A tall, dark-skinned female with beaded cornrows stood at the front of two men and another woman. Her eyes flamed with orange light.

"Cleo?" I asked.

Since my werewolf senses hadn't perked up, warning me of danger, I figured I was safe enough for now.

She smiled widely as she stepped toward me. "You've done well, wolf cub."

"Not too well," Kareem said. He had a shaved head and prominent cheekbones, one jagged cut on his left. "He barely managed that last one."

"But he did manage," she responded.

"Against two weak Suckers," Kareem argued.

"Silence, Kareem. Our pack is dwindling. We need fresh blood."

"He should've never interrupted my feeding," Kareem said.

"He displayed courage."

"So, wait. You're the one who bit me?" I asked.

The slightly smaller female, her blonde hair in pigtails, giggled.

Kareem snarled and moved forward. "Watch your filthy tongue."

"Enough!" Cleo shouted.

Everyone, including me, froze. I wasn't sure if I could've taken Kareem, but after what I'd just been through, I wasn't interested in finding out.

Kareem, for his part, stepped back behind Cleo.

"Jude Harper, it's nice to meet you in the flesh," Cleo said.

"The other night..." I said. "It was a dream?"

"Of a sort," she answered. "I'm the leader of the pack—the Alpha. We've been watching you. You're resourceful."

"You told me to find you," I said, stabbing a finger at her. "You did. Could've been a bit less vague, though."

She smiled again, but it wasn't the friendly sort. At the wave of her hand, the other werewolves fanned out to collect the Vampire Dust. While it held no practical value I was aware of, I'd earned it.

"Hey, that's mine," I said.

"We share in our pack," Cleo said. "You want to be in our pack, don't you?"

I stared into her deep, ageless eyes as she stepped closer to me.

I looked from one to another to another. Each of them stared at me expectantly. "Doesn't seem I have a choice."

"There's always a choice, Jude."

"Yeah," Kareem said. "The right one and the stupid one."

Cleo was within reach now. The subtle smell of Nightblooming Jasmine wafted off of her. She pursed her full lips. Almost as if I couldn't control myself, I reached out to grab her, but her hand shot up quick as a bullet, and she grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind me.

Her body pressed against mine, and her face nuzzled beneath my ear as she breathed heavily.

A savage need to be with her, have her, devour her, make our flesh one overwhelmed me.

"We... share in our pack," she whispered with a hint of sensuality that made my knees go weak.

I shuddered. "Okay..."

"Okay, what?" she hissed.

"I'll join," I said. "I'll join your pack."

She laughed and backed up, her eyes no longer glowing.

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid. While you are now Werewolf, we don't allow just anyone to join our pack."

"But you just said..."

"You must prove yourself," Kareem interjected.

I looked around at the piles of ash. "Have I not done that?"

"As I've said, you've done well," Cleo said. "But still, you will need to pass three tests if you want to join us."

As a student, I was used to tests. Though, I hated them. I'd never been a quick study.

"What kind of tests?" I asked.

The others continued collecting the dust while Cleo watched me with intent.

"There are three things those of us in The Midnight Hunt must excel at," she said. "Hunting, stealing, and battle."

"He's too weak," Kareem grunted.

Cleo turned and snapped. "When I found you, you were feeding off of rats in the sewer. Mind your place, or you will lose it."

Kareem growled but said no more.

"What if he's right?" I said, turning back to Cleo.

She smiled. "Then you will be released from this curse. However, we are your only true chance to survive. Look around you, Jude. Three of the Suckers have been slain by your hand. No easy task, I might add. Their army will be at your throat from this day forth. We can offer you protection, security. But first, you must prove you are worthy of it."

"So you'll just watch while I prove myself?" I said. "And if I fail, you'll just observe as I die?"

Cleo raised an eyebrow. "I have faith it won't come to that."

I shook my head. "And if I choose to do it on my own?"

"Do you know anything of wolves, Jude?"

I thought about it for a while and realized my knowledge of wolves was slim at best.

"We travel in packs," she said. "We hunt in packs. We live together, and we die together. Our three tests are necessary. We must trust our packmates with our very lives. Can we trust you with our lives?"

I thought about telling her I'd kill Kareem the first chance I got just for turning me into this thing, but the truth was, I was beginning to like it. I'd never been very strong, fast, or even smart as a human. Now, I'd just killed three vampires and hadn't even felt afraid.

"Yeah," I said. "Okay. I'll do it."

The others howled.

