The Bar was a hunter establishment, a barely legally ran place of

  business tucked away underneath an old colonial style house that had

  gotten converted into a breakfast place decades back. The front

  parking lot bordering on unused this late at night, with the field

  behind it a gathering place of dozens of vehicles tucked out of sight

  of the road. Electric cars to sports cars to rundown trucks and old

  hunks of junk that weren’t worth much in scrap.

  Somewhere I was weirdly used to

  going these

  days, as much stress it caused my dad, having come here a few times

  with Percy and even once

  myself.

  My red leather jacket pulled tight around me, black eye patch for

  simplicity, skirt and leggings making sure no one could see the

  purist scars covering me. My right hand still mostly nonfunctional,

  not great if I got into a fight, but…

  Well, hopefully I didn’t.

  A short jog down the stone steps and a knock at the metal door there,

  chaotic yelling coming through to my ears as I closed my eye and

  braced myself. So many smells on the air while I fumbled for a

  cigarette and lit it before knocking a second time and then banged on

  the door a third. Whoever was at the door opening it just long enough

  to see it was me before throwing the door open without bothering to

  check for code phrases.

  Not exactly a good sign, they usually liked to ask just in case you

  had to give the

  code.

  Still too late to back down as I stepped inside, immediately greeted

  by what must have been every hunter in Virginia and its neighboring

  states packed into one room. Dozens of people pushed together, most

  forced to stand around the barest grasp of a circle in the center of

  the room where two people stood.

  Percy and an older woman I didn’t recognize, screaming at each

  other at the top of their lungs while the crowd threw in their own

  words and argued among each other. A wall of noise, unstopping,

  unforgiving, no word able to be made out through a wall of all that

  was .

  The smell too.

  So much meat, sweat, anger, fear, a thousand personal scents covered

  in a thousand ways, all one wall that made the wolf want to growl and

  lash out, the cigarette not helping even as it fell from trembling

  fingers onto the stone floor. My head swinging back and forth, trying

  to keep everyone in sight with my one eye, a dull pain forming in the

  back of my head, on the tip of my tongue as I fought to

  keep the wolf down.

  A hand on my shoulder and I snapped around with something resembling

  a bark, a quick flick to my nose forcing the wolf into something

  closer to confusion. My mind racing, lips half-parted, eye seeing and

  unseeing until I heard a single voice cut through the crowd:

  “Follow me,” hand luckily grabbing the of

  my injured hand and dragging me stiffly through the crowd toward the

  back of the bar. Some patron on a stool in the corner nearly thrown

  off his place as I heard snapping and I was pushed into place while

  the woman called out, “hey, Leila! Get Rose here something for the

  nerves.”

  I blinked, Anna coming into focus as she looked me face on, the girl

  wearing a pair of jeans and a button down. A pair of cordless

  headphones around her neck, which she fumbled with for a moment

  before asking me, “overstimulated?”

  Sounded about right, and I gave her a quick nod, the woman not

  hesitating to take her headphones and slide them onto me, immediately

  dulling the noise just a little. Her fingers fumbling with something

  on the side until a beep rang in my ear and the shouting became a

  duller rumble in the background.

  The wolf quieting a tiny amount even as Anna pulled out her phone,

  flipping through a moment before telling me, “pick your music.”

  My mind still struggling to process anything, body scrolling before I

  could think too hard about it before settling on some pixel art cover

  for a video game soundtrack. My random hunch correct it was at least

  relaxing, not very loud, and didn’t have any lyrics to make the

  situation harder. What remained of the noise a dull roar I felt I

  could actually listen to, my eye closing only a moment before the

  sound of glass hitting wood behind me.

  A quick glance back met by Leila staring at me with some mix of

  emotions I couldn’t understand, maybe a bit of anger still there,

  while she slid a glass of whiskey to me. Most of the way filled, and

  the rim barely to my lips when Anna scolded her, “Christ, Leila, I

  said something for the nerves, not to get her hammered.”

  Not like it would, but Anna didn’t know about me being a werewolf

  and Leila did nothing to save me by telling her, “she drinks more

  than that just fine when she comes in.”

