Chapter 1 – Fated encounter

Aella ‘whirlwind’ Harlow was looking at the screen of her phone with earbuds on, hearing the live speech of Aniya Rossi at the United Nations. She sighed and mumbled when it ended, “Dumbass… Werewolves accepted by society, protectors, helping Humanity achieve greatness. Yeah, greatness, my butt! A good Werewolf is a dead Werewolf! Spoiled brat… Stupid bitch…”

She checked her quiver, counting the darts still there. A glance at the pistol crossbow on the left side of her belt, and the Ruger gun inside the holster under her left armpit. Grabbing her faithful Labrys, a double-edged axe was the last thing she did before hearing a howl nearby.

Aella frowned and mumbled, “Showtime…”

With her inhuman speed, she crossed the forest where she was without making any noise. Years of training made her the best of the best in her field.

Suddenly, she stopped, and walked slowly, approaching her prey. In the clearing ahead, two dark-grey Werewolves were eating a Human body on the ground at their feet.

Aella leisurely approached and addressed the surprised Werewolves while taping the silver edge of her double axe. “Well, well, what do we have here... Two mean and scary Werewolves killed and are eating a person? Well, I don’t know if you can understand me or not, but the penalty for killing a Human is death. So, who wants to be the first?”

Both Werewolves had blood dripping from their mouths, and while they were still looking at her, Aella put a dart on her crossbow gun and waited for their next move.

The moment one of them stuck his left paw on the ground, preparing to jump, she moved with an inhuman speed.

In the next split second, she was next to that Werewolf, sticking a dart straight to his neck while hitting the other Werewolf with her axe, slicing his left arm off.

An elbow to the stomach of the Werewolf with the dart made him bend his body, and Aella beheaded him. Her axe continued the downward movement, and with a wrist movement, changed its course and went straight at the last Werewolf.

Surprisingly, he was able to grab the blade with his still attached hand, and even with the silver sharp edge cutting into his flesh, he pushed Aella to the left, throwing her against a tree.

She was already pointing her gun at him when her back hit the wood, and she shot straight to the chest, slowing his run towards her. She used the tree to get an impulse by hitting it with her feet, and she darted ahead, with her axe pointing forward.

They both rolled on the floor, with Aella shooting her gun at the Werewolf’s head and slicing it with the axe in a swift and powerful slash.

When she was getting up and panting, the noise of running from behind her alerted her that the fight hadn’t ended.

Unknown to her, there was another dark-grey Werewolf in the woods that, perhaps attracted by the noise, was almost grabbing her. Then, a dark shadow came from Aella’s right side and tackled the Werewolf.

She frowned at the sight of two Werewolves rolling on the floor, but it didn’t last long because the dark Werewolf clutched his fangs in the throat of the dark grey Werewolf, and killed him.

Aella squeezed the handle of her axe and lowered her body, preparing to attack the dark nightmare, but then she heard him speak in a harsh voice, with both arms raised, “Wait! I mean no harm! I just saved you, you know?”

“Nice, a freaking talking Werewolf! I never asked for help, you beast!”

The dark Werewolf made a low growl and said, “You are a nice piece of work, aren’t you? I shouldn’t have helped you. This World doesn’t need more stupidity. You were lucky this time, but maybe you won’t be on your next adventure. I only hope you die before you have time to have children, or they will be even dumber than you.”

“What did you say? Are you freaking joking with me? Do you have any idea with whom you are talking to?”

“I don’t, nor do I care. You mean nothing to me. I have better things to do than waste my time with you.”

Then, she started to change. In seconds, Aella was looking at a blond, blue-eyed woman who was removing the last bits of flesh and fur from her body. She gulped because the blond woman was not only extremely beautiful, but her figure was also amazing.

Without looking at her, the mysterious woman went to a tree nearby, and from behind it, took a bag and opened it. She grabbed a towel from there, cleaning herself from all the blood the change left all over her body, and she quickly got dressed. A white t-shirt, a dark-brown sweater with a hood, black leather trousers and boots.

Aella was looking at her, marvelled, unable to avert her eyes. The mysterious blond got dressed without even bothering to look at the puzzled woman, and when she grabbed the bag again, she approached the dead Human body on the floor, the one the Werewolves were eating, and she kneeled next to it with her eyes closed in silence as if she was praying.

The mysterious woman then got up and looked at Aella. Then her frown slowly changed to a surprised stare. She walked slowly towards her, and Aella didn’t even dare to move.

To her, it was as if a being out of a fantasy story was approaching, with her eyes shining and her loose blond hair reflecting the moonlight.

Aella noticed a strange glow around, something that seemed to come from her and, until that night, had never happened.

The blond woman made a slight smile and said, in a slow, calming voice, “What you feel is the bond. It means we were meant for each other. You shine like my mother, and that is extremely rare. I know of only twenty people in the entire World who can make this light. It also gives you immense power over Werewolves, and that means you are my Alpha or my Luna. We may need to decide which role each of us should take in this relationship because it will make things far easier. What colour is your Werewolf form? Don’t tell me it is white, because that would be a tremendous coincidence!”