"Fine choice," she said. "The first is hunting. You will travel deeper into the Darkness. It will not be safe. Much of these tunnels are vampire territory. You must discover the location of a high-ranking vampire we've been tracking."

"So I'm what—your hitman?"

She laughed. "If that is how you choose to see it."

"What's the second test?" I asked.

"Steal an item of great value from the vampires."

"An item? What item?" I asked.

"You'll be given more information when we get to that point."

"If he gets to that point," Kareem said, then cleared his throat. Cleo glared daggers at the man. "Sorry, Cleo."

Cleo turned back to me. "Jude will find a way to prove his worth."

"And the final test?" I asked, worried about what her answer would reveal.

"Ah, in your mind, you've already passed the first two, have you?" Cleo said. "Good. Confidence will take you far."

She closed the distance between us once more and dragged her fingernail down the length of my neck.

"The final test will be to engage in battle with an Elite Vampire."

"Elite?" I asked. "What were these two?"

Kareem laughed. "Babies," he said.

Terror must've shown on my face because Cleo immediately said, "These were no babies, but they were no Elite, either. The task will not be a simple one. It will require all of your strength and cunning. But, Jude, we have all done this and survived to stand here before you."

I slumped, my shoulders slouching.

Cleo walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "We will ready you for the task, but first, you must complete the first two tests. We will guide you, but in the end, it's up to you, Jude Harper. Do you have what it takes to join The Midnight Hunt?"

I stood up straight. "I'll show him I do." I nodded at Kareem.

"That's the spirit."

"He doesn't stand a chance," Kareem said.

Cleo growled at him.

The other female giggled again, and I finally placed her.

"Hey, wait, your name's Astrid, right?" I asked.

She smiled and walked forward. "I wondered if you'd recognized me." She wrapped a lith hand around my throat and licked my cheek.

"Keep your damn hands off her," Kareem snarled at me.

Astrid stopped, the smile falling from her face. She stepped back.

"You were hanging out with Eric, my roommate, right?" I asked.

She nodded.

"And the dog?"

"I told Eric she was mine," she said. "But really, it's just been following me for days."

"What dog?" Cleo demanded, a seriousness tingeing her tone.

I quickly told her what had happened.

"It was just a stray," Astrid said.

"What if it's not?" Cleo asked. "Foolish girl. You must be careful."

"Careful?" I asked with a little chuckle. "Of an Australian Shepherd?"

She nodded toward the ceiling. "It might be the Ancient Ones," she said. "They can take many forms."

My brow furrowed. "The what?"

"The Ancient Ones," she repeated. "They created the vampires and werewolves but have not been seen in a few millennia, not since the great flood."

"Uh-huh," I said, not understanding at all. "The great flood. Like... Noah?"

I thought back to my Sunday school days when my grandmother would drag me to church.

"All peoples have such stories," Cleo said.

"Yeah, and most people don't believe the Ancient Ones exist," Astrid said.

"That doesn't make it any less true," Cleo argued.

"The voices above," I said. "What are they?"

"Just voices for now. We've been hearing them for days. I assume that is why these two Suckers were present. We are all drawn to it in some way."

"This is... a lot." I sighed, everything overwhelming me.

Cleo nodded. "It is. I know. We'll help you through it. You have the means to succeed."

I pursed my lips and nodded.

"There is much you do not know, much to learn about your new life, but for now, I believe you must get to class."

"Class?" I said, incredulous. "Doesn't that seem a bit mundane in light of... I don't know, Ancient Ones returning to the earth or whatever?"

"You must keep up appearances, Jude," she said. "We all must. This is who we are lest we desire to stay in hiding our whole lives. We must maintain our old lives."

I shook my head. I couldn't believe this werewolf, the leader of The Midnight Hunt, was telling me to get to class.

"Kareem, escort him to the exit," she commanded.

As if that were the end of the discussion, which I suppose it was, Kareem sidled up to me.

"Let's go, little cub," he said, mockery filling the words.

"Yeah, okay," I said, following him.

I stopped a few steps in and turned back. "How will I know what to do next?" I asked.

"You will know," Cleo said. "Now go. You will be late."

We left through the tunnel, leaving Cleo and the others behind. As much as I didn't want to talk to Kareem, I still had questions.

"What's all this Vampiric Dust good for?" I asked as we walked.

Kareem snorted again. "Trophies."

"That's it?" I asked.

"It can be used in [Crafting] if you were foolish enough to choose such a worthless Skill. I really hated this guy. "Now shut up and walk."