  I tried not cursing at her for that, watching Anna look back at me

  with a raised brow even as I defended myself, “just, never been

  much of a lightweight.”

  The younger woman let out a small snort, leaning forward to grope for

  the side of the headphones while mumbling, “well, hold my judgment

  till later, Rose. Did I forget to turn up the noise cancellation?

  How’d you hear me?”

  “It’s fine like this, I like being able to hear,” I stopped

  her, turning my head away enough she couldn’t get a look at the

  sides in case there was some light that could tip her off. Shrugging

  just a little as I sipped my drink, “already half blind, half deaf

  feels like a good compromise.”

  She chuckled at that, getting handed a beer of her own as she leaned

  back on the counter next to me and admitted, “well, least you have

  half a brain in that case. Not sure about the other half though —

  thought you didn’t do the hunter thing?”

  I shrugged, opening and closing my mouth a few times before

  admitting, “felt like this was important enough. Wanted to, you

  know, be there to support Percy, seemed like it was going to be

  intense and well…”

  “My mom’s causing a stir,” Anna agreed with a chuckle, and I

  realized who the older woman fighting with Percy bore a resemblance

  to despite the longer hair and blouse. Anna sipping her own drink

  before telling me, “not really sure what I think, but… well,

  ain’t gonna complain about getting to kill some monsters. Only

  thing that gets me hesitating is The Lady, but heard your dad gave

  her a good run a while back, so why not one us? Well, maybe not you,

  Princess, but someone in this room.”

  My attempt at some vague answer interrupted by Barbie appearing in

  the limited space near us, luckily unseen and unheard as she near

  instantly complained, “she has a funny way of flirting. How haven’t

  you decked her?” A silent raised brow from me greeted by, “don’t

  act like you’re not picking that up too. Wanna make a bet?”

  I shrugged, not able to hide the small smile creeping across my lips

  at the energy.

  Barbie at least looking smug as she announced, “ask her if she’s

  trying to get on your nerves or in your pants,” and a tilt of my

  head and widened eye made her revise it to, “tell her she’s being

  rude for how much she’s giving you the knight in shining armor

  treatment.”

  Needed to find a way to introduce her to Lord if she was gonna keep

  acting like this after dying… dying again?

  Didn’t matter, and I shrugged as I turned to the woman beside me,

  only pausing a moment as I noticed Leila looking a little concerned

  as she stared me down. Perhaps a good reaction for however I was

  reacting communicating with Barbie even as I started, “so, what did

  I do to earn this?”

  “Earn What?” Anna asked, a brow raised as she glanced back to me.

  “Getting the knight treatment while still getting insulted every

  chance you get.”

  While I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, Anna still caught me off

  guard by laughing at the question. The woman turning to face me a

  little more as she smirked up at me and asked, “am I wrong to think

  you need it? Haven’t really seen anything that tells me you’re

  not the type who doesn’t want that sort of thing, and I ain’t

  never heard of you really. Come on, give me something to change that

  opinion, most dangerous thing you’ve ever killed? How’d you do

  it?”

  “I’ve killed werewolves with my fucking teeth,” I answered

  without thought, the words only fully processing as I finished them.

  How inhuman it was, how impossible it sounded, how it’d give me

  away if she thought about it even a moment and-

  “Bullshit!” Anna threw her head back cackling, “come on, give

  me something real. You wanna trade? I killed a vampire with a knife

  once, thing was awake too.”

  Anna was smiling, setting her bottle down and unbuttoning the first

  few buttons on her shirt to reveal her chest. The undershirt and bra

  underneath pulled to the side to reveal a twisted bite mark on one

  breast as she explained, “let it think it was about to get a little

  action with a hunter and got it through the neck. The thing barely

  had time to rip a chunk out before I had most the head off.”

  I nodded, the words setting in while I tried to think of something

  better, tried to come up with the most probable example until Leila

  answered, “she was telling the truth.” My heart dropping only a

  moment before she brushed it off, “was on a new moon.”

