Unlike the other days when Evonne slept, as the weight of the sun was enough to quiet her body, her sleep this day was magnified by the presence of Demetrius’ blood. The calmness he bestowed upon her was a tranquility foreign to any she had known. Why did Gabriel deny her this feeling?
     As Demetrius awoke, his emerging conscious eased Evonne from her sleep, the inner voice returning to her as he asked her to follow. She saw what he had planned; another early hunt, but with deer on the menu this night.
     They headed from the room and downstairs. Nearing the back door, Evonne picked up on David’s voice as he talked on the. Through the borrowed strength, she could see a dusting of his thoughts. Evonne stopped walking to concentrate on his words.
     Taking her hand, Demetrius filled in the blanks for her. “Another pawn strategically placed by Lukas. He his hoping that he’ll one day take Philip’s job here.”
     “What are you going to do with him?” she asked, looking in the direction of David’s room.
     “Nothing. Let him believe in his importance.”
     He led her outside. The rain stopped earlier that morning, but the heavy clouds continued to loom. The air was cool and sweet, a richness brimming new scents. She could feel the forest around them, detecting the movement of small animals and several large deer. Thankfully, the forest was absent of wolves. But sensing them out wasn’t in her natural strength. This was one of the traits given to her by Demetrius, or at least filtered through him.
     Evonne’s full attention centered on the deer. As she waited for Demetrius’ signal, she found herself alone. She couldn’t even feel his presence. The world that was once opened to her had closed its doors. He was blocking her.
     She saw this as a test. Deer were difficult for her to take down by alone. And when hunting these deer, Gabriel did most of the work for her. These deer were also larger than the Whitetail of North America. But this only added to the challenge. She wanted to prove herself capable of killing a deer. The skill in killing a human wasn’t as demanding as taking down one of these agile creatures. The animals in her sight were no longer a source of food but a trophy.
     Evonne slipped into her hunter persona without any effort. She saw how easily it came to her and how the change didn’t send her clamoring for a way out. She was going to enjoy every moment of this.
     Watching the deer, she picked out her prey. She wanted to toughest and the strongest. Out of the healthy group of females, she spotted the large stag closing in. This was her prize. Keeping herself downwind, she began to stalk the antler crowned stag.
     Something spooked the deer. The animals burst into a run, their heavy bodies gaining incredible speed. Evonne found herself staying close on the stag’s trail, her own momentum pushing her closer to her prey. She could already imagine her body on the animal, forcing it to the ground and pinning it for the kill.
     The bushes in the stag’s path erupted as a large beast of a wolf leapt forward, its powerful jaws clamping onto the deer’s neck. Evonne’s feet slid out from under her as she abruptly stopped running. Eyes wide at the surprise attack, she saw her prey kicking for freedom. The wolf still held onto the deer as he stared down at Evonne. The beastly wolf stood straight before her, his clawed hands gripping onto the stag as his teeth ripped through the neck, almost beheading the animal. The wolf dropped the stag at Evonne’s feet.
     Keeping her eyes on the wolf, Evonne scrambled backwards, her hands and heels digging into the soggy forest floor. She continued backing away, not sure what to do next. Her body brushed past a pair of legs. She looked up to see Demetrius staring at the wolf, his arms crossed, waiting for him to speak.
     Evonne could sense everything again as her mind was rejoined with his.
     The wolf growled at the vampire.
     Demetrius spoke. “I’m impressed you were able to keep yourself hidden from me this long.”
     The wolf threw back his head and released a deep howl. Through Demetrius, Evonne could sense others moving in fast. She stood and remained close by his side. The sensation of fear boiled within her, a cruel emotion she thought no longer existed.
     “They won’t do anything to us,” he whispered, picking up on her uneasiness.
     Evonne’s eyes darted around the forest. “You know what they say about over-confident people?”
     “It’s not over-confidence in myself. It’s over-confidence in the Alpha’s pride. And he’s not out here tonight.”
     Sixteen wolves surrounded the two vampires, some growling while the others watched the pair carefully.
     Demetrius spoke, his voice raised for all to hear. “What a pleasant surprise.”
     The wolf standing over the stag shifted his form into a more human appearance.
     He began speaking, his teeth still sharp and ready for more flesh. “Why have you willingly returned to these grounds? Wasn’t your blatant act against us enough fun for you?”
     Demetrius appeared baffled at the remark. “Fun? We were merely slaves to our own instincts. We smelt the fear-ridden humans and eased our hunger for the night. No harm came to the pack. That is the rules of these lands, is it not? Or should I perhaps clarify this with Roland?”
     The wolf sneered. “Lukas governs the rules around here.”
     Giving a small look around the group of wolves, Demetrius’ eyes returned to the Beta. “Well? Where is he? I don’t have all night to wait for him.”
     A growl of disgust left the wolf. “Your crimes have been judged, and you both have been found—”
     “Guilty. Yes, yes, I know. But what I really want to know, Brice, is the reason you put up with that narcissistic, dimwitted prick for as long as you have.”
     Brice tensed upon hearing those words. He could see the dangerous trait this vampire carried and used all of his concentration to seal his mind from him.
