After Jamison dismissed us all with the reminder to regroup at the Great Hall in an hour, I returned to my room and made a beeline to the shower. I was grateful for the brief reprieve from the hectic day. While I soaked my hair in shampoo, I contemplated Luka's words.

I was going to meet the Shadow Hunters very own leader- Alpha Slater.

Gathering my thoughts from low whispers of gossip snatched here and there, I concluded that Alpha Slater was a forbidding male in a sense that it felt wrong to even think about him, in case he appeared with his notorious chains wrapped around his wrists like coiled snakes and sliced you into bloody ribbons.

He almost sounded like a myth.

At one point, I thought it sounded stupid.

Who goes around armed with chains?

I had questions, lots of them but I reluctantly swatted them away. I simply couldn't just walk up to him with a friendly wave and say, "Hey Alpha Slater, I have some questions regarding your choice of weapon in battle. Personally, I think you would benefit more with a gun. You know, it'll be better if you wanted to attack from a distance...Oh me? I'm Aella, one of the Recruits..."

Yeah, the scenario didn't look too great in my head.

Considering the man was an anomaly, it didn't sound too ludicrous that his ideal weapon in combat were chains he kept coiled around his forearms. He rarely took them off and he only wielded them during battle to lash at his enemies.

There was only one rumour I was sceptical about.

Despite the horrors of Alpha Slater that circulated the Territories like a brewing nightmare, I wasn't convinced the man himself even existed. Surely, someone so notorious in his dealings would be seen more in the public eye. I've heard talk of the infamous man but currently, I imagined some caveman adorned in animal skins with a mere piece of cloth to cover his loins.

All I knew for sure was that Alpha Slater posed an incalculable risk in my plans.

I didn't intend on leaving early or getting myself killed during this. I had something to gain, and I was unwilling to be intimidated by a man who slayed with chains.

***

"Shit." I cursed, staring at the green digits blinking green on the alarm clock. The numbers 22:00 PMmocked me.

Hadn't I set an alarm?

I cursed and surged out from my cocoon of blankets, combing my fingers through my tangled hair. "I am going to get so much shit for this." I stumbled to the drawers and plucked out my black leggings and a Nike sweatshirt. I couldn't remember falling asleep in my underwear or setting an alarm.

Maybe all the time in the sun had scrambled my brain cells.

The alarm clock ticked as the numbers changed.

It was a stark reminder that time was my enemy right now.

Would the meeting still be on? Luka mentioned it was a dinner. Just to be sure, I got ready and dashed out the door.

The night was chilly, and the luminescent moon kept me company as I dashed towards the Great Hall. The quiet rustling of leaves accompanied by eerie calls of nocturnal animals reminded me of that Jeepers Creepers horror movie. The film made my imagination run wild for an entire week. Ma banned me from watching horror ever since because I was too paranoid to go to the toilet alone.

It took a good three days for her to convince me that there was no creepy person in the toilet, before I gathered my courage and did my business like a boss without her standing by the door.

And that was only last year.

It was mind-boggling to me that I could handle fighting knife to knife with someone and spill blood, if necessary, rather than enter the bathroom in fear that someone lay in wait to kill me based on paranoia from a fictional horror film.

Yeah, crazy. Still, you must admit that there was a moment in your life where you were scared to enter the bathroom because bloody Mary or the Bogeyman was lurking in the shadows ready to disturb you mid-pee.

Crunch.

The tiny hairs on my skin rose as I paused and perked my ears.

That sound was way too close for comfort.

Maybe it was a non-changeling, performing its innocent nocturnal activities but the scent that hit my nostrils said otherwise.

Whoever my voyeur was, they were part of the Shadow Hunters. They carried the distinct scent of fire, sometimes burnt ashes. I didn't know why but their Territory reeked of the bitter scent.

I silently moved my fingers to my hip, feeling the cold ninja stars pressed against my specialized belt I always kept hidden in the band of my lower pieces of clothing. Presently, I was armed with two thin daggers on each side of the belt, five ninja stars with newly sharpened points and five sleeping darts encased in discreet confinements so when I moved, it wouldn't accidentally jab my skin.

I was prepared for unwelcome attacks.

The first rule Ma ever taught me since I could walk on two feet was to always carry a knife. She let me carry one officially when I was seven and I learned to use it effectively the following year.