  “New moon doesn’t count, that’s cheating,” the younger hunter

  complained, “come on, might as well-”

  The crowd’s arguments suddenly stopped with a yelp and confused

  call outs, a surprising silence falling over the air as we looked

  over to the scene in the center of the room. Percy and the woman he

  was fighting with both nearly hunched over onto their knees on the

  ground, my grandmother stood above them practically dressed for

  church in a bright red dress with hat with an ear twisted in each

  hand.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  No one daring to speak, even the two she held, until finally she

  glanced around and said something I could barely process as noise

  through the headphones. Her smile unbreaking while I removed the

  headphones and she declared, “good, it does no one here any good

  will if you’re gonna act like a group of spoiled children barking

  for a bone! Now does anyone here not know who I am before I begin?”

  A long silence, maybe half of those present shuffling in the crowd

  and looking around for an answer. My grandmother finally releasing

  her two captives as she stepped forward with a hand over her heart.

  “You all can call me Cynthia, technically Jameson still though

  Taylor if you want to get on my good side. I’ve killed more

  monsters than anyone in this room, know more about how they work than

  most y’all will ever know about their jobs, and worked with more

  supernaturals than anyone here will ever kill,” she started, a look

  of understanding dawning on most present, “Martin’s my son, and

  him being shot isn’t something I’m gonna take lightly, I’m sure

  you can understand that well. However, what I can’t properly

  tolerate is trying to kill the wrong person for this. Now, I don’t

  like The Lady as far as I can throw her, and small she is I’m a bit

  smaller. So, tell me what has some y’all so convinced it’s her?”

  A cacophony of yells, almost enough to make me put the headphones

  back on, and one voice above all stuck out as, “she just killed one

  us! She claimed Greg, whose to say she’s not picking off more of

  us?!”

  Cynthia snorted at that, spitting at the feet of the crowd to

  complain, “and why would she not claim all us? Why one at a time? I

  remember her from when we would call her the Styrian, and you know

  what? She has half the power she did then, and could still kill us

  all within a week if she was that determined. By God, the fact that

  we’re all together here and this place hasn’t been bombed, or a

  fire set with the door barred? I don’t think it’s The Lady who

  caused this problem.”

  Percy spoke up next, half-sat on the floor and shielding his ear with

  one hand as he offered, “talked to a contact from The Lady, they’re

  getting hit just as much as us, and you know what? The people hitting

  them are pretending to be hunters, and pretty badly too. I was the

  first one who went to Hendrick’s house, and you wanna guess? They

  had it set up to frame a vampire.”

  The third person on stage finished the point, stumbling to her feet

  while complaining, “and how do we know she’s telling the truth?

  How do we know telling the truth! Martin works with

  The Lady, you work with Martin, maybe you’re both in her pocket!”

  Cynthia crossed her arms, the woman looking away in the stare down

  first as my grandma asked, “and why would he be shot, and not bring

  this up after surviving? My son’s life was at risk, it’s

  at risk, and trying to start a war that gets everyone in this room

  killed isn’t going to help it.”

  Someone in the back of the crowd slammed their fist into a table,

  “and what are we supposed to do until then! Wait around till we’re

  all dead anyway?!”

  “I have contacts with The Lady, I’ll see what they can’t say,

  and we’ll figure out whose actually doing this!” my grandmother

  snapped, eyes closing as she practically begged, “look, it’s the

  twenty-first now we’re past midnight, give me a week, five days

  even! We can come back here right after Christmas, and if you still

  want war you can give me enough warning to get my family out of this

  fucking state. Understood?” and a rumbling was threatening to turn

  into another screaming fit as she drew a revolver from her purse,

  “next six people who complain get a bullet to the head.”

  The silence falling once more, though no one arguing even as a steady

  stream started out of the bar. Anna’s mom stumbling to her feet and

  calling out for her daughter even as she marched on her way.

  Anna shaking her head with some grumbling while she reached over the

  bar and grabbed a notepad from there. The woman scribbling something

  out before ripping the note off and folding it up. Her smile not

  breaking as she stepped close enough to slip her headphones away from

  my neck and tucked the note into my bra.

