Secret Agent: Werewolf 2 (Secret Agent Werewolf), page 1
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Chapter 1
The forest was alive around me as its ancient trees stretched their limbs into the moonlit sky like they were trying to touch the stars. My large, heavy, and undeniably powerful paws pounded against the earth like the steady drumbeat that kept the woods alive. The damp moss and fallen leaves cushioned each stride, though I could still hear the sound clearly as I moved across the land. I bounded effortlessly between tree trunks, over fallen logs, and across mounds of earth at a speed that would probably leave some motorcycles in the dust.
The cool, bracing wind that whipped through my fur carried a thousand scents. There was the familiar musky tang of deer which was a constant presence in these woods. Then came the faint sweetness of wildflowers which bloomed somewhere out of sight. And, beneath it all, was the sharp metallic tang of fear from smaller critters as they scrambled to get out of my way. They didn’t know what I was, but they knew enough to be afraid.
And I couldn’t blame them. If I were in their position, I’d be running, too.
I pushed myself faster and felt the rhythm of my movements sync with the pounding of my pulse. It was a strange harmony, this connection between body and instinct, one that had taken me months to understand. I wasn’t even sure if I fully understood it now. My senses were razor-sharp and honed to a level that still sometimes startled me. I could hear the faint rustle of a rabbit’s tiny feet in the underbrush, at least a mile away, something no human could ever do. In fact, I could smell the sweat on its fur and even sense the nervous energy that radiated off it.
This was true freedom. Raw. Primal. Unfiltered by the rules and expectations of the human world. Nothing at all like the sterile, fluorescent-lit halls of the Bureau, where my life had been reduced to paperwork and bullshit protocols.
But even freedom had its price.
I wasn’t human anymore. Maybe I never had been, not completely. It wasn’t until the change, until I let the wolf out for the first time, that I realized how much I’d been holding back my entire life. There was something feral deep within me, something that they called the Lupe Alpha, whatever that meant. Now that it was free, there was no putting it back in its cage. I’d crossed a line I hadn’t even known existed, and there was no going back.
Now I was something straight out of myths and folktales, a being I’d never believed in until I became one. And with that transformation came a truth that was impossible to ignore.
The world wasn’t just populated by the mundane. The creatures of legend and myth were real, and they were even more terrifying than humans realized. They walked among us, hidden in plain sight, while we went about our very boring lives. Some wore human skin while others lingered in the shadows. Vampires, wraiths, and countless others whose names I didn’t even know yet were part of my life now. They weren’t just bedtime stories or urban legends anymore. They were real, and they were everywhere.
And now, I was one of them.
I slowed my pace and let the forest’s cool embrace wrap around me like an old, familiar blanket, and the night air ruffled the fur along my back as I trotted through the underbrush. This wasn’t just a run for me, though. It was a chance to think while I tried to come to terms with everything I’d become and what was coming next.
The irony of my position didn’t escape me. I’d spent years with the Bureau tracking down the worst of humanity, from drug lords and human traffickers to serial killers. I’d seen the darkness people were capable of and thought I understood what true evil looked like.
But this? This world of monsters and hidden shadows? It was a whole new level of darkness. The creatures out here didn’t care about laws or badges. They played by their own rules, and I was caught somewhere in between. Now, I was the man who still clung to the principles of justice, while the wolf inside me felt the primal pull of the hunt.
What scared me most wasn’t the monsters out there in the shadows. It was the monster I’d discovered within myself. There was a hunger, a raw and dangerous power, that simmered just beneath the surface. It whispered to me and tempted me to forget who I was and give in completely.
But I couldn’t, wouldn’t let it win. There was too much at stake. There were people out there, innocent people, who needed someone to stand between them and the darkness, someone who could fight back against the monsters. That was my mission now.
My purpose.
I came to a stop in a small clearing where the moonlight poured down like a spotlight, and I saw my breath puff out in soft clouds against the cool night air. I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and let the sounds and scents of the forest wash over me.
I glanced around at the Roanoke woods, the place that had become my sanctuary over the last few months. These trees, these paths, had become as familiar to me as the streets of the city once were. A part of me didn’t want to leave. Hell, if it were up to me, Lucy, Veronica, and I would stay in our hideout forever, tucked away from the chaos of the world.
But I knew that wasn’t possible. Hiding wasn’t an option if I wanted to make a difference, and even if I’d decided that I was willing to let the evil have its way in the world, I knew that it would come looking for me one day. So it was better to take the fight to them, and there was no better way to do that than by leading the special supernatural division Langley had offered me.
What better way to protect humanity than by stepping into the role I was born to fill? No one else could do this job like I could, because no one else had the unique perspective of standing with one foot in each world.
Because I wasn’t just a man anymore, and I wasn’t just a wolf. I was both. And I would do whatever it took to protect the world from what lurked in the shadows.