Aella gasped and said, “I… am not a Werewolf… I hunt them… I am a member of the Werewolf Enforcer Unit…”

“No need to lie to me. You are a Werewolf. I can smell you. I don’t know why you deny it, but you are just like me. Except that you are an Enforcer, and I am a Bounty Hunter. The family of that man those Werewolves killed hired me. My job was to save him, or retrieve his body and avenge his death. I couldn’t find him in time to save him, but I avenged him. What is your story? Were you after the Werewolves?”

“Yes… Yes, I was. They were on the run for a few months, and I tracked them down here. They have a long list of Humans they have killed, either as Humans or as Werewolves. I need to take their heads with me as proof and bury the bodies. And… I am a Werewolf, yes, but I hate it. It is not something I chose to be, so I don’t want to be one.”

The blond woman raised her left eyebrow slightly, puzzled by her answer. After a few minutes of silence, she said, “I know there is a story behind that decision, as it most definitely is one behind why you chose to be an Enforcer and only fight in your Human form. You should be at a disadvantage against Werewolves, but from what I saw, you are very dangerous. That is cool, and also very attractive. What’s your name?”

“I… Shit, this light is messing with my nerves! How do I turn it off?”

“Close your eyes. Breathe deeply and calm your heart. Focus on your breathing. Slow and steady. The light is connected to your emotions. Being calm and in control keeps the light hidden, but ready for you to use if you need to enforce your power over Werewolves.”

Aella did as the mysterious woman said, and her heart rate slowed down, and the light diminished. When Aella opened her eyes again, only moonlight surrounded them.

She made a slight frown and asked, “What do you mean, power over Werewolves? I heard a few things about this light, but most of them were rumours, lacking proof.”

“Because only a few people are blessed with it, and those who aren’t, don’t fully comprehend it. It is basically the power to bend a Werewolf to your will and to make them acknowledge you as their superior. It is useful to make Werewolves used to the smell of wolf’s bane and to gather a Pack around you. Unless those Werewolves already have a Pack. In that case, your light does not influence them. But like I said, from what I know, only twenty people can make that light in the entire World, meaning that there are not many Packs of Werewolves, fully recognized. There are Packs with appointed leaders for protection or organisational purposes. The real Packs that exist around someone able to make that light are country size. If you ever wish to join them, that light grants you an automatic seat in the Werewolf Organization. But you still didn’t answer me. What is your name?”

“I am Aella ‘whirlwind’ Harlow. I am an Enforcer, and I am considered by my superiors to be the best in activity. That is why they nicknamed me ‘whirlwind’. According to them, it is because I leave a track of dead Werewolves behind me. What is your name? You also didn’t introduce yourself.”

“You are right, I didn’t. I am Aurora Rossi Kerrish. Nice to meet you, Aella.”

“You… are a Rossi? And your mother can use this light… Your mother is Aniya Rossi? Are you that bitch’s daughter? For real?”

Aurora timidly nodded and answered, “Yes… Carrying this name is a burden, and I don’t use it. I prefer introducing myself as Aurora Kerrish, and-“

Suddenly, the lights went out for Aurora. Aella felt her blood boil and punched her so hard that Aurora was sent flying for three metres, hitting a tree.

Aella approached her while squeezing her battle-axe, and as she was lifting it, her light appeared in full force, as if suddenly, she had become a sun. She lowered the axe and tried to calm herself down.

When the light disappeared, Aella quickly dug three holes with her axe to bury the headless Human bodies of the former Werewolves. She opened the backpack that she had put at the edge of the clearing, and from there, she took three thick plastic bags and put the heads inside. She put the heads in her backpack, and after one last look at the still fainted Aurora, she bit her lip, forcing herself not to approach the fainted beauty and left, running at high speed among the trees.

After almost one hour of running without slowing down, Aella found the river that she had crossed when she was after the Werewolves. She entered and walked with water up to her knees, stream down.

Half an hour later, she left the river and kept on running. Never stopping, never slowing down, and always remembering the encounter with that gorgeous blond young woman.

Aella tried to keep her mind away, but those blue eyes that only moments ago were looking at her were engraved in her mind, and she couldn’t forget.

When she finally stopped, she was once again inside the tunnel underneath the country road that she had travelled on to get there.

She mounted her motorcycle and mumbled as she was putting her helmet on while trying to calm herself down. “Why did I have to meet her? Why, of all the women out there, had to be Aniya’s daughter? And why did she have to be so damn gorgeous? Now I have this stupid light… I need to focus like she said, calm down, and it will disappear… If this grants me some sort of advantage against Werewolves, it might be useful. But she said something about an automatic seat in the Werewolf Organization… As if I wanted to have something to do with those beasts! Argh! Just my luck! Stupid Aurora… Kerrish… That is Aniya’s husband… Nick Kerrish… a strong Alpha and a fantastic fighter... Oh, shit! She knows my name! Darn it, why did I tell her my name before knowing hers? I need to get back to the office and get my next assignment. Maybe there is one far away from here and from Aurora. Damn it! Why can’t I stop thinking about her?”