The Huntress Omega

HIERARCHY

The Alpha - the highest

Prime Sentinel (Beta) - second in command

Archsentinel (Gamma) - the general

Archsage (Deltas) - the hunters

Howl (Omegas / Rogue)

The heavy silence of the Alpha's quarters was broken only by the crackle of the roaring fire. Shadows danced across the walls, mimicking the tension thick in the room. Vesper stood near the hearth, his arms crossed and his expression grim. Across from him, Rage leaned back in his chair, radiating an unnerving calm that set Vesper on edge.

"It doesn't make sense. She says she was attacked by vampires? Yet she suffered not a scratch, Alpha. Not a single drop of blood on her." Vesper shook his head. "She expects us to believe that?"

Rage's lips curled into a smirk, his red eyes gleaming with amusement. "An Archsentinel is doubting an omega?"

"Doubt doesn't begin to cover it," Vesper snapped, his frustration bleeding through. "Do you realize how impossible it is to walk away unscathed from a vampire ambush? Either she's the luckiest woman alive, or. . ."

"She's hiding something," Rage finished for him, his voice dripping with intrigue.

Vesper nodded, his jaw tightening. "And I'm willing to bet it's the latter. You caught her scent. Faint but unmistakable. There was a vampire scent on her, Alpha. It wasn't hers. It wasn't from a kill either."

Rage tilted his head, considering the words as his smirk deepened. "Are you suggesting she's working with them?"

"I'm saying it's a possibility we can't ignore," Vesper said firmly. "She arrives here under suspicious circumstances, claims to be a victim, and then we find her waltzing around like nothing happened? It doesn't sit right with me."

Rage stood, his towering form casting a long shadow that seemed to consume the room. He walked to the window, his hands clasped behind his back, and stared out at the moonlit forest.

"Do you know what I find fascinating?" he asked, his tone conversational but carrying an edge that made the other man stiffen.

"What?"

"The audacity," Rage said, turning to face him. His red eyes burned with a mixture of amusement and menace. "To think she could walk into my territory, under my watch, and play her little games."

Vesper frowned. "You're underestimating her. She's not just anyone. She's Ingrid Hearst. The Assassin of Tenebris. It was said that she's taken down werewolves more than we can count, some of them are even Alpha."

"And yet she's here," Rage said, his voice cold and dismissive. "Do you know why?"

Vesper raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Because she doesn't understand the rules," Rage continued, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "She thinks this is a battle of blades and cunning. What she doesn't realize is she stepped into a war of wolves and power."

"It's a gamble, Alpha," Vesper warned, his voice tight. "If she's here for a mission-"

"Then I'll let her play it out," Rage said, his tone brooking no argument. "Let her think she has the upper hand. When she makes her move, I'll be waiting."

Vesper hesitated, his unease evident. "And if she's not alone? What if this is bigger than just her? What if she's secretly working on people loyal to you, to eventually. . . betray you?"

"Then let them come as long as they fear." Rage's grin faltered for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Let her try to outmaneuver me. Let her think she's the predator. It makes it all satisfying when the prey realizes it's been hunted all along."

The room fell into an uneasy silence, the crackle of the fire the only sound. Both men were acutely aware of the storm brewing, a game of shadows and deceit that promised to leave blood in its wake.

The wind whipped through his dark hair, carrying the scents of the forest below. He inhaled deeply, his senses sharp, searching for anything out of place.

"She's planning something. I can feel and see it," Vesper said, his voice breaking the stillness.

Rage didn't turn, his gaze fixed on the treetops swaying in the wind. "Of course she is."

Vesper bristled. "You're too calm about this. She's not just anyone, Alpha. She doesn't make mistakes."

"She made one by coming here," Rage replied, finally turning to face him. His red eyes gleamed, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. "She thinks she can play with me. That's mistake number two."

"And mistake number three?" Vesper asked warily.

Rage's grin widened, his voice a low growl. "Thinking she can survive the game she doesn't even know she's playing."

The wind howled around them, carrying with it the distant cry of a wolf. Somewhere deep in the heart of the forest, the shadows stirred, watching, waiting.

Ingrid thought she was the predator. Rage would show her what it meant to be prey. The game had begun, and he had every intention of winning.

༻♱༺

INGRID.

The cold air bit at my skin as I crouched on the balcony, the forest stretching out before me like a sea of shadows. Rage's pack was silent, their fortress wrapped in a false sense of security.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting the sounds of the night wash over me. The faint rustle of leaves, the distant hoot of an owl, the ever-present hum of danger in the air.

Rage had been watching me. He became distant ever since the night Magnus drugged me but I feel it in every interaction, in the way his red eyes lingered a second too long, in the way his smirk seemed to mock me as if he already knew my secrets. He was testing me, playing his own game.

