INFINITE NIGHT

8. First hunt in new territory

Perks of being in a new place was that I had a lot of new options to choose from. We had three Packs in the radius of fifty miles from our hideout, all with stuck ups as Leaders. They all are the same, high and mighty, acting like Gods. I wonder how many innocent humans have been hurt by each of them. How many families split, how many women were harmed and children taken away from their mothers. Those questions build up the anger in me, and that's exactly what I need right now.

I packed my equipment and took off through the swamps to the closest Pack. I'm new in the area, so my new mission can take more time to get the reconnaissance done. It's not hard to figure out who the Leader is. If they would let go of their archaic ways of bowing to those in charge my work would be so much harder. But since other wolves practically put a neon on their Alphas, crawling in front of them, it usually doesn't take long before I can figure out the dynamics of each Pack.

Having swamps all around is perfect to mask my presence. I can mask my scent easily with mud and it's hard to track me through them. It will be perfect, they won't even know what hit them.

According to the map Pops showed me our first target is called Moonlight Shadow Pack. They are said to be one of the oldest packs in the country. Pops said he had known their Alpha in his final years before leaving his former life. He was the young and arrogant Ass, like many others. Even more so, I can't wait to pay him a visit.

With new, unknown targets it's best to arrive in the daylight. See how their life looks like, and make sure I get the right one. That's exactly what I did today. It is just afternoon, the sun is shining high in the sky, when I have finally found a good spot from which to see their lands perfectly. I wasn't able to get too close to the Pack House, but the training ground is the next best thing. Every respective Alpha comes to check on his people at least once a day, I will get my chance then.

I took my pocket knife and started hollowing the wood leaving my first signature in the new neighborhood. Tradition is tradition, let them be afraid that now they will not be safe anymore. Even if simple Alpha isn't aware of who Moray is, I'm sure that those in charge are. When I was done, my new curving looked perfect. Predator just before the attack with open jaw and bared teeth. I should ask Ink to put it somewhere on my body, it's my symbol, after all.

I spread my mate on the ground and set up my rifle. I missed seeing the world through the optical sight. It's like reuniting with a long lost lover, it's exciting and always new, and just together we are truly powerful.

I focused my eyes on the training ground. A group of women trained in hand-to-hand combat. It's interesting, not all packs allowed women to become warriors, and those here were pretty good, so it's not just self defense. They are really capable fighters.

I watched them with amazement, taking their technique in and actually learning a thing or two, when finally to the field entered a tall bulky man in his late forties. The way everyone stopped their practices and bow to him, told me exactly who he is. An Alpha.

He dismissed their curtsying and they got back to sparing. Alpha walked among them and gave his pointers to a few of them, smiling and talking like equals. That was the most bizarre thing I ever saw. They all seem to like him. He wasn't obnoxious like every other I saw before him. He looked like the kind of leader who was loved by his people. Obviously he mastered keeping the appearances.

Suddenly a woman in her early thirties came to the view. She was really pretty, like Ruby pretty. An effortless charm and a smile that infects everyone around. She was leading a few-year-old child by the hand, I think a boy, or a girl who liked boy clothes. The same light brown shade of hair indicated that she and the baby were related. They stepped closer to Alpha and other warriors bowed to her too. So that's the Luna.

She put her hand around the Alphas waist and kissed his cheek smiling brightly, like a love sick fool she was. He didn't seem to mind this public display of affection and nuzzled her neck, brushing her long curls away. When her hair was out of the way I saw her marked neck, but that wasn't what shocked me, it was her shoulder that got my attention. She had a burned branding of a standing man with arms spread on each side locked in a circle, similar to Vitruvian Man drawing. I knew that brand. It's what wolves put on human's bodies when they catch new ones. The sign of s*****y. And how do I know that? Cause my mother and every other woman Pops saved had the exact same stigma on their bodies. This Luna is a human.

But how can it be?! She looks so happy and the way he's looking at her… something is not right here. Maybe she's one of his breeders? But why would he mark her if she was? And the way other wolves acknowledged her. What the hell is this game they are playing here?

I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was looking for any sign of deception. Maybe they are just using her. That wouldn't be too surprising as wolves love to play with their prey. But I saw no such thing.

Alpha took the child from his mother and started to pretend he was fighting with him. He let that pup beat him, kick him and I even saw a child biting him once. Alpha even made it look like he was actually losing what made a child extremely happy. When their pretended fight was over and big bad Alpha was laying flat on the ground, child was doing some happy dance standing over him and when he was done he even flexed his nonexistent biceps in a playful way, making Alpha and all his Warriors laugh wholeheartedly and clap their hands. Pack clearly loved them, both old Alpha and his heir.

Alpha put the little one on his shoulders and began making laps around the training ground, giving the little winner the opportunity to hit the high fives with all the fighters, while his human mother was watching two of them with pride and joy. That was… something new.

This wolf didn't look like he was harming humans at all. For f**k's sake, he even made one his Luna. Hmm, but that doesn't mean she wasn't helping him. Maybe Luna was a traitor of our kind? She could have turned her back from her people to save her own ass. The fact that she's human doesn't make her a good person.

But it was enough to make the doubts arise in me.

I wasn't so sure if I should take them down now. There is a slight chance they are just like Pops, helping remaining humans to live in peace and with a little bit of dignity. If this place really is like that, I should support their doings.

That's right! That's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm gonna watch them, and if they are what they seem I let them live at peace, but if they're not… Well, everybody dies eventually. If they would turn out to be monsters like my previous targets I wouldn't have any other option.

I put my rifle back in my bag along with my mat and started heading towards swamps and back to our bunker. Ink will be disappointed, it's my first time to return empty-handed for quite some time. But I also feel a bit hopeful that there are still some decent places where humans aren't treated like cattle. I wonder what Pops would say to my news and Alpha's strange behavior.

Anyway, I will start again tomorrow with a different Pack. Maybe I will find my luck there.