📎A/N. Hello my lovelies! Halloween is almost upon us. So what costumes are you donning for this spooky night?

I thought I had already done a country roll call for Evolution; turns out I have not. So far we have:

USA | Canada | Guatemala | Honduras | Jamaica | Dominican Republic | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | Trinidad and Tobago | Guyana | Brazil | Argentina | Ireland | UK | Portugal | Spain | France | Belgium | Netherlands | Germany | Switzerland | Austria | Italy | Slovenia | Croatia | Serbia | Macedonia | Greece | Romania | Greece | Czech Republic | Poland | Russia | Estonia | Finland | Sweden | Norway | Denmark | Tunisia | Libya | Egypt | Ghana | Nigeria | Kenya | Tanzania | Mozambique | Zambia | Botswana | South Africa | Israel | Saudi Arabia | Iraq | Kuwait | Qatar | UAE | Iran | Oman | Pakistan | India | Nepal | China | Bangladesh | Myanmar | Vietnam | Korea | Japan | Taiwan |  Philippines | Malaysia | Indonesia | Papua New Guinea | Australia | New Zealand | Fiji | New Caledonia

Welcome to you all, and thanks for your continued support.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. If you do, don't forget to vote. It really makes my day.

Take care,

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The burnt oranges and reds bled together, producing a new color in the spectrum. Unique and awe-inspiring in its vibrancy, it fused into the once white clouds painted across the late afternoon sky. Like a master painter, the last of the sun's rays put the final touches on the landscape, giving it a majestic hue that gave Monet a run for his money.

Daniel breathed in; the night that was bearing down on them would bring a chill to the air. A gentle breeze pushed down from the mountains and licked at the valley below. The slight drop in temperature a reminder that summer had given way to fall. As it pushed through the trees, a leaf too withered and old to clutch onto the tree it had been born to, released its tentative hold onto life and floated to the ground. It caught the air like a skier, slaloming one way, then the other. With as much care as possible, the wind set the leaf down among its childhood friends, allowing it the dignity to remain with its kin until it returned to the earth in which it had begun.

High above, the mighty oak steadied itself for the onslaught of winter. It had endured enough seasons to know that, come the spring, a new generation of leaves would emerge from the ice. Once again it would stand strong and proud among the evergreens.

Daniel watched as another leaf, dry and russet as the earth it would return to, pushed away and fell from the only life it knew. A far cry from the soft bright green of its youth.

His wolf stirred and let out a disgusted snort. He lives. Do not mourn before he has passed beyond.

Daniel raked his fingers through his hair. I know, but I can't help think each time I see him will be the last. It's like he's withering and aging before my eyes.

Nothing is forever. We all will reach the end of our path.

He had to agree. His race lived a long time, not forever.

Abraham's legacy will continue. His family roots are strong, they will continue to grow and prosper. There was a pause before his wolf continued. But it is not he, you are worried for.

Daniel stiffened. He had hoped his troubled thoughts had escaped his wolf. It appeared not. It's difficult not to wonder about our future. After he is gone, Morgan will be the last of that generation. They were the giants whose shoulders we stand upon. Without them, we would not have survived.

Change is inevitable.

His wolf was right; he was concerned about the changes their race was undergoing. There were too many changes which, in his opinion was bad.

His wolf projected an image of Parker.

Okay, he admitted, some changes are good.

An image of a small child with his hair and Parker's eyes danced to the forefront of his mind. Daniel's heart tightened at the prospect of children.

"Stop that, you know we agreed not to push her," he said aloud.

"Push who?"

Daniel swung around at the sound of Simon's voice. Even though he and his beta were close, this was a subject he preferred not to discuss. "Are they situated?" he asked.

Simon's eyebrow rose, his expression indicated he knew Daniel was avoiding the subject. "Alpha Abraham is resting. Alpha Tamas is still locked in your office."

"What about the book?"

"Behind glass in the library. Two of the enforcers insisted on standing guard." He let out a sound of disgust. "What do they think we are going to do with the damn thing? Recycle it as tissue paper?"

