《Voyage of the Silver Treader》


 | 1 | The Passenger

    Jesse''s heart shattered when the announcement played over the speakers. The only way to DeiganLupus was on the Riperton trade ship, and now that it was lost at sea, how was he supposed to get there?


    He should have known something like this would happen, though; it was just his luck. First, the man he thought he''d marry rejected him without a moment''s hesitation, and now he wasn''t going to make it to the Grey Moon Ceremony. Maybe he just wasn''t supposed to find his mate.


    With a despondent stare, he stood amidst the ocean of rushing people as they shoved and charged by. Despite the fact that the world was twenty-five years into a catastrophic war, nobody seemed afraid anymore. Businessmen scurried past nattering about where their next profit was coming from, and the only thing every group of vacationing teenagers appeared to be worried about was whether they''d get a tan this time of year.


    Then again, Jesse could be overthinking. It was probably the only thing he was good at. The Nosferatu had done an amazing job protecting people like him for four consecutive years; maybe it was time that he calmed down¡ªeveryone else evidently had.


    With a hopeless sigh, he navigated his way through the tsunami of people and found somewhere to sit. He slumped onto the bench and placed his suitcase beside him, and as he stared at the large glass windows of the Solitudinem Docks, he sunk a little deeper into despair. Maybe he shouldn''t have left his pack; maybe the things his mother said had some truth to them. He was foolish, wasn''t he? He was miles from home, following a strange feeling on a whim. He had no real plan; he didn''t even know how he was supposed to get back.


    The sound of an argument snatched his attention. He turned his head towards the commotion and saw a very red-faced, uppity-looking man. He argued with a dockworker, flailing his arms and insisting that his business meeting was more important than a missing ship.


    "I don''t care what it costs!" he exclaimed. "Get me on the next ship to Riperton!"


    The flustered young dockworker twiddled his fingers nervously. "I-I''m sorry, sir, but there really isn''t¡ª"


    "Are there actually any brain cells in that skull of yours?! There are seven vessels out there¡ªI''ve seen them with my own two eyes! Surely one of them has to be passing by!"


    With a conflicted frown, the dockworker shrugged. "I-I don''t know where they''re going. I just clean the floors."


    "Then who would know?!" he demanded impatiently.


    The dockworker pointed to a ticket booth.


    Jesse watched the businessman storm through the crowd and towards the booth. He focused on his voice and listened to him have the same loud conversation with the woman behind the window; he raged about how the ship he''d bought a seat on was lost at sea, and after a heated back and forth, the woman gave in and told him that she could trade his seat for one on a galleon bound for Ascela but stopping at DeiganLupus. The woman gave him his ticket, and he walked off with a victorious look on his face.


    If he could trade his ticket, could Jesse? He had to try. He wanted to get to that ceremony; he wasn''t ready to give in yet. So, he grabbed his suitcase and hurried over to the ticket booth.


    "Can I help you?" the windswept woman asked.


    "I, uh...I was supposed to be on the Abigail, but¡ª"


    "She''s lost at sea, sir. Sorry¡ª"


    "Yeah, but I just saw that guy trade his ticket for¡ª"


    The woman let out a breathy sigh. "Name?"


    Jesse stuttered, "Uh...J-Jesse...Redwood."


    "Species?" the woman asked as she looked through a thick notebook.


    "W-wolf walker."


    After a few long seconds, the woman scribbled something down and then tore a ticket off the large strip. "The Silver Treader in dock six, leaving in twenty minutes. She''s a military vessel transporting supplies. I''m sure I don''t have to tell you to do exactly what the hospitality crew say." She handed the ticket to him.


    A relieved smile banished the dismay from Jesse''s face. "Thank you," he said, taking it from her.


    The woman grunted in response.


    He wasn''t going to waste a moment. Jesse turned around and rushed towards dock six, and when he stepped out of the building and into the light of the moon, his eyes met the silver glow of the huge galleon. It was equipped with at least fifty canons on each side; he could see their ends poking out the hatches on the hull. And if that wasn''t enough to make him feel uneasy, several heavily armed soldiers were guarding the bridge leading up to the deck. He knew that the seas could be just as dangerous as both land and air travel, but seeing just how prepared this crew was for trouble made him wonder once again whether he was making the right choice.


    Jesse stopped and stared at the vessel as anxiety pooled in his gut. This was the furthest he''d ever been from home, and he was beginning to feel the distance. It made him sick, and the urge to turn back grew stronger with each passing moment. Even if he did make it to the ceremony, there was no guarantee that he''d find his mate there. Maybe he should just go back to the pack; James could change his mind...he could choose to withdraw his rejection.


    But then his mother''s voice echoed around inside his head, telling him how stupid, weak, and useless he was. How could the child of not only one but two powerful bloodline Alphas be so disappointing?


    He clenched his fists and exhaled deeply, dismissing as much of his anxiety as he could. No, he wasn''t going to turn back; he wasn''t going to prove his mother right. He continued towards the ship, but when he approached the stairs, one of the armed guards stepped forward and looked him up and down.


    "Ticket?" he asked him.


    Jesse trembled nervously. This man wasn''t just any soldier; there were silver blades sheathed on his belt, and the rounds inside the semi-transparent magazine of his rifle were made of the same metal¡ªa metal which was either poisonous or fatal to over seventy percent of Caeleste, including his kind. And what was even more horrifying was that this man was a demon, not human¡ªwho were more likely to carry those kinds of weapons¡ªand he was wearing a Varcolac badge. What would a member of a Nosferatu law enforcement division be doing with silver bullets? And why was he guarding this ship with four others?


    "Ticket?" he asked again, his voice carrying a suspicious tone.


    Jesse flinched in startle and shakily held out his ticket. "S-sorry."


    The man snatched it and glared at it for a few moments. "Travel documents?" he then asked.


    Jesse put his suitcase down and opened the front zipper. He took out the folded pages inside and handed them to him. As the soldier slowly examined his papers, Jesse did his best to remain calm. What if something was missing? He''d never travelled before, and the only person he had to rely on when getting those documents was Trevor, but even though Trevor was smarter than he was, he had his moments. He sorely hoped that he hadn''t missed anything.


    "Where are you going?" the soldier asked him.


    "DeiganLupus."


    "Why?"


    "Th-the Grey Moon Ceremony."


    He flipped through the pages again but then gave them and his ticket back. "Follow that woman there," he said, nodding to a blonde stewardess waiting by the stairs. "Decks nine through five are off-limits to civilians. Trespassing is a punishable offence."


    Jesse''s curiosity and fear clashed. He wanted to know why, but he knew better than to ask. This guy would likely yell at him or worse if he asked too many questions, so he nodded and walked over to the stewardess. "Uh, that man told me to follow you."


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    The woman nodded and said, "This way, please."


    Jesse followed her up onto the deck, and as if to make him question his decision once again, the smell of seawater and gunpowder was accompanied by the faint but noticeable scent of wolfsbane. He stopped in his tracks and tensed up. His instincts started telling him that something was wrong, and he wasn''t going to ignore them¡ªnot after seeing those silver bullets.


    "Don''t be alarmed, sir," the stewardess then said. "The Silver Treader is transporting medical and military supplies to Nosferatu outposts."


    "Since when do the Nosferatu use wolfsbane?" he questioned worriedly.


    The woman laughed a little as she placed her hand on Jesse''s back and began escorting him towards the doors that led inside. "You''d be surprised how commonly it''s used. Trust me, I was a little skeptical at first, but I can assure you, it''s all perfectly well contained."


    Jesse felt no reason not to believe her¡ªafter all, the woman was a wolf walker, too¡ªand now that he felt assured, his instincts started settling. "Why are there Varcolac soldiers, though?"


    "I suppose they''re all the Nosferatu could spare, what with the war and everything." She led Jesse inside and down a flight of stairs. "Now, like the guard said, floors five and below are off-limits. It''s going to take ten days to get to DeiganLupus, but don''t worry, there''s a restaurant and bar onboard, as well as a club, so you don''t have to stay cooped up in your room."


    He nodded. "Okay."


    Once they reached the bottom of the stairs and got halfway down the hallway, the stewardess stopped outside a door and fiddled with several keys. She unlocked the door and turned to face Jesse. "This is you." She handed him the key. "Please, make yourself comfortable. We''ll be leaving shortly. If you need anything, there''s a telephone and a directory menu."


    "Thank you," he said, and as the stewardess left, he went into his room and shut the door behind him.


    It wasn''t as bad as he thought it would be. The room was a little bigger than the one he would have gotten on the Abigail, and it was certainly a step up from the miserable hovel his parents made him stay in at home. There was actually space for him to move around, and the bed didn''t double as a study desk and place to put his clothes. He wasn''t a fan of all the whites and browns, but beggars couldn''t be choosers.


    He put his suitcase on the bed and wandered over to the kitchenette. When he opened the small fridge, he was surprised to see it stocked with bottles of soda and juice, as well as some sandwiches. If he had to guess, he''d think this room was meant for someone of a much higher class...so why was he in it? Where was the rich businessman or famous actress who he suspected should be staying there?


    Jesse went back to the bed and opened his suitcase. He started unpacking, and when the ship jolted and the dock bells rang, he watched through the window as it left the docks. His heart thumped in his chest, and his anxiety skyrocketed. He was on his way to DeiganLupus; he''d actually left his home...and he hoped that it would all be worth it.


    Once he was done unpacking, he sat on the edge of the bed and let out a deep, tired sigh. After a long day of travelling, all he wanted to do was sleep.


    But then he heard it.


    That voice.


    A whisper echoed through the walls. Jesse couldn''t make out what it was saying, but the cold, serpentine murmurs sent shivers down his spine. He tensed up, but despite how uneasy it made him feel, his instincts didn''t kick in and tell him that he should be terrified like they usually would. No...what he felt was curious.


    The voice slithered around his room like a buzzing mosquito, and it carried a certain malice with it. Whoever was talking was angry, and considering that he couldn''t hear a second voice, it seemed as though they were talking to themselves.


    Could it be whoever was staying next door? He couldn''t help but be nosey; it was his second nature. He moved towards the wall and pressed his ear against it, but the speaker''s words were disembodied, like the voice was ricocheting off a metallic surface.


    He followed the voice along the wall and into the bathroom, where it was louder. After a few moments of looking around, he spotted the vent in the top right corner of the shower. That was where it was coming from.


    Jesse listened for a few minutes, hoping that he might be able to decipher what they were saying, but not one word made sense, and that only made him feel more curious.


    But there was something else, too. Not just curiosity or his tendency to be nosey. He felt it before...that pull...and it was luring him closer. He not only wanted to know what the voice was saying but he also wanted to know who it belonged to. It was like he had to know.


    He hesitated and took his eyes off the vent. An angry, muffled voice travelling through the vents of a ship carrying military supplies was probably the last thing anyone would want to follow. It could be soldiers or that huffy businessman he saw at the ticket office. He should mind his own business.


    Right?


    Jesse turned around¡ª


    The voice grew louder, and this time, it wasn''t angry. It was desperate.


    He left the bathroom and tried to shift his attention to the books he''d brought with him, but he couldn''t ignore it. The very same pull that convinced him to leave his home and get on this ship was urging him to find the owner of that voice. And if there was anything valuable that he''d learned from his atrocious mother, it was that he should never ignore his instincts. The wolf inside him had senses that he could only hope to one day understand.


    Jesse tucked his room key into his pocket and stepped out into the hall. He looked left and right, hesitating again, but his instincts encouraged him forward. He turned left and followed the corridor to the end, and then he took the stairs down to the deck below. A group of snobby-faced aristocrats approached, and he stopped to let them by. Once they disappeared upstairs, he kept following the path his senses laid out for him. To the end of the hall...down another flight of stairs, and to a narrow, spiralling stairwell.


    He couldn''t take one more step. Those stairs led all the way down to the third deck; he wasn''t allowed down there.


    But he had to. He could feel his wolf clawing under his skin, insisting that he kept going.


    What if someone saw him? What if those soldiers found him? They''d arrest him, and he''d heard horror stories about what happened to wolf walkers who broke the law. He didn''t want to risk it.


    He couldn''t...could he?


    Jesse frowned in confliction and stared down the stairwell. His wolf insisted harder and harder with each passing second, and as terrified as he was, he didn''t want to ignore it. So he took the first step, and after that, it felt like his wolf was in control of his body. He reached the bottom of the stairs before he knew it, and when he found himself staring down a dark, metal corridor, his racing heart beat so fast that it felt as if it was about to burst out of his chest.


    The voice was clearer¡ªnearer. It muttered and shivered; its owner sounded afraid and angry at the same time, and the clink of metal against metal followed the muffled murmurs.


    There wasn''t a soldier in sight, but it wasn''t the fear of bumping into one of them that made Jesse tremble. The stench of wolfsbane was so much stronger, almost as if it was burning in the same corridor he was standing in¡ªthe air was certainly smoggy enough.


    Still, his instincts pleaded that he went forward.


    So he did. He walked very slowly, twiddling his fingers together as his legs trembled. He stopped when he saw a hole in the wall beside him, and he realized that it was the window of a cell door. There wasn''t anyone inside though, nor was anyone inside the six other cells he passed.


    But when he reached the door at the very end of the corridor, something moved around inside.


    Jesse stumbled back and stifled a gasp, but whoever was inside saw him.


    They spoke another language¡ªhe spoke another language. Whatever he was saying didn''t make any sense; the voice sounded defensive and cautious, and despite knowing that he should have turned back minutes ago, Jesse was drawn closer.


    He approached the metal door and peered in through the window. Sitting with his back against the far wall was a naked, bloody man. His wrists and ankles were bound in silver shackles, which burned his sore, dark skin. The knotted hair on his head was as black as his eyes, and the longer Jesse stared, the more hostile the expression on the man''s face grew.


    Jesse knew that he should be afraid; he knew that he should run before someone saw him or that man lunged at him through the door, but his feet remained firmly on the ground. His wolf''s excitement entangled with his fear, and it was the strangest sensation he''d ever experienced. Why couldn''t he take his eyes off him? Why couldn''t his anxiety force him to turn tail and run like it usually did? The one time he actually wanted to be a coward...and all he could do was stand there like a deer in headlights.


    "You''re not Varcolac," the man said, his voice silvery and as dark as the cell he was confined in.


    His words sent a chill down Jesse''s spine. "N-no," he answered almost obediently.


    The man slowly climbed to his feet. His chains rattled, and he grunted as if he were hurt, but there weren''t any visible injuries on his body. He lurched towards the door, but the shackles kept him from getting within five feet of it.


    He was close enough for Jesse to see his face, though. It was covered in blood and stubble, and a deep scar cut down the right side of it. Jesse''s eyes quickly locked with his again, and the longer he stared, the stranger he felt. As if the man was staring into his soul, reading him like a book, he scoffed and stepped back.


    "You?" the man asked, resentment in his gruff voice.


    Jesse frowned in confusion, but there wouldn''t be time for him to ask him why he said it like that¡ªor why he said it at all. Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor. Someone was coming.


    He had to go, but when he tried to pull away, his wolf refused to let him leave. It wanted to stay; it wanted answers, it wanted more.


    The man slowly backed away and sunk down to the floor. "You better run, little wolf," he told him coldly. "Or they''ll throw you in here, too."


    It was only then that his wolf let Jesse leave. He stumbled back and hurried towards the stairs, panting as his heart raced and his body trembled, but it wasn''t the fear that had him so overwhelmed. Whoever that man was, he had something that his wolf wanted, and he was quickly overbore by a strange desperation to find out what. However, before he could do that, he had to get back upstairs.


    Jesse sprinted up the steps, racing as fast as he could. The man''s voice echoed from below along with several others, but it didn''t sound like anyone was following him. When he reached the top of the stairs, he leaned against the wall and let out a deep, breathy sigh.


    But he noticed the armed man on his right too late, and his heart dropped into his stomach.


    He''d been caught.

 | 2 | There Are Murderers On Board

    As Jesse was dragged into a room by a Varcolac guard, a chill settled over him, penetrating deeper than the cold, dank air. The walls, coated with mould, seemed to close in on him, suffocating any hope of escape; absent of windows, the place felt like a forsaken pit, devoid of light and life. Crates filled with putrid herbs exuded a sickening odour that clawed at his senses, while the unmistakable scent of wolfsbane lingered ominously from a large metal crate nearby.


    In the centre, a solitary table stood flanked by two chairs¡ªone of which Jesse was shoved down onto. The guard, his crimson-eyed gaze filled with skepticism, then paced the room with deliberate steps, each one amplifying the sense of impending doom that hung thick in the atmosphere. His demon smell filled Jesse''s nostrils, its sulphuric tints burning his skin, and as every slow second lurched by, the man''s intimidating aura grew heavier.


    Jesse wasn''t sure if he should start trying to explain himself. He sat there, his hands trembling, his legs shaking. The longer the guard paced, the more desperate he began to feel¡ªthe more desperate he felt to blurt out an answer to an unasked question. But what if he said the wrong thing? What if he said something that made the guard decide to throw him down in the brig, too? There were plenty of empty cages down there, and inside one was the last place Jesse wanted to find himself.


    "What were you doing down there?" the guard finally asked, his deep voice laced with hostility. "The brig is off-limits; you were told that before boarding."


    His throat felt like it was closing up. He tried to find his voice, but trepidation gripped him tight, forcing him to stutter while he stared wide-eyed.


    "Who are you? Answer me!" he bellowed, slamming his hands down on the table.


    Jesse flinched and clasped his hands together. "J-Jesse Redwood," he answered shakily. "I-I was supposed to be on the Abigail, b-but it was lost at sea, so I was told to get on this ship instead."


    "Yes, and you were told that decks nine through five were off limits, yet you were caught coming up from the brig," he said suspiciously, his glare thickening.


    "I-I''m sorry, I got lost," Jesse insisted, his heart starting to race. "I-I''ve never been on a ship like this before, s-so I just...I don''t really know where¡ª"


    "You were told where you could and couldn''t go!" the man interjected impatiently. "What were you doing down in the brig?"


    Jesse was starting to panic. "I-I got lost," he repeated fearfully, his entire body shaking. "I-I was looking for the stewardess who showed me to my room."


    "And why would a stewardess be down in the brig?"


    "I-I...I don''t know, I¡ª"


    "Stop lying to me, Jesse," the man warned. "We''ve got plenty of spare cells on this ship, and if you don''t start telling me the truth, you''ll be spending the rest of your journey in one of them. You don''t want that, do you?"


    Jesse shook his head. "N-no, sir."


    The Varcolac guard then leaned forward, moving a little closer to Jesse. "We''ve got murderers on board, Jesse. Cannibals. Some of the men in those cages did terrible, awful things, and what they''d do if they got their hands on a little dog like you..." he threatened him, shaking his head. "Makes me sick just thinking about it."


    As he tensed up even more, Jesse''s breaths became stifled, and he struggled to say, "I-I''m sorry. P-please don''t lock me up, sir. I really did get lost!"


    He stood up straight with a "Hmph," and crossed his arms. "You know what the first thing they teach us as Varcolac training is?"


    Jesse gawped at him, nervously twiddling his fingers together.


    "They teach us how to tell when someone''s lying." He prowled around the side of the table until he was beside Jesse, and then he grabbed the sides of the chair and twisted it around so that Jesse was facing him. As Jesse whimpered in fear, the guard harshly prodded his finger into the centre of his chest over and over in the same rhythm as his racing heart. "Your heart tells me everything I need to know." He snatched Jesse''s collar. "Tell me the fucking truth!"


    He felt like such an idiot. Demons could hear someone''s heartbeat, and they could tell when they were lying, just like a wolf walker could. Jesse knew that, and he should have known that there''d be no way for him to avoid telling him what really happened. So what choice did he have? "I-I heard a voice," he answered, mortified, staring into the guard''s glowing red eyes. "S-someone...I don''t know, they were calling, a-and I couldn''t stop myself from following."


    The Varcolac guard scowled at him, his eyes shifting as though he were reading a book, and after a long silence, he questioned, "Who was calling?"


    "I-I...I think...a man. I-I''m sorry," he quavered. "I-I didn''t want to go, but I couldn''t ignore it. I¡ª"


    The guard let go of his collar, harshly shoving Jesse back a little, making the chair legs scrape loudly across the floor.


    Jesse didn''t dare move back to the table. He sat where the chair had shifted to, watching anxiously as the man gradually walked around to the other side of the table, a pondering expression on his pale face. He considered saying sorry again¡ªmaybe a few more apologies would make the guard go easy on him¡ªbut he wouldn''t dare utter a word, either.


    Several moments passed, and when the guard placed his hands on the table again and leaned forward on them, he glowered at Jesse. "How did you escape?"


    A confused frown flickered through Jesse''s terrified expression. "W-what?"


    "How did you escape?!" he repeated angrily.


    Jesse flinched again. "I-I don''t know!" he whimpered. "I-I just heard someone coming and ran!"


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    The man looked confounded but quickly hid it with a scowl. "Who are you?" he asked again.


    He didn''t want to call the guard out for repeating his questions; he was far too horrified to cheek him. "J-Jesse Redwood."


    "Where did you come from?"


    "S-Solitudinem, sir."


    As he stood up straight, the man looked as if he''d worked something out. "Jesse Redwood...as in the Redwood Pack? The Nosferatu''s errand dogs?"


    He kept saying dog, and Jesse had to resist even grimacing in response. With a nervous nod, he answered, "Yes, sir."


    The Varcolac guard scoffed. "So, you lot finally started learning how to resist the Lure."


    Jesse had no idea what he was talking about, but he was too afraid to ask questions, especially since his family probably knew what the guard meant. He already felt weak, stupid, and useless next to his family; he didn''t want to be reminded by some Varcolac goon.


    However, the man''s skeptical frown returned. "It''s a little coincidental that you''d end up on the same ship as one of the men on the Nosferatu''s wanted list." He looked Jesse up and down with a condescending glower. "I''d suspect you''d been sent to make sure we''re doing our jobs right, but you don''t look the type. What are you? Omega? Upsilon?"


    As an embarrassed, shameful haze stole Jesse''s face, he hung his head and said, "Omega."


    With a cruel laugh, the man stood up straight. "Well, don''t worry, Jesse Redwood. We''ve got this one; he''s on his way to be executed. And if you weren''t Nosferatu property, that''s exactly where I''d be convincing my boss to take you."


    Jesse shuddered as horror shot through him. Was the punishment for going onto a military ship''s forbidden deck really that serious? If there was ever anything he could be grateful for about his heritage, it was the fact that it had probably just saved his life. Of course, he resented being called Nosferatu property, but that was how most perceived his family; they did, after all, hunt down criminal wolf walkers for the Government.


    "However," the man then said.


    His fear intensified, and angst strangled him. What was he about to tell him?


    "You still trespassed, so you''re going to make yourself comfortable right here until I''ve spoken to my boss. Redwood or not, no one''s immune to the laws."


    Jesse watched a smirk creep across the guard''s face as his own nervous expression grew. He was getting a kick out of this, wasn''t he? It was already clear as day that he hated wolf walkers¡ªanyone who called them dogs hated them¡ªand he seemed to be even angrier that Jesse was a Redwood. He was likely going to push for the worst kind of punishment.


