hold the back of the gown shut while she searches through the drawers and cabinets, and I catch a glimpse of her tight ass. I can only assume that she is looking for her personal items so she can get out of here. Little does she know I never plan to let her leave here. I also see a strange tattoo that runs the length of her spine. It contains characters and symbols that I have only seen a few times before. They were on the cards in the witch's cottage on the edge of the rogue territory.'Is it possible that she is a witch?' I ask King in my mind.Sniffing the air discreetly, King shakes his head no. 'She doesn't smell like a witch. She smells human.' Sitting down next to my mother, I nudge her with my elbow. "Isn't she beautiful?" I ask my mother, and she shakes her head at me. "Y
Willow POVNo matter what move I used, Osiris was able to get the best of me. That is not something that I am used to. Digging my elbows into his back, I try to free myself, but Osiris only tightens his hold. He walks through the hospital with me hoisted over his shoulder like it is the most normal thing in the world. No matter how much I scream for help, no one steps in to help me, but I see everyone watching from the corners of their eyes. Many of them are muttering and whispering to one another as they watch the scene unfold in front of them."Put me down, you dirty mutt," I scream as we finally exit the hospital. Lifting my arm, I jam it down into the center of his back. I know it hurts because Osiris arches his back awkwardly. "That feels good," Osiris laughs. "Can you hit just a little bit lower next time? There is a knot there that I have been trying to work out for weeks." "This isn't funny," I say through gritted teeth. "Put me down." We stop next to a car, and O
Willow POVA rigid lump forms in my throat as I stand on my parent's front steps. Usually, I walk in, but today, I feel like a stranger. I am going to lie to my parents for the thousandth time. The only difference is that I may not make it home this time.I know that Osiris is stronger and faster than me. He has proven it several times. There is no way that I can beat him. Not without full use of my powers. But these damn runes on my back keep the extent of my abilities at bay, and I fear that it is too late to ask my mother how to remove them.Taking a deep breath, I knock on their door lightly. I almost hope they cannot hear me and I can just run away without having some tearful goodbye."I'm coming," my mother yells as she walks closer to the door.I look back at my car and wonder if I should just run, but it is too late. The door swings open, and my mother stands on the other side with a brilliant smile."Willow," she exclaims happily. "I wasn't expecting you today."Shuffling my