The hidden village sat at the end of a narrow winding lane, just wide enough for a car and bendy enough to completely disorientate anyone who was lost in the forest. Seemingly endless trees lay to both sides of Aiden as he walked down the centre of the lane, making sure he was in plain sight of the two sentries he knew were around the corner. He had already deduced during his scout of the area that neither of them seemed competent in their role. Both of the oversized men seemed to prefer leaning against the side of the boundary wall, rather than patrolling the area they were supposed to be watching.
“We don’t allow visitors without the Alpha's approval. Pack policy,” the rotund, leather-clad man said as soon as Aiden was within earshot.
“Is that so?” Aiden replied, running his fingers through his short grey hair as he walked towards the older looking man. “That is a disappointment. He was supposed to have something for me by now. A package, of sorts.”
Aiden looked from one to the other, watching their reactions as he waited. The younger of the two folded his arms defiantly and looked at the elder one, but Aiden noticed the slight raise of his eyebrows as though asking for direction.
“Oh, that pretty little redhead in the cabin? You must be Hernandez, then? You don't look like a gangster to me,” the older man said.
“How about you run along and play fetch, and I’ll pretend I'm not going to snap your neck for your arrogance." Aiden clicked his fingers arrogantly, in the same way, Rafael would when summoning one of his maids.
"Fetch? What do you take me for? I'm a wolf, not a bloody dog," the older man scoffed.
"Dog, wolf, what's the difference? Both have four legs, fur and lick arses all day. Now run along before I turn you into a new rug for my bathroom."
The younger man looked at the other and mumbled, “Who does this prick think he is?”
Aiden smirked as he stepped up to the younger man. "You should have stayed quiet but wolves are egotistical and arrogant bastards that never know when to keep their mouths shut. I'll fix it for you."
Before the young man had even opened his mouth, Aiden grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanked his head back and smashed the butt of his palm against his larynx. The young man began to gurgle and gasp as his crushed throat blocked the air from reaching his lungs.
"Now, old man, how about that game of fetch? You pretend your Alpha is the ball and fetch him to me. In return, I'll pretend that I give a shit about this guy and snap his neck, rather than letting him asphyxiate."
It didn't take long for the old sentry to come running back with a middle-aged man scrolling leisurely behind him. Gasping for breath, the sentry folded himself over with his hands on his knees as he tried to relay what had happened to the younger man.
"Save your lungs, old man. By the time you've finished explaining, you might have given yourself a heart attack. Short version of the short story is that this little prick got arrogant and I didn't like it so I put him in his place."
"And who do you think you are, to go putting my wolves in their place and on their own territory, too?"
"You're Alpha, I presume?" Aiden asked, then continued at the nod of confirmation. "Don Rafael Hernandez, your employer. Payment is made when I confirm the woman is the right one."
The Alpha raised an eyebrow as he looked Aiden up and down. "Woman? Which woman would that be then?"
Aiden felt goosebumps begin to tiptoe across his neck as the Alpha watched him intently.
He knows…
"The redhead that you have in the cabin," Aiden said, squaring his shoulders. He could tell by the way the Alpha shot the old man a look of death, that he wasn't being fooled by the guise of Rafael.
"I don't know where you heard that from but I can assure you, we have no woman in our cabin," the Alpha said, folding his arms.
Aiden stepped forward, standing his ground. He couldn't back down. Not until he had Charlie safe.
"Yes, you do and I don't take kindly to being lied to. Your sentry here, who is pretty useless, I have to say, opened his mouth and told me you have the redhead in the cabin. Take me to her. I have to confirm it's her. You know that."
"It appears I need a new pair of guards who not only do their job properly, but also keep their mouths shut," the Alpha said. Walking over to the old man, he pulled a hunting knife from the back of his jeans and swiped the blade across the man's throat. Blood gurgled and oozed from the slice, running down over his rotund belly as he fell to the floor.
"Wonderful," Aiden said as he clapped slowly. "Now that you've sorted your staffing issue, how about you get to confirming what I'm paying you for? Either bring her to me or take me to her."
The Alpha laughed and turned to leave but as he did, Aiden noticed that he flashed a raised palm towards the first house in the village. Aiden wasted no time in letting his eyes roam the area but finding nothing that concerned him, he followed.
"I think you misunderstood. I'm going this way and you, whoever you are, will be going back the way you came, while you still have a chance. My pack and I don't take kindly to intruders on our land."
"You will release her right now!" Aiden grabbed the Alpha's shoulder, spinning him around to face him. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Aiden's arm was flung away from the Alpha's shoulder and pinned high against his back. Wrapping his right forearm around Aiden's throat, the Alpha whispered into his ear, "I know who you are, hybrid. You can't hide the smell of your wolf."