Chandler POV

I walk slowly because my hip is still painful after this fucking encounter with whatever it was two weeks ago. I'm over 33 years old, have been hunting since I turned 18, and thought I'd seen everything. But that fucking monster destroyed everything I thought I knew about werewolves.

Werewolves personally, I also have some respect for them; Murrow Clan, which is my Clan, isn't involved in attacks on the packs too often. We are not blind killers; we kill rogues if they threaten ordinary people; we kill Alphas and packs if they get too greedy and threaten humans. We help other clans if they ask for our help. As a clan, we don't live in one place, but we are mostly scattered around Canada's border with Alaska. That's our territory; that's a place we keep safe.

I respect werewolves as opponents; I never made a mistake and saw them as mindless animals; they are far away from it, that's sure. I'm a Silver Bullet for a reason, and now I'm afraid the world I used to know will change very dramatically.

I knock on the door, and my mother's smile greets me; her wrinkles are visible, her hair is white, and she still has the sharp eyes of those who have fought and killed their entire life.

"Mother," I say, and she hugs me and leads me to her dining room. They are already here, all those whose opinion matters in any decision made in our clan.

"So, what conclusion have your reached?" I ask.

"We fully checked the area you met the creature. Traces of blood are obvious, but we are sure that the creature attacked the village and killed as many as it could, but those who have escaped based on traces were killed by those waiting for them around." One of the elders says.

"For me, it looked like the trap," my mother says. "The Prescot was surrounded and made sure that no one could escape, and then this creature and maybe more were allowed in. To kill every single one of those who had lived there."

"But what for?" I ask, "The reports we got was that they noticed something in the woods. Do you think that they saw the attackers preparing their ambush?"

"I think so," my mother answers." But the question is, why kill the Prescot? Why bother to erase almost all the traces and leave this creature unattended behind?"

"Unless it wasn't unattended?" Anne, one of my squad says." What if we were observed all this time? What if that Alpha lied and the creature had escaped him? And he just needed help to get rid of it?"

"I was in this fight," I say. "I don't say that werewolves have nothing to do with it, but Alpha Mikkeli had no idea what was happening. I think he was there to investigate those three packs that had also disappeared."

"Our medics checked the corpse you have brought," one of the gathered says." It clearly a humanoid version of a wolf, just very big. The power of its muscles was extreme; I also checked the blood. It didn't react with silver or wolfbane as the werewolf's blood should have."

"Which means that not only do we have a creature ten times stronger than a werewolf, but also we don't know the effective way to fight it," I say.

"Amaria, what are you contemplating?" Anne asks, looking at my mother.

"I think we have to consider the negotiations with werewolves," she says slowly, and I see not very happy faces of those who are gathered, yet no one dares to oppose my mother, the leader and the best hunter of our clan.

"I reconsidered the offer that was presented to us by Mikkeli Blackwood. He suggested the Black Moon Pack as the place for negotiations; he allowed us to bring as many men as we feel like it. Three persons will handle the negotiations; each can bring as many counselors as they think would be useful. Each will have one vote to every made decision."

"And who would they be?" Anne asks one more time; she definitely isn't happy with this idea.

"One representative for werewolves side, one for our side, and one who will be sort of arbiter not on any side."

That makes me wonder who the hell that could be.

"And who was suggested?" I ask.

"On the side of werewolves, it will be the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, Tonya Blackwood, daughter of Mikkeli Blackwood. On our side, I suggest our Silver Bullet and my son Chandler."

I gulp; I didn't see it coming, I'm more a fighter than a politician, and yet I know that my mother must have had a reason to choose me but not because of our family ties; that's not how she plans things.

"And for the arbiter, they suggested someone I was sure had been already dead, Terry Nightingale from the Nightingale Clan of hunters, which was destroyed over 20 years ago. "

That makes everyone go quiet, too quiet. Nightingale clan was one of the most vicious hunter clans in this country, but they were also efficient and managed to build the first steady Alliance among the clans, and it was all Terry's doing. But they were destroyed by a well-prepared attack from the werewolves' packs led by no one other than Mikkeli Blackwood. Now, he offered his worst enemy as the arbiter, which is extremely interesting.

They talk for some time, trying to reach a consensus, but I don't take part in it because whatever they decide, I will do what my mother asks me to.

A couple of hours later, I sit alone in my bedroom as she knocks on my door and enters.

"I'm sure you have many questions, Chandler," she says, sitting before me.

