A knock on the door puts the werewolves on alert but they calm down the moment they pick up Cassandra's scent. Somehow Maya and Joseph have come to find a bit of familiarity with her scent.
They pick another scent and without a doubt they know that it is another feral, she succeeded.
Joseph stands up from the couch and opens the door. A tall man stands beside her, his eyes are dark and his face carries a jaggy look. He has black hair and a brown skin.
The kitchen cloth on him makes Joseph wonder where she found this one especially since it is stained with blood.
He enters with a grumpy walk and Cassandra follows behind. The new werewolf sniffs into the air, "You must be crazy if you are really thinking of turning a bunch of ferals into a pack," he says.
"Another feral, you keep amazing me Cassandra," Joseph says, "Everyone, this is Shedrach. He will be joining us," she says.
"Who do you want us to kill?" Shedrach asks, Hannah and Axel come out of the bedroom to join the rest of the wolves in the living room.
"Kill? You want us to kill somebody?" Axel raises his voice, "Of course she does, why else would she want to bond with ferals? We have no problem with killing and she knows it," Shedrach says.
"I'm not okay with killing," Axel says, "I want to protect Hannah," "We are stronger together whether we are attacking someone or being attacked. I believe together we can accomplish great things," Cassandra says.
Her green eyes move from one face to the other, "And yes, I want us to kill two people," she says, "What happens when that is over? You will just leave us like the others," Joseph says.
"I won't. I too was left and thrown out of my pack. My bonds were not broken like yours but I know what it feels like to be abandoned and cursed by your own family.
I won't do that to any of you but you have to want it as I do," she says.
"You," she faces Axel, "Don't make it look like she will never have to fight. I'm sorry about what they did to Hannah but she is a werewolf now," she says.
She turns her gaze to the skinny girl beside Axel, "Other werewolves will come after you, vampires will come after you, hunters will come after you, being a werewolf is a fight," Cassandra says.
"That is why I will protect her," Axel says, "You must be an Omega, one who denies his pack. You are the first one I've seen that wants to protect a feral," Shedrach says.
"You can't protect her alone. Eventually you will be killed and she will have to fend for herself someday, let her learn and let her be a part of this family. I want both of you to be a part of my pack," Cassandra says to Axel.
He rubs his head as he contemplates; he knows she is right even if he doesn't want to admit it.
The life of beings like themselves is not easy and if you don't learn how to cope, you could die.
"Whatever killing we will be doing Hannah is not going to be involved," Axel says after some thought, "No problem, she won't" Cassandra nods her head in agreement.
Shedrach eyes the thin girl behind Axel, "Is that Hannah? She will come around," he says.
Axel glares at the latest feral; Cassandra may seem alright but he can't say for sure that the rest of the ferals are okay. After all, there is a reason they were casted out to begin with.
None of them is like Hannah. None of them has been through human degradation like she has.
Raped, tortured and turned against her will, she was made a feral not like these werewolves who probably couldn't just follow the ways of their former packs.
He will do all that he can to protect Hannah and if for now it means he has to work with these ferals, he will. For Hannah.
ELMA'S PLACE.
Samuel opens the door just as Bryan arrives; the vampire stands still with the back of his hand in front of Samuel's face. Seeing the boss's face as the welcoming party into the house almost makes his dead heart to beat.
"Are you going to come in?" Samuel asks and the vampire let out a small cough, "Sorry," he gets in.
He removes a pair of shades from his face as he enters the living room. The curtains cover the windows and the urge to smile at how he can relate to Elma's sun shy habit creeps behind his teeth.
"So, what do you have for me?" "Nothing much, they have been word on the street about an old vampire with red hair, she has been seen around the club but she is nowhere to be found," Bryan says.
"What am I supposed to do with that? That is basically nothing. Get me something useful about Alucard," Samuel grunts.
"Alucard?" "That is the name of Gabriel's killer. Find out what you can about him, I will text you my new number," he says and waves Bryan away.
"And add compelling the NYPD to your to-do-list," Samuel says.
Amanda walks in just as Bryan leaves the house, "What's going on?" she asks, she tugs strands of her hair behind her ears.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing" he says as he walks towards the couch. He sits and relaxes his head backwards; he takes in a deep breath and closes his eyes.
He shuts the rest of the world out and seeks out a different world. A world around us but unseen by the uninitiated, a world where the physical structures are made of intangible matter.
He thinks of his brother, hoping that he will appear before his eyes. He tries to reenact a memory they share.
Samuel's mind goes back to a time he was young and weak, when he was in the care of a native healer and a hunter.
"Come here, drink this" a crackled voice said to a young Samuel. Khethiwe gave him a bowl filled with a weird and smelly potion; he drank and squeezed his face as the liquid entered his mouth.
This is terrible, he thought.
Someone knocked on the door before popping his head in, "What is wrong with you? Can't you wait for a response?" the old woman shouted at the young man that came in.
"I'm sorry shaman," he bowed his bushy head, "Samuel, father sent me to call you for dinner," the boy said.
"And you didn't bring some for me?" the old woman hissed, "Children these days have no respect. Go and have your dinner but you and I have things to discuss later," Khethiwe said.
Samuel nodded his head and followed the young man.
That night Kwanele's wife made a delicious dish for them. They all sat around a small fire with plates and bowls of soup and water.
"Samuel, how is your health?" Kwanele asked, "It is better. I feel stronger," the young Samuel said, "Good, soon you will join us in the hunt," "Eh, I enjoy his company besides he helps me to gather firewood," Kwanele's wife lamented.
"He is going to be a man so he has to learn. Don't worry, Unkulunkulu will give us a girl very soon," the hunter patted his wife on the back. Seeing the family made him wish he still had his but it was not to be.
"Anyways, I want you all to be careful. There are rumors that some strangers are in these forests," Kwanele said.
"I hear they are looking for the heart of Ongoye," the hunter's eldest son said, "I hear they have white skin, whiter than these boys" Bandile said and glared at the twins.
Of course their skin was brighter than everyone else; their father is not of the same people as their mother.
"They must be the people that attacked our village," Gabriel said, "We have to be careful. If you see any stranger run and inform the closest adult then you find me," Kwanele said.
"Why? We have strangers dining with us right now," Bandile said as his gaze stayed on the twins but they ignored him and continued with their meal.
"Shut up. If you say nonsense again I will beat you so hard that Unkulunkulu will have to come down to stop me," the hunter's wife said.
Bandile folded his hands and frowned; "Brother, don't be like that," his elder brother patted him on the back as he smiled down at him.
"Don't listen to him, you are one of us now" the eldest son said, "Thank you. We appreciate everything you have done for us," Samuel said and gave a small bow.
"You are welcome little one, now eat up. You need your full strength to recover," Kwanele's wife rubbed Samuel's head.
"Have you found him?" Amanda's voice penetrates his mind as he tries to search for Gabriel's soul. He opens his eyes and shakes his head, "No,".
"I know a shaman here in New York that can help. We have to go to her," Samuel says.
"So when are we going?" Amanda adjusts her hair, "Now,".