Still Human

Chapter 8.2: Present

                                                            Present Day

Lena withholds her tears in her watery eyes.

No matter how many years of training, no matter how many Lycans she has killed, she cannot help but feel sympathetic towards the victims that enter her unknown world of supernatural consequences.

Lena takes a breath before asking "Did you kill him?"

Claudia looks to Lena with her glowing yellow eyes then says "What do you think hunter? My eyes aren't red."

Lena holds her head high when she speaks with confidence "They aren't red... yet. So you ran, ran as far north as you could and came here... the middle of nowhere with a pack you can trust. With an Alpha that won't take more than his fair share... one you knew you could overpower, outsmart and out maneuver... I applaud you. You're a smart woman who knows appearing weak is a means of survival... we are more alike than you know."

Lena's words make Claudia's skin feel tight and uncomfortable.

The young Lycan knows she cannot become complacent.

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Remy leads Damon and Mackenzie while they hike through the old snow banks.

Damon doesn't take his eyes off of Remy for one second; he can feel it in his gut that something isn't right.

He begins to question Remy's plans "So what you are saying is the original pack I was looking for is where you are taking us?"

Remy answers in a short and annoyed tone while never looking at Damon "Yeah."

Mackenzie's face suggests that she is unsure of the plan, whether it be true or not; she questions her brother as well "How do you know where they are?"

Remy answers quickly as if he had known the questions they would ask "I overheard Sigurd and Claudia talking about it. They said they needed the numbers just in case it came to war... with the power of their elders we could take out Damon's family without knowing any of their secrets."

Damon and Mackenzie look at each other with disbelief but continue to follow.

There is a moment of silence before Damon asks another question "What do you mean by elders?"

Remy chuckles at Damon's ignorance of his former prey "Are you kidding me? What does it sound like?"

Mackenzie explains "The elders are werewolves from ancient bloodlines, the first of our kind; some of them are older than America itself."

This new information turns Damon's stomach, for years he had dedicated his life to wiping the Lycans out of history only to find out he never even came face to face with a pure werewolf until he met Sigurd.

He continues to question Remy and Mackenzie "They?... They've been here the whole time?"

Mackenzie answers "Not all of them, the Talbots are the only family that keep a pack here; we don't know why."

Remy adds "The majority of the elders live in New York City like a bunch a mobsters. They play gangsters while their kind bleed around the world... it's pathetic."

There is too much trust in strangers involved with this plan for Damon's liking, he asks Remy one final question "If we get to them first... would they help us?"

Surprisingly Remy isn't quick to answer, he pauses to think before responding "I think so."

The answer furthers Damon's distrust of the young Lycan causing the former hunter's anger to come through "I NEED A GUARANTEE!"