“Rory!” Vlad strode towards me with quick, precise steps. Vlad was as tall as he was lean, standing at 6’1” and with the grace, build and agility of a cat- like being. He could’ve been mistaken for a were if it were not for the blood red eyes he possessed. “The witches backed off!”

He stood in front of me smiling, his teeth sharper, longer than the average humans, his true nature hidden until his thirst for blood became too strong. Blood called to him and his clan like a siren called to a sailor. Behind him stood his coven, made up of vampires of different origins and varying physical appearances. There were hundreds of them and I was thankful they’d agreed to help.

I pulled my lips back in a feral snarl as he reached out to touch me. His clan all stiffened, knowing there was nothing they could do to help their leader if I attacked him. No one dared stand against me.

“Ah I see the old Rory is in there. Are you still as ruthless as they say?”

I gave a feral smiled as two of my men walked through the compound, dragging a limp body between them. “We’ll soon see.”

I knew that the hunter wasn’t unconscious. I knew that he was a trained assassin and I knew that he was looking around for anything he could report back to Rieker. That is, if he got back, which he most definitely wouldn’t.

I nodded at the wolves as they dropped him on the ground. Bending down I watched as the muscle in his left arm twitched, smiling as he smoothly grabbed the knife in my boot, standing and holding me against him, knife against my neck.

“Rieker says he will leave and never return if you meet him in the clearing at 01200.” He whispered in my ear. I maintained a casual stance as the knife dug deeper into my skin. Wolves and vampires alike stood around us, tense and ready to attack. The only thing holding them back was me.

I gave a loud laugh and shook my head, the knife digging into my neck, a trickle of blood running down my neck.

“No he’d be back once I was dead. His word means nothing to me.” I grabbed the hand holding the knife and snapped it easily, stepping forward and kicking the knife away as the stupid man felt to the ground. “You could have lived if you’d stayed at home.” I said looking down at him, sneering.

He snorted and held his broken arm to his body. Rieker had trained him well, he wasn’t showing obvious signs of pain, I could see past it though. The sweat trickling down his forehead, the tightness in his jaw, the way he shook in fear and pain.

“My family would be alive if it weren’t for monsters like you.” He spat.

I smirked coldly and bent down next to him, balancing easily on my heels. “My family would be alive if it weren’t for parasites like you.” I hissed, grabbing a knife from my other boot and plunged it into his eye.

The wet sound of the knife sinking deep in his eye, the gruesome sight of his eye literally exploding would make any lesser man faint. It didn’t affect me though, this is what Rieker had made me into.  He’d regret the day he ever took my family.

Standing up I spat on the hunter’s body. “Toss him outside for Rieker and his men to see. The ball’s in their court now.”

-

“How have you been old friend?” Vlad asked as I stood, watching the field hours after the hunters body was dumped near Rieker’s camp. The men who had dumped it had come back covered in cuts and I knew that soon the hunters would attack again. We’d be ready for round two when they did.

I shrugged. “Family died, rebelled against Rieker, mated with two pain in my ass alphas, had a kid, found out my brother was alive, killed said brother and started a war.” I said my face blank as I stared into the night.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Vlad take a step to stand next to me, mirroring my posture. “I am very sorry to hear that. If you had come to me we could have taken Rieker down together though.”

“Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. What happened, happened. It’s in the past now, dead and buried.”

I heard Vlad chuckle beside me, shaking his head. “I’ve known you for a long time Tannin, anyone could see how much you loved your family. It’s not ‘in the past’ as you put it. You’ve let your hatred for Rieker fester for seven centuries and this was what finally made you snap. If you were fine you wouldn’t be standing here, planning Rieker’s death play by play in your head. No, instead you would be out there, sharpening your weapons, planning the deaths of hundreds of wolves.” He said, his voice becoming deeper, gruffer, angrier. “You would be craving blood, standing by Rieker’s side like a good little pet. So cut out the bullshit and tell me how you really feel.”

I turned to him and began cracking my knuckles, wanting anything to fill the silence, to distract from my bloodlust that still raged within me like a storm. “I’m angry.” I said simply. Words could not describe the depth of my anger, how filled with hate and malice I was. A bitterness that had consumed my soul long ago, rotted it away, turned my heart black and cold as stone. For all the times I had yelled, screamed at the men to move faster, push harder, keep their noses out of my business, I had no words now.