    As the guard left the room, pulling the door shut behind him, Jesse sunk down into a dark, cold pit of despair. Far from home with no way back, a burden to his family, rejected by the man he loved, and now likely going to prison for being the idiot that his parents always said he was; there''d been something that told him he wouldn''t make it to the Grey Moon Ceremony from the very moment he left home, and if it wasn''t his original ship getting lost at sea, it would be getting locked up, wouldn''t it?


    Of course it would. Of course something would stop him.


    His throat tightened as he felt tears trying to form in his eyes. He attempted to hold them back, but his fear and dismay made it impossible. What was going to happen to him now? Why was he such a fucking idiot? Why did he have to follow that voice? He shouldn''t have listened to his instincts, either; his mother was right. He was nothing but a useless, brainless fool who would never amount to anything. He wasn''t sure why he''d thought that following a strange feeling would get him anywhere other than exactly where he was right now.


    But he deserved it. He chose not to listen to his mother, and he chose to indulge the fantasy that maybe there was someone waiting for him in some other corner of the world.


    There wasn''t. He wouldn''t make it to the ceremony, and even if he did, there were no guarantees that he''d find his mate. Maybe he just didn''t have one.


    He exhaled shakily as a lone tear trickled down the side of his face, but frustration quickly replaced his sorrow. With an irritated grunt, he roughly wiped his eyes and huffed angrily. No. He wasn''t going to give up. He wasn''t going to prove his family right. Whatever was about to happen, he''d do his best to get out of it. He could milk the fact that he was a Redwood; he could use his heritage to evade jail time and just promise to stay in his room until the ship reached DeiganLupus. He''d heard so many stories of his pack getting off worse crimes than trespassing.


    Footsteps echoed outside.


    Jesse took his gaze off the floor and looked over at the door. He listened as several pairs of boots raced past outside, and when a siren sliced through the silence, he flinched again and frantically looked around as the sound circled the ship.


    What the hell was going on? What was that sound?


    Indistinct voices came from the other side of the door.


    "How the hell did this happen?!"


    "Which way did he go? Did anyone see?!"


    "Search every deck!"


    "Find him!"


    Jesse slowly rose to his feet, expecting the Varcolac guard to return and either tell him what happened or order him back to his room because whatever was going on sounded important...and dangerous. Someone was missing? They weren''t looking for him, were they? No...why would they be? The guard who''d detained him would tell his colleagues if that were the case.


    So what was going on? He edged closer to the door, listening as the hurrying footsteps faded down both sides of the hall. A part of him wanted to take his chance and leave, but the guard knew his name, and he''d find Jesse once everything was over.


    With a conflicted, anxious frown, Jesse returned to his seat. But after ten minutes, the alarm was still blaring, and he could still hear people rushing about outside the door, on the floor above, and the floor below.


    Had a murderer escaped? A cannibal? Jesse shivered again. There were a lot of civilians on the ship; what if one of the prisoners had escaped and started killing people?


    He stood up again, his desire to return to his room increasing.


    But he sat back down moments later.


    And then he stood up once more; just as he was about to head for the door, he hesitated and went to sit back down...but that was when he heard approaching footsteps.


    Jesse panicked. His heart started racing so hard that it felt like it might burst out of his chest; he looked around for something to defend himself with and considered shifting into his wolf form so that he was ready, but just as he was about to, the door swung open, and a Varcolac guard stood in the doorway.


    The man frowned and asked, "What are you doing in here?"


    Struggling to fight his anxiety to get to his voice, Jesse cleared his throat and stuttered, "U-uh, your uh...one of your colleagues was questioning me ''cause I got lost."


    For a moment, the guard eyed him, but he then dismissively said, "Get back to your room and lock the door. One of the prisoners has escaped." He left the room immediately and disappeared down the hall.


    Despite suspecting that a prisoner had escaped, Jesse wasn''t prepared to hear it. He didn''t waste a moment. He hurried out of the room and turned right, navigating the halls as the siren continued blaring. He dodged several passing guards and panicking stewardesses, and when he reached his room, he spotted the businessman he''d seen at the docks. The man was arguing with a guard, telling him to turn the alarm off because he was trying to work. Jesse rolled his eyes.


    He quickly pushed his door open, rushed into his room, and slammed the door shut behind him. With a deep huff, he rested his forehead against the door and tried to calm his shaking limbs, but then he quickly twisted the lock and pulled the bolt, ensuring that his room was the safest place he could be.


    Could this day get any worse?


    Jesse sighed tiredly and turned around¡ª


    A cold, bloody hand snatched his jaw, covering his mouth and silencing him as he was pinned against the door. He tried to shriek and struggle, but when his horrified gaze met a pair of black, soulless eyes, terror constricted him like a swift, jagged serpent.


    And a dark, silvery voice warned him, "If you make a sound, I''ll kill you."

 | 3 | In Too Deep

    Horror, terror, and desperation ensnared Jesse tightly as he stared into the man''s eyes. His heart raced, and his body trembled; each breath through his nose grew more difficult than the last, and the longer he remained pinned, the harder it became to think. He didn''t know what to do other than stand there, stare, and do exactly as he was told. What was his other option? Death.


    The man held him against the door, and it looked like he was concentrating¡ªprobably on the rushing footsteps outside. As each second passed, Jesse''s fear intensified, but when the man took his soulless gaze off him to look up at the ceiling in response to heavy footsteps above, Jesse was able to shift his eyes...and he looked his captor up and down. Naked and covered in blood; the skin on his ankles was sore and burned, and his black hair was knotted and fell down to his jaw.


    It was him. The man in front of him was the same man Jesse saw in that cell, the same man he hadn''t been able to take his eyes off. Despite his trepidation, Jesse felt his wolf shiver excitedly, and just like the first time, he couldn''t take his eyes off him.


    When the man''s dark gaze met Jesse''s, angst and uncertainty spiralled down his spine; part of him wanted to look away¡ªthe cowardly part of him did¡ªbut his wolf urged him to stare, and he couldn''t fight what his wolf wanted.


    "If I take my hand off your mouth, you''re not going to scream, are you?" the man asked, keeping his voice hushed and barely audible over the blaring siren.


    Jesse''s very first instinct was to scream¡ªat least he thought it was; why wouldn''t it be in this situation? There was a criminal in his room, a man who was quite possibly a murderer, a cannibal, or both. But instead of squirming, he shook his head in response.


    The man seemed hesitant at first, but after a few more moments, he pulled his hand away from Jesse''s mouth but didn''t step back and take his other hand off his chest, keeping him pinned against the wall likely in case Jesse did attempt to call for help.


    However, calling for help was the last thing Jesse''s wolf had on its mind. It urged him to ask the things he wasn''t quite sure he wanted to know. "W-who are y¡ª"


    "Shh!" the man snapped, holding his finger up to Jesse''s face and glaring into his eyes.


    Jesse did as he was told; the same strange sense of obedience that struck him when he first met this man hit him again, and he stood there without uttering another word, waiting for permission to speak.


    Footsteps raced past behind him, and when they faded down the hall, the man lowered his finger.


    "Who are you?" Jesse immediately questioned, his heart racing as his wolf''s eagerness clashed with his fear. "W-what are you doing in my room?"


    The man didn''t answer right away. Keeping his hand on Jesse''s chest, he looked him up and down, and when he moved his face closer to his neck, Jesse tensed up, horrified that he was about to take a chunk out of him to decide whether he wanted him as his next meal. But he didn''t bite...he inhaled deeply. He sniffed, and it made Jesse''s terrified, tense body shiver with confusing anticipation.


    Why did he feel so...strange? He should be panicking. This man was a killer, sentenced to death; he was probably deciding what part of Jesse to chew off first. Rather than attempting to escape, though, he stood there at the mercy of his captor''s undetermined decision. He let the man move his face so close to his neck that he was pretty much nuzzling it, and as he felt his warm skin drag along his own, his body started trembling not out of fear but desperation. The space between his legs started heating up, intensifying with every passing second, and the confusion grew heavier, too.


    But then the man pulled away, taking his hand off Jesse''s chest. "Ross," he said, and the prior hostility was no longer present in his voice; he sounded...vacant, emotionless.


    Disorientated by his conflicting feelings, Jesse gawped at him and eventually managed to frown. "W-what?"


    "Ross," he said again.


    It took him a moment, but Jesse realized that must be his name. However, it didn''t ring any bells. That Varcolac guard said that this man was someone on the Nosferatu''s wanted list, and Jesse saw and heard hundreds of names fly around the packhouse but never Ross. Maybe he just wasn''t important enough to need discussing.


    Knowing his name didn''t make him feel any less afraid, though. His wolf might be curious and urging him to dismiss his caution, but he wouldn''t let it win this time. He wasn''t going to risk finding a dagger in his back or a fork in his leg. "I-I...are you...did you kill people?" he nervously asked.


    "The guard by my cell and another on the way up here," he answered tonelessly.


    Jesse wasn''t sure what just shot through him. Horror? Disgust? Maybe it was both. He shakily replied, "I-is that...why you were locked up? Or...are you a cannibal?"


    Ross raised an eyebrow. "I''ve eaten humans before."


    Now he felt nauseous; his thoughts were becoming less frantic, and he was starting to make connections. Ross was a wolf walker, and wolf walkers weren''t called murderers for killing humans¡ªthere was a different name for that. He was a murderer because he''d killed other wolf walkers, and that was likely the reason he was on the Nosferatu''s wanted list.


    His fear quickly outweighed whatever his wolf was trying to tell him. "Y-you''ve killed wolf walkers."


    "That''s why I''m headed to my execution," he said plainly.


    Jesse trembled, stifling a whimper. "P-please don''t kill me," he pleaded weakly.


    "Redwood," Ross said with a contemplating tone.


    He never told this man his name. How did he know he was a Redwood?


    "What are you doing on this ship?" Ross questioned.


    Jesse felt compelled to answer, but his fear kept him frozen and silent. He felt his wolf urging him to speak, and it didn''t take very long for it to force him to find his voice. "I-I...I''m going to the Grey Moon Ceremony i-in...DeiganLupus."


    Ross adorned an amused smirk and chuckled cruelly.


    That was when Jesse scowled. He knew the sound of mocking, and this guy thought it was funny that he was a failure, didn''t he? He wanted to be snarky, he wanted to snap, but he held his tongue. If he said the wrong thing, he''d end up on the list of however many wolves Ross had killed.


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    How many wolf walkers had he murdered?


    Jesse didn''t want to know. The answer would only make him feel sicker no matter what it was. Instead, he asked him, "H-how do you know my name?"


    "I know your scent," he corrected. "You Redwoods all smell the same."


    Once again, Jesse had to hold back his comment¡ªbut this time, it wasn''t just because he was afraid of what Ross might do in response.


    Footsteps were coming up the hallway.


    Ross'' vacant stare faded, and a concerned frown flickered across his dark face. He wordlessly slinked into the bathroom and closed the door.


    Jesse stood there, stricken with terror, confliction, and confusion. When several loud knocks came at the room door, he flinched and stumbled back as he turned around to face it. The knocks came again, and his racing heart sped up.


    "Open the door," came a stern voice.


    He didn''t move. His sights shifted to the bathroom; Ross would burst out and stop him if he attempted to escape, wouldn''t he? If he tried to let in whoever was outside¡ªlikely one of the Varcolac guards currently searching the ship for him.


    But they knocked again. "Open the door or I''ll force my way in."


    Jesse didn''t want that. He was already in trouble with the Varcolac; once they were done searching for Ross, he was certain that the man who''d caught him coming up from the brig would come looking for him to punish him for his crime, and obstructing a search would add to that punishment. So he edged forward, reached for the door handle...and slowly pulled the door open.


    His terrified gaze met the glare of a Varcolac guard, but to his relief, it wasn''t the same one who''d interrogated him.


    "You alone in here, sir?" the man questioned, looking past Jesse and into the room.


    "Uh...y-yes, sir," he answered with a stiff nod.


    The man raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"


    Jesse hesitated for a moment. If he gave Ross up, surely that would exonerate him, right? He''d make up for trespassing. But what if Ross got out again? He''d come for him...and he''d kill him. He dismissed any thoughts of escape or avoidance and nodded again. "Y-yeah, I''m just a little shaken by what''s going on."


    "I''m gonna need to search your room," the guard said.


    "W-what? Why?"


    "A prisoner has escaped and could be hiding anywhere. Please step aside."


    Jesse quivered but had no choice. If he tried to refuse, that would arouse suspicion. And Ross knew what he was doing, right? He''d somehow escaped and got into his room, so he''d find someplace to hide in the bathroom.


    As he stepped aside to let the guard in, Jesse frowned. Why did it feel as if he was almost hoping that Ross would avoid detection? That man was a murderer, and he was threatening to kill him, too. He should be hoping that the guard found him, shouldn''t he?


    The man checked the closet, under the bed, and behind the cabinet.


    And then he headed towards the bathroom.


    Jesse watched the guard''s every move, and when he opened the bathroom door, he expected Ross to lunge out and grab the man...but he didn''t. The guard stepped inside; Jesse heard him move the shower curtain and open the cupboard, and then the man sighed deeply.


    Was he done?


    He listened to the guard''s footsteps come closer, but then he stopped and turned around. Jesse panicked that he''d noticed something and stepped forward, peeking into the room. He saw the guard reaching up towards one of the ceiling tiles with his rifle, and the moment the barrel touched the tile, Jesse was struck with the mortifying realization of what was about to happen.


    A savage snarl sliced through the sound of the screaming siren. The bathroom ceiling collapsed as a massive, black-furred wolf burst through the tile and collided with the guard, who didn''t have a chance to fire his weapon. Jesse flinched in horror and stumbled back, watching as the guard attempted to use his arm to hold back the wolf''s jaws, but the beast chomped down, biting the guard''s arm clean off. He attempted to yell, but the wolf mercilessly clamped its jaws around the man''s head and crushed his skull with a loud crunch.


    Jesse gagged and held both his hands to his mouth, watching as blood and brain matter oozed through the wolf''s teeth when it lifted its face to look at him. There was nothing left of the guard''s head, only a bloody mess, and his remaining arm and legs were still twitching.


    With another gag, Jesse looked away. The guard''s rifle lay at his feet. His eyes locked with it, and for a moment, he considered trying to grab it, but he knew that he wouldn''t be quick enough.


    "Shut the door," came Ross'' voice.


    Jesse set his eyes on the black wolf¡ªhe knew it was Ross. It had his same deep, dark, soulless eyes. And like the meek little coward he was, Jesse did as he was told and closed the bedroom door.


    Once he was done, he shakily turned to face Ross. He watched as he shifted back into his human form; his dark skin was caked in blood¡ªmore than before¡ªand as he left the bathroom and headed over to the bed, he left bloody footprints on the floor.


    Jesse stared at the body. He''d just seen a man mutilated right before his eyes, and he wasn''t sure if he wanted to throw up or scream. His breaths were stifled again, and his legs felt so numb that he slowly sunk down to the floor and sat there, utterly, entirely petrified.


    "Y-you killed him," Jesse breathed, grasping a fistful of hair on each side of his head.


    Ross ripped the duvet off the bed and placed it on the floor beside the bathroom. "Help me with this," he said.


    Jesse didn''t move. He trembled, gawping at the corpse.


    "Fucking hell, it''s just a body!" Ross exclaimed. "Don''t act like you''ve never seen one before."


    He hadn''t. Not like this. Nothing like this.


    Ross grunted as he tried pulling the corpse onto the duvet, but the blanket kept dragging along the floor. With an irritated snarl, he sharply turned his head and glared at Jesse. Instead of snapping at him, though, he frowned and scoffed. "You seriously haven''t seen a body before?"


    Jesse frantically shook his head.


    Sighing deeply, Ross shook his head and complained, "You would be a fucking wimp, wouldn''t you?"


    Despite his fear and disgust, Jesse scowled and snapped back, "I''m not a fucking wimp!"


    Ross sharply turned his head to glare at him.


    Jesse tensed up, sure that he was about to end up like the guard.


    But Ross scoffed amusedly and shifted his attention back to the body. He began trying to pull it onto the duvet again.


    Now that he''d seen how Ross reacted, Jesse felt a little more confident to speak his mind. "W-why the hell did you kill him?!"


    "Because he was about to find me."


    "Y-you could''ve just...just¡ª"


    "Just what? Let him find me? Go back to my cage?" He scoffed again and tugged on the body. "People like you have no idea what it''s like for us," he muttered and finally heaved the corpse onto the blanket without it slipping along the floor.


    "You deserve to be in that cage, though," Jesse said warily as he lowered his hands from his head. "Y-you''ve killed people...and other wolves."


    Ross stood up and wiped his bloody hands on his bare thighs. "And I''ll let Fenris¨²lfr judge me for that. Not you or any other Redwood, not the Varcolac, and certainly not the Nosferatu. Now are you going to shut up and help me deal with this body or are you going to keep crying in the corner?"


    Jesse''s scowl thickened. "I''m not getting involved," he denied, shaking his head.


    "You''re already involved," Ross grumbled, wrapping the body in the duvet.


    "What? No, I''m not! You were the one who came in here and threatened to kill me if I said anything!" he exclaimed.


    "You could''ve told the Varcolac where I was; you could''ve picked up the rifle and tried to defend yourself, but you didn''t do any of those things."


    "Because I was scared!" he insisted, rising to his feet. "You''re an escaped prisoner!"


    "All the more reason to try and defend yourself," he said with a shrug. "They''re gonna keep searching the rooms over and over until they find me, and if they come in here and see all this blood and their dead buddy, we''re both fucked."


    "Why don''t you just eat him?" Jesse muttered. "Wouldn''t be the first time, right?"


    "I''m not hungry."


    Jesse grimaced and looked away. He couldn''t stand to look at him anymore.


    "They probably won''t come around for a few hours; we''ll wait until the patrols thin, and we''ll chuck the body overboard."


    "We?" Jesse questioned, glaring at him. "I-I''m not helping you do anything!"


    "Do I really have to say it again?" he said with an irritated huff, setting a hostile gaze on him. "You don''t have a choice; you''re in too deep already. What do you think the Varcolac will say if you tell them that you watched me kill one of their guys and did nothing about it? What are you gonna tell them when they ask why you took so long to report it?"


    As much as he hated to admit it, Ross was right. What would he tell the Varcolac? That he found the escaped criminal in his room but didn''t try to escape? That he let the escaped prisoner hide in his bathroom? That he watched him kill one of their guards and had the opportunity to grab a rifle and shoot him but didn''t? That he had the perfect opening to escape but closed the door instead? And that he was just standing there right now instead of attempting to run? He couldn''t lie to the Varcolac, either; they were demons, and they could tell when someone was lying.


    Ross was right. He was fucked either way.

 | 4 | Different

    The siren stopped blaring ten minutes ago. Jesse stared at the bloody duvet encasing the guard''s corpse; his heart hadn''t stopped racing since Ross grabbed him, and despite the fact that the murderer was distracted showering the blood and brain matter from his body, all Jesse could do was obediently sit on the edge of the bed and wait.


    What the hell was he going to do? He was complicit in Ross'' crimes; there was no way to explain all of this to any law enforcement without making himself look guilty. The only thing he could think to do was play along and bolt when the right moment presented itself. Maybe he could escape and hide somewhere, or maybe he just had to wait until the ship docked at DeiganLupus. He could disappear into the city; there was no way Ross would risk chasing him into such a public place, right?


    Right?


    He didn''t know this man well enough to assume that¡ªhe didn''t know him at all. The only things he did know were that Ross was a wolf walker murderer who also killed and ate humans and was likely going to kill him, too, if he tried to make an attempt to get away.


    But the strange part about everything was that something inside Jesse wanted to help Ross. His wolf still urged him to remain, to listen to that criminal, and to do whatever he could to keep him from getting recaptured by the Varcolac. He didn''t understand why, and if he was being honest with himself, he didn''t understand why his wolf or instincts insisted upon most things half the time, and he once again found himself questioning why he''d listened to a stupid feeling and followed it out onto the ocean.


    The shower water stopped running.


    Jesse tensed up and turned his head, staring at the bathroom door. He listened to Ross rustle around in there, and after a few moments, he came out wearing one of the bathrobes. He wasn''t covered in blood anymore, and his once-matted, scruffy hair was now tousled and tucked behind his ears, revealing more of his face.


    There was a ghastly scar stretching down the left side of Ross'' face close to his ear; it cut from the side of his head under his hair, down to his jawline, and spread a few inches onto his neck, missing where the jugular was by a fraction of an inch. It looked like a knife or single talon was responsible¡ªmaybe one of the people or wolves he killed fought back.


    "We''ll give it another hour or two," Ross said as he stepped over the wrapped corpse and walked towards the bed.


    Jesse wanted to move away from him when he sat beside him, barely a foot between them, but he didn''t dare move an inch. He wasn''t sure whether he was too afraid to make sudden movements or if his wolf was urging him to stay¡ªperhaps both. He cautiously turned his head, glancing at the criminal, watching as he used another, smaller towel to dry his dark hair.


    He nervously shifted his gaze around the room, hoping that something would happen or that Ross would decide he wasn''t safe there. Maybe he should suggest that Ross made a run for it now. No...he wasn''t good at convincing people, and he didn''t want to say anything that would give this man an excuse to pin him against another wall.


    "Why the Grey Moon Ceremony?" Ross suddenly asked.


    Jesse scowled down at the floor before glancing at him. "Why do you wanna know? So you can laugh at me again for being a failure?"


    "No, so I can understand why a member of such a renowned pack needs to go to a ceremony to find his soulmate. Perhaps, after all this time, the Redwoods are finally falling apart from the inside."


    "What do you know about my pack?" he questioned, glaring at him.


    "Everything. They''ve hunted people like me for centuries; knowing your enemy is a very important survival skill," he said as he finished drying his hair.


    "Right, well you clearly didn''t know the Varcolac well enough; otherwise, you wouldn''t be here," Jesse muttered.


    Ross scoffed, but instead of lashing out as Jesse feared, he laughed a little and tossed the towel over to the laundry basket.


    Jesse then blurted, "Why did you do it?"


    "Do what?"


    "Become a Uciga?."


    Ross shrugged and said, "Money."


    "So, you''re an assassin."


    "Sometimes." He set his vacant gaze on Jesse. "Why the ceremony?"


    Jesse looked away. He didn''t want to answer; he knew that Ross was fishing for information because he came from a family of wolves who hunted people like Ross for the Government, but he was also fishing for information on Ross. Maybe he''d understand why this guy made his wolf react so strangely, and maybe he''d find a way to escape, a way to untangle himself from this web of misfortune and terror he''d been weaved up into.


    "Well, you evidently know that my family do bounty work for the Nosferatu, and they''re all Alphas or Betas and super strong and smart and amazing." He sighed deeply. "And then there''s me, the only Redwood who doesn''t like hunting or killing. All I wanted to do was find my mate, and...I thought I found him, but I was left last minute because...I''m different," he lamented.


    "Because you don''t hunt and kill?" Ross questioned.


