"Is now a good time to say I told you so?" Enyo asks, her hackles raised.
"Mr Stokes?" I call out, "My name is Athena Argos. I'm just here to talk to you. Derek Williams gave me your address," I say calmly as I raise my hands above my head and step around the front of the truck and face the old man standing outside the front door of the house.
"I know who you are, mutt. And you're not welcome here," he says coldly.
"Mr Stokes, if you know who I am, then can you please tell me what you know about what happened to my pack?"
"Arrogant, little she-wolf. Just like that Alpha of yours," he says as he spits on the ground, "Niko thought he was above it all. But we showed him," he says as a cruel grin spreads across his old, weathered face.
"We? You were involved?" I ask him, slowly taking a step towards him.
"I was there. The entire pack should have been wiped out of existence. But I'll give your father one thing: he trained his warriors well. Too bad he wasn't up to the task himself, though," he says with a cruel sneer, and he laughs.
I start to tremble with rage as I slowly move towards the old hunter. A low growl escapes my throat, and he stops laughing, looking back at me with cold eyes.
"That's close enough, mutt. Now get out of here before I put you down too," he points the shotgun back at me.
"There's no way a hunter would work with wolves, with the very things you loathe and hunt. So, who brought you all together?" I ask in a low voice, struggling to keep Enyo at bay. "Calm down! We can't hurt him, Enyo. We need whatever information he has."
"For the first time in history, Lycan and werewolf rogues joined together to form a pack with hunters at their side because the threat to all of us was too great to ignore," he says.
"Threat? Rogues? What are you talking about? It was a rival pack that attacked us," I say, as my world starts crashing down around me.
"Oh, it was a rival pack, alright, just one you have never heard of before," He smirks.
"You're lying. There's no way rogues would join together as a pack. They're rogues for a reason."
"I've said enough. Now fuck off." He says and shoots the shotgun in the air above my head, "last warn..."
He doesn't get to finish his sentence as I scream with rage and charge him, knocking him to the ground. The shotgun gets knocked out of his hands, and I land on top of him. I extend my sharp claws and dig them into the side of his chest as I growl in his shocked face.
"Please, don't kill me," he begs.
"WHY DID YOU ATTACK US? WHO BROUGHT YOU ALL TOGETHER?" I growl and dig my claws deeper into his chest.
"Please, I don't know who. It wasn't just your pack that we attacked. It was all set up by a third party. Ask Derek. He knows," he says, his eyes pleading with me.
I pull back slightly, shocked by what he said about Derek.
"SEE! I told you he was no good!" Enyo growls.
I yelp when I feel a sharp pain in the side of my chest. I whip my head around and see a knife in his hand, covered in blood.
"He stabbed us!" Enyo growls.
She takes over, pushing herself forward, and we shift completely. I try to take control back, but she blocks me out. It happens so fast. She grabs him by the throat, her teeth tearing his carotid artery, and she snaps his neck. Enyo steps back and stares down at his lifeless body. I quickly take control of Enyo while she's distracted and shift back.
"Enyo... What have you done?!" I yell, shocked. Wiping the blood from around my mouth with the back of my hand, the metallic taste fills my mouth as I stare down at Bill Stokes' lifeless body.
"He was there! Anyone involved in killing Dad needs to die!" She snarls.
"We're not killers, Enyo!"
"We've killed before!" She says aggressively. "You wanted revenge? THIS is our revenge!"
"That was different," I mumble. What do I do? What the hell do I do now? I think to myself. Shivering as a cool breeze washes over me, I'm reminded we shredded my clothes when we shifted. I run over to my truck, get the backpack out that I carry spare clothes in, and grab a pair of boots off the floor. Quickly getting dressed in the track pants and t-shirt, I then slide the boots on and find a spare jumper in the bag. I put the bag back in the truck and head back to the body.
"Just leave him. We need to speak to Derek," Enyo says with a growl.
"Why, so you can kill him too?" I say harshly as I look around, trying to figure out a plan. Derek said he lives alone, so maybe we should just leave him.
"Derek knows more than he is telling us! He sent you here under false pretenses!"
She has a point; Derek has clearly been playing me. We need answers. I lean down and pick up the knife the hunter stabbed me with and walk back to my truck, getting in. Digging through my bag, I find a towel to wrap the knife in, then put it back in my bag. I start the truck and drive back around the circular driveway and towards the gate. Looking in my rear-view mirror as I drive away from the house, I can see Bill Stokes body lying there as the snow falls again.
#
The drive back to Billings feels like it takes hours. I can feel Enyo pacing back and forth in my mind, and I'm trembling with rage and fear. Maybe I should go back and move his body. What if someone finds him or saw me and my truck there? Goddess, I did not see today going this way.
Turning onto Hilltop Road from Main Street, I find a park and pull over on the quiet street. I take a deep breath and try to compose myself. I move the rear-view mirror to fix my hair back into a ponytail and realise I still have blood on my neck and hands. My face pales as I reach into my backpack and grab out the wet wipes I have in there and start cleaning myself up.
My phone rings on the seat, making me jump. I look down and see that it's my mom again.
"You can't keep ignoring her, Athena. She'll worry," Enyo says.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I answer the phone. "Hi Mom, how are you?" I ask, trying to sound cheerful.
"Athena! Happy Birthday!" Mom squeals.
"Thanks, Mom."
"Have you noticed anything different? Any sign of a mate?" She asks excitedly.
"No, mom, nothing yet. How are you? How's the pack?" I ask, trying to change the subject.
She sighs, "the pack is fine, Athena. Alpha Damon is visiting other packs to introduce Luna Cassia and go over the new peace treaties."
"He's stopped trying to find the pack that attacked us?" I ask incredulously.
"No one knows anything, Athena. Everyone is just trying to move on. You should too, sweetheart," she says as she lets out a small sob.
"Sorry, I can't do that, Mom. I will not stop until I find out the truth. I owe it to dad," I say as tears well up in my eyes.
"Your father wouldn't want this, Athena. He would want you to take your place as our Gamma. Please come home. I need you here."
"I have to do this, Mom. I'm sorry."
Mom sighs again, "Okay, Athena. Just promise me you will take care of yourself, okay? I couldn't bear to lose you, too."
"I promise, Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
I end the call and cry.
"You didn't tell her what the hunter said," Enyo says quietly.
I sniff and wipe my eyes. "What's the point? It doesn't change anything until we have more information," I say.
"I guess you're right. Let's find out what Derek knows."
I nod and finish cleaning myself up, ensuring there is no more blood on me, and tidy up my ponytail. Then I step out of the truck and walk over to the small building where Derek's office is. I walk through the main door, along the hallway, and stop outside Derek's office. Enyo is on high alert as I knock on the door and try to turn the handle to enter, but it's locked. So I knock on the door louder. "Derek! Are you in there?" I yell.
I press my ear against the door, but I can't hear anyone inside. So, I go back outside to my truck and get my phone out. I lean up against the door of my truck and call Derek, but it goes straight to voicemail. "Derek, it's Athena. Where the hell are you? We need to talk. Ring me back asap."