Daniel held himself back from snapping at his friend. Simon had no idea just how precious, or priceless, the artifact was. There had been not enough time to brief him after the news of the new attack had been received. "Considering the Opus has not been seen outside of the packs' grounds—either here or in the old countries—I don't blame them for being nervous."

Simon's jaw dropped open, and he stared at Daniel in stunned silence.

Daniel suppressed a smile as he witnessed the disparate emotions fly across his friends face in quick succession. The lack of sound from Simon's quick wit was a rare occurrence. He was never short of ten words when only one would do.

To be honest, he was just as surprised when Tamas had unwrapped the cloth that hid the book from prying eyes. At first, he hadn't believed it possible. The ancient and revered text was legendary throughout their race. Abrahams pack, the oldest of all packs, could trace their history back to the Mesopotamians. With each generation, they had documented history as it unfolded. Their development as a race had been recorded over time. Not only was it priceless, but if it fell into human hands, it would be a disaster.

While Daniel had never set eyes on the book or the contents locked within, his father had. From the little he had managed to pry from his father, the pages were written in a language as old as time itself. Only a few could interpret the older pages. The passages from the newer were in English, to reflect the language of the country in which the pack had resided.

"You know you're drooling?" said Daniel.

Simon snapped his mouth shut and cleared his throat. "Did you manage to get any more information on the—" Simon broke off and tilted his head. "I did hear you right. We have the Opus sitting in the study. I was less than two feet away from it... are you sure? The Opus? And I don't mean that stupid music those dead musicians wrote."

Daniel groaned. Perhaps it hadn't been a wise choice to let him know. "Yes, it is the Opus. And you are forbidden to reveal that fact to anyone. If I hear of any scheme or plot you are cooking up to take advantage of this knowledge, you will not live to regret it. Am I clear?"

Simon bobbed his head up and down with a visible gulp. His disappointed expression reflected the half dozen ideas that he had come up within the scant moments he was made aware of what was locked away in the library.

Daniel returned the conversation back to the original discussion. "We are still trying to piece together what happened. Best we can tell at least a half dozen farm workers were attacked on a Soybean farm in Iowa about three thirty this morning. They were fixing one of the harvesters that had broken yesterday, and were attempting to get it ready before sunrise. Four survived the initial attack and were rushed to the hospital. The only reason we know that a Were was involved was that he was on the phone at the time."

"Are we sure it's a—what did you call them—Lycan attack?"

"At this stage, we aren't sure of anything. However, one of the humans was still conscious when they got to him. He was delirious, but kept repeating he'd seen Bigfoot."

Simon rubbed his forehead. "The media are going to have a field day with this. Do we have any idea how long they have?"

"We just heard that one of the survivor's died. The other humans are in critical condition, the Were is not far behind."

"One of us in a human hospital is not good news."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck, and his mouth set into a grim line. "That's what I'm concerned about. The progression of the poison is bound to react differently. The doctors will want to find out why."

Simon nodded towards the Infirmary in the valley below. "What does Doc Hayes say about it?"

"Alice believes that the hospital won't be equipped to look too closely as they'll be focused on saving the worst affected first. The doctors will work on the assumption that the most affected were poisoned first. It's the autopsy we need to worry about." Daniel shuddered to think what might happen if a full autopsy was carried out on a Werewolf.

"Is there any way to get him out of the hospital?"

"Not without arousing suspicion."

"I gather he's not pack?"

Daniel shook his head. "No. He walked away from Rossi's pack in New York State a long time ago. As far as we can tell he travels with a few others doing farm work when they can find it."

"So how did we find out about it?"

"When the attack happened he was arranging to meet up with his friends in De Moines. By the time they reached the farm, all the victims had been taken by paramedics to the local hospital in Cedar Creek." Daniel glanced towards the house. Parker was taking longer than expected. He turned back to Simon. "We were lucky. One of them went against the others and reached out to someone she knew with a connection to a pack. Fortunately, it was an Alliance Pack. Otherwise, it might have been ignored."

Simon scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know they don't want to be part of a pack, but it irritates the hell out of me when they would endanger their own kind."

