Four days after the encounter with Miller, things sort of returned to normal. As normal as the supernatural living among humans can get. Amelia still has a long way to go in her learning of the werewolf world. I'm glad she has her father around to teach her. 

I've been thinking about offering her the chance to join Pack Eclipse. Edward has already agreed to her becoming a member, but I'm unsure if she wanted to fully be a part of my world. 

There are a lot of dangers for a werewolf. With the safety of a pack, some of those dangers are lessened. The sooner I ask the better. Sniffing at the base of a tree, the strange scent was leading me further into the forest. 

I was on the trail of that guy with the dried hair. I haven't been able to sleep much lately. He hasn't been anywhere near the pack, which I found odd. What's more, his encounter was too strange for me to just brush off. 

He's probably from Dustfall. Dustfall Pack was my former pack before returning back to Pack Eclipse. The alpha there wasn't the best, but with my guidance, it was becoming better. It probably had something to do with the fact that my mother was supposed to be it's next alpha. Whatever the case, I needed to find the guy and settle things.

The further I moved into the forest, the stronger his scent became. Coming to a stop, I glanced around in search of him. He led me a good distance away from the pack. If this was a trap, I could always escape. Yet there were no other scents. Just his. 

Directing my gaze toward a large stone, I looked up to see him sitting up on top. He looked too comfortable. Just what did he want? 

When he spotted me, he smiled and stood up. Leaping from the small mountain, he landed gracefully in front of me. He was still in the same clothes as before. "Ah, so you found me." 

I approached him, leaving some distance between us. "Who are you and why are you spying on Pack Eclipse?"

"It's not Edward Knight’s pack I'm spying on in particular." He closed his left eye and tilted his head slightly. "In particular, I'm spying on you."

"Why?" 

"On orders. Just think of me as your own personal recruiter." He chuckled lightly at some hidden joke.

On orders of who? I needed to be careful. I had made a few enemies over the years, but it was nothing big that would require them to send someone to come after me. Much less, recruit me. 

"If you're from Dustfall Pack, you can tell Alpha Zachary he's on his own. My priority is with Pack Eclipse now."

The stranger arched an eyebrow. "The Arne bloodline only living heir shouldn't waste his time with a quickly declining pack." 

He said Arne. He knows of my mother's family. Not many were familiar with the Arne family after most were wiped out mysteriously years ago. I'm the only living member, but that's because my mother mated with my father before she was killed by some hunter when I was a year old. 

But I took my father's last name. The Arne family is only known among a select few. But he speaks as if he knew of me. 

"Who are you?"

"You wouldn't know me if I told you." He shrugged his shoulders. 

If he knows about that part of my hereditary, then this man knows more than what he's leading on.

 Amelia's face flashed in my mind's eye."You're here about Amelia."

"That's partially true," he said with a smile.

He's here for her. Is he a diplomat to the emperor? No, he doesn't look the part. Nevertheless, he is a threat to my mate. 

"I won't let you have her."

"A half breed has been hidden and allowed to live. It is my duty to end her."

My enhanced speed allowed me to get close to him before he could blink an eye. When I swung my clawed hand, he, however, ducked before the connection could be made. Throwing a kick got me nowhere either because he leaped away. 

He chuckled as he landed a few steps away from me. "You're fast. Though you are an alpha."

With a growl, I threw myself at him again. I threw a combination of kicks and punches his way, but none hit him. It was like he toying with me, despite the scent of fear that came from him. It did bring me some satisfaction that he feared me though.

"I wonder if your mate is fast. She is only a halfling though." He chuckled again. 

I take it back. I won't get satisfaction unless I spill his blood. 

Swing at him again, I saw him dodge back. Only this time, he lost his balance. I acted quickly by grabbing the collar of his shirt. "How do you want to die?" I bared my fangs at him. Hoping he would beg for his life. I wasn't going to kill him without Edward's word and the fact that he might be a member of the emperor's warriors. 

Smiling uneasily, he held his palms up in surrender. "Easy there. You don't need to kill me."

"And why not? Wasn't you threatening my mate just seconds ago?"

"I couldn't resist teasing you." He scratched the back of his head, still smiling. 

I shook him once before bringing him closer to glare into his eyes. "You teased the wrong wolf." 

"Would it help if I say I'm sorry?"

"Nothing wi--you're not a werewolf." I snuffed near his neck. It was faint, but it was clearly there.

"Not exactly. Though I must comment on your nose. Not many have been able to tell I'm not a werewolf."

"You're a wolfhound." Frowning, I couldn't help wondering how he got a werewolf's scent on him. 

"The correct term is gaueko."

The only area this wolfhound resides in is Europe. And Emperor Conrí is the one who controls that land there. What's one of his hounds doing here? Does he really know about Amelia? If so, I need to tell Romulus. This can't be a good thing. "Why are you here?" 

"In the months to come, your alpha will receive a notice of appearance before your emperor. You will be required to appear before Emperor Conrí of Europe. I'm here to personally instruct you to bring the Half-blood with you. Romulus Trevino will receive the very same notice. However, he won't agree. So you will bring her."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Failure to obey your emperor will result in consequences. It will be in the notice." 

"Why seek me out if I was only going to receive a notice in the first place? You went out of your way to meet me."

"On His Majesty's orders, I was to observe you."

"Let me guess, he didn't tell you why."

"His Majesty's said: You, Lucian Knight, is the child formed from two original alpha bloodlines. The one whose bite can instantly kill a vampire. The one who is the stronger of the Knight brothers. You carry a lethal bite." 

"You send those crazed vampires on us." I thought it was strange for those crazed vampires to go after Amelia and her mom out of nowhere. Their eyes had been red, but, now that I think back to that day, there was something off in the wind. 

"I didn't send them, but I needed to see your bite for myself, but that didn't happen. I was surprised to see Romulus alive and well. Not only that, the Half-blood was a nice surprise too." 

"I ought to kill you."

The wolfhound's body began vanishing. I tried to grab onto him again, but he slipped right through my fingers. A gust of wind blew past me. With it, came his voice. 

"Bring your mate before the king. It'll be easier to obey the emperor than suffer his wrath."