Eventually, I found my way to where I'd last encountered Cleo and The Midnight Hunt. The voices from the ceiling were no longer there. Char marks on the floor were the only reminder that I'd done battle with two powerful vampires just hours ago. Would that be my only legacy should I fall to the vampires? A black mar on the earth?

I waited for what seemed like hours. I was nearly ready to give up and leave when Cleo and her pack entered behind me.

"You made it," Cleo said, Kareem and Astrid in tow. "Good job, Jude. I hear you made enemies."

"You hear?" I said, my face scrunching up in anger. "You hear I made enemies? You knew."

Cleo affected a look of mock-offense.

"Did you not think I deserved to know I was being hunted?"

Kareem sniffed.

Cleo merely continued walking forward.

"What kind of games are you playing with my life?" I kept going since no one else was planning to speak. "Some test. Find a giant city—one I have no idea how it's stayed hidden so long, by the way—and Gestar wasn't exactly difficult to locate. And you say you've been hunting him for a while? You people must be shit at your jobs."

Silence hung on the air like poison until finally, Cleo said, "Are you quite through?"

"I think I've said enough for now," I said.

"Me too," Kareem agreed.

"You have concerns," Cleo said. "Understandably. However, if you'll allow me to explain—"

"You don't need to explain anything to this runt," Kareem said.

"Bees with honey, Kareem," Cleo said. Then, she turned back to me. "First, the City of Shadows can only be seen by supernatural eyes. Humans who wander the tunnels will find themselves disoriented the closer they get. Should they find their way in my accident, they would be food within minutes."

Kareem bared his teeth and chomped at the air.

"And yes, you are being hunted. We all are."

"He said I had two weeks," I said.

Astrid laughed, which felt odd coming from her.

Cleo held up a hand, and Astrid's face went flat.

"Did you think we were going to send a newly turned child after a true threat?" Cleo asked.

I tilted my head.

She nodded. "Gestar is harmless."

"He said he had someone close to me, ready to kill me," I told her.

"And why did he not kill you then and there?" she asked.

I considered the question. He'd been pretty clear it was his way of showing mercy. But had he tricked me? Was that just his way of keeping me from turning and killing him?

"You completed your mission," Cleo said. "The hunted has become the hunter."

"So I passed the test?" I asked.

Cleo nodded again. "Did you end him?"

"End him?" I asked, confused.

"Did you rip his throat out and paint the walls with his blood?" Kareem asked.

"I... that wasn't the directive," I said.

"Quite right," Cleo said. "You've done well. You're special, Jude."

Kareem blew out a sharp breath.

Cleo turned on him. "Have you something to say, Kareem?"

Kareem snarled. "This little pissant doesn't deserve the Crescent Auspice."

Cleo shook her head. "Green is an ugly color on you. Deserve it or not, you should be proud."

"Proud? He was an accident."

"You turned me," I reminded him.

"Because you interfered in my feeding," he said.

"I'm sorry I kept you from murdering someone," I said, no lack of sarcasm in my tone. I don't know if it was my recent victories, but I felt more confident than ever.

Kareem rushed me, practically teleporting into position inches from my face.

"You think you're better than us?" he growled.

I didn't respond, but I didn't back down either.

"Kareem," Cleo said, "go back to the den and await your orders."

"But—"

"You need to cool off," she said. Then with a tone of command, she added, "Go. Now."

"Fine," he relented.

I admired Cleo's power as he turned and stalked toward the door. She waited until he fully left before she resumed speaking.

"You should beware of Kareem. He's wild and unpredictable."

"I didn't ask for this," I said, a note of resignation in my voice.

"Nor did he."

Cleo had said something about finding Kareem on the streets. I wondered how long ago that had been. How old were these people?

"You're dominant," Cleo said as she moved closer to me. She touched my chin with her soft, delicate hand. "I like that."

"I wasn't. Not before. But after I changed..." My voice drifted off.

"You have the Crescent Auspice," Cleo said. "We all have certain... gifts, depending upon the stars' alignment at the time of our turning. Auspices are important. You'll learn more as you level up and gain new powers."

"Why can't you just tell me?" I asked, tired of the games.

"That is not my place," she said. "Not yet. I am not your Alpha. Time will tell if you will gain a place amongst The Midnight Hunt."

I turned away from her, frustrated. "You know what?" I turned back. "I'm not entirely convinced I want to be in your pack. What makes you any more trustworthy than anyone else? So far, you've done nothing but watch me nearly die and send me into enemy territory for some BS test."

"Do you believe you'd be better off on your own?" she asked.

"You said it yourself: your numbers are dwindling."

"And that should frighten you to your core," Cleo said. "Our enemies are dangerous, ruthless. The only way we survive is together."

[Situational Analysis] +1%

My HUD showed me a new increase in something called [Situational Analysis], which brought a question to the forefront of my mind. "What's with the HUD?"

"HUD?" Cleo asked.

"The orange text and all the levels and Skills."

"Ah, the Third Eye," Cleo said. "Have you heard of Simulation Theory?"

The Third Eye... It was nice to have a name for it. It was even nicer that she didn't tell me I was crazy.

"The idea that life is nothing more than a computer simulation?"

"Precisely," she said. "We don't have all the answers, but the going theory is that werewolves, vampires, and other advanced beings are further along in the evolutionary process kicked off by the Ancient Ones."

"Like the dog Astrid found?" I asked.

"We don't know that's what Fluffy is," Astrid argued.

"Fluffy?" Cleo asked. "You named the creature Fluffy?"

"Well, she's fluffy," Astrid said as if it needed no more explanation.

"Foolish," Cleo said. "Jude, your first test is complete. You will likely find more information within the Third Eye. Study it. Learn it like you know your own self. It is truly part of you now.

I didn't like the sound of that. I was becoming more comfortable with the updates, and I wouldn't lie, the Skills and Abilities were nice, but up until now, I'd hadn't considered the... permanence of the Third Eye."

"Is there a cure?" I asked.

Cleo shook her head. "This is your life now. Pass the tests. Join our pack. Find refuge amongst those like you."

"Kareem is nothing like me," I argued.

"You'd be surprised," she said. "Kareem just needs time to warm up to the thought of you. Your meeting, your turning, was not under the best of circumstances. Nevertheless, a piece of you will always be tied to him and he to you. That is the nature of our kind."

"He's not that bad," Astrid said. "Give it time."

I sighed. What choice did I have? It's not like there were other packs knocking down my door. Were there other packs? Or was it The Midnight Hunt against the world?

"What now?"

"Like it or not, as Werewolf, you are now enemy to the vampires. We are at war with Gestar's clan. In the center of the City of Shadows stands their clan flag. You must infiltrate, unnoticed, and replace their flag with our own. Let them know we cannot be underestimated."

"That's it?" I asked.

"It won't be so simple a task. Gestar may've given you mercy once, but don't expect him to do so again."

"I thought you said he was harmless?"

Cleo smiled. "I have it under good authority that Gestar and his men will be on mission two nights hence. Until then, rest. Carry on. Stay out of trouble and do nothing to draw attention to yourself. To the world around you, nothing has changed. We will meet again soon, Jude Harper."

With that, Cleo and Astrid turned into their [Wolf] forms and trotted out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.