Over the years, my personal arsenal had expanded with weapons I specifically made to be hidden nicely in my belt. New additions included small explosives that were shaped into thumb-sized spherical balls filled with gun powder and a small tube of blue liquid. When injected into the recipient's bloodstream, it'll make the body go into a deep sleep that emulated death. I've never used it since Ma reluctantly handed it over five years ago and I hoped I'd never need it.

The uncanny sensation of being watched washed over me again, reminding me that I was in possible danger. I slowly turned around and examined my environment. Nothing but swaying trees surrounded my lonely path.

Well, there was a squirrel staring at me, holding a big acorn in its little hands. It hadn't moved since I stopped to observe the dark trees.

Ignoring the little critter, I kept my fingers tucked near my belt. If anything, unexpected lunged at me, they would find ninja stars pinning them to the nearest tree. When it came to my life, I wasn't risking myself for a possible death.

If I died, Ma would be alone. Someone would have to kill me before I could let that fate befall her.

Controlling the urge to demand the voyeur to come to light, I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

I was so sure that someone or something was staring at me. As the minutes ticked by and the feeling of being spied on faded, I reluctantly continued my journey to the Great Hall.

I sensed no one inside. Just before I could knock, the two cherry red doors swung open. Jamison and Luka stood at the threshold, neither one happy at my tardy presence.

I ducked my head a little lower, ashamed.

"You're late." Jamison snapped, residing in the shadows like the creeper he was soon becoming.

"I know. I'm sorry." There really wasn't much I could say or do. This had been my fault.

My quick acknowledgement and apology seemed to surprise the pair, but they were quick to continue.

"We issued a time and place, and we expect prompt appearances, not a second later and sure as hell not two full hours later. Perhaps the Scouts made a mistake in taking you on board. Surely, they couldn't have known their taste was shitty. Maybe even the worst compared to previous years."

They couldn't have chosen better words to bother me as much.

"You missed an opportunity to meet the Alpha. You'll be lucky to even meet him another time."

Great. Only been here for less than 24 hours and I was already screwing up.

I squashed the feelings of shame into a tight ball and steeled my voice. "I won't make any more mistakes." I assured, hoping like hell that my voice sounded determined as it sounded.

They both raked their gazes down my form in detached appraisal. I made sure that they couldn't detect the discomfort I felt twisting my insides.

"As punishment, you'll be assigned to washing dishes after dinner for the next month or so, depending on how well you do the chore. If you slack, you'll be on the job a lot longer."

"Okay." I agreed. It was a reasonable punishment.

They eyed me with suspicion but then gestured that I could go with a dismissive flick of their wrists.

I knew I should've gone straight back to the complex, but I was unnerved about the eerie feeling from earlier. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't investigate the issue. Since it would be home for the next eleven months and few weeks, I wanted to become familiar with at least some landmarks since we weren't shown around.

I took the opposite path back to the complex, which led me to a vast field of tall grass that skimmed my waist. It was endless and resumed on for miles in every direction the eye could behold.

The moon's pearly rays caressed the tips of the brown blades of grass. The sight looked mystically eerie. There was no sight of a cloud, and the stars were scarce tonight.

I waded further into the tall mass of grass, running my fingers against the pointed tips.

I didn't want to return to my room just yet. The aroma of dewy grass resonated lightly in the air, accompanied by the unbroken song of cicadas and the occasional hoot of an owl.

I closed my eyes and breathed deep.

It was then I felt it.

The feeling that something was watching.

I couldn't scent anything in the air or see anything.

But I could feel it, sense it in a way that was not normal.

Senses peaked, I slowly extracted myself from the field and ignored the erratic pounding of my heart, slamming against my rib cage in a delirious rhythm.

Once I was out, I calmly made my way to the complex. I kept a tight leash on my emotions. I didn't allow for circumstances to evoke feelings from me. It would mean that I wasn't in control. I always went into shut-down mode when I felt danger and right now, all my emotions were cut off, leaving my six senses open and alert.

Then I felt it rushing towards me. I knew it was. It was strange how I sensed it despite not detecting a scent. Before I could make any sense of it, I grabbed two stars from my belt, palmed them in my hands and twisted, flinging them into the night.

I watched as the plastic, protective cases of the stars flew off the metal from the rapid momentum, separating from the naked blades.

