Chapter 91: _Signs Of The Rogues

Chapter 91: _Signs Of The Rogues As I navigated my way through the Blood Oak woods, I couldn’t shake off an odd feeling that made me go on high alert. I’ve hunted in these woods since I was a boy so nothing in it should be enough to put me on edge. So... Why did I suddenly feel this way? "It’s almost as if I’m being watched," I muttered to myself, glancing around and squinting my eyes, my senses perked up and prepared for anything. Meanwhile, it seemed Damon also thought the same but his thought process was different. ’I don’t think any werewolf would be able to keep this hidden from us. Not with your Alpha King aura.’ I grunted in response before deciding to disregard the feeling. There were a few packs close to these woods and beyond those were a few human settlements. The Luminari coven and its city was the largest gathering of witches and humans spanning hundreds of miles. Anyway, when I got to a point, I slowed down when my nose caught a scent that caused my eyebrows to furrow into a frown. It wasn’t Odessa... Far from it actually. "Werewolves," I mumbled, arching an eyebrow with confusion. Werewolves from other packs usually don’t stray this far, since everyone was on high alert despite the treaty. If werewolves of other packs wanted to hunt, they would do that close to their territories, which were miles away. "Something’s wrong..." I muttered to myself, my eyes still dimmed as I kept on moving. However, my nose caught another smell that sent a shiver down my spine. I slowly raised my head until I was staring directly at a body nailed to a tree, with the organs dripping out and the blood dried up. The color of the blood told me that this body had been here for at least three days. And the most unsettling part was that it wasn’t a werewolf or a witch. "A human," I mumbled solemnly, a frown etched on my face. Unfortunately, not all human settlements agreed to ally themselves with witches during the war. Some, led by their naive leaders, alienated both werewolves and witches, wanting no part of the war. Sadly for them, despite their best efforts to avoid the war, it still came to them and they would get desperate enough to come out and forage for food like scavengers. The war had closed borders, making food transportation nigh impossible. ’That poor human woman could have been Odessa.’ Damon remarked in my head just then, his tone pensive. ’Yes, I know it’s not her but still. If she’s in these woods then she’s not safe.’ That wasn’t my only concern... There was currently a treaty going on, and the rules of the treaty were supposed to prevent werewolves from killing the witches and humans and vice versa. This truce extended throughout the continent and it ought to be that way. I had made sure to announce to all Alphas in the continent to execute any offenders of this truce. In other words, it was either this person was one careless bastard who didn’t give a fuck about my laws or... "Rogues..." My voice became somber as I finally tore my gaze away from the dead human woman. "We have to keep moving. If my hypothesis is correct, then the rogue problem the Alphas warned me about might be even worse than they thought." I picked up the pace, sprinting through the woods and following any paths that either seemed to have been disturbed by recent movement or had rustled leaves. It was hard tracking a witch when she had her scent masked. Suddenly, after what felt like an hour of searching, my eyes caught sight of something that caught my attention. It was a few strands of hair lying on the ground in front of me, stained by mud and dirt. However, when I picked it up and saw its blonde color, my eyes lit up. "I know this hair from anywhere," I mumbled, the corner of my lips going up with a smile. "It’s definitely her. And if that’s right, that means I’m on the right track." I released a relieved breath as I looked ahead, my determination increasing. However, before I could continue moving, my phone rang, forcing me to pause as I hurriedly brought it out of my pants pocket. It was my uncle, Gamma Zane... "Any updates, Gamma?" I asked without wasting a second, subconsciously scanning my gaze around. This part of the woods was eerily quiet and I was getting that odd feeling that something was off again. "Unfortunately, there’s none, sir." Gamma Zane reported plainly, not sounding interested in the mission. "I just want to inform you that I’m recalling the pack soldiers I sent out to search for Odessa back into the pack. Is that okay?" I clenched my jaw, withholding the urge to say something sarcastic, but alas, I didn’t have that level of self-control when it came to my uncle. "Well, great. Maybe next time, the pack soldiers can make themselves useful by doing a general sweep of the entire Blood Oak pack." My tone dripped with sarcasm as I remembered the dead human woman just then. However, before the Gamma could say anything in response, a scream echoed around the woods, forcing me to pause as I lowered my phone. The scream didn’t sound close but I was able to pinpoint where it was coming from instantly and also recognized who it was. Odessa... "I have to go," I said bluntly to my uncle before hanging up and shoving my phone into my pocket. I growled, my teeth bared as I sprinted with all my might, heading toward the position where the scream had come from. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." I cursed repeatedly, my heart pounding against my chest as I feared the worst. I didn’t think twice and called out to Damon who seemed to be already two steps ahead of me. Suddenly, a ghastly howl escaped my throat, my pupils dilating as my bones cracked, and my muscles began growing in size as I slowly began shifting for the first time in a long time. I had left that as a last resort but that scream from Odessa told me that I had no choice. "Fuck holding back!" I roared, but my words came out as monstrous sounds as my fingers turned to claws.