◈A D R I A N◈

Black clothes, check.

Gloves, check.

Backpack, check.

Pacing back and forth in my room, I looked down at my watch and took a shaky breath to calm my jittery nerves. In about thirty minutes, my entire world will change. I will no longer be at the bottom of the food chain.

Tonight, I'll rise to the top.

Having that said, I dashed to the bathroom again to relieve myself. The last thing I needed was to bare my vulnerable butt in the midst of the woods. Or worse, to have my butt targeted by some wild animals.

I shuddered at the thought as my hands were getting drenched under the running tap. The cold water was numbing my nerves, an oddly soothing sensation.

Looking into the mirror, I saw a wide-eyed scrawny face staring back. He usually looked weak and pathetic but today, there was something different in the way he held his head. That confident tilt and that wild glint in his eyes,

This boy was ready to hunt.

I smiled, welcoming this foreign rush of exhilaration. The subtle sting on my lower back was like a constant confidence boost. Thinking back on how Zax's words struck me deep, calling the tattoo a tramp stamp had my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

I had rushed back home, pulling off my shirt against the will of my protesting back and tiptoed in front of the mirror. I craned my neck to see the reflection, breathing out a relieved sigh when I saw the tattoo. I was half expecting to see the word 'Tramp Stamp' imprinted on my skin. Instead, it was as badass as I've had hoped.

It was about two inches wide, a set of lips pulled wide to reveal two bloody canine fangs. I realized it was the exact replica of the graffiti on the vert wall.

I was over the moon despite feeling a little guilty for doubting Damon. This tattoo was like a little cool secret only you know-almost like a vigilante hiding his secret identity.

Checking my reflection for one last time, I ran my fingers through my hair to smooth out the stubborn strands and closed the door.

✴

I see fire.

Blazing hot fire in the middle with a ring of black silhouettes surrounding it, worshipping it.

My eyes flickered to the silhouette standing in the middle. Shadows danced across his features, his eyes reflecting the fiery blaze before him. He had his hand stretched out, inviting me to sin.

Join us, he mouthed.

Entranced, I stepped forward to join the circle. I was instantly enveloped in the warm embrace with the crackling fire sending smoke and sparks up the sky.

There was a weird buzzing in the air and the people around me swayed to the invisible rhythm. I found Thomas standing beside of me while I was assessing the situation. His colorful Hawaiian shirt was gone, replaced by a black turtleneck and skinny jeans. He looked just like Charlie.

And Charlie...well, Charlie looked like Charlie.

A streak of purple flashed across the sky, illuminating the sky and revealing dark clouds. As if on cue, the swaying stopped and Damon clapped his hand once.

"The hunt begins!" he roared.

The silent crowd burst into cheers and whooped, all seemingly excited to prey.
Everyone but Zax.

He had his gaze fixated on me intensely and I can feel his anger vibrating off him. Obviously, he was super pissed that his warning fell to deaf ears.

Fuck. I needed to stay clear from him.

Immediately, I looked for my protector but was crestfallen when I saw Hot Wings stuck to Damon. Groaning, I turned to look for the second best, Thomas.

He perked up and grinned when he saw me approaching him, albeit a little puzzled by my unusual friendly attitude. Charlie turned to face me too, wearing his usual aloof look.

"What's up," I greeted lamely, still feeling self-conscious.

"Just hyping, dude. You nervous?" Thomas asked.

I decided to play it cool, not wanting to look too amateurish so I just shrugged, "I feel alright."

"Nice," Thomas drawled. He then slipped his hand into his back pocket and pulled out a small brown packet. "Here, this'll make you fly high as a kite!" he exclaimed and shoved the packet into my palms.

Feeling curious, I rubbed the package between my fingers, trying to figure out what's the magic. Thomas laughed when he saw that and pulled out another packet. This time, he opened it and flung it into the air. A dash of white powder exploded and started to fall onto us like snow. Thomas had his head tilted up, his tongue flicking out to taste the air. Meanwhile, Charlie scrunched up his nose and sneezed repeatedly before kicking Thomas at the shins.