    "No," he mumbled. "James said he liked that I was different, but of course he only meant that behind closed doors." He didn''t want to think about it anymore. James was in the past¡ªat least he tried to convince himself that he was. Every time he thought about him, he felt the urge to head back home and try to make things work, but he knew that was pointless. It was over. "He rejected me instead of letting everyone think that he was with someone...someone like me."


    Ross, who was staring at him, frowned slightly. It looked like he was thinking, and when he rested his left hand on the blanket and leaned a little closer to Jess, he asked, "Someone like you?"


    Jesse tensed up again. His dismay was replaced with fear and anxiety, but his curious wolf kept him in place. The man''s right hand met his knee, and when he dragged his palm up Jesse''s thigh, his heart began racing.


    "Someone...different?" Ross asked, edging his face towards Jesse''s neck.


    He wanted to pull away; his anxiety quickly overwhelmed him, and when Ross nuzzled his neck, Jesse closed his eyes and tried to find the courage he needed to fight his wolf...but the beast inside him always won. He gave in to his wolf''s curiosity, and as Ross'' fingers traversed his inner thigh, he tightly gripped the blanket beneath him with both hands and let the strange feeling of anticipation enthral him.


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    But when Ross'' fingers reached his crotch, he felt the man hesitate, and the excitement withered like a flame in a cold, harsh breeze.


    Jesse opened his eyes and watched as Ross pulled his face away from his neck and looked down at his hand.


    "You''re...a¡ª"


    "I-I''m a trans man," Jesse blurted before Ross could say the word his parents degraded him with.


    A flicker of confusion moved across Ross'' face, but he didn''t move his hand away from Jesse''s crotch. "That''s why you were rejected?"


    Jesse hung his head in despair. "Straight guys treat people like me like dirty little secrets; we''re just this...fun little thing for them. They''re too embarrassed to publicly admit that they''re not straight¡ªit''s like they think we''re women, like being with us doesn''t make them gay." He glanced at Ross, who was staring at him, listening and maybe even thinking. "I''ve had four boyfriends in my life, and they all felt the same way. I don''t know why I thought James would be any different. I mean he was fine until I got top surgery; it was after that he started acting weird...more reluctant to be seen with me outside his house."


    Ross didn''t immediately reply. He slowly looked Jesse up and down, almost as if he was examining him.


    But Jesse''s dismay became outweighed by fear once again. This man was a criminal¡ªa killer. Every cis man Jesse had come across felt either disgusted or threatened by him, and he was certain that Ross'' reaction was going to be a hundred times worse. His desperation to get away returned¡ªhe should flee before Ross worked out how he wanted to respond.


    He let go of the blanket and prepared to dart¡ª


    Ross then moved his face back towards his neck, and when Jesse felt his warm breath against his skin, he tensed up, and his racing heart was ensnared in a conflicting, contorting concoction of anxiety, anticipation, and curiosity.


    "You smell different," the man murmured and inhaled quietly. He stroked his fingertips over Jesse''s crotch, pressing down a little harder each time until his touch met Jesse''s t-dick.


    Jesse shivered as the brewing anticipation shot and spiralled through his body. His wolf pleaded for more, urging him to give himself to the intimidating man beside him. But he felt conflicted¡ªhe felt confused. His feelings of fear and excitement clashed, making it hard for him to discern which he should act upon. As Ross'' fingers continued teasing him, though, he felt himself leaning closer to the idea of giving in.


    Ross then guided his fingers up to Jesse''s belt. "I want to taste you," he whispered into his ear.


    His words enticed Jesse. He couldn''t help but tilt his head to the side, giving Ross more room to nuzzle his neck. As the man started unbuckling his belt, the space between his legs warmed; desperation enthralled Jesse, and he could feel his wolf''s excitement increasing drastically. He wanted to give in, he wanted to lay back and let this man have his way, but reality quickly smacked his stupid face.


    He didn''t know this man. What he did know was that Ross was a murderer of both humans and wolf walkers; he was dangerous, relentless, and merciless, and he''d likely kill Jesse if he stepped over whatever lines he had hidden behind those dark, empty eyes. As enticed as he felt, and as intensely as his wolf might try to convince him, he wasn''t going to give himself to a stranger.


    Jesse fought off the anxiety and desperation and snatched Ross'' hand before he could finish unbuckling his belt. "I-I don''t want to," he said nervously.


    Ross pulled away from his neck, revealing that same vacant stare on his face. He then moved his hand from Jesse''s belt and shuffled away, putting two or so feet between them.


    He might have just seized his chance to escape, but Jesse just sat there. His wolf was disappointed, and thus, so was he. His racing heart didn''t calm, and neither did his anxiety, but the rest of his conflicting feelings slowly withered, leaving him tense, nervous, and unsure once again.


    "Who''s James?" Ross questioned tonelessly.


    Jesse turned his head and frowned at him. "My...ex."


    "No, which pack? I''ve not heard of a James Redwood."


    "Oh. He''s from a neighbouring pack, the Blackcrests. Our packs had territory issues, and the plan was to unite us, and that was part of why my parents were so against my transition; it was like they knew James would reject me for being different. They were also transphobic, though, so...." He sighed and shrugged. "James rejected me, so the packs are probably fighting again."


    "You Redwoods are notorious for absorbing other packs," Ross muttered.


    Jesse''s frown thickened, but Ross wasn''t wrong. "Yeah, I guess we are. My mother married the Alpha of the Warfang pack."


    Ross laughed a little. "So, you''re the son of two Alphas?"


    "Yeah, but¡ª"


    "But you''re an Omega."


    Jesse couldn''t tell whether he was insulting him or was confused or curious. "My brother is their heir, so he got all the attention, especially after I came out," he told him. "I didn''t want to be this weak, useless, disappointing waste of time to them, and after James rejected me, I knew that I was exactly that. So, I decided I''d find my mate...if he''s even out there."


    "Hence the Grey Moon Ceremony."


    "Yeah," he mumbled. "But I don''t know. It all seems kinda stupid now. I know that it was James, but he doesn''t want me, so what else am I supposed to do?"


    "Do you really think finding your mate will make your parents respect you?" he questioned, looking down at him.


    Jesse''s frown became a confounded one. "Well...I hope so. Finding your mate is a huge thing for wolf walkers¡ªat least everyone I''ve been around has made a huge deal out of it."


    Ross scoffed and glanced around the room. "It''s only a huge deal if you''re important, but from what you''ve said, I don''t think your parents will accept or respect you even if you have a mate."


    He didn''t want to admit it to himself, but Ross was likely right. The only way he''d make his parents happy would be to detransition, to become the daughter they wanted. But that wasn''t him. He was never their daughter, and he never would be. He told himself that if they didn''t accept him for who he was, then oh well, but...a part of him wanted to be respected, a part of him wanted to be accepted by his parents and his packmates...and by James. But none of that was going to happen. Hell, if he found his mate, they might not even accept him, either.


    However, he had no regrets. He didn''t regret seeking hormone therapy, he didn''t regret changing his name, and he didn''t regret his surgery. He was a man, and nothing and no one was going to change that.


    With a heavy sigh, Jesse shrugged and shook his head. When he locked sights with the duvet-wrapped body, though, anxiety struck him once again. "W-what are we supposed to do with that?" he asked, nodding at the body.


    Ross scoffed amusedly.


    "What?" Jesse questioned.


    "Nothing." He glanced at the clock. "We''ll wait until midnight; escaped prisoner or not, the guards always slack off during the night shift. Like I said, we''ll throw it overboard."


    "And what if the guards come and check the room before then?"


    "Then we''ll have two bodies to dump overboard."


    Jesse didn''t want to see him kill someone else, nor did he want to have to help him dispose of another dead, mangled guard. He didn''t even want to help with this one. But he didn''t have a choice.


    "You got any spare clothes?" Ross asked as he pulled his towel off.


    Even though Ross had been naked since Jesse first saw him, he was only now paying attention to that fact. He felt flustered when he caught a glimpse of his crotch but quickly looked away. "Y-yeah, in my suitcase."


    Ross got up and went over to the suitcase.


    Jesse kept his head turned away from him, but when he heard the man opening the suitcase, he glanced at him. He watched Ross take out one of his shirts and a pair of jeans, and once the man pulled the trousers on¡ªwhich were a little tight and short for him¡ªhe observed as he put the t-shirt on over his head. A scar of the same shape as the one on his face cut down from his left pec to his waist, but Jesse''s eyes wandered away from the old wound and to Ross'' abs.


    He couldn''t take his eyes off him. The longer he stared, the harder it became to ignore the growing angst inside him. He felt enticed, curious, and eager, and his wolf began urging him closer again.


    But when Ross finished getting dressed, Jesse looked away, hoping the man didn''t catch him staring. And to further avoid suspicion, he asked, "How did you get that scar?"


    "I challenged and killed the previous Alpha of my pack," he answered tonelessly and sat back down on the bed.


    "You''re part of a pack?" he questioned warily.


    He nodded.


    "Are...they here?"


    "No. The Varcolac only got me; I held them off while my pack got away."


    Jesse was a little surprised to hear that. Not only was this murderer an Alpha, but he''d sacrificed himself for his pack. However, he kept himself from exploring how he felt about the revelation. Noble or not, this man was still a killer.


    Killer or not, Jesse still felt urged towards him.


    And he didn''t understand why.

 | 5 | The Lure

    How long had it been? Jesse frequently checked the clock, and when it ticked past midnight, he glanced at Ross, who was brooding on the couch in the corner of the room. His first question was: what was he so deep in thought about? But he had a million other things to ask himself.


    Ross was a Uciga?. He killed other wolf walkers for money. And on top of that, he was a werewolf, the kind of wolf walker who still killed and ate humans. How could he be all of those things...and make Jesse feel the way he felt? Why did he make Jesse feel so eager when he touched him? Why did he make Jesse feel so strangely intimidated, meek, and obedient in such a way that it almost felt right? That it felt pleasingly intoxicating.


    He frowned and took his eyes off the murderer. No, he was projecting, wasn''t he? He missed James, he loved James, and he wanted James...and the fact that he''d lost him was confusing Jesse and his broken heart. All the things that Ross made him feel were just the things he wanted to feel from James. He was trying to avoid his heartbreak by imagining the longing and the desire, wasn''t he?


    Wasn''t he?


    Jesse''s frown thickened as he glanced at Ross again. A part of him was curious about what might have happened if he didn''t shy away, if he let his wolf take control of the entire situation. But his better judgment kept him from thinking too hard. He wouldn''t have sex with someone who was likely going to kill him when he no longer needed to hide in his room.


    "Sounds like the night shift is thinning out," Ross suddenly said.


    Dismissing his thoughts, Jesse tensed up a little and looked at the door. His heart started beating a little faster; he knew what it meant, and he wasn''t ready¡ªhe''d never be ready to dump a body overboard or have anything to do with a body at all. But he was already in too deep, and there was no lawful way out that would save him a sentence.


    "You check whether the coast is clear," Ross ordered him.


    Jesse was reluctant but had no choice. As his body began shaking, he stiffly stood up and edged towards the bedroom door.


    "Go either way and find a window big enough to dump the body out of," Ross continued. "And don''t do anything suspicious," he added with a condescending tone.


    Too anxious to snap at him, Jesse stepped over the duvet-wrapped body and grabbed the door handle. He didn''t want to open it; he was terrified that there might be a guard outside. So he focused his senses, listening...but all he could hear were the waves crashing against the ship, the creaking wood, and the distant voices several floors above and below. He tried to use his sense of smell, too, but the stench of wolfsbane, herbs, and gunpowder made it impossible for him to discern anything else.


    "Well?" Ross urged impatiently.


    Jesse frowned determinedly. The sooner this was over.... No. The sooner it was over, the sooner he might be heading for his own murder.


    He let go of the door handle and turned to face Ross, who was now standing by the bed. "I-if...are...are you going to kill me?"


    "Not if you don''t give me a reason to, and right now, you''re on your way."


    Jesse quivered and faced the door. He gripped the handle, gently turned it, and eased the door open. When he peered outside, he looked up and down the corridor, and there wasn''t a single Varcolac guard or person in sight.


    He silently slinked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Choosing to go right, he crept along the wooden floorboards, hoping that the next one he stepped on wouldn''t creak under his weight. Once he reached the end of the corridor, he went right again, and then left, emerging into a narrow, long hallway with small, round windows on the right wall. None of them were large enough to fit a body through, though.


    Jesse followed the hallway, checking left and right for windows; there had to be one around somewhere¡ª


    He wasn''t looking where he was going, and when he bumped into a woman, she gasped in startlement, and Jesse stumbled back and held out his hands. "I-I''m sorry, I wasn''t looking where¡ª"


    "Oh, it''s you," she interjected, sounding relieved.


    Jesse stopped freaking out and stared at her. He realized that she was the same stewardess who had escorted him to his room before the ship left the docks.


    She laughed nervously and said, "I-I thought you were the escaped prisoner."


    "Oh...no," Jesse said, trying to laugh with her, but his heart was racing, and his anxiety didn''t settle.


    The stewardess frowned at him. "What are you doing out? The guards told everyone to stay in their rooms until the prisoner''s been caught."


    "I was just, um...well, I was looking for the cafeteria or whatever," he lied.


    She looked up and down the hall. "Do you need it that bad? I suppose I could escort you if¡ª"


    "N-no, it''s okay," Jesse said, shaking his head. "You''re right. There''s a prisoner on the loose. I can wait for dinner."


    "All right, well, do you want me to escort you back to your room?"


    "N-no, thank you. It''s okay."


    "A-are you sure?" she asked quietly. "I heard that he has this...power to make people do what he wants."


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    "What?"


    "They called it um...Lure?"


    He''d heard that word before. The Varcolac guard who interrogated him mentioned it, asking him if his pack had finally learned to resist it. And now it was starting to make sense. What if that was why he couldn''t ignore Ross'' orders? What if that was why he felt so drawn to him? Was it the Lure?


    "And...I heard he''s killed over fifty wolf walkers," the woman added.


    Jesse snapped out of his thoughts. "I-I''m just...gonna go back."


    She looked hesitant but nodded and said, "Okay. Be careful."


    He nodded and turned around¡ª


    "I''m Sophie, by the way," the stewardess told him.


    "Uh...Jesse," he replied, looking over his shoulder at her as he headed back towards his room.


    He walked the halls and found his way back to the hallway where his bedroom was. There was time to think about what he''d just learned; Lure or not, there was a body that needed disposing of.


    When he reached his room door, he didn''t head inside. He continued forward, searching for windows; he wondered why he didn''t take his chance to escape when he bumped into Sophie, but not only did he already know that it was no use, but there was also the fact that Sophie knew nothing about him, so she couldn''t exactly vouch for him even if he told her the truth, could she?


    With a quiet sigh, he turned left, right, and left again, and to his relief¡ªa horror¡ªhe saw a wooden, shutter-like balcony door at the end of the corridor. He was relieved that they''d be getting rid of the body, but he was mortified by the fact that they were dumping a corpse into the ocean.


    The middle of the ocean.


    That Varcolac guard could have a family. He could have a wife or husband or boyfriend or girlfriend or kids or a sister or a brother or parents who would never know where his body was. They''d never get to bury him. They''d never know the truth about what happened to him.


    Guilt ensnared Jesse like a starved serpent, constricting his tense body harder and harder with every struggled breath he took. He just...stood there and watched Ross kill that man. How many more people were going to die? That guard wouldn''t be the first to come and check his room, and Ross would surely kill the next one who walked through the door and anyone else he deemed a threat.


    Jesse had to do something. He could prevent anyone else from being killed...all he had to do was tell the Varcolac that their escaped prisoner was hiding in his room. If he told them how it all happened, how Ross threatened to kill him several times, and if he mentioned the Lure, then maybe they wouldn''t say that he was complicit.


    He stood there, staring at the window, shaking in trepidation. But there was something else keeping him frozen.


    His wolf.


    It disagreed with everything he was telling himself. His wolf didn''t want him to turn Ross in; it urged him to continue with his task, to return to Ross like a good little boy and tell him that he found a balcony door, and to help him get rid of the body before someone found him.


    The desperate, pleading animal inside him told him that helping Ross was the right thing to do...even if it wasn''t the right thing to do. It was the right thing for Jesse to do. But why? Why did he feel obligated to help that murderer? That Uciga?, that werewolf. Why did he feel that his wolf was right more than he felt like he should trust his better judgment?


    But was it really his wolf? Was his wolf in its right mind? What if the Lure was affecting its mind and actions the way it was affecting him?


    No, he and his wolf both disagreed. There was no power that could manipulate a wolf walker''s instincts. What his wolf felt was real. But the question still remained.


    Why?


    Jesse stiffly turned around and began heading back. His feelings didn''t matter, not while there was a body in his room that could make him look like he was aiding and abetting Ross.


    When he got back to his room and closed the door behind him, though, he didn''t immediately rush to help the murderer, who was standing by the body with an expectant look on his gloomy face. "What''s the Lure?" he questioned.


    Ross scoffed. "What?"


    "The Lure. So far, two people have mentioned it; is that how you''re getting me to do everything you say?"


    A smirk sliced through the vacant stare on Ross'' face. "I don''t need to use it on you. You''re already such a good little wolf."


    Jesse scowled at him. "I don''t want to be doing any of this!" he exclaimed. "I-I don''t hurt people, I don''t throw bodies overboard, and I don''t help criminals!"


    Ross sprung forward at the speed of light and slammed his hand against Jesse''s mouth. "Keep your voice down," he snarled, glaring into his horrified eyes.


    Although he was terrified, Jesse managed to fight his fear enough to yank Ross'' hand away. "You didn''t answer my question!" he growled quietly.


    For a moment, Ross locked his intimidating gaze with Jesse''s, but he quickly came to his decision. "The Lure is an ability only one wolf every ten generations is blessed with¡ªor cursed," he said, pulling his hand from Jesse''s grasp. "A wolf who possesses the Lure can enslave anyone to their absolute command, given that person isn''t a higher wolf walker rank or wearing wolfsbane."


    His explanation made Jesse feel sick. "So...you''ve been...controlling¡ª"


    "I already said that I haven''t used it on you."


    "And why would I believe that?" Jesse asked with a scoff. "I-I feel...like I have to do what you tell me. I-I should be going to the Varcolac, but for some reason, I feel like I don''t want them to find you, like I have to help keep you hidden," he exclaimed, confused. "And you''re gonna try and tell me that all that has nothing to do with this weird little Lure power?"


    "It doesn''t," Ross said simply.


    Jesse''s confusion grew heavier. "Then...why can''t I say no?"


    "You did say no. And if you were under my control, we wouldn''t be standing here having this conversation; we''d already be dumping the body overboard." He glanced down at the duvet-wrapped corpse. "Now, if you''re done with questions, we should get rid of this before it starts to smell."


    Jesse didn''t move. His thoughts were once again racing as fast as his heart. Ross was right; he had said no, and he was deviating from the things Ross was asking of him¡ªhe was stalling, wasting time, and it wasn''t just the obedience making him do this. His life was at stake, and so was his freedom. Pleasing Ross wasn''t the only thing urging him to get it done.


    And it was his wolf which wanted him to do as Ross asked, it was his wolf which felt obedient; it wasn''t some other outside force influencing him, was it? What he felt was inside him. But he still didn''t understand what that meant.


    There wasn''t time for him to stand there and try to work it out. They had to get rid of the body.


    "Legs or shoulders?" Ross asked.


    Jesse didn''t even want to think about the fact that the corpse had no head. He crouched and took hold of the ankles, trying his best not to gag. Once Ross grabbed the other end and started standing up, Jesse got up, too. He then moved when Ross did, and when the man reached the door, he pressed his ear against it and listened.


    Each passing second felt like an hour. Jesse''s anxiety became so overwhelming that his legs felt numb, but he tried his best to focus. He needed to concentrate; the last thing he needed was for his fear to get the better of him and cause him to do something that gave him and Ross away. If they got caught hauling a corpse through the ship...well, that was terrible enough alone, but if he was seen doing it with the escaped prisoner...his life would be over.


    Not that it wasn''t already over, though.


    He scowled and dismissed his thoughts. Once the body was gone, he wasn''t sure what was going to happen, but for some reason, he felt as if things would be...fine. But was that feeling born of his hope that everything would be all right, or were his instincts trying to convince him that it really would be okay?

 | 6 | Bodies

    Jesse tried his best not to gag, keeping his eyes off the body as Ross opened the bedroom door and led the way out into the corridor. It was heavy, and every time he felt the legs shuffled around inside the duvet, Jesse grimaced and attempted to focus on anything else.


    His heart was racing, and his anxiety was constricting him tighter and tighter with every backward step he clumsily took. He glanced at Ross, who wasn''t struggling at all¡ªhe''d clearly done this before¡ªand every time Jesse looked over his shoulder to see how far from the end of the corridor he was, the more he dreaded that his gaze might meet that of a Varcolac guard.


    "Relax," Ross then grumbled. "I''ll hear anyone coming a mile off."


    "You might be able to, but I can''t," Jesse exclaimed quietly.


    He scoffed. "I thought you''d at least have learned to use your senses properly."


    Jesse scowled but didn''t snap at him. Not only did he not want to raise his voice and risk attracting attention, but what Ross said also hit a nerve. His parents never taught him much at all; everything he did know, he''d learned by himself, from what friends he managed to find, and the people he dated. His family never taught him how to decipher each individual scent in a place where there were more than three; they never taught him to detangle a combination of several different sounds, and they never taught him how to control his anxiety and fear, either. But why would they? He was just an Omega.


    When they reached the end of the corridor, Jesse stiffly turned to his right, guiding Ross down the left hallway.


    He wondered what his family would think of him being wrapped up in a shitstorm with a Uciga? and a werewolf, probably soon to be locked away and sentenced for a crime he hadn''t willingly committed. Hell, he could be making an attempt to escape even now, but he wasn''t. He was carrying a corpse, heading towards a balcony to dump it into the ocean, helping a criminal¡ªthe worst kind of criminal in wolf walker society.


    Jesse guided them into another hallway, getting closer to the window. His arms were starting to feel numb, and he wasn''t sure whether it was because of the weight of the body or because of his anxiety.


    A door closed loudly behind him.


    With a horrified flinch, Jesse looked over his shoulder, listening to the incoming footsteps.


    They were going to get caught.


    "In here," Ross grunted, pulling a door to his left open.


    Jesse didn''t hesitate. He quickly followed Ross into the storage room and pulled the door shut behind him.


    And then they waited.


    As his heart thumped rapidly in his chest, Jesse listened to the approaching heavy footfall. It got closer...and closer, every collision against the wood pushing him nearer to sheer panic. What if they were Varcolac? A demon''s sense of smell wouldn''t miss the stench of the corpse, and neither would that of another wolf walker or a vampire. If they were discovered, it would either all be over, or he''d have to stand there and watch Ross kill someone else.


    He closed his eyes and hoped that the incoming person was human or wasn''t paying attention to their surroundings. His legs trembled, and his breaths felt sore in his throat as angst gripped him tightly.


    "Calm down, fuck," Ross muttered.


    Jesse opened his eyes and scowled at him. "Calm down?!" he exclaimed, keeping his voice as quiet as he could.


