Chapter Text
Fiery violet blue eyes regarded the map stretched across one of the walls of his dilapidated shack, regarding its contents that mapped out the Sonoran Desert.
Keith Kogane was responsible for five areas: Altea, a small town where the sparse number of humans knowing the community’s true secret lived, himself and a small number of witchlike creatures that were more human than anything included. The massive lake to the north of Altea, The Depths was inhabited by sea like creatures such as mermaids, sirens, and other creatures not known to man. The mountains in the east was Galra, where werewolves and other shifters dwelled. The caves in the south were for the Balmeran community, inhabited creatures such as trolls and others that were adept to Earth’s natural habitats and thrived on mining diamonds and such that kept the community thriving. And to the south were the forests, Arus, inhabited by the McClain family and other small covens of vampires, living off the wildlife and those willing to feed the creatures.
Keith scowled as the man in front of him raised his head to sniff the air, the sound annoying him to no end as the man tried to assemble his thoughts on the scents surrounding him. Waiting for the man to speak, Keith grabbed the blade laying on his table and picked his nails with it, careful not to cause too much damage because the last thing he needed was Shiro on his ass again.
The man, who had introduced himself as James, turned back towards Keith with a scowl etched onto his face. “It stinks that I can’t smell anything,” he commented. Keith could tell the man hadn’t slept in a while, if the slur in his words or the bags under his eyes were any indication. Keith knew the man wasn’t a threat to him in his current state. Werewolves such as James were the most powerful when the moon was set the highest in the sky, but in his condition, he was like rabid dog than an oversized wolf.
Keith shrugged as he dug the tip of his blade into the table that separated them. “What can I say? In this town, I make sure that everything goes according to plan. Everyone here obeys the rules I put in place. For you and your pack, the rules are simple: I don’t want to see any wolves in town during hunting, the same rule I made to the vampires. You follow those rules and I leave your pack alone. Not too difficult.” Keith didn’t need to mention to him what he had done to other wolves and shifters who ventured too close to Altea before. Though he maintained peace with most of the communities, those in Galra had had more of a death toll than the others because their natures were often combative and sometimes uncontrollable.
James nodded his head as he looked at the map again. “My pack and I can settle here. Plenty of wildlife that we can hunt during our shifts,” he said, pointing his finger at the Arus area of the map.
Keith huffed in enjoyment at the way the man spoke, as if he were the king declaring his word of low. “Yeah, that’s not happening Mr. Griffin.”
“And why do you say that, hunter? Who’s gonna stop me?” the wolf asked, haughty and voice laced with smugness. Oh if only this man knew what Keith was truly capable of.
Keith gave him a smug look as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Welp, I hate to inform you but that area, which we call Arus, is occupied by the McClain coven and other smaller vampire covens.” Keith could see James’s eyes widen as he realized who Keith was talking about. “They’ve been there long before my dad became the organizer of this area, going on I think about thirty years now. They were the first to join this community and have even placed resources that have helped us build as a group, so you could say they own this place in a way. They have been the best residents Altea has had and I am not pushing them somewhere else just to make room for you. You will reside in the mountains we call Galra with the other wolves and shifters. We maintain a peaceful environment in this community. One misstep and I won’t hesitate to kick you out on your ass to grovel somewhere else. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Excellent. We handle these moves like a trial period. You have one month to impress me. As long as you follow my rules, you and your little pack are safe. If, by the end of that month, you behave, you will have a permanent home here in the Sonoran Desert. However, if you or any of your wolves fail to follow them, I assure you either you will be out on your ass faster than your head will spin or, maybe even easier, I’ll kill you. Now, any further questions?”
Keith enjoyed watching James trudge down the sandy area surrounding his shack, the obvious pissed off man kicking at the sand on his way back to his pack. Once the man was out of sight, he closed the door to his shack and slid the combination lock in place to secure the door, though one day he knew someone would figure out the combination and break in. Too bad it wouldn’t be worth it for the perpetrator since he barely kept anything in the place to begin with.
He pulled his phone from the back pocket of his skinny black jeans and opened the contacts, selecting the starred name at the top of the list and hitting the call option. Placing the phone between his right ear and shoulder, he pulled on his black leather jacket as he scoped his surroundings to make sure no one was around. Last thing he needed was someone eavesdropping on his conversation or trying to jump him when he least expected it.
His contact answered on the third ring. “Keith, I take it you’re done with Griffin?” a deep male voice asked.
