Blood Of The Luna

Chapter 14

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Here's the thing about Bloodhounds: they assholes right from birth. If someone told me that these bastards pinched their mothers on their way out, I would believe them. That was certainly something that a Bloodhound would do.

Basically, you could think of any crime that could be committed on the planet and the chances that a Bloodhound was involved would be very high. Part of the hazard of living where we did was that we got to share a border with them, which they obviously didn't respect at all. There had been dozens of incidents where they were caught sneaking into our territory and doing whatever the hell they wanted. The most notable incident was when a group of high schoolers snuck into Gwen Evergreen's home and assaulted her. All six of them took turns with her, until her brother found her and he raised an alarm.

When Damian's father was informed of the incident, he had the boys captured and executed before the council. I remembered it being the talking point of the entire year, so much so Gwen and her family had to move somewhere else.

Naturally, that should tell you that there was no love lost between our packs. So when these assholes showed up on our turf, you best believe that there was going to be c*****e.

"Well well," one of them said, a scrawny teen with tawny brown hair and a lopsided grin. "What do we have here? Serpents slithering across the mall? That's a sight you don't see everyday."

His little gang all snickered at his pathetic comment, and that emboldened him as he stepped deeper into the mall. Already, I could feel a rage surging through me, and anger which I didn't know I was capable of feeling. It was pure and unbridled hatred, one which I knew I was right to feel.

"You lot shouldn't be here," one of the mall guards said, stepping forward with his baton in his hands. "Bloodhounds are not allowed this far south."

"Oh, we were just passing through," the one who had spoken said. "But if you wish to be hostile towards us, then I guess we should leave, right?"

"I don't think so," the largest of the bunch said. "We go wherever we want. And right now, I feel like having a burger."

"The treaty forbids you from crossing into any parts beyond the outer ring," the guard said.

"f**k the treaty," the first one said. "If my friend here wants to have a burger, then he's going to get a f*****g burger. Do I make myself clear?"

The entire mall had gone deathly silent. Every person in the vicinity was looking at them, a collective rage building in all of us. I could feel the tension stretching now, bubbling over until it nearly exploded. The smell of fear hung in the air, most likely from those who feared the outcome of an altercation.

But I wasn't one of them.

I stepped forward, and a collective murmur swept through the crowd once they recognised who I was. Even the Bloodhounds seemed taken aback by my approach, and the scrawny one raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Who the f**k are you?" he asked.

"Someone who's about to break every single bone in your body if you don't get the f**k out of here right now," I spat. "Your kind is not welcome here."

"Our kind?" he chuckled, turning to his comrades. There were six girls in total, each of them in varying degrees of nakedness. Some had cut hole in their shirts for their breasts, taping over their n*****s and leaving everything else bare. Others wore skin-tight jeans and semi-transparent tops. The one common trait about all of them however was that they were all wearing black.

"Tell me, sweetheart," he said, raising his voice so everyone could hear, "on whose authority do you think you can kick us out of here? If we want to stay, then who the f**k do you think you are to try and stop us?"

"She's the future Alpha of this pack," Joaquin said behind me through gritted teeth. "And like she said, you're not welcome here."

At least twenty people had gathered behind me, a collective low growl coming from them. The Bloodhounds knew they were outnumbered, and yet there was an arrogance about them, which was more stupidity than courage. They underestimated us, which was a horrible mistake on their part.

"Oh wow," he said. "I wasn't aware, your Grace. I was foolish to believe that this was a gathering of mere commoners. Apparently, Princess Alyssa is here with us today. Would you like me to bow or kneel before you?"

"You got it all wrong, Beau," another one of the men said. "She should be the one on her knees, with her lips around your..."

He never got to finish the sentence as Joaquin lunged at him. My vision blurred only for a second, but then I drove my fist into the teeth of the one called Beau. He fell backwards instantly, and as the others tried to retaliate, a sharp growl came from behind them, causing all of them to freeze. I was already standing over the scrawny git, with my boot pressing down on his windpipe. His eyes bulged out in terror, and his hands clawed at my shin as he begged for escape.

The Bloodhounds parted, revealing a great black wolf towering behind them, canines bared and eyes twinkling with a golden reflection. My breath caught in my chest instantly, and I felt everything slow down. I couldn't even recognise the fact that I was crushing someone's windpipe, or that Joaquin had another one of them pinned to the wall effortlessly, both hands wrapped around his neck so that he dangled in midair. All I could focus on was those eyes, and the way they shot straight through me.

I would recognise those eyes anywhere.

Damian made his way into the mall, every hair on his body bristling with rage. The Bloodhounds cowered before him, and they stepped aside as he walked through them. Every step was slow and measured, echoing across the cold tiled floor. His anger was like a black cloud which moved in front of him, and it stood before him like a barrier which repelled his pack members. They dove out of the way, their cowardice showing more than anything else.