Vlad shook his head in disappointment. “That’s all you have to say?” He questioned.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “The time for talk is over. Talking won’t solve anything anymore and it won’t bring back the dead or change the past. It’s time for action because Rieker wants us and every other immortal dead. He’s started with us and if we don’t stop him he’ll ruin lives, tear apart families, mates and friendships to get what he wants.”  I took out a knife and began playing with it to keep my hands occupied, to stop me from thinking too much.

Vlad laid his hand on my shoulder and turned to growl at him. He may be a friend and he may be helping me but I do not tolerate touching.

He smiled at my feral expression and pointed to my hand which was clutching the silver knife, cutting into my palm. I barely registered the sting of pain as I watched blood pool on my palm. The sting of the knife was nothing compared to what had happened and what was to come.

My ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. They were heavy and I knew, I knew that they were coming.

‘Get ready for round two.’ I told everyone inside, making sure that they were ready.  ‘The hunters are back for more.’

-

It was déjà vu as I stood in front of the men, glaring at the approaching hunters led by Rieker.

He smirked, his cold grey eyes watching me with absolute revulsion; like I was a fly buzzing around his head, one he wanted to squash. His 6’1” frame clad in black leather, a huge sword strapped to his back made him look formidable. I was not deterred.

“We could end this now Rory; you come with me and I’ll leave.” He said, smirking at me. A chorus of growls erupted from behind me and I felt Nick and Alex stand on either side. I prayed that they would leave but knowing that they wouldn’t. Rieker’s beady eyes roamed the forms of my mates and his smirk grew wider, his face deformed by the scars. “Ah, the alpha dogs.” He spat. “Was she worth it? A quick fuck?” He questioned disdainfully.

Nick and Alex began growling, hackles raised, claws digging into the ground. If these were his best insults I was deeply disappointed. A feral smirk spread over my wolfish features as I imagined tearing him limb from limb, slowly, painfully. Today he would die, but not before experiencing a taste of his own medicine.

There was tense silence as each side sized each other up, each passing second my blood lust grew, hearing the very thing I craved to spill pumping through the veins with each beat of the hearts. Something was off about these men though, now that I was close something felt very, very wrong.

I raised my head scenting the air around the hunters and I snarled. I nearly missed the nod of Rieker’s head and time froze as all hell broke loose.

Rieker’s men rushed around him, hiding him from view as they swarmed towards us with unnatural speed. I growled and lunged for the first man, who oddly enough, was wielding a sword nearly as tall as him, decorated with symbols. As I dodged the powerful swing of his sword, adrenaline pumping through my veins, I locked onto his neck, swiping my head from side to side as I tore off his head. As he died, an ear shattering screech came from his mouth as his eyes rolled back into his head, becoming a ghostly white.

His sword fell limp to the ground as his head landed on the rocky ground with a thud. Around the field, hunters were slaughtering the remaining wolves; we needed help. Vlad and the extra three hundred men were still in the forest.

‘Move in now!’ I yelled at both my and Vlad’s men.

A hunter charged me, sword dripping blood and I sidestepped him. His reflexes were too fast for a normal human, too strong to wield such a sword, and his speed unnatural.

My body flew through the air as I attacked but a yelp escaped my snout when he simply batted me away, like a fly. A normal human should not be able to do that. I am a six foot, 400 pound wolf. I stood and growled at him as he approached, sizing him up. The symbols on the sword were familiar. I had seen them many times before but I couldn’t remember where or when. I had been watching the hunter’s body but my gaze moved to his face, more specifically his eyes. Mine widened as I gazed into black pits. He was possessed by a demon, giving him supernatural strength, stamina and speed, making them much, much harder to kill.

‘They’re possessed! Kill them quickly or they will fight you to exhaustion.’

It made sense; their weird scents, supernatural poweress and invincibility.  It’s why half our forces had already been killed, why the hunters were going to slaughter us all. All I saw was red. Rieker had obviously summoned demons to possess his men which will both kill them, taint their soul’s and go against everything Rieker does as a hunter. He’s using the very creatures he has sought to eradicate to win.

Through the trees, Vlad and his clan emerged with the men I’d sent out and began ripping the nearest hunters to shreds.

Growling I searched for Rieker in the crowd. He was surrounded by his men, killing any wolf that got close. They wouldn’t stop me though; a thousand armies couldn’t keep me out.