“Yeah Shiro. Told him to go to Galra just as planned. He wasn’t too happy because he wanted Arus,” Keith replied as he picked up his hoverbike and mounted it. “We’ll do the usual month trial run. If they try anything funny, I want you and Adam to help me personally hunt them down. I can see we might have a problem with him, but as Dad said before, we’ve got to give everyone a chance.”
“Agreed. You know I’m always up for a good hunt. Adam might fuss a little with having to get his hands dirty, but you know once he’s warmed up he enjoys it just as much.”
Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane had first became a hunter under Keith’s dad when Keith was just ten. Though Keith had been the one who wanted to be taught by his dad, he knew at the time he was too young to learn to become a hunter, so Shiro had been the next choice. When his father had died not long after, Shiro had helped raised Keith and eventually passed his knowledge on to Keith. Up to two years ago, Shiro had been the one in his father’s position with the town, but after meeting and falling in love with Adam, he had agreed to allow Keith to take his rightful place as his father’s replacement in the town.
“Mind watching the town while I’m out? I want to go give the McClain family a heads up that they will be seeing some new wolves since their areas are so close together. Wouldn’t want them fighting over food if some of their own wander into the other’s territory.”
Shiro chuckled. “Of course. Do you know how long you’re going to be? You know how Adam can get when you’re out too late. Wouldn’t want to worry him too much.”
Keith hummed as he revved the engine of his hoverbike. “Mmm. Maybe a couple of hours since I want to talk to Mrs. McClain about a couple of things. I can call you when I’m leaving. Make sure to call if anything happens in the meantime.”
“Roger that. Be safe, please.”
Keith smiled. “Always. Love you both,” he said before hanging up and placing his phone back into his pocket. Driving down the road leading to the forest, Keith listened out for rustling leaves, breaking twigs, anything that would give away someone watching him. He knew they were there; he could smell the vampires in the area, and he hoped they were just waiting for him to move on, scared of Keith attacking them. He hadn’t earned his reputation by being a broody man, there were tales of the number of creatures he could take down singlehandedly himself.
Removing the key from his hoverbike, he tightened his coat around his waist, keeping out the midnight breeze, he began walking down the small pebbled walkway that lead up to his desired destination.
Once the town was out of sight through the thick trunks of the ancient tree he broke out in a sprint and then, once his feet got use to the uneven surface, he ran, faster and faster. Not known by many, Keith was faster than any human alone. He enjoyed the thrill of running as he shot through the trees, not bothering to worry about being preoccupied with getting lost since he had made his way to the McClain family many times, his body knowing exactly where it should lead him to. Normally taking a normal human close to an hour to reach the home on foot, he took him only around twenty minutes to complete.
Right as he was getting close to the home, he stopped as new scents filled the air. What the…are there new vampires here and I didn’t know about it? The scent that caught his attention was warm and reminded him of an ocean breeze mixed with salt and caramel. It was surely not a scent he was used to. Scowling, he had his way to the McClain family home. He had to get down to the bottom of this. If Matías had allowed more vampires in Arus, the least he could do was inform Keith of the changes! That man and I are going to have a serious conversation about rule breaking! They were set this way for a reason!
The forest cleared slightly as row upon row of log cabins, beautifully hand crafted, came into view, each one having a small garden where vegetables were growing and hunted animals hung, awaiting the next feast. Children weaved throughout the cabins, their laughter filling the night sky as they chased one another, a few using their vampiric abilities to gain an advantage when they started to lag behind. Adults watched with content smiles as they carried out their business, seemingly at ease with their nocturnal lifestyles. But what Keith could also see was the worried expressions of the other men, whispering to one another but with an urgent hurry, almost as if they feared the man approaching them.
Ignoring them, he made his way to the one home he knew he would be welcomed in. Knocking on the door, he only had to wait a couple of moments before a woman answered, giving Keith a large smile that ached him. If only he had had a mother such as herself growing up. “Why hello their Keith Kogane. What a pleasure it is to see you dear.”
“Aleja, I’m here to speak with Matías,” Keith announced, not one for small talk at a time like this.
Aleja was stunning in the moonlight, tanned skin set alight against long fine black hair which reached her waist, only further accentuating her blue eyes. They seemed to glow when the moonlight hit them, flashing crimson a moment to show her annoyance before turning back to the color he knew and loved.
