It was one of those days. The sun was hanging just perfect in the late morning sky. She stepped onto the porch watching the small lake water brush up against the shore slowly. Every time the water hit the bank, it stirred up the wildlife. Small animals and bugs jumped up from the tall grass hoping to avoid the water while trying to accomplish whatever they were doing. The birds were singing in the trees carried by the soft breeze that was coming through the trees. It had been a long time since the wind carried anything other than sorrow and fear, and for a moment, it reminded her of what peace felt like. It was exactly as it had been when she first arrived, perfect. It felt so good she had slapped her feet up on the red-stained oak patio table and leaned back in the matching chair. Holding onto a beer in one hand and the other dangled over the side for easy access to the rifle as she let out a long relaxing sigh. Too long had it been since she had enjoyed the lands she had bought. It seemed her invaders had decided to leave the day off, or so she thought. The sound of wings flapping frantically and the world going silent of her song made her groan in annoyance.
So much for her peace. Her eyes flew open, hearing the crack of a branch under a good mass of weight. Whoever it was stopped instantly hoping she heard nothing. They gave it a good minute before they continued again. As silent as his steps seemed to be, she knew he was there. Sitting up slowly she sighed to herself. They had gotten bolder it seemed. Approaching her? She gave him props. Waiting for him to grow a little closer, she finally let herself speak. "Whoever you are I suggest you halt and tell me your name."
Whoever this was stopped in their tracks scared. She heard a loud gulp and a shaky break or two, but no sound came. Throwing her legs on the ground in annoyance, she stood up all in one move. The beer that had been in her hand skidded to a stop in the middle of the table. It sat perfectly upright without spilling a single drop. Grabbing hold of the gun at her side she cocked it and let off a warning shot.
"That's Your only warning." Whoever it was moved behind a tree and came to a full halt. Their heart was racing, and the rhythmic thumping was pounding in her head. Sighing in annoyance at this being's attempt to hide from her, she lifted the gun cocking it once again. "Look you are testing my patience. There is no use hiding. I know you are there. I can see your burning hot heat signature behind the trees. Step out slowly and tell me your name, and don't think I won't shoot you."
She heard a heavy sigh as if they had gained the confidence to step out into the view. He was about five-foot-nine with dark brown hair, slicked back with some rather strong gel. He was shirtless showing off his rather toned body and tanned skin. Without even needing his smell, she could tell he was Italian. He was actually rather easy on the eyes if you got past the sweat on his bare flesh. She trailed her green orbs back up to his soft caramel browns that were filled with fear. He tossed his hands up and she could see he was trying to search his own thoughts for what to say. He cleared his throat trying to get some confidence to speak, and she almost laughed. Never had she met someone as tongue-tied as he? Rolling her eyes, her finger reached around to the trigger ready to pull it. "Look, you got two seconds to tell me what your name is and why you are this close to my home before I pull this trigger. And trust me, you do not want me to do that." She gave him a look, and he just knew if he tested her, if he didn't die from the bullet he would definitely be injured for some time.
"Okay! Okay! I am Andrew Ross. I'm one of the werewolf. Please don't shoot me. I just want to speak to you. That's all, just talk." His words were shaky and came out quickly as if he was afraid she would shoot him before he even finished speaking. His voice was smooth like honey whiskey on an autumn day, but she could still hear that Italian accent hidden in the Louisiana southern. She gave a glare in her eye, slightly testing him to see if he was lying, but it only seemed to scare him more. "I just want to talk to you. Please don't shoot."
She didn't respond for some time, her finger hovering over the trigger a moment or two longer as she thought it over. The least she could do is let him talk to her. Sighing in annoyance she dropped the gun to her side while decocking it and waved him up with it. Grabbing her beer once more, she took a long swing from it. "Hurry up before I don't want to talk anymore. I hope you drink beer because you aren't getting my good whiskey."
She heard him take a few deep breaths and a sigh in relief before starting for the porch. Downing the last of the beer and slide the gun back into its spot. Just as he got up on the porch, she was pulling him out a beer. He jumped as she turned to hand it to him, making her smirk. He still held some fear of her and that made her feel just a little better. He grabbed the beer slowly while she sat back in her seat and tossed up her feet once again. He gulped nervously, seeing the pointed tip of her heeled boots facing him. He was still shaken, so she let him gather himself as she went for the whiskey hidden in the small side cabinet beside her chair. "Sit and tell me what you want, Andrew."