Daniel chose not to comment. While he would prefer Werewolves stayed within the protection of their packs, he equally refused to force people to live in a state of Martial Law. As the Alpha of the Mountain pack, he was responsible for the livelihood and protection of his direct pack members. As Alpha Commander of the Alliance, he was responsible for ensuring that those who chose not to live within the security of a pack, at least adhered to their primary mandate — to live under the radar of the humans that surrounded them.

Over the years he had placed Werewolves into various law enforcement departments around the nation. Their purpose was to monitor and ensure that they caught any potential issues before they could be exposed. While they had had a few close calls over the decades, so far, as with the humans and their ever growing problems, it was a minority that caused the majority of the issues.

However, the past two years an unhealthy undercurrent had emerged. One that, if not monitored, could cause them some major issues. Whether it was a cycle that was well overdue or a more sinister undertaking, he couldn't be sure, but the rift between pure and non-pure had widened. This was amplified within the ex-pack community. More disconcerting was the increase in physical alterations between the two factions.

So far, humans were oblivious to the growing tension. How long this would last was anyone's guess. While this particular argument had always simmered under the surface, it was limited to one or two Werewolves, bitter at an injustice that existed only in their mind. Something had changed to tip the scales. The number of Were's vocalizing their misguided beliefs was increasing exponentially.

"I'm on the first flight to Iowa in the morning," said Daniel, "If he doesn't survive the night, I need to make sure the authorities get nowhere near his body; and any blood test or tissue samples need to be retrieved."

"And if he does... survive the night?" asked Simon.

This was an option that Daniel didn't hold out much hope for, but one that he needed to deal with if it did. "When Murphy was infected he was too weak to change. While we can assume neither can our soybean farmer, we need to make sure that he doesn't."

They were distracted by the sound of footsteps across the pavement. Parker and Murphy were descending on them at a quick pace. From Parker's pensive expression the news wasn't good.

"There's been another attack, this time in Missouri."

Daniels back stiffened. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, it's a bit sketchy at the moment." Parker nodded towards Kaitlyn who was still in the house, on the other side of the patio doors, deep in conversation with someone on the other end of her cell phone. "Kaitlyn is pulling a few favors to get more information for us, but it looks like a group of people were attacked sometime last night and left for dead. When they were found this morning, only one was still breathing."

"Do we know if it's Lycan related?" Daniel asked.

"I've got a search running for any odd attacks reported in any of the states surrounding Iowa. The only reason this stood out was that HazMat was called to the scene after first responders discovered the size and discoloration of the wounds. Their initial thought was a chemical leak. From their description, it sounded like Murphy's."

Any hope that it was unrelated flew out the window. With any luck, Kaitlyn would provide further information.

"Did you find anything?" Murphy asked once she had finished her call and exited the house.

Kaitlyn pocketed her phone. "By the time HazMat cleared the scene for the paramedics to move in, the Vic had died from his injuries."

"Do we know if any of them were Were's?" Simon asked.

Kaitlyn smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and groaned aloud. "I knew I forgot something... Give me a moment, I'll just get him back on the phone and ask if any of the people turned into a wolf before they died. While I'm there, I'll also give Elvis a call and ask him what possessed him to wear that godawful white body suit after he had put on all that extra weight."

Simon glared at Kaitlyn. "You could have just said no."

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Meh, where would be the fun in that?"

"What else did you find?" Daniel asked. He didn't have time for this.

"Not much else. My contact is emailing me the Vics' names. We should be able to work out who's who for at least fifty percent through their social media accounts. The others, we'll just have to work through a process of elimination."

She turned to Parker. "You're going to need to do your magic."

"What about the bodies?" asked Daniel.

"The bodies are being shipped to the morgue in Kansas City. Autopsies will be carried out." Kaitlyn took a deep breath. "I don't believe that I'm about to say this, but you have two days to work out which, if any, are immigrants and steal the corpse."

