Chapter 1 The Reckoning

The smell of water and forest trees is driving me nuts. But then I felt like I wasn't alone. Before I saw him and his minions, I had walked right into the trap. They were here for my reckoning, but I was not going to be an easy kill.

Before I could say another word, he grabbed me by the throat. While trying to stab me, I pushed him back, twisting his hand. I took the blade from him and buried the silver blade in his stomach, but then I felt the other assassins surrounding me.

I knew what came next; I had played this game before, but this time I was the prey, not the predator, and I knew how the story usually ends for the prey, even if one is as dangerous as I am.

Another tried to grab me. I quickly ripped one of his hands off me and swiftly somersaulted to the far end, another charged at me and then ripped off the head of the next assassin who charged at me, watching his lifeless body fall to the ground. I was surrounded, but I was not going to beg like a rat; instead, I would die like a soldier, taking as many as I can to the after life.

I gave Cain a sinister smile, then grabbed the one that charged at me in the air, pushing him to the ground and broke his jaw, I was about doing some permanent damage when someone kicked me off him, breaking some of my ribs, and I coughed out blood. Instead of being afraid and running from me, they were moving forward to kill me.

I kicked one in the ribs, breaking it. I was about to sink my claws into the heart of the other when I picked up the scent of Cain behind me.

I turned immediately, and then he drove a silver dagger to my heart. I gasped and staggered, almost falling to my knees, but I held myself and drove a dagger into his heart too, the perfect end to a tragic story. He tried to hit me in the right rib so I would drop my weapon, but I had anticipated his movement because he was my handler, the one who taught me everything I know.

But then Kira kicked me, and I hit my head on a branch and fell to the wet forest ground. That bitch had been on my case from day one. My hands were clutching the weapon, trying to pull it out, but then someone pushed my hands off and held the dagger down, pushing it in.

My eyes took in her face; it was Celine, my husband's bestfriend, and the reason I was running in the forest at this time of the night.

"It was me; I tipped them off. I want you to remember that while you die." She whispered, and my eyes widened.

I lay on the wet forest floor alone, life slowly seeping out of my body, reminiscing about the feelings I had the very first day I met Agnar-the way my voice fluttered, the way he mated with me for the first time, the butterflies when he marked me.

This is it. I would finally rest in peace. Maybe I would find the peace I desire in the underworld if my sins didn't come knocking.

I drew my final breath, and I shut my eyes, as I had grown tired of holding on.

I was happy that it was quiet now,

I should take you to the very beginning of my story.

My name is Katya Paw. I am an orphan girl who was raised to become a wolf assassin. I had only known this life for a short time. I never met my parents, but Cain said they were killed by the Alpha of their pack.

Cain and the fifteen other trained assassins were the only family I had. Well, I wouldn't say we are a family, though. We were united by our zeal to live and make money. And while we progressed, Cain recruited more children from orphanages, making our organization a global organized crime thing, operating in the shadows.

We were trained to be independent and not ask questions, to live for months on a mission faking to be who were not just for the money and promotion in the organization, and I was high up their pyramid, one of the best assassins.

I was sent by Cain to kill Alpha Agnar Ridge. The Alpha of the Crystal Lake pack. It felt like every other job I had done before. They give you a name, and you make them disappear forever, and no pity story had ever made me not complete my mission. So I took the file from him and went to prepare for the mission.

I spent days preparing for this, gathering every bit of information I could about the pack and my target, of course.

When I was ready, I sneaked into the Crystal Lake pack at night to get the job done, but the minute I stepped foot in the pack house, the beautiful smell of sandalwood and forest trees hit me, making it hard to control my wolf, which had never happened before.

The closer I was to his room, the more dominant the scent became. I had thought I was sentenced to a life of solitude due to my crimes as an assassin by the moon goddess, but here I was standing face to face with this Adonis, who just called me his mate.

It took everything in me to forget about the mission and the life I have lived for so long to submit to him because I wanted the life I had seen mates live when I visited packs.

Agnar promised to give me the whole world. I thought I had found the family I never had. Did he forget his promise, or was I delusional all along?

If only I knew, I would have killed him and moved. on with my life.

Agnar gave me the life I wanted and more, till Celine, his best friend, came back from her mate's pack as a widow. He withdrew from me and preferred her company. I thought it was nothing till I caught them in bed.

"Fuck me, yeah!" the groaning continued. The closer I got, the louder the groaning became.

"Tell me that I am sweeter than your Luna," Celine commanded the minute she saw me. While grinning so wickedly.

"You are sweeter than my mate," he groaned, plunging hard into her.

I felt tears trickle down my cheeks, and I was gasping for air. I turned to leave and stumbled on a piece of furniture in the corner.

"Kay!" he screamed and jumped down from the bed. I quickly made to dash out of the room, and he gripped my hands.

"Let go of me!" I screamed as his hands on my skin repulsed me. I could hear my stomach churn in disgust.

"It's not what you think, Kay!"

"Let go or I will scream," I warned him. He paid no attention to my words and continued begging.

"He... " I tried screaming, but a slap cut me off. I landed on the floor with my bum, watching him in disbelief.

"Shut your mouth; I can't have you shame me because I took pleasure from her after a hard day at work," he growled out.

"Fuck you, don't touch me again," I said, and I grabbed his leg in a high grip, trying to break his leg, but then he poured something on me, and it burned me.

"How dare you pour Wolfsbane on me?" I screamed, then threw a lamp at him, and he hit me on the head with a stick.

My vision blurred, but I had witnessed pain more severe than this, so I obstructed his next blow with my hand.

"Stop, Agnar, you will kill her," Celine screamed, covering her body with the sheets. I could swear I saw her smile, so I knew then, that I had to leave.

I quickly got up and dashed out of the room before he could catch me, running as far away from him as possible. I never thought a day like this would ever come. I never thought I would be betrayed by my mate.

I felt my heart breaking in two and my eyes brimming with tears.

What made me think this charade would end happily ever after, even for a wolf assassin? I guess this is the moon goddess's way of paying back for my heinous crimes.

* * * * *

But then I heard a beeping sound, the one that indicated that someone was coming into your room at the organization.

"Kat, I have the files on your next target, It's Alpha Agnar Ridge. Open the door. I don't have all day," I heard someone say and knock on the door.

I opened my eyes and looked around, and I was truly in my room in our headquarters, not dying in the forest of Crystal Lake pack.

"Kat, open the door; I know you are in there." The voice, which I recognized to be Cain's, said it again.

"Five minutes, Cain, Let me dress up; I am stark naked," I said, then pulled my bed up, and like I expected, my phone was there.

I checked the day, and as expected, the date was a year ago, the day that Cain came with the files he got on Agnar and asked me to find the rest out.

"Kat, I don't care if you are naked or not; open the damn door; I have already seen you naked many times," he said.

I kept my phone back, checking my face in the mirror so I wouldn't betray anything. I opened the door.

"You look flustered," he said, pushing me so he could enter.

"You startled me. When do we ever sleep with two eyes closed with the nature of our job?"

He smiled and said, "True, this is the file they sent on that Alpha."

I took it from him and was going through it when he pulled out a silver blade.

"Why is there blood on your hands?"