AN: So, I originally said that I was going to start publishing this story a few months ago and publish throughout the summer, but I've obviously failed at that. In fact, I've failed at fully writing this story in that time and am no where near done. I got incredibly busy after outlining this story and then bounced around how to start this story off, which culminated in a lot of changing to what I wanted to do with these first chapters and a great big old writing block that made getting this even close to being done impossible. Also, Chapter 3 was originally going to be a small part of Chapter 2 before it decided to grow a life of its own and make everything more difficult. And then I couldn't figure out a title, but decided on this since it's the fourth fight with "hunters" between the two packs, if you count the deadpool assassins, it also keeps with my theme of tracking the number of alphas in the story. Eventually, I was able to overcome all these obstacles and I think got things to how I want them, maybe.

I'm posting the first three chapters of this story which acts as 3/4ths of the prologue I have planned. I think everything else that I have planned for this story that affects the prologue is set in stone, so I'm going to post these and just hope that I don't have to retcon anything by the time I'm done. I usually like having the story finished before publishing, but I also couldn't wait to get the start of this story out there and get something out there in general since it's been so long. So, if something needs to change, I will re-upload these chapters and will include a note with the changes when I start posting more of the story.

Part of the debate for how I was going to do these chapters fell into how I was going to cover 2 or so months of activity in an interesting way since there are a lot of gaps in between action, so I decided to just leave the gaps as gaps essentially. I didn't want to create a 20-30,000 word chapter that bounces all over the place, so I broke it down into 3 different arcs based on location. The first chapter follows Steve and August, the second follows Charlie and Fiona, and the third follows the Beacon Hills crew. They can be read as individual chapters or you can follow the time stamps that I added and read all three chapters at once. The time stamps are based on the time zones the characters are in at the time or their section. (These won't last past the prologue I don't think. But give me feedback on it and we'll see where it goes.) There are some details included in chapters that are not in other chapters, but that's mostly the third one, otherwise I'd be coping and pasting a lot of what happened in previous chapters.

Let me know what you think of these chapters and what your feelings are for where you think the story is heading. Also, let me know if my Time Zone math is off and I'll fix it. I got confused for a bit, but am pretty sure I fixed it, but I'm also fallible.

I hope you enjoy!

Proscription

June 11th 10:00 pm CST

Steve pulled into the parking lot behind. "Kate was last seen at a motel?" Steve asked stepping out of the Camaro and heading toward the SUV stopped in front of him.

"Even though no one saw her check-in or out or where she went to afterward?" August asked following after the alpha.

"It's less about who saw her and more about what was left behind," Chris told them from inside the car. "Police and hunters have already examined the scene, but you two can take a look before they clean it out tomorrow. Room seventeen," he added pointing at a room on the second floor.

"Glad the pecking order is established," August scoffed.

"The Calaveras follow the code, strictly," Chris warned them. "They tend to not work well with werewolves in general. They're already unhappy about you attacking hunters in the past, and they know you created a beta as well."

"So, we should steer clear of them?" Steve asked bitterly.

"Yes. They're willing to turn a blind eye in order to stop Kate, so long as you two stay out of their way. They want to work separately from you. Do not interfere with them," Chris warned. "Once Kate has been captured or killed, their deal is off, and you two will need to get out of their territory, fast."

"We're nearly at the Guatemalan border, how far south does their border extend?" August asked.

"Mexico and all of Central America. The Republic takes over in South America."

"I won't have a reason to stick around," Steve told him. "I'm not a huge fan of heat."

Chris shook his head slightly at the alpha. "Stay safe," Chris told them. "I'll be around for a while. I'm going to try and track down an old friend, so if you need anything—"

"We'll let you know," August interrupted. "Thanks."

Chris nodded before pulling out of the parking lot. The pair headed up toward seventeen "They certainly aren't making this easy," August sighed after attempting to turn the doorknob.

"Right, 'cause you picking a lