Courting Revenge
~
Cadence
~

Cadence's gaze didn't fall from Tristan's face once since he got up. They stalked like the eyes of an eagle scouring the skies for its meal in a circular motion.

She had been up since dawn and waited for the others to seep out of their slumber. Sleep hardly came over her throughout the night and it was the dead man's doing.

Cadence dared to check out the bite mark he placed on her. It was safe to say, this reignited her desire to stab him with a stake and watch as those undead eyes finally met their true meaning of dying.

The punctured holes left bruises and swelling. Tristan was right, she was weak. Not wanting to eye the mark any longer, the need to destroy the creator growing, Cadence had cleaned the wound and resealed it.

Soon enough, Tristan took a seat on a wooden chair and sipped his black coffee across from Cadence.

He offered her a boyish grin. "Yes, Cadence?"

Cadence's lips curled into a twisted smile, but it immediately fell. "I'm stronger today, not weak as I was. Do I need your permission to leave?"

A tickle of guilt taunted her from yesterday's altercation with her cousin, but Tristan had a big mouth and needed to learn when to shut it.

Tristan hid a teasing smile and placed his cup on the wooden table. "How's your neck?

A shudder passed through her. "Fine."

"You don't need my permission for shit, Cadence, I just needed you better from what happened yesterday," Tristan explained and went back to sipping his coffee.

Cadence clucked her tongue and took that as her queue, standing up. She already had her bag set, weapons ready and an overload of boldness in walking straight into a fire she didn't know she would come back from.

She knew, in the cogs of her battlefield thoughts that this could end with her being in a ditch. But it still stood, this dead man was locked away for a reason and had connections to the Fenris brothers and Alexene for a reason.

The huntress needed answers, but if Lycus preferred a fight, she would gladly give it to him.

"But I'm coming with you," Tristan announced.

Cadence gave a hard and confirming nod. "We're leaving soon, I'm not waiting around."

Before Cadence met the hallway, Erisa bumped into her.

Cadence steadied her friend by gripping her shoulders and ensuring she was on a solid surface before letting go. She bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to see her. She had to say goodbye.

"Morning," Erisa yawned and covered her mouth. "Is your neck okay?"

Cadence nodded absently and ignored the sensation warming the side of her neck. "Me and Tristan are leaving for the Fenris pack,"

Every ounce of sleepiness in Erisa's face scorched away and her eyes pierced into Cadence. "But—but—Cadence what if something happens?"

Cadence shrugged. "I know the risks, I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving,"

Erisa stood still in place when Cadence slapped affectionately on the shoulder before turning on her heel. Her friend was hot on her heels when they strolled into the dining room together.

Frankie slipped into the house, carrying stacks of chopped wood. He offered kind smiles to the girls.

"Morning," Frankie greeted and placed the wood by the fireplace. "Are you sure about this, kid?"

Cadence gave a slow nod. "I am."

Frankie's lips pinched into a thin line but he said nothing and walked into the kitchen to make some coffee.

Erisa left Cadence's side and stalked over to her uncle. Immediately, his intention was on his niece with the sternness written across her face. "Can I go with her?"

Cadence and Frankie shared glances.

Cadence was about to adamantly refuse, but that died on the tip of her tongue. She couldn't be the person to hold the balance of control and choice. Whatever the people around her did, the choices they made, that would have to be in their control. If Erisa wished to come, she had every right to. Cadence couldn't stop her, even if she wanted to. She couldn't always protect her, even when she tried.

Cadence would rather go at this alone, but she knew the hunters gathered around her would be the shield to prevent her from wielding a sword.

"You're nineteen, Erisa," Frankie said gravelly, a falter in his voice and he closed his eyes for a moment. "You have to make that decision for yourself. I was doing risky things at your age, I'm sure you'll do the right thing."

Frankie patted her shoulder and Erisa peered up at him with stark, bright eyes.

Cadence released a pitiful sigh.

"You ready?" A masculine voice shrouded the room and Tristan stood with a duffel bag over his shoulder.

His long hair was in a secure bun and his brown eyes looked a little fainter today, losing their mischievous glow.

"Let's go." Cadence clipped.

The Larren cousins gave their appreciation to Frankie, Tristan gave him a firm shake of the hand and Cadence embraced him briefly, not wanting to stick around much longer.

"I'll be back soon, uncle," Erisa promised and hugged him.

Frankie patted her on the back, but his lips formed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing into slits. "If any of you die by Fenris pack members, I'm afraid a war will be upon Lycus Fenris sooner than he may think. Perhaps you should tell him that, Cadence."

Blood and silver.

"I'll pass the message on," Cadence confirmed.

~

Cadence felt tainted. In more ways than one. A sensation of feeling defiled and corrupted when something bit you and refused to let you go. In usual occurrences, this would be a lycan bite. Delving their canines into your skin and marking your soul to be bound to the moon. Transitioning into a werewolf.

The worst act that could be committed against a hunter.

She wanted to be purified and by doing so, she would be serving revenge.

"Are we nearly there?" Erisa asked. She had recited that question too many times to count now and it was beginning to grate on Cadence's nerves.

"Yes!" Cadence snapped.