He came to stop in front of me, and his hard gaze rested on my face. I stared back at him, defiant even in the face of his rage. He dared not tell me what to do. This was my territory, and they were trespassing. I couldn't give a damn about any treaty, because they had clearly broken the pact first. If he needed someone to channel his rage on, then it sure as hell wasn't going to be me.

He tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes even more as he showed even more of his teeth. His meaning was clear;

Let him go!

As if that was going to convince me.

I tilted my head in the opposite direction, and he leaned back in irritation. I wasn't going to cower before him like the others had. He might be intimidating as hell, and so frighteningly large and terrifying, with eyes that could make the devil repent from his dark ways.

What the hell was I thinking? Why was I still thinking of his eyes? Ignore them and focus on the pig below you.

"Apologise," I said to him spitefully. "And make it loud and clear so that everyone can hear you."

"I'm sorry," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"You'll have to speak up," I said. "There are some at the back who can't hear your pathetic apology."

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Louder!"

"I'M SORRY!"

"Isn't that better?" I asked sarcastically. "Don't you find it much more amusing when everyone gets along nicely?"

He was rapidly turning purple, and I took pity on him then. As I lifted my boot, he scurried away hastily and crawled towards his friends. I looked up then, and my gaze returned to Damian's wolf, as he had been looking at me the entire time. I raised an eyebrow in defiant questioning, and I could have sworn that his gaze softened slightly as he took a step back.

"None of you are welcome here," I told them all. "I don't care who you think you are, but you will remain in your territory unless you have been granted permission to step into our territory. Let those who aren't here today know that the Black Serpents will not tolerate anymore of your transgressions."

Damian turned and barked at them, and they filed out of the mall quickly. He turned to look at me, and he motioned outside as if to say he wanted me to follow him.

"Don't," Joaquin said, stepping forward. "They should all leave."

"Don't worry, Joaquin," I told him. "It'll be fine."

I followed Damian as we walked out slowly, with him on all fours and much taller than I was. Everyone was looking at us, but I ignored their gaze as we stepped outside into the sun. Damian led me to a large black truck before she shifted back to his human form.

Holy s**t!

I turned my back to him immediately, the image of his nakedness burned into my memory forever. He was chiseled to the bone, with his abs jutting out prominently. His brawny back was covered in a tattoo of a cowering man with wings, like a fallen angel.

What godlike creature was standing before me? How could anyone be this perfect? He looked like he had been sculpted by some heavenly being who was opposed to imperfections, and had crafted him to be the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Every part of him was ripped, and he moved with such a grace that was uncommon to men.

And I had seen him completely naked.

Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.

"You can turn around now," he said, and I turned around very slowly. He was wearing a black tank-top now, and dark denim jeans. He pushed his hair away from his eyes, and he looked at me with eyes which shone brighter in the sunlight. I was absolutely mesmerised by him, and yet he seemed like he didn't realise how effortlessly good looking he was.

I was staring at his chest, which had been bare only a few seconds ago. I could still picture the light spattering of hair over it, his sculpted pecs with dark n*****s which were impossible to forgot.

"I should apologise for their behaviour," he said. "They usually do what they're told."

I tore my gaze from his body and looked up at him. "You know my father will hear of this, right?" I said.

"I know," he said. "They broke the pact. But I can assure you that they will be properly dealt with. I do not tolerate stupidity in any degree. And my father will be informed about this as well."

He took a step towards me, and he was so close that I could hardly breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "I would have called yesterday, but I knew you were asleep."

"I'm fine," I said with a small smile. "Thank you for helping. My mom has been gushing about you ever since."

"What exactly did you see that caused you to be like that?" he asked.

"It's nothing," I said quickly. "Anyway, where did you go afterwards? She said she saw you talking to someone in the driveway. Who was he?"

"Home," he replied, twitching slightly. "I was exhausted, so I went straight back home."

I didn't fail to notice how he skirted around the latter part of the question as if he hadn't heard me. Clearly he didn't want me finding out who it was.

"I heard about your brother," I said, " I'm so sorry to hear about that. It must be difficult for you and your family right now."

He immediately twitched once again, avoiding my gaze. There was something different about him; something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Perhaps it was the way he kept staring at the ground, or the way he was gripping his left wrist with his right hand tightly, as though he was trying to prevent himself from doing something he didn't want to do.

"It's fine," he said. "Henry will be fine. You don't need to worry about him."

"Is he in a hospital?" I asked. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I needed to know exactly what happened. I wanted to know if he blamed himself for what happened, perhaps because he was with me last night. If he felt like this was partially my fault, then he would resent me for it. And one thing I absolutely despised was being blamed for something I wasn't guilty of.

"No, he's not," he said. "Father had a healer come over to check on him this morning. The last I saw of him, he was sleeping peacefully."

