There was an irrefutable truth that existed among the Packs throughout the Territories.

No one messed with the Shadow Hunters.

Frankly, with that name, I wouldn't dare.

Every Pack name came with a meaning. My Pack were the Blue Caves, as we were known to have mystical caves near the seaside where it was said that our earlier ancestors had used the wide crevices as homes upon their first arrival into the unknown Territory.

The Shadow Hunters were famed for having the most skilled hunters in every legend ever told. Cave markings bore witness to their long list of unbelievable feats. Their Territory was said to be founded by one of the Wolfe brothers themselves, who were the first of our supernatural race to be transformed into existence.

It was believed that Uriel's blood ran in the Shadow Hunters' blood.

Uriel was the first son transformed by the Moon Goddess by her tears. Among the three men, he had been gifted with the affinity to hunt. He was also gifted with the sharp intuition to detect his prey, the agility to move effortlessly, the precise hand to strike a victim down with one accurate shot and the sharp premonition to know if danger lurked nearby.

However, these skills shone brighter when night fell, the moon reach its highest peak in the sky and the shadows abounded.

Thus, the Shadow Hunters.

***

Seamus -bless his cold heart- seemed almost happy to dust his hands off us as the van pulled up in front of a standard five-storey structure, fashioned with drab, over-sized bricks. Untamed vines had already embedded itself into the withered openings between bricks, resembling green veins sprawled across the face of the building. From a certain angle, one could even dismiss it for unchecked mould if there weren't any pink petals blooming from the twisted vines.

Before Seamus abandoned us, he slipped us all a few keys, with corresponding tags with our name, Pack name and room number printed on it with the solemn instruction to, "Find your room, unpack your shit, and be up before six."

We all scattered like headless chickens upon the order.

My room was situated on the upper floor. Just as I cleared the stairway, Casey appeared on the opposite end, irritation in her expression as she realised, we were basically neighbours.

"Howdy Neighbour!" I tipped my imaginary hat in her direction.

"Fuck me sideways." She muttered but not merely low enough, I could still hear each drawn-out letter. I was sure she had intended me to hear it.

I flipped her the bird, flashing my teeth.

She muttered something else before stabbing her key into her door, jerking it open with an annoyed huff.

I twisted my key inside the small lock and pressed it open, flicking the light on.

The room was almost empty with white and burgundy hues decorating the room. A single-sized bed was perched in the middle of the space, with heavy covers and a single pillow pressed up against the headboard. There was a cute bedside table with a reading lamp, two mahogany closets strategically placed between the rectangle windows dressed in burgundy lace drapes, and a door to the right was ajar where I caught gleaming cerulean tiles of the bathroom. There was a fridge in the corner, and beside it, an empty shelf and desk where a wheelie chair sat, untouched.

Excitement thrummed in my veins as I slammed the door shut and locked it quickly. I discarded my suitcase by the door and leaped onto the bed, doing a body flop, and landing face-down onto the mattress.

Holy moly, the sheets smelt divine like lavender or something of a floral variety. I rolled onto my back and stared at the high ceiling where spotlights ran across in a straight line.

I had an awesome bedroom. At least if I had a crappy day, my newly assigned bedroom would cheer me up.

***

The shrill shriek of the alarm clock woke me up. For a moment, my groggy eyes stared at the unfamiliar room in confusion. It took me a few seconds to finally remember that I was in the Shadow Hunters' Territory.

Holy crap, I was in the Shadow Hunters' Territory.

I flung away the cover from my body, welcoming the cool air. I stumbled into the bathroom, seeking the mirror. My hair was a messy tumble of knots and my eyes had bags beneath them. I rubbed away the remaining fatigue and stripped off my sleeping clothes, entering the shower cubicle. I let the hot rain of water warm me up as I grabbed a sponge and began washing myself with the pomegranate body wash on the small rack. After I shampooed and conditioned my hair, I brushed my teeth, humming a random tune.

Finished, I dried off and donned my black spandex leggings and Henley shirt that exposed a modest amount of skin.

I could hear my neighbours waking too, commencing their morning routines as the pipes in the building hummed from use.

I quickly pulled my hair into a messy knot on my head and slipped my black trainers on. Hopefully, we'd get fed breakfast because I sure as hell didn't pack anything to eat.