A stinging sensation began in my shoulder, looking down a dart was sticking out of my fur. Numbness began spreading over my body and my wolf receded, my body shrinking. I felt panic as hunter’s rushed at me in my most vulnerable state. My limbs felt heavy, sluggish as I pushed myself off the ground, grabbing a sword lying a few feet away. The sword was heavy but balanced in my hand, light enough to wield it effectively though. I faced the hunters coming towards me front on, knowing that they assumed whatever was in the dart was weakening me, which it was. I could feel it spreading throughout my body. I knew that my metabolism would burn it up soon, it was how it would affect me in the meantime that worried me though.

I swung the engraved broadsword in a wide arch and sliced the heads off three hunters. I could feel them coming at me from all sides as I twirled around and rammed the tip upwards into the heart of a hunter. Grabbing the dagger on the hip of the hunter I had just killed, I flung the dagger towards the hunter, piercing his eye and stopping him in his tracks, making him drop to the floor dead.

The world blurred as I leapt into battle, killing hunter after hunter. My bare skin was covering blood and gore, marred with the scratches very few had managed to land before they met their deaths. I was so angry, angry at everyone and everything, angry at how unfair life really is. The thought of Rieker dead fuelled my hate as my body grew weary.

My muscles ached from fighting for hours, bodies lay around me broken but I kept going. I could see Rieker fighting off attacks from three wolves with effortless grace. He caught my eye as he diagonally sliced downwards killing the wolf who was about to bite him.

My eye widened as I watched a familiar black figure lunge at Rieker; Nick! No, no, no! Rieker would kill him! I slew the hunter charging at me and ran towards Nick, I had to stop him!

I killed anyone who crossed my path as I ran what felt like miles towards Nick. Time slowed down as the metallic glint of Rieker’s sword swung in an arc towards Nick. Just a few more metres. 

An ear shattering scream pierced the air as the sword cut into Nick’s furry body and pinned him against the ground. On the field, everyone stopped what they were doing, their heads turning towards me. I reached them just as Rieker raised his sword and brought it down into Nick’s chest.

I could physically feel my heart break in half as I watched his eyes cloud over, the life slipping from his face. The sword dropped from my hand as I knelt beside Nick, sobbing over his body. He was dead, I knew he was dead.

Over the blood rushing through my veins I could hear chuckling. The man who had controlled my life, tormented both me and my family for seven centuries, tortured and abused me, the very man who had just killed my mate stood behind me gloating.

A growl so loud it shook the ground escaped me as I pulled my lips back in a feral snarl. I stood tall, my muscles rippling and bulging as I glared at Rieker with century’s worth of malice and fury glaring at him.  I felt my teeth sharpen and grow to twice their normal length. My nails and fingers began elongating and curling into fearsome talons, my feet doing the same. The bones in my face began snapping as they elongated into a snout, fur sprouted from my body, my ears lengthened, muscles crawled underneath my skin as they became bulkier and my frame became taller as I stood on my two hind legs. I was a lycan, the type of werewolf that made people shudder in fear.

Within seconds Rieker’s smile and faded and for the first time in several centuries, I saw real fear in his eyes. I threw my head back and roared all my hate, anguish and fury focused on one man.

The remaining hunters discarded the battles they had been fighting in lieu of rushing towards me at once. Even possessed they stood no chance against me.

I sliced them like butter, bloody, flesh, organs and limbs decorated the ground around me as Rieker made a hasty retreat. I don’t know how many hits I took, I was numb. I had never been angrier, more hateful; Rieker had just killed my mate but he would pay.

When there was no one left to tear into, I stood panting, lacerations oozing blood as they healed. I raised my snout to scent the air, searching for Rieker. He would not escape; not again, not today, not ever. The bastard had run and sure as hell wasn’t going to let him go when victory was so close.

I took off in a sprint, faster than I ever was towards the direction that he had taken.

-

“Rieker!” I bellowed. My voice was animalistic, guttural and deep. I wasn’t me, I was animalistic, driven. The only thing that would fulfil my hunger for Rieker’s blood was his death, or mine.

I heard the heavy pounding of his heart to the East and within seconds I was facing my prey.  Rieker stood glaring at me, clutching his sword that  was covered in blood; the blood of my men, the fathers, brothers, sons and mates that he’d killed. The blood of my mate.

