OUTLANDISH - JossGawin FanFiction (END)

Chapter 1: Silent Tension

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The city buzzed with a strange kind of balance. If you could even call it that. By day, vampires ruled the government—slick, polished, and annoyingly charming. They called themselves "Lumina," because apparently, even bloodsucking fiends needed a brand name. 

By night, the werewolves ran things, not with finesse, but with a lot of growling and muscle. Joss, the alpha, preferred it that way. No red tape. Just bared teeth and a solid pack to back him up.

And for a while, it worked. The vampires pretended they were too refined to care about the underbelly of the city, and the wolves pretended not to care that Lumina sat in plush offices while they stalked the streets.

Then the bodies started piling up.

Joss stood over the latest one, his jaw clenched. It wasn't pretty—most of them weren't. Dried out, skin tight like a wrung-out sponge, and the unmistakable bite marks at the neck.

"Bloodsuckers," he muttered, kicking a rock at the corpse. "It's like they're not even trying to hide it."

"You're assuming they ever cared about subtlety," Kai, his beta, said with a shrug. "Vamps are all flash. Maybe they thought this would pass as art."

Joss wasn't laughing. "Get the others to comb the area. I'm going to pay Lumina a visit."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "That's going to be fun."

Joss bared his teeth in what could've been a grin. "I don't plan on it being fun."

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The Lumina estate loomed like a dark, gothic cathedral, because of course it did. Vampires loved their over—the—top dramatics. Joss pushed through the iron gates without bothering to knock. The guards barely blinked at him-they knew better than to start something with a pissed-off alpha.

Inside, the place smelled like roses and old money, and it grated on Joss's nerves. He wanted to rip down the velvet curtains just to see the reaction on their pompous faces.

Gawin was waiting for him in the grand hall. As always, the guy looked like he'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine—tailored black suit, hair slicked back, that smirk on his face like he owned the room. Which, technically, he did.

"Joss," Gawin greeted smoothly, "to what do I owe the pleasure? Did one of your mutts misplace their chew toy?"

Joss's fist clenched at his side, but he forced himself to keep it together. "You know exactly why I'm here. There's another body."

"Oh, how tragic," Gawin said, feigning sympathy as he strolled closer. "Let me guess—bloodless, puncture wounds at the neck, and you're here to point fingers at us. Again."

"You think this is a joke?" Joss growled. "My pack doesn't make a mess like this. It's your kind, and you know it."

Gawin's eyes glittered, which only made Joss want to throw him across the room. "You're awfully quick to throw accusations around, Joss. Maybe you just can't keep your own house in order. Wolves can be... unruly."

Joss stepped forward, narrowing the space between them. He wasn't exactly trying to intimidate Gawin—the vampire wasn't the type to be rattled. But he wasn't backing down, either. "I'm not here to play games. Clean up your mess before we do it for you."

Gawin tilted his head, still smirking, but there was a sharpness in his gaze now. "Bold words, wolf. But let's not pretend you don't have your own skeletons in the closet. Or maybe bones, in your case."

Joss's jaw tightened. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Gawin's smirk deepened, as if he was enjoying himself way too much. "Just a friendly reminder that the city's balance is delicate. One wrong move, and everything collapses. You wouldn't want to be responsible for that, would you?"

Joss took another step, practically chest—to—chest with him now. The air between them thickened, tension crackling like static. "I don't care about your balance. If your clan's responsible for those deaths, I'll tear through every one of you until I get the truth."

Gawin didn't flinch. If anything, he seemed even more amused. "Such passion, Alpha. It's almost flattering. Though, if you're looking for a fight, I'd prefer we keep things... civilized."

Joss wanted to laugh in his face, but something about the way Gawin was looking at him—cool, collected, and maybe a little too interested-made him hesitate. This was no ordinary face—off, and they both knew it.

"Don't push me" Joss growled slowly, his voice rough. "You won't like where it ends."

"Maybe I would," Gawin murmured back, eyes gleaming with something dangerous.

Joss snorted, breaking the moment before things got too close. "Right. Keep pretending this is all a game. But when I find out you're behind this, don't expect me to be this polite next time."

He turned to leave, but Gawin's voice followed him, light and teasing.

"Next time, try not to make it so obvious you enjoy our little chats.. I wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong idea."

Joss didn't turn around, but he didn't need to. His body was already too tense, too aware of the vampire standing behind him, smug as ever.

He stalked out of the estate, teeth gritted. This investigation was going to be hell.