Thomas guffawed and slung both his lanky arms around our necks, pulling the three of us into a bony bear hug.

"It's time, guys," Nico reminded.

Thomas released us suddenly, almost making me falling face flat on the ground. I caught myself just in time to see the pack moving forward. I couldn't track Thomas or Charlie anymore in a sea of blackness. Feeling left out, I shoved the packet into the pockets and jogged slightly to keep pace with them.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Zax growled, finally able to single me out.

"Hunting," I huffed out impatiently, speeding up to get away from him. Unfortunately, my short legs couldn't compete with Zax's mile long ones. He caught up in two strides and yanked me back.

"A little lamb hunting? This isn't even funny."

"It wasn't a joke in the first place," I bit out.

"So was my warning," he added. "Go home, boy. This isn't the place for you to play."

"Fuck you. You're not the alpha. I don't have to listen to you, dickhead," I hissed and ran to join Damon, leaving Zax behind.

Damon was a little surprised to find me at his side but he didn't question me. Instead, he smiled and handed me a black mask. "Wear it," he ordered. I pulled the mask over my face and hook it around my ears obediently. I had noticed the rest were covered too, leaving only two eyes darting around.

I adjusted the loop to obscure my features and looked around, feeling curious about our destination. It didn't seemed like we were heading to any sort of clearing, in fact, we were going straight to the middle of the town.

The street was completely deserted since it was close to three a.m. now. A feeling of uneasiness was gnawing at my gut, making me feeling even more agitated.

Don't tell me we're hunting dogs and cats, I mused in disgust. I desperately hoped we hadn't stooped so low to feast on dog meat.

Deep in my thoughts, I bumped into a wall of muscle and breathed out a sigh when I realized it was Nico and not someone else. I smiled apologetically and stepped to the side to see everyone had stopped in front of a store.

I recognized the gray sweater worn by the mannequin behind the storefront. It was the same one from the day I first met Damon. Before I could react, the glass shattered and rained before my eyes.

Standing shell-shocked, I saw Damon flashed me a grin before stepping over the shattered glass and entered the store.

The rest filed in too, pushing shoulders with me staying rooted to the ground. They started to grab clothes and shucking them into their backpacks. Anything they could get their hands on while Damon made a beeline to the counter for the cash register.

Zax walked passed me and whispered, "Don't say I didn't warn you." He strode into the store too and helped Damon with the cash register.

Speechless, I could only stare at the barbaric acts before me. Walls smashed and metals clanged. Nico was pulling off the curtains from the fitting room, setting them ablaze like dry hay.

Thomas, someone I regarded as a friend, went wild with his bat. He flung it around aimlessly, catching mirrors and wooden hangers with no regards. Even Charlie who always looked disinterested was leisurely sifting through the bundle of clothes.

This was not a hunt.

This was madness!

I dropped my gaze to the gray sweater laying on a blanket of debris, oblivious to the chaos erupting around me.

Life's a beach.

Those white bold words stared back at me as if they were silently judging me. Everything made sense all at once. The all-black outfit and mask. This was no pack. They were just a bunch of intoxicated hooligans.

The revelation hit me deep and I blanked out, looking around the scenario playing out before me as if I had entered a whole new world.

Feeling numb, I bent to pick up the sweater but a pair of boots entered my vision and someone grabbed it before I could. I looked up and saw Damon flinging the sweater to get rid of the debris. Once he was satisfied, he held up the sweater against my chest.

"Isn't this what you want?" he asked softly, his head tilting to the side innocently.

I gulped.

Oh god, what have I done?

✈

Author's note

There will be 2-3 more chapters before you can see Logan again, fingers crossed. I apologize for such a lengthy flashback, it went longer than I'd expected.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please considering to click on the little star at the bottom. Cheers!

{Song: Blur by MØ and Foster The People}