Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 5

"Wait a minute," Devon remarked, suddenly looking uncomfortable for the first time, "how exactly do you guys keep this balance? Do you... kill our kind?"

"Yes," Geoffrey answered bluntly with a small, mischievous glint in his eye.

He hesitated just long enough to watch Devon squirm in his seat, then added:

"When we absolutely have to. Fortunately that has not been necessary for over four centuries. There have not been any major exterminations since a few, neophyte wolves were abandoned to fend for themselves in the early American colonies. This led to a massive surge in undisciplined, very carnal packs that unfortunately had to be dealt with the hard way. Most creatures since then tend to prefer to keep their existence a secret through very controlled internal law-keeping, so we seldom face such problems anymore."

"Neophyte?" Devon queried, voicing Sierra's own thoughts a second time.

"That is the term we use for anything that is not born 'were'," Jocelyn explained.

"Earlier Luc said Kalko was an 'elite' team member. What does that mean?" Sierra asked.

"That means he has more specialised skills than the others. Elite members usually do more work, so they have more benefits. They're harder to replace and their role with the agency is vital. Senka and Adam are also Elite," Geoffrey informed them.

A second of silence passed as the two new arrivals pondered over what they'd been told.

"Is that why there are so many werewolf legends out there?" Sierra asked curiously, "Because they were so exposed at one time?"

"Most likely, yes - though it may also have something to do with the fact that they are one of the most prolific breeders of the were-kingdom. It is also not uncommon to run into some difficulties when there is more than one alpha available to the same pack," Jocelyn informed them. "It usually causes divisions and conflicts that might result in unwanted attention from the general public."

"And the werewolf hunters in those fables - they were from... the agency?" Sierra inquired.

Jocelyn nodded. "Most of them were, though I am sure there were some who were not."

"But what about the hosts - the wolves responsible for all that chaos in the first place?" Devon mused.

"That is why most of our teams are mixed species," Geoffrey informed them, "We rely on each member's unique skills to ensure that the job is done properly. In that instance, wolves helped to track down the original offenders by using the base scents found on the neophytes. Eventually all the reprobates were caught and dealt with, and so balance was restored."

"Wait... I'm confused," Sierra mused, "If everyone out there is keeping themselves contained, what exactly is it you do now?"

"We work really hard at trying to make sure that situations like that never come close to being repeated. We remain prepared to defend and destroy - if the need should ever arise - but mostly we just keep an eye on global news and try to detect any potential problems before they might arise and the situation worsens," Jocelyn informed her. "That is how we found you: a news story of a young woman disappearing in the woods, suspected of being eaten by mountain lions but with absolutely no blood or remains in an otherwise safe area raises alarms for us. We sent in a small team to make sure that there was no risk of a feverish neophyte feline running rampage and infecting or killing everything in sight."

"What would you have done if that was the case?" Sierra asked, her throat suddenly dry as her mind ran wild with thoughts of being hunted like an animal.