As soon as six came, I was out the door. Most of the Recruits were beginning to group below with Seamus and two other men looming at his sides. My eyes snagged onto the gold X badges on their right chest pockets, indicating their rank among the Elite Syndicate Enforcers.

I drifted down the stairs after barely remembering to lock the door and joined the rest of the Recruits. The patent awe on their faces upon seeing the men were almost comical.

You'd expect the men to at least look uncomfortable from the blatant stares, but they held true E.S forms, not giving a single hint of what they were feeling away.

They were hot too. That was something that surprised me. It was probably why most of the girls were greedily eyeing their fill of toned muscles and long, athletic limbs. I may have stolen a few glances but in a way that I was merely impressed by the way they honed their bodies into ideal, fighting weapons. I could appreciate hard work and clearly, these men did not lack in their efforts.

"Recruits, meet Luka and Jamison. These Enforcers will be your main teachers over the course of the twelve months you'll be serving." Seamus explained. Today his suit was MIA, but he was wearing khaki trousers and a white button up. His inky hair was combed to the side as he assessed us critically with his murky gaze.

Luka was the teal-eyed Enforcer with the obsidian hair cut close to his scalp. An easy, almost flirty smirk decorated his lips. The other of the pair had a deep, copper gaze. His hair was a strange mix of copper and gold. He was clearly the less friendly of the two as his gaze perused the gawking girls nearest to him.

He downright looked put off.

I couldn't blame the guy.

One girl looked close to frothing at the mouth from standing in his general vicinity.

"First on our list today, we'll be testing the basics of your speed, endurance, strength and patience. After these tests, if you do pass, you'll be able to meet our Alpha as he requested to see the Recruits this year. You all should do well to remember to be respectful and only speak if the words are directed to you. Understand?"

A chorus of acquiescence rose from us.

"Any questions?"

A girl beside me with pink highlights raised a hand, "Umm, what happens if we don't pass the test?"

"What do you think?" Jamison cocked his head to the side, a knowing smirk on his lips. Huh, he really did detest being here. There was a certain promise in his expression as he continued to eye the group of aspiring teens with contempt. I was sure in his mind; he was hoping we would all fail. He didn't even hide it.

Chills torpedoed down my spine the longer silence lingered after his question.

We die.

That's what would happen.

"Stop trying to scare them off." Luka tsked, "You're letting their minds run wild."

"Better now they know then later when we slit their throats for being incompetent." Jamison shrugged nonchalantly.

I couldn't tell whether he was joking or not.

I think I took the wrong turn into crazy town. They couldn't be serious with their off-hand comments, but Enforcers of the Elite Syndicate didn't lie. They took a solemn oath to not lie during the Initiation process.

"Crazy bastards." Pink highlights mumbled.

I couldn't agree more.

***

It was after breakfast that Seamus conveniently departed, leaving Luka and Jamison in his place. Since there were only twenty of us, we were split in half so ten would go with each Enforcer.

I was placed into Jamison's group. Unlike the other group that had laughed in the last half hour across the training field, our group was only leaden with tense silence except for when he'd talk.

The first test was basic combat skills. He paired us with opponents with similar build and whistled to begin our spar.

I was paired with the Rogue girl. The scent of broken kinship emitted from her as she lunged for me with a determined growl. Her fist swung out first and I let my instincts take charge, consuming my mind in practised ease. My inhibitions eased, as I moved deftly, imitating the moves I'd polished throughout my childhood training.

I didn't think, I only let my body unravel into a lethal dance of combat.

My arm snapped up to block her attack, but she quickly twisted around, with her leg aiming for my middle. I dropped to the ground, rolled to my back, and latched onto her foot, yanking it back so she stumbled. I used the momentum to pull myself back up.

More punches came my way, and I interceded each one. She managed to get a good one to my chest, squeezing out a good amount of air from my lungs. A pulse of pain spread across my boob, but I gnashed my teeth and ignored the throbbing ache. I retaliated with a round house kick to her jaw that violently snapped her head back with a low crunch.

The girl was good, but I was better.

She tried to get another jab into my chest, but her moves were becoming predictable with each punch and kick.