    The footsteps thumped past the door...and then they receded down the hall.


    "Do you seriously not know how to tell what''s human and what''s not?" Ross asked.


    His scowl thickened as he tried to hide his embarrassment. "I told you; my brother got all the attention."


    "But you''re a Redwood. Surely, your pack would have taught you the basic¡ª"


    "Yeah, well, they didn''t," Jesse snapped. "As far as they''re concerned, I''m not a Redwood. Now can we just get rid of...this?" he grumbled, glancing down at the corpse, still holding its ankles.


    Ross took his eyes off Jesse and glanced around the room; it looked like he was tapping into his senses to see if it was safe to leave. After a few moments, he looked expectantly at Jesse.


    With a roll of his eyes, Jesse pulled the door open. He cautiously peered outside, looking up and down the hall; he didn''t see anyone, so he awkwardly shuffled out of the room, and Ross followed.


    They headed to the end of the hallway, and when they turned into the corridor with the balcony door, Jesse huffed in relief. All they had to do was get over there, open the doors, and dump the corpse overboard. But Jesse started feeling guilty again. What he was doing was wrong; once they got rid of the body, it would never be found.


    What choice did he have, though?


    He shoved his thoughts aside and focused on getting rid of the thing that would ensure he never saw the outside of a prison cell. He''d try and work out the rest later.


    The pair moved closer to the balcony door, so close that Jesse could smell the scent of the salty air over the lingering wolfsbane, so close...that he could smell the tobacco and hear the quiet voices of several men on the other side.


    "Shit," Ross growled.


    "W-what do we do?" Jesse panicked.


    Ross looked around, but there was no other way to get the body outside.


    "Do we take it back to the room?"


    The man huffed and looked over his shoulder, but he clearly realized at the same time as Jesse did that someone was coming that way, too.


    Jesse tensed up, his heart racing, his limbs trembling. They were going to get caught¡ªthey had to do something! There were no closets, no storage rooms, only the stretching, empty corridor between them and the balcony.


    "There," Ross said hurriedly, nodding to Jesse''s right.


    He turned his head and set his eyes on a kitchen trolley. "W-what?"


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    "Hide the body in the fucking trolley," he urged, shoving Jesse with the corpse.


    Jesse rushed to the steel trolley and pulled the doors open. He helped Ross stuff the corpse in there as best as he could with one hand while using the other to make sure that the kettle and mugs didn''t fall off.


    "Come on!" Ross grunted.


    With a desperate wince, Jesse let go of the appliance and pushed with all his might, trying to shove the body in. Once he was sure it was inside, he hastily shut both doors.


    The footsteps were getting closer.


    "What about us?!" he exclaimed quietly, looking around.


    Ross wordlessly snatched Jesse''s collar and yanked him towards and into a very small gap between one of the ship''s foundations and a stack of supply crates. The man then heaved the stack, turning them so that they''d conceal the pair behind, and then they froze, listening, waiting.


    Jesse peered through the small gap and watched as Sophie, the stewardess, walked past. The woman followed the corridor, but when she approached the trolley, she slowed down...and stopped in front of it. His entire body went so tense that Jesse had to hold his breath to ensure that he wouldn''t breathe too loud; he observed, his horror growing with every passing second, as Sophie poured some water from the kettle into one of the mugs. She mixed in some lemon and sugar but didn''t move away when she took a sip, and the longer she stood there, the harder it was for Jesse to hold back his trepidation.


    Suddenly, Ross clamped his hand around Jesse''s mouth, and when Jesse turned his head to stare at him, the man held one finger to his own lips and scowled at him.


    With an obedient nod, Jesse set his eyes back on the stewardess.


    Sophie put her mug down.


    A conflicted frown appeared on her face, and she shook her head.


    She reached for the trolley''s door handles.


    She was going to find the body.


    Jesse had to do something; that corpse was wrapped in the duvet from his room, and it wouldn''t take long for the ship''s staff to work with the Varcolac to find out who was missing their blanket.


    He didn''t give himself a chance to overthink. Jesse pulled free from Ross'' grip before the man had a chance to work out what he was going to do; he slinked out from behind the crates and called, "Sophie!" in a surprised tone.


    The woman jumped in startlement and turned to face him, pulling her hand away from the handle. "O-oh, Jesse," she said with a relieved giggle. "You startled me again."


    "Sorry," he said with a nervous chuckle. "I kinda tend to do that...sneak up on people without realizing."


    She smiled and asked him, "Can I get you a tea or some¡ª"


    "N-no, I''m good," he said as he reached her just as she was about to grab the door handle again. "What''s that?" he then asked, looking down at her drink.


    "Oh, just some lemon and water," she said. "Needs more sugar." She reached for the handle¡ª


    "Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Jesse blurted as his heart skipped several beats as horror shot through him.


    Sophie frowned and lowered her hand. "What is it?"


    "Have they found the prisoner yet?"


    "Not yet, no. They think he might have jumped overboard and attempted to swim back to land. I heard the guards talking, and they said that they were going to call for someone to search the water."


    Jesse nodded but didn''t want to give silence a chance to settle. "Do you know...anything else about what he did?"


    She looked a little haunted and crossed her arms, turning to face him.


    That relieved Jesse. Maybe she wouldn''t make any more attempts to open the doors.


    "Are you...sure you want to know? I''ve heard a lot of rumours flying around the ship since he escaped."


    Did he want to know more about the man who more or less had him hostage? He did, but his wolf insisted that it didn''t matter. Jesse didn''t listen to it, though. "Yeah."


    Sophie sighed and leaned on the trolley.


    Jesse''s heart skipped another beat. What if the doors came loose?


    "I heard that he killed hundreds of wolf walkers with his pack. They started off bounty hunting, but after the prisoner took control, they started killing their own kind."


    Hundreds? Jesse frowned, feeling nauseous.


    "And the Nosferatu put a pretty high price on his head and those of his pack, but so far, they''ve only managed to capture three of the pack''s Betas¡ªoh, and that''s another thing: no wolf in his pack is a lower rank than Beta." She shook her head. "A whole pack of Betas gone rogue."


    Jesse frowned skeptically. What she was saying sounded familiar. A pack of Betas. He knew that his pack spent a lot of time tracking and hunting a pack of only Betas, but he''d never heard Ross'' name, and he couldn''t recall the pack''s name, either. Knowing Ross had killed hundreds of wolf walkers put him on edge, though¡ªeven more than he already was.


    "Do you remember the name of the pack?" he asked her.


    She pondered for a moment and tapped her chin. "I think...Midnight...or Night something?"


    The balcony doors abruptly slid open.


    "Hey, what are you two doing out here? There''s a curfew!" one of the three Varcolac guards bellowed.


    Sophie flinched and turned to face them. "O-oh, sorry. I just came for some water."


    "Taps don''t work in your room?" the second guard asked as the three of them stepped inside.


    "Not the staff quarters," she answered.


    The second guard closed the door.


    "Get back to your rooms," the third said.


    Sophie nodded, and as she turned around, she ushered Jesse along with her.


    Jesse didn''t protest. He didn''t want to give her or the guards a reason to suspect him, and he was sure that Ross could manage the rest of the task alone. So, he went with the stewardess and navigated the corridors.


    "Gosh, those Varcolac men are so intimidating," Sophie said with a sigh, but she looked flustered.


    He didn''t want to cross what might be a line and ask if she was attracted to them, so instead, he said, "They''ve always scared me half to death. Demons who deal with wolf walkers who step out of line¡ªdemons are scary enough as it is."


    "Oh, I don''t know," she said quietly. "Their leader is..." she paused and giggled a little but then looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I don''t mean to go all schoolgirl crush."


    "It''s okay," Jesse said as they approached his room. "I don''t think I''ve actually seen their leader."


    "He debriefed all us staff when the prisoner escaped," she said and stopped outside his door. "I think he''s married, though," she added with a sigh.


    Jesse stood by the handle; he didn''t want to risk her opening it and seeing the blood or the dead guard''s weapon. "Well, thanks for walking me back," he said.


    "No problem. Be careful, okay?"


    He nodded. "You, too."


    Sophie then turned around and headed down the hallway.


    Jesse waited until she was far away enough that she wouldn''t look back and see inside the room, but just as he was about to open the door, he hesitated. He was finally free from Ross, and he even had yet another chance to get away¡ªespecially now that the body was gone¡ªbut all he could think about was: what if Ross needed his help?


    He frowned irritably and stared down the corridor, considering whether he should go back or not. He''d learned the number¡ªor at least an estimate¡ªof wolves Ross had killed, but no matter how much he seemed to learn about him, his wolf continued urging him to assist and help that murderer.


    Why?


    With an irritated huff, Jesse moved away from the door and made his way back towards the hallway he''d left Ross in. His aggravation was quickly accompanied by anxiety, though¡ªof course it was. He wasn''t supposed to be out of his room, and for all he knew, Ross could have been caught, and the body would soon be discovered. He had to make sure that wasn''t what happened.


    He picked up the pace, hoping to see Ross when he turned the corner¡ª


    Jesse collided with someone, and this time, it wasn''t a harmless stewardess.


    "You!" came a familiar, hostile voice.


    He stumbled back, and when he looked up and locked sights with the Varcolac guard who''d interrogated him not long ago, his heart plummeted into his stomach, and his instincts screamed at him to run.


    But there was nowhere to go, and before he could even attempt to move an inch, the man grabbed his collar and glared down into his horrified eyes.


    "I told you to wait!" he growled.


    Jesse shuddered and struggled to find his voice. "I-I¡ª" he stuttered.


    "I hope you''ve enjoyed your time outside," he growled as he tugged Jesse along, "''cause you ain''t gonna see anything but the same four walls a very long t¡ª" He cut himself off as he abruptly let go of Jesse and swung around, and then a startled, gurgling grunt and a loud crack silenced him.


    Jesse stared in utter horror as the guard''s heart throbbed in the hand that had burst out through his back. He froze, his own heart racing frantically, and when the bloody hand released the man''s organ, Jesse stumbled back and prepared to shift into his wolf form; however, when the hand yanked free, and the lifeless body hit the floor, Ross wiped his bloody hand on his trousers and stared vacantly him.


    His voice was silent once again. Fear, confusion, and revolt ensnared Jesse, and he tried to work out which he wanted to act upon. But the guard who knew his face and suspected him of the crimes he was indeed guilty of was now dead...and the only words that broke free of his lips were, "Th-thank you."

 | 7 | That Feeling

    The relief that eased Jesse''s tense body and his anxiety-ensnared, racing heart quickly withered when he and Ross got back to his room. Someone else was dead, another body was floating out in the ocean because of him, and the fact that he was glad that one of them was dead made him feel just as bad as the man who had killed them.


    He sat on the edge of his bed, and when he looked down at his lap, he noticed the splatters of blood on his shirt. It made him feel sick; he wanted to tear his tainted clothes off, but he wouldn''t do that in front of Ross.


    "I didn''t think you''d come back," the man said, making his way over once he''d made sure that the door was secure. "Maybe you''re not such a wimp after all."


    Jesse immediately scowled as anger and frustration shoved his guilt aside. "Why are you such an asshole?!" he blurted and stood up.


    Ross stopped two feet from him and scoffed.


    "Do you not give a shit that we just dumped those guys in the ocean? They could have families that''ll never know what happened, they''ll never be able to bury them or properly grieve them!"


    "Why the fuck do you care?" he asked with a scoff. "It was them or us; I chose us."


    "Well, you don''t get to make decisions for me, especially not ones that involve killing people!"


    "People who would have locked you up and probably sentenced you to die beside me, you mean?"


    "You dragged me into this!" Jesse exclaimed, his scowl thickening. "I-I just wanted to get to DeiganLupus!"


    Ross scoffed again and went over to the couch. "Chill out. It''s not like the ship''s blown up; you''ll still get to your precious ceremony," he grumbled as he slumped down.


    Jesse shook his head, resentment accompanying his aggravation. "Maybe I should''ve just let Sophie find that body. At least then I wouldn''t have to look at you anymore."


    The man laughed amusedly.


    Gritting his teeth, Jesse snapped, "What?!"


    "You wouldn''t let them take me; you''ve gotta be smarter than that."


    Jesse scoffed at him. "Smart? There''s nothing smart about me not letting them take you!" he exclaimed. "You''re an escaped murderer! The longer I''m stuck with you, the guiltier I look!" He started to feel anxious and overwhelmed, his breaths becoming harder to take. "Y-you broke into my room, you threatened the kill me, and for all I know, you could still kill me; the second we reach land, what''s to stop you from tearing my heart out or chewing my head off?!"


    Ross looked offended. "I''m not going to kill you."


    "Really? How the hell am I supposed to believe that?! I should just...just tell someone before¡ª"


    The man burst out of his seat and grabbed Jesse''s collar before he could even attempt to head for the door. Jesse whimpered and stared in horror, but Ross quickly lost his hostile glare and huffed irritably.


    "I''m not going to kill you," he repeated calmly. "You helped me, and believe it or not, I believe in owing debts."


    Jesse trembled nervously. "B-but you already saved me from that guard."


    "And that pays for you not turning me in when the first guard came in here. Yeah, I had to kill him, but still, you didn''t tell him I was here."


    He wasn''t sure whether he was convinced. He''d seen this man kill two people, and he knew that he''d killed over a hundred more. If Ross felt like he owed him a debt, then that was the only thing keeping Jesse alive, wasn''t it? What would happen after this man inevitably killed someone else to save his ass?


    But there it was again. That feeling. His wolf was urging him to believe that what Ross was telling him was the truth; it told him to trust the murderer in front of him. Jesse was terrified, though...at least he thought he was. His anxiety-ensnared heart was racing, but a strange feeling of uncertainty washed over him.


    Ross could have killed him and hidden in any other room; he could have threatened and used any other person on board, but he''d stuck with Jesse¡ªhe hadn''t killed him yet despite the fact that he''d yelled and likely annoyed the man. And he''d also killed that guard to save Jesse from a sentence for a crime he wasn''t guilty of. Sure, he would have preferred that no one died, but Ross did it for him...right?


    He did it because he owed him. The question still remained: what would happen once Ross had paid his debt?


    Jesse swallowed the saliva which had been pooling in his mouth. "And...what happens after you''ve repaid the debt?"


    An uncertain frown flickered across Ross'' face. He loosened his grip on Jesse''s collar and shrugged. "I think that''s up to you."


    "Why...would it be up to me? You''re the one using me," he said unsurely.


    "And you''re the one who''s still here despite being able to resist my Lure," he replied, looking Jesse up and down. "You could''ve run, you could''ve taken your chance to get away from me when you left with that stewardess. Yet...here you are."


    He was right. Jesse had a good opportunity to get away¡ªtwo, actually. He could have taken the risk and tried to clear his name, but instead, he came back to Ross...and the strangest part about it was that he didn''t regret it. Of course, he was a little confused and unsettled, but he didn''t feel as though he would have done anything differently.


    His wolf beamed when Jesse admitted that to himself, and it grew even more contented when he began wondering whether he should start trusting Ross. He didn''t want to be terrified all the time, and his wolf was so convinced that the murderer wouldn''t harm him. Maybe...just for a moment, he''d listen to what his instincts were telling him.


    "Why can I resist it?" he finally asked.


    Ross shrugged.


    Jesse didn''t believe that he didn''t know. "Why can I resist it?" he asked again.


    "I don''t know," he grumbled.


    He''d never learned how to tell if someone was lying, but Jesse felt as if Ross was holding back, like he was hiding something. And the answer...seemed as if it was right on the tip of Jesse''s tongue. It was as if he knew...but couldn''t find the exact words. Was it because he was a Redwood? Was it because he was the child of two powerful Alphas?


    Or was it because his wolf was focused so intensely on the pull coming from Ross that his powers had no effect?


    "Why did you help me?" Ross suddenly asked.


    His words sent a shiver down Jesse''s spine, making him freeze. Once again, he felt the answer inside him, but he didn''t have the words to speak it. However, his wolf urged him to try. "I just...I don''t know."


    Ross edged a little nearer and stared into his eyes. "Don''t give me that," he murmured. "Tell me."


    Jesse tensed up. He felt intimidated, but for some reason...he liked it. "W-well...I had this...feeling, I suppose," he said nervously, turning his head to the side, looking away from his daunting gaze.


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    "What feeling?" he questioned, his low, silvery voice laced with curiosity.


    He glanced at Ross, and when he caught a glimpse of his dark eyes, trepidation spiralled through him, and he started backing off.


    But Ross followed, mirroring his steps, stalking him like a hunter on the prowl.


    "I-I don''t...know how to explain it," Jesse insisted, and when his back hit the wall, he winced in shock and looked up at Ross, who stood mere inches from him, staring with his soulless eyes.


    "Try," he said, but it was more like a command.


    And Jesse obeyed. "Like...a call," he started, his voice shaking in response to his trembling body and racing heart. "I just...had to keep you from getting caught. Like...an instinct, maybe."


    "To protect me?" Ross asked, edging his face a little nearer to Jesse''s.


    He nodded stiffly, locking eyes with him.


    Ross'' sights examined Jesse''s face for a moment; it looked like he was contemplating, asking himself what he wanted to do or say next. He slowly brought his hand to Jesse''s chin, and as he lightly dragged his thumb over Jesse''s bottom lip, he stared into his eyes again as if he was waiting for approval.


    Jesse''s wolf approved. It pleaded with him, and just as he had before, he gave in. As Ross drew nearer, Jesse felt his breath hitch in anticipation. The mere proximity of this man sent electric pulses racing through his veins, igniting a fire within him that he couldn''t contain. When Ross'' lips brushed against his own, it was as if time stood still, and Jesse surrendered himself to the intoxicating sensation.


    The softness of the man''s kiss sent waves of desire crashing over Jesse, awakening a hunger he never knew existed. It was a moment of profound connection as if their souls had been searching for each other across the vast expanse of time, finally reuniting in a passionate embrace.


    He let Ross place his hands on either side of his waist; every touch, every kiss was like a revelation, unlocking a depth of longing that had been buried deep within Jesse''s heart for far too long. In that fleeting moment, it felt as though the universe had aligned just for them, granting them the chance to fulfil desires that had been simmering beneath the surface for two decades.


    Jesse slowly opened his mouth, inviting Ross to intensify their kiss, and as their tongues met, Jesse melted into the man''s embrace, their bodies pressed together in a heated frenzy of desire. It was a culmination of years of yearning, a release of pent-up emotions that threatened to consume them both.


    In that moment, nothing else mattered but the raw, primal connection between them. It was a union of souls, a merging of two beings who had longed for each other in ways they never thought possible. And as they surrendered themselves to the passion that burned between them, Jesse knew that this was only the beginning of an exhilarating journey they would embark on together.


    Ross pulled him away from the wall, and Jesse yielded willingly, his body aflame with desire. Their tongues eagerly entwined, and with each step towards the bed, Jesse felt the heat between them intensify, a magnetic pull drawing them closer together.


    As Ross guided him onto the mattress, Jesse followed without hesitation, surrendering himself to the intoxicating sensation of their bodies intertwining. With a soft shuffle, he nestled against the pillows, his pulse quickening with anticipation.


    Ross hovered over him, his hands braced on either side of Jesse, his gaze smouldering with desire. When their lips met once more, Jesse''s heart thundered in his chest, a symphony of longing echoing in his ears. It was a sensation unlike anything he had ever experienced, a potent mixture of need and longing that left him breathless.


    In Ross'' embrace, Jesse felt a desperation distinct from anything he had felt before. Every touch, every caress was like a revelation, a reminder that no other man would make him feel this way. Not James, and not any of the men who came before.


    Ross'' breathy exhales sent shivers down Jesse''s spine, his hands tracing tantalizing paths over his body, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. In that moment, there was no past, no future, only the searing intensity of their connection. With each touch, each kiss, Jesse felt himself unravelling, losing himself in the exquisite pleasure of Ross'' intimidating yet attentive embrace.


    As they surrendered to the ecstasy that enveloped them, Jesse''s wolf told him that he''d at last found the thing he''d been searching for all his life, and the word reverberated inside his head.


    Mate?


    Ross leaned into Jesse''s ear as he stroked his fingers down his body. "Can I taste you?" he murmured, gently dragging his fingers over Jesse''s crotch.


    This time, Jesse didn''t feel hesitant. He knew that he could trust this man. "Yes," he breathed, succumbing to the anticipation.


    The man kissed Jesse''s neck as he unbuckled his belt, and once he pulled it from around his waist, Ross began kissing his lips again while easing his hand into his trousers.


    Jesse let out a quiet, content wince when Ross'' finger brushed over his t-dick; Ross started stroking it, guiding his finger around its tip as Jesse closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, breathing deeply. He shivered when Ross kissed his neck, and desperation quickly overwhelmed him. He wanted this man so badly; he wanted to feel every inch of him, and he wanted to give himself to him.


    So he did. He eagerly pulled off his own trousers, and Ross made his way down to his crotch. The man didn''t hesitate, nor did he ask questions; he dragged his warm, wet tongue over Jesse''s t-dick, making Jesse moan quietly in content. Ross didn''t stop there, though; he twirled his tongue around his tip, sending spiralling waves of pleasure through his taut body, and when he started gently sucking it, Jesse became overwhelmed. He arched his back upwards a little, gripping the blankets beneath him, and as he whined pleasurably, Ross hummed in satisfaction.


    With a delighted groan, Ross then eased his tongue inside. Jesse winced and moaned, unable to contain himself as the pleasure ensnared him tightly. As Ross'' tongue explored every inch of it, Jesse''s pussy felt hotter, wetter, desperate to be sated, eager to feel the hard girth of the man he felt so drawn to, so connected with.


    Jesse obediently widened his legs, inviting Ross'' tongue in deeper, but he could feel the man''s thirst, his desire. He groaned as Ross'' hands traversed his body, and when he began lifting his shirt, Jesse eagerly pulled it off.


    That was when Ross started undressing. Jesse suddenly felt nervous, laying there, waiting, totally vulnerable. He expected to see a conflicted expression appear on Ross'' face when he looked down at Jesse''s chest, but all he could see on his face was longing and a dark, dangerous hunger.


    Ross seductively dragged his tongue up Jesse''s shivering body, and when he reached the scars on his chest, the man gently kissed the left one before kissing his way up to his face. He stared down at Jesse''s nervous face, gazing into his eyes; he stroked Jesse''s t-dick with his finger for a moment, and then he let go, grabbed his own thick, hard dick, and rubbed its tip against Jesse''s.


    "Can I fuck you?" he asked.


    Jesse winced pleasurably, feeling Ross'' warm pre-cum ooze onto his sensitive tip. He wanted it¡ªhe needed it¡ªso he nodded.


    Ross huffed excitedly. He started kissing Jesse again, but when he pressed his tip against Jesse''s slit, he stopped and asked him, "Is...this okay? Or do you prefer it in your ass?"


    He was admittedly grateful that Ross asked. No one else ever did, they just assumed. "No, this is fine," he answered as he reached down, gripped Ross'' shaft, and guided it inside himself.