Sitting quickly in the empty seat, Andrew went to speak, but it seemed he couldn't get out his words. Maybe he didn't expect to get this far. Maybe he thought she would kill him before he even reached the tree line. Giving him a chance to gain some confidence, he could see her eyes on him. Clearing his throat, he opened the beer nearly and early downed it in one gulp. He was hoping it would give him some liquid courage. The tapping of her fingers on the whiskey bottle only made him more nervous. He was clearly annoying her. "I apologize. I didn't know what I was getting into when I was chosen to speak with you. I am one of the many wolves that have unintentionally invaded your lands. It started as just a handful of us when Darian took over and started changing everything. Things that were traditions for centuries quickly became forgotten and the pack started caring only about money and what the pack was worth. We wanted to get away from it and put the pack back into the old ways. We've only increased in size as Darian has continued to ruin the pack and our worth. While we are not looking for trouble, we know this land is yours. The pack gathered this morning when new members arrived and decided we had to make things right with you. You just don't know what Marcus Rhodes is capable of and everyone is afraid in the city. Not that we are doing well for ourselves out here though. We have no order, no stability. We feel lost, and many believe going back to the city will be the answer. They would rather suffer then feel lost in the pack. We need an alpha and no one wants to take on the role. They fear what comes with it. We need an alpha that is strong and can protect us from this beast of a man. We were talking this morning, and we have decided we want it to be you."
Jade was commanding him as she watched him get more confident with his speech until his last words. She wanted to hit him but she wanted to laugh her ass off. "You want me to be your alpha? Your pack leader?" Jade sat up taking her feet from the table and she raised her eyebrows in shock. She had completely missed the name she had not heard for a long time too stunned by his words. The bottle of whiskey she had been drinking now laid on the table as she leaned against her arms looking into his eyes. He shuttered and bit his quivering lip for a moment before he could speak again.
"Yes?" He took a moment to answer, fearing he would say the wrong thing and lose his life. When he finally answered with that single word, it was half in confidence and half in fear. It was not so easy for him to stand up to her as he did to the other wolves. This woman, wolf, both, whatever, was far more intimidating than anyone he had ever met, man and beast alike.
Unable to contain herself and keep a glare, she burst into a series of giggles. Truly this could not be what he was here for? He was joking, right? He had to be joking, but she could see the look in his eyes that told her he wasn't joking. Coming down from the laughing high rather quickly her glare returned. Her entire demeanor turned into something more sinister as her eyes went from soft emerald green to a deep red. He instantly went into defense mode, his eyes shifting from a brown to a bright yellow. His body tensed ready to take her on if she attacked even if it would end in a bloody battle. He couldn't take her even if he tried, but she knew it was the wolf in him trying to protect him from her. Grabbing the bottle of whiskey once more she sat back in her chair and took a few swigs from it before speaking. "Look, I have made it my mission not to be a hero. I am trying to avoid becoming some kind of leader for a whole other kingdom wolfy and I don't plan on being a leader of any sort here. You are just going to have to find someone else or do it yourself. You seem like the leading type, so take on the role and keep me out of it." Jade stood up ready to kick him from her porch and if he tested her, even the lands. Then something in him seemed to give him a little confidence as he stood up and slammed his hand down on the table. He tried to contain herself and the wolf inside while hoping to gain her attention. The quick, aggressive move making her jump and look up to face him. Truthfully she wasn't expecting him to fight back seeing as how he feared her from the moment he got close to the porch.
Getting into her face she wasn't sure what to do. Did she fight back? Did she kill him? She didn't have time to think before his next words coming out far more vicious than before. "I wouldn't be asking you if I could lead a pack! You're a wolf, for that, I have no doubt, but you are not like us simple folk. Whatever breed you are, whatever you are, we need you. You have the strength we don't have to fight off the damn city pack and the two men trying to take the city. To bring back our old traditions and make new ones. I know with your help we can make New Orleans peaceful again. I will get on my knees and beg you if I must. Just please help us because we can't survive on our own." He seemed to simmer down and stepped back with those last words and stepped out of her face. He was as surprised as she was that she didn't do something and just stood there dumbfounded like a little kid being scolded. He took a minute to see if she would do anything before letting out a deep breath and this time looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please help us?"