“You cannot kill me Rory! I decide how and when they die! I am their god! I will live forever!” He yelled.  I saw his eyes flash black and I smirked as I figured out how he managed to live through the centuries. He was a hybrid; half demon, half human. His mother must have been really desperate to summon a succubus; a sex demon. He looked older than a full- blooded demon and was weaker which is why I’d never picked up on it. His scent was off but not enough to arouse suspicion unless you knew; like I now did.

Hypocritical bastard. He is one of the very things that he has sought to destroy. I growled and lunged towards him as his eyes blackened, his skin becoming pale and sickly, his nails beginning to look slightly sharper.

I dodged the powerful swing of his sword, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I landed upon him, ripping at his face. I growled and snapped at his neck, like a rabid animal. He couldn’t hurt me anymore, no matter what he did, he would be the one hurting now.

He rolled out from underneath me, pushing me up with legs corded with sinew and drew out a sharp, curved dagger. His sword was unless in close quarter fighting and we both knew it. The edge of the blade reeked of toxins, a bitter scent that made me recoil. It smelt of Agrium, which is silver in its purest form and an array of poisons; Digoxin which causes fatal heart attacks, Sarin, one of the deadest poisons on Earth and Tetrodotoxinis a potent neurotoxin with no known antidote.

I growled, baring my teeth at him; one swipe and I would be dead in an hour.  He smirked evilly a he lunged, wielding the dagger with deadly precision.

It soon became a game of cat and mouse, an ageless dance between foes. I knew that soon the wolves would come and my chance at revenge would be lost. They would take me away so that there was no chance of me getting hurt.

I saw the twitch of his muscles as he readied to attack and I knew that it was now or never. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, the world stood still as he tried to plunge the dagger into my stomach. The blade flew out of his hand, snapping off one of my claws in the process as I intercepted it. The pain in my hand was nothing compared to the feeling of relief that resounded throughout my body as I realised that the blade had missed cutting into my hand by a millimetre.

My growl shook the trees as I fell upon the hunter lying before me, never seeing the glint of silver in his hand. I looked down just as the blade sliced through my skin, lodging deep into my chest. The pain was horrendous, like nothing I had ever felt before.

I looked into Rieker’s eyes as my weight pinned him down. Even with his strength he could not move me. I raised a hand to my chest. My eyes slid out of focus as I fought to keep my body upright. Pulling my hand back it was wet with crimson liquid. Blood. My blood.

My gaze slid down to Rieker as goose bumps broke out all over my body. I felt cold, so cold. The expression in his eyes was that of victory. He had won.

I felt my body shrink, fur receding, bones realigning. My stomach clenched in panic as Rieker raised his arms to push me off, my body beginning to grow numb. I had to do something. He would not get away. He would not live; no matter what it took.

I gripped the handle of the dagger lodged in my chest and slowly pulled, biting on my lip so hard that I drew blood. I would not give him the satisfaction of hearing my pain.

My heart beat was erratic. I could feel my senses dulling and my heart began slowing from the blood loss only to speed up from the Digoxin on the blade. Blood gushed freely as the cold metal slowly slid out of my heart and I knew that I only had seconds before my body shut down completely; the Tetrodotoxinis was close to my brain and the Sarin was flowing through my veins. 

Mustering all my strength I raised my shaking arms, my limbs so tired it felt like I had the weight of the world in my hands. The panic and disbelief in Rieker’s eyes was worth the struggle as I bought the knife down into his chest. His moan of pain made my blood sing and with a final effort I slid the blade out and decapitated him.

It was a faster death than he deserved but I had to make sure that there was no chance of him coming back. I had no knowledge of demon hybrids, none had been thought the exist until now. Severing his head would ensure that he would never be able to hurt anyone again.

My body slumped to the sullied ground as the Tetrodotoxinis reached my brain and my body went totally numb. I had no control over my limbs. I began to spasm as I lay on the ground, unmoving, helpless as I gazed at the stars. Rain began to fall, fat droplets landing on my face. The weak beat of my heart echoed almost soundlessly in my ears as lighting flashed overhead. The vibration of hundreds of feet shook the Earth but I knew they were too late.

Black spots danced in my vision as Alex’s face appeared in front of me.

I welcomed the darkness. I could finally rest in peace.

The hunters were gone.

Rieker was dead.

Alex and Jenna were safe.

And I would soon be with Nick once again.

My seven hundred year reign of terror was over and now I was at peace.