Sitting on the park bench, I surveyed the humans walking around the shopping miniplex. They milled about between stores, and streets looking down at their phones, or checking their bags for missing items. To my left, I saw a woman and what I presumed to be her husband, and to my right, I saw an extremely busy looking bakery. People stood outside, warming their hands up by rubbing them together, and breathing on them. It was a cold, and fairly breezy night. The miniplex was brimming with life that night. All in all, nothing was out of the ordinary. I couldn’t scent anything other than humans, and myself. I sighed, and stretched my arms in the air. Taking out my phone, I decided to dial Harrison, and tell him that he was just being paranoid. Again.

“I scent nothing but humans, Harrison.” I spoke through the phone. He groaned.

“Are you sure? I’m positive I scented wolves around the miniplex.” He said. “Maybe the scent is gone because of the sprinklers around the damn place? I don’t know, I’m just sure I scented something...different around there.” I took another look around the clearing. I could only see humans, and the wind held no scent of wolf anywhere.

“I’ve checked, there’s nothing here.” I said. He sighed heavily.

“Okay then. Come on back home, sorry for wasting time.” He said. I chuckled.

“It’s nothing, really. But it’s good to know you’re alert.” I told him. “For now, let’s just relax till the end of this week.”

“Alright then,” Harrison said. “Are you gonna go see him tonight?”

I rolled my eyes. “Why? Is there something I have to do?” I asked.

“No, it’s just…” Harrison paused. “You know how your father doesn’t like you spending time around him.”

“Well he’s not Alpha now, is he?” I asked, annoyed. “I can do what I want, Harrison.” Harrison balked.

“Hey now, don't lecture me about it. And keep your voice down, please? You are in public, after all.” He warned. “All I’m saying is that it’s getting pretty close to the next Meeting, and it’ll be your first one as Alpha. He wants it to be...perfect.” Of course he did.

“I’ll call you back.” I said. I was annoyed now, and all I could think of was how patronizing my father's voice would sound when I got back.

“Okay then, Sheppard.” Harrison said. He sounded defeated. He was probably prepping himself so he could tell my father about where I was going that night.

I breathed in, trying to calm myself. It won’t matter at all, in a little while. I was going to see him, again. It had been awhile since the last time I saw him. When I last saw him, I had hid behind bushes so he wouldn’t see me. Back then, the connection wasn’t as strong, so I could bare to be away for a few days. But, as time grew, so did the connection. And pretty soon, I was a complete mess. I shudder even thinking about what it was like not seeing him, then.

He was a tall, dark skinned boy, with almond eyes. I’ve never once actually, deliberately talked to him before. There was nothing very special about him, at least a few weeks ago there was nothing special there. But I guess, as I grew up, it was about that time. I was a bit of a late bloomer, I guess you could say. I was not particularly tall for my age, and given the fact that I’m a werewolf of all things, I was even more disproportionately short than most others.

He lived somewhere close to the miniplex, so I made my way down the street where I could hopefully catch a glimpse of him. In the few days I got to see him, I managed to memorize some of his routine. His name was Malik Aldaine. He went to a different school than me, but that didn’t stop me from hearing rumours about him. I had heard through a very long grapevine that he was a very...angry person. Apparently he had outbursts, and sometimes violent screaming matches, with teachers and other students.

As I turned the corner where I knew his usual bus stop would be, I hoped silently that he would’ve changed that part of himself by the time we properly met. I saw him, finally, standing by the stop sign. I stood a distance away, and hung by the wall, looking like a casual wanderer. He was on his phone, and he wore an olive green jacket. A signature of his, as I had never seen him without it. His face looked placid, as always. I really wonder why I’m mated with someone like him. Most Alpha’s mates I’ve seen before are always...eccentric and happy looking. Even the human ones. Malik always had a grim demeanor about him. I think the only time I saw him smile was once when someone had managed to embarrass themself in front of him.

The bus arrived, it was time for him to leave. I wouldn’t be able to follow him, he lived undeniably far away. As he was about to get on though, he looked in my direction. I caught his eye for a split second, but then he looked away, unconcerned. I decided to move on now. The bus was driving away. I felt a sudden pang of longing, but I squashed it quickly. I wouldn’t be able to see him for awhile, at least not until after the Meeting. Or who knows how long, with him ordering me around. My father was a very difficult man. Leadership was in his blood, and as far as he’s concerned, me being Alpha now didn’t matter to him. I grimaced, thinking again of the lecture I would get for this.

I walked back the way I came, and headed for home.

………..

