by Leji Albano
It snarled and snapped at the people seated on either side as it arrogantly strode down the length of the table, scattering centerpieces, wine glasses, and dinnerware. The mismatched eyes almost glowed with the hatred that simmered behind them, and no one was foolish enough to try to escape. When the colossal form neared the head of the table, it tipped its head back, throwing its arms wide, and roared thunderously, spittle spraying those unfortunate to be in its path. As the sound still echoed throughout the room, a rapid shift revealed a naked man. If anything, he was more fearsome than his hybrid shape, and death, incarnate, stared at them from his narrowed eyes.
“Where is he?” he demanded in a gravelly voice.
The middle-aged man the question was directed at looked defiantly up at Alexander and shrugged. “You are going to have to be more specific, Signore.”
Alexander leaned forward and grasped the sides of the man’s head, then easily tore it from his shoulders. Blood fountained, and the corpse fell from the chair to lie twitching on the floor. With a satisfied look, he tossed the head at a servant, who stood frozen, a bottle of wine still in his hands. The gruesome missile struck him in the chest and fell at his feet.
“I am not fucking around here, people, and what little patience I had deserted me a long time ago.” He spun in place until he was facing down the length of the table. “Someone in this house attacked a Normal tonight. A woman who was under my protection. A woman I had clearly indicated was mine. I followed his scent trail back to this house.”
His head swiveled from face to shocked face. “Either you willingly hand him over to me, or I will kill every… last… fucking one of you. Am I clear?”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m right here.” The quavering voice belonged to the young man standing in a doorway, armed with a rapier and main gauche.
Alexander’s head swiveled slowly, and he inhaled deeply. “I recognize your stench, pup. Time for you to die.”
He launched himself from the table and rushed at the terrified young man, who tried in vain to defend himself. The rapier hissed over Alexander’s head as he ducked under the swing, and the claws that sprouted from his fingertips raked deep furrows into the arm that held the main gauche. The damage was so extensive that it rendered the arm all but useless, and the short blade dropped to the marble floor with a clang.
The youth gasped at the sudden pain and tried desperately to disengage.
The chuckle that Alexander emitted could only be perceived as demonic. “You are going to have to do much better than that, pup.” He grinned as he licked the blood off his claws.
“I told you she was mine.”
Grasping his wounded arm with the hand still holding the rapier, the young man hissed as the wounds began to heal. “We take what we want, when we want, and no one tells us we can’t,” he said defiantly.
A feral grin appeared on Alexander’s face. “Those days are over, you fucktard. Permanently.” His claws ripped through his opponent’s abdomen, spilling internal organs and blood onto the already-gore-stained floor. A wail of anguish erupted from one of the women seated at the head of the table. Alexander’s left hand grasped the dying man around the throat as the other darted inside the eviscerated torso and ripped the still-beating heart out.
“My son!” shrieked the same voice as earlier.
“What gives you the right?” demanded another.
Alexander crushed the heart between his fingers, then dropped it carelessly. He studied those who remained in the dining room with him, and the cold calculation they saw there did little to reassure them.
“I want the entire Pack here in thirty minutes.” He turned his back on them and strode to the servant, who still occupied the same spot as before, and casually kicked the severed head aside. Alexander took the bottle from him with a bloody hand, tipped it toward his lips, and drank deeply. He glanced at the label and said, “This is good. Bring me another bottle.”
The servant nervously nodded his head and scuttled away.
Other staff had entered the room and started to remove the bodies.
“Leave them!” he shouted. “I want everyone to see what has happened here tonight.”
Lounging in a chair that more resembled a throne, one leg casually draped over a padded arm, scowl firmly fixed on his face, Alexander let the dregs of the bottle of wine empty into his mouth. With barely concealed distaste, he surveyed those standing before him.