"I think he should be taken to the hospital," I said. "Third degree burns should always be checked out by medical professionals."

Damian turned away, as though my mentioning of his brother's accident was triggering some painful memory.

"I'm sorry," I said immediately. It wasn't my place to talk. I shouldn't interfere in your family matters."

He nodded curtly, not even bothering to be a little bit cordial and tell me that I was just looking out for him. I would have pushed it, but he seemed to realise that was my intention. He immediately asked, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Not particularly," I replied. "Mostly just homework."

"Good," he said. "I'll pick you up at seven."

And with that, he hopped into the truck without even waiting for a reply. And before I could even blink, he had peeled off from the parking space and driven away.

"What the hell just happened?" Joaquin suddenly asked behind me. Ethel was standing beside him as well, and both of them were staring at Damian's car as it sped away.

"Nothing," I replied. "He just wanted to apologise for the way his pack members behaved. He said they will be punished accordingly."

"Damian Lockheart came over to apologise?" Ethel asked. "That certainly seems believable."

"You think I'm lying?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as a prickle of irritation crept down my spine.

"Of course not," she said. "It just seems odd, that's all."

Joaquin was still staring after the car, and he had balled his hands into fists. I could feel the anger coming off him in waves, and it was almost as if Damian had personally offended him.

"Those assholes think they can do whatever they want," Ethel said. "How can they think it's possible for them to come this far into our territory and try to cause trouble? I'm sure your father will hear about this."

"I think I know why they did it," I said. They both looked at me surprisingly, eager for me to tell them what it was. Joaquin actually stepped forward, his hands still balled into fists.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's Henry Lockheart," I said. "Damian's brother. Do you know anything about him?"

"The future Alpha?" he frowned. "Nothing much. He's the reclusive type however, and he’s hardly ever seen in public. I heard that he goes to Greendale, the military high school near Rochester. What does he have to do with this?”

“He was attacked last night,” I said. “Apparently he’s suffered a fatal injury, and he was burnt so much that it doesn’t look like he’s going to recover anytime soon.”

“Holy s**t!” Ethel exclaimed who would do something like that?”

“No idea,” I replied. “But now his father thinks it was someone from our pack, so he’s going to take the matter to the council of Alphas. He thinks this was a retaliation against the claims we’ve been making of Bloodhounds trespassing into our territory.”

“But we have proof today that the did,” Joaquin said. “That counts as something. And even if they didn’t, who in their right minds would attack his son? The Bloodhounds have enemies everywhere. Isn’t it possible that someone else did it?”

“He doesn’t seem to think that way,” I said. “He’s hellbent on making this look like it was one of our own, and he won’t stop at anything to make that happen. I won’t be surprised if he actually endorsed today’s infiltration.”

“That f*****g bastard!” Joaquin swore loudly. “Are all Bloodhounds such vicious assholes?”

“I think so,” I sighed. “But don’t tell anyone about this please. Father is still trying to keep the matter quiet, so we don’t want the news getting out so quickly.”

“Of course we won’t,” Ethel said. “Right, babe?”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, unlocking the car. “Let’s go.”

As we drove off, I noticed how he was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that it almost appeared like he was trying to break it in half.

“Why are you so pissed?” I asked.

“Joaquin and his mother hate Bloodhounds,” Ethel explained. “When we were at her place, she told me all about what vicious creatures they were and how they did not deserve to be anywhere near normal people like us.”

“Really?” I asked him. “Why do you hate them so much? I mean I get they’re assholes, and the whole world will be a better place without them, but why?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, glaring straight ahead. Ethel placed her hand on his shoulder, and without him even looking at her, I noticed that he visibly relaxed. His grip on the steering wheel loosened, and he blew a slow breath out.

“It’s okay to talk about it,” she said. “You’ve come so fast already, babe. Don’t let this haunt you even more.”

He looked up at me very slowly through the rear view mirror, and he said in a quiet voice, “The Bloodhounds killed my father.”

I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to say. I had known Joaquin nearly my entire life, and he had never mentioned his father even once. It just never came up in any conversation, mostly because his mother was so loving and caring. She dotted over him, and on the few occasions when I met her, she seemed capable of loving him enough for two people. Maybe that was why his father never came up in any conversation.

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I never knew.”

“We don’t like to talk about it,” he said. “But shortly after I was born, there was an attack on our home and he was murdered by a Bloodhound. They told my mother if she ever spoke about it, that they would come for me too. That’s why she never brought it up, and she made sure that no one would ever find out.”

He turned his attention to the road then, and he asked in a quiet but harsh voice, “So tell me, if a pack full of murderers were to come so close to your new home and try to destroy your second chance at a normal life, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to stop them?”

I didn’t know how to answer. Everything he had just told me was gruesome enough, but there was one thing that was nagging at the back to my mind.

Was Damian capable of killing someone as well?

Surely not.

***