Smoke and Mirrors (Smoke and Mirrors Series Book 1)

by S. N. Nair

"Where is your Head Warrior Commander?"

  Again the silence. I motioned towards my men who pushed the captives forward and exposed their right arm. I gritted my teeth when I saw that none of them bore the Warrior's Mark, my men who were not holding the warriors began to slowly stepped back as they took in my expression. I brought my hand down onto the desk and a crack was heard as it splintered beneath my hands. Anger coursed through my veins as I drew a blade from my belt and flung it towards the bodies lined against the wall, I heard the wet thud of one of the bodies hitting the ground.

  "Sir, this means ..."

  "I know what it means! Now clean up this mess and get out of my sight!"

  I punched the stone wall next to me and watched as some of its fragments disintegrated into powder to float through the air. There was only one reason that could explain why the Head of Blackwater’s defences was not here at this moment.

  He was with the boy.

  The most infuriating thing was that the Blackwater Pack's Head Commander and Warrior was a mystery. He was rarely seen at any inter-pack meetings and had no records of his past at all. The only thing that people knew was that he was the reason why previous attacks on this pack failed. That would give him the advantage to slip into another pack undetected. His tattoo might have been a dead giveaway, but if he was smart, he would have burnt it off and passed it off as an injury sustained during battle. Anger bubbled inside me as I now had to search for someone that was harder to trace than a ghost.

  Chapter Five: Captured Ghost

  Damien Black

  I sat on top of a hill as I watched my men scour through the dense forest that hid the Blackwater Pack from Man. The flora acted as their second barrier besides the Black Lake that gave their pack its name as its waters were rumoured to be poisonous and killed any descendent of Man who tried to cross it. It was even rumoured that the Blackwater Pack themselves poisoned its waters in an act of desperation when they were under attack by Hunters.

  My patience grew thin with each meaningless report I received, and it took all of my restraint to not snap the neck of each messenger that came. My thirst for that wolf’s blood was the only thing that reminded myself that I needed all the men available and that I was in no position to just keep killing them.

  It had been almost five hours since I sent the first scout party out to find that wolf and they found a trail within minutes, but it soon turned cold. It was the first of many as lead after lead went cold, my men kept bringing me the items they had found before the scent disappeared.

  This person was playing us like fools, he had left several trackable trails before they just ended. My hands itched and flexed at the thought of it, I could not wait till I got my hands on him. Death would be a much-welcomed choice to what I was going to do to him. My musing was interrupted when one of my men ran up to me, chest heaving due to the exertion but eyes alight with excitement.

  "Sir, we have an hour's old scent!"

  My ears perked as I ran towards my men. I would not stand for another failure, I would lead this hunt myself.

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  My paws thudded against the ground as I pushed my body onwards. I howled as my men and I charged on, he would not escape me, not this time. We sped up as the scent got stronger, I sneezed. I smelled the scent of jasmine flowers after the rain and I liked it, it was probably another one of his tricks to lead us away from him but it was not going to work this time. I sneezed once more before running.

  My men howled as we finally caught up to the bastard, a black wolf came into view, it was running right in front of us and with closer inspection was carrying a child on his back that I had no doubt was Ryder’s son.

  "This commander had to be a strong warrior," I thought to myself, the black sheen his fur gave off was nothing but proof of it. Black was the colour of power to us wolves and was usually an indicator that this child would be a strong warrior in the future as the darker the colour of the wolf, the more powerful. Furthermore, his wolf was large even for a werewolf and was toned with muscle made from days of training.

  *"Charge on!"*

  I growled as the distance between us and that wolf began to close, I will catch that wolf and I will end the Blackwater bloodline today, I howled as a chorus of 'Yes, Sir' resounded through my mind.

  That wolf was smart, I had to give that to him, he jumped through bushes, over boulders and weaved through the trees, surprisingly agile for his size. I growled as I caught up and used my canines to bite his leg and pulled causing him to lose balance and crash to the ground, the child flew off his back, I tried to reach for that insufferable child but was met with a bite to the shoulder as I grappled with the wolf below me.

  *"This wolf is mine! Grab the child!"*

  The child ran further into the forest, his small frame slowly disappearing from view as my men pursued. The wolf below me whined as he tried to get to the child, I put all my weight in my legs to keep him where he was, he growled at me before throwing me off with a surprising amount of force. We gnashed our teeth as we circled each other, each sizing the other up. Curiosity got the better of me as I felt my spine straighten, my four legs becoming two, I wanted to see the face of the man that had killed so many of my pack and caused me so much trouble.

  "Shift now, Mutt!"

  The wolf growled at me, the three-clawed scar scrunching up as he narrowed his eyes, and I smirked, mutt was the most derogatory name a wolf could be called. The wolf gave me one last growl as he shifted. My eyes widened by a fraction when I saw this wolf's human form, I had expected to see a male, not this dark beauty was in front of me.

  “Is this the secret that Ryder has kept from all us Alphas?”

