Amy Lynn/ Bane Bailey
The wolves outside refused to leave. I peeked out of the curtains throughout the night, hoping their beaty eyes would finally have gone away, but I remained watched. There was no way I was going to be able to get the trash bag into the trunk without them seeing it. I cursed Shirley for always cleaning and being so tidy. If I had more than just one, it wouldn't look as weird. Shaking my head, I looked over at the fireplace. We had never used it, but it did work and was a gas fireplace. I had to dispose of the bodies before anyone knocked on the door asking for them.
I turned on the gas and heard the familiar *click* *click* of the pilot light attempting to lite. Seeing the fire ignite and catch the few pieces of wood from a long ago burn, I sighed. This had not been the plan, but it would do. I carefully took each limb out of the bag and placed them against the wood, alternating to ensure they would burn quickly. I could only get a few pieces in at a time, so I was going to have to burn a fire for a while before going to bed. Not that I imagined myself getting much sleep tonight anyway. I was still in the middle of burning Shirley's skull when the knock on the door scared me.
I closed the fireplace guard and glanced at the door. The glass nine-paned door showed the man standing outside with ease and I cursed again.
I walked over, minding keeping them outside for at least another 30 minutes before opening the door. Just as in my nightmares, there stood the 6ft tall man, his chiseled features paralleling the chiseled jaw line of his face. And once again, I found myself unable to look him directly in the eyes.
"Beta Drake, what brings you here?" I asked, my voice as quizzical as I could possibly make it sound.
"I see you have learned my name. Might I finally be allowed to know yours?" Beta Drake asked, his eyes never leaving me.
"I..." I stammered. What was I supposed to say? Hello, I'm Bane Bailey. Folks back home call me Amy out of spite and I'm not a normal werewolf? No. I had to remain unknown. So, I used the name that was dead. Who cared anyway? "Amy Lynn, my name is Amy Lynn."
"Hmm. Amy Lynn, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Beta Drake laughed. I squirmed for a moment before looking up at him. His dark green eyes reminding me of the pine trees that grew throughout the forest. A rich aroma of freshly wetted moss just after the rain filled my senses and I had almost forgotten about the head cooking in the fireplace.
"I guess not." I replied with a sheepish grin. "Am I in trouble, Beta?"
"No, I merely wanted to check and see for myself that it was in fact you and not some wolf claiming to be you." Beta Drake said stoutly, finally glancing around and down the hallway. I instantly became grateful for the 90* bend the hallway took before spilling into the living room. "Mind if I come in for a moment."
"Now isn't really a good time. Two roommates are sick, and I am afraid it might be catching." I told him, hoping he would just leave.
"Very well then, Amy." Beta Drake looked down at me, staring into my eyes as he backed away from the door. "But I will see you again."
"I doubt that." I muttered to myself before turning and closing the door. Placing my back to the wall, I felt the mind-link click in as I slid down.
"Bane Bailey, you have completed your order." Rang Alpha Flynn's voice through my head.
"Yes, I have." I replied, hoping I would be ordered home soon. That hope died the moment the next order left Alpha Flynn's lips.
"Wolf Bane Bailey, you have proven your loyalty to your Alpha and your pack. With your current acquaintance to Alpha Arden's pack, you are to infatuate the pack and kill their Alpha by any means necessary." Alpha Flynn's words hit my core and about shattered me with the impact.
"Why?" I questioned, feeling a sharp pain radiate from Alpha's mark on my hip and hissed.
"Do not question the order. Do you accept?" Alpha replied, waiting for my response like a spider waiting for the fly to give up.
"I..." I sighed before looking at the fireplace, at what I had done to prove my loyalty. "I accept."
Almost instantly, the mind-link was closed, and I was left alone once again. My mind began to race. How exactly did I even consider killing an Alpha? What crazy thought possessed me to just accept so easily? I closed my eyes for a moment and let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding in. Well, you could either do it in the two weeks you have left at the hardware store or die in the process. I told myself as I stood back up. I wasn't sure how much time had passed between answering the door and standing up, but when I returned to the fireplace, all that remained were the bones.
I felt a chill come over me as I walked up the stairs and started to clean the tub before getting a shower myself. Everything felt numb.
Why would Alpha Flynn want me to kill another Alpha? And why would he send me to do it alone? Surely, he didn't believe I would be returning from this, as there was no possibility, I would be making it back out of pack borders and the whole three-hour drive without being pursued or killed myself.
As the suds of my shampoo slide down my back, I realized what I had truly been ordered to do. Alpha Flynn had ordered me to die for him, and he would continue to send Bane after Bane until one succeeded in doing his will. But was I truly willing to die for the Alpha?
3 days later
I spent most of the nights climbing the trees in the forests that outlined No Man's Land. I had given up the house and stopped going to work. I was going to die either way, might as well put my whole effort into it. I scanned the lower tree line before jumping across to the limbs of the next tree. Wasn't my favorite way to get information, but I couldn't risk being seen. Here, up in the trees, the wind would wipe away my scent before it would reach the ground. Unless I was heard, I could hide for hours watching how the pack ran their lives.
Once I got hungry, I would return to No Man's Land and hunt along the Lakeshore. I didn't require much more than a rabbit or two and fresh kill always tasted better than the cooked meat humans ate. A few times I had to snatch a bird or two before they cawed and gave away my location. I had managed last night to get so close to the packhouse, I could see inside the building. My senses felt like they were on fire as I watched around me. Nothing like the wolf Beta had first met. No, now I was fully unleashed and allowed to use every bit of what my bane-ship offered. My claws sliced into the trunk of the next tree as I glanced around. A rabbit darted away from the trunk of the tree, only to be caught a moment later by a large black wolf, tearing into it with ease.
I froze as I watched the wolf devour its prey, knowing if I made any sound at all that the bunny would be me next. I had been starring at the wolf too long, that when they finally continued their way through, probably on patrol, I almost missed the wolf sitting at the base of my tree. It starred at me intently, as if it was pondering if I was truly up there or how to get me down. I acted before I could think and started jumping from tree limb to tree limb, heading further into the pack territory. I no longer cared if I made noise or was spotted, as I was already seen. I felt the ripple of awareness shoot through the pack below me as more and more wolves became aware of the being moving in the trees.
I would survive the fall, barely. I knew that, but they didn't. Instead of chasing me through the trees, they followed below, waiting for the moment my footing slipped and I would come crashing down. I refused to give them the satisfaction of watching my body hit the earth, and sprinted faster through the trees, my feet barely touching the branches before moving to the next. I practically flew through them, until I learned what a fatal mistake it was to go in without information. Right in front of my path to the Alpha's home stood a chalk white being with a smile on its face. I plowed right into him, and we barreled into the tree limbs. I scrambled to try to find purchase under my claws as I felt my body shift moments before I hit the hard earth below me. The vampire hit the ground almost gracefully beside me, pinning me down with a hand against the back of my neck, forcing my face into the ground.
"Let her up, but don't let go." I heard the strong voice come from somewhere behind me as the vampire's pressure eased while his fingers tightened around the scruff of my neck.
The sound of paws hitting the hard ground echoed around me. I couldn't be sure how many were coming but I knew it would be the end. Blame it on bad intel. The last few days I had managed to follow the lives of these wolves. I was surprised to see their Alpha leading the training, helping to make his pack stronger, and allowing any females to fight. His Luna, I had learned, had a temper to match the Alpha's, but a calmer more mellow side to her. She seemed to keep him centered, while he seemed to keep her tamed. Alpha Arden came to stand just in front of my muzzle, and I struggled against the hold of the vampire.
"Alpha Arden, she smells different." The vampire hissed as his nails bit into my neck, making me bleed.
"That she does." Alpha replied before kneeling in front of my snout. In an almost childish moment, he flicked the tip of his finger against the rough of my snout, making me wince. A whine rose from my throat as I closed my eyes. "Take her to the cells." He ordered as he stood back up. "I'll deal with her after I deal with the patrols."
"Yes, Alpha." The vampire replied before yanking me onto my feet and leading me by my scruff. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before flanking hard away from the vampire's reach. He was fast, but not nearly fast enough. I was free, well for the moment.
Beta Drake
"She did what!?" I yelled through the mind-link. Alpha Arden and I were hard on the rogue's heels. Amy had somehow gotten passed the patrols and into the forest behind the packhouse. Now she was jumping from tree to tree, almost effortlessly as we continued to chase below her. Luke had found her and raised the alarm while his mate and him were hunting. She must not have expected them, because she fled through the trees as soon as she saw him looking at her.
"She diverted. She is headed toward Alpha's house." Luke called back; his voice rushed with the quickness of his breaths.
"Amy, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Sam whined as we raced through the trees.
"Don't kill her." Alpha ordered as we bounded over a fallen log. "We need to question her."
"How did she get passed the patrols?" Luke called out, trying to make sense of the situation. "Shit, she's moving faster. I can't keep up."
Fuck, I thought as I pushed Sam to move faster, get ahead of her or something.
Just then, the sound of something hitting a brick wall crashed through the trees. A dozen or so tree limbs began to rain down on us as I watched Amy fall to the ground. She scrambled, grabbing at the falling limbs before shifting into her wolf. The hard thud of her body striking the ground made everyone stop before Liam landed next to her, pinning her down.
"Surround them." Alpha called out and I rushed forward with him.
Sam refused to give up control as we watched Alpha shift back, grabbing a pair of shorts from a nearby tree and walking towards her. "Let her up, but don't let go."
I stayed to Alpha's flank, making our way around until he was right in front of her. Liam's grip had pierced into her scruff, and I could see blood start to trickle down towards the ground. It wouldn't kill her, but it didn't feel comfortable.
"Alpha Arden, she smells different." Liam's hiss hit my ears and I realized he was right. She did smell different. The ash wood and cherry scent was hidden by something more musky and rough smelling.
"That she does." Alpha replied and I began to hope he wouldn't kill her right here.
"Alpha, if she truly is from Alpha Flynn's pack, as Embry believes, she could prove useful at the moment." I mind-linked Arden, hoping he would see my side.
