Werewolf

**Three Years Later**
Hycinth (age 18)
"Lucky..." I groaned, sounding a bit too close to a whine for my preference. I cleared my throat and began again, edging my voice with firmness, "Luca Diamonte, you need to pull yourself together. We have clients in less than an hour." A muffled voice came from behind the bathroom door, "Patience, Cinn."
Growling under my breath, I turned on my heel and paced into our small kitchen. Coffee was clearly necessary today. I placed the single-use pod inside the Keurig and settled my favorite mug-white with black polka dots and a startling orange and red chrysanthemum flower- on the little stand. I set the machine to brew. Two minutes later, my coffee was ready, and Lucky wandered into the kitchen. I gathered the mug and climbed onto a tall stool next to the granite island.
Dressed in his usual attire of dark jeans and a T-shirt, he smelled fresh and clea

Careful attention was required today. Both tattoos we were working on today were complex with a lot of intricate shading. Complete focus was required for the quality of work we'd become known for.
It was the reason we were able to afford our tattoo shop and the loft we lived in above it. After doing a sleeve and chest work for the President of the Grimm Motorcycle Club a year ago, word had spread quickly, and bikers from several states made appointments for custom artwork.
I'd always loved to draw. My first job after we'd fled was with a local tattoo parlor. With an ID in hand that said I was eighteen, I certainly hadn't looked it, not with the fresh face and innocence of my true fifteen-year-old self at the time. The owner had been suspicious, but after some trial sketches, he liked my work enough to hire me anyway. I smiled at the irony-I wasn't legally old enough to get a tattoo, but 