She stood there for a moment trying to think about what to say next. No, she couldn't do this. She could not be some kind of hero for the city or the pack. She didn't want to be the queen of anything. Feeling a panic attack rise inside she let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't easy going against her gut and since she had arrived in the damn city all she wanted to do was help. It was bred into her since birth to be the princess she so desperately didn't want to be. Turning from him for a moment or two she tried to push that voice down and stick with what her head was telling her, but it was no use. The heart always won when it came to her, and it was telling her to help them.
"Fine!" Speaking one word she turned to face him once more and tossed up her hands. "Okay look I will take on the role of alpha, but I don't want all this weight on my shoulders. I am appointing you as my beta. I will protect the pack, and deal with this man you are all so worried about, eventually, that is. But listen to me and listen good, if I am going to do this there can be no bucking against me. No fighting. I don't rule with an iron fist but I was raised to lead and I don't take no shit."
Sighing softly to herself she took a moment to breathe while Andrew seemed to let out a breath of relief and smile for the first time. "First things first you need to go tell the wolves the news, but it comes with a few things they need to know. If we become a pack, the pack is law. I won't have spies among the ranks and I won't tolerate even a single one trying to second guess me. If they don't like the way I run things, they should have been alpha themselves. We will all help and act as a family. The first meeting is on the first full moon this Friday. Also, I know you've been sleeping on the ground or in tents, it's not exactly ideal. This used to be an old campground and there are spare cabins in the land's east. They should provide you better shelter than the tents and caves you sleep in. We aren't savages, no need to act like it." She picked back up the bottle of whiskey she had placed on the table and looked at him with soft greens for a change. He stood there with a goofy grin and while she tried to act annoyed it was only so she would not laugh. "Okay, okay. You can go now."
"See You on Friday." Andrew lowered his head in compliance with her orders before rushing off.
"Oh, and the name is Jade!" Calling out after him she tried not to laugh as he tossed up a thumb as he ran into the treeline. Something told her the wolves would as be overjoyed to hear her agreement as he would. They would rejoice in knowing they would have protection. It would only be a small start to getting the pack back on track, but it was enough. The elders would be pleased and the young would be able to learn again.
Jade had a legacy that went far beyond what anyone in the pack could imagine, one not even she knew. She knew her great grandmother was born of a wolf that lived in the pack, but time ran differently where she was from. In Myanmar, she was far older than she was on earth, but her home was far older than Earth was. She could be called an alien if anyone found out the truth about her home. Not that she differed from anyone else. She looked human and in human form had human parts. If only she knew the truth. If she discovered she was a descendant of the first people to settle these lands, no one would test her. It was a secret she had yet to discover that wouldn't be in her great grandmother's journal. But that was tomorrow's problem. Tonight she had to deal with her choices.
Jade sighed to herself, sat back down with her bottle of whiskey. Her mind wandered through all the what-ifs of her choice to take on the alpha of the pack. There were only two possibilities from taking on a pack. One she either succeeded and saved the pack, maybe even the city. Perhaps New Orleans could be great again with her help. Or, it would end in disaster. She would fuck up the pack, give these men exactly what they needed and fail that pack. That was if she let it come to that. If she just had to find the confidence in herself to do this that ended wouldn't become reality. Leaning back into the chair once again she wanted to enjoy the last of the peace before having to go into the city to feed.
Closing her eyes, Jade got to thinking about her conversation with Anthony. Going over it again word for word she jolted to an upright position and almost dropped the bottle in her hand. That name she skipped at the beginning of their conversation hit her like a ton of bricks. Anthony called this tyrant Marcus Rhodes and her heart was suddenly heavy. It was not a name she had heard for nearly a century now. She had once stayed with a family when she had first come to earth as a teenager. She fell for two men but eventually was cast out of the village after she shifted into her beast the first time. Everyone looked at her like she was some horrible creature and called her the daughter of Fenris, the giant wolf that would one day swallow the world. Viewed as an outsider once again, she left on her own accord to save the men she loved. Among them was a man who started the rumors because she would not return his love, and that was Marcus. The second eldest brother to the family that cared for her all those years ago.