There he was again, my terrible, novice stalker. This time he had followed me to the bus stop. I guess he had stopped hiding in bushes. Whoever he worked for, whatever mob ordered him around, I wasn’t all too concerned about him watching me. I’ve got plenty of people watching me. Alissons watching me, so is Phara. They’re all keeping tabs on the pawn; I guess it just comes with job now. I decided to humour him this time, and glanced at him. He stiffened a little, but soon recovered. He didn’t think I would catch him in the act, and that alone made me doubt whether or not he was really a spy of some sort. He certainly didn’t look very sneaky, with blonde hair like that. He could easily stand out in a dark place like that wall he was trying to attach himself to.

Maybe he was just weird. Or maybe he was just new in the killing business. For all I knew, he could be my own assassin. It was safer to not give him the benefit of the doubt. I couldn’t kill him myself, I wasn’t allowed to use my “gift” if Allison didn’t tell me to. And my “gift” was only used on people Allison blacklisted; he didn’t look all that important. I got on the bus, tearing my eyes away. I’ve never known someone so bad at spying on people. It’s endearing, in a way.

The bus was quiet. There weren’t a whole lot of people on that day, most of them were at the miniplex. I spotted The Novice Stalker at the miniplex as well, right after I left the school. He had been looking for something, I presumed he was looking for me. Another part of me, however, feared that he was looking for Mr. Galveston. I buried his body somewhere behind the miniplex, hopefully he doesn’t catch whiff of him around there.

Once I got off the bus, I stood on the steps of my dingy Atlanta apartment. The lights were on, so I assumed my mother was still up and wandering. She always seemed to wander around the tiny space we shared whenever I was late, partly because she didn’t know if I was coming back or not. The apartment manager, who also doubled as the receptionist, greeted me with a raised hand before going back to his newspaper. The elevator was slow, and choppy, so it dragged me up to my house, rather than lifted.

I stepped off of the elevator, and walked down the beaten up hallway. The lights were dim, mostly due to poor electricity than a lack of money. The walls were covered in a torn, yellowed wallpaper that seemed to be slowly peeling by the edges off the walls.Thick layers of unpolished oak and steel shown up beneath where the wallpaper was supposed to be covering. I opened the door to my apartment, sure enough my mother was walking around, hunched and muttering to herself. She always gets this way at night.

She was dressed in a pink, satin nightgown the same one she wore yesterday. Her hair was held in a frizzy ponytail; she had so much of it, it almost trailed the floor. “Mom.” I called out to her. She looked up at me, weary. She could hear my voice, at least. “It’s time for bed. Have you eaten yet?” I asked, gently. She looked down, almost ashamed. “It’s okay. You can eat now, if you want.” She hobbled over to the small table, and set a hand on it, settling into a chair. I began to make her something to eat. She sometimes forgot to eat food if someone didn’t remind her of the time. I’m thankful I’m here to remind her.

That night we had spaghetti. She perked her head up at the smell of tomato sauce. Spaghetti was a personal household favorite around here. I sat down at the table with her, waiting for the food to be done. “How was your day?” I asked her. She kept staring at the table, but she managed to speak a little.

“It was...fine.” Her voice was hoarse from almost never using it.

I nodded. “That’s nice to hear, mom.” I said. I wonder how she got to be that way, but I already know how she became a shell of herself. I sat there for a little while, staring at her. She was a very beautiful woman. She had brown eyes like mine, and I remember them being a nice, vibrant color. But now, her eyes were muted. They no longer looked as happy as they did before. Her hair, which was a long, tangled, and frizzy mess was the only thing that seemed unchanged from before when she was better. It was a dark brown, exactly like my own, and I guessed the length ran in the family, seeing how my own hair had to be braided down my back in order to do my job. Her skin was a dark, coffee color, but that too had grown pale from being inside all day.

I spotted the television in the living area. “Hey, how about we watch something while the food cooks?” I suggested. She nodded slightly. I got up and went to the tv, turned it on and took a seat on the couch. She followed, rather slowly, and sat next to me. The night passed on, she ate food, and I was able to get some sleep. Well, as much as I was able to before my shift started.

It was about two in the morning when I got ready to leave. My mother was still in bed, she would miss me in the morning. I gathered all of my usual supplies, and put them in my bag. The drive to Allison’s was a short one, and yet every time I went the journey seemed to be timeless. Allison was an all business type of woman. She was never the one to be late to any kind of meeting, and seeing how she acts as my manager, she makes sure that I don’t either.