    With a pleased groan, Ross slowly eased his dick into Jesse''s pussy. Each inch made Jesse arch his back upwards a little more, making him tighten his grip on the blankets. Overwhelming anticipation and pleasure enthralled him as Ross entered his body, and once the last of his length was buried inside, they both moaned contently.


    Ross guided his face to Jesse''s neck and nuzzled it as he began gently thrusting, each plunge sending a swirling wave of delight through Jesse. He let go of the blanket with his right hand and gripped a fistful of Ross'' black hair, and when he wrapped his legs around the man''s waist, Ross began thrusting harder.


    "Fuck," he breathed against Jesse''s neck. He snatched Jesse''s left wrist and pinned it above his head, groaning quietly as his thrusts became more aggressive. And then he leaned into Jesse''s ear and growled, "You''re mine."


    Jesse relaxed his body as much as he could, surrendering to Ross'' dominance. "Yes," he whined meekly, tensing as the man''s deep, hard thrusts began to overwhelm him.


    Ross only grew more aggressive, thrusting harder and harder as Jesse''s pleased moans became delighted whines. Ross'' growls turned into content cries; his muscular body tensed against Jesse''s, and he breathed onto his neck.


    Jesse approached his peak. His overwhelmed body ached for release, falling deeper and deeper into his desperation''s tight hold, and when Ross thrusted forward one last time, burying his dick as deeply into Jesse as he could, they both moaned loudly in sheer delight. Jesse climaxed harder than he ever had before, and when he felt Ross'' dick throbbing inside him, he whined contently and dragged his hand down from the man''s head, stroking his fingers along his back.


    Ross affectionately nuzzled the side of Jesse''s face. "You belong to me now," he whispered possessively.


    He was right. Jesse did belong to him. In union with his satisfied wolf, Jesse accepted his fate¡ªhe accepted Ross. "I belong to you," he affirmed.


    And then it happened.


    As Jesse''s gaze locked with Ross'', a profound realization washed over him, leaving him breathless and unsteady. It was as if the universe itself had whispered a truth he longed to hear, and in that moment, everything changed.


    He felt a seismic shift deep within his being, a stirring of something ancient and eternal that had slumbered within him until this moment. It was a sensation beyond words, a fusion of souls that transcended the physical realm and touched the very core of his being.


    As Ross drew closer, Jesse could feel the warmth of his presence enveloping him, wrapping around him; it was a sensation both exhilarating and terrifying, as if the very fabric of his existence was being rewoven.


    With each brush of skin against skin, Jesse felt a tingling sensation ripple through him, sending shivers down his spine. It was as if their auras were intertwining and merging until they were no longer two separate entities but one unified whole.


    In Ross'' eyes, Jesse saw a reflection of his own soul, a mirror image of his deepest desires and fears laid bare for the world to see. And as their auras merged and mingled, Jesse knew with a certainty that defied logic or reason: he had found his soulmate in Ross, and nothing else mattered.

 | 8 | The Future Unknown

    A strange sense of uncertainty ensnared Jesse. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling; beside him, Ross also rested on his back in silence. Ross...his mate. There was no denying their connection, but Jesse was feeling unsure about it. He didn''t regret his choice to have sex with him, nor did he regret letting him in and accepting him. What he wasn''t so confident about was the fact that his mate was a killer¡ªa cold, heartless killer.


    He wanted to glance at the man beside him; he wanted to see if he felt any different when he looked at his face, but he was too nervous. He was always so nervous and awkward after hooking up with someone; however, this was different. Ross wasn''t just some random guy he''d met in a queer bar; he was his mate. This was the man he was supposed to spend his life with.


    Ross suddenly turned his head and looked at him. "Are you all right?" he asked.


    Jesse managed a slight glance, and when he saw the man''s face, he wasn''t filled with intimidation or anxiety. The uncertainty lingered, sure, but he didn''t feel terrified that he was about to take his last breath. "Yeah," he replied, looking back up at the ceiling.


    He turned onto his side and propped his head up on his hand, looking down at Jesse. "You sure?"


    With a quiet sigh, Jesse looked up at him. "I just...I don''t know." He hesitated, but he wanted to try and understand, especially now that Ross was revealed to be so much more to him. "How can you...kill people so easily?"


    Ross didn''t seem reluctant to answer. "Killing is all I really know," he said. "For as long as I can remember, I was trained to fight and kill, both humans and Caeleste. And I don''t do people; I''m used to being on my own."


    "What about your pack?"


    "We''re not close. We know how to work as a team and get the job done, but other than that, we don''t know each other."


    Jesse frowned. Even though his family were terrible, he couldn''t imagine being that distant from them.


    "Why are you so disgusted and upset by it?" Ross questioned. "Your pack isn''t much different than mine¡ªother than their killing being deemed legal."


    "I just...like I said, I just wanted to find my mate. I didn''t want to grow up and spend my life hunting and killing people for the Nosferatu. I know it''s my family''s business, but surely there are other, less violent ways to make a living."


    "Not for our kind. Since the first appearance of the Caeleste government, wolf walkers have been hunters or military."


    He wasn''t wrong. "Yeah," he mumbled.


    "What are you going to do now?" Ross then asked.


    Jesse frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "Well, you don''t need to go to the Grey Moon Ceremony anymore. Will you go back to your family?"


    He hadn''t thought about it. The reason he''d left home was to find his mate at the ceremony, but...he''d found him on this ship. He still felt unsure, though. Ross was the complete opposite of him, and they barely knew anything about each other. Jesse didn''t like how much of a mystery this man was, and he wasn''t even sure if he wanted to get more answers or not. What if he learned that Ross was responsible for something even worse than the murder of other wolf walkers?


    "Back to James?" Ross questioned.


    James. The name sent dismay spiralling through Jesse''s relaxed body. Ross might be his mate, but he still loved James. Despite the fact that he rejected him, he still missed him, he still wanted him...and even if James wasn''t his mate, he''d scurry back to him in a heartbeat if he asked.


    That was terrible and pathetic of him, wasn''t it? He so desperately wanted to find his mate, and now that he''d found him, all he could think about was the man who broke his heart. He knew that he needed to move on, but how could he do that with a man he barely knew?


    He glanced at Ross. "What are you going to do? Once we dock at DeiganLupus."


    "I have a contact in Ripperton. He''s going to get me to Dor-Sanguis."


    Jesse''s confliction intensified, and he knew why. He wanted to be with his mate; it was a primal need, a deep, desperate desire. But if he went with Ross, his life would change dramatically. Like a criminal, he''d be on the run for the rest of his days; he''d have to sleep with one eye open, getting his medication would be hard, and there was no telling what else waited for him. A pack of killers? Werewolves? Uciga?''? He''d become the very thing his family hunted.


    "Come with me," Ross said, snatching Jesse out of his thoughts.


    His eyes widened a little as he stared at Ross'' expectant face. "W-what?"


    "To Dor-Sanguis. It''s the safest place for wolves right now."


    Jesse had heard that before. During the First World War, their kind became divided. Wolf walkers were those who chose to follow Fenris¨²lfr, the wolf walker deity who worked closely with the Nosferatu, the Caeleste government; the rest chose to keep following the old ways, killing humans and even each other, retaining the name werewolves. They lived in Dor-Sanguis, the birthplace of one of the original wolves, Ada Ardelean, and were protected by an age-old treaty. The Nosferatu couldn''t hunt and prosecute them there.


    Did he want to go there? Did he want to willingly walk into a life of exile from his family and true allegiance just to be with his mate?


    He was taking too long to answer. "But I''m not like you," he said, turning his head to look at Ross. "I don''t...know your life. I don''t kill."


    "You don''t have to kill to be with me," he replied, laughing a little.


    "No...but I''ve heard about werewolf packs. Just like back home, I''d be singled out and picked on. I don''t...wanna live that life, especially not on the run."


    "You wouldn''t be singled out," Ross said with a frown. "I''m the Alpha, and you''re my mate. They have no choice but to respect you."


    "I don''t think it works like that," he mumbled sadly, looking away again. "Being the child of two renowned Alphas didn''t earn me respect, nor did dating another powerful, well-known Alpha."


    Ross moved a little closer and gazed down into Jesse''s eyes. "I''ll take care of you," he said sincerely.


    Jesse wasn''t convinced. He needed time to think about all of this. "Can I just...have time to think about it?"


    A confused frown flickered across Ross'' face.


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    "It''s a lot," Jesse said, afraid that he might have upset him. "Starting a new life, leaving my family behind¡ªeven though they''re terrible¡ªand going to a strange country I''ve only ever heard unsettling stories about. If...you were asking to come to Solitudinem, it''d be different, but¡ª"


    Ross laughed slightly and shook his head. "Solitudinem is that last place you''d want to be seen with me."


    "Yeah, ''cause my family hunts people like you," Jesse mumbled.


    "It''d give me a chance to beat the shit out of James for treating you like shit, though."


    Ross'' response admittedly made Jesse feel tempted¡ªit made him feel...wanted. Ross wanted to protect him, and he wanted to hurt the people who had hurt him. While Jesse didn''t condone that kind of violence, knowing that Ross wanted to defend him was a pleasant thought.


    He wouldn''t indulge the idea, though. "Why were you trained to kill people?" He wasn''t sure if he''d like the answer, but...he wanted to know.


    "After my family chose to turn their backs on the Caeleste government, they were on their own. They had to defend themselves while trying to get to Dor-Sanguis, and they needed money to do that."


    "I...heard someone say that after you took over was when your pack started killing other wolves," he said cautiously.


    Ross scoffed. "That''s what everyone thinks. My pack killed a lot of wolf walkers before I took control. The only reason people believe that I was the one who started it was because I led an attack against a wolf walker pack in Euboris. They were trying to capture us, and I managed to work out their plan and got the drop on them. We slaughtered them in the middle of the night and left without a trace."


    Jesse was right; he didn''t like the answer. But that didn''t keep him from asking, "So...why did you kill your previous Alpha?"


    "Because he was talking about giving in. The pressure that the Nosferatu were putting on us was getting to his head, and he started convincing some of the Betas that they''d all be better off handing themselves in. I wasn''t going to stand by and watch my pack give up on our heritage or turn their backs on our ancestors, so I took action. I challenged the Alpha, killed him, and took control. No one opposed my leadership," Ross explained.


    What he was saying made sense; Ross was just protecting his pack the same way any wolf walker leader would. His family had to do what they could to get money so that they could get to safety. And they were just doing what they had to in order to protect their beliefs. Not every wolf saw Fenris¨²lfr as their deity and they didn''t all believe that serving the Nosferatu was their divine purpose. Werewolves were criminalized for their choices, branded as traitors and lawless killers. It was...interesting to hear it from the perspective of a werewolf, and Jesse liked to think that he was beginning to understand both sides of the story.


    "I''ve only ever heard the wolf walker side of the story," he said quietly.


    "Nobody cared to hear ours."


    A confounding thought hit Jesse, and he frowned a little. The last he heard, the werewolves were given safe passage to Dor-Sanguis because of the very treaty that Ross mentioned. So why had wolf walkers been sent to hunt and capture Ross'' pack? Was it to help them to relocate? No, it didn''t sound like that was the case. The human killing could be the reason behind that; however, Jesse didn''t have enough information to start speculating.


    He wanted to ask...but how could he without it sounding like he was accusing Ross of lying? He might feel relaxed now, but he wasn''t confident enough to potentially offend him. Instead, he put it out of his mind and tried to think of something else to ask or say. Ross had been honest with him so far, and he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.


    "Did you ever try to find your mate?" Jesse asked. "To find...me?"


    "It wasn''t something I was actively doing, no. I knew I had one¡ªevery wolf has a mate¡ªbut I didn''t seek mine out. I was distracted trying to get my pack to safety," Ross answered, gazing down at him again. "I never thought I''d actually find you."


    Jesse laughed a little as a familiar sadness filled him. "I was starting to think that I''d never find mine, and I definitely didn''t think you''d be...well, you."


    Ross smirked. "I bet I''m still a hundred times more interesting than whatever jock or mommy''s boy James is."


    His sadness didn''t lift, but it was accompanied by amusement. "How''d you know he was a mommy''s boy?"


    "He was too embarrassed to go public with you. Men who do that are often either trying to prove their worth to their father or bent on doing whatever they can to please mommy, such as marrying a woman and having a bunch of kids," Ross muttered.


    That made Jesse curious about his parents. "What...were your parents like? I mean apart from training you to kill."


    For the first time ever, a hint of discomfort was visible in Ross'' eyes. He stopped staring down at Jesse and sighed quietly. "Not the best. I guess we have that in common. Except they wouldn''t stop with me. Every waking moment was a lesson. They taught me how the world works for people like me, though, so I can''t hate them."


    "Are they...still around?"


    "No. They were two of the first to die when the Nosferatu started hunting us."


    "Oh...I''m sorry."


    Ross shrugged and lay on his back. "I''m not gonna lie, life is a hell of a lot easier without them. They didn''t deserve to die, though."


    Jesse didn''t know what else to say. His parents were assholes, but...he wouldn''t want them to die; they were still his parents. Was that stupid, though? They ignored and dismissed him all his life, treated him like shit, and didn''t respect his choice to transition. Was the fact that a small part of him still...cared about them pathetic?


    "When am I going to see you, Jesse?" Ross asked¡ªhis abrupt questions kept catching Jesse off guard.


    But this time, he was confused. "What...do you mean?"


    Ross leaned up onto his arm and smiled down at him. "Your real self," he said with an almost seductive tone.


    "Oh," he murmured, feeling a little nervous. Ross wanted to see him in his wolf form. "I mean...well, I don''t know. My parents never taught me how to improve my endurance or transformation time, and I''m kinda...afraid that if I shift too often, I''ll become a Delta."


    The man grimaced. "Wow, your parents really are pieces of shit."


    Jesse frowned despondently. "I asked them to teach me, and my friend Trever, who helped me with my travel documents, tried to help, but I didn''t get very far."


    Ross exhaled deeply, almost as if he was trying to release pent-up anger. "I can teach you," he offered. "I''ll teach you what they failed to. I can even teach you to kill without feeling so guilty all the ti¡ª"


    "Just uh...the transformation stuff is fine," Jesse interjected with an unsure laugh. "Thank you."


    A smile then stretched across Ross'' face. "So, you will come with me?"


    Jesse hadn''t realized that he''d basically just said he would go to Dor-Sanguis¡ªhe''d have to if he wanted to learn from Ross, wouldn''t he? He shuffled around and shrugged lightly. "I mean...maybe you can teach me," he said. "I still need to think about it."


    "Well, don''t take too long," he said as he dragged his thumb over Jesse''s bottom lip, along his jawline, and down over his neck. "The full moon is coming around, and I''m going to claim you; surely you know that we need to be in our wolf forms to do that."


    The idea of being claimed sent a shiver of anticipation through Jesse''s body. Having his mate''s mark on his skin¡ªhis permanent mark. He wanted it. For so long, he''d desperately waited for the moment he found the man he belonged to. But if he wanted to remain Ross'', he''d have to leave his law-abiding life in Solitudinem behind and follow his mate to Dor-Sanguis.


    He glanced at Ross'' intimidating eyes and meekly said, "I''ll try to decide as soon as I can. I just...need to think everything over."


    "All right," he said, stroking his fingers down over Jesse''s chest. "You should get some sleep," he then suggested, glancing at the clock. "I''ll keep watch."


    Jesse could admittedly do with some rest. It had been a long, exhausting, confusing day, and he hoped that a few hours'' sleep would help ease some of the stress lingering inside him. "Okay," he said and pulled the blanket up to cover his chest. "What about you, though?"


    "I can go days without sleep," Ross told him. "I''ll be fine."


    That didn''t sound healthy. "You...need to sleep more often than that," he said with a nervous laugh.


    "I''ll be fine," he repeated. "I''ll rest once I''m sure it''s safe."


    Jesse didn''t want to argue with him. Ross knew what he was talking about, clearly. He was also struggling to find the energy to keep talking; he''d ask more questions later.


    As he moved closer to him, Ross wrapped his arms around Jesse and pulled him into his warm embrace. Jesse then closed his eyes and relaxed, giving in to the fatigue. He had a lot to think about, and he had no idea what he was going to choose. He wanted to be with his mate¡ªof course he did; the idea of having to leave him after spending years searching and hoping made Jesse feel nauseous¡ªbut he wasn''t sure if he was ready to join a werewolf and turn his back on the life he''d known for twenty-five years.


    He had to consider what was best for him, though. Return home to a family that didn''t want him, a family that treated him like shit...or go with his soulmate, a man who accepted him for who and what he was without question, without compromise; a man who, despite everything else that transpired that day, made him feel wanted, needed, and...protected. He felt safe in Ross'' arms, and no one had ever made him feel like that before.


    But could he really become the very thing that his family had hunted for several generations?

 | 9 | Breakfast

    When he woke the next morning, Jesse was met by hunger. He craved breakfast, but after what happened last night, he felt too anxious to leave his room. What if the Varcolac somehow figured out what happened? What if they found out that it was him and that he was aiding the escaped prisoner? Angst filled him to the brim, and as he opened his eyes, he frowned nervously and glanced around the room.


    A little relief made its way through his paranoia once he saw that he was still in his room, and when he felt Ross move beside him, he rolled onto his back and turned his head to look at him. The man was sleeping, and for the first time since Jesse had met him, he looked relaxed...maybe even peaceful.


    It was then that the revelation struck him again. Ross wasn''t just some man, some escaped prisoner keeping him hostage. This man...this werewolf was his mate, the mate he''d longed for years and years to find. Although he was still a little unsure, he was glad that he chose to listen to his wolf, to his instincts. If he hadn''t listened and chose to go back home, then he would still be searching fruitlessly for the wolf he''d spend the rest of his life with.


    But there he was...sleeping beside him. Dark hair, toned muscles, and dark, scarred skin. He wasn''t what Jesse had been expecting, but could a wolf ever truly know what to expect when hunting for their mate? He was certain that Ross hadn''t been expecting his mate to be him; that was why he reacted the way he did down in the brig when they first met, wasn''t it? He was shocked to see Jesse...and there had been resentment in his voice. Why?


    No. Jesse wasn''t going to lay there and overthink. If Ross was uncomfortable with the fact that he was trans, then he wouldn''t have said the things he said, nor would he have treated him with such respect, either. He asked how Jesse preferred to have sex rather than just assuming as James did.


    He gazed at his sleeping mate''s face, wondering if he might ever learn everything that he kept hidden behind his cold, merciless mask. Did he even want to know? A part of him did. A part of him wanted to know Ross'' stories, his journey, and his feats, but he was also afraid of what he might hear. However, if they were mates, and if...if Jesse was going to accept his claim when the full moon came, wouldn''t it be best that they knew as much about each other as possible? The last thing Jesse wanted was to learn something horrible about Ross when it was too late to go back.


    With a quiet sigh, he turned his head and stared up at the ceiling. The smell of cooking food teased him. He caught the scent of bacon and sausage, and the longer he lay there surrounded by the alluring aroma of cooking meat, the harder it became to focus on the fact that it might not be safe to leave his room.


    But he couldn''t ignore it. He couldn''t stop thinking about it. He was hungry, and he needed to eat.


    "What are you brooding over?" Ross asked.


    Startled, Jesse sharply turned his head and met his mate''s vacant gaze. "What?"


    "What are you thinking so intensely about?"


    He sighed and looked up at the ceiling again. "I''m hungry."


    "So am I," Ross said as he stroked his fingers down Jesse''s body.


    "No, I mean I''m hungry hungry," he said irritably and sat up. "I want breakfast," he mumbled as he shuffled to the edge of the bed.


    Ross sat up, too. "So go and get breakfast."


    He glanced over his shoulder at him. "I''m scared of getting caught."


    "Why would you get caught? No one has any reason to suspect you; I dealt with that asshole who was harassing you."


    "I''m just...I don''t know. Demons freak me out, and the Varcolac freak me out even more. What if they somehow work out that their colleagues were killed by you and I was involved?"


    Ross moved closer and sat beside him. "There''s no way for them to work that out. No one saw, and no one was close enough to hear or catch a scent, either. There''s wolfsbane all over this ship; that''s the only thing anyone can smell."


    He was right...and it made Jesse question why he was able to smell breakfast over the intense scent. Maybe the breakfast bar was close.


    "What?" Ross then asked with an amused scoff. "Do you want me to hold your hand?"


    Jesse scowled at him. "No," he grumbled...but he did like the idea of that. The thought of having Ross¡ªthe thought of having his mate at his side protecting him and making him feel safe was a tempting idea, but he knew it wasn''t possible. He sighed deeply and grabbed his trousers from the floor. "I''ll just...be careful," he muttered as he pulled them on. He might be nervous, but the scent of cooking meat was much stronger.


    "Don''t hang around," Ross warned him. "There''ll probably be guards everywhere."


    He huffed to try and dismiss some of his anxiety as he put his shirt on. "What do you want?" he asked him.


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    "Whatever you''re having."


    Jesse nodded and stood up¡ª


    "Wait," Ross said, grabbing Jesse''s wrist.


    He stopped and looked down at his mate.


    Ross pulled him closer, and when he edged his face towards Jesse''s, he tensed up. Instead of kissing his lips, though, Ross diverted his face to Jesse''s neck and kissed him there. "Hurry back," he told him.


    Jesse nodded obediently as anticipation shivered through him. A part of him wanted to stay and see where this might lead, but his desire for food was stronger. Once Ross let go of him, he headed for the door. He slipped his shoes on, unlocked the latch, and carefully pulled the door open. For a moment, he peered out into the hall; no one was near or coming, so he quickly slinked outside and pulled the door shut behind him.


    He made his way down the right of the hall, following the intoxicating scent. It took him to the very front of the ship, forty rooms away from his. He emerged into a large mess hall, where a large buffet stood along the left wall. Several other citizen passengers¡ªincluding the annoying businessman he''d seen at the Solitudinem Docks¡ªwere sitting at the tables eating along with some staff and an unsettling amount of Varcolac guards.


    Trying his best to act casual, Jesse headed over to the buffet table. He grabbed a plate, but when he set his eyes on the bacon, his wolf urged him to feast. And he wasn''t strong enough to resist; he was just so fucking hungry. He grabbed a piece of bacon and greedily shoved it into his mouth, and once he got a taste, he couldn''t stop himself. He grabbed a few more pieces and eagerly shovelled them into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as fast as he could. But he wanted more¡ªhe needed more¡ª


    "Jesse, hey," came Sophie''s voice.


    Jesse choked and held his hand over his mouth as he turned to face her.


    The stewardess giggled. "Hungry?"


    He swallowed his mouthful of bacon and nodded, laughing awkwardly. "I haven''t eaten since yesterday."


    "Well, it''s complimentary and all you can eat, so, take as much as you want."


    Jesse smiled as best he could and wiped the grease from his mouth. "Thanks," he said. "Oh, I was actually...wondering something."


    "Yeah?"


    "How long until we reach DeiganLupus?" he asked. He hadn''t asked at the docks because he''d been so focused on getting on a ship heading to his destination, but this galleon was a lot larger than the ship he was supposed to be on and might take longer.


    "Oh, um..." she thought to herself for a moment. "Just six days."