“Can I at least get a hug first?” Aleja smiled, extending out her arms. Accepting her warm embrace Keith inhaled her scent, relaxing against the sea breeze which was distinctly hers and resembled the distinct scent he caught whiff of moments ago.
Tensions are high at the moment. It seems another potential Lunar Witch has been killed, her voice filtered into his mind. When he had first realized he could hear her thoughts years ago he had been frightened to no end. It had happened when he was only fourteen and accompanying Shiro as he met with Matías about a party that was going to be thrown later that weekend. She had whispered in his mind while the hunter and vampire coven leader had talked plans and, with permission from both parties, Keith had followed her away from the others and told him about what it meant between them. Now, after many years, hearing her voice was comforting.
You’re kidding right? Who? he asked silently, pulling slightly apart from her to look into her eyes.
Her name was Nyma. She was a part of my son’s small little coven. They were in our hometown in Cuba when they were attacked and she was slaughtered, right before her soulmate’s very eyes. She hadn’t shown the signs of being one yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Keith chanced a glimpse behind Aleja to as two men and a woman walking towards them, their fangs elongated as they made their way through the hallway. Turning back to Aleja he smiled sadly. “I see you have a few more vampire mouths here…without informing me though it states in the rules to do so. I need to speak with Matías, Aleja, and I’d rather get it over with so I can leave you all in peace.” He spoke aloud as if he hadn’t heard their unspoken words.
A rattle emerged as Aleja reached behind her to bring forth a pair of silver cuffs, Keith just rolled his eyes. He always had to wear these when he came here, as if he’d attack a vampire in its lair surrounded by at least thirty vampires in the surrounding area. Yeah, that would be clever. He folded his wrists behind his back as Aleja stepped around him to fasten the cuffs onto his wrists.
“You know silver doesn’t affect me, right?” Keith smiled smugly, eyeing the male vampires before him, only five meters from where they stood. The female, shorter than the two, glared at him through her glasses as she stood behind the heavyset male.
Aleja fastened the cuffs snugly around his wrist, leaning in to whisper into his ear, “Sure it doesn’t. A creature such as yourself only find them to be a nuisance since it nullifies your abilities.”
With that Aleja walked ahead of him with a smile, leading the way through the door and into the entryway, closing it behind Keith as he stepped inside the warm home. He could hear the other vampires sniffing him out, trying to read him: he hated that. Not that they’d smell much on him other than...oh shit. A loud snarl stopped the pair and rooted them to the ground as a tall male approached them, straight brown hair almost falling over ocean blue eyes, white teeth bared against tanned skin; this vampire was new…and had the scent of the one he found intriguing earlier. So this is the owner of that smell.
He watched as this vampire’s eyes looked him over disapprovingly, the scent of sea salt getting stronger as this vampire tried to assert himself by standing to his full height and towering over Keith. And it seemed to be working. Aleja and the other two vampires their eyes on the vampire, ready to obey anything this man demanded, and Keith felt himself yearning to do something. He had felt the pull of an leading vampire before, from Matías and the coven leaders from the other groups, but he had always been able to resist but this vampire felt different, the pull way stronger and Keith had to clench his jaw to stop from doing something he’d regret.
The vampire turned to Aleja with a snarl, “He smells of that wolf.”
Wow, way to be blunt asshole. Who the hell does this jerk think he is?
Keith straightened his back as the vampire started to pace around him, examining him. He held back a shudder, hands fisted around the chain attached to the cuffs which held him in place; he hated eyes on him like that. It unnerved him, unsettled him...brought back memories he’d long repressed. Aleja smiled warmly laying a hand on the man’s shoulder as he reached her side.
“Honey, this is Keith Kogane, the hunter your father spoke of. He’s here on business...and I smelt it too. It’s Keith’s business to know all of the creatures who reside here. You don’t get to dictate who lives in this community. That is up to Matías and Keith here.”
“That wolf doesn’t belong here,” the man bit back.
“That’s why I’m here,” Keith spoke up. “But I’ll be speaking with Matías McClain, not the likes of you.”
“What you say to my father you can say to me,” the man said.
Keith looked up and into those ocean blue eyes. “You’re Matías’s son?”
He chanced a glance at Aleja. I thought Luis and Marco were your only sons?
Aleja smiled at Keith stepping beside the man and placing a gentle hand on his upper arm, “Keith, may I introduce my youngest fledgling, Lance McClain.”