I motioned toward one of my enforcers. "Get her down and do as I promised. Prepare her body. Find out if she has any family who wants her remains. If not, we'll include her in our mourning ceremony." Not a ceremony I was looking forward to. Many of our wolves also perished in the battle. I hated losing any Wolf, but the events of today needed to happen.
I waited until they removed her body from the room. And then focused on the remaining two men. The taller one had dirty blonde hair and glared at me in the same fashion as the female had. But he didn't have that rare special spark of loyalty she had. Still, he would be the more difficult one between the two to break.
Getting right in his face, I made sure he paid attention and fully understood my words. "I'll give you one chance-and one chance only-to tell me what I want to know. How can I find her? Where would she go? She couldn't have just disappeared. I have wolves combing through the woods, and there's no trace of her. Surely, a juvenile shewolf couldn't evade seasoned enforcers without a plan and assistance. So what was it?"
His eyes glanced over at the newly empty chains where the dead female had hung. His body shuddered hard, and then he returned his gaze to me, glaring hatefully. He spat on my face. "Go to hell!"
I nodded. So that's how it was going to be. Okay. He couldn't say I didn't warn him. I slowly wiped the spittle from my cheek with my sleeve and extracted a lovely eight-inch blade from the holster on my hip. The razor-sharp steel could cut through flesh like it was butter. His body tensed as he readied himself for whatever I threw at him next.
I chuckled darkly. No amount of preparation would ready him for what I was going to do.
It had already been a long day. I was tired and wanted to wrap this up sooner rather than later. And there was one part of the anatomy that spoke much more significantly to males than any other.
Without any word of warning, I grabbed his cock and sliced it off at the root.
His howl was deafening.
Blood gushed from the wound. I nodded over my shoulder to the healer I knew was waiting. The healer stepped forward and applied a patch that would keep the male from bleeding out until I finished.
I glanced at the third man. His mouth hung open in horror.
Oh yes, he would be ripe for the picking by the time I finished.
Kneeling down to get better positioning for my next task, I glanced to an enforcer on my right.
"Grab his knee and lift," I instructed calmly as if I was telling him something so mundane as to 'open the door' and not emasculating a man.
Even my men squirmed and blanched. A few cleared their throats, working to keep their dinners in their stomachs and not spewed out onto the cold cement floor. They were always queasy when the torture moved to a man's groin-which was exactly why I did it. To keep them all in line. I wanted them to never forget what I was capable of. To never even entertain the mere thought of trying to fuck me over.
The man was now writhing in pain and shrieked, "Safehouse!" Tears streamed down his cheeks. He gulped air, but not enough to steady the erratic pace of his heart.
"She...she would have gone there!"
I sliced into the top of his scrotum. "Where is the safe house located?"
"I don't know!" He screamed shrilly. His body convulsed. Blood poured from between his legs.
I sighed. He was telling me the truth. It was time to move on to the next one.
With a snap of my wrist, I completed the task. His severed ballsac fell to the ground. The healer wouldn't intervene this time. The male would bleed out in minutes. His body jerked as he lost consciousness, chin falling to his chest. A few more twitches and he slumped against the stocks holding him. Nothing, no movement at all, just deadweight.
I stood to my feet and wiped the blade on my dark cargo pants. Oh well, I was going to discard the garment anyway. Stepping in front of the last male, I drawled "Do I need to repeat the question?"
I had no doubt he was more than willing to talk. Hopefully, he knew something. It would be unfortunate for him if he didn't.
"N-no..." he stuttered, shaking almost as if violently as the other one. "The s-safehouse is a m-mile north." He panted, trying to catch his breath.
I waited patiently.
"There is a t-tunnel...that leads from the Alpha's kitchen."
Oh! Now it all made sense. That was why I couldn't follow her scent, and why my wolves hadn't been able to track her in the forest. I smiled. Clever little mouse. She had dropped underground.
But not clever enough. She belonged to me.
And no matter what it took, I would find her.
Hopefully, the fire had died out. I didn't relish the idea of digging through piles of rubble to locate the entrance to the tunnel.
After a few more questions and answers, I had everything I needed. Perfect. I grunted to Dagger, "Finish him, quickly, and get ready to go."
A few hours later, we found the safehouse.
I'd hoped to catch her unaware.
I was disappointed. She wasn't there.
My nostrils flared, taking in the scents in the air. Sweet but also a little exotic, orchid, jasmine, and cinnamon. I inhaled deeply, shuddering, as I let out the breath. My Wolf was anxious, pacing in my head.
As I looked around at the underground bunker, I had to admit, the Alpha's plan was well thought out. Perfectly hidden in a part of the mountain I never would have suspected.
Abruptly, my Beta, Everard, swore, "Shit!"
Damn it! What now?
He called over his shoulder, "You're not going to like this."
I made my way through the mass of wolves, digging for clues in every corner. When I reached Ever, I looked over his shoulder. He was kneeling next to an open-latched door, revealing a large compartment under the floor.
He'd already dumped out one of the large black bags, hidden inside, and scattered the contents on the rough-hewn wooden floorboards. There were the usual items, food, clothing. And cash. A hell of a lot of cash.
Enough to keep someone hidden and flush for an extended period of time.
My irritation flared higher. No, this wasn't looking good.
But that wasn't what he was holding in his hand, examining so intently.
He was holding identification, driver's license, social security card, and even a birth certificate. I peered at the photo on the driver's license. Ironically enough, it was the woman I had just killed.
Before he died, the third Wolf confirmed the deceased shewolf's name so we could try to find her family. She'd been the Beta's mate. The problem was, her name didn't match the name on the documents in front of me.
That could only mean one thing.
The bug-out bags weren't random or interchangeable. Each had been prepared for a specific Wolf and held a fake identity, a fresh start.
I was no longer looking for Hycinth Diamonte. And fuck me sideways, I didn't know who I was looking for now. I had no idea what identity she was using.
"These are really good," Ever muttered, turning the driver's license over and examining the quality of the fake. He held it up to the light. "It even has the hologram."
Fucking fantastic.
He dropped the document onto the pile of items and looked back down into the hole. "She's not alone. There's enough room to indicate two bags are missing."
"I know," I growled through my teeth. "A male."
I'd caught his scent-their combined scent-when I'd come in the room. My Wolf tremored hard inside, raging against my skin confines. He wanted to get out. I pushed him back.
I straightened my spine. Okay. If it was a game the little mouse wanted to play, I was all for it.
Let's play.

**Three Years Later**
Hycinth (age 18)
"Lucky..." I groaned, sounding a bit too close to a whine for my preference. I cleared my throat and began again, edging my voice with firmness, "Luca Diamonte, you need to pull yourself together. We have clients in less than an hour." A muffled voice came from behind the bathroom door, "Patience, Cinn."
Growling under my breath, I turned on my heel and paced into our small kitchen. Coffee was clearly necessary today. I placed the single-use pod inside the Keurig and settled my favorite mug-white with black polka dots and a startling orange and red chrysanthemum flower- on the little stand. I set the machine to brew. Two minutes later, my coffee was ready, and Lucky wandered into the kitchen. I gathered the mug and climbed onto a tall stool next to the granite island.
Dressed in his usual attire of dark jeans and a T-shirt, he smelled fresh and clean. The scent of his shower gel hit my nose, spicy and aromatic. I breathed in the familiar smell, my

Chapter 6: So protective