CHAPTER 38

Two cars arrived. One truck and one Jeep. Billie, Carter and Griff loaded the wolf's body into the back of the truck with the help of a couple of the other Knights, ones that had finished their training and were usually off on missions. They'd use the corpse to study and extract the venom. Juliet had arrived in the Jeep with Tom, the quiet brunette's twin brother. The male twin had the same shade of brown hair as his sister. It was longer at the front, the straight pieces falling to his chin. He was almost just as reticent as her but had more of an edgy look, his whole upper body covered in tattoos up to his neck. The two of them brought first aid supplies and as Tom checked me over and cleaned my wounds, I noticed he had the same warm brown eyes as his twin too.

She had the unfortunate task of working on Sienna.

I had been accepted into my little clique so quickly that I didn't talk to the other recruits like Tom or Juliet often but had sparred with them occasionally. He'd always seemed a bit standoffish, but he was nice enough.

He gave my arm a little pat when he had finished bandaging it up. "Good as new."

"Thanks, Tom." I gave him a small smile.

"No problem," he replied as he stood, offering me a hand up.

I dusted myself off, not knowing how to be useful right now.

Juliet walked up to us when she had finished with Sienna.

"Glad to see you"re okay, Vee." She nodded, offering me a smile. "The first encounter is always the worst. But you did great." I thanked her for her kind words and went to check on the others.

Sienna stepped in my path.

She looked me over. Hesitating. "Thank you. For throwing me the knife. Things would have gotten pretty messy if you didn't. I guess we can call it even now."

I blinked a few times, shocked at what I was hearing. I had been shocked too many times tonight. "Ahh, that's okay. Thank you for jumping into action and saving us. I kinda froze. But you were incred—"

"I noticed." Her words cut me off. And just like that, she was back to her normal self. She began to hoist herself up the step of the truck, turning just before she ducked in. "Don't be too hard on yourself. This wasn't my first rodeo." Then she disappeared and shut the door. My heart warmed at even the slight ease of her prickly shield.

There wasn't too much left to do after that. With the wolf loaded in the back, we had to tie up any loose ends. Luckily for us, there hadn't been many witnesses. People weren't close enough to the alleyway to see what went down. But there was one couple that did catch a glimpse. Two drunk teenagers that had wandered off in hopes of finding a good place to hook up. Kitana had sussed out what they knew and found that they had only caught the end of the action, after the worst had passed. They hadn't seen the wolf attack or the guys stabbing it to death. But nevertheless, I watched in awe as Kit consoled them until Tom bought a little pouch to her. She proceeded to blow a blue dust into their faces—a memory wiping mixture, known as an ‘Omitter', that used a measured combination of herbs which resulted in short-term memory loss when inhaled. It was a formula the Knights used in situations like this. Situations that would cause chaos and panic among the human society if they were to get out. It wasn't always possible to get to first, which was why there were so many legends and stories that got out about the supernatural world. So many TV shows were made as a form of creative release for humans to justify what they saw without coming across as insane. Because who would even believe them?

Part of me felt guilty that the minds of these innocent people were being meddled with. That the choice to know was being taken away from them. It brought up feelings of my mother keeping the truth from us. But I justified it by recalling that my sister and I were in fact very involved in this world without us knowing, and thus had the right to know. For these poor people, it would likely do more damage than good. Ignorance was bliss after all. And we would keep them safe to the best of our ability. That was the sole reason we did any of this. So they wouldn't have to know. So they could live a somewhat peaceful existence without the burden of having to carry this around.

Carter and Griffin drove us back. Griff took the Jeep, taking Kit, Juliet, Tom and myself back while Carter took Billie, Sienna and the others in the truck.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed in myself. I was still shaken up and full of adrenaline. I just wish I had done more when it came down to it. I couldn't believe that I choked.

Griff put his hand on my leg and glanced at me as he drove. "You okay?" I didn't really want to have this conversation with others around but they seemed preoccupied in the back, quietly chatting amongst themselves.

"I'm fine."

"I'm glad you're safe."

I looked at him. "Thanks to you. You came just in time."

"That's what we're here for. We're a team." His eyes flashed to me again. "I'll always come for you." There was no humour in his tone. No sarcasm. Just the truth. I felt it deep within me. That he would always come for me.

Yet I couldn't hide the sadness that I felt. And it obviously showed.

"You did good, Cosmo. I told you. The goal is to stay alive. To keep others alive. Until backup arrives. And you did that. You kept Sienna alive."

"I froze, Griff. I saw the rogue. And all that flashed through my mind was the image of one of them attacking my mother. Of another killing my father. And I froze."

"Yes. But you're alive. In the end, you did what you needed to. You faced the demon that haunts your nightmares face on. That's what counts here. And the next time … the next time it'll be easier." He squeezed my thigh in an attempt to comfort me. "I promise."

While I wanted to believe what he said. While I wanted to be proud of my first encounter. I just couldn't.

As I stared blankly out the window, I saw phantom beasts in the dark voids of each street corner—my terrified mind playing tricks on me. Their red eyes glared and their sharp teeth gleamed. Ready to get me like they had gotten the people that I loved before. I couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that overcame me in that moment.

???

Thea had summoned everyone into the gym when we got back. Standing around the sparring mats, my heart was racing. It hadn't stopped racing since the alleyway. And it likely wasn't going to stop.

The compound was in a state of disarray, with Knights emptying out the squad trucks, bringing in the wolf's corpse and preparing for the examination as others loaded guns and weapons ready to go out on patrol. But before the squad could leave, our leader wanted a word.

