Page 44 of His to Possess

“We hunt tonight!” at least two others commented.

The entire group seemed ready to bolt. Jesus. This was already getting out of hand.

I walked to the front of the crowd, bristling as a hushed atmosphere descended upon the entire group. “You must listen to reason.” I knew my words wouldn’t go over well.

“Just what do you plan on doing, Maximillian?” The first jab came.

“You no longer belong here.” The second was spit out with hatred.

“Yeah, you left your own people.”

I took long strides in the direction of the stage, taking my time to climb the three stairs. While I gave my father and the other councilmembers nods of respect, I had little patience for the same barbs I’d heard since the day I’d agreed to accept the position with the ATF.

And I was sick of the bullshit.

“The last time I checked, I was one of you, a Wolfen and a man of honor.” I kept my tone even as I walked to the center of the stage.

“You have no honor. You’re a traitor!”

“We don’t want you here!”

“You betrayed us!”

The taunts came fast and furious. While my father showed his anger by the blackness in his eyes, he remained silent. This was my fight, taking my rightful place as the upcoming alpha male, the true leader. “I am one of you through and through. I’ve spent my entire adult life attempting to protect you. All of you. My people. My world. We all deserve a chance at happiness, a life worth living. You made your choices by staying here and I applaud you for following your heart. I made an entirely different choice, but I have returned. I will fight by your side to eliminate this nightmare.”

I walked from one end of the stage to the other, catching and almost immediately losing the eye of several of the members. Sighing, I returned to the center, closing my eyes and taking several deep breaths. “As my father, your leader mentioned, what we’re facing is horrific, possibly destroying all we’ve come to love and protect with our very lives. I refuse to allow that to happen. Curse or no curse, disease or no disease, a wolf is in our midst defying our laws.”

“Our laws?” a female voice shot out from the side. “The bastard could be a Nightwalker for all we know.”

“And you’re smarter than that, Angela,” the voice from the left answered. “The smell of a Wolfen is strong.”

“That’s not true,” another male voice huffed. “The scent is nearly unrecognizable.”

“Or masked in an attempt to throw us off. All of you should know better!” another voice yelled, the tone riddled with rage.

“Enough!” I roared as I faced the crowd. I couldn’t have another volley of rumors moving like a firestorm throughout our city. “Hear me. I’ve seen this killer! I’ve gathered his stench, which will never leave me.”

My statement echoed in the fully packed auditorium, silencing the remaining naysayers if only for a few minutes.

“How?” the young woman asked.

I nodded several times. “That’s an ongoing investigation and one I’m not privy to discuss but I have pictures as proof. The murders were not committed by a human. The wolf will kill again unless we stop him.”

“Jesus Christ. You’re still an outsider, Max!”

“Leave him alone and let him speak, William,” another voice shouted from across the room.

“Yeah!” several people chanted.

I gave my father a slight glance, seeing his expression of approval.

“Then what do we do?” This time, the question was laced with fear of the unknown.

“We gather a group to find out the answers and hunt down whoever is responsible. And whether you like it or not: I. Am. Alpha. I will take the helm on the very day my father is ready to relinquish his command. I will be here by your side as necessary. I need all of you to understand what we are doing is vital to our community. To that end, I need volunteers who are excellent trackers. We leave for the hunt tonight. And we will find the asshole responsible.” I allowed the deep rumble of my voice to resonate throughout the entire room, growling more than once as I shifted my gaze from side to side. I allowed the slight change to occur, veins in the side of my neck popping, my muscles bulging as I tipped my head toward the ceiling.

The sound of raucous clapping was followed by boisterous and bitter laughter.

Gregor had entered the room, challenging my authority as I’d anticipated. “Very nice speech, Max. I must admit, you almost had me with your bullshit. Almost.” He pushed his way through the audience, moving directly toward the stage. “Just how do you propose that we track this would-be killer? We are no longer savages foraging for food in the wilderness. We’re forbidden even to turn unless absolutely necessary. However, if we rummage through the forests, following our natural instincts, I guarantee you that desires will be brought to the surface.”

---