Chapter 31 : This Means War

**Mateo

It was the dark of the night, and the men and I were all assembled at the outskirts of Marco's territory. He didn't have a lot of it, so surrounding the area closest to the mansion was easy.

Too easy.

"Watch your back," Armando said as though reading my mind.

Truer words were never spoken. As we approached the mansion slowly under cover of darkness, we could all see that there were no guards. Not one.

"They're behind us," I murmured to Armando, who nodded.

"They've used something to mask their scent," Armando added.

"Damn." I stood very still and listened. Sure enough, there was a faint rustling behind our circle.

"I don't suppose we have any idea on numbers?" I asked casually. There was really nothing we could do about it now. We'd expected a trap, anyway. This was a mere inconvenience. I was just rather hoping…

Armando turned slightly, listened a bit, then sighed. "I think he's pulled them as young as they can shift."

I'd hoped Armando would allay my suspi