Three days had passed since Cyrus found himself locked in a damp cell. And in those three days, he had only seen a single person. Tabeth.
She visited him three times a day. In the morning when she brought him breakfast. In the afternoon with lunch. And in the evening with supper. If they were going to kill, they were making sure that he died in good health.
She was his only contact with the outside world, and a constant reminder of freedom's importance.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, her voice steady but edgy with curiosity. She had noticed Cyrus's gaze lingering on her longer than it should have been.
Cyrus met her gaze, his voice low and gravelly."If I'm going to spend the rest of my days locked in this shitty hole then I ought to burn your face in my memory."
Tabeth raised an eyebrow."Why?"
He smirked a rough humor treading through his words."So I can show the angels in the afterlife that they've got competition ."
Her eyes narrowed."Is that supposed to be a joke?"
Cyrus laughed, a dry cracked sound that echoed through the cell."What? No! I wouldn't joke around especially when you're constantly giving me death threats."
"You lack manners."
"The only way to survive in a hell like this is to discard them."
For a moment, they stared at each other, the unspoken weight of their situation pressing down between them.
Tabeth sighed and slid the tray through the slot with a little more effort than necessary.
"Well, since you are dying soon anyway, you won't need them in the afterlife," she said calmly and unbothered.
Cyrus raised an eyebrow."That's not funny."
Her eyes narrowed."It wasn't meant to be a joke."
Cyrus's expression hardened. His jaw tensed, and the faint amusement briefly hovering in his eyes vanished entirely. His lips pressed into a thin line, and the sharp flick of his gaze said enough. Tabeth recognized the shift in his mood; it wasn't exactly anger, it was restraint.
He let out a low chuckle, dry and brief, more air than sound. It was a poor disguise for the restraint tightening beneath his calm exterior.
"Someone's here to see you," Tabeth announced.
His tension was disturbed by a click on his door, unlocking. With a faint smile on her lips, Tabeth pushed the door open. She didn't open it all the way, just enough to suggest freedom. She stepped back and left it ajar. Her gaze lingered on Cyrus, sharp and daring.
Cyrus was confused. Didn't she fear that he could leap on her any moment? Didn't she fear that he could escape? She'd said that he was the Red Alpha, a being that could rival the PRIMERA. Wasn't he a threat to her? What was she playing at? What was her game?
"Go on, you don't want to spend the rest of your life in this cell, do you?" she said, almost smoothly, but the mockery in her voice was unmistakable.
He took a single step toward the door.
"That could speed up your death you know," came a low voice from the shadows behind him.
It was a woman's voice, but something was wrong with it, something heavy. It was a blend of a baritone and a soprano.
Cyrus flinched, turning fast.
There, in the dim corner of the room, eyes gleamed, a molten unnatural gold. The figure stood just beyond the reach of the light, motionless, watching him with overwhelming stillness.
His pulse kicked up. He hadn't heard her enter. Had she been there the whole time? No, she had entered when Tabeth unlocked the door. Did she teleport? Or she was fast, insanely faster than Gerald.
The woman stepped forward. Her dark hair framed a line face, not with age, but with power. She was in her forties, but moved like someone much younger.
"Morning mother," Tabeth called from the hallway, her voice light with amusement.
Mother?
The realization hit him like a bolt in the chest. This wasn't just any visitor. This woman, this werewolf clothed in authority and danger was Tabeth's mother.
She was an Alpha.
The one Tabeth had warned him about. The woman who decided whether he lived or died.
She stepped fully into the light, her golden eyes looking into Cyrus's with unwavering intensity. Cyrus's muscles tensed, but he didn't drop his gaze. Every fiber of his being screamed submission, but not his eyes.
"So you're the new pup that's been causing all the trouble," she said in a low but steady voice. "I gotta say- I'm quite impressed you looked me in the eye. Most creatures would weather in fear, they wouldn't even look at me."
Cyrus shifted his weight, eyes narrowing."I can't deny the fact that I'm quite intimidated. I want to shit my pants- trust me. But I can't be out here looking weak. Showing fear makes one vulnerable."
The Alpha smiled, a slow, sharp curve of her lips."Bold! I like that, but you are vulnerable whether you show fear or not. Nothing changes."
"So you're the 'Mother' that's got me by the balls. You've come to decide my fate then?"
The Alpha's gaze hardened. "Call me Cecily- and yes, I'm playing God in your case."
She stepped closer, the scent of her power lingering in the air.
"Five- It's been five hundred years since the Red Alpha last walked on this planet. Tabeth tells me you have the power of the red within you."
Cyrus chuckled." I wish I could confirm the Intel that your daughter gave you. But I have no idea what you're talking about."