As usual, her grey eyes captivated the attention of the room. "Alright, Knights. As you may be aware of, the state has seen an increase in rogue sightings in the past few months. Most of you have been lucky enough not to have encountered them on your normal patrols, but that doesn't mean they haven't been about. We just seem to be one step behind them." Her tone dropped an octave, taking on a fierce edge. "Which is not a place we like to be."

Everyone lapped up every word the fearless woman said. "A few of our patrol units stationed outside the city have noticed a recurring pattern. While rogues are usually known to hunt alone, we've noticed that we"re, more often than not, finding them in small groups. This goes against the nature of a rogue, who is meant to be a lone wolf. It is this loneliness that usually drives them to become wild, unable to regain their humanity. Not being in a pack means that these wolves are lawless. They don't live by the rules that govern your average packs—the rules that usually prevent us from needing to take action against most wolf shifters. This makes them travelling together extra dangerous. They are happy to kill with no regard for human life. And that is just what they are doing."

Her strong timbre continued to boom across the gym. "We have gathered enough information to hypothesise that these rogues are working together to turn humans. The attacks on full moons have increased exponentially. We have word from our informants around the state to validate this. It seems like they are creating an army." My eyes widened as I searched the room to find my friends. I saw Kitana and Carter closer to the front, both of them tight faced. But it wasn't fear on their faces. They had prepared for this their whole life. They were determined. Ready.

Griffin appeared at my side. A figure of comfort and support.

Thea continued. "Regardless of the full moons, sightings have increased, period. It seems like they are stalking their prey. Watching to see which humans might be capable enough to survive the shift. We believe this is what occurred tonight in Manhattan, a place wolves usually avoid due to the large population. But they seem to be unconcerned with exposure right now. They're confident. As this behaviour is highly unusual, we believe there is a greater force at play. We'll be sending more patrols out to get to the bottom of this and put a stop to it before this plan can come to fruition. Before any more humans can be turned."

I swear her eyes darted to mine. Locking me in her gaze. "Remember, rogues like the one tonight are so feral that they can no longer change back into a human. They are fully beast. Ready to hunt and kill anything that crosses its path. Bloodthirsty and savage with no trace of humanity. If they attack. If they are even a potential harm to any more civilians. Then we stop them. With whatever means necessary." She let go of the hold her piercing eyes had on me, scanning the room instead as she finished her speech. "That is all. If you have your instructions, you know what to do. Everyone else, be ready for any missions we might send you on and in the meantime, keep your training going as per usual. That is how you can be of best assistance when the time comes."

As the gym began to clear out, Thea turned to me and then to Griff. "Venus. Griffin. My office."

We followed her into the room I always dreaded but never dared to enter.

She took a seat at a large wooden desk with steel frames. I briefly took in the interior of the space. A very similar vibe to the strategy room or the Chill, the furniture was a mix of industrial and classical elements. Stepping into the room, you were greeted with a small sitting area, created by two large Victorian-style brown leather sofas, a square wooden coffee table, two black single armchairs and a grey and white rug. Behind this, the wall had a large abstract painting of red, grey, white and black. Thea sat in front of it, a picture of aloof calm with her elbows propped on the desk, her chin resting on her fists as she waited with a raised brow. She sat in a large, brown leather office chair that looked worn out from all the hours she spent in here. The room felt small, the exposed brick walls seeming like they were closing in. Although, that could have been a result of Thea's intimidating stare and presence.

Griffin had already made his way to the relaxed black armchairs that sat across from her, clearly no stranger to this type of meeting with his mother.

"Venus, we have some news about your hometown," she started, motioning for me to join them in the empty seat next to him. So I reluctantly did.

"Upon further investigation into the Saint Claire pack, as well as a few neighbouring ones, it seems the rogues have encroached on their territories. It looks like they have been a problem for those packs for some time now. And somehow they had run under our noses. The packs have had to clean up their messes in hopes that the Knights wouldn't get involved and wrongly accuse them for the rogues' crimes against the humans." My mouth fell upon, my breath still.

"There have been more deaths in Saint Claire. It is likely that your wolf friends were not responsible for those deaths but have in fact been trying to handle the rogues on their own." She said the word ‘friends' with minor disgust, like it pained her to call them that, looking at me with that cold mask she wore. But I could have sworn I saw the corners of her mouth soften ever so slightly before she added, "I thought you deserved to know."

I looked at her with a stupid, bewildered expression. Brows knitted together as I tried to comprehend what this meant. All I could think to say was, "And Amelia?"

Thea looked at me knowingly. "Was likely a victim of the rogues" attempt at creating an army. I believe her death fell on a full moon?"

"Yes."

"Then it's more than likely."

Griffin's body was still. He didn't say a thing as I wordlessly got up, my eyes distant. Dismayed. Not making eye contact as I numbly walked out of the room.

???

Sleep didn't come easy to me. My thoughts racing and my heartrate still beating at a rapid pace. My chest felt tight as my anxiety gripped me with its unrelenting talons. What did all this mean? River was probably innocent? He hadn"t killed Amelia but a rogue had? And he'd been helping her? Bringing her body back to probably take to her parents? And I'd assumed the worst. Left him. Blamed him. Hated him. Wanted retribution against the wolves.

But I wasn't wrong about wolves. I'd just been wrong about one. One who may have actually tried to stop this from happening. One who I branded as guilty. A murderer.

My friends had tried to talk to me when I'd gotten back to the bunker, but taking one look at my blank face, they knew I wasn't there with them. Not really. I was deep in the recesses of my mind.

Kitana heard my tossing and turning, the rustling of my sheets as I restlessly rolled in bed. Before I knew it, a small frame lifted my blanket up and nestled behind me in bed.

"I need to go back," I whispered as a single tear forged a path down my cheek.

"I know," she replied. "It's okay." She held me, patting my hair as she comforted me until sleep finally came.