Alone • Liam Dunbar

Three

Not too long after we left Stiles and the girls, Braeden signals for me to slow down on an upcoming hill. I do as she instructs, and the three of us come to a stop on an incline that overlooks what appeared to be a city in ruins. Dozens of buildings with ghosts of their foundations decorated the area. It appeared as if no one had lived there for centuries. 

The only thing that remained whole was a stone building in the middle of the land. 

The Church.

I couldn't help the chill that ran up my spine at the sight of it.

"What happened here?" Scott asks Braeden. 

"An earthquake. It leveled the town." 

"Then why is The Church still standing?" He presses. 

"The locals think it's because of what's underneath." Braeden smirks, her words full of mystery. I could tell she enjoyed her own dramatics.  

"Do I wanna know?" Scott asks tiredly. 

Braeden smiles amusedly at his reaction. "The Church was built over the ruins of an Aztec temple. It belonged to a people called the Nagual." 

"Shapeshifters?" He asks. 

"Werejaguars." Braeden corrected. 

Scott glances at me from over his shoulder. "That's a thing?"

"Unfortunately." I murmur in confirmation. 

Scott's eyes return to the ruins. "So, Derek and Kate are somewhere in there?" 

"I don't know. Never gotten this far before." Braeden replies plainly. 

Scott and I both share the same surprised reaction at her words. We were both aware of Braeden's reputation, and if someone as fearless as her refused to travel here, it meant we truly had no idea what was in store for us. 

We venture closer to the city after finding a path down from the hill. By the time we're actually able to enter the grounds and reach The Church, the sun had disappeared and the sky was black above us. I had thought we would be able to see the stars perfectly without any light pollution out here, but it was as if La Iglesia refused to have any brightness grace its lands. 

Braeden and I park near The Church, though not directly in front of it. Though it was still standing, its foundation was probably far from stable. 

"Let's go." Braeden commands, taking her shotgun off her back to hold it properly. 

I move to fall in line behind her, but Scott steps in my way. 

"You should stay here, keep a lookout." He suggests.

His tone would have been perceived as normal to anyone else, but I knew Scott too well to buy that. He wanted me to stay outside because if Kate actually was here, there was no telling how I would react to seeing her after all this time. It could be utterly disastrous, and that might cost us Derek's life. 

We had to stick to the plan, and my emotions could ruin it in a second.

I take a step back, silently agreeing to stay behind. Scott looks relieved as he and Braeden run off into the night. 

As I wait, I reach into my pocket to pull out my silver bullet. 

I hold it by the chain, staring at it as I swing the bullet back and forth. 

Kate making it into a necklace seemed like a sentimental gesture, but that made no sense. She never truly cared for me, and my body was littered with scars from her as proof of that. I had more wounds from her training over the years than all my hunts combined. A piece of jewelry meant nothing when faced with that truth.