His audience murmured amongst themselves and nervously eyed the corpses that still lay where they had fallen, pools of blood beginning to clot after being exposed to the air for so long. Most of their attention was focused on the naked man seated in front of them. The half-sleeve wolf tattoo on his right arm and chest stood out in stark contrast to his lightly tanned skin.
Dawn was only a couple of hours away, and Alexander decided to just get it over with. He really didn’t give a shit at this point. He stood abruptly and took a menacing step forward.
“Some of you are probably aware already, but for those who aren’t, I will explain it in the simplest of terms. Last night the gutless wonder over there,” he gestured toward the corpse he had eviscerated, “and a vampire friend, decided they could attack and kill a Normal. Unfortunately for them, and by extension, you, this Normal was under my protection.”
The glare he leveled at everyone in the room spoke volumes. “Now, we all know the rules when it comes to Normal humans, don’t we? Or am I mistaken, and your Pack leadership has been remiss in explaining the laws to you? Is that the case?” Silence greeted his question.
“IS. THAT. THE. CASE!” he screamed at them.
He heard grudgingly muttered denials in response.
“Excellent. Whilst I was waiting for your slow asses to trickle in, I did a little research via Google.” He looked expectantly at them and held up his smartphone. “Do you know what I discovered?”
Silence.
“It would seem that Naples has suffered from a string of gruesome murders over the course of the last year or so. I don’t suppose any of you would know anything about that, would you?” His eyes took note of the members of the Pack who wouldn’t meet his eyes or didn’t seem overly surprised by his statement.
“Now, some of these murders match what I would expect to see if a vampire were to be the culprit, and yet, the remainder indicates a shifter as the killer. What am I to make of this?” he continued in a contemplative voice.
“If you all are cognizant of the rules, and you said you were, one has to wonder what could possibly entice a member, or members, of this Pack to risk the survival of you all.” His quirked eyebrow drove home his point.
“I find myself in somewhat of a dilemma. The only punishment for breaking the law is death, and much as it would simplify my life to just end you all, I find it hard to believe the entire Pack is guilty.”
A voice shouted out, “Who are you to judge us?”
Alexander immediately transformed into his hybrid shape, leapt over the crowd and tore the dissenter into multiple pieces. He bent over to pick up his phone, shaking it gently to try to clear as much of the body fluids from it as possible, then calmly walked back through the crowd, all of whom quickly made room for his passage, until he once more stood before them. Transitioning back into his naked human form, he glared balefully at them all.
“I am Alpha. I am THE Alpha!” he bellowed. “Does anyone dispute my claim? If so, step forward and challenge.”
His glare passed over the crowd, but only one man stepped forward. “I am Enzo Falconi, and I challenge you for the position of Alpha.”
Alexander dipped his head in lazy acknowledgment. “Begin when you are ready.” He stood stoically, arms hanging at his sides.
They stared at each other for a moment, then Enzo shifted and leapt straight at the Alpha. Alexander stepped into the attack and landed a solid right hand to Enzo’s hybrid torso. The air blasted out of him at the impact, and he slid forward face-first on the floor where he had landed. Alexander just
stood there, not following up while the advantage was his, then turned his back on the challenger.
Enzo shook his head to clear it as he forced his way back to his feet. He approached Alexander far more cautiously this time, swiping at him with his clawed hands. Enzo had the height and weight advantage, as long as the Alpha remained in his human form. Alexander simply dodged the strikes or redirected them with circular motions of his hands.
Enzo’s frustration grew with each failed attack, and eventually, he charged straight in, hoping to take his target by surprise. He failed. Alexander caught him mid-leap and slammed his body down onto the floor with bone-crushing force. His hands had maintained their grip, and he pulled the stunned werewolf closer to his face as he leaned down. “Shift back. Now.”
Enzo’s form shrank until he was human once again. Alexander’s face was only inches away when he growled softly, “I could kill you easily. But I won’t. You were the only one with the balls to challenge, so I’m going to let you live.” A pause. “For now.”
Speaking in a louder voice, Alexander asked, “Do you submit?”