It wasn’t until I saw that the first hints of dawn had crept over the horizon that I turned back toward home. The stars had dimmed and had been replaced by the cool, pale light of early morning. The wolf in me wanted to keep running, to stay free under the open sky. But the man in me, the one who needed to sleep and think, knew it was time to return.
The path back to the house was second nature now. I weaved through the underbrush, over familiar streams, and around landmarks I’d come to recognize in the months we’d been here. There was the old oak with the jagged lightning scar, and the cluster of stones that always seemed to catch the light just right. They were part of my territory now, at least for a little while longer.
By the time I reached the clearing where the house sat, the sun was brushing the tops of the trees with gold. I shifted back into my human form as I approached. The transformation still felt strange and unsettling even though I’d been practicing for months, but at least I was able to do it seamlessly by now.
My muscles rippled, my fur receded, and my claws turned back into fingers. Pain always accompanied the shift like a cruel reminder that I was neither fully one thing nor the other, but I’d learned how to bury that as well. By the time I reached the porch, I was fully human again and my bare feet padded silently on the weathered wood.
Inside, the house was warm, and the scent of something cooking hit me immediately. My stomach growled in response, and I smiled as I followed the aromas to the kitchen.
Veronica was working on breakfast when I stepped into the room. Her silver-blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun as she moved between the stove and the counter as comfortably as if she’d lived here for years. She had a way of making even the most mundane tasks look graceful and effortless, and cooking was no exception.
“Morning,” she said in her thick accent. Her tone was light but tinged with the weariness we all shared. “I thought you’d be hungry after your night frolicking in ze trees.”
I collapsed onto the sofa without even bothering to pull on the shirt that I’d left draped over the back. My body ached in a way that was oddly satisfying, like I’d pushed it to its limits and come out stronger.
“Perfect timing, huh?” I grunted.
She laughed softly and shook her head.
“You’re lucky,” Veronica added. “This is the last of what we’ve got. Eggs, a bit of the rabbit you caught, some canned beans, and the tiniest bit of bread I could salvage from the pantry. Gourmet, it’s not.”
I closed my eyes for a moment as I let the smell of food and the warmth of the room wash over me. It felt good to just exist for a minute, to not think about what was coming next.
A soft thud pulled me from the edge of sleep. I cracked an eye open to see Lucy crouched by her overstuffed duffel bag as she fought to zip it shut. She had the same intense focus she always did, and her dark hair was already plaited into two neat braids which hung over each shoulder.
“Jeez, Luce, you know we won’t be gone forever, right?” I asked, my voice raspier than I intended. “I mean, do you really need all of that?”
“You never know,” she shrugged as she looked up and arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t think I had so much here, but I just keep finding
“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered as I waved my hand. “I’ll get to it.”
Lucy rolled her eyes but didn’t press. Instead, she dropped onto the sofa beside me and wedged herself under my arm so that her head rested on my bare chest.
“Did you just get back?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I sighed as I closed my eyes again. “I just wanted to make the most of it before we head over to Langley.”
“The house is always so quiet when you’re out for the night,” Lucy said.
“Veronica calls it frolicking,” I chuckled.
“Vot else is it you do?” the blonde teased from the kitchen.
“Bad-ass wolf shit,” I smirked, at which both girls broke out in stifled giggles. “You two wouldn’t understand obviously.”
“Oh, yeah, obviously,” Veronica chuckled. “Now, did I cook this for fun or are you lazy asses going to come and eat?”
“It smells sooo good, V,” Lucy said as she pushed herself against me to stand. “Thanks for sorting this out. I can’t believe you’ve packed and done all of this already. You’re so organized.”
“I mean, ven you’re ze secretary for a vampire, you learn to be pretty efficient.” Veronica shrugged, but she gave us a smile that took the edge off her comment.
I dragged myself off the sofa to join them at the table. The smell of the food was enough to push aside my fatigue for now, and I couldn’t wait to devour whatever the silver-haired beauty had pulled together. I leaned over the countertop to leave a peck on Veronica’s cheek before I slid into the chair across from Lucy, who was already picking at her food.
“Not bad for ‘gourmet,’” she commented with her mouth full.
Her attempt at a compliment was a bit muffled by the food, but we all understood the sentiment. She didn’t give praise easily, and when she did, it counted.
After a night of running through the woods like a beast, the eggs and rabbit were a welcome fuel. The bread was a little stale, but it didn’t matter. I tore into it with enthusiasm, grateful for the simple comfort.
“You’re even eating like a volf,” Veronica teased as she watched me eat for a moment, and her accent thickened with the mockery.
“You have no idea,” I grinned between bites.
Lucy rolled her eyes, but she joined in the laughter. The rest of breakfast passed in a comfortable haze of mindless talk and the clink of utensils. And for a few moments, I allowed myself to forget about the world beyond the walls of this cabin and the dark forces I’d come to understand far too intimately.
“I’m going to miss this place,” Lucy sighed as she finished the last of her eggs.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked around. I nodded in agreement and tried to hide the disappointment I suddenly felt. The place already felt empty, and I would miss my nightly runs through the woods.
