Age-Old Enemies

Prologue

Fog was settling at ground level. I felt the freshness of the dew on my feet, walking in the balmy summer night. The moon was full in the sky, bathing nature in its soft light. The earthy smell of rain on grass lingered from the earlier light showers. I made my way silently toward the shapes in the mist, hiding in a nearby bush. Behind the shadows slept the peaceful water of a lake. My heart was pounding, and I held my breath so they wouldn’t hear me. I was too curious to go away.

“Did someone see you?” asked the man in a hushed tone.

“No, don’t worry. Nobody saw me,” answered the woman.

“Good. Do you have it?” he inquired. Without answering, the woman took something from her bag.

“Here it is . . . are you sure about this?” Her stare was filled with worry. I tried to see what it was, but I couldn't do it without making a noise and risking revealing my presence, so I preferred not to move.

The man pondered for a moment. “It’s the only way.”

The woman nodded before hugging the man.

“I will be back here in a week from now; you have my promise.” He kissed her tenderly.

“You’d better be. You know what would happen if anyone would find out it was missing.”

The man’s face turned serious. He only answered, “I know.”

I didn’t understand what was happening, but I knew there weren’t supposed to be any witnesses of this encounter. I had the feeling I knew this man, but I couldn’t see him clearly with all the fog despite having an advanced sense of vision at night. His scent was familiar. I also had an advanced sense of smell, but it was not fully developed since I was young.

As I tried to get closer to them, a firefly touched the tip of my nose, making it itch and making me sneeze. “Achoo!”

At the noise of my sneezing, the woman stepped back, gasping. The man took a step in my direction, asking in a threatening tone, a growl escaping his chest. “Who’s there?”

I was scared, but I knew it was too late to hide. I couldn’t run away; I wasn’t fast enough. They would catch me, for sure. I balled my fists and took a few steps in their direction. My heart raced as I showed myself to them. Coming into the moonlight, I said shyly, “It’s only me.”

Now that I was closer to them, I could see them both. Relief filled me as I recognized the man.

“Hi, Uncle Zach,” I said, a big grin painted on my face.

His face softened as he looked down at me, and the woman eased herself. “Hey Kate, you are up late today, little lady,” he said teasingly. “Do your parents know you are out here?”

I think he was worried more people would come by and find out about his meeting with the mysterious woman. I shook my head.

“I’m a big girl now, you know . . . But you won’t tell them I sneaked out, right?”

Zach laughed at my question. “Hum, let’s see . . . You’re right; you are a big girl now. Five years old is really big, so . . . What do you say we make this our little secret?”

Zach winked. I’ve always loved Uncle Zach; he was the best. I was relieved by his proposition. I didn’t want to get in trouble for sneaking out again. Happy, I nodded and gave him a big hug.

Then I looked at the woman standing beside him. “Is this your friend?”

They both smiled at my question. Zach answered, “You could say that.”

I looked at her; she was very beautiful. She had straight, long, black, ebony hair, and her skin was white as snow. Her lips were red as blood, and her eyes had a golden glow. I didn’t recall ever seeing her before. Her scent was unique, but I didn’t know what it was. I’ve never smelled someone like her. I’ve smelled both werewolves and humans, but she wasn’t either, so I wasn’t sure exactly what she was.

“Will she come and play at our house tomorrow? She looks nice.”

She kneeled to my level. “I’m afraid that’s impossible right now, my dear.”

I was disappointed by her answer. I guess it showed on my face since she added quickly, “But maybe soon it will be.”

Hearing her say that made my smile reappear. She truly looked nice, and I hoped we could be friends. I gave her a big hug, which seemed to take her by surprise at first, but then she returned my hug. Her skin felt cool to the touch; I liked her. I hoped she’d come and visit us sometimes.

Zach looked at me. “Well, it’s time you get to bed, little lady.”

“Aww . . . But I don’t want to.” I protested, pouting my lips.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was becoming tired. Even if I tried to stay awake, staying up was getting harder and harder. My eyelids seemed to get heavier, and I still had to walk all the way to my house.

Reluctantly, I told him, “Okay, you’re right.”

“You’d better get home before your parents realize you are gone,” the woman added with a wink. I nodded to them.

Zach cupped the woman’s face in his hand and kissed her lovingly. The way he looked at her would make the moon jealous. It was like she was the most precious treasure in the world.

“I will see you soon, my love,” he told her.

“I will be waiting.”

Zach took my hand. “Shall we get going?”

I yawned and nodded while rubbing my sleepy eyes. We walked back to the house, Zach carrying me the last few steps as I was too tired to walk.