     Demetrius smiled. “You shouldn’t fear your own words.”
     Evonne was amazed at how he kept his composure steady. Not even the wolves surrounding them fractured this unseen strength. But how did they assemble so fast? The rat, David. He warned them.
     “When Lukas is ready to talk,” offered Demetrius, “he will know where to find me. I don’t run.”
     “A daytime visit then,” mocked Brice.
     “Come now. Where’s the honor in that? Is he spineless, as well?”
     The wolf’s expression dropped. “Tomorrow night. He’ll be waiting for you.”
     A smile escaped Demetrius. “The thought leaves me breathless.”
     The amount enjoyment Evonne felt didn’t belong to her, but she understood its origin.
     One by one, the wolves departed, leaving the two vampires alone with the dead stag.
     “And you were worried you’d be bored with me,” Demetrius gloated.
     “Forgive me if I don’t want to share in your enthusiasm,” said Evonne as she knelt by the deer.
     “I can get you wolf’s blood tomorrow night, if you like.”
     She shot him a strange look. “You’re having way too much fun with all of this.”
     He laughed. “Can you really blame me? I’m only the creation of their behavior. They bring it upon themselves.”
     Evonne stared at the stag. The animal seemed tainted to her, not even worth the blood it still carried.
     “They ruined a perfectly good kill,” he admitted for her. He went to her side, glancing at the deer. “We’ll find another.”
     Helping Evonne to her feet, Demetrius led her further into the woods.

“We’ve been watching him for a while now,” Roland said.
     Gabriel stood with the Alpha in the estate’s courtyard. In the first minutes of their discussion, he could already tell that the wolf was an honorable man, so to speak.
     Alpha of the oldest and most respected territories, Summet, Roland held his position for the past fifteen years without a single challenger. Outwardly, he appeared to be in his late fifties, but in reality, he was turning seventy-five in February. Pureblooded werewolves had the remarkable blessing of aging gracefully. Gabriel even recalled meeting one werewolf who reached the age of one-hundred sixty, yet he looked like a man in his eighties. Those who became a werewolf weren’t granted such a gift.
     Roland made sure that his age would never be a factor when the day came for him to step down as Alpha.
     As Gabriel continued his talk with this one wolf, he could pick up on his lack of fear for him. The other werewolves, as well, shown no signs of alarm. But Gabriel understood why. They knew of his methods, told to them by their Alpha and others. Gabriel wasn’t someone they should fear, but rather thank. He was, as one wolf simply stated, their judge, jury, and executioner. Though if said directly to him, Gabriel would play down the title. And this was the reason Roland engineered their meeting.
     “I’ve had my doubts ever since he became Alpha,” Gabriel finally admitted.
     “And they’re not misplaced, I assure you,” said Roland as he sat on a stone bench. “We have reports of some unsavory activity. More or less he is the teacher sneaking candy to his students. I am placed in this delicate position. The territories around Theodore are itching for the right moment to dive in and rip the lands apart, each wanting a piece of those grounds.”
     “Why involve me?” Gabriel didn’t need to ask the question. The change in their conversation already gave him the answer.
     “We need someone who can get close to him without and suspicion.”
     “I’m not interested.”
     Roland’s calm voice gave way, hinting at his desperation. “We only ask for this one thing.”
     “Lukas isn’t the first Alpha in the Theodore Territory to rule with questionable tactics. I can tolerate him until another decides to challenge his rank.”
     “That’s the problem. No one wants to challenge him, and no outsider has the power to do so.”
     Gabriel kept himself stern. “Not my problem.”
     “If it is a matter of money, I can—”
     “Not interested.”
     Roland sighed. “And when this battle spills onto your land?”
     “It’s not my land,” he reminded, keeping his words light. “And when or if this happens, I will be an ocean away. This is your battle. I want no part of it.”
     “Very well.” He stood up, looking around the dark courtyard, the worry and tension still mounting on his face. “To keep Lukas’ from suspecting anything, you’ll have to remain here until Friday.”
     “I can offer you one piece of advice.”
     Roland looked at him, eager for any form of help.
     “Take a nice long holiday,” Gabriel recommended.
     The Alpha laughed. “I wish I could. But you know this isn’t a job.”
     “Then stop treating it as such. In the days before human politics came into play, conflicts like these never had the time to boil into existence. A problem arose and it was dealt with. An alpha abused his power and he was dethroned. A pack is a single structure, not a ruler and his subjects.”
     Roland shot him a curious look. “Are you sure you’re not a wolf in disguise?”
     Gabriel smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. But consider yourself lucky here. The territories in North America are constantly changing, and the animosity between the packs can be archaic at times.”
     “Sounds like fun.”
     “So forgive me if I see your plight a little trivial and too political for me.”
     Roland nodded. “I understand.”
     Looking at the exterior of the house, Gabriel changed the subject. “You have an impressive home here.”
     Roland’s face lit up. “Oh, forgive me for not being a proper host. I haven’t given you a tour.”
     Gabriel followed the Alpha inside the large house.