The End Of The Wolf

Chapter 1

Dark, cold, and uncomfortable.

It could have been the names of the heroine's triplets in a famous BDSM trilogy, but right now it was an accurate description of my hideout. This November night was freezing, the moon a sliver of pale gold that would not have pierced the darkness even if I hadn't shot the bulbs on the closest lampposts. One more reason for the City Council to be annoyed with me, as if they didn't have plenty already.

They'll get over it. I'd like to see those fat bastards do my job.

I chuckled silently, picturing the Mayor in my position, face down on a thick branch, tranquilizer gun in hand. The bulbs had to go. In my black Kevlar clothing I was nearly invisible to my prey, but the leaves were long gone. Any light, and I would be busted.

Calm down, he will hear your heart.

I breathed as slowly as I could, trying to reduce the stress. I was no beginner, but tonight was a solo operation. It was against regulations, I knew. There had been so many attacks lately that the Federal Hunters' resources were stretched thin. The authorities had spread the rumor of illegally imported panthers escaping from their crates to reassure the public. They had issued a curfew, and summoned the Hunters in a panic. They wanted results, and they wanted them yesterday. Easier said than done.

This park was the playground of at least one of the beasts. A Lycan not doubt, a young one, like the others, teens just starting to change. It was weird. Furs were born like this, boys who received the gene from their father. A fourth generation Fur would sprout a five-o-clock shadow when angry and have enhanced senses, while a first generation was the monster of  nightmares, turning into a blood crazed creature every night. Still, they were normal people in daylight, and as soon as they understood their nature, most of them ensured they were locked in at sundown. The second generation was usually no trouble, as they had been warned by their sire.

So why was this happening? Why so many kids with no support?

Suddenly, I heard something. Footsteps crushing dry leaves. I blessed the park employees for sleeping on the job and adjusted my night vision googles, peering in the direction of the sound.

Crap, what is she doing here? The idiot is going to get herself killed!

A woman was trotting on the path, using her phone to see the ground. She kept glancing over her shoulder, obviously aware of the danger. I rolled my eyes. What was the point of curfew if people kept wandering the streets? This was a serious inconvenience. She might end up blocking my line of fire, and her phone torch was blinding me.

Sighing, I focused on the space behind the human. There was something, a rustling of  bushes on the right. And no wind. I tightened my grip on the gun and made sure my Taser would slide easily out of my side pocket. A shape stepped out, stalking the unsuspecting prey. It was lithe and stealthy...

I mentally face palmed herself. What was wrong tonight? Why could things never run smoothly?

And what the heck is a Fang doing here?

My plans up in smoke, I dropped to the ground, unsheathing my katana with my free hand. A good thing I was ambidextrous. Firearms were no use against vampires, especially not tranquilizer darts. You couldn't kill or anesthetize something that wasn't alive, but chopping off their head would stop them.

The woman screamed at my sight and dazzled me with her phone. I let out an exasperated huff and hit the offending device, propelling it to the ground. Its owner dropped to her knees to pick it up, and I seized the opening, beheading an astonished vampire in one go.

Newly made and slow, I was in luck, somehow. An old one would have been trouble.

This was a night of surprises, I reckoned, ushering the terrified human up and forward on the path. The poor thing's brain was fighting to make sense of the events. Not that she had much of it in the first place. She was mumbling incoherently, her hands clasping the phone to her chest like a shield.

I pushed down my googles and managed a reassuring smile. "Calm down, it was just a prank. You're fine, you should go home. I'm sorry for scaring you." My interlocutor nodded frantically and scrambled away. I watched her go, taking care to stand between her and the fast rotting corpse, blocking the view but unfortunately not the smell.

I scrunched up my nose. It stank to high heaven. Fangs appeared attractive when alive, or rather undead. They had the power of fascination, something close to hypnotism. My training allowed me to resist it and see the pale, sickly looking monsters lurking behind, all teeth and red eyes. Furs, at least, were part-time humans. Fangs were disgusting leeches.

I kicked the severed head, cleaned my blade and considered my options. With that awful stench, there was no point in staying there. Lycans had an acute sense of smell, they wouldn't go near the area if they could avoid it. No way to ambush it now. This was the only spot, right in the center of the park, where I was sure the beast would pass. All the paths crossed here. If I went anywhere else, I would have to be very lucky to catch him.

I sheathed my sword and rubbed my neck. I was tempted to call it a night, yet I couldn't. Instead, I decided to follow the woman, in case the beast gave chase. Worst case scenario, I would have saved a life.

I should have been more cautious. With the curfew, donors can't get to the blood bars, and old leeches won't share their food sources. The newborns are hungry, they can't control it.

Things were so easy before the return of magic. Nowadays witches were powerful and Lycans and vampires protected by the UN. Unofficially. The general public was kept blissfully unaware.

Hunters who had worked in the shadows for centuries now wore a police badge. Gone were the times when a good monster was a dead monster. Shoot first, talk later could have been a Hunter's motto. But with Furs manning special assault forces and Fangs helping research on blood diseases, the old times were no more. Lycans had to be taken alive and only rogue vampires could be killed, which was no use as another leech would be created to replace it. There was no shortage of rich volunteers with terminal illnesses.

I shivered. It had taken months of negotiation for this small victory, a regulation of the numbers of the Undead, based on a hundred donors per leech ratio. It was fairly disgusting. Healthy unemployed humans had to give their blood on a monthly basis to avail of any benefits. The blood bars had a front room masquerading as an official collection center, and a 'blood on tap' den below. All that in the name of 'medical progress' and 'greater good'. And still the greedy bastards kept trying to work around it.

I scoffed. Politicians were so naive. Leeches couldn't care less about the needs of the living. They had their own agenda.

I was already catching up with the woman. We were nearing the south end of the park. Soon the madcap would be out of danger. Maybe. The beasts had been known to attack in back alleys, but they avoided brightly lit areas. So if she could reach the main street unharmed, the human should be fine. Hopefully she would have learned her lesson. Don't mess around with things that go bump in the dark.

Nearly there. I kept to the shadows, just out of the sandy trail. No need to give an extra fright to the poor soul. I squinted, surveying the surrounding darkness. Street lamps were lit in this part and I couldn't use my googles.

Maybe I should break another few, just to see the councilors' faces.

I was sorely tempted. That would be priceless.

In the distance, the woman reached the gate. I smiled. And then a huge form barreled into me.