We’d spent the last few days letting our supplies dwindle down, and now that the girls had begun to gather their belongings that had been scattered around the place for so long, the lodge suddenly didn’t look so homey. It was colder somehow, and not just because there wasn’t a fire in the hearth.
“We’re not going to be gone forever,” I reminded her. “This is all ours now. We can come back once we’ve figured out what Langley needs us to do.”
“I know,” the ex-agent admitted as she looked into her half-full coffee mug. “It’s just been kinda cozy being here all the time, you know?”
“How about one last caffeine kick before we leave?” Veronica suggested as she grabbed a coffee mug and poured herself another cup.
“Always,” I grunted as I lifted my own mug.
I savored the hot, bitter flavor for a few minutes as Lucy and Veronica chatted between themselves. I was always grateful to see how sisterly they’d become in our time together, and I smiled as I watched the pair discuss the best route to our next destination.
I took one last mouthful of coffee before I pushed my seat back and got to my feet.
“I’m gonna get packed,” I said as I stretched my arms out.
“You can say that again,” Lucy teased as she looked my bare torso up and down.
“Ha, ha, good one,” I smirked as I mockingly rolled my eyes. “I might throw in a quick nap before we get going. If we’ve got time that is?”
“You’re ze boss,” Veronica smiled.
“We’ll finish up here,” Lucy added.
“Awesome,” I yawned. “Thanks again for breakfast, V.”
“No problem,” she replied.
I made my way through the lakeside lodge to the bedroom we had been using, and I flopped onto the bed. The mattress was stiff, but it was still better than some places I’d been. It took a few minutes for the sleepiness to catch up with me, but once it did, I let myself drift off.
I let myself feel something like peace, although I knew it wasn’t going to last. Tomorrow we’d be facing monsters of a different kind, but for now, I allowed myself the luxury of sleep, even if it was only for a few hours.
As sleep claimed me, my mind slipped into a dream. It was a vision both surreal and vivid, and it felt as if it was more memory than imagination. I found myself back in the sterile, suffocating halls of the Bureau, but this time, it wasn’t me sitting at the desk or pacing the corridors.
Instead, Ravenov was there.
The bureaucratic vampire who had embodied everything twisted and wrong about the supernatural world had taken my place. His presence in my dreams was as much a haunting as it was a warning, and even though I wanted to wake up, I couldn’t seem to leave the dream.
He sat behind a massive desk made of polished black marble whose surface gleamed under the pale, flickering light of overhead fluorescents. The air around him carried an unnatural chill, the kind that seeped into your bones and made your body feel hollow. His sharp, angular face was as pale as moonlight, and his eyes had an iciness that seemed to pierce straight through flesh and into the soul.
“Ah, zer you are, Agent,” he purred in his smooth, heavily accented voice, which echoed in the otherwise silent room. “Or should I say, pricolici?”
I hated how calm and composed he always seemed, like nothing in the world could shake his confidence. He wore his authority like a perfectly-tailored suit. The only sign of his true nature was the faint shimmer of his fangs when he smiled. It was never a friendly smile, but more like the kind that made you feel like prey.
“What do you want, Ravenov?” I asked, although my voice sounded far away.
“Oh, it’s not vot I want,” he said as he leaned back in his chair with a languid grace. “It’s vot I need. Or, rather, vot ve need.”
“Who is we?” I asked.
The vampire only cackled, and the walls of the room seemed to ripple like water in response. I suddenly became aware of the sounds I’d been trying to ignore but couldn’t anymore. Low growls and the scrape of claws on tile drifted my way, and my gaze flicked to the corners of the room, where unnatural shadows twisted weirdly in the light, until finally, a dozen wolves emerged from the darkness.
Their forms were hulking, distorted amalgamations of man and beast, and their eyes glowed with a faint light. Chains hung from their necks and wrists to keep them subdued, and when they shuffled forward, their limbs jerked unnaturally as if the weight of the chains was crushing their spirits.
“Slaves,” I hissed through gritted teeth as my fists clenched.
The sight of the wolves like me, beaten, broken, and stripped of their will, ignited a fire of rage within me.
Ravenov’s smile widened to reveal more of those pearly-white fangs.
“I prefer to call zem assets,” he said as his tone dripped with condescension. “They serve a purpose, Agent. Or have you forgotten vot I told you? Everything has it’s place in ze world, and ve’re here to maintain order.”
“Who is ‘we’?” I asked again, this time louder.
“Ve are everywhere, Nathan,” Ravenov replied. “Ze Moroi are everywhere. I was only one player in a much bigger game.”
The dream shifted abruptly, and I was no longer in the office. I stood in the middle of a massive underground chamber, dimly lit by torches mounted on ancient stone walls. The werewolves were there too, now fully transformed into their beastly forms. They snarled and snapped as their chains rattled while they were forced into a brutal mockery of a hunt.