  The she-wolf growled at me, she spoke no words and yet venom dripped off any noise that left her lips, I must have struck a nerve. I surveyed her closer. Her body was marred with scars of different ages, some were just faint white lines that stood out against her copper skin while some had just scabbed over, our brief tussle causing them to peel and glisten red.

  "Okay enough, the chase was fun and everything, but I need you to answer me now, where is your Head Warrior Commander?"

  With each step I took towards her, the sweet scent just got stronger till I grabbed her wrist and looked into those dark irises that for some reason now reminded me of melted chocolate. I flinched as I felt a wave of warmth wash over my body.

  No, no, no. I did not want a soulmate, not now not ever, the girl in front of me looked even more horrified before looking at the hand that grabbed her wrist with utter revulsion and for some reason, it made me angry.

  "I seem to have found my mate so let me cut you a deal since you, after all, are my one true love, tell me where the Head Warrior Commander is, and I will make sure your death is quick."

  I snarled as she laughed before spitting on my face, the defiant expression on her face remained unchanged as she used this distraction to yank her hand out of my grasp. She stood tall before me, paying no attention to the cuts that littered her figure.

  "I am the Head Warrior Commander, I am the one that murdered your men, I am the one you are looking for."

  I could not help but let a laugh slip through my lips, it was almost adorable the way she tried to stand up to me, like a puppy yapping at a wolf.

  "No woman has been made Head Warrior Commander in the last hundred years and there has been no record of that change as well."

  That was a fact, there had been no record of any female commanders or even warriors for the last hundred years, even the ones dated further back weren’t known as they got themselves killed months into their service, highlighting women’s incapability to lead. She scoffed at me, glaring at me in disgust before rubbing away the thick layer of mud that covered her arm, exposing the intricate Warrior's Mark tattooed on her upper bicep that made it obvious that her claim was nothing but true.

  I made a move to grab her arm to examine the mark when she punched me in the j
aw, my head snapping back causing me to stumble backwards. I had barely enough time to get my bearings before another punch hit home on my nose. There was a loud crunch, my vision blurred before I felt something warm trickle down to my lips.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!”

  Each word that spewed out from her mouth was punctuated with a punch straight to my face, she took no time to aim her punches; she was satisfied as long as her punches hit their mark. She continued raining down punches on me before I grabbed her hand and twisted it to her back, I applied enough force to hear a snap, her body tensed but surprising enough, no scream. I looked down expecting to at least see tears in her eyes, instead, they were full of defiance, the same defiance that her Generals showed me right before I killed them. I snarled in frustration before snaking a hand down to her torso to apply pressure to her ribs, again a snap and again, no scream. The only response I got was her digging her nails into my skin. I decided to change my tactic, if she did not respond to physical actions maybe she would respond to my verbal ones.

  "I was going to kill you, but I decided not to due to your insolence so now you are stuck with me. The fates must be cruel to make me your mate, the physical pain you feel now is nothing compared to what I am going to do to you. You are nothing but a weakness to me and trust me when I say, I will never love you."

  "You think I care! This pain I am feeling right now is nothing as compared to the emotional pain I felt when you slaughtered my pack, forcing me to see my sister's dead body. Let me be clear with you here and now, I am not the type of girl who is going to do her best to find the good in you, who brainwashes herself into thinking that she can change. I will be the girl that challenges you at every step and I promise that I will take every chance to get away from you."

  I snarled as she struggled, she almost broke out of my grip before one of my men injected her with diluted silver, causing her to lose consciousness and limply fall into my arms. I watched her eyelids slowly flutter shut before bringing my lips to her ear.

  "Challenge me all you want, darling. After all, a wolf loves the chase."

  Chapter Six: Sticks and Stones

  Sapphire Nightborne

  I groaned as my eyelids fluttered open and my vision cleared. I tried to move but only winced as my skin burned the moment I stretched my hands. I looked at the shackles of silver that bound me, swearing to the heavens when I looked down to see my legs. Of the two things it had to be wolfsbane I was invulnerable to, it just had to be the rare plant instead of the ridiculously easy to obtain metal. I was strung up with my legs and arms bound to a wooden frame, I snorted to clear my nose as they were once again assaulted by the metallic scent of blood, this time both new and old.

  I looked around as I surveyed my new home. Bloody handprints covered the walls of my new residence like wallpaper, deep scratches decorated the wall as if an animal had been trapped here and had desperately tried to get out. My new floor was covered with teeth and nails, both of the human and wolf variety. I moved my right arm experimentally, ignoring the sharp burns that felt like fire had replaced the blood in my veins and let out a sigh of relief, happy that it healed. A weak draft of air graced my mid-section and I looked down to see that someone had fitted me with a set of black undergarments. My new clothes were tight and cut into my skin. I could not help but smirk at the contrast between my grime covered skin and the clean garments. However, the amount of skin exposed made me uncomfortable as I had been a warrior long enough to know the reason for why so much of my skin had to be out in the open.