“I do,” was the response.
The Alpha released his hold on Enzo and straightened to his full height. “Anyone else?”
When no additional challengers stepped forward, Alexander said, “So be it. You are now all officially my bitches.” Heads were lowered submissively throughout the room.
“Everyone except Enzo… and you.” His finger stabbed at one of the staff. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”
His eyes pinned Enzo where he stood. “You and I are going to take a ride in a little while, so stay close.” He glared at the only other remaining figure. “I need to take a shower and I require new clothes. Strike that, I need two sets of clothes and a backpack. Can you handle that?”
“Yes, Sir. If you’ll follow me.”
The servant led him to what was obviously the former Alpha’s quarters, then departed, saying he would return with suitable garments and the backpack. Alexander headed to the bathroom and turned on the shower, running the water as hot as he could stand it. The tacky blood that had been drying on his body was not easy to scrub off. He paid particular attention to his hair and washed it three times before the water ran clean.
Alexander closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the tiles of the shower stall. He was mentally exhausted, and the day wasn’t even over yet. He kept seeing the tortured look on Tina’s face as she gasped out her final breaths. For all he knew, his last-ditch option hadn’t been in time and she had died while he was here dealing with this renegade Pack. He shook himself and forced his focus back onto the tasks at hand. Alexander let his rage grow, stoking the fires until they burned bright and hot. He knew he needed to hold onto the rage until this was done. Only then would he let himself mourn, or, as the case may be, face the consequences of his actions.
He had never wanted this, to be a Pack leader. For the last one hundred fifteen years he had kept himself isolated. Controlling Spokane had been by necessity, not a desire for power. Internal Pack politics, and all the horseshit that went with it, had never appealed to him. For more than a century, he had kept the oath he had sworn the day he woke up in that cave in New Mexico…. Until today. His had been a lonely life, although fulfilling in many ways. Had he made the right choice by infecting Tina? Should he have let her die without even trying? Logically the answer was a definite ‘Yes,’ and yet he knew his heart would never have allowed it. From the day she had stepped into his life, Tina had been a disruptive influence. All of his carefully crafted routines that had been so comforting over the years crumbled in the face of her mere presence. He had found himself actually caring what this child of a woman thought of him and his actions. Yet he had barely known her, merely scratching the surface. She’d brought a spark of sunshine into his rather bleak existence, one he had not known was missing. Alexander had walled himself off, purposely created barriers that those around him could seldom penetrate. He could count the number of close friends he had allowed in, on a personal basis, on the fingers of both hands, and only one of them was a standard human. How Tina had gotten around all of his mental fail-safes would forever confound him.
For months he had wanted to tell her the truth, but he was afraid that Tina would leave once she found out what he actually was. That fear had prevented him from opening up to her, but in reality, it had also locked him in a cage of his own devising, with no clear path forward to the happiness he so deeply craved. And so, he found himself where he was today. All his attempts to shield her from this hidden world had been for naught, the control that he thought he had, torn from his grasp by a single act of horror. All that was left to him was retribution, though so far that meal tasted like ashes in his mouth.
Alexander tossed the wet towel onto the gleaming white marble floor of the bathroom, and emerged to find both clothing and a leather satchel set out on the bed. He was moderately surprised to find that the slacks and polo shirt fit reasonably well. The underwear went untouched as there were some lines he simply would not cross, and wearing another man’s boxers was one of those, but the socks and shoes would do. He carefully rolled the second set of clothes and placed them in the satchel, which he threw over one shoulder.
His impatient stride quickly delivered him back to the slaughterhouse of a dining room. The house staff froze in place, but relaxed as he saw what they were doing and just nodded. The bodies had already been removed, and the blood was being mopped up even now.
Spotting a now fully clothed Enzo, who had been observing the clean-up process as he leaned against a wall, Alexander gestured for the other wolf to join him. “Take me to the armory.”
