Living In The Gates

Silver Bullet

The drive into town seemed extremely long compared to normal. It's probably my nerves mixed in with rage. Whoever this Bill Doverman is, will pay. "No one hurts my pack, not again," I whisper to myself but by the whitening of Luca's knuckles on the steering wheel, he heard me. "If it is the boy, Leo, what are we going to do?" I ask him as we pull into a parking spot. 

"Whatever the mayor and the rest of the council say we can do." I nod as I open the car door. Normally the hunter would be killed instantly by nearby pack members but that's back in our old territory. 

The morgue is cold and smells of hospital chemicals and death. As we are lead closer to a white sheet over a metal table the smell of dirt and blood hit me. Glover lifted the sheet to expose the mud and blood covered wolf. He was small with very little muscle. 

"It's Leo, his first shift was only a few months ago. Fuck!" Luca banged the metal table and walked back to the door. I feel his stomach turn at the sight of the boy.

I take a closer look at the five bullet wounds. I poke my finder and hit something hard. I quickly grabbed a set of forceps and put out a shiny bullet. Luca walks back over to us as Glover looked at me with wide eyes. 

"It's a silver bullet," I say as I hold it up to the light then take a sniff of it. "Laced with wolfbane. He was out there looking for a werewolf." I paused. "That's why he shot him five times because silver and wolfbane, silver won't work on us. Leo must've tried to defend himself so he shot him till Leo stopped moving." 

"How do you know that?" Glover was the first to speak.

"We don't have places like The Gates in the states. Plus it's part of history lessons as pups." More like I've witnessed this happen to my packmates growing up, including the effect on my own body. 

"I insist on an emergency council meeting," Luca demanded. Glover took out her phone and typed away. 

She looks back up at him when she was done. "Granted."

Within seconds, Luca's phone beeped. The screen read: Meeting-1027

Within the next forty minutes, we were back at the packhouse with all the council members gathered around our large dining hall. It was interesting seeing my old pack at the other end of the table. Usually, I would want to sit with them but I know my place is next to Luca.

"Settle down, please," Glover asked nicely. Everyone took their seats and looked towards Luca, who was standing at the head of the table. 

"This meeting is concerning the details on the case over Bill Doverman. There are heaping amounts of evidence that this murder was no accident. Silver bullets, laced with wolfbane. Deadly to a werewolf." Luca looked to the werewolf rep. "Bill shot a newly shifted wolf not once, not twice, but five times. This wolf was from my pack and a beloved 15-year-old teenage boy. His parents have left The Gates under an alibi so no suspicion falls onto the humans." He pauses to make sure everyone understood where this was going. "I request that Bill's life is placed under my hands."

"Why should we let you be in control of this man's life. He is a valuable member of our society - a well-trained chemistry teacher-, what do we benefit from this?" A woman that was a witch rep asked. I recognize her from the school as the vice principal. 

"His name is out there and the teens that are in his class are scared to go to class," I speak up. Many of the pack members came up to me asking to stay home today out of fear. "He is a hunter. He passed all background checks and know that he was able to score werewolf skins within the community. Bill moved last year because suddenly there was a job open for him. Someone is leaking information out of The Gates. This hunter affects every single one of you." I didn't waste my time finding out who this man was once I heard his name.

"As you can see my luna and my pack support this. I promise you we will not do anything to him until our period of moring is over." The room is silent as they all have inner debates with themselves.

"Anyone who votes with Alpha Rowan?" Glover asks once a moment has passed.

"I." A majority says and raises their right hand into the air.

"Anyone who opposes?"

"Nah." Only three raises their hand. I let out a breath of relief. 

The whole pack was on edge today, and the full moon tonight didn't help. We have four pups turning for the first time tonight including Landon. It's almost dusk as the entire pack stands in a large circle around the pups. Luca, Ridley, and Dylan stand as a barrier between them and the pack. 

The first sounds of cracking come from the boy named Drew. He screams as he falls to the ground. Next to fall to their knees was Conner, then Landon. Luca tells them to give in to the pain. 

Jamie was the last to start, but something was different about her shift. Generally, females have a harder time shifting but she looked absolutely ill. Once she was fully shifted her sweet deminer turn dark and ugly real fast. This is normal as they are experiencing all the new senses and become aggressive with others around them. It's confusing when all your senses pick up on everything with no way to turn it off. 

Jamie charged Ridley as he was pinning the shifted Conner. Without thinking I lunge over to Ridley. She stops in her tracks. She moves her head back and forth trying to find a way around me. 

Suddenly, Jamie attacks me. I was caught off guard but quickly switched us so I was pinning her in a headlock. Her teeth sank deep into the skin of my forearm. She tried to get up but I had her down considering she was fairly small.

Ridley let go of Conner after he claimed down. "Semite Jamie," I whisper to her. "Conner is fine, everything is fine. Semite to your Luna before your Alpha thinks you're challenging me." With that, she took her jaw off my arm and lay still. Slowly I stand up to see Luca is still wrestling Landon and Dylan on top of Drew. 

When everyone was claimed and shifted back to human form, they were draped in ceremonial buckskins. Everyone gathered in the courtyard of the packhouse with picnic baskets and blankets to enjoy the full moonlight. 

Luca pulls me to our own blanket as I grab the basket of food I made earlier. The moon shines bright as the stars twinkle and light up the sky. The sounds of hushed speaking are mixed with the woodsy call of the night. 

"How's your arm?" Luca asks quietly, making sure no one else hears.

"Look," I stick my arm out to him. "It's already healed. Since we've mated, I heal a lot faster. I've noticed on my morning run after the meeting that I'm a lot faster. Have you noticed anything different?" I ask, looking up at him. The moonglow lighting up his features. 

"Honestly, I feel the strength you have given me. I think the pack feels it too, haven't seen everyone this calm in a while even with everything going on."

We went back and forth feeding each other small smacks as we snuck small kisses here and there. It feels as if I'm in a dream at this every moment and I don't want it to end. 

 After everyone has eaten, the games begin.