My bag was heavy on my shoulders, but as I walked I grew used to it. The bus was waiting for me, but no one else but me was waiting for it. Just like always. The doors opened, and I stepped on board not paying any mind to the driver. Years ago, I had suspected that he was also some kind of pawn, like me. A small pawn, but one that was as important as me, somehow. For the entirety I’ve worked for Allison, I’ve never known the bus driver to change at all. I’ve always driven on the same bus as well. It’s the same, white greyhound bus with an advert on the side of it. The advert also never changes, and I’m fairly certain whatever company it was promoting has long since run out of business.

I could feel the bus’ wheels beneath me, as it moved onward. The lights in the bus were quiet, as all things in this part of town were. The traffic lights from outside the windows had seemed far more bright than the ones inside of the bus. I sat on a hard plastic seat, with my arm resting on the window sill. Tonight would be the first of many nights, as I had just got my first raise from the boss himself. Who am I hunting this time, I wonder? Before now, I was just killing people who had no real impact on the world. Just people who had known too much about something, or who were foolish enough to trust Allison.

Mr. Galveston was one such fool, and I made sure he went out without much pain. There’s a part of me that freezes a little, whenever I hear them ask “Why?” or “What did I do?” It’s not a part that I like to dwell on, and I usually squash it by putting in end to it all with a bullet. I’m not a particularly sadistic person, unlike Phara who tortures her victims the minute she gets her hands on them. I don’t like pain, but I know that doesn’t matter when it comes to my job. Like everything else, it’s best not to think about it in the long run.

When the bus finally stops, I hoist my bag up higher. I can feel the equipment poking my back through the velcro. It grounds me a little, and I shake those feelings of doubt away before stepping off the bus. The bus didn’t stop anywhere near its normal stop. It parked right outside of a suspicious looking parking garage. A woman with pale skin, and auburn hair was waiting for me. She wore a dark blue track suit, but I knew it was just a cheap disguise on her part. Her nails were still expertly manicured, and the phone in her hand suggested that she was wealthy, rather than poor.

“Good. You’re on time, Aldaine. As expected of you.” She said, in that same dry tone of her’s. Allison was like a test proctor, or an instructor. Everything she said had this air of being official, and seeing how she was a much older woman in the killing business, I can only guess she adopted the voice after years of work. I nod to her, respectfully.

“I brought all the supplies back with me, too.” I told her. She looked at the nag on my shoulder. “I didn’t use all of it though. Just the gun.” She nodded several times.

“Of course.” She said, quietly to herself. “The body?” She asked.

“It’s behind the miniplex. I’ve buried it under a false positive, just like you said.” I told her. She nodded, again, like she was looking over someone’s homework.

Then, sharply, she turned and headed into the dark garage. I followed her, mostly out of pure instinct. The parking garage, although it appeared empty, was definitely not. I could feel eyes following me as I walked with Allison to yet another rickety elevator. She pushed the 12th floor, and stepped back.

“Just to let you know, you’re doing wonderfully, Aldaine.” She told me.

“Thank you, ma’am.” I told her.

“I suspect tonight will be no different.” She said. I nodded.

“Of course not, ma’am.”

The elevator dinged, and we both got on. The twelfth floor held The Boss. I had never met him before, just heard whispers of how great a man he was. How he had risen from nothing in the slums of Atlanta, to living on the top floor of one of the most prestigious hotels on Georgia. I wasn’t nervous though. I was too busy thinking about who I could possibly kill next. The police were never suspicious, so I was never one to fear that I may end up behind bars because of a job that got busted. The Boss had rats hidden everywhere. Rats like Allison, who pretended to be teachers and cops to lead everyone else astray. Of course, I don’t know how many rats he has, but I assume it’s enough to cover his ass for the end of time.

The twelfth floor is amazing to look at. The floor is a deep velvet red color, and the walls are striped with marigold and maroon. There’s a silver gilded staircase that wraps around the main foyer, and right over the entrance is a diamond chandelier, always lit at night for everyone to see. Workers of the hotel walked and bustled everywhere, their feet quieted by the nice thrush carpet beneath us. They wore black and red pressed uniforms.Tonight seemed to be very special, as there were plenty of people dressed in elegant gowns and suave suits.

No one paid us any mind as we walked up to the reception desk, and Allison greeted the receptionist by first name. “We’re here on business, Claud.” She said. Claud nodded, and smiled. He handed her a key card and pointed her toward the gilded staircase.

I followed Allison up the stairwell, and as we passed, I noticed that no one seemed to pay me any attention. “The rich do not indulge riff raff, Aldaine.” Allison whispered to me. “It’s strange, isn’t it? Being invisible like this?”