They released a shrill whistling sound as they sailed through the air and stopped abruptly with a thick thump.

A pained screech filled the air abruptly. It was a hideous high-pitched sound. I hastily ran in the direction I threw my stars, anxious to see what I struck down.

There, pierced with my ninja stars against the sturdy trunk of a tree was a wolf changeling, a demented one. The familiar glint of the polished metal from my weapons flashed against its dark coat, showing that it had sunk into its hind leg, and the other deep into its chest. It was still squealing, with froth bubbling from its canines but what stole my attention was its crazed red eyes and dilated pupils.

I stepped closer.

There was no smell emitting from its dying body. Surely, the iron of its blood would register in the air but there was nothing.

There was no hint of a scent attached to it.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

The animal convulsed, releasing another ear-splitting squeal.

If it carried on, surely someone in the Pack would come and then I was in major trouble but first, I needed to know who this changeling was.

"Who are you?!" I repeated.

It was dying slowly. Its red eyes darted towards me. The crazed look had already died, and a look of- was that gratitude? I studied it longer. Its cries already ceased, and its rusty coloured body gave another jolt before it sagged lifelessly.

Its open eyes were still on me, and I stumbled back in confusion.

No, that wolf wanted to die.

But it didn't make sense. It had come after me. I sensed its intent to kill.

Why did it look at me that way?

I recovered quickly and yanked my bloodied stars from its furry body, careful not to cut skin. When I pulled the last one out, it slumped to the ground in a dead heap.

I turned and ran right into a hard wall of muscle.

I recoiled with a shocked gasp.

It took me a while to make out his appearance in the dark. He was tall, maybe 6'2, and he was built with muscles that probably had muscles if that made any sense. I was on eye-level with his broad shoulders encased in a long-sleeved compressor which tapered to a narrow waist, and two long legs which fit snugly into dark denim. He had big feet, which were laced into black Timberlands. I took in his chin that had a slight dimple pressed into it. His sharp jaw line was covered in brown scruff, and when our gazes clashed, blue green against gunmetal steel, I released a startled breath.

Who was this man?

For a split second, I was convinced that maybe I was dreaming somewhere, conjuring an image of this man with the intense, stormy eyes and irritated scowl.

That was until he opened his mouth, "Who authorised you to enter this Territory?" His voice was rough.

"W-What?" I blurted, still caught in a daze. I blinked and shook my head, a little stunned myself that I had completely ogled this stranger without shame. There seriously was something wrong with me.

For a long moment, he didn't reply. He simply stared at me, as if in disbelief but his features settled into a hard mask, which did nothing to soothe the unease building in my chest. A sane part of me wanted to just run. Leave. However, even I understood this man would give chase. I wasn't in the mood to test that either.

"Who are you?" He said slowly in a low lethal sneer, taking a step closer to me. Leaves crunched under his boots and a hoot of an owl splintered the silence hanging between us.

I blinked, "Umm, sorry. Who are you again?"

I learned fairly fast that I shouldn't have said that.

He grew stiffer as the seconds slowly ticked by in packed silence. "Excuse me?"

He couldn't be anyone more than a random passer-by. E.S Enforcers rarely patrolled this area since the ground looked untouched by footsteps. This man- whoever he was- needed to move along before the E.S Enforcers really did stumble across us and start an inquisition.

My night was done with dramas, though it was my fault I was there in the first place. I should've gone straight to the complex, but I wanted to scope out the Pack grounds. I felt uncomfortable knowing I was literally in an unknown place. It made sense to get a read on the place, especially with how dangerous the place was to Outsiders like myself.

When I chanced another quick glimpse of his unsmiling face, I suddenly got the impression that I may have missed my mark on assuming who he was because he was studying me in that intense way it made for an uncomfortable atmosphere. He wasn't doing a quick sweep from head to toe, one that should've lasted a second. No, his gaze was lingering. Not in a sexual way but in a manner, he was trying to decode something. He did this on his own time, and I was proud to confess that I didn't flinch when his grey orbs slowly trailed up my chest and tangled with my gaze.

A flare of heat trickled down my spine. I erased the emotion quickly.

Yip, I totally misjudged this guy, whoever he was.

His steel gaze locked directly on me as he pursed his lips into a wry line and confirmed my earlier thought I wanted to deny.

"I am the Alpha."