"Terry Nightingale?"

"I've known him personally; he was a good and strong leader who cared for his people. Clean killer, careful with innocent bystanders. I've seen him as the one who maybe one day would be able to unite all hunter's clans. I have no idea where he has been for the last 20 years, but I hope his involvement can guarantee the interests of humans that the hunters will be treated fair in these negotiations."

"Mikkeli Blackwood?"

"Once Alpha of the biggest pack on this continent. Packs aren't usually as big as the Black Moon is, but despite that, there was never the slightest report of him abusing his power, his pack is strong and well-organized, and his wolves are happy. Cautious and dangerous leader, but not cruel and mated to a human, and as you know, Alphas are not eager to mix their blood with humans."

"Tonya Blackwood?"

"Not much news to share with you. One of two daughters, she has been an Alpha for barely two years, but not much is known about her since she hasn't had to deal with any trouble for now. She inherited a very strong and well-managed territory."

"Why do we really need this treaty, and why do we need it more than werewolves?"

She sighs, hearing those questions, and gives me a look.

"Because werewolves are strong, and their strength is stable. Packs ruled in a bad way disappear, but those ruled well are impossible to be defeated. And hunter clans are slowly diminishing; numbers of wolves are stable, ours stably declining. Hunters are doomed to be over in the next couple of generations; werewolves have adapted better to the modern world. But what happened recently shows clearly that there is a third player in this game, and he sees us as nothing but dead meat, and yet I want us to prevail. Not because I see werewolves as monsters, but because we need to keep them in check to ensure they won't become monsters."

"Why do you want me to do it?"

"Because you are a Silver Bullet, your reputation is well-known and respected. You are strong but smart, and you understand the concept of the greater good. I have to convince the leaders of other clans that we need this treaty, and if they don't want to help, at least not to interfere. That's why I need you to prepare the treaty there would be no objections to and your reputation to grant its honesty. You can choose whoever you want for this mission; I trust you."

"You for sure put too much trust in me," I say

"You are my son, you might not come from my womb, but you are the only one in this world I trust, and I'm sure you always make the right choice."

Tonya POV

I park my car in front of Rosie's house, feeling uncomfortable. After all, I haven't seen her in years, and there was a time we were so close. Why did it have to come to this when we drifted so apart that I didn't notice what was happening unless it was too late?

As an Alpha ruling such a big territory, I have two Betas. One is my cousin James, the son of my uncle Hayden, my father's older brother; the second is Kathy, the daughter of the late Hank Stone. Our wolves connected exceptionally early, and I always felt like Kathy was a part of me.

 Actually, the house we were raised in was full of children, but we were divided into groups. James and his twin brother Jason were hanging out mainly with Danny, the older adoptive brother of Kathy. The triplets were a group of their own. And I, Kathy, Rosie, and Carson, the oldest son of my uncle Kyle and now my pack doctor, were the one group. Kathy was the oldest, and I was the youngest, but I firmly believed that nothing could ever change that. But then Kathy met her mate, and everything went downhill from this point.

The other thing about my sister, which was unexpected, was that she didn't shift when the time came. Of course, my parents and the family tried to figure out why, but even the Spirit Catcher, a wolf capable of sensing other wolves' memories or emotions, said there was no wolf in my sister. Has it made us worried and sad? Yes. Has it made us treat her differently? No. We didn't care if, despite her werewolf's blood, Rosie didn't have a wolf. My family always has had a tendency to be different. My mother marked my father even though she was a human; I was born immune to silver, so Rosie not having a wolf was quite an ordinary situation in our not-ordinary family.

I step out of my car; let's get over with it; the sooner, the better, I think as I ring the bell. I hear steps, and soon my sister is standing before me. She is over four years older than me but looks more fragile. She has long, curly ginger hair and ashen skin; her face is full of freckles. She hasn't changed much; she is still sweet and beautiful.

We look each other in the eyes for a moment but not too long. I reach to hug her, hug her strongly,  feeling tears in my eyes.

"Goddess, I've missed you so much," I whisper, and she hugs me back.

"I've missed you too, Tonya," she says, and unlike me, she lets her tears fall. "Please come in."

I brought with me cookies, and now I have no idea why Rosie has never liked cookies. Silver is a bit agitated, and I know why; I smell the omega wolf from my sister. I haven't sensed any wolf from her my whole life, and now I do. An omega, but still, the way Silver is agitated suggests something more; our instincts have never been so protective as they are now. Is it because Rosie is my sister, or is it because of something else?