    Jesse frowned. "What? But the Abigail was nearly three weeks."


    She adorned an awed smile and leaned closer to him. "Well, that''s the thing about these military ships. They''re not like other boats; they''re pulled by kori serpents."


    His frown thickened. "What serpents?"


    "Kori serpents. They''re those big snake-looking lizards that the Nosferatu use to transport things across the ocean."


    He''d never heard of them, but the idea of a huge snake pulling the ship both made sense and made him feel a little surprised. But why wouldn''t the Caeleste government have special means to transport and travel?


    "Do you want to come and sit with us?" Sophie invited, nodding at a table where three of her co-workers were sitting.


    Jesse didn''t want to be rude, but he wanted to get back to Ross. Not only was he worried that someone might go into his room and discover him, but he also felt like he needed to get back to him. He wasn''t going to ignore his wolf or instincts ever again, not after what they''d led him to. "Uh...I actually have to get back to my room and finish some work," he said. "Sorry."


    Sophie looked disappointed but didn''t argue. "Oh, that''s all right," she said with a smile. "I''ll see you later." She then walked off and joined her co-workers.


    He turned his attention back to the table. Embarrassed that he''d been caught scoffing down bacon, he grabbed a pair of tongs and started plating his food like a normal person. He took a few pieces of everything, topped the plate off with a few more sausages and pieces of bacon, and then headed back towards his room.


    As he walked, he started eating the bacon¡ªhe just couldn''t resist it; he''d been so distracted since getting on the ship that he hadn''t thought to eat. At least he was doing it now, though.


    When he got back to his room, he slowly opened the door and slinked inside.


    "Everything okay?" Ross asked.


    Jesse locked the door behind him and headed over to the bed, where his mate was still sitting¡ªhe was dressed now, though. "Yeah," he answered and sat beside him. "I got a bit of everything."


    Ross took two pieces of toast and several other items. "This is the only actual food I''ve had in months," he mumbled, making a sandwich.


    He frowned a little. "What...did they feed you? I''ve heard horrible things about how prisoners are treated, especially ones convicted of crimes like yours."


    "They call it gruel," he said and took a bite of his sandwich. He continued with his mouthful, chewing loudly, "Taste''s like shit; I wouldn''t be surprised if the guards actually shat in it."


    Jesse grimaced but couldn''t help asking, "Then...how did you keep in shape?"


    "I work out," he said, finishing his sandwich with one more huge bite. "It''s the only thing there was to do."


    "I attempted working out once," he mumbled and took a bite of a sausage. "I tried sit-ups. I was aching for days after and never tried again."


    Ross laughed a little and took some bacon. "I can teach you," he said and shoved the food into his mouth.


    Jesse smiled shyly. "Okay."


    He then focused on eating. Despite how much he''d had already, he was still hungry, and when he ate the final sausage, he felt irritated that he hadn''t grabbed more. Why was he so hungry?


    With a perturbed frown, he looked at Ross¡ªmaybe he''d know. "Do you¡ª"


    The ship suddenly jolted violently, flinging Ross and Jesse off the bed. They both hit the floor with a thump, and the force knocked over one of the cabinets and sent several items flying across the room.


    "What the hell was that?!" Jesse panicked.


    As Ross helped him to his feet, the siren started blaring again, and the sound of yelling, screaming voices cut through the air. Jesse grunted anxiously when the ship rocked again, and when gunfire accompanied the voices, sheer terror shot through him.


    Ross grabbed his wrist and pulled him along as he headed for the door.


    "W-what are you doing?" he questioned as his mate pulled the door open.


    Wordlessly, Ross hurried down the corridor, pulling Jesse with him, and once he found a window, he stared outside.


    Jesse stared, too, and what he saw horrified him. Another huge ship had collided with the galleon, anchored to it with massive silver chains. Crowds of darkly dressed men and women were flooding off its deck and onto the galleon, carrying rifles and swords, and flying from the main mast was a navy-blue flag bearing the white crest of the Hunter''s Emporium.


    Ross tightened his grip on Jesse''s wrist and gritted his teeth. "They''re here for me."

 | 10 | Hunters

    As a deafening boom echoed through the air, the sound of splintering wood tore through the chaos above deck. Another violent jolt rocked the ship, sending Jesse staggering, his senses reeling from the force of the impact. Ross'' grip on his wrist tightened with a desperate urgency, anchoring him amidst the turmoil.


    The enemy''s cannons relentlessly pounded the galleon, each blast a harrowing reminder of the imminent danger lurking in the shadows of the unforgiving seas. Jesse could feel the icy fingers of fear creeping up his spine, a chilling premonition of the looming catastrophe that threatened to engulf them all. If the Varcolac didn''t take decisive action soon, Jesse feared that they would be swallowed whole by the merciless maw of the ocean''s fury.


    "W-what do we do?!" he anxiously asked Ross.


    "This is a military vessel; they can handle hunters," he answered as he started tugging Jesse back towards his room.


    "Well it doesn''t sound like they''re handling them!" he exclaimed as another canon ball collided with and shook the galleon.


    Ross'' irritation visibly boiled over, his snarl echoing through the cramped confines of the room as he stormed back in alongside Jesse. With a forceful slam, he sealed them inside, the reverberations of the closing door underscoring his mounting anger.


    Taking in sharp, ragged breaths, each exhalation laden with frustration, Ross paced the limited space like a caged predator. "They must have someone on the inside," he said, his voice a venomous whisper that hung heavy in the air, thick with suspicion.


    "What?"


    "It''s the only way they could''ve known that this ship was transporting me."


    "The hunters?" Jesse questioned. "How could they have someone in the Varcolac? Aren''t they all demons?"


    "I don''t know," he said. "But it''s the only thing that makes sense."


    Jesse moved towards the edge of the bed, intending to sit down to catch his breath and attempt to calm himself, but as another violent tremor rocked the ship, he froze mid-step, his gaze darting upwards towards the ceiling with a sudden surge of apprehension. The cacophony of the battle raging above deck intensified, each clash and clang of metal reverberating through the hull. It was clear that the guards were struggling to hold off the relentless onslaught of the hunters, and with each passing moment, Jesse''s heart pounded harder in his chest, a frantic rhythm of worry and dread.


    What if the hunters breached the defences and seized control of the galleon? The thought sent a shiver down his spine, his mind racing with the terrifying possibilities of what might unfold if their enemies gained the upper hand. And what if they found Ross? The mere idea clenched at Jesse''s gut like a vice, a surge of panic threatening to overwhelm him as he turned to face his mate, his expression a silent plea for reassurance amidst the rising tide of fear.


    A sharp, piercing whistle sliced through the air, and before Jesse could even register the danger, the wall behind him erupted in a deafening explosion. A torrent of wooden fragments and twisted metal shrapnel hurtled through the air, slamming into everything in its path. The force of the blast sent Jesse and Ross tumbling violently, their bodies tossed like rag dolls amidst the chaos.


    Agony shot through Jesse as he collided with the surface of the wall, a sharp cry torn from his lips as he struggled to push through the haze of pain. With every fibre of his being screaming for him to move, he gritted his teeth and attempted to rise, each movement sending waves of discomfort rippling through his battered frame.


    Through the thick veil of smoke that choked the room, Jesse strained to catch a glimpse of Ross, his heart pounding with dread. "Ross?" he called out, his voice raw and strained from the smoke and the dust that filled the air. Silence greeted his desperate plea, but through the haze, a figure emerged, approaching him.


    For a fleeting moment, relief washed over Jesse as he believed it to be his mate drawing near. But in an instant, his instincts screamed in warning, a primal urge to flee seizing hold of him. Trapped between the agony of his injuries and the encroaching threat, Jesse''s mind raced, realizing that he had neither the strength nor the time to evade whatever malevolent force was closing in on him.


    "Come ''ere," a gruff voice growled.


    Someone grabbed Jesse''s arms and harshly tugged him to his feet. Instead of pulling him along, though, the man threw him over his shoulder and started carrying him towards the gaping hole in the wall.


    Jesse knew it wasn''t Ross. He kicked and flailed his arms, trying to escape, but despite the fact that his kidnapper was human, he couldn''t wriggle free from his grip. "Let me go!" he yelled and tried to shift into his wolf form...but it didn''t work. His wolf didn''t respond, rendering him totally useless¡ªas if that was a change, though.


    As Jesse fruitlessly kicked and yelled, his captor carried him through the gap and along a wooden catwalk connecting the galleon to the hunter ship. He kept trying to break free, digging his nails into the man''s back and biting, but his teeth couldn''t break through the guy''s leather jacket.


    Once the man carried him up onto the deck of his ship, he headed for a door that led below deck. Jesse was starting to feel weaker, but it couldn''t be because of his strength waning; he just felt so...fatigued. He didn''t stop trying, wriggling around, yelling, and flailing his limbs¡ª


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    The man suddenly grunted and stumbled forward, dropping Jesse.


    As soon as he hit the deck, Jesse scrambled to his feet and tried to run, but a vicious snarl snatched his attention, and he stopped by a stack of crates and turned to face the sound. Among the battle of hunters and Varcolac, Ross fought in his wolf form. He pinned down Jesse''s captor and mercilessly tore him apart, and then he started mauling the hunters around him.


    Relief filled Jesse, but the fatigue was growing, and pain twinged in his leg. He should have healed from the explosion of splinters by now, but when he looked down at his leg, he saw a small syringe sticking out of it. With a sharp breath, he yanked it free, and inside were the remnants of something blue.


    Wolfsbane?


    Jesse dropped to his knees as the feeling in his legs started numbing. He tried to fight it, watching as his mate fought off the hunters. However, it didn''t take long for the Varcolac to notice the huge black wolf¡ªand they all recognized him, too.


    "R-Ross!" Jesse called weakly.


    The black wolf swung around, noticing the incoming Varcolac, who all shifted into their demon forms, adorning huge wings and intimidating horns. Some of them went straight for Ross, leaving their comrades to deal with the hunters, and Ross fought as hard as he could, tearing their wings with his monstrous jaws and slicing their skin with his claws, but they began to overwhelm him. In mere moments, he was pinned under the weight of four demons, and no matter how loud he snarled or how hard he tried to fight, the Varcolac finally bested him.


    "Hold him down!" one of the guards yelled as he took a pair of silver shackles from his belt.


    Ross snarled and growled, trying desperately to escape.


    Jesse wanted to help¡ªhe had to help. He tried to move away from the crates, but he didn''t have the strength to climb to his feet, and his body didn''t respond to him. His vision was starting to blur, and the world around him spun. The wolfsbane was quickly enthralling him, and it wouldn''t be long until it knocked him out.


    His mate might not need him, though. Just as the Varcolac guard was about to attach the shackles, a trio of hunters charged towards them; one of the men threw what looked like a smoke bomb, but after it hit the deck and exploded, a platinum sheen clung to it.


    Poison.


    The Varcolac coughed violently as they backed off and away from Ross, who immediately scurried to his paws and lunged at the closest demon. When the hunters reached them, they began fighting the guards, too, and Ross took advantage of the confusion. First, he killed the other Varcolac, and then he mauled the three hunters.


    Ross then hurried over to where Jesse had fallen. "Jesse?" he asked worriedly, looking him up and down in a panic. "What happened?"


    He struggled to find his voice, and after several stutters, managed to say, "W-wolf...wolfsbane."


    His mate shifted out of his wolf form and tried to help Jesse get up, but before Ross could attempt to scoop him up in his arms, he abruptly fell forward with a pained, angry grunt. He let go of Jesse and swung around, revealing the small, feathered dart fired from a rifle embedded in his back. He didn''t bother wasting time pulling it out; he lunged for the Varcolac guard who''d fired it, and just as the man adorned his wings and horns, Ross grabbed his throat and tore it out in the blink of an eye.


    But there were more.


    Hunters and Varcolac.


    Jesse was about to ask himself why Ross didn''t use the Lure, but he remembered him telling him that he could only use it on people who weren''t wearing wolfsbane, and it was highly unlikely that hunters aboard a Hunter''s Emporium ship weren''t in possession of it.


    Ross transformed into his wolf form once more, his muscles rippling with power as he tore through hunter after hunter, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Varcolac after Varcolac fell under his relentless assault, but they just kept coming, their numbers seeming endless.


    Despite the chaos of battle raging around him, Ross soon found himself the focal point of both factions. Hunters and demons alike abandoned their own skirmishes to converge on the massive black wolf, their weapons and claws poised for the kill.


    As another Varcolac guard, armed with a rifle, descended onto the deck, folding his wings behind his back, Jesse''s heart pounded in his chest. He knew that he had to act, to help his mate in any way he could. Desperation clawed at him as he struggled against the wolfsbane coursing through his veins, denying him the transformation he so desperately needed.


    With a surge of adrenaline, Jesse attempted to shift once more, but the poison still held him in its grip, mocking his efforts. His voice caught in his throat as he tried to call out a warning to Ross, but no sound escaped his lips. Every muscle in his body screamed with fatigue and weakness, threatening to betray him at any moment.


    He felt utterly helpless, trapped in his own body as the poison seeped through his veins, rendering him powerless to aid his mate in his desperate struggle for survival. Ross was out there, fighting for both of them, risking everything to save him from the clutches of the hunters, and all Jesse could do was slowly crumble beneath the wolfsbane.


    A sharp pang of agony shot through his chest as he watched the scene unfold before him. The Varcolac guard aimed the rifle, and the dart found its mark in Ross'' side. A strangled yelp escaped the black wolf''s throat, but still, he fought on, a fierce determination blazing in his eyes. Yet, with each passing moment, Jesse could see the effects of the toxin taking hold, sapping Ross'' strength and resolve.


    Desperation clawed at Jesse''s insides, threatening to consume him whole. He longed to leap to his mate''s aid, to stand by his side and face their enemies together. But he was immobilized, a prisoner in his own body, his limbs heavy and unresponsive. The weight of his weakness pressed down on him, suffocating him with a sense of uselessness and inadequacy.


    In the depths of his despair, he couldn''t help but feel like a failure, like a burden to those around him. His family''s voices echoed in his mind, taunting him with their accusations of worthlessness. And as he lay there, paralyzed and impotent, he couldn''t shake the bitter realization that they were right. He was nothing but a waste of space, incapable of even saving himself.


    He watched despairingly as Ross slowly succumbed to the darts and his foes, and when he finally collapsed, Jesse saw the hunters and Varcolac turn on each other again. If Jesse could move, he''d use their distraction to try and drag Ross away; now unconscious, his mate was transformed back into his human body. But he couldn''t move, and as the battle raged around him, he slowly slipped away into unconsciousness.


    Panic ensnared his racing heart. Did anyone even know that he was there? Would anyone come to rescue him? He had no idea what was going to happen; the only person he could rely on to save him was out cold, and as the world faded away, he sunk into the horrifying realization that either way, he was going to be separated from Ross. After so long, he''d finally found his mate, only to have him torn away from him not even twenty-four hours after the revelation.


    And there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

 | 11 | Fates Cruel, Sick Sting

    When Jesse woke up, a sharp pain convulsed through his head, and his ears were ringing loudly. He felt dizzy, confused, and cold. Where was he? Where was Ross? And the hunters.... Where were the hunters?


    As panic shot through him, he abruptly sat up and opened his eyes. He wasn''t on the deck of the hunters'' ship anymore; he was in...a storage room, one much like that which he''d been in when that Varcolac guard caught him leaving the brig. Only there were no guards, and instead of being slumped at a table, Jesse was sitting on a cot with a generously fluffy blanket and a pillow.


    Thunder rumbled outside, and the crash of waves hit the wall behind him. Jesse looked to his left as the room lit up, watching as several forks of lightning cut through the dark, stormy sky. As far as he could tell, there was no sign of the hunter ship, and he was pretty sure that he wasn''t on it, either¡ªif he were, surely the hunters would have bound him in silver chains.


    He looked around at all the crates and barrels. The stench of wolfsbane and herbs clung to the bitter air, and Jesse''s body ached with every light jolt of the ship. His nostrils stung every time he inhaled. His lungs felt sore, his heart was racing in response to his anxiety, and his head throbbed.


    "H-hello?" he called unsurely. He wanted to call for Ross, but he didn''t want to implicate himself if there were any guards nearby.


    He''d already done that, though...hadn''t he? The guards saw him with Ross, they saw Ross trying to help him. The Varcolac weren''t stupid; they''d know that the only reason a criminal like Ross would be helping some other wolf walker was because that wolf meant something to him. Jesse was already in deep, deep shit.


    The door unlocked loudly.


    Jesse flinched in startlement and looked over at it. He watched as it slowly creaked open, and when a Varcolac guard stepped into the room, he tensed up, and his anxiety consumed him entirely. He had no idea what was about to happen, but considering the events that occurred before he passed out, he was almost certain that he was going to be sentenced for aiding and abetting.


    "Ah, you''re finally awake," the man said.


    For some reason, Jesse feared that he might be the same man who interrogated him before, but he knew that man was dead, and this guard didn''t sound anything like him.


    He didn''t want to think about that. "How...long was I out?" he asked nervously.


    Once the guard closed the door, he approached the cot Jesse was sitting on. "Nearly four days now."


    Four days?! Jesse''s heart thumped so hard and fast that he stifled his breaths¡ª


    "Calm down, kid," the guard said, stopping in front of him. "Everything''s fine. The hunters were dealt with, and that criminal who was using you...we locked him back up, too."


    Ross.


    Jesse''s panic switched to the fate of his mate, but he couldn''t start demanding answers. He didn''t want to risk being locked up. The guard''s tone and calm approach made him think that the man who''d interrogated him before hadn''t managed to inform his comrades of his misadventure, so he needed to keep calm and not reveal the fact that the criminal was his mate...and that he''d been helping him.


    He took a deep breath and tried to settle. "W-what do you...mean, using me?"


    "It''s nothing to feel ashamed of," the guard said. "This criminal has the ability to make people do what he wants. But he''s locked up now, and you''re safe."


    "Locked up where?"


    The man chuckled a little and crossed his arms. "In the brig. Look, I''ve got to ask: did he say anything about how he escaped? Did he happen to mention anything about the hunters who attacked or other members of his pack?"


    Jesse felt guilty for the sudden realization that he could probably learn more about Ross from this guard. He knew that his mate wasn''t telling him everything; he''d seen the reluctance in his eyes. But was that wrong of him? Was it awful of him to try and learn more about Ross from the people who kept him captive? Or anyone at all, really. Should he wait for Ross to tell him himself?


    Would that even happen, though? Ross had been caught, and there was no doubt that the Varcolac had upped the security around his cell. The idea of never seeing him again hurt Jesse''s heart, burdening him with a suffocating dismay. After searching for so long, he''d finally found his mate, and he didn''t want to lose him. But what could he do?


    "Kid?" the guard asked.


    Jesse shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "N-no, he didn''t...say anything about how he got out."


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    "What about the hunters? His pack?"


    He shook his head again. "No, only that the hunters were here for him."


    The guard nodded slowly and tapped his chin. "Yeah, that makes sense." He pulled a chair closer and sat in front of Jesse. "He''s pissed off a lot of hunters, not just us."


    Jesse hated that he wanted to hear more.


    "I''m sure you''ve heard that he''s murdered hundreds of people."


    He nodded stiffly.


    "He and his pack slaughtered an entire Solitudinem village for no reason. They hunted down every man, woman, and child...tore them all apart," he said, grimacing. "Some like to try and say that he did these things to protect his right to freedom," he said with a scoff, "but we all know that they did it because they''re heartless cowards. Covering up their tracks, killing innocent people. If you ask me, he doesn''t deserve to be taken to Ascela to join his ancestors. He deserves to be shot like a dog."


    Something clicked inside Jesse. The guard''s story...he''d heard it before. There was a werewolf pack that his family were hunting...a pack that killed entire villages, leaving no witnesses behind. A pack that burned settlements to the ground, hunted down refugees like animals, and killed many a wolf walker.


    He knew who Ross was now.


    "He...he''s...a Night Crawler?" he asked, his voice shaky and filled with drowning, painful sorrow.


    "Yeah, I would''ve thought you''d heard of them," the guard said. "Sorry, I had to check your name and papers. Bet you''re glad he''s locked back up, right? A Redwood."


    It felt like a dagger pierced Jesse''s heart. His mate...was the Alpha of the most wanted werewolf pack in the world, the same pack that his family had been hunting for years upon years.


    What cruel, sick fucking joke was fate playing with him?


    "You sure he didn''t say anything about his pack?" the guard asked again. "I don''t mean to press you, but it''s imperative that we find as many of them as we can. I know that your family are pursuing the same wolves, but sometimes, a job takes more than one faction."


    Jesse struggled to find his voice. "I-I don''t...know. No, he didn''t. He just...said something about how they''re not close to each other."


    The guard frowned in concern. "Are you all right, kid? You''re looking a little pale."


    Of course he was looking a little pale. He''d just found out that the man he''d let himself trust, the man he''d let touch and fuck him, was a globally wanted mass murderer. A heartless, cold, soulless creature who killed and killed and killed for no good reason.


    His mate was a monster, the very definition of a devil. Evil. Selfish. And a liar.


    He looked down at his lap, hanging his head in shame and despair. He felt disgusted with himself. He felt betrayed. And he felt...pathetic.


    "Do you want me to fetch the doctor?" the guard asked.


    Jesse shook his head. "No, I just...feel a little seasick," he lied, trying to hold back his tears. "How...how did you catch him? At first."


    "That''s a long story," he said as a proud smile stretched across his face. "Short version, we got to one of the assholes in his pack. Threatened his extended family, that kinda thing. Turned the guy into a mole. He told us that the Night Crawlers were boarding a ship out of Ardok City at the beginning of the month, so we waited for them. Of course, their Alpha was a lot for us to handle, so he was the only one we ended up capturing at the time, but he''s worth the rest of ''em put together, if you ask me."


    He didn''t know what to say in response. The despair was eating away at him, tearing into his very soul. The agony of this horrible, mortifying betrayal was worse than what he''d felt when James rejected him.


    "As for those hunters, though, they''re led by Horace Ackchief, the father of three of the kids the Night Crawlers killed in Whishbie, a small town outside of¡ª"


    "Yeah, I know Whishbie," Jesse mumbled. That town was the first settlement Ross'' pack completely annihilated.


    "Of course," the man said with a slight chuckle. "Anyway, if you remember anything, just give us a shout. I''ll let you rest, and¡ª"


    "Can I..." he didn''t finish his sentence. Why would he want to talk to Ross? That man lied to him. That man was an awful, deplorable creature. He wouldn''t have anything else to do with him.


    But...that didn''t stop his wolf from urging him to finish his question.


    "Can you...what?" the man asked.


    Jesse tried to ignore his wolf, but the more he attempted to disregard it, the louder it got. He tutted irritably and shrugged. "Can I see him or something? To confront him."


    The Varcolac guard looked a little perplexed. "Why?"


    He had to think of a lie. "My family have been hunting him for a long time. I just...want him to understand that it''s over. I couldn''t really do that while I was under his control, could I?"