Cecily smiled again. "You continue impressing me Cyrus- really. You're too calm for a man about to get a death sentence. You don't care whether I place your head on a pike or not?"
"Well if I have a say in the matter, I would very much like to keep my head on my shoulders."
Cecily grinned. "We will see if your head deserves to stay on your shoulders. You've killed a lot of werewolves Cyrus. And as hard as it seems I'm willing to overlook those sins," she sighed. " We have bigger problems to deal with."
Cyrus gave her a wary look. "I don't follow."
Cecily glanced toward the door, then back at Cyrus. "Tabeth," she said sharply. "You are dismissed. Leave us."
Tabeth hesitated for a moment, then gave Cyrus a knowing look before stepping away silently. A heavy door closed behind her with a soft thud.
Cecily turned her full attention to Cyrus, her gaze piercing."You don't understand just how dangerous you are do you?"
"I'm your prisoner. I don't see how I could be a threat."
She shook her head slowly." I'm sure Tabeth told you about the PRIMERA. The Red Alpha is said to have power that rivals theirs. This also means that you're potentially stronger than I. Stronger than all the Alphas of the four great werewolf houses."
"Four great werewolf houses?" Cyrus cut in.
"Yes! Like me, they're the descendants of the PRIMERA. My last name is Victoria. Our clan is descended from Victoria Trabablas. The founder of Victoria Town."
"What?" Cyrus said, perplexed.
"This history is currently not of great importance. What's important is your power, its origin, and how it is a threat. With that kind of power, Cyrus, you threaten the balance of power. Not just in Victoria Town, but to every pack in the world."
He frowned."What's so special about me?"
Her voice dropped, hard as steel. "According to the legend, every time a Red Alpha is born, one of the PRIMERA is also reincarnated. It doesn't say why, but only that the Red Alpha shouldn't be allowed to live. It says the PRIMERA's reincarnate hunts down the Red Alpha and kills him every time he's born."
Cyrus swallowed, the weight of her words sinking in. "So you're going to kill me because of what the legend says?"
She shook her head. "I intend to keep you alive."
Cyrus jerked his head up, surprised. "What? Why?"
She stepped closer, voice colder. "I'm going to turn you into a weapon against the PRIMERA. We are going to fight him together."
"And why would you fight the PRIMERA?"
"Every time they show up, they seize power. They rally all the werewolves against one common enemy, the Red Alpha. They kill those who oppose them. I have a suspicion that the Red Alpha had the power to reverse the curse."
"What curse," Cyrus asked, curiosity reaching its peak.
"The werewolf curse," she said, in a voice that was almost a whisper.
Cyrus went silent, letting the information he'd been told sink in. He stared back at her, a blank expression on his face. "So you're going to risk everything based on a suspicion."
"Yes! Every great discovery in the world started from curiosity, the need to know more, the urge to learn. I want to find out about the PRIMERA's worst fears, why they. Would want the Red Alpha dead."
She paused after a short while. " Since we've found out about your existence, it's only a matter of time before other packs do too. They will come for you and hand you over to the PRIMERA. We still don't know who the PRIMERA reincarnate is yet, but now that you're here we will probably find out soon."
Cyrus just stared at her, his mind trying to catch up.
"You've no choice, Cyrus. I'm the only one willing to forge an alliance with you. Pack or die, there's no other path for you."
He looked away for a moment, fighting the storm inside. He had discovered so much about himself in those past few days. Things he would have never imagined possible.
A PRIMERA's reincarnation could be as strong as the original. Cyrus couldn't even control his power, yet. Cecily could kill him, too, if he rejected her offer. There was no other option.
"And if I agree?"
A flicker of something almost softer crossed her face.
"I'll let you keep your head first, then I'll help you control your power, and how to use it. I will also offer you protection from other packs and the PRIMERA. In return, you will help me break the curse."
"Can I break the curse? Can I really do that?"
"If you have power that is equal to that of a PRIMERA, then it's highly possible that you can."
This was hard on Cyrus. For years he'd hunted werewolves, monsters cloaked in fur. He'd trained to kill them without mercy. Now he was at the crossroads. He was one of them, invited to join their ranks. No, he had always been one of them, just that he didn't know. He wasn't a hunter anymore.
Even if he could escape from Cecily and her pack, the hunters would eventually find out about his werewolf side. They'd kill without a second thought. The choice had already been made for him.
Cyrus nodded slowly, resignation settling in.
"Alright. I will join your pack," he said."Help me fight the PRIMERA."
Cecily's lips curled into a dark, knowing smile, the kind that spoke of victory long in the making. Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous mix of satisfaction and power as she watched Cyrus lower his gaze and give the slightest nod. He had finally accepted. The hunter was now hers. The air thickened with the unspoken shift in power.