"Take her to the cells. I'll deal with her after I deal with the patrols." Arden ordered and relief flooded over me. The patrols had fallen apart trying to report to the rogue call, all except the South patrol had abandoned their posts and joined the chase for the rogue. I shook my head just in time to see the she-wolf bolt out of Liam's grasp. She bounded away, trying to get passed the packhouse and I wasn't sure what her intended plan was. I quickly chased after her, catching up to her easily now that she was on foot. Just as she jumped over a log close to the clearing of the packhouse, I tackled her with Luke following close behind. The three of us tumbled for a moment before Luke and I grabbed her by the neck, one on each side.
"Now, did you really think that was a good idea?" Sam laughed as Liam placed a silver collar around her neck, doing his best not to touch either Luke or I with it as he did.
I heard her whimper as she slouched forward, the silver stripping her quickly of her strength, but she never shifted back. Luke and I let go and watched as she remained where she had fallen. Liam picked her up with ease, making her look more like a huge fluffy house pet than a vicious wolf.
My bones felt the pull as Sam shifted us back and I grabbed a pair of shorts for myself and Luke from a hallowed tree. We quickly changed before following Liam into the cells of the Packhouse.
Sam's excitement and thrill that Amy hadn't killed herself falling from the trees was overpowering my thoughts as we walked through the tunnels. I shook my head trying to clear it before looking at the pitiful pup that sat behind the bars.
"I don't understand. If you weren't a threat, why were you across the border?" My voice echoed in the damp corridor. She looked at me for an instant before putting her head back down, her paws stretched out below her.
I took the first watch as I sat, eyeing the wolf who continued to surprise our pack at every turn. After what felt like an eternity in the darkness, she shifted excruciatingly slowly back into her human form. My surprise seemed mirrored by her as I realized she had chopped most of her hair off, leaving just the top a few inches longer than the rest. The look was more boyish and masculine than when we had talked outside her front door, and I wandered what had caused such a stark change. I pointed to a shelf in the corner where a small collection of clothes was kept. She looked up at me, then at the corner before moving to put on an overly large shirt for her small frame and sitting back down.
"Alpha will be along shortly." I told her before hearing the footsteps echo down the corridor.
"Alpha is here." Arden replied as I looked over to him. "Has she spoken?"
"No, she only just now shifted back." I informed him before moving out of his way.
"Her wolf must be very strong willed to have resisted the silver for this long." Arden commented, more to himself than others before looking at her. "The men say your name is Amy. That you're a rogue that usually lives in town. Is this true?"
To my surprise, even with the Alpha starring her down, she merely looked at him. Four hours questioning before she finally spoke.
"May I have a glass of water." She croaked, her voice rough like sandpaper.
"If you tell me something." Arden replied. By now Luna had tried to come down and get him to go to bed, but he refused. Promising to stay up until the she-wolf told him something. Anything.
"My name is not Amy." She voiced, looking straight down at the ground. "It's Bailey."
"Very well then, Bailey." Alpha Arden practically exclaimed before reaching behind him for a bottle of water. "Here is your water."
Bailey looked at the water bottle like she questioned it for a moment before taking it from between the silver bars. Her hand brushed against one and I flinched as the smoke rose around her wrist, the smell of melting skin filling the air.
"Yes. I have information on Alpha Flynn." Bailey took a sip of water before looking back at me. "I know what you have been trying to get from him."
"How?" I asked, knowing only the Alpha and I knew of the plan for the book.
"You yell, in your study. Have been for days. Both of you." She replied almost matter-of-factly.
Days? Had she said days? I looked at Arden before starring back at her. "How have you been getting passed the patrols?"
"I jumped." Bailey started as she explained how she would jump from tree to tree over the border so her scent wouldn't be found down below.
I thought I had been going crazy, scenting her everywhere I went. Like a ghost, the scent wafting into my nose while running a patrol or training in the arena.
"Well, that explains that." Arden's voice was calmer and more collected, his eyes returning their golden color as he looked at Bailey.
"I will let you go, if and only if you promise to do something for me." Arden told her, her fear increasing as I felt his Alpha wave hit. "Take Liam and bring me the book I have been requesting from Alpha Flynn. Return within 2 weeks."
I shifted my weight backwards before I heard the meager voice come forward. "Yes, I'll get you your book."
Bane Bailey
I sat in the cell, clothed in the shirt as I felt Alpha's gaze on me. I had agreed to get him the book he needed. I wasn't too sure of what Alpha Flynn would do once I was back on territory without completing my order. But my time was almost up anyway. I didn't have much to lose.
I felt the shock hit Beta Drake as I answered, but neither of them would know what accepting this would mean. How could they? They had both just met me.
"Can you..." I started before moving my neck. "Can you remove the collar?"
I saw a look go between the two men; their eyes glazed over one by one as they discussed it. It was a long shot, but after a moment Alpha nodded and a guard entered to take it off.
The seared skin beneath the collar roared with pain as the metal was removed, but I refused to flinch or move. The pain was nothing compared to what I thought I had in store.