Something in her words set Simon off into a bought of laughter. Daniel fired an icy stare at him. "Sorry, my bad," said Simon holding his palms up. "I've just worked out she's been using that phrase to mean us." He turned back to Kaitlyn. "You know we won't be offended if you say Werewolf. It's easy... watch my lips... W e r e w o l f."

Kaitlyn stared at Simon without blinking. "Where is my Taser when I need it?" she muttered under her breath.

"Damnú air," said Murphy, cursing to no one in particular.

Kaitlyn's head snapped around to face him. "What is it?"

"I got you a new one in Omaha, but in the chaos, it's been lost."

A smile broke across her normally grim expression. "That's okay, I'm touched that you brought me a new one."

"That was for her?" Simon asked in shock.

Daniel looked down at Parker. Her amused expression as she glanced up at him gave him comfort that he wasn't going insane. An odd conversation had suddenly taken center stage, and he had no idea how it had started.

Simon's brows rose, and his forehead crinkled. "I think I've entered the twilight zone. Lyssa would castrate me if I'd gotten a weapon for her when we were first mated." He narrowed his eyes and glared at Murphy and Kaitlyn. "Are you sure you're mates?"

A low rumble grew from somewhere deep in Murphy's chest, and he took a step forward towards Simon.

"Enough," Daniel said in a tone sharper than he intended. "I have already told you they are." He then turned to Murphy. "We retrieved all your belongings, including a very expensive Taser. It's locked in my safe and you can retrieve it when you want."

If anything, Kaitlyn looked excited at the prospect.

"Freak," Simon mumbled under his breath.

"Immigrant," she snapped in response.

Simon stroked his chin with a confused expression. "You know that's not an insult don't you?"

Kaitlyn shrugged. "I was more focused on my new Taser. I'll get back to you later with something more appropriate."

"Oh dear Luna, you are a freak."

Simon refrained from saying anything further when another menacing sound came from Murphy.

"Are we done?" asked Daniel.

Parker glanced down at the tablet she was holding. "Our only saving grace is that so far, no one's connected the two incidents together. Cross-state information sharing is not high on their priorities."

This was something that Daniel was already aware of, and it had worked to their advantage in the past. "Do we know if there is anyone watching over the one in the hospital?"

Parker again glanced down at her screen. "Carbine."

"Pardon?"

"Carbine Jefferson, the Werewolf in critical condition in De Moines. So far I've not found anything that indicates either way. That's not a surprise, there is usually a delay with most police departments logging information into their database."

"Once I get there I'll work out the best way to get in and out." Daniel considered his options. "Is there any way we can get the hospital plans so I can get a feel for the layout?" he asked Parker.

"No need," said Murphy, "We'll just use the front door." He sized Daniel up and down. "I'll need to borrow one of your suits. Make sure you pack one as well."

From the way Murphy was assessing him, he had a plan. "Why do we need suits?" asked Daniel.

Murphy pushed his hands into his jean pockets. "Well, unless you are next of kin, the hospital won't let you anywhere near their patient."

"They're kinda sticklers for rules like that," said Kaitlyn. From her expression, she had already worked out what Murphy's idea was. Daniel, for his part, was still none the wiser.

Murphy pulled his gaze away from Kaitlyn and looked directly at Daniel. "We need to get into a hospital as well as a morgue and get out without anyone asking questions. Tomorrow you're getting demoted to an F.B.I Field agent."

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📎A/N... hmm.. well it looks like this Opus might have a lot more in it than how to stop Lycans... I suspect we may be returning to that little book again...

... It also looks like Daniel is aware of the undercurrents within the Werewolf community... just how long has this rift reemerged??

I wonder if the only survivor in the Missouri attack was a Were... what do you think?

And we finally found out what Murphy brought in that gun shop... hands up those of you who guessed it? ;-) Wasn't that sooo romantic!

Not sure why, but Kaitlyn and Simon do not appear to have gotten off on a good note... thank goodness she gives as good as she gets.

And Daniel is off to impersonate an FBI agent as well as potentially steal dead bodies... I bet he didn't think that was on the cards when he woke up that morning!!! ;-)

Till next time, take care and don't forget to vote.

Thanks for all your support.

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