She was a dominant right hand, but she kicked with her left. She avoided too much pressure on her right, but it was barely noticeable if you didn't look for it.

But I saw it and I used that bitch to my advantage.

When she hiked up her left foot to throw a high kick to my face, I swung out my leg, and caught her right knee. She gasped as her knee folded. Her footing collapsed and she slammed into the ground with an unpleasant OOF.

"Sorry about that." I extended my hand to her.

The Rogue girl cut her eerie silver gaze to me. I expected her to slap my hand away, but she caught it and let me help her to her feet. "Thanks. I'm Pen. Pen Rivers." She introduced herself, pulling her dark tresses over her shoulders. Strands of bright pink were woven into her damp locks as she blew away an errant hair dangling in front of her eye.

"Is that short for something?" I asked.

"Penelope and don't give me that look. I know it's a pussy ass name. What's your name?"

"Aella Spades."

She examined me without judgement and nodded, "You look like you'd have a weird name."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I grinned, liking Pen already. It felt weird having an easy conversation with someone without the sharp undertones of judgement in their words. It felt alleviating and just good which spoke a lot about the people I kept as company.

Jamison drew to a stop beside us and crossed his arms. Damn, but the guy packed muscle. Stealing a glance from Pen, I knew she wouldn't mind if his shirt shredded. She hid a smirk in her shoulder when Jamison scowled down at us.

"Who won?" He asked, getting straight to the point. No short conversation, just business. Did this man know the definition of fun?

"She did. Kicked my ass in less than thirty seconds." Pen answered, not bothered that she lost. There was a casual, almost unbothered way she conducted herself as she addressed Jamison.

The man didn't look pleased, or anything else for that matter. He wore his cold expression well. "Is that right?" He asked slowly, not convinced. He glanced between us, rubbing his fingers along his angular jaw. I might have been insulted if I cared enough.

Pen nodded, although he was looking right at me. The look felt somewhat intrusive, but I wasn't willing to back down. I was here to prove something. No mean Enforcer was going to trample my plans.

"Yes." I replied.

Jamison stared for a beat longer before he conceded with a slight nod and left.

For the rest of the day, we were assessed on our endurance, speed, and patience.

I barely survived the patience test.

In theory, it should have been a simple task. They had found out our weaknesses in food. They placed it in front of us, freshly prepared with steam still emitting from the morsels of food. Mind you, we hadn't yet eaten lunch and as changelings we were fast to metabolize food and easy to hunger.

Luka announced the goal of the task, looking way too happy for his own good, "This will evaluate your levels of patience and perhaps your resistance to temptation. As you can see, we have placed delicious morsels of your favourite treat in front of you. The test is to see how long you can put off your pleasure or cede your hunger. For every half hour you resist, another treat will be added."

My plate of hell was steamed buns. I was sweating hard under the blistering heat and my mouth was dry. "How long do we do this?" I asked, practically salivating at the plate full of temptation.

"Until there's one of you remaining. If you all can last until eight, we'll end this test." Luka explained.

That was like another five hours under the heat, starving and salivating over something you couldn't have.

"What is the fucking purpose of this?" Jace's familiar growl rose from the end of the line.

"They weren't lying when they say patience is a virtue. Patience is an underestimated quality among our brethren. Most of the greatest victories and strategies required patience and resistance from striking too early or their triumph would be short-lived. During battle, don't ever let impatience get in your way. It is that recklessness that will get you killed. Understand?"

Everyone nodded and the test dragged on.

I literally had watched the sunset with my belly cramping from the lack of food. The sweat in my clothes had long cooled and my skin was a touch sensitive from way too many hours under the blistering sun.

"Okay. Enough." Luka tapped the stopwatch in his palm.

I glanced up and noticed that a few Recruits had already quit, including Ace and Casey who both hovered on the side, annoyed.

When they caught me staring, they flipped me the bird while I smiled right back, teeth and all.

Everyone moved at once, preparing to leave but Luka stopped us with a stern look. "The Alpha has informed us that he would like to meet you all. I suggest you all go home; shower cause you all stink. Regroup at the Great Hall in an hour. However, those who failed this test will run a lap of six miles before retiring to their rooms."