Chapter 5

Elena

For about four days, Mark, William, and I visit packs from Sibiu and Brașov. No matter how fast I move, the rogues and vampires are two steps ahead of me.

As we leave the last pack that was attacked behind, a growl escapes my lips.

"Every time you growl, I feel like hiding. You are scarier than an Alpha male," Mark says.

I look at Mark. He is driving the car.

"Scared of a female, Mark?"

William, sitting in the back seat, laughs, "Dude, you are not just a female. You are Elena."

Mark chuckles, "Packs use your name to scare little pups. I am scared of you, and I am an adult."

I look out the window and look at how the sunlight filters through the canopy of the trees before I say, "It does not matter who I am if I can't stop Mihnea."

'One day, we will kill him,' Mia, my wolf, says.

While I talk a lot and say what the fuck I want, Mia is quieter and thinks before she speaks. But she had been my other half since the day I turned fourteen, and I would not change anything about her or our relationship.

Mark pats my knee. "We will get him. And once he is dead, maybe you can finally breathe a little."

While I love my job and know how important it is to keep the packs safe, I am getting tired of sleeping in the car. If we are lucky, we get to spend the night with a pack, but most of the time, we don't stay too long in the packs we are visiting. Just long enough to evaluate damages, make calls, instruct the Alphas and Betas, search for rogues and vampires.

I close my eyes and lean my head on the window, "Once Mihnea is dead, there will still be things to do. There will always be more vampires to hunt or rogues that will want to destroy packs. Delta Enforcers to train, Gammas and Omegas to teach. And let's not forget that our pack is getting bigger."

"You need to find your soulmate," William says. "Once you have the joining ceremony–"

I growl so hard William stops speaking. I open my eyes, turn my head and see Mark looking at me with scared eyes. "Love is a weakness, William!" I say, looking over my shoulder at him.

'Love is not a weakness, Elena. When we will find our soulmate, he will help you heal,' Mia says.

'I don't want a soulmate, I want to kill Mihnea!' I reply while I turn my head and look at the road.

We are heading to Twin River Pack, close to Ploiești. The Alpha called me, telling me rogues attacked them an hour ago.

"Jesus, Elena! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Mark groans.

William snorts, "Who said anything about love? I said you need to find your soulmate. Maybe if you get laid regularly, you will stop being such a bitch."

"Fuck you, William!" I snap.

"Dude, don't get me wrong, you are hot at fucking Hell, but you are a mantis. I am afraid you will kill me before I get to finish."

"Talk to me like that, and I will kill you before you even start," I reply in a cold tone.

Mark shakes his head, "If you keep annoying her, I am the one that will have to dig your grave once she kills you."

"Elena won't kill me. I am her favorite Delta Enforcer," William says in a sweet voice.

I snort, "Technically, you are still a cadet, William."

William chuckles, "Then, I am your favorite Delta cadet."

When I don't say anything else, William takes out his phone and starts playing some stupid game like Candy Crush or Farm Ville.

Even if I am visiting packs, I still have more work to do. My backpack is next to my feet. I reach for it, open it and pull out my laptop.

While Mark keeps driving, I spend time reading some reports and sending emails to different packs from Europe, warning them about the attacks.

The first one happened about eight days ago. I was getting ready for bed when my phone rang. When I answered, it was the Alpha of The Gray Wolves Pack telling me that rogues attacked his pack.

Usually, werewolves prefer to live in packs, but there are also those that like to be alone. Not all rogues are bad, and many live peaceful lives. But there are also rogue werewolves that attack packs. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I have to deal with them.

In eight days, I visited seven packs. All attacked by rogues and vampires. I haven't told Mark and William that I am worried because vampires and werewolves are enemies and never band together. I wonder how Mihnea managed to convince rogues to follow him.

Ever since Vlad Țepeș killed his brother, the werewolves have hated the vampires. Not all vampires are bad, but many are cruel and like to make those weaker than them suffer.

It is late when we make it to the Twin River Pack. As Mark parks the car, I see the Pack House in flames and werewolves, both in human and wolf form, fighting.

"Shit!" Mark says. "Wasn't this pack attacked hours ago?"

I open the door. "And if they have been attacked earlier, they can't be attacked again?" I ask before I get out. When Mark doesn't reply, I say, "Move your asses, and let's get this party started!"

"I think the party started without us," William says.

Mark opens his door, "You mean that we have to crush the party, not start it."

'I smell vampires,' Mia tells me when I get out of the car.

'More fangs for our collection,' I say and smile.

I go to the car's trunk, open it, get my crossbow, and quiver with ashwood bolts. I check to see if my two daggers are in their place. One of my daggers is made from pure silver, and I call it Judgment, and I use it for werewolves, while Redemption is made from an ashwood. If silver can kill werewolves, stabbing a vampire in the head and the heart with a dagger or an arrow from ashwood will send him straight to Nyx. Or to Hades. Whichever is faster to get the vampire's black soul.