  I had been in a position just like this before many years ago, so I decided to survey the surroundings in hopes of finding a way out. My peaceful frame of mind was interrupted by the door bursting open, slamming against the wall as the son of the Devil decided to make his grand entrance.

  "How are you doing? Feeling better, all nice and healed up?"

  I snarled as I saw this monster walk in front of me, his faux concern angered me, he walked in and acted as if he did not just order the slaughter of an entire pack. His sheer arrogance reminded me of the Hunters who locked my kind up, they were mock and parade themselves in front of us as they knew we were helpless.

  "I never had the chance to introduce myself, Damien Black, Alpha of the Black Blood Pack."

  Oh did I know who he is, there were few alive who didn’t, his family’s history was known throughout the pack’s and was told to little children to scare them. His family name was one many refused to speak of and was the subject of furious debate between Ryder and I. To everyone he was the ‘Son of the Devil’, the man who decided to take on his father’s title, after killing him first.

  "Suits you. Black just like your sad dark lonely heart."

  My remark was met with a slap in the face that made me feel as though some of my teeth had been loosened. I glared at him as I ran my tongue over my teeth to ensure that they were all where they were meant to be. It was probably not a good idea to anger the man who I knew was going to torture me, but I had never been good at holding my tongue. This resulted in more than one punishment in the past, so I stopped caring after the fifth or sixth beating.

  "Now now darling, I suggest you mind your tone."

  Like I said, I had no control over my tongue, I retorted with words which I thought were excellent choices due to the situation at hand. He kept silent as he reached his hand to touch my face, his face moving closer to mine. He yelled in pain as my teeth clamped down on his nose, he stumbled backwards after he managed to wrench his nose away from my teeth. I expected him to rage and storm at me, but he remained calm and simply took a cloth out of his pocket to staunch the bleeding.

  "That was not nice, now you've forced me to punish you."

  He stepped close to me, his nose bearing the marks of my teeth. With two fingers he imitated a walking motion of my arm before grabbing the elongated nail on my index finger, I did not bother to struggle as there was no point to it. Disgust flooded my features as he blew a kiss towards me before pulling. Blood trickled down my arm before dripping to the ground, joining the various shades of red. No scream left my mouth, I had withstood torture that made this look like child’s play, I was not going to let go of my pride for a mere fingernail that would grow back in less than an hour. I could feel the pain course through my entire being but did nothing besides dig my nails into my own skin to remind myself of all the times I had to control my pain.

  *“Does it hurt, child?”*

  *Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at the silver coins placed neatly in a row on my arm. The skin around them was burned and blistered. My silence caused my torturer to press the silver coins deeper into my skin, my nails elongated and dug into my skin.*

  *Just distract yourself from the coins, Sapphire, don’t let them break you.*

  *“I asked you a question. I expect an answer or is this too simple for the Lycan…”*

  *“No... I feel nothing.”*

  *“Interesting…I think it is time for further testing.”*

  I opened my eyes when I heard Damien humming, my claws still remained deep in my skin.

  "Pretty long, for a girl."

  I watched as this monster examined my claw while running his fingers over the length of it, he paused his actions before turning to me with a grin on his face. Using my own claw, he began to carve a path starting from my clawless index finger. My tongue was coated in my own blood as I bit my cheek to stop from screaming out as he forced the claw in deeper till only a silver remained above my skin. He continued to carve what was now a red river, stopping only at my armpit. I forced myself to start into his eyes, I wanted him to know that I did not break easy.

  I was not going to lie, he was easy on the eyes and had power that would have drawn families to throwing their daughters to him, in hopes of climbing the ranks. His smile was one that encouraged you to tell everything, but I knew the smile of a psychopath when I saw one, I saw them everyday in my youth.

  I was ripped from my thoughts by a hand grab
bing my chin and using it to force me forward.

  "You know, I never wanted a mate. You just show how love can weaken an Alpha but sweetheart, that is not going to happen."

  I scoffed although I knew it was true.

  For centuries when an Alpha found his or her mate, they would have to give part of their power to their mates to establish a balance in the relationship as both needed to lead the pack together and in most cases, the mate of an Alpha was not from a dominant lineage and did not have the power to wield over the pack. It was rare for causes such as mine when a wolf with a strong warrior bloodline bonded with an Alpha. How lucky am I?

  "I don't want your power or anything to do with this pathetic excuse of a pack!"

  That got me another slap in the face, the metallic taste of blood soon filled my mouth and I knew just where to spit it out.

  I laughed as I watched his eyes, the blue now raged like the ocean during a storm, as he used his sleeve to wipe his now blood and spit speckled face, my laughter died down though when his baritone one joined mine. He reached a hand to my face and I clenched my jaw as he slid a clawed finger down my cheek just stopping at the corner of my lip, my tongue became reacquainted with the metallic tang of blood as it slowly made its way from the cut to the corner of my mouth before leaking in and violating my taste buds.