  The wolf growling a moment, the woman too close, too personal,

  risking too much when it was possible for her to look down and catch

  another glimpse of my tattoos. Anna giving me a brief wink as she

  said, “wouldn’t have agreed to give mom a ride if I knew you’d

  be here, Rose, but feel free to tell me if you got any free time

  before Christmas.” The woman starting off as she called back, “you

  want, I’ll try out being a lot nicer the next time you get the

  knight act.”

  I blinked a moment, unsure of what to say, and it was Leila who

  scolded me, “let her down. You and I both know that’s the better

  option.”

  And you know what, she was probably right, but it didn’t stop me

  spinning around as I hissed, “what’s your problem? I do something

  to you I don’t know about? You know this whole thing with the

  mercenaries wasn’t about me. I just-”

  “Mary,” Leila interrupted coldly, eyes narrowed as she stared me

  down, whispering to hide her words from the few people left in the

  bar, “I know you killed Greg,” my blood ran cold, “I was

  working the back room when you came in, and you know what? I was

  ready to get your side, but all this starts happening, everyone’s

  trying to figure it out, and you’re not explaining why it’s

  different? Yeah, I’m starting to get an assume some things.”

  I nodded, my throat dry, mind racing a thousand miles an hour as I

  started, “you don’t understand-”

  “What don’t I understand?” Leila interrupted, looking around at

  the steadily dwindling numbers, “you killed a hunter. He was your

  dad’s friend, you know that? You even care? Bad enough you’re a

  fucking werewolf, and now you go do this and-”

  “Leila, dear,” Cynthia interrupted the conversation bluntly, the

  woman having not left the center of the room until that point. Only

  as the last person left, leaving the three of us and Percy sat

  looking at me confused, “I’m not sure what you’re threatening

  her about, but I’m gonna naje an educated guess and say she works

  for The Lady and you shouldn’t chastise her.”

  Leila nodded, taking a step back, pouring herself a drink while she

  started, “you don’t know what she did, I’m just-”

  “If she did something deserving of punishment in The Lady’s name,

  there’s not much reason to fight her about it. Either she was

  forced into it or she’s more protected than anyone here, though…”

  my grandmother stepped forward, a slow walk to where we stood until

  she was just a couple feet away from me. A few seconds of eye contact

  all I could force myself to bring, my feet all I could stare at until

  the woman sighed. My brow furrowed, looking up at her as I saw her

  look like she’d been genuinely slapped. The woman stern as she told

  Leila, “she’s your daughter in law now, you should treat her like

  it.”

  I couldn’t speak, a dozen attempts returning nothing until Percy of

  all people spoke up, “how did you figure that one out? I didn’t

  let it slip did I?”

  “My little Marty isn’t the best at hiding his feelings,” my

  grandmother brushed it off crossing her arms, “he acted weird

  talking about Mary after she left, and she’s the spitting image of

  Eva, I assume your mother?” I nodded, shrugged, gave that sort of

  conflicted answer and she nodded in agreement, “don’t really know

  her I take it? Well, all the better for when I get around to killing

  her then. You still have your old eyes though I hope you know, or…

  well, eye the more accurate term, and I do think I prefer Mary as a

  name, much nicer to say.”

  I nodded, my voice trembling a bit to stutter out, “you’re not…

  I’m a werewolf.”

  “Well that explains you healing that bullet to the head, here I

  thought you just got your father’s stubbornness,” my grandmother

  droned off. Her eyes glancing briefly to Percy before asking, “you

  two aren’t fucking are you? I know how the body change works for

  your kind, I was already too young to be a grandmother, I don’t-”

  “We’re still just friends,” I interrupted, a little afraid to

  let anything else slip about my own son. A raised brow from Cynthia

  making me flinch a moment before I told her, “I promise, there’s

  nothing between me and Percy.”

  “Fuck,” my grandmother snapped her fingers, “Martin know about

  the kid?” I let out a half-noise trying to start and she told me,

  “well, you should probably tell him, but we can deal with that

  later, I don’t feel like scolding him when he reacts poorly. Now,

  you promise me The Lady’s not behind this?”