I put the quiver on my back, grab a bolt, pop my neck and start running.

"Let's go, ladies!" I yell while I point at a vampire that has a young female in his claws.

The female has a butcher knife in her hand and tries to fight the vampire, but he is too strong for her.

I release the bolt, and before it gets impaled in the vampire's forehead, a second bolt leaves my crossbow and finds its home in the vampire's heart.

"One!" I say in a loud tone.

"Show off!" William yells while he is fighting a rogue with his gunstock war club.

William modified it so he could fight both vampires and rogues with it. While the weapon is made from ashwood, he added silver spiked to it.

Mark, with his twins' sai made from ashwood, fights another vampire.

The Alpha of the pack is fighting two vampires while his Beta is busy tanning the hide of three rogues.

I point my crossbow at the vampires, but then I scent roses and vanilla–Mihnea.

'Now is our chance to kill Mihnea!' Mia says.

Adrenaline takes over as I am headed over to the place the scent is coming from. A rogue runs in my way, and I grab Judgment and stab him in the neck. I pull out my dagger, and the werewolf falls to the ground.

A vampire with his fangs in the neck of a young Enforcer releases him as soon as a bolt hits him in the forehead. The Enforcer gives me a short nod before starting to claw out the vampire's heart.

Before I reach the place where Mihnea is, I kill two more rogues. The damn vampire is sucking dry a young female. Another one is lying dead next to his feet.

As soon as Mihnea sees me, he releases the female and throws her to the grounds. A moan escapes her lips.

"Elena," he says with a seductive voice. "I've missed you."

His blue eyes look into my eyes while his fingers comb his black hair. Once I thought he was the most beautiful male I had ever seen. But now I know that behind that beautiful face is hiding a monster.

I breathe in as I put two bolts in the crossbow. I point my crossbow at Mihnea and breathe out. Before the bolts reach him, Mihnea moves. A moment later, he is behind me.

"No matter how hard you try, you will never kill me. You know why?" Mihnea purrs in my ear.

I grab Redemption, and before Mihnea can say anything else, I spin around with the dagger in my hand but instead of burring it in Mihnea, I strike the air.

"I am faster and stronger than you will ever be," Mihnea says from behind me and turn fast, but he is already gone.

"No matter how fast or strong you think you are, I will kill you!" I say, and I hear his laugh coming from my left.

He looks at me, grins, and speaks, "As much as I would like to stay and play some more with you, I have other things to do."

Mihnea moves fast, disappearing in seconds, and I yell in frustration.

I look around me, hoping to find something to take my anger on when I see three rogues fighting an Enforcer.

"Perfect," I say before sheeting Redemption and pulling Judgment out.

With the crossbow in one hand and the dagger in the other, I run to where the rogues are. I hit one of them with the crossbow in the face, and he falls to the ground. I'm sure I hear a crack while stabbing another in the heart. Before the rogue that fell gets up, I throw my dagger at him.

The Enforcer kills the last one.

It doesn't take to long kill the rogues and the vampires. Unfortunately, some pack members are killed. Many were injured during the fight, but the pack's doctor took care of them.

Together with Mark and William, I evaluate the damages. I spend time with the Alpha and the Beta, talking about rebuilding the destroyed buildings and the possibility of building a bunker under the pack.

It is morning when we finish. After breakfast, Mark, William, and I sleep in one of the houses that are still intact.

It is later afternoon when we wake up. The Alpha insists that we eat with him and his family. A few hours pass before I and the guys leave.

We are headed towards the car when my phone rings.

"Yes?" I say when I answer.

"Elena Albu?" a male asks me.

"This is her," I say. "How can I help you?"

The male is silent for a few moments before speaking, "I called to inform you the Silver Pack, close to Târgoviște, has a slave."

I stop walking, and a loud growl escapes my lips. "A what?"

Mark and William also stop walking and look at me with confused eyes.

"A slave," the male repeats.

Slaves have been common in the past, but the Council of the Elders found the practice barbaric and a hundred years ago prohibited all packs from having slaves. Those that break the rule are severely punished.

I have been to Silver Pack various times, and I have never seen a slave, so I am not sure if this male is telling the truth.

"Are you sure?" I ask. "This is a serious accusation."

"Yes," he says.

"I will be there as soon as I can," I say before hanging up.

I think for a few moments trying to remember who the fuck is the Alpha of the Silver Pack.

"What's wrong?" Mark asks.

"A slave," I growl.

"Who?" William asks.

"Max, Silver Pack. Once I get there, I am going to tan his hide!"

'I will gladly help,' Mia tells me.