The Final Hunt – 1

Unknown’s POV

I paced restlessly around my private apartment, an uncomfortable feeling churning in my gut, setting every nerve on edge. I’d tried reaching that bastard, but there was no response. Since burning down Thea Sterling’s house, he’d vanished like he never existed. That worried me more than anything else because I couldn’t predict his next move. Without knowing his plans, I had no contingency if he fucked up like that worthless piece of shit, Vex.

“Goddamn it!” I growled, snatching up my phone to contact my Beta.

“Alpha?” Alaric answered respectfully on the first ring.

“Any sign of him?” I demanded.

I don’t usually show weakness or worry. But this was different. I just had this fucking awful feeling in my gut that something was about to go down.

“No, Alpha. It’s like he’s completely masked his scent,” he replied, earning a vicious curse from me. “None of the wolf scouts can pick up his trail.”

When Vex was identified by the police, I immediately decided to eliminate him. The city’s police force had several Alpha-level trackers who would follow his scent in no time and trace it all the way back to me. So I ripped out his heart myself. I couldn’t risk him exposing my identity.

My decision proved correct. The police did quickly find his trail, but fortunately, when they arrived, they only found a corpse without a heart.

I understood men like Vex because we were cut from similar cloth. If captured, he would’ve sold me out without hesitation to save his own skin. He had no Pack loyalty to me, just working for money. I couldn’t let everything I’d carefully built fall apart.

It had all been perfect. Vex was dead, the police lost their only lead, and I found a new assassin—a more dangerous, more ruthless non-wolf hunter.

“Alpha,” Alaric’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“What?” My thoughts were fucking scattered.

Like I said, this wasn’t my normal state. I’m usually the one in control of every situation. But now, this heavy sense of impending doom hung over me, and I hated it.

“I said we’ll continue sending our best scouts and notify you immediately through the Mind link if we find anything,” he said quietly, his tone cautious.

I let out a low growl. “Good. Find him now. I need to know his location and plans as soon as possible.”

I hung up and continued my pacing. This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. Things had gotten complicated midway, and now I felt like time was running out, like a noose tightening around my neck.

“Fuck!” I roared, smashing my fist into the wall, leaving a crack in the solid concrete.

Both my wolf and I could feel it. Knew things were about to come crashing down. All my carefully woven lies, all the actions I’d taken in secret, were about to be exposed.

I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face it all. If I was ready for the inevitable backlash.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up my phone again and called the one female who could calm me down. The one who supported me unconditionally.

“Hi, Mother,” I said as I sat down, trying to control my agitation.

“Darling,” her voice was full of warmth. “It’s so good to hear your voice. The Pack and I miss you.”

At the sound of her voice, my wolf immediately quieted. The tension drained away, and I felt a calmness I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

“I miss you too, Mother, more than you can imagine,” I said softly, feeling like a pup again, dependent on his mother wolf.

All my fears and worries temporarily disappeared, like shadows chased away by moonlight.

“Not that I don’t love hearing your voice, but why the sudden call? I thought you were busy with work these days?” she asked perceptively.

I couldn’t explain the truth to her. How could I tell her I was calling because I wanted to hear her voice one last time before everything fell apart? How could I tell her I wanted one last moment of comfort from her because after she discovered what I’d done, I might never receive her motherly love again?

The Final Hunt – 2

“Nothing special, just wanted to hear your voice,” I answered simply, my voice shaking slightly at the end.

“Are you alright, my Alpha?” she asked worriedly, her mother wolf instincts immediately picking up on my distress.

I smiled faintly at the title she used. “I’m fine, just a bit tired. That’s all.”

“You’re working too much. You need to give yourself and your wolf some rest time. Even strong Alphas need breaks,” she gently scolded.

I heard sounds in the background–she was preparing her herbal mixture for the shift ceremony. My mother had always been the most respected Moon Priestess in our Pack, and her herbs helped young werewolves ease the pain of their first transformation.

“I’ll rest after everything is done… there’s just too much to handle right now,” I said, half-truthfully.

Given the storm that was coming, I doubted I’d be enjoying peaceful rest anytime soon. I wasn’t a good person, I knew that, but it didn’t stop me from praying to the Moon Goddess for my plans to succeed.

“At least take a weekend to properly rest,” she insisted. “Your wolf needs release, and you need to think. It will clear your mind and give you a different perspective on things.”

This was one of the many reasons I respected my mother. Her wisdom surpassed most. She was the smartest mother wolf I knew, and she never hid her talents.

She was right. Since I could do nothing about that missing bastard at the moment, maybe I should give myself a breather. A weekend of rest wouldn’t hurt.

“Thank you, Mother… your words always guide me,” I said gratefully.

I respected this mother wolf above all else. She was my pillar of strength, and no words could fully express what she meant to me.

“Always here for you, my Alpha,” she answered tenderly, “may the Moon Goddess bless you.”

“May the Moon Goddess bless you, Mother,” I whispered, suddenly feeling an unusual wave of emotion.

Just as I was about to say more, a communication request interrupted our conversation.

It was Alaric.

“I have to go, Mother. Take care, and give my regards to the Pack,” I said, eager to hear what Alaric had to report.

“I will, my child… take care, and remember you’re always part of the Pack,” her voice carried warm strength.

After saying goodbye, we ended the call, and I immediately connected with Alaric.

“What do you have?” I demanded sharply, the Alpha authority fully back in my voice.

I was expecting news about the hunter. He’d shown up at Thea’s charity gala, successfully scaring her. Then the next day, he burned down her house.

I had questioned why he did it. Contrary to what the police suspected, he wasn’t trying to kill her in the fire. He knew she wasn’t home. He did it just to create fear.

Then he told me he enjoyed toying with his prey before the final kill. Like a wolf cornering its prey before delivering the fatal bite to the throat. He enjoyed seeing the desperation in their eyes before ending their lives.

Since then, he’d gone silent. Plotting something. A week ago, he completely disappeared without revealing his plans, and that made me more uneasy than ever before.

“Alaric!” I growled impatiently.

“We’ve successfully tracked his scent,” Alaric rushed to answer, “According to our trackers, he’s captured Thea Sterling.”

The news made my entire body tense, then the wild instinct inside me fully awakened. I took a deep breath and stood up, feeling power coursing through my veins.

“Send me the location now,” I commanded, then cut the communication.

It was time to end this problem once and for all. No one would stop me from getting what I wanted.