    "Hmm, yeah, you got a point. Well, I don''t know. I mean, it''s not exactly protocol. He''s also heavily sedated and we don''t plan on waking him up. I''m sure you and your family would be welcome at the execution, though."


    Jesse didn''t want to see Ross die. Despite the heartbreak, he didn''t want to witness the death of...his mate. This was all too painful enough already.


    The guard stood up. "Get some more rest. Someone will be along to check on you again in a few hours." He then left the room, leaving Jesse to his solitude.


    With a despondent, heartbroken huff, Jesse laid back down. He didn''t know what to do anymore. Ross was a monster, somebody he couldn''t forgive, mate or not. But if he wanted to escape the insistence of his wolf, if he wanted to escape that small part of him that still wanted Ross...then he''d have to reject him. He''d have to sever their connection. However, to do that, he needed to get down into the brig. He needed to confront him and tell him that he could never love someone as heartless as him.


    Love.


    That was the first time he''d used that word when thinking about Ross. But he didn''t love him¡ªhow could he? All the things he''d done...and all the things he''d do if Jesse let him escape once they reached DeiganLupus. Sedated or not, he was certain that Ross had a backup plan¡ªthat his contact had a backup plan.


    Should he tell someone? Should he tell that guard about what Ross said? About the contact he had waiting for him?


    His wolf urged him not to. It pleaded that he thought with more than just the pain and anger that came with the heartbreak. But what more was there to feel? Ross manipulated him; he made him fall for him, he made him feel like he''d finally found someone who would accept him, hold him, and protect him...but it was all just a fa?ade. How could someone like Ross ever have a mate? How could he ever love someone? He didn''t have a heart.

 | 12 | The Wolf Wants What The Wolf Wants

    Hours passed and Jesse couldn''t sleep.


    He tossed and turned, huffing and grunting. Ross'' crimes and deceit had his mind racing, and his heart hadn''t settled much, either. All he could think about were all those poor, innocent people who the Night Crawlers had killed¡ªwho Ross had killed.


    But no matter how overwhelmed he felt by everything that he''d learned, his wolf was still trying to change his mind. It tried to persuade him that he should hear Ross'' side of the guard''s story before he judged him; it was trying to tell him not to trust the words of a man who clearly loathed Ross and to trust the word of the man who was Jesse''s mate. It urged him to hold on to the acceptance and relief and safety that Ross made him feel, things he hadn''t felt so intensely his whole life.


    How could he listen, though? How could he trust him? Why didn''t Ross just tell him the truth from the start? Why leave out all the details and let some Varcolac guard fill in the blanks? And why hide the fact that he was the Alpha of the pack that Jesse''s family had been hunting for such a long time?


    Jesse felt as if he could understand the last part, and he actually didn''t blame him for that. Ross had just found his mate, too, and he was probably afraid that Jesse would reject him if he learned who he was.


    He huffed frustratedly. His wolf was doing it again, urging his thoughts onto a different path, one that led towards sympathy and longing for Ross. The confliction cut at Jesse''s heart, making his chest feel tight. He wouldn''t lie; there was a part of him that wasn''t his wolf that wanted Ross back beside him. The things that Ross made him feel were real. He''d felt safe in his arms despite knowing that the man was a werewolf and a Uciga?. He really had felt understood and accepted, and the things he experienced when they had sex were the most amazing things he''d ever felt. No one else had made him feel that way.


    But how could he look past the facts?


    No...apparent facts.


    His wolf...was right. Right? He needed to hear Ross'' side of what that guard had told him.


    Or did he?


    He scowled and dragged his hand over his face, frustration and dismay wrestling inside him. And then he laughed. What would his family think of him now? Pathetic, stupid, gullible. A waste. A disappointment. How would they all react when they learned that his true mate was a criminal? An outlaw? They''d love that. They''d never let it go; they''d brand the shame into him forever.


    However...he didn''t feel ashamed. Betrayed and heartbroken, yes, but not shameful. He couldn''t help who his mate was; he couldn''t change the things he''d done, nor could he condone them...but the fact still remained: what Ross made him feel was real.


    Completely, undeniably real.


    And he did not feel ashamed.


    What did that mean? Did that make him just as bad as Ross? Did that make him a criminal, too? It wasn''t like he accepted his mate''s transgressions, nor was he about to become a murderer or join some werewolf cult. He just...wanted to be with the man he''d spent twenty-five years longing for.


    He''d called Ross his mate.


    Because he was his mate.


    Of course, there was a way for him to escape it, but...did he even want to?


    Jesse exhaled deeply and sat up. He glanced to his left, seeing the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. The ship would be arriving in DeiganLupus in just two days, which meant he had that long to decide whether he still wanted Ross...or if he was going to reject him.


    Accepting him would mean this life was over. He''d be joining a werewolf, and he''d forever be on the run. Sure, they might make it to Dor-Sanguis, where an ancient treaty protected werewolves from being pursued by the Nosferatu, but that country had its own dangers. Other lycans, other werewolves, vampires, humans, and hunters. Jesse would never be able to see his family again¡ªas terrible as they were, being separated made him feel...unnerved.


    He didn''t understand how things worked in Dor-Sanguis, either. Did werewolves live in the wilderness, completely cut off from society? How would he get his hormone treatment? The rest of his surgery? Would he have to spend his life eating rabbits and squirrels and deer? Would he have to learn to hunt?


    There was so much more he had to learn to do than just hunt.


    But Ross would teach him¡ªhe''d said he''d teach him.


    Did...he want Ross to teach him?


    Yes. Yes, he did. He knew that Ross wouldn''t judge him or demean him. He knew that Ross wouldn''t scathe and bruise him for messing up or not getting things perfect the very first time.


    But what else would Ross want to teach him? Would he want to try to get him to kill? Would he turn Jesse into a Uciga?? A werewolf?


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    He didn''t want that, and the fact that he didn''t should be all that it took to convince Ross, right? His mate wouldn''t force him to kill, would he?


    Jesse frowned, looking down at his lap. There he was...considering going with Ross without even hearing his side of the Varcolac''s story. Did that mean that he already trusted his mate? Did that mean that maybe it wasn''t all a lie? He was far too hurt and didn''t know Ross well enough to make that judgement¡ªto make any judgement¡ªand the only way he''d learn enough was if he could talk to him...but he couldn''t. His mate was sedated and in the brig. He was out of reach.


    - ? ? ? -


    A nurse came by and checked on Jesse before lunch. She took his vitals, and after she decided that he was fine to leave, he headed for the mess hall.


    He didn''t know what to do. There was no way for him to talk to Ross and get his side of the story, but more depressingly, there was no way for Jesse to help him out of the brig before they reached DeiganLupus.


    And he did want to help him. Ross might have done some terrible, awful things, but...Jesse couldn''t help the way he felt. Ross was his mate...and he wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn''t want to send him to his death, he didn''t want to leave him in captivity while he went to the Grey Moon Ceremony to find someone else.


    He didn''t want anyone else.


    Ross was his soulmate, and he had to find a way to help him.


    When he reached the mess hall, he went over to the buffet table and grabbed a few pieces of food. As he turned around, though, he spotted Sophie sitting by herself. Both guilt and an idea struck him at the same time. She knew the ship, so maybe she knew a way for him to get to Ross and avoid the guards¡ªor as many of them as possible. However, he felt bad about using her like that. She''d only ever been kind and helpful.


    But Ross was more important.


    He made his way to the table and sat across it from Sophie. "Hey," he said.


    She looked surprised and content to see him. "Oh, Jesse," she said, smiling. "Glad to see you''re okay."


    "Yeah, and you."


    "That whole...hunter ship thing," she shook her head and exhaled. "I''ve seen some scary things, but that was a whole new level."


    "Yeah..." he drawled. He wanted to get to the point, but he didn''t want to act suspicious¡ªwell, there was no way to avoid that; however, he could avoid making Sophie feel like he was using her.


    "And the prisoner," she said, adorning a sympathetic frown. "If I''d know that he was using you like that, I...I''m so sorry."


    He shook his head. "I don''t really wanna think about it if I''m being honest."


    "Of course, sorry," she said.


    "Actually...I probably ought to talk about it," he said, trying to come up with a believable story as fast as possible. "He...took something from me," he started, pulling the saddest face he could. "An heirloom. You know I''m a Redwood by now, right?"


    Sophie nodded.


    "It''s been in my family for generations. I asked the guard who was guarding my door, but he said that no one''s allowed near the prisoner. He''s heavily sedated, so there''s no chance of him waking up and escaping again, but they don''t wanna take any risks."


    The stewardess looked curious, and she hadn''t stopped to question him, so he kept going.


    "Are there...any other ways to get down to the brig?"


    That was when she adorned an unsure expression. "Oh, uh...well...."


    "I''m trained for this sort of thing," he assured her. "It''ll be easy; I just have to get down there and into the cell."


    "I...think that''s illegal, Jesse," she said, keeping her voice hushed.


    "I know it is, but I don''t have any other choice. The guards are all too afraid to help me. But my pack have dealt with people like that prisoner for years. And again, he''s heavily sedated." He leaned a little closer. "Please, Sophie?"


    She glanced around unsurely, clearly thinking.


    "I can make it up to you somehow, I just need your help with this. That heirloom is priceless."


    Sophie sighed deeply and looked down at her food. "I won''t lie, the Redwoods have done a lot for our kind since the war started. I suppose...it would only be right for me to help you. But...could you...do something for me?"


    "Sure," he immediately agreed as relief shot through him; if his wolf was physically in front of him, he was sure that it would be howling and wagging its tail in sheer contentment. Of course, there was a lot more to plan: getting past the guards, getting in the cell, waking Ross up...and getting him out and to safety. But he''d figure that out once he was done talking to the stewardess.


    The woman twiddled her fingers shyly. "Well...you''re a Redwood, and from what I''ve heard, some of the Varcolac think highly of you despite what happened with the prisoner. I was...maybe wondering if you could ask their leader if he''d have a coffee with me."


    Jesse felt a little nervous. The Varcolac leader? He''d never met him, and he wasn''t sure that he wanted to. If he were selfish, he''d take Sophie''s help and leave without returning the favour, but he wasn''t, so...he''d do his best. "Uh...I can try."


    Her face lit up.


    "So...do you know how I can get down there?"


    "Oh, um..." she paused and looked around cautiously. "Just...don''t tell anyone else, and if you get found, please don''t say it came from me."


    "I swear," he said. "On Fenris¨²lfr."


    She leaned a little closer to him. "If you go down to the service level, by maintenance locker fifteen, there''s an emergency evacuation ladder that connects all the decks, even the brig. It''ll bring you up into a service room, and from what I''ve heard, the guards avoid standing near it because...well, because it smells like...sewage."


    Jesse grimaced...but he''d stand the stench of piss and shit to save his mate.


    "From there...I don''t know," she said warily.


    He didn''t want to be walking around the brig blind. "Is there...a map or something I could use?" If he got a look at a map of the floor, he''d easily be able to find the cell that he''d seen Ross locked inside, and then he could work out his path to it.


    Sophie thought to herself for a moment. "There should be maps of each deck on the service level; some of the maintenance workers get lost¡ªit''s a big ship, after all. Oh...you might bump into some of the workers. If you throw on a uniform, though, they won''t be able to tell that you''re not one of them."


    This woman sounded like she knew what she was talking about. "Have you done this before?" he joked.


    She giggled and shrugged. "I read a lot of spy novels."


    That made sense. "Oh...cool."


    Sophie then sat up straight. "I hope you find your heirloom."


    "Thanks. I''ll see if I can talk to the Varcolac leader later tonight if that''s okay."


    She looked a little flustered. "Thank you."


    Jesse then took his plate and stood up. "I''ll see you later."


    Sophie nodded and went back to her food.


    He then headed across the hall and towards his new room. His heart was thumping, ensnared by desperation, anxiety, and determination. He had a lot to think about, and it was going to be very dangerous...but Ross had saved his life, so he was going to return the debt. He wouldn''t let his mate die, and he wasn''t going to lose him after finally finding him. Criminal or not, Ross was who he was meant to be with.

 | 13 | Liberation

    As the moon climbed higher into the sky, Jesse went over his plan in his head one last time. He''d spent the entire day plotting, and he was confident that what he''d come up with would work. It had to work.


    He stepped away from the window and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. The last thing he needed was his anxiety getting in the way, so he focused on his wolf; it craved Ross, desperate for his presence, and that was what drove Jesse forward.


    Once he pulled on the beanie that he took from his suitcase¡ªwhich barely survived the explosion of his room, covered in scrapes and tears¡ªhe headed over to the door and listened. He couldn''t hear anyone outside. Despite the recent attack and Ross'' escape, it sounded as if the night shift was still thin. That didn''t mean he could relax, though.


    He quietly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. As Sophie instructed, he navigated the corridors until he found a spiral staircase. He silently made his way down, stopping beside each doorway and peering beyond to ensure that no one was waiting, and when he reached the service floor, he took cover behind a locker and scoured the narrow passage for any signs of maintenance workers.


    It appeared that he was alone.


    The first thing he did was take a maintenance uniform from the locker. It was a little big for him, but he didn''t care. He hastily pulled it on over his clothes, zipped it up, and glanced at the nametag pinned to the chest pocket. Riggs? Whoever he was, Jesse was glad that he left his uniform behind.


    With another deep breath, Jesse followed the small passage into a cramped hallway. The walls were lined with pipes and valves; there were no windows¡ªwhich made sense since the deck was under the water''s surface. The smell of burning coal and engine fuel was thick in the gloomy air, and with every inhale, Jesse could taste the oil.


    He walked forward, searching for both the map that Sophie mentioned and maintenance locker fifteen. To his relief, the map and locker were on opposite sides of the wall to each other, the map to the left and the locker to the right, and the emergency evacuation ladder was beside the locker.


    Jesse stood in front of the map. It was covered in grime and dust, but he located deck five: the brig. He examined each path with his eyes, seeing which had the most cover towards Ross'' cell. There were three possible routes, but the longest seemed to have more places for Jesse to hide and wait. He had no idea how many guards were down there, but he hoped that most of them were sleeping.


    "Okay," he whispered to himself, relaxing his tense shoulders. "Okay," he said again, huffing away as much of his anxiety as he could, and then he turned around, facing the ladder. Once he climbed to deck five...it would be both his life and Ross'' on the line. He couldn''t mess up, and he couldn''t get caught.


    Jesse grasped the ladder''s first step. His limbs were shaking, his heart raced in his chest, and his breaths became harder to take with each passing moment. The cowardly part of him wanted to give in already; the part of him that wondered if he was doing the right thing urged him not to put his life and freedom at risk for a man who killed hundreds. But his wolf, the larger part of him, wanted Ross. That man was his mate, and he wasn''t going to lose him.


    He started climbing, staring up, concentrating as best he could despite his increasing dread. Deck One, Deck Two, Deck Three; when he got to Deck Four, the foul smell that Sophie mentioned pierced Jesse''s nose. It was like raw sewage mixed with seawater, and it only got worse the higher he went.


    When he reached Deck Five, the smell was so bad that Jesse felt as if he might pass out. He held on, though, climbing off the ladder and onto the metal floor. The service room he emerged into was small, packed with old equipment and abandoned, filthy clothes. Old shackles and restraints lay covered in dust inside a broken chest, and from the wall hung muzzles, the kind that Jesse saw his pack sometimes silence captured wolves with.


    As silently as he could, he moved towards the door and listened. He couldn''t hear much; a few distant voices, some jazz music, and the clanging of metal pipes. From what he could tell, there wasn''t anyone outside the door, so he very carefully pulled it open and peered outside.


    Left and right, the corridor was empty.


    Jesse did his best to compose himself and stepped out. Remembering the map, he went left, sticking closely to the wall.


    When he approached a closed door, the jazz music got louder, as did some of the male voices. He slowed down and grimaced nervously; there were guards on the other side, and if he made one wrong move, they''d come out and find him.


    He held his breath, each step a slow, calculated progression; even when he passed the door, he remained steady and gradual. There were more closed doors, and considering that they didn''t possess bars, and that several voices came from within each, he assumed that he was passing the guards'' quarters.


    A door opened ahead of him.


    Jesse''s heart raced frantically as he desperately searched for somewhere to hide. All that was close by was a desk with no chair, piled with crates, so he dived underneath it, scrunched up his body as best he could, and held his breath.


    "I dunno, man," one of the two approaching guards said. "Seems like a lot just for one show."


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    "But it''s totally worth it," the other said as their heavy boots passed Jesse. "Nothing beats showgirls."


    The pair kept walking, their voices getting further and further away until they weren''t audible over the clanging, hissing pipes.


    Jesse peered out from under the desk, checking left and right. Sure that he was alone again, he climbed out and continued on his path. Once he turned out of the hallway, he emerged into a corridor lined with barred doors.


    He was halfway there.


    Before he could find Ross'' cell, though, he needed the keys.


    Instead of proceeding, he turned around and eyed the doors he''d already passed. The one with ''Warden'' written on it was where he needed to go, but on the other side...he heard thunderous snoring.


    Once again, the hopeless part of him urged him to turn back, but his wolf encouraged him forward. Jesse didn''t plan to turn back. He edged closer to the door and shakily gripped the handle; he gradually twisted it until the lock clicked, and then he eased it open.


    He peered inside, setting his eyes on the sleeping warden, who lay on his side on his bed with his back to Jesse. And the keys were hanging from the wall above his head.


    Jesse silently stifled his breath as he crept into the room. His heart raced faster and faster as he approached the sleeping man; he extended his arm, reaching for the keys¡ª


    The floorboards creaked under his footfall.


    With a horrified flinch, Jesse gawped down at the man.


    His snoring stopped, and the man grunted....


    He stirred....


    ....


    ....


    And then he went back to snoring.


    Jesse silently exhaled and hastily snatched the keys. The silver metal burned his skin, but he didn''t care. He grimaced, ignoring the pain as his palm sizzled; he stuffed them into the trouser pocket of his maintenance suit and crept out of the room, and once he pulled the door shut, he headed for Ross'' cell.


    His heart didn''t stop racing, but now, it was thumping with angst and excitement. He had the keys, and he was almost to Ross'' cell, but the elation faded when he began wondering how he was going to keep his mate hidden until they reached DeiganLupus. The guards would likely suspect that, after his second escape, Ross would return to Jesse, so he was going to have to be extremely cautious and crafty if he was going to keep Ross from being found for the next twenty-four hours.


    He couldn''t get side-tracked. First, he needed to actually break Ross out.


    Jesse powered onwards, paying no mind to the throbbing pain of his burned skin; he''d heal eventually. He turned left, right, and left once more, and at the very end of the corridor...was his mate''s cell.


    He wanted to pick up the pace¡ªhe wanted to run to Ross¡ªbut he had to be careful. So he stuck to his slow, steady approach, getting closer...and closer...and....


    Where the hell was he?


    Jesse peered into the cell where he''d first seen Ross, but he was nowhere to be seen. The door wasn''t even locked.


    Dread, confusion, and dismay gripped him tightly. Where was Ross? Had they moved him? Where?


    He looked around, searching up and down the corridor, but all of the cells were open.


    The urge to call for Ross hit him, but he couldn''t do that.


    Desperation sunk its teeth into Jesse''s trembling body, biting down harder and harder as the fact that Ross was gone stabbed at his heart.


    But then he felt it...that same pull which led him to Ross in the first place.


    His wolf begged him to follow, and he didn''t even question it. Jesse turned on his heel and followed the pull towards the stairs that he''d taken down to the brig at the beginning. It led him down a corridor to the right, and at the end, it told him to turn left...but a guard was sitting outside the only cell at the back of the passage.


    Jesse froze on the spot, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a plan to get rid of the man; however, he didn''t take long to see that the guard was sleeping. There wasn''t much space between him and the cell, but Jesse didn''t have any other options. He was going to have to get past him.


    He took a step forward...and then another and another, and as he got closer and closer to the guard, the greater Jesse''s cowardice became. He wanted to turn back; he was terrified that the guard would wake up, catch him, and throw him into a cell of his own. But he couldn''t. He wouldn''t. Ross needed him, and he needed Ross.


    When he got within a few feet of the guard, he slowed so much that he was barely moving at all. He lifted one foot, stepping over the sleeping guard''s extended legs, and then he pulled the other past him. The man didn''t wake, so Jesse turned his attention to the cell and stopped in front of it. He looked through the barred window, and there, laying on the floor in a puddle of fresh and dried blood, bound by not only silver shackles but chains ensnaring his entire body, was Ross.


    The sight broke Jesse''s heart. Wrapped in all that silver, barely breathing; he must be locked in a state of utter agony.


    He stifled his mate''s name and looked over his shoulder at the guard, who was merely ten feet away. He had to be very careful.


    Jesse took the silver keys from his pocket, once again ignoring the pain as the metal burned his fingers. He eased the largest into the door''s lock, and when he twisted it, the mechanism didn''t make too loud of a noise, and the guard remained snoring quietly.


    One down...however many more to go.


    He eased the door open and stepped into the cell, and then he hurried over to Ross.


    "Ross?" he whispered, placing his hand on his mate''s shoulder.


    Ross didn''t respond.


    There wasn''t time for Jesse to try and wake him up, especially not while he was entangled in silver chains. So he got to work, searching for all the padlocks keeping the metal in place. The first one he found was keeping the shackles around Ross'' ankles. He eased the key in, and when he unlocked them, he pulled the shackles away, grimacing as the silver singed his skin.


    He unlocked the shackles around Ross'' wrists next, and then he began locating each lock connecting all the larger chains together. One by one, he pulled them away from his mate, and when he detached the last chain, Ross finally showed signs of life.


    His mate flinched and exhaled painfully, blood oozing from the sores left by the chains.


    "Ross?" Jesse whispered, placing his hand on his arm. "It''s Jesse."


    Ross opened his eyes and looked up at him. A look of relief smothered his bloody face, but he didn''t speak. It was probably too painful.


    Jesse gripped his mate''s arms and helped him move away from the chains he was lying on. He wanted to comfort him, hold him and tell him that it was going to be okay, but there wasn''t time. They had to get out of there and back to his room.


    "We have to get out of here," he said, keeping his voice as hushed as possible.


    Ross didn''t reply.


    Jesse tried pulling him to his feet, but the man was too heavy. "Please," he insisted, tugging on him. "We don''t have time."


    His mate was reluctant. A pained, hesitant groan escaped his struggling breaths, but he nodded and climbed to his feet with Jesse''s assistance.


    But when they stumbled towards the door, the guard stopped snoring, and horror smothered Jesse''s face.


    He was awake.

 | 14 | Hide

    Ross didn''t give the guard a chance to stand up and yell. Jesse stumbled to the side as his mate shifted into his wolf form; Ross lunged at the guard, pinned him on the floor, and savagely tore at his body.


    Jesse watched with a grimace as blood sprayed up the walls and onto the floorboards. Only when his mate reached his maw into the man''s chest and gripped his heart did Jesse look away. He heard the crunching and chewing; knowing that Ross was devouring that guy made him feel nauseous, but rather that than getting caught.


    They didn''t speak as they rushed back the way Jesse had come. Ross returned to his human form, holding Jesse''s hand firmly as he led his mate towards the service room. The patrolling guards were in the way, but the pair hid behind a thick pipe until they passed, and then they hurried into the service room.


