Chapter Two (Anders)

Three days ago, we had finally found my father's former Beta and executed him and his mate for their crimes. We were unaware of their daughter.

My father was in a rage because she managed not only to kill two of our pack but also escaped from us, and evaded us since.

My father called the witch he had hired and asked her to do a tracking spell on the hybrid like he had to find his former beta. He had been upset about the death of his friend, but followed what was expected of him and executed him.

“The witch finally got a lock on the hybrid. She’s finally stopped moving. We are about an hour away.” My father stated as he hung up his phone and turned his truck around, heading in the other direction.

“Why are we hunting her down, exactly?” Thane asked, confused.

“She’s a hybrid and they can’t be allowed to exist. You know this, Thane.” My father scolded my younger brother. “She also killed two of our pack. We can’t let that go unpunished.”

“She was protecting her territory, and we had just killed two of her pack.” I noted.

“You, as the next Alpha of our pack, must follow the laws, no matter how difficult it may be. You know what happens to Alpha’s that don’t.” he warned.

We drove in silence until we came to a road that was taken over by foliage, forced to walk, leaving the truck behind.

“Anders, you are the fastest. Track her down and kill her. We will meet you there.” My father ordered.

Nodding, I shifted into my wolf form. My brother Thane strapped pants and a knife to my hind leg, and I took off running in the direction the witch had given us. After I felt I was deep enough in the forest, I sniffed the air, searching for her scent and finding it.

I could tell I was closing in, so I shifted back into human form, put the pants on and grabbed the weapon. Staying hidden, I made my way closer, finding a small cabin hidden in the surrounding trees.

I could hear her rummaging through the cabin, not hearing anyone else with her. I made my way to the door, opening it and sneaking inside. She wasn’t in the main room, so I headed to the one attached side room.

I leapt into the room and grabbed her before she could react, putting the knife to her throat. Luckily, she had been searching for something in a drawer with her back turned to me.

"What do you want?" She spit out, struggling against my hold. As her intoxicating scent of lilac and roses hit me like a ton of bricks catching me off guard.

“You know why I’m here.” I spoke, as subconsciously I loosened my grip. She took that chance to turn around and face me, her green eyes piercing into me.

“No, there is no reason for you to be. You killed my parents and want to kill me. You are a murderer.”

“I’m here to execute you, on orders from my Alpha.”

She raised her brows. “Don’t have a mind of your own, then?” she asked sarcastically.

“What?” I couldn’t think. She was too close. Who was she? Why was I reacting this way? Once her words registered, I defended, "Of course I have a mind of my own."

"If you have a mind of your own, why did you attack me?" She asked as she ducked out of my hold and backed up, grabbing a dagger I hadn’t seen from the counter. “Leave me alone.” She ordered as she positioned the dagger, getting ready to pounce.

“Sorry Lass, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. We are connected to her somehow. I’m not sure why, but we have to protect her,” my wolf Vilkas stated, "Just say she ran away when she saw you. Let her escape."

"Why? You know I must do what is ordered. It’s the law." I thought back to him. He growled, disapproving.

She lunged at me, stabbing me with the dagger and jumping back. She was fast, and I was blocking her only way out.

“Get out of my way.” She hissed, crouching low. Her long black hair falling over her shoulder, bewitching me as it framed her Elven face.

“We won’t stop pursuing you. We can’t allow you to live being what you are. It’s unavoidable.” I voiced. “Why delay the inevitable?” I argued more with myself than with her.

“I’m complicated that way.” She sneered as she again lunged at me and dropping to kick out my feet. She is well trained, of course, by her father's doing. As soon as my knee buckled, she jumped over my head, and I let her. Instead of reaching up to grab her, something told me to let her go. Fighting against my instinct, I snatched her foot at the last second as she jumped over me and she dropped to the floor.

She kicked at me. "Orders are orders." I declared as I went for the knife again, leaning over her to slit her throat. Instead of fear, she looked at me with anger. Hatred radiated off her in waves. Why is this affecting me? She grabbed my wrist, trying to force the knife away. With my other hand, I pinned both of her hands above her head.

"Do it then. Get it over with." she yelled at me again, throwing me. Most people would beg for their lives. The fierceness in her eyes gave me pause.

Using my indecision against me, she kicked me between the legs as she struggled against my hold.

“Stop moving.” I bit out as pain radiated through me.

“Let me go.” She yelled as she struggled more. 

“Kick me again and I will kill you.” I bit out. Her scent was making it so I couldn’t think straight, I wanted to be close to her, protect her. Yet my wolf did not recognize her as his mate. How old was she?

She moved her legs on either side of me. She hooked my leg and flipped me on my back, pinning me. I still had the knife I held to her throat, and it slipped causing a shallow cut, blood seeped from the wound. Her wrists were still firmly in my hands.

At the sight of her blood, I dropped the knife, feeling sick that I had hurt her. Our position was making my mind go foggy with lust. I had reached for her but as soon as the knife clattered to the ground she jumped up to leave; I jumped up to go after her, grabbing my knife, and I moved, blocking the only exit from the cabin.

"Don't do it." Vilkas yelled in my head. "I don't know who she is to you, but you will regret it." 

I knew he was right. “My father is going to be pissed.” I thought back as I moved out of the way.

Quickly grabbing her duffle bag, she dumped stuff in from the cupboards and turned to face me a look of confusion on her face before she walked out the door a few feet from the cabin she turned to face me flashing me her middle finger before turning and running into the trees. A few minutes later, after righting myself, I could hear my father and brother approach.

“Where is she?” my father demanded, looking at the bloodstain on my shirt from where she had stabbed me.

I shrugged. "She got away.”

“In two hundred years of life, you’ve never disobeyed an order, and you start now. I should kill you for failing.”

"She is a hybrid who knows what abilities she has." Thane supplied, trying to help me.

My father, shaking his head, declared, “You will kill her and follow your duty or so help me. You will die along with her. A pack is as strong as its weakest link, and that will not be you!” Before storming off into the woods, to track which direction she had gone.