Everything was silent. The lights were closed. Zach tucked me into my bed before going to his room. I wondered about the woman I saw tonight as I drifted to sleep. Who was she? I didn’t even think about asking for her name. What was it that she gave to Uncle Zach? I could ask him tomorrow, but for now, I was just too tired and couldn’t resist slumber.

Chapter 1 (Kate)

A Summer’s Vacation

* Eighteen years later *

I opened my eyes. The rays of the sun seeped through the blinds of the windows. I could already smell the scent of fresh coffee coming from downstairs. I got up and dressed myself. This was the first day of my vacation. I worked as an accountant in downtown Montréal. I loved my job, but I was overdue for a vacation! This was going to be a great day!

I couldn’t wait to go into the woods. As I exited my room, I saw Bianca also getting out of her room. She looked as excited as I was.

“Hey, Sis,” she said, smiling at me. “He’s sleeping late again.”

She was pointing to our brother’s room.

I laughed. Will was always sleeping late. He had to take classes at night to become the leader of the pack’s elite protectors one day. He was already one of the strongest wolves of the pack. And the fact that our father was the Alpha meant Will was even stronger and bigger than most of the other wolves.

Our parents had high hopes for him. Because of that, he always stayed up late at night, so of course, when morning came, he had a hard time getting up.

I thought he was training too hard, but he always said you had to be ready for anything. You never knew what might happen. I knew he gave everything he had and took his role as protector seriously.

I knew he wouldn’t be happy if we went without him. I told my sister, “I’ll get him up. You go and get breakfast ready, okay?”

Bianca nodded before heading to the kitchen.

I entered my brother’s room and tried to wake him up gently. “Hey, sleepyhead. It’s time to wake up.”

He turned to his side and growled, “ . . . let me sleep.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Suit yourself. We’ll be going to the forest soon to meet Steven.”

At those words, I heard him sigh. Will opened his eyes. “Right, I forgot about that.”

Steven was our cousin. It was his birthday—he was turning eighteen today—and we all agreed to hang out together in the forest like when we were kids. Eighteen was an important age for werewolves, as we officially came of age and could find our mates, although most of us didn’t meet our mates until later in life.

Will especially loved to fight with Steven, as he was also one of the strongest wolves of the pack. He was a great training opponent. After all, his mother, our aunt Suzan, also had Alpha blood in her veins.

I looked at my little brother, who was not so little anymore, now twenty-one years old and almost six feet tall. With all his training, he was becoming quite handsome. He would make a she-wolf happy one day. But he would always be my little brother, and I loved him.

“Right, then I’ll see you downstairs for breakfast.”

He smiled at me. “Okay, sis, I’m coming. Wait for me before you go out.”

I went down to the kitchen. My mother and father were talking with Bianca. My mother, Sarah, still looked young and beautiful, not yet in her fifties. My dad, Sam, was still a strong Alpha. I loved my parents. Even though I had my apartment in Montréal, I always spent all my vacations at my parent’s domain with the rest of the pack. As werewolves, it was important to stick together and protect one another.

My brother was an exact copy of my father: tall, broad muscled chest, dark brown hair, but he had blue eyes instead of the green of our father’s eyes. And I was an exact copy of my mother: short, brown hair and hazel eyes.

Nobody knew who my sister Bianca took after. She had long, blond, almost white hair and deep, piercing ice blue eyes. As far as anyone could tell, she was human, like my mom. She was now twenty years old. She didn’t change into a wolf even once.

Usually, lycanthropes like us turn for the first time when they reach the age of twelve or fourteen. But Bianca never turned, and she didn’t have any sign she would be changing into a wolf anytime soon. It was believed she didn’t get the lycanthrope genes, unlike my brother and me. We got it from our father. We didn’t speak much about that since we knew she still hoped to turn into a wolf one day.

Breakfast was already on the table, and a cup of hot, dark, roasted coffee awaited me. The scent of coffee mixed with the smell of eggs seemed irresistible. I hugged my parents before digging into my plate. Soon after, my brother came down as well and devoured his breakfast. We excused ourselves and set to the forest as soon as we were all done.

Usually, when Will and I went to the forest together, we'd change into our wolf’s form. Running into the forest this way was faster than on two legs. Plus, in our wolf’s form, we got that feeling of freedom, and the wind blew through our fur. Since Bianca was there with us today, we’d stay in our human form. We wouldn’t want her to feel left out.

We ran together, knowing the path to our favorite hangout spot near the river. The sun shone brightly and warmly, and birds sang in the trees.