I shook my head. “No, I guess not. I just...I guess I thought they’d be a little more…stuffy.” I said. Allison snorted a laugh.

“Not like how they are on television, huh?” She smiled, something that took me back little. “It surprised me too, when I first came to the Baldega.”

Is that what this place was called? The Baldega Hotel? I had never known the name, but I had seen it from my window at the apartment. The chandelier was so bright, you could see it for miles. I didn’t want to ruin Allison’s mood by commenting on her sudden change in attitude. That would just annoy her.

The Baldega Hotel is rather big, something I learned as I walked down the nice hallway. The Boss’ room was supposedly the last one down this hall, and I could see the door from where I was at the end of the hall. As we got closer, I saw that the doors were much bigger than I originally thought. When we finally reached them, I could see that they were giant mahogany barriers, with lions etched into them.

Allison was positively brimming at this point, like a mother ready to showcase her first born to the rest of the world. “Here’s to a raise for you, Malik. Remember to be respectful, Mr. Dregs is a very abrasive man.”
………………

“Do you understand what it truly means to be Alpha, Sheppard?” My father asked me, condescendingly. I scoffed.

“Of course I do.” I said. “Do you?”

He glared at me, and paced left and right in front of the chair I sat in. He was a tall man, broad of shoulder and with graying black hair. He had the same bright green eyes I had, but right now all they held was annoyance for his son. “I have told you, time and time again. We can’t afford for you to be spotted.” he said. I sat in his study, an office he built over the years for himself. An oak desk, covered in papers and food was behind him. He laid a hand on it to steady himself. “And besides, he is a human. Talking to him is a risk.”

“But I have to talk to him.” I said, my voice tinged with pain. “At some point, at least. You don’t even want me seeing him. How would you feel?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how I would feel. What matters is that you have your head in the right space for the Meeting.” he said. “I know he’s your mate, but you are an Alpha, and Alpha’s have more strength than what you are showing now. Have some decency, Sheppard.”

Decency. As if I have not shown every bit of it the time I’ve been named Alpha. “I...don’t care. I will continue to see him.” I said.

“Sheppard-”

“And I will meet him, one day. Properly. On my terms.” I told him, tensely.

“You will meet him when it is right.” He said.

“And that will be right after the meeting.”

He groaned, loudly. “Dammit, Sheppard! We don’t have time for you to be snogging with some human, we have work to do as wolves!” He yelled. “You cannot go off on your own, especially not after what happened to Theo.”

“Theo will be fine, and so will the territory.” I sighed, tired. Harrison must’ve aroused some kind of new suspicion in him.

“He may be fine, but what if some rival attacks some other wolf, like Marian? Marian is young, Sheppard, she cannot at all handle injuries.” He said.

“I know. And I’ve checked the borders more than twice now. There’s no hint of wolf anywhere.” I had kept trying to tell them, both my Father and Harrison, this ever since Theo’s accident. My Father breathed in, calming himself.

“Just....stay away from that boy for now, Sheppard. Be strong, for once. Please.” He asked, strained. My fists clenched in anger.

“I’ll think about it.” I said, as he rolled his eyes.

I dismissed myself, and stalked out of the room. Harrison stood outside, he had a stocky and round build, and he leaned heavily against the wall. His brown hair, which was usually combed, and well mannered looked weird plastered against the rough surface. Harrison was an older wolf, though he was an Omega so he didn’t really have a whole lot of say in anything around here. I could hear him breathing through the wall, that’s just how close he was to it. He looked at me, expectantly.

“Well. Um….” he said, awkwardly. He fidgeted with his breast pocket.

“Let’s just do as he says for now.” Marian said. She was also a short person, like myself, but still taller than me. She had red hair, that reached just past her shoulder blades. No matter what, it was always held back by a cutesy looking headband with polka dots, an accessory that didn’t match her serious demeanor. She stood a bit far from the office door, yet her hearing was impeccable. “Besides, you said so yourself. It’s just until after the Meeting.” She assured me. Marian was a good wolf, but she was a little too small for fighting. I still made her my Beta, despite the inconveniences her size would cause.

“Right.” I said, quietly. Marian, although she is not the strongest wolf, is one of the smartest people I know.

“Fighting with him any longer won’t change the fact that you are Alpha.” She said. “So, you can do as you like. Except for right now. Right now you have to listen to him.”

Harrison shuffled his feet. “Why?” He whispered. “I mean, sorry if I’m speaking out of turn but…” He didn’t finish.

