Huntress

Chapter 6

By the time the next weekly meeting came round, I wished I had forgotten all about Milo. I wished I hadn't sat, perched in a tree, thinking about him when I should have been focused. I had fallen apart of that hunt. I had gotten sloppy because I had been distracted, worried about someone who was probably no longer even thinking about me. because of him, I had gotten impulsive. One wolf had been my target. When I spotted the large brown beast, I had loosed my arrow without a second thought, more than happy to be done with my dreary day. The creature fell with little more than a whine, dead before it hit the ground.

When I had dropped down from my perch, another wolf had spotted me. I was thankful to have gotten away with my life. But the limp I brought home revealed that I had made a mistake, one that could have been fatal. And what was worse was the fact that the second wolf had gotten away. Sure, he had been swiped with a silver blade right across his muzzle, but he was still alive and well. Well enough to tell the tale of a girl killing his comrade and coming after him, I'm sure.

I was no longer some faceless assassin lurking in the shadows. I had a face.

Cassey spotted my altered gait the moment I walked into the house. I felt my jaw clenching the moment hers became unhinged. "Oh god, Georgia, what happened to you?"

Anyone who had been polite enough to turn away when they saw me, now blatantly stared. Sweet Cassey didn't seem to understand that getting hurt was only a sliver above failing a job entirely. Someone knew what I looked like. Someone knew the eyes of the girl who had shot an arrow into the heart of a friend. And that someone could come after me, after all of us.

"I'm fine," I ground out, pouring myself a cup of undrinkable coffee. I seated myself shortly after, not wanting another soul to see the proof of my blunder.

But Armond was already at the front of the room and his gaze stayed glued to me. I wished I had just remained under the covers this morning, in a cozy bed where no one ogled or judged.

The meeting began like most. Updates, issues, bumps in the road. Armond asked a few pointed questions that were meant for me. Had anyone been hurt? Would anyone like to come forward with a story? Were there any concerns floating around?

All of this because of my little limp, but no one had said a single word about Milo's complete absence.

"So, are you going to tell us what happened, oh mighty Huntress?" Armond blatantly taunted from the front of the room. Everyone swiveled in their seats to get a better look at me.

"It's irrelevant," I grumbled back.

"Is there a threat still out there? Were you unable to complete your task?"

"I'll handle it." The words barely hissed through my teeth.

Armond wasn't a man who particularly enjoyed being challenged. He took his work seriously, and, as much as he could steamroll overs, he knew his stuff. It was the reason he was still alive after all these years fighting off werewolves. So naturally, I expected a full rebuttal from him. Or, at the very least, a sharp scolding.

And, it's not as if he softened at the sharpness of my words. But he didn't respond with hotter fury. He was surprisingly maintained. "We need to know, Georgia."

I wanted to be steady, because everyone made mistakes and I was not exception. There was nothing to be ashamed of. But my arms curled defensively around my torso before I said, "I left one alive. He got ahold of my leg before I could get away. I got him in the face with my knife, but it wasn't enough to finish it. I'll go after him as soon as I'm healed up."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

"Well, he surprised me, then I was afraid I was going to die, so no. I did not."

The coldness of my words still did nothing to rile Armond up. He studied me, unblinking. "How long will it take you to heal?"

"I'm going to need a week, at least."

"After that week, I'm going to need you full force."

"For what?"

It was then that Armond seemed to remember that we were not the only two in the room. His shoulders straightened, making his belly more pronounced as he regarded those watching him with eagerness or steady resolve.

"As we all know, last week, we announced that we would be moving forward with making an attempt on the royals. Dawn and I have been keeping careful surveillance and have confirmed that Queen Keiko and King Ajax are stationed nearby. We still don't know or how long they will stay, so we have to act soon. Now, as some of you may have noticed, we are missing a team member. With Milo's skill, he would naturally be the one we would send out to make quick work out of the royals. With him gone, our next option is Huntress."

All eyes shifted to me once more. And sour coffee in my stomach suddenly felt like lead.

"Me?"

"You," Armond confirmed.

The briefing was wrapped up shortly after. I watched my team file out, straining to hear their whispered conversations. I knew that I shouldn't have cared. I was alive and Armond had now just stated that I was among the best in the group. But what if my teammates didn't think that? What if my teammates thought that my blunder revealed that I was not ready?

Maybe I just wanted a reason to back out.

"You are free to leave," Armond stated when there was only he and I left.

"You just dropped a big bomb on me. I feel like we should have more of a conversation about what you just said."

Armond grunted, but collected a couple maps and objects before sitting down at the folding table that I occupied. It was all basic information at first. He pointed out where they were, showed me low quality photographs of their wolf bodies and their human forms. There was a moment when I had to remind myself that I was not killing an innocent person, but staring at a photo of a grinning man holding up his small daughter made it hard to believe.

But they were so close by. We saw them intermittently, presumably when they came to meet with their packs, but we could never pin down a pattern or a permanent location. In all the time I had been with the group, we never discovered a permanent location or frequent haunts. Having them here was an amazing opportunity. We had to seize it. I just wished that I didn't have to be the one to do it.

"They aren't as heavily guarded as we would assume. You know, if the queen of England went somewhere, it would be a goddamn circus. With them, it seems more casual."

"Right, that's good."

"But, recently, we have noticed someone lurking around a little more often."

A picture was pushed towards me. I thought I had seen everything at this point. I was a part of a small percentage that even knew these beasts existed. I had seen bared teeth, bloody claws, gored bodies.

But I still flinched back.

Red eyes stared at me from the glossy photo. A hulking black beast, larger than any wolf I had ever seen.

I swallowed hard. "Are we sure this isn't the king?"

"Yes."

"Then what is it?"

"We don't know, but you need to be aware of him. I've seen him move. He's fast. Stronger than any one we had ever seen. He's more likely to tear you to shreds than the king or queen."

I took a shaky breath. "You're making this sound like a suicide mission."

"Our job is to get you in and to make sure that you have as much information as possible. Getting out is up to you."

~~~Distraction Section~~~ 

Does anyone know who the red eyed- wolf might be? I'm so excited to tie in my other books to this one!

Thank you all for sticking with me through tax season! I appreciate the support. Also, we are nearing the 10,000 mark for followers! If you aren't following me on instagram already, I suggest doing it! It will be where I post my giveaway when the time comes.

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