Chapter 3 Cleaning up loose ends

The forest was alive with tension. Moonlight streamed down between the dense crown, creating shadows on the circle of werewolves standing within.

Mikhail stood among them, arms crossed, his golden eyes scanning each face. This plan is mad," he said, gravely but resolutely.

"Reckless or not, it's our only shot, " snarled Viktor, a towering werewolf with a scar running down his cheek. "The situation with vampires is getting more and more desperate every day. Getting noticed by them is almost the same as being already dead."

Mikhail shook his head, his jaw tightening. A war would be just like a suicidal mission if we didn't know what we were going to confront.

"You're scared, aren't you? The vampire ruler stepped closer, his teeth appearing prominently as he grinned mockingly. "The great Mikhail, scared to fight."

A low growl rumbled in Mikhail's chest, but he held his ground. "I'm not afraid of fighting. I'm afraid of stupidity costing us lives. There's a difference."

Enough," Lukas, the pack doctor, snarled his voice interjecting into the building tension. "We didn't come here to fight each other. We came to take action."

Mikhail turned to Lukas, his expression grim. "And what action are we taking, exactly? Charging into a death trap?"

Lukas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We've got intel. Vamps patrol weaken the northern area of their kingdom. If we hit them like a war machine, hard and fast, we can cripple them before they even understand what's going on,"

"And if the intel's wrong?" Mikhail shot back.

"It's not," Viktor snapped.

Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Really? And where is such a piece of information drawn from?"

The group fell silent. Lukas hesitated, then said, "A source."

"A source?" Mikhail repeated, his tone dripping with disbelief. "You mean someone we don't even trust?"

The only thing left is to distrust, "said Lukas quickly. "We are losing this battle, Mikhail." Or have you forgotten?"

"I've got it on my mind," said Mikhail, his voice bristling. But also, let's been cautious before we go about jumping into things without thinking through the worse consequences of our actions.

"Then maybe you should stay behind," Viktor sneered.

Mikhail moved a step closer to Viktor, his eyes glow of gold. Mikhail was losing control and getting irritates: "Be careful, Viktor. You're just pushing me to the limit."

"Enough!" Lukas barked, stepping between them. "We don't have time for this. We move at dawn. If anyone has a problem with that, speak now."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, but no one spoke.

Mikhail clenched his fists, his mind racing. Something about this felt wrong. Too rushed. Too risky.

"All right," he said reluctantly, his voice sounding cooler. "But if it goes wrong, you will be the one to pay for it."

---

The forest hours later was eerily serene. They have split up to scout the whole area, leaving Mikhail and a few others, who were lurking on their border, to wait near the edge.

Mikhail walked on tiptoe, his senses advanced. A very light smell of rain drifted on the wind thread, it was mixed with the earthy aroma of the forest which also was here.

"This doesn't feel right," he muttered to himself.

"What doesn't? Asked Jonah, a younger werewolf who had been assigned to stick with Mikhail.

"Everything," Mikhail said. "The timing, the plan, the so-called 'source.' It's all too convenient.

Jonah frowned. "You think it's a trap?"

"Yes, it's too good to be true," Mikhail replied.

Jonah hesitated, then said, "Don't you ever think that what we are doing could be the wrong way?"

Mikhail, stopping his pacing, confronted the speaker, and his golden eyes with narrowed menacing look mimicked like that of a ready to attack dog. "What do you mean?"

Warfare back and forth, year to year. What's the point?" Jonah said quietly. "We're just killing each other, and for what? Territory? Revenge?"

Mikhail fixated on him, taken aback by the query.

Before he could answer, a piercing howl shattered the stillness.

Mikhail's heart leaped. "That's Viktor!"

Jonah's eyes widened. "Do you think-"

"Stay here," Mikhail ordered, his voice sharp.

"But-"

"I said stay," Mikhail growled.

He raced straight into the woods, his senses throbbing with the threat around him. The howl originated from the east, in the vicinity of the patrol way.

He felt the smell of blood immediately after leading the run and it was as if he was suddenly struck by a very hard punch in the stomach.

"No," he muttered, picking up speed.

He broke into a clearing and came to a standstill.

Viktor, with all his might, was in the midst of the dirt in a very pell-mell state; blood ran out from underneath him, reddening the area. Recovery from the trauma of his injury led to throes of uneven breathing.

"Mikhail..." Viktor rasped, his voice weak.

Mikhail dropped to his knees beside him. "What happened?"

Trap... Viktor, now and again, suddenly let out a coarse sound and organized a mishmash of blunders that frightened me so much, that fear tore through the hope already. "They knew we were coming... ambush..."

Mikhail's blood ran cold. "Who? The vampires?"

Viktor shook his head weakly. "No... someone else..."

"Who, Viktor? Who did this?"

But Viktor did not respond. Slowly, his eyelids drooped and his limbs fell limp.

"No!" Mikhail yelled, and his voice was very loud in the forest.

The noise of rustling came from the trees Mikhail had just left behind and he immediately turned with his claws coming out just by habit.

"Show yourself!" he snarled. There was silence for a while. Then, a figure emerged from the shadows while Mikhail was watching in astonishment.

Mikhail's eyes widened in shock.

"You..." he whispered.

The figure smirked. "Surprised to see me, Mikhail?"

Mikhail's claws flexed. "What are you doing here?, Obviously," the person replied, in a tone dripping with disgust. "Cleaning up loose ends." You betrayed us, Mikhail said, his voice low and dangerous.

The figure tilted their head. "Betrayal is such a strong word. I prefer... strategic realignment." Mikhail's golden eyes blazed with fury. "You're going to regret this. "The figure chuckled. "It would be fun to see you try it out." Before Mikhail had time to make a move, the figure dashed, with the speed of their moves being impressive.

Mikhail nearly got hit by the claws, which barely missed his face, when he dodged the figure's blow. He answered with a powerful punch, but his opponent easily misplayed it.

"Mikhail, you've lost your touch," they teased.

"Fail to stop talking," Mikhail spoke out softly, the muscles tense, ready to attack.The fight was ferocious, a blast of claws, fangs, and growling. The battle in Mikhail's veins raged on as the thundering heartbeat in his ears was accompanied by all his efforts, but the stronger and quicker foe was still ahead. "Is this all you've got?" asked the figure mockingly, pressing forwards with a series of strikes he was using to back up Mikhail's defenses.

Mikhail was hit and his back was hurled against a tree and so he said under his breath, muttering to himself. The figure stepped closer, their eyes gleaming with triumph. "Looks like this is the end for you, Mikhail."

Mikhail's mind raced. He refused to die here, not like this. When the figure brought its claws down again for the finishing move, Mikhail aimed at an unguarded spot. He bent down and swept their legs away from underneath them.

The figure hit the ground with a grunt, and Mikhail seized the opportunity to pin them down. "Who sent you? " he demanded, his claws pressed to their throat.

The figure grinned, even as blood trickled from their lips. "You think this is over? This is just the beginning." Before Mikhail could respond, the figure twisted out of his grip with inhuman strength, disappearing into the shadows.

Mikhail got up on shaky legs, ragged gasps for air drawing forth from his body. He stared at the corpse of Viktor, and guilt and rage swirling in his belly, he looked down. This doesn't end here," he mumbled, his golden eyes flashing. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a wolf's howl echoed through the night.