“You think it’s not right.” I said to him. He nodded. He wasn’t the highest ranking wolf in the house, so I could understand his hesitation to voice any opinion he had on the matter. “Well, you’re right Harrison. It’s not right, not at all.”

“Then why…?” he began to ask.

“Because Hiram isn’t ready to give up being Alpha. Not really, anyway.” Marian said. “He’s been leader for so long, I guess he just isn’t...happy with giving that all up yet.”

I walked away to the kitchen, with Harrison and Marian following me closely. “Well, no one can doubt he’s been a good Alpha, but he had to have known he was gonna pass the torch on eventually. No one can lead forever.” I said. The kitchen in this house was rather spacious, and even lead outside to a wide outdoor porch. The backyard was surrounded by trees. A clear path lead into the woods where we spent most of our time as wolves. I could see farther along near the edge of the trees, two figures slowly making their way back to the house.

Harrison looked relieved. “That must be Garrett and Hannah now. I thought they’d be lost for good.” Marian scoffed, then smirked.

“Oh please, Garrett couldn’t get lost at all. Hannah is like a Wolf GPS. She knows the woods like the back of her hand.” She said.

“We haven’t lost anyone in the woods, Harrison.” I smiled, kindly at him. He was very worrisome.

Harrison sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “I know. But, you can never be too careful. I mean, they got bear traps and hunters out there.” He pointed out.

Hannah and Garrett walked into the kitchen, covered in dirt. I turned my nose up at the sight of them. “What happened to you two?” I asked. Garrett looked livid, but he was always angry about something so I didn’t question the glare he sent my way.

“There’s a bunch of fucking bear traps all over the woods!” He snarled. He dusted dirt out of his hair, making it return to its normal dark brown pallet.

Harrison shot me a look that screamed “See, I told you so!”

“Okay, so there are bear traps. Doesn’t really explain why it looks like you two took a dive in a pile of dirt.” Marian said, bluntly. Hannah sighed, exasperated.

“Well,” She began, in that soft voice of hers. “The bear traps were...different than normal ones. Maybe even a little bit….magick?” She said. She was a pale skinned girl, with short black hair, and round blue eyes.

I shook my head, confused. “Magick?” I said.

Hannah gave me that signature whimsical look she always got when talking about anything magickal. She nodded, assured of herself. “Yeah. It was definitely magick.” she said. “The bear trap tried to clamp on my leg, but right before it did-”

“A bunch of dirt exploded in front of us, and now we’re filthy!” Garrett yelled. I laughed despite his anger.

“Well, I don’t think it was magick Hannah. That’s not real, remember?” I told her. Hannah shook her head, like she always did everytime I tried to tell her magick wasn’t real.

“It was magick, Sheppard.” She said. “I could feel the ground beneath me tearing away as the dirt flew.”

Marian sighed. “Yeah, okay Hannah. It was magick that made you covered in dirt.” She looked pointedly at Garrett. “And I suppose you’re just gonna pretend it’s magick as well?” She asked.

Garrett pointed to his shirt, accusingly. “This. This right here is totally real, sister.” He snapped. “What, you think I would roll around in dirt just so Hannah could say it was magicked up?” He asked. Marian stared at him, then gave Hannah a long expectant look. Garrett blushed slightly, getting the picture. “Okay, I get what you mean. I would do a lot of crazy shit for some people, but this time I swear it actually happened!” he said. Harrison chuckled.

“Well I’m just glad I was right about something for once.” He gloated. Hannah gave him a small glare.

“You could’ve used you’re esper powers to foresee this, Harrison.” She said, completely serious. Harrison chortled.

“Esper powers? What kind of nonsense have you been feeding her, Garrett?” He asked, laughing. Garrett grew red with anger. Marian sighed, shaking her head.

“So what if she thinks you’re an esper?” He asked, testily. “If you can foresee when the food is done, why can’t you see when there are magick bear traps in the forest?” Garrett smirked. I snorted.

“For your information,” Harrison began. “I can do both. I just foresaw that you would act like an asshole in the future. So I decided to punish you by not saying anything now.” He said, smug. Marian walked away, completely done with their shenanigans.

It was getting pretty late, so Marian began to cook something up in the kitchen for all of us. With Harrisons help, they were always able to deliver us a good meal at night. I walked to my room, but paused in the hallway by Theo’s room. “I’ll get him something to eat.” I turned to find Marian with a plate of food in her hands. She walked in, and then silently closed the door.

As I lay in my bed, I thought about Malik again, and how he could possibly fit into my small pack once I met him. He was so different from everyone else around me, how could he assimilate with the rest of us?

………………