I opened my eyes and stared at the forest, my mind racing with plans. Rage was the key to everything. But killing him wasn't enough. No, I needed to understand him first. To find his weakness and exploit it.

Slipping back into my room, I lit a single candle and spread out a map of the territory. My fingers traced the paths I'd memorized, the weak points I'd already identified. But the map couldn't show me everything. Rage was an enigma, a predator in every sense of the word. If I was going to take him down, I needed to get closer. Closer than I wanted to.

The thought made my stomach twist, but I shoved the feeling aside. I couldn't afford hesitation. Not now. Rage might have been watching me, but I'd been watching him too. The way he prowled, the way his pack obeyed him without question. There was power in his arrogance, but there was also vulnerability.

He needed control. It wasn't just about dominance-it was about pride. Rage was the kind of man who couldn't stand to lose, and that was where I'd strike.

I sat back, my eyes flickering to the dagger at my side. The blade was a comfort, a reminder of who I was. An assassin. A weapon.

"I'll find it," I whispered, my voice firm. "Whatever his weakness is, I will find it."

I didn't finish the thought. I didn't need to. The promise was already etched into my mind, as sharp and unyielding as the blade in my hand.

I couldn't fly under his radar forever. I wasn't naive enough to think I had him wrapped around my finger. Vesarius Rage was a predator, through and through. The kind who didn't just see traps but reveled in dismantling them, piece by piece. If I misstepped, he'd tear me apart without hesitation.

I must act now and make my move. The apple I've offered might get rotten before he would even bite it. Patient is my forte but not now. I'm running out of time, it won't be long enough they will sniff out the secret I'm hiding.

That's why I need to know the weakness of the Alpha of Enigma. What are you afraid of, Vesarius Rage?

༻♱༺

"Wolfsbane?"

"Uhuh." Hiroshi, one of the village's kids, agreed as he innocently nodded while looking up to me. His gaze returned to the ground as he carved something, using a stick.

I cocked my head trying to understand his drawing. I couldn't tell if it was some kind of flower or plant because I had never heard of it before. "Wolfsbane, also known as aconite or monkshood, is a potent herb that can burn and weaken him. I've heard he's allergic to it."

I hold back the smile creeping onto my lips. It looks like carrying out my plan will be easier than I thought. The nightmare of a beast like him. Wolfsbane—that's his weakness.

However, where can I find that herb? I don't even have an idea what it looks like.

"If that's his weakness, then it's safe to assume it's not here, right? Not even in Blackwood Forest?" I asked, trying to squeeze more information without him noticing. Come on. Give me some good ones, Hiroshi.

He stopped doodling on the ground as he slowly looked up to me, his face became calm. "Why? Are you planning to use that against our Alpha and kill him?"

The question hit me like a slap. What had Vesarius Rage done to make them this loyal? I forced a laugh. "W-What? Kill him? No! I owe him my life."

"Just asking." Hiroshi pouted and shrugged but later on giggled, showing some of his teeth missing. "Many have come for his head and tried to kill him before. I wouldn't be surprised if you're one of them. But Vesarius Rage is a good man. Do you really think we'd still be alive if he wasn't?"

Hiroshi is a human. Yes. As impossible as it may sound but he told me something even crazier—these shape shifting wild dogs took and raised him when they found him wounded, bleeding out and barely alive in the forest when he was just five years old.

He's ten now. He doesn't act nor speak of a child and seems so mature for his age. What he said just now made me somehow doubt what kind Vesarius Rage really is. Is this all for a show? To make me distracted?

"All of us were found inside the forest, nearly facing death from the vampires. Vesarius Rage. He's not the monster they make him out to be." Hiroshi added. "All these people you see, including me, are we not enough proof of that?"

I swallowed as my gaze scanned the warm village of Ashenfall. People. Humans. They are busy and occupied with their tasks, laughing and their smiles shine brighter than the lanterns and lamps on the streets.

Some werewolves in their wolf form are freely roaming on the road, some are playing with childrens, kids and some old ladies are playing fetch while some are riding them behind their back. This place is hidden behind Enigma, where humans peacefully live. They are hidden and protected by them from the bloodsuckers.

I swallowed hard, my fist turning white. I came here with nothing to lose, I can't afford to be distracted. I'm sorry but there's something I must do. I have to carry out my plan.

I have to kill Vesarius Rage.

"I—I need to go. I must get ready for the feast tonight, Farewell, Hiroshi."

"Goodbye, Ingrid."

The risks I was taking weren't lost on me. Rage could destroy me if he wanted to. And yet, I couldn't help but wonder… was I truly prepared for what it would take to destroy him?