  “She’s in the dark as you are unless she’s playing some long

  con, someone even put a hit out on me,” I answered, that enough to

  actually pull me out of my confusion for a brief moment, “we think

  someone’s trying to start a war between The Lady and hunters, but

  don’t know who. You know anyone who would?”

  “Most people who have dealt with her for too long, though

  individuals with the willpower and money to do so? Not particularly,

  most names I can think of are long gone,” my grandmother muttered,

  stroking her chin a long moment before a smirk crossed her lips, “one

  person I know who might know something, but I’ll need to dig up my

  rolodex from the house’s attic. You head home now, dear, somewhere

  safe, the Covenant still in that old manor if I need to find you?”

  “I’m in an apartment right now,” I admitted, the woman looking

  genuinely confused at that. Well, secret was already out even if

  Leila was still staring at me in complete shock at the recent

  revelation, “my son’s in the city now, he got adopted by

  Gevaudan, she’s-”

  “Misha’s sister?” my grandmother interrupted in surprise,

  letting out a small laugh as she admitted, “apologies, him and

  Martin knew each other. How did you two meet, he still at the

  Covenant?”

  Yeah, didn’t feel like giving too much detail there just now and I

  kept it short and sweet as I told her, “friends, my mentor briefly

  actually, but he moved away last year.”

  Cynthia raised her brow once more though thankfully for my sake

  didn’t press that either before changing the subject, “head out,

  I’ll give Percy my number for you, make sure Leila hear agrees to

  some secrecy for the time being. I’ll avoid causing too much

  trouble and not tell Martin I figured you out, though I expect you

  there for Christmas breakfast at least, and I at least want to hear

  about this kid even if you don’t tell him some reason.”

  “Understood,” I muttered, not sure what else to do as I forced

  myself to down the rest of my drink and march out. Head swirling,

  bile rising to my throat and everything feeling in slow motion the

  whole time I opened the door out and started up the steps.

  My grandmother knew who I was, she’d found out… well, a bit about

  Martin, and I’d need to tell her more. She wasn’t ashamed I was a

  werewolf, and she seemed like she was actually going to hear me out.

  All I needed to do was keep calm, and not have anything bad happen in

  the next few days.

  Something the universe seemed couldn’t last five minutes, a

  familiar smell of silver strong on the air as I made my way to my

  car. Stopped about halfway there as I looked around the almost empty

  field, a black van against a nearby wood line giving me a few seconds

  warning before footsteps dully echoed on the grass behind me.

  I spun around, a baseball bat swinging towards me I reached up to

  grab on near instinct, crashing straight into my right hand.

  A hand too stiff from its injury to grab the bat and steal the

  weapon, my vision turning white with pain, bones and muscles snapping

  in the palm and making me stumbled back while someone else ran up

  with their own bat. No time to react as I felt it crack against the

  back of my head, my next few conscious moment on my hands and knees

  in the dirt, the wolf growling as it tried coming out. Fur starting

  to grow, eye starting to shift… and something wrapped around my

  throat.

  Cold metal, dull studs lightly digging in the flesh of my neck,

  silver filling my nostrils, the wolf nearly hiding within me at the

  realization.

  A Purist invention, made to stop you from transforming from human,

  any thickening of the neck you might expect as a wolf or hybrid form

  almost certain death. Not a guarantee of who had me, but not a good

  sign, especially as I felt cold metal snapped around my wrists and

  ankles and the ground hoisted from under me.

  A scream attempting to escape my throat, silent, every part of my

  mind making a noise my throat couldn’t bring myself to until I felt

  the cold metal of the van’s back cabin. My cheeks wet, why were

  they wet? This was different, I was still the predator, I…

  My mind grew distant, the thoughts harder to hear, the fear harder to

  feel, my body a numb form on a floor I could almost imagine laid out

  where I was thrown as it slowly went limp. Even as the door was

  closed, even as the van started off and a man told me, “should have

  taken your vacation.”