Chapter Sixty-Five – The distractions

A lone car drove up the dirt road leading up to the property. The narrow road was full of gravel and holes, making it impossible to sneak up that way. Which was why there was only one car, and not five. The other four had parked a good distance away, close to other paths leading into the reserve.

Henry Noye was in the car, alongside Penny and the same man and woman who had picked him up from the car. The man was silent, focused on the tablet, communicating with the others, getting their position. They couldn’t act before everyone were in positions.

In comparison to most other areas they operated in, they didn’t have the dark to either worry about or take advantage off. Even at 11 pm the sun was up, casting a light as bright as if it was 11 am. It made for some challenges, but they were ready to tackle them head on. This was what their group trained for – take out supernatural creatures. Though, they didn’t just go after the feral and dangerous ones. They found the root of the problem and cleared the whole area. One nasty nest at a time.

To them, this was just another nest of misfits and outcasts, people who didn’t have the same right to walk about the earth as the humans. Their fellow hunters despised them, but they didn’t do anything about their activity either. Leave and let be. As long as the group stayed clear of the others, the others stayed clear of them. It was bound to change soon enough, silly Christine getting caught. But it was another worry for another day.

“We’re here” Henry said as they parked in front of the metal gate once more, the only thing shielding the property from the road. Henry knew it wasn’t a massive gate, it was more for show than anything else. And if he could rattle it with his bare hands it would be easy for the car to run it over.

“It’s very quiet” Penny said as she got out of the car, closely followed by Henry and the other woman. The man stayed in the car, tapping away at his tablet, making sure everyone was in position and knew what they were supposed to do. Once he heard back from them all he joined the trio at the gate, the four of them eyeing it, silently debating what to do when the gate all of a sudden opened, revealing three men with polite smiles.
–
From the second floor she had a perfect view of the grounds below, watching as the gate opened, holding her breath in case they were shot the moment the gates opened. But the people on the other side didn’t wear any visible weapons. Didn’t mean they weren’t there, but they weren’t drawn at the very least.

‘Out of sight, out of mind’ Talia thought to herself as the focused on the three men before her. She’d texted Xavier, asking him and Nadine to come back, urging them. She had yet to hear back. And had yet to see any portals. So, they were still held up in France, dealing with the mess her grandfather had left behind. The mere thought of him made her blood boil. She could see him in Noye, the same twisted beliefs of old men with power. Men who didn’t know better. She couldn’t get to her grandfather, but he could get to Noye. It was a decent substitute.
–
“Give me my daughter, and no one has to get hurt” Henry said, trying to mask his voice to sound calm and collected. It didn't work.

“I’d love to, but I don’t have her” Adam answered calmly, staring the man in the eyes while Devan and Dimitri studied the other three. Hunters, no doubt, judging by the gear. No visible weapons, it was not good news. They were skilled, they knew how to kill any one of them. A gun with silver bullets were undoubtedly hidden away somewhere in the gear.

“You’re lying” Henry seethed.

“Why would we house someone who wants us dead?” Dimitri chipped in; hands clasped behind his back. With the buzz short hair, clean shaved face and formal stance he looked like a cadet straight out of the academy. But he’d just recently left the army after being devoted for six years. He needed a change, and a new pack, for personal reasons. But he wasn’t about to give away just how much experience he had.

“Leverage” The woman with a tight bun and serious face answered.

“And why would we need that?” Devan asked casually.

“Do make it out alive” The other man said with a simple shrug.

“She’s. Not. Here.” Adam said sternly, swapping between looking at Henry and the other man.

“We have intel that says otherwise” Penny spoke softly.

“They have intel. How interesting. Please do elaborate.” Dimitri looked at Adam and Devan with a smile before turning back to Penny, his smile widening. It didn’t faze her, only made her eyes narrow.

“I’m done talking” Henry pushed past the trio, and they let him pass through, knowing full well he wouldn’t get too far.

The three remaining hunters stayed put, the man listening intently for something.

**‘They are here’** A female voice echoed through Adam’s head.

**‘Same'** A second voice spoke.

Devan looked to Adam, both he and Dimitri heard the same. They were all linked together, everyone sharing the information they had.

**‘Four on the south side. We can take them out before they knew what hit them’** A female voice spoke. Marjatta. She was out in the woods, aiding the people who sheltered her little band.

**‘Do it’** Adam commanded.

A moment of silence followed; the only audilble sound Henry calling out for his daughter. His voice echoed off the buildings, carrying his voice all across the property as he continued to walk. When he got to the main building he was met by a locked door. He shook the handles several time before turning around, stalking around the house to find a point of entry.

“I do hope he doesn’t plan on breaking any windows” Adam said drily, knowing full well what would happen if he did. There was a reason they had locked the door to begin with, and stationed a couple members in the dining room, seemingly enjoying dinner.

“He’s not that stupid” Penny said, and just a second later they heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking, hollowed by a howl and a scream. Henry came running back the same way he had come, a smaller, red wolf at his tail. It didn’t snap its teeth or made any attempts to best the man, just chased him away like any other guard dog would have done.

“Shit” The man mumbled under his breath, his hand instinctively finding his hip and the gun holstered there.

“Do you want to pull it?” Dimitri eyed the man, himself leaning forward on his toes, his wolf mere millimeters away from the surface. This would be fun; he hadn’t let his wolf have a decent fight in a long time.

“We’re leaving” Penny said, pulling Henry with her towards the car.

**‘There are three people advancing at the east end, nearing the clinic’** A voice sounded in Adam’s head.

**‘Can you get to them?’** Dimitri asked back.

A short silence followed. The red wolf was standing next to Devan, teeth barred, a low growl rumbling from its throat. Henry was glaring daggers at it, just waiting for it to attack so the man could shoot the mutt and be over with it. Patience wasn’t something he was known for having. He wanted it done and done quickly.

**‘All clear’** They had bested seven of them, but how many remained? They had fanned in from all over the reserve, making it hard to predict exactly where they would attack next.

The four in front of them were nothing but a decoy, a way to keep the Alpha occupied while the others snuck in. Too bad they had prepared for something sneaky and not a grand entrance.

“What’s wrong?” The woman asked the man, he had a frown on his face, his hand covering his right ear. Communication, he knew something was up.

“I don’t know yet” He answered back, eyeing the three men and the wolf with suspicion. His instinct told him to pull the trigger, get it over with, but he also knew he wouldn’t be quick enough. They needed the backup to arrive before they could start shooting. But the backup took too long, it made him agitated.

“Don’t like what you’re hearing?” Dimitri asked, his smile now cocky. He had every intention on getting under the man’s skin, one way or another.

The man’s hand still lingered at his hip. It wouldn’t take him more than seconds to whip it out and pull the trigger, kill a least one of them. But the others would be over them before he got a chance to reload, or before the others could whip up their weapons as well. Henry had non, he was too unstable, collateral damage to them.

**‘Adam, duck’** The warning came just in time. Adam shot down and felt something swish over his head and end up lodged in the ground a couple of meters ahead of him. One moment he looked at the arrow, pure silver from tip to end, the next his eyes turned yellow, and all hell broke loose.