Enzo raised a brow but motioned for his new Alpha to follow. He led the way down a set of stairs, then along a dimly lit hallway to a heavy steel door embedded in the tufa rock foundations of the house above. He removed an antique-looking key and pulled the door open after unlocking it.
Alexander walked in, perusing the weapons stockpiled within. He grabbed a large pistol whose barrel was extended and threaded externally, along with a silencer. His eyes shifted to the blades carefully arranged on racks, and he selected a functional, but plain, arming-sword and scabbard. Three loaded magazines for the pistol went into pouches on the right side of a tactical belt that also had a holster that fit the weapon.
Looking hard at Enzo, he asked, “Can you shoot?”
The Italian nodded slowly.
Alexander moved to stand directly in front of him with a curious look on his face and said, “Shall I take a chance on you, Enzo? I wonder….”
His nostrils flared as he gazed deeply into the other man’s eyes, evaluating what his senses told him. He finally relented and strode past his erstwhile challenger. “You are now my Beta. Grab three wolves you trust and gear up. This operation is to remain quiet, so blades and suppressed weapons only. You have five minutes. At the end of that time, I want to be sitting in a vehicle and on my way to where the vamps live.”
The toe of Alexander’s shoe tapped impatiently on the granite step at the bottom of the house entryway. He had already screwed the suppressor onto the pistol that was now in the holster and strapped to his leg, and once again he shifted the belt to ensure that the weight of the magazines and sidearm was evenly distributed. The hilt of the scabbarded sword peeked up over his right shoulder, strapped for easy access and a quick draw.
He was scowling at the rising sun when a black panel van rushed through the gates and came to an abrupt stop just below where he stood. Enzo jumped out of the passenger side door and took the few steps needed to report to his Alpha. “We are ready, Sir.”
“You know the way?” Alexander asked calmly.
“Yes. We can be there in twenty minutes.”
“Then let’s roll.” The big American walked to the back of the van, opened the door, and climbed inside. There were three seats on each side, and he sat in the one closest to the rear and behind the driver.
The hairy eye
ball he gave the other occupants did little to reduce the palpable tension in the vehicle, and they rode in silence through the streets of early morning Naples.
The van pulled to a stop not far from another villa that was similar to the one they had just left. The vehicle’s occupants all turned to him, seeking further instructions.
“My plan is simple. The four of you will take the exits from the house. Your only job is to kill anyone who attempts to flee the building. If you follow me into the house, I will not be responsible for what happens.” He sought out each pair of eyes. “I am barely holding onto things as it is, and once I go in there, I plan to let it all out. Either I die, which solves your current predicament, or I kill every one of these motherfuckers. Am I clear?”
Nods from each of them, although Enzo looked like he wanted to protest.
“Your new Beta is in charge of exterior ops. Do you have comms?” Another set of nods. “Excellent. This shouldn’t take too long…one way or the other.”
Alexander led the way forward once they exited the van. There were two guards at the gate, but a silenced round in each skull took care of that little problem. In a low voice, he told Enzo’s team he would allow them three minutes to get into position. After that, he was going to breach.
He spent the time focusing on what lay ahead, playing out various scenarios in his head. At the end of the time he’d allocated, his form blurred across the space and slammed the doors open with his shoulder. Even before his feet hit the floor, his pistol had tracked onto a target and fired a single round that impacted right between the eyes. He could hear multiple pairs of feet pounding toward him from several directions. Rather than wait for them to come to him, he sprinted up the stairs, decapitating a woman with the sword as he ran by, and kicking in the first door he came to. He fired twice but was interrupted as a figure tried to tackle him from inside the room. The pommel of the sword in his right hand came down on the back of the vampire’s head, the cranium made the sound of a ripe melon bursting at the impact, and the body slipped bonelessly to the floor. A glance inside confirmed that all targets were down. Alexander slashed the sword through the neck of the one lying at his feet to ensure he would not heal and come after the Alpha wolf once again.
