Mercenaries Pursuit

ONE

Glancing at my phone for the tenth time, i ground my teeth together. Damn wolf was late. My shift at the diner starts in thirty minutes.

I was woken up very early by the phone ringing. Ignoring it the first time hoping the caller would take a hint, had proved to be ineffective. Two calls later, I caved and answered the phone.

"What." I ground out, impatiently. "Anwen Barrows. Your services are needed. Please be at 1049 6th Ave West in 20 minutes to speak with a pack representative. Come alone." A click signaled the end of the call.

Werewolves. Apparently, their pressing matter had to be dealt with- right that minute.

Flash forward 20 minutes later, I arrived at a local coffee shop at 6 am, waiting for a man or woman that should have been here 30 minutes ago. This had better be good.

Forty minutes later a sullen, brown haired man walked in. He stared aggressively at me for a moment, before walking briskly over.

"Anwen Barrows?"

I raised a brow, "That'd be me. And you must be the representative of the wolf clan. 40 minutes late."

His eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms. "I can take our business elsewhere."

Unable to stop the corner of my mouth from rising, i sipped my coffee. Let the games begin.

"Actually, i don't think you will. From the sounds of it, i'm all you've got. You could always go to the proper authorities but that means paperwork and publicity. The fact that you called me so early and met me oh so discreetly suggests that is indeed the case. So, how about you give me the details so i can do my job."

His face was expressionless. Finally, he sat down, leaned back, and crossed his arms. "My names Dax. I'll keep this short and sweet. We have a rogue. Nasty son of a bitch we can't pin down. He challenged our alpha and lost."

Figures. Alpha's were the alpha's for a reason. Tough son of bitches. If you challenged an alpha and lost, you were permanently exiled- IF the alpha decided not to kill you.

"He snuck in the other night, we assume to attempt to kill the alpha. When he couldn't reach him, he attacked the closest family quarters he could find. Killed the entire family while they slept. The wife, the kids. Even the fucking cat." Dax growled in disgust.

"Why do you need me?" I asked. The wolves were known for taking care of their own business. They kept everything very private, and never asked for outside help. Dax glowered at me, "Because. Our treaty prevents us from entering the Fae lands. And that is where the bastard is hiding out."

Fae were religious folk, and very easy to piss off. But they stayed out of everyone's business as long as you didn't go on their land. Mythical creatures of any kind were strictly prohibited to enter. The Fae thought them to be unclean. Abominations of sorts.

As a human i could walk freely, but it was dangerous. Fae liked to play games with humans. "Dead or alive" I asked.

Dax thought about that for a moment. "Alive. Only kill him if necessary. We prefer to take care or pack punishment ourselves."

I nodded, "Terms are as follows. I get paid half upfront, and the rest upon delivery. I can and will use whatever way necessary to bring this guy in. You will not have me followed, tailed, or expect check ins. I need your alphas word that i will not be harmed or prosecuted if i enter his territory or harm this guy in any way he might not like. This is not negotiable, if you don't like it- deals off. You can go to the authorities."

Dax thought about it for a moment, clearly not liking my terms. I had him in a box and he knew it. I smiled and sipped my coffee. "Fine" he grumbled.

"Excellent. Details please."

"His names Crone Phillips. Everything we know about the guy is in that folder."

I opened it, immediately pocketed the check inside, and glanced at the picture. He certainly looked like a meat-head if i ever saw one. He was a big guy with deep set blue eyes, and crew cut brown hair.

"Remember," Dax warned, "alive if you can. Our alpha wants to see to him personally."

"Yeah yeah. Alive. Fae realm. Gotcha."

He stood up, "I have your number. I'll email you the confirmation of terms. Get it done quickly." I scowled at his back as he walked away. Wolves are always so damn bossy.

Yawning, I glanced at my phone. And now I'm late. Great. Guess I'm running to work.