Getting close to the river, I could see in the distance a big white wolf with blue eyes. It was Steven; he got there before us. There were not a lot of white wolves around here, but Steven’s father was one, and he inherited it from him.

Bianca’s cheeks turned red. I knew she loved seeing Steven’s wolf, and he was well aware of it. He was doing it on purpose as often as he could, making her blush every time. He liked to show off.

Even if he was our cousin, I knew Bianca had a crush on him. I didn’t worry too much, as none of us had found our mates yet. The day it happened, she would lose all interest in Steven, and he would lose all interest in her, too.

Steven got behind a bush as we approached and returned to his human form. He took a bag next to him and dressed.

When we changed from our wolf form to our human form, we would be completely naked, so we always kept a change of clothes hidden in the woods nearby. He was completely dressed when we arrived by his side.

“Hey, Steven! Happy birthday!” I told him, hugging him.

“Yo, happy birthday, bro,” Will told him, patting him on the shoulder. They did this weird man’s secret handshake, finishing with a fist bump. I had seen them do it numerous times but failed to remember the movements every time.

Steven looked at Bianca. She was standing timidly in front of him. “Happy birthday, Steven.”

He passed his fingers through his hair. “Thanks, guys! I’m so glad to see you.”

We all sat facing the river at our usual spot: Bianca next to Steven, Will, and me. All four of us were enjoying the sun, talking and joking, just enjoying life. When we got together like that, I felt like I was back in my childhood—no worries, just enjoying life to its fullest.

The day was passing by fast. The guys went hunting for prey for us to eat. Bianca and I picked up wood and started a fire while waiting for them to return. I loved the smell of fire and the wood's crackle while burning. When the guys returned, we roasted the meat on the fire and ate.

We didn’t even notice the sun coming down. It got dark, but our night vision was good, thanks to our lycanthrope genes. The moon was out in the sky, and the stars were shining. We were laughing and talking; life was good.

“Hey Steven,” Bianca said, “I have a little gift for you.”

We all looked at her. She took out of her pocket a small charm. “It’s a good luck charm.” It was shaped like the moon and hung from a string. “I made it myself,” she added with a big smile.

Steven smiled back at her. “Then I’m sure it will bring me luck. Would you mind tying it around my neck, please?”

I knew without looking that Bianca was probably blushing right now. She lifted to her knees and tied the charm around Steven’s neck. As she did, she lost her balance. Steven put his arms around her waist so she didn’t fall.

I looked at my brother and said with a wink, “Hey Will, why don’t you come with me? We’ll go back to the house.”

He looked at Bianca and Steven and smiled. “Yeah, okay. You guys can catch up with us later.”

We didn’t wait for a reply. I got up with my brother and started walking back to the house.

As we walked, I wondered when I would finally find my mate. Will and I promised each other a long time ago that we would tell each other when we found our mates, our perfect half, the one chosen by the Moon Goddess for us.

“So Will, any sign of your mate yet?”

My brother looked at me. “No. You know I would have told you if it had been the case. But, in the meantime, I did get a date with that cute blondie wolf.”

I sighed. “Not Marie?”

Will laughed. “What? What’s wrong with her?”

I growled; I couldn’t stand Marie. “You know I don’t like her. Besides, about half of the pack has seen her ass.”

Will chuckled. “Well, I don’t see any harm in having a little fun while I still haven’t found my mate.”

I laughed at his comment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I admitted.

Even if I didn’t like her, at least she wasn’t his mate, which was a relief. Just imagine if I had to endure her forever. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t dated anyone either. Some werewolves never found their mates. You never knew when and if you would find it, so it was okay to enjoy yourself in the meantime.

I was thinking about all of that when a strange scent hit me. I stopped walking. I looked at Will, and from the look he was giving, he smelled it, too. It wasn’t the scent of a wolf, nor a human. I wasn’t quite sure what that scent was. Strangely, I felt it wasn’t the first time I smelled it. We looked around in silence, searching for where it was coming from. A shiver ran through my body, making the hair stand on the back of my neck.

Suddenly, a man came out of the bushes. He matched my brother in height and size. He had long brown hair with highlights, going down the middle of his back, a trimmed beard, and a small mustache.

I knew from how he looked at us that he wasn’t friendly. His eyes were red, and his skin was pale. My blood froze as I realized he was a vampire. What was a vampire doing in our territory? This was a violation of the treaty.

“Run!” My brother shouted to me before changing into his wolf form.

Strangely, the man’s gaze seemed to hypnotize me.