The first few hundred years she trailed the siblings after their home was raided, burned and lost to them. They eventually took on the last name Rhodes when the Catholics took over their pagan lands. They didn't wish to be hunted down and exposed for what they were. For a while, all nine siblings had remained together thinking they were stronger as one, but they eventually had to part ways when their mother went crazy. She was certain with the deaths of her children at her hand that she would gain enough power to do anything. Using their father as a pawn they hunted them down themselves, but Erik wouldn't let it be that easy. Leading his parents away from their siblings and gave them a chance to escape. It was harder to track them when they all went separate ways. Jade had kept tails than on the three she was closest to for a while. Nikolas and Alexander, the two men she loved, and Emily, her best friend. In fear of what their elder brother would do she never made her existence known to them, but she was always there watching them from afar. Praising them for not giving up on one another. They were still together last she knew. The trio that no one would ever fight because they were always so skilled. It didn't help they were monsters just like her. Can't fight a demon when you are but a mortal.
Eventually, she left them behind and continued on her travels. They became lost to her for a long time, but that didn't surprise her. They had to have forgotten about her and moved on, which she was okay with. Everyone but Erik that was. After being sent away he kept tabs on her, and dare she say it, even met her a few times. Some romance budded between them but that ended a hundred years ago. They hadn't spoken or seen one another since that day. She tried to write to him, even sought him out a few times, but it was as if he had vanished and with that gave up on ever finding him. She wanted to see her family once again, at least most of them. Marcus was the only one she had hoped to never see again. He was cruel and dare she say it out of mockery, a snake. He lived up to what he was and there was no doubt he enjoyed every minute of it. Now he was shedding his skin in her town? Her stomach turned at the thought of being forced to go see if this was the man she knew all those years ago. She didn't know what she would do if it was in fact him. It wasn't like she could kill him. Still, she had to know. Tossing the rest of the bottle down her throat she groaned softly not even feeling a buzz. Damn her immune system and its ability to burn the alcohol as quickly as she drank it.
Grabbing a jacket and her key she marched around the small cabin and into her old school ford 1500. It was beaten up and old, but to her it was love. After a few not so nice words and her engine stalling, she finally made herself put the damn thing into reverse and left the driveway. Taking her truck into the city, she groaned. The damn tourist had taken up all the parking. Forced to take a spot near a local bar she hit her head against the steering wheel. That and she wasn't even sure where she was going. Getting out of the truck she slides the jacket on and decides to get a drink and some answers from the bar. It was the first time she entered the little hole in the wall pub. It was nestled between two successful businesses, a realtor agency and a divorce lawyer, in an older building. Laughing to herself as she shook her head. Well, at least it was very convent from the people who needed to take a load off after a long day's work, or the men and women having to drink their sorrows away after a divorce. Then again it was also probably a good place to celebrate when you settle on a house. All in all, was a smart move on the bar owner and they seemed to get their money's worth from the outside. However, when she stepped in the only thing she saw, beside the men and women from next-door neighbors, was supernaturals. Her previous statement was retracted. This bar was clearly used by those who weren't exactly safe or wanted inside more popular, crowded settings. That or like her they wished to avoid all the frazzle that came from a human bar. The last thing any of them wanted on these days was exposure for who they were. No one wanted an uproar or worse to be hunted down and tested on. Life was so simple back then.