My sister makes me a mug of black coffee since I'm a coffee addict, and we sit at the kitchen counter.

"So, can you tell me what has happened recently? Mom only told me that you have shifted and nothing more," I break the silence between us.

"I was in New York last week to visit parents; they told me about what had happened to dad in the north, so you understand that the visit wasn't very cheerful. It happened at the airport mum was waiting with me, we were in some of the shops when I smelt something, and till that moment I was no werewolf so it was strange, but I smelt something. And I have no idea what it was, only that I felt watched, and next my shift started. Mum managed to drag me to the dumpster site at the airport. Thanks, Goddess, it was New York, too many people on nobody really paying any attention to anybody."

I nod, mum was clever with the dumpsters, the scent of rubbish there would be strong enough to mask my sister's scent of the first shift, which is very agitated for werewolves when they are nearby.

"It was painful like hell, Tonya; I literally thought I was dying. It took hours, but I did it; mum says I was beautiful, but I don't remember anything. I know I have a wolf, but I don't feel her much; it's as if she is still too deep for me to reach her fully."

"Have you shifted since then?"

"Yes, I have control over my wolf, I can extend my claws and fangs now, and I smell so much since then. I feel as if different scents are assaulting me from everywhere."

"Show me," I say.

She smiles and takes off her clothes. I hear bones popping and breaking as she whimpers slowly, but soon powerful scent attacks my nostrils. My eyes open in awe as I see a tiny wolf, but somehow I feel like I've been looking at something ancient and divine. Her eyes are gold, which is relatively rare; her fur doesn't seem like wolf fur but like delicate silk. 

For sure, she is the most beautiful omega I have ever seen. Silver stirs in my mind; her senses are overwhelmed by protectiveness and calmness. She wants to cuddle to Rosie's wolf and... I don't know, maybe rest? We were so agitated by what father told us, but now we feel nothing but peace of mind. I have never met an Omega with a presence so strong that it could affect an Alpha wolf.

Okay, quite strange. I perfectly understand why our parents didn't want her to be checked by doctors connected with the Council, another singularity in the family, just like me.

"One daughter shifted too early, the second too late. This family is strange," I say, smiling and bending to pat her head as she slowly returns to her human form. The way she shifts is also strange. Usually, the wolf shifting is quite rough, but hers is like dance, full of grace.

"Why you didn't wait for me in New York if you had already decided that you should have gone home? I ask when she is dressed again.

She bites her lips and averts her eyes.

"I didn't want to corner you, to force you to meet with me. I wanted you to make your own decision about meeting with me. Don't say anything; I understand why you had to choose and believe me, I'm thrilled that you chose Kathy, that she wasn't all alone after what I had done and later when her father died."

I take a sip of my coffee; I don't feel comfortable talking about it. I may not be angry at her anymore, I may understand it wasn't her fault entirely, but I still feel unprepared to talk about it. That's actually the biggest problem we have. Neither Kathy nor Rosie has ever talked about it, not only with each other but also with me or, in fact, with anybody else.

"How are Kathy and her kids?" Rosie asks.

"Sonya is healthy despite being born so early, and little Hank is marvelous. They are seven and almost four."

"She named him after her father. I'm sure she misses him very much," Rosie whispers" and aunty Celia, how is Kathy's mother?"

"Okey, she made peace with what had happened and is now in charge of the packhouse, and she helps a lot with kids; Kathy is, after all, my first Beta. She has a lot of work," I smile sadly.

"And you, are you happy with your role as an Alpha?"

"I rule well, I think; my pack is strong. But other Alphas don't think of me as capable enough, but honestly, I don't care. And during the last rogue attacks on our pack, I managed to kill all ten of them alone; they were feral. But it is still nothing big if we compare it with what I did four years ago in the packhouse of the fourth territory when uncle Hank died."

The awkward silence comes to us. For sure, none of us is ready for casual chat.

"Pack your things and let us go home," I finally say" It will be difficult, but I'm happy you are coming back home. Uncle Hayden and uncle Kyle will be too, and James, Carson and the Trio, and aunty Celia too. It will be tough for Kathy, but we will make it work."

"I doubt that; after all, I was her best friend, and I slept with her mate and almost got her to lose her first child," Rosie says; the sorrow and regret on her face are overwhelming. 

So... the story has begun. 

I hope you like it and enjoy it till the end. I will post a chapter or two every week; I still haven't decided.