Erisa kicked the back of Cadence's seat and swore under her breath, huffing.

"Turn here," Cadence ordered and Tristan did so, the jeep bumping against the rocky dirt.

"In all my years of hunting, I've never been in Lycus's lands before," Tristan muttered.

"Many hunters haven't and for good reason," Cadence concluded and tried to swallow down the growing unease.

Without warning, the car jerked and skidded to a stop, dust clouding around them.

"There are mutts all around, Cadence," Tristan pointed out and put the car in park. "Lycus always this protective of his lands?"

"I mean, he's an Alpha but there have been a few mistakes here and there ..." Cadence trailed off.

Accalia and Cadence trespassed over a month ago, and Alexene, the Canus pack member ...

Cadence scanned the area, catching every lurking wolf within the forest and on the edges of the road. They were surrounded.

"Something happened," Cadence whispered and her fear immediately placed on Accalia like a dart to a board.

"What do you mean?" Erisa asked.

Cadence couldn't respond, not when two figures stepped toward the front of the car.

"Should I run them over?" Tristan mused and picked up his gun.

Cadence clasped her cousin's wrist and placed it back down. "Not yet, I know them." She didn't wait for the other hunters and jumped out of the car.

Gabriel's gaze fractioned in on Cadence and she never had the privilege of seeing such a feral look on him. It didn't suit him.

Of all the people she had to come across, it had to be his little brother.

Beside him, her tank top showed her toned form that had been sharpened through training and her angular eyes looked the hunter over with a snarl. The Beta.

"Wipe those looks off your faces, I'm practically signing my life away right now." Cadence spat and crossed her arms. "Where's Accalia and Lycus?"

"Lycus has expressed his desire to kill you, Cadence, why shouldn't we let him after what you did?" Gabriel demanded.

"Give it a go, champ," Tristan came behind Cadence and spun his gun around his forefinger. "You'll have more problems than you do now."

Gabriel looked him up and down, familiarity crossing past his knowing eyes. "You look a lot like Accalia."

"Older brother," Tristan explained and squared his shoulders. "You must be Gabriel, the other Fenris Alpha."

Gabriel's face remained neutral, but his eyes drifted over to Cadence, in particular, her patched-up neck. "I just got back from Kara forest in hopes of stopping the disaster you invoked and all I smelt was your blood, Cadence Larren. He got out and bit you, didn't he?"

Cadence's hand flew to her neck and her insides flared with rage. "Yeah, your pet did." She spat bitterly.

Gabriel gave a vague nod as if he expected this outcome and laced his hands together, gesturing to Tristan's jeep. "I take it you want answers, Cadence, it's understandable. Be wary, Lycus isn't ... cooperative right now, but I won't stand in your way to see Accalia. Get in your car and follow me to the manor."

Cadence stood stunned and if wasn't for Tristan dragging her back to the car she would have stayed that way for a long time.

"He's a scary fella," Erisa said once the others got back in the car.

"Just wait till you meet Lycus," Cadence beckoned back around and got close to Erisa's face. "Stay with me if you get scared, okay?"

Erisa nodded and nestled back in her seat, peering out the window.

Tristan drove down a steep hill and continued. The Beta and Alpha led the way, walking in front of the car until they came to the opened gates of Lycus's manor.

"This is where Lycus lives?" Tristan asked with a quirked brow, passing the gates and driving into the narrow driveway. "Old boy must be a thousand years old to want to live in a place like this."

They all stepped out of the vehicle and made it known to others the mounts of weaponry they had on them.

Tristan flashed Tala a grin and pointed to his gun. "Silver." He winked.

"Hunters ..." the Beta hissed, not hiding her disgust and strolled toward the front door.

Gabriel followed after her and in turn, the hunters did in single file.

Cadence could feel her skin burning with anxiety, burning inside her and she did all she could to not smother because of it. She clasped the handle of the knife and slipped through the front door, Tristan and Erisa following closely behind.

They entered the living room, vast and ghastly illuminated with the few lamps touching against the brown walls.

She saw Accalia before seeing Lycus. Her brown skin was covered by her thick locks of hair pooling around her, her bare feet tucked up on the couch with a jumper hanging loosely on her.

Despite the comfort she attired in, there was evident irritation in her sitting on the couch like she couldn't settle in one place.

Cadence's eyes narrowed ... something was making Accalia uncomfortable.

It seemed Accalia picked up on the onlookers and her eyes swivelled on them, taking in many things at once — looking to her cousin and then her brother. Warmth filled her gaze.

Accalia threw her feet to the floor and wasted no time in getting up, eyes still pinned to her family members. A jarring ring set off in Cadence's head and watched as her cousin fell back onto the couch, a faint wince falling from her lips.

The Larren cousins stepped toward her, with nothing but pure concern in their steps.

What happened to Accalia?

Before Cadence could reach her, demanding to know why she appeared so ... fragile, a bang shook through the house.

Pain drilled through Cadence's spine hard enough that she thought it would break and an ache rippled through her neck. Before long, she realised it was her that was the cause of the bang as her back was pinned to a wall and a hand latched unyieldingly around her throat.

The Alpha of Alphas stared the huntress down as if today would be her last.