Making her way deeper into that bar she paused. That was the first time she had felt a familiar presence, or rather two. Turning her head quickly to the feeling, there at the bar they sat. It couldn't be, but it was. It was the very men she had once loved, Nikolas and Alexander Rhodes. She wouldn't have recognized Nik by looks alone. His once long dirty-blonde hair now cut down short, he was twice the size he was as a young Viking, and he was in jeans and leather rather than animal skin. Her heart stopped for a moment until he turned around in search of something, or maybe someone as well. Quickly realizing he had felt her as well she panicked. Ducking away from sight she used the small crowd to try and hide her while she found a seat. Taking one of the small tables by the large bay window facing the street she sighed softly and hoped he missed her. From the corner of her eye, she watched him look around aimlessly for a moment before getting frustrated. Tossing down some cash he stood up grabbing some human woman's arm, he stormed out of the bar and left Alexander behind. The moment he left with her Jade felt rage. She wanted to stop him. She wanted to end the woman's life and share a passionate kiss that would never end and declare how much her heart still beats for him, but she could not. It was not easy to hold herself back when the jealousy rushing through her veins, but she had a nice distraction. Alex nearly bolted out after them realizing he wouldn't be finding what he was hoping was real. He brushed it off with a sad look on his face and it hurt her. He had the look pure of heartbreak.
Once more she wanted to chase him, or call for him but resisted the urge. Instead, Jade followed him with her eyes and held in her own tears. Their history with them was complicated and messy, but it also made her want to fix things. She wanted to know Nik and Alex in this new world. She wanted to know if they were still the men she knew and loved or if they had changed. She wanted to know what they had been through and the stories of their past. She wanted to fall in love all over again, but the risk was far too dangerous. It would lead to another brotherly war, or worse, their parents finding them because they let their guard down. She could not be their end. Sighing softly she looked down and sank further into the pulled out chair with a heavy sigh.
To her luck, the bartender noticed her sad longing look and made his way over to ask if she wanted a drink. She dismissed the question with no having lost her appetite for a drink after seeing her old lovers. He met her with an okay and told her if she needed anything to call for him. Looking up she was quick in determining he wasn't human just by his eyes. Perhaps he would know where Marcus would be hiding. She leaned on her arms "Can you tell me where to find Marcus Rhodes?" His wolf inside stirred at the name in annoyance as he rolled his eyes. He didn't have to tell her anything to know what he wanted to be set free and run again. Whoever this Darius was, he was keeping the wolves under some kind of lock and key, like a prison on the inside.
She could see it in his eyes the anger, the pain and the hate just by his name. He didn't hesitate to help her, however. Maybe it was a look in her eyes, but he willingly gave her the information. Without speaking he pointed her in the direction of the center of the city. It was home of a huge new skyscraper she had seen being built when she first arrived in the city. Thanking him before he returned to his job she stood up leaving a tip. He didn't get anything for her, but it wasn't the tip that was important. She left him a message on the back of a napkin that she folded around it. Why she was doing it, she didn't know but with the look in this man's eyes alone she was now more determined to be the best damn alpha. Even more so, she was determined to stop Marcus from whatever he was doing.
'My lands are safe, a new pack is being built. Come find salvation.' Walking out of the bar she caught him to pick up the note, read it and stuff it into his apron before anyone could see what it said. Nodding to him she looked at the busy streets.
Against her better judgment, she ditched her truck for the moment. Making her way a few blocks from the small pub she stopped short. There it was a large glass ten-story skyscraper that stood above the rest of the old school buildings that still stood. Though it was clear he had wiped out a whole block of the building just to make this stupid building. What purpose did it even hold? Her eyes caught a sign that sat where the sidewalk and the all to perfect grass patch met. RHODES INC. read in bold black letters lit up with blue neons and some lights on the bottom of the marble slab. Marcus was always the show off of his family and this was just adding to the proof. The more she thought this could be him the more her stomach turned. Shaking her head she took a moment to scout out the campus from the sidewalk. About ten security details patrolled the front door alone. Four or five seemed to be patrolling the grounds, wolves by their smell, and on each floor, she could see at least one or two standing like statues. The only thing giving them away was their body heat. Some man he was having both, human and werewolf bodyguards. What the hell did he offer Darian that made him want to let a man like this do what he is doing? The wolf was a proud creature that never backed down or submitted to anyone. This alpha was ruining her species' name and it was truly starting to piss her off.
