The Skin Walker

08 | Alpha, Beta, Gamma

"Nothing's new under the sun, but it can't see what the moon has done."

I'd Love Audur

R U T H

Zephaniah Larsen and Angelo Lebedev were the names of the men Ander was in a conversation with. I picked up on it after he greeted them with their full names, which I found strange, but so was finding a dead wolf with its body almost decapitated through the middle.

"Ander," I interrupted him as he spoke to Zephaniah, the man with the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen. The stranger was as tall as his companions, keeping his bulky arms folded across his broad chest.

Was everyone in here a gym enthusiast?

Ander stopped talking to look at me from behind Angelo, who kept his back facing toward me. His dark hair reached the vape of his neck, and that was all the detail I caught of him. Although, I didn't miss the way his shoulders straightened beneath his navy tuxedo when I emerged.

"Yes?" Ander narrowed his eyes on mine curiously.

"Rueben," I breathed out, pointing toward the back doors. "Now, please."

Not waiting for him to respond, I dashed back out from the way I entered and stopped momentarily when Ander passed in front of me. It was like he'd heard me speak Rueben's name and was off within the second to see what the problem was. His loyalty never wavered.

I wasn't sure how Ander knew the location of the gruesome sight, but he stalked through the forest confidently before coming to a stop. He spun around to face me and glanced behind.

"Ruth, you don't want to see this," He spoke with finality like he was ordering me around.

"I already have. You brought me here for this investigation, remember?" I pushed past him and saw Rueben crouch before the dead wolf.

Only, when I walked closer to the sight, the dead wolf wasn't a wolf at all. No. Replacing the gruesome sight was a dead man with the exact injuries as the one I'd seen on the animal. His middle was almost cut in half, exposing his gut in all its horrid glory. He was faced down, the man's neck appearing to be snapped as it lay at an awkward angle.

"I told you-" Ander angrily hissed.

"How is that possible?" I whispered, my body still with shock. "A wolf. I saw a dead wolf, not a human. In this exact spot. How is that possible?"

Rueben stood up, blocking the sight of the pale human body. He turned around and walked toward me, but my eyes hadn't lifted to meet his.

"Move," I planted a hand on his chest. "I want to see."

Rueben grabbed my waist when I tried to sneak past him. "You've seen enough."

I stepped back, away from his hold and tried to catch my breath. When the sound of footsteps running toward the opening of the woods caught my attention, I realised how much of a nightmare this situation was. Zephaniah and Reese emerged with Eloise, and I was relieved to have another woman around me. I felt safe around her.

"Oh, Ruth," She saw the body and made a move toward me. "Get away from there, darling. The grass will start decomposing soon. Don't get too close. You too, Rueben."

"I'll call my Beta. She'll keep this quiet," Zephaniah told Reese, but didn't move to get whoever his Beta was. Beta? The Greek letter? Like the mark Reese had on his throat? It had to be some kind of status around here.