    Jesse led the way down the ladder, and when they got to the service floor, Ross grabbed his shoulders and pinned him against the wall. The man immediately kissed Jesse, and he could feel his mate''s relief and appreciation.


    "Thank you," Ross breathed, nuzzling the side of Jesse''s face.


    A faint smile graced Jesse''s lips as he moved his arms around his mate. "You didn''t think I was gonna leave you there, did you?"


    "I didn''t think you''d be able to pull something like that off."


    As candid as ever, but Jesse wasn''t surprised, nor did he blame him. He was admittedly a cowardly person, someone who fucked up and often made mistakes. But not this time. Saving Ross wasn''t a mistake, and neither was what he was about to say. "I want to come with you," he said, his heart racing as nervousness engulfed him. He was terrified of the life that awaited him, but he knew that with Ross, he''d be safe.


    "To Dor-Sanguis?" Ross asked, sounding a little surprised.


    "Yes," he confirmed.


    A relieved huff broke free of Ross'' ragged breaths; he wrapped his arms around Jesse and held him tightly.


    "And...I want...you to claim me," he added shyly.


    He felt Ross smile against his cheek. "You do?" he asked, a hint of seduction in his voice.


    Jesse nodded. But as much as he wanted to give in to the anticipation that suddenly swept over him, there wasn''t time. "We need to get you somewhere safe before the guards know you''re out again. They might suspect you''d come to me, so...I don''t know. Maybe you can hide in the room next to me or something."


    "We''ll figure it out. Let''s go," Ross said.


    With a determined nod, Jesse took Ross'' hand and led the way. He took his mate through the narrow corridors, following the path he''d taken earlier. When they reached the stairs, he hurried up, and then he quickly made his way to his new room, pulling Ross inside. He shut the door, and with a deep, relieved exhale, he relaxed his tense body.


    "They put you in a storage room?" Ross questioned, glancing around.


    "It''s better than nothing," Jesse mumbled. He examined the wounds on Ross'' body, his eyes darting from each cut, burn, and bruise. "Are you...okay?" he asked quietly.


    Ross stopped looking around the room and set his sights on him. "Now that I''m here with you, yes," he answered.


    Jesse smiled shyly and looked down at the floor. "We just have to hide you for twenty-four hours; we reach DeiganLupus tomorrow."


    His mate glanced around again. "Maybe we can use the crates," he said and walked over to the stack of crates and barrels. "Take some of the shit out, create a false bottom."


    Following him over there, Jesse frowned and asked, "But what if they empty the crates? They''ll find you."


    Ross shook his head as he opened a barrel, revealing its contents.


    Wolfsbane flowers.


    Jesse watched him lift the barrel and turn it upside down, pouring the thousands of small, powder-blue flowers onto the floor. His mate then took the lid of a slightly smaller barrel, which was filled with Uzlian Citrus, a very rare fruit used in powerful potions. He was tempted to take one, but before he could, Ross lifted and turned the barrel upside down, placing its exposed top on the floor and making the bottom look like its lid.


    "I''ll get in here," Ross said, tapping the larger barrel, "and I''ll rest this on my back," he said, waving the lid at Jesse. "You''ll have to fill the barrel back up with wolfsbane."


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    "Okay, but...what about the rest of it?" he asked, gesturing to the blue flowers. "There''s still gonna be like half a million flowers on the floor."


    "We''ll dump the rest out the window."


    There wasn''t time to argue. It sounded like Ross knew what he was doing, so when his mate opened the window and started shovelling the flowers out, Jesse helped. Once they''d thrown half the pile out into the ocean, Ross climbed into the barrel. He held the smaller lid above himself, and Jesse began putting what remained of the flowers back inside. And to his relief, it looked like a normal barrel full of wolfsbane.


    "Uh...so...it looks good," Jesse said. "But...are you gonna stay in there until we dock?"


    "It''s best that I do," Ross called from inside. "Better safe than sorry."


    Jesse was admittedly disappointed. He wanted to see him, feel him, and lay on him. But Ross was right. The guards could burst in at any moment, especially since they all knew that Ross had been hiding with him after his first escape. He''d get to see his mate once they reached DeiganLupus.


    "All right," he replied hesitantly. He sat beside the barrel, leaned against the crate beside it, and sighed quietly. "So...what''s gonna happen when we get to Dor-Sanguis?"


    "We''ll meet with my pack," Ross answered. "And then we''ll find some territory."


    Jesse nodded, but his worries quickly resurfaced. "I just...well, I''m not gonna have to kill anyone, am I? I-I want to learn to use my sense and whatever better, but...I''m not a killer."


    He heard Ross chuckle. "I know. And don''t worry; you don''t have to be like me to be with me. I won''t make you do anything you don''t want to do."


    That reassured him. Of course, he was still nervous, but he had every reason to be. He was about to start a new, terrifying life...but it was with Ross, the man he''d been waiting his whole life to find.


    But then came the despair. "Ross?"


    "Mm."


    "One of the guards...he told me...that you''re a Night Crawler."


    Ross didn''t reply.


    So Jesse continued, his heart aching. "And...that you slaughtered an entire village, killing hundreds for no reason, to cover up your tracks or something, and¡ª"


    "That place wasn''t a village; it was a cultist hideout," Ross interjected.


    Jesse frowned. "What?" He''d never heard of any cultists in Solitudinem.


    "The Lupus Sicarius," he said. "They''re a group of rogue vampires who hunt wolf walkers for sport. That village was a coven, and we killed every single one of them, doing the Strigoi''s job for them."


    The Strigoi: a Nosferatu division just like the Varcolac, except they dealt with rogue vampires. Jesse knew them because his family often met with them. "So then why did the guard say nothing about that?"


    "Because the Varcolac despise me. I''ve killed hundreds of their friends; they''ll say anything to make me out to be more of a monster than I already am."


    Jesse didn''t doubt him. He trusted him, so he believed him.


    "I''ve killed a lot of people, Jesse; I''m not ashamed of how I make money, nor do I feel any guilt for wiping out a cult. But I''ve never killed someone because I enjoy it. I don''t actively seek out villages and towns so that I can hunt, eat my fill, and leave."


    "I believe you," he said, softly but firmly.


    Ross shuffled around inside the barrel. "I need to get some rest, and you should do the same. Things are going to get a lot harder once we dock."


    Jesse nodded. "Okay." He didn''t want to go all the way over to his bed to sleep, so he grabbed his pillow and blankets and set them up beside the barrel. He made himself comfortable, relaxed, and closed his eyes. "Ross?"


    "Mm," came his tired response.


    "Despite...everything that''s happened, I''m glad I found you."


    "I''m glad you found me, too."


    - ? ? ? -


    A loud knock woke Jesse.


    His heart immediately raced as he shot up. He hurriedly moved his blankets and pillow away from the barrel, but just as he was about to run to the door, he realized that he was still wearing the maintenance outfit. He quickly pulled it off, shoved it into his open suitcase, and then opened the door.


    "S-sorry," he said, huffing, looking up at the Varcolac guard. "I was sleeping and had to throw some clothes on."


    "Move aside," he said.


    Jesse did as he was told and watched the guard enter. It was only then that he realized it was daytime. Sunlight shone in through the window, illuminating the room as the man searched it, lifting the cot, checking behind the crates. As he got closer to the one that Ross was hiding inside, Jesse began to feel like he was going to throw up. He stifled a breath, his body tensing, and when the man lifted the lid and revealed the layer of wolfsbane flowers, Jesse almost gagged.


    The Varcolac guard grunted, dragging his fingers over the flowers, shuffling a few of them around. But then he put the lid back on and started searching the others. "You see anything? Hear anything?" he asked as he searched.


    "No," Jesse answered.


    "The prisoner has escaped again," he said, turning to face Jesse. "Since you were the one he came to, our General is stationing me outside your door until we reach DeiganLupus. You will keep the door locked at all times, and if you need anything, you ask me. Understand?"


    Jesse wanted to protest. If there was a guard outside his door, how was he supposed to talk to Ross? How was he supposed to get Ross out? And although it wasn''t as important, how was he going to tell the Varcolac General that Sophie wanted to meet?


    He was taking too long to answer. "Y-yes," he said, nodding.


    The guard walked past him and stepped out into the hall.


    "There was one thing," Jesse said.


    "Yes?"


    "Uh...your General. Sophie, one of the stewardesses, asked if he''d have a coffee with her. I was wondering if you could pass the message on?"


    The guard raised an eyebrow, but he nodded a single nod and grunted, "I''ll pass it on." He then pulled the door shut.


    Jesse exhaled and went over to the barrel. At least he''d paid Sophie back for her help. Now, all he had to do was wait for the ship to reach DeiganLupus.


    He grabbed his pillow and slumped down beside Ross'' barrel. Leaning as close as he possibly could, he whispered, "We''ll be there soon."


    Ross didn''t reply.


    Of course he didn''t. He was right. Jesse should shut up.


    With a quiet sigh, Jesse lay down and gazed at the window, watching the sky pass by. DeiganLupus wasn''t far away, and soon, he''d be disembarking with his mate and starting an entirely new life. He was nervous, and he was afraid, but he was also excited. He''d yearned for this for as long as he could remember, and he was ready to do whatever it took to be with his soulmate.

 | 15 | A New Path

    It was getting dark again, and Jesse felt the galleon slowing down.


    The smell of smoke tainted the air, and thick, dark smog engulfed the once-clear world outside. Jesse got up and walked over to the window, and when he saw the glow of city lights through the murk, his heart started racing. They were there.


    He smiled excitedly and went to the barrel that Ross was hiding in, but he stopped himself from saying his name. The guard was still outside his door, and the last thing he wanted was to make him suspicious, especially now that they were literally minutes away from docking.


    Just as he was about to head to his suitcase and pack as best he could, though, he heard Ross say his name. He pressed his ear against the barrel and replied, "Yeah?" keeping his voice as quiet as possible.


    "Listen," his mate said firmly. "Here''s what we''re going to do: when the ship docks, you''re going to get off just like you normally would; get your documents checked, whatever. And then head down to East Shipyard. Wait for me there."


    Jesse frowned nervously as confliction engulfed him. He didn''t feel very confident leaving Ross behind. What if something happened? He''d never know, and he wouldn''t be able to help. "What if something happens?" he asked worriedly.


    "Just do it," Ross insisted. "The guard will likely escort you, so I can climb out the window."


    With an anxious exhale, Jesse glanced at the window. It was definitely big enough for Ross to fit out of, but what if someone saw him? "I-I don''t know," he murmured unsurely. "I''m just...worried."


    "I''ll be fine," his mate said.


    Jesse trusted him, and although he was anxious and reluctant, Ross knew what he was doing. "All right," he said. "Just...please don''t get caught."


    Ross laughed a little. "Don''t worry about me. You should get ready to leave."


    "Yeah," he mumbled and stood up. He headed over to his battered suitcase and zipped it up as well as he could. Then, he took his travel documents from the front compartment.


    The guard knocked on the door. "We''re about to dock. You ready?"


    "I''m ready," Jesse called.


    When the guard unlocked the door, he stepped in. "I''ll escort you to the deck and down to the docks. You''ll be fine from there."


    Jesse nodded and picked up his suitcase. He resisted glancing back at the barrel and followed the Varcolac guard through the ship. They passed the mess hall, where he saw Sophie and who must be the General, which made him smile a little; he hoped that things would work out for her. He''d never be able to thank her enough, but it was probably best that he didn''t try. He was certain that she wouldn''t feel too good about being involved in Ross'' escape.


    The guard led him upstairs, and when they emerged onto the deck, the foggy air burned Jesse''s throat, making him cough.


    "Yeah, you''ll get used to it," the man said with an amused chuckle.


    He wasn''t sure if he wanted to get used to it. The smell of burning fuel was so much stronger above deck, and the smog was so thick that, despite the ship easing into the docks, the fog lights were barely visible.


    Jesse didn''t care about the state of the city, though. He wouldn''t be there very long. Dor-Sanguis was his new destination.


    "Stand here," the guard said, pointing to the space beside him.


    As he was told, Jesse stood next to him and looked over the edge. He watched as the dockworkers moored the huge boat, yelling orders at one another, skilfully wrapping the massive ropes around the mooring posts. But his attention was quickly snatched by the sound of marching boots. He turned to face the staircase he''d come up from and observed as at least twenty Varcolac guards came up onto the deck.


    "Fan out," their commander called. "Watch all possible exits. Check every citizen''s pass."


    The men spread out, taking their posts.


    Jesse shivered anxiously. They were clearly suspicious that Ross was planning to disappear into the city and were determined to recapture him...again. But that wouldn''t happen. Ross was smart. He wouldn''t get caught. Would he?


    He snapped out of his thoughts when four crewmen appeared beside him and began lowering the bridge down onto the dock. They then unlocked the gate, opening the passage from the ship to land.


    "All right, let''s move," the guard said to him.


    Jesse followed him down and towards the armed men standing by the archway which led into the shipyard.


    "Papers," one of them said.


    He handed him his papers.


    The man took a moment to look over them, and once he was done, he handed them back to Jesse and looked at his escort. "Problem?"


    "Not at all. Protection," the Varcolac guard replied.


    With a grunt, the dock guard nodded.


    "Safe journeys, kid," the Varcolac said to Jesse, and then he turned around and headed back towards the galleon.


    Jesse didn''t waste a moment. He left the dock and made his way into the city. After asking an old man where East Shipyard was, he navigated the gloomy, fog-ensnared streets, following the man''s instructions.


    But he couldn''t shake the feeling of eyes on him. Something about the city had him on edge¡ªeither that or knowing that Ross had to avoid the watchful eye of all those Varcolac was doing it.


    He huffed and shook his head, trying to calm himself. He reached the stables that the old man mentioned and turned right, crossing the road. Through the murk, he spotted the huge lighthouse and followed it like a beacon. He crossed another road, passed several warehouses spewing out differently coloured fumes and smoke, and when he reached the towering black gates, he went into the shipyard and down to the shore.


    There was no sign of Ross yet.


    Jesse found a crate and sat down, placing his suitcase beside him. He glanced up at the silvery glow that was the moon; he couldn''t see it entirely, but he knew that it was only a few more days away from being full. The thought of Ross claiming him sent shivers of anticipation through his body; he wanted it now...but he had to be patient.


    He took his eyes off the moon and looked around him for his mate, but there was still no sign of him. Jesse started worrying, his heart thumping harder with each passing moment. His thoughts started racing, and he asked himself if he should have stayed or insisted that they come up with a different plan.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But then he saw a dark shadow moving through the water.


    He jumped to his feet, watching as it swam closer and closer, and when it was near enough for him to see without the fog distorting his view, he realized that it was Ross in his wolf form.


    Jesse smiled in relief as the black wolf reached the shore. His heart pounded with anticipation, eager to reunite with his mate; he was ready to throw his arms around him, eager to ask where they had to go next. But before he could even take another step, a chilling shadow eclipsed the sky. The sight of the Varcolac descending in their terrifying demon forms sent a shiver down his spine, freezing him in place.


    As the demons landed around Ross, Jesse''s stomach churned with dread. They followed him, didn''t they? They knew that Ross would come for him.


    He watched helplessly as the demons formed a menacing circle, cutting off any path to his mate. The air was thick with tension as the sounds of battle erupted, filling the once tranquil scene with chaos. Blood stained the shore, a stark contrast to the serene landscape they had just crossed.


    Ross'' defiant snarls echoed in the air as he fought ferociously against the onslaught of demons. But amidst the flurry of silver chains, slashing blades, and deadly bullets, Jesse''s heart sank with the grim realization that his mate was outnumbered, outmatched. The dread weighed heavy upon him as he feared the inevitable outcome of the brutal confrontation unfolding before his eyes.


    This time, though...he hadn''t been injected with wolfsbane This time...Jesse could help.


    Despite his nagging reluctance and self-doubt gnawing at him, Jesse refused to let it hinder his actions. He knew that he had to do something, anything to tip the scales in Ross'' favour. With a fierce determination burning within him, he shifted into his wolf form and lunged forward, targeting the nearest guard.


    A surge of panic shot through him when he collided with the nearest horned, winged adversary. But he couldn''t afford to second-guess himself. Ross depended on him, and he couldn''t fail his mate¡ªnot this time. Ignoring the fear gripping his heart, he sank his jaws into the guard''s leg, gripping tightly as blood filled his mouth, a bitter concoction of metal and sulphur assaulting his senses. The guard''s scream pierced the chaos; Jesse held on, driven by the desperate need to assist Ross, but the guard harshly crashed the back of his weapon against his head.


    Thrown aside by the forceful blow, Jesse hit the sand with a painful thud, his white fur stained crimson with his own blood. Despite the agony coursing through him, he refused to yield. Ross fought on, a whirlwind of fury and defiance amidst the carnage; he aspired to be as stoic as his mate.


    Summoning every ounce of strength, Jesse staggered to his feet, narrowly evading the guard''s weapon. With a primal instinct guiding him, he seized the guard''s wrist in his jaws, clenching down with all his might until he heard the sickening crack of bone. The guard''s weapon clattered to the ground, accompanied by a horrified shriek, as Jesse''s relentless determination coursed through him, fuelled by the unwavering resolve to stand by Ross'' side...no matter the cost.


    He yanked his head to the side, using as much force as he could. He sent the guard tumbling across the sand, and then he set his eyes on Ross. His mate was holding his ground, slashing and tearing and ripping. More than half of the Varcolac were down.


    But then the man who Jesse had just thrown pulled a rifle from his back and loaded it with shimmering silver rounds.


    Ross was unaware, his back turned to him, too distracted fighting the demons.


    Jesse scowled determinedly and raced towards the man. He focused on his devouring need to protect Ross, his desperate wish to spend the rest of his life with his mate, and immediately clamped his jaws around the man''s neck when he crashed into him. The guard missed his shot¡ªthe bullet hit the sand several feet from Ross¡ªand he tried to scream, but Jesse bit down harder once he pinned the man on the ground. He tried to fight, smacking with his hands and clawing with his talons at Jesse''s sides; he tried kicking, but no amount of pain would make Jesse let go. If he did, this man would hurt his mate.


    As Jesse held on, his grip tightening with each passing moment, he felt the man''s struggles wane, his movements growing feeble until they ceased altogether. A heavy silence descended, broken only by the thud of the man''s lifeless body hitting the ground.


    A wave of nauseating horror washed over Jesse as he slowly released his hold, his entire being trembling with shock and disbelief. What had he become? He''d taken a life, succumbing to the very violence he''d sworn to resist. The weight of his actions settled like a leaden burden on his shoulders, suffocating him with guilt and remorse.


    The realization crashed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him in self-condemnation. He crossed a line that he swore he never would, staining his soul with the irreversible act of murder. In that moment, he felt as though he had betrayed everything he believed in, condemning himself to a darkness he''d fought so hard to resist.


    Now, he was just like his family. Just like Ross.


    A killer.


    A monster.


    He stared down at the body, his heart racing. A consuming concoction of panic, grief, and despair ensnared him, making it harder and harder for him to breathe as he came to terms with his crime.


    But he was snatched out of his trance when a savage, irritated snarl came from his left. He turned his head and set his sights on Ross, who stood among the bloodied, mauled corpses of the Varcolac guards.


    Ross'' gaze locked with Jesse''s, and then his eyes shifted, glancing down at the corpse which lay at his paws. Even his mate looked shocked. But instead of coddling him, Ross raced over to him and insisted, "We need to move. They''ll be sending reinforcements any second."


    Jesse didn''t move. He stared at the corpse, unable to shake the terrifying guilt.


    "Jesse!" Ross exclaimed, nudging the side of his body with his head. "Let''s move!"


    He flinched a little and shifted his sights to Ross. His throat tightened, and he struggled to find his voice. "I-I...I...killed...him," he said, choking on the words.


    "You did what you had to," Ross replied, shaking his head. "He was going to kill us."


    Jesse shivered, looking down at the dead demon again.


    Ross exhaled deeply and softly nuzzled the side of Jesse''s head. "Listen to me," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "You were defending us, okay? You didn''t kill him because you wanted to, you did it because you had to. That doesn''t make you a monster, Jesse. Believe me, I know enough of them to tell."


    He still trembled, his heart still raced, but as he slowly turned his head and met Ross'' eyes, he frowned despondently. "But...I killed...someone."


    "You killed a demon who was trying to kill us, okay?" he said and looked over his shoulder for a moment. "Please, Jesse. We have to go."


    He felt the urge to look down at what he''d done again, but he closed his eyes and nodded. When Ross raced towards the gates, Jesse followed, keeping his sights focused dead ahead.


    "We''ve got to get to the city centre," Ross called.


    Jesse grunted in response, trapped in his thoughts again. He''d killed...for the first time in his life, he''d taken someone else''s away. But it was to save Ross. If he hadn''t done it, that demon would have shot his mate¡ªhe could have killed his mate. Jesse just did what he had to do to protect him. It was those demons or them...and he chose them. He''d already decided to go with Ross, to be with Ross, and he wouldn''t let anything stop that.


    But he knew that this would stick with him forever. He''d never be able to stop thinking about the taste that oozed into his mouth when he broke that demon''s neck; he wouldn''t be able to forget the sounds of him choking, or the sight of his limp, lifeless body.


    "This way," Ross called.


    Jesse veered right into an alley, following his mate. As far as he could tell, the Varcolac weren''t on their trail, but it probably wouldn''t be long until they were. He didn''t want to panic himself, though. He ran with Ross, navigating the murky city''s alleys, delving deeper and deeper.


    As Jesse sprinted forward, the weight of his actions still heavy on his heart, an unexpected sensation began to stir within him. It was a peculiar mix of apprehension and excitement, a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Despite the guilt and dread gnawing at his conscience, there was an undeniable thrill in the chaos, a rush unlike anything he''d ever experienced.


    Was this what his life had become? A constant struggle for survival, where every day brought new challenges and dangers to overcome? The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but intertwined with the fear was a strange sense of exhilaration. Each moment was now defined by the fierce determination to protect Ross, to ensure that they had another day together, day after day.


    The memory of the recent violence still fresh in his mind, Jesse recoiled at the thought of taking another life. The sight of wolves fighting, the sound of death echoing in the air¡ªit was a reality he never wanted to grow accustomed to. Yet, as he embraced the harsh truth of their circumstances, he realized that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep Ross safe.


    In that moment of clarity, Jesse understood the depth of his commitment. He would defy his own principles, betray his promises to himself if it meant safeguarding his mate. It was a sobering realization, one that filled him with a sense of resolve and purpose amidst the chaos of their new reality.


    His new life had begun, and he was ready to embrace it, no matter how daunting or perilous the path ahead might be. With Ross by his side, he knew that they would face whatever challenges came their way, forging a future together in a world where survival meant sacrificing pieces of themselves that they never thought they would.


    End of book one.

 COMING SOON | Spirits of the Ardelean Forest

    Hey everyone!


    While there is no set date for when book 2 will start releasing chapters, the sequel finally has a name and cover.


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    Here''s the (WIP) cover for book 2!