She looked down at the leather jacket, red flannel shirt, and torn up jeans having watched a few women and men coming from the building in suits with briefcases. Her outfit screamed casual south. She wasn't even business casual ready. She wasn't dressed to go inside, but she needed answers and cared little about fitting into the scene. If it really was Marcus he wouldn't deny her an audience, he never did. Pushing back chestnut locks from her face she shook off the uneasy feeling that came with knowing she might have to face him and made her way up the double flight of stairs. Instantly the two wolves patrolling were on her watching her every move. The security at the front doors followed her with their eyes as she walked towards the door. Truthfully she could take them all out if she wanted to, but she wasn't ready to make a scene until she needed to. The two by the doors were staring her down as she approached the bronze handle on the glass door. Their stares didn't slow them down, and one of them was mumbling something, but she didn't know what it was. Looking at the one who hadn't yet spoken but had his hand on the gun at him he was frozen in fear. Something was making him shake. Starring dead into his eyes she could hear him screaming inside his own mind. Her glare tearing him apart on the inside. Andrew was right, she wasn't the same breed as the wolves running around New Orleans and she wouldn't act like she was. Scared the other guard started to panic. Moving out of the way he rushed over to his partner asking what happened and holding the shell of a man. Smirking softly she pushed the glass open the glass and stepped inside. The man didn't speak, but he wouldn't ever again. Not without his soul. Licking her lips she made her way to the rather busy receptionist and she cleared her throat. The woman held up her finger answering phone calls, which was rather annoying. Sighing softly she tapped her fingers on the desk before reaching over and ripping the phone cords out of the wall.
"Jade?" No. It couldn't be. Before she could speak the very voice that put chills up her spine spoke. Dropping the cords at the very annoyed woman at the desk she gulped softly. She hoped it wasn't him, but it was. Marcus called out her name and he was close. Looking out of the corner of her eye seeing a figure standing on the staircase between the first and second floor. Jade turned slowly to face him, praying it was her imagination and not the man she loathed and vowed to never see again, but as she looked up the stairs her eyes widened. There he stood, long black hair, green snake-like eyes and masculine body not as hidden under the suit as he would like it to be.
Everything in her told her to run from him, to run back to her lands where it was safe, but she pushed it back, She couldn't let him see she was panicking, it would give him the upper hand. She had to hold her ground and stop running from everything. The conversation with Andrew popped into her head. He had something over the wolves but Andrew had to have known that somehow, someway she could take down Marcus. Instinct perhaps that she was stronger than him. Marcus must have known it too. If he could keep wolves from going to her lands he could avoid her. That was why this city wolf was trying to keep wolves out of the forest. How blind could she have been? How did she miss this man every time she was in the city. She had really let her guard down. He had good reason to fear her, she could easily knock his ass out if she had to. She couldn't kill him but she could hurt him pretty damn good. Kidnapping was an option, but only one person could kill him and he had been missing for years.
She forced forward a smile and walked towards him as he made his way down the last bit of stairs to close in the distance. The cocky grin on his face made her stomach twist in ways she didn't have words to explain. Her heartbeat was steady regardless of how anxious he was making her, and not in a good way. His heart, however, didn't hide how he felt. It sounded like a drum solo from a rock band mid-song. Clicking her tongue against the top of her mouth, she gave a shake to her head. Trying to act as if she was just there casually a smirk pulled on her lips.
"Marcus, Marcus, Marcus. Wow, it's been a long time." Jade paused but arm's length from him at the bottom of the stairs. Arms folded over her chest she tilted her head to the right and cocked out her left hip. The smirk fading while he eyed her from head to toe. He wasn't even hiding it with his lip curled in between his teeth until he met her eyes.
"That it has. You really have not aged a day. Just as beautiful as the day you walked into the village." She could see it in his eyes, the lust. His voice held a touch of seduction while his eyes traced her form from head to toe. She didn't need to be a mind reader to know why he was looking at her that way. Trying to hold back the urge to throw up. She gave an eye roll letting him finish undressing her with his eyes. Clearing his throat he folded his arms over his chest to match her own and spoke once again trying to change the tone."So what brings the little wolf to my city?" Jade scuffed softly trying not to laugh at him. He really had a bigger ego, one that surpassed then even Nikolas.
"Oh? So this is your city? That's funny. I heard you have been fighting for control over the city. So who might this opponent of yours be? I can only assume someone who can easily be destroyed if this city already belongs to you." Jade moved her hands to her hips while a smirk crept along the sides of her lips. He sneered hearing the bit of sarcasm that rang with every word. A little thing she had learned annoyed him almost as much as her constant rejection.
"I see now. You've been speaking with the wolves who managed to escape the city. Let me fill you in. No the city is not mine yet, but the battle is nearly won. My little brother Nik has been trying to fight against me for power. However, without strong support, he is sure to lose. As for those wolves I am handling the situation. In a few weeks, they will no longer be a bother to you or anyone. Examples if you'd like to say that is what they will become." His voice was filled with enjoyment and accomplishment as if he enjoyed the idea of destroying the lives of the cities most prized people. Jade's whole demeanor changed from annoyed to anger.
"Let me stop you right there. I will say this once and only once. Those wolves you think you are taking care of are on my lands, which are private. If any of your hunters, unknown wolves or other threats dare enter without my permission, they will be executed and hung on your doorstep. You think this city belongs to you but you don't know a thing. In fact, those wolves are mine. My pack, my family. So I suggest you keep you and yours away from them. This is your one and only warning." Her fists clenched and her jaw clenched tighter with every word seeing Marcus' smirk grow. He didn't seem to hear what she was saying making her growl. He seemed to be unfazed by her warning, as if he thought she was some joke. She would have just torn out his throat where he stood, but it sadly wouldn't kill him. Only Erik could do that, and he was god knew where he was right now. Was he even aware of what was going on?
"I see the little wolf isn't so little anymore. She has got some spitfire in her now. She's grown a backbone. I must say I like this new Jade. I would offer an alliance with you but I know you won't take it. Pitty." Clicking his tongue at her he dropped his arms and gave a sigh. "I will handle the wolves no worries miss Levi, you won't miss them much. Till we meet again Ms. Levi." Marcus turned away from her pulling out a small device from his pocket while heading up the stairs he had just come down from. Yeah, he thought it was a joke. He thought she was buffing and Jade wouldn't have it. She wasn't about to let her warning go unscathed.
"Marcus!" Calling after him she grabbed the receptionist from behind the desk and drug her along as she got up the stairs. He jumped looking up. The fear in his eyes told her he wasn't expecting her to chase him, let alone with a mundane in her arms. She saw the shock in his eyes as he tried to gather his words and reach for her victim which she only pulled away.
Truthfully he did not care for the mortals. They were just food and manpower he could spare, but he had a business to run and an image to uphold. A death getting out would make him look bad and hinder his chances of getting the power he had been trying to capture. "Jade...Don't do anything too rash. You'll regret it. Jade...plea"
Jade's claws extended as she reached up for the throat. Marcus stood in horror watching the brunette dig them into her flesh. Jade's eyes glazed over blood red with a smirk on her face as she silenced him. Her voice turned sinister growing darker with every word. "Let me be clear, Marcus. Every time, one of your people steps into my lands…" Her claws ripped across the neck of the panicking woman in Jade's arms before she could even get a scream past her lips. Crimson poured over her fingers coating them in the thick warmth from inside. Marcus frozen in horror watched as blood spilled out of the shallow wounds, that was until Jade's nails dug in a bit deeper. Ripping apart the major arteries hiding beneath the flesh spraying blood from the mortal's flesh and nearly onto him. Letting go of the woman, Jade's held out the chunk of her throat she had torn free.
There was a brief moment before the woman crashed her knees. She tried to speak gurgling on blood while weakly trying to grab at her throat and stop the bleeding. Marcus watched the light fade in her eyes before stepping aside letting the body tumbled down the staircase. He growled watching the trail of blood that followed her until she came to a stop and formed a pool around the body. His glass floors now stained with blood and it wouldn't be an easy cleanup. Jade simply smirked, tossing the chunk in his direction before licking free her fingers giving him a moment to comprehend what she was saying. "I'll kill someone in your city. Then you'll have to clean it up. I hope you have been listening cause this is your only warning. Don't take it lightly." Pushing past him she hit him hard in the shoulder making him growl. Marcus turned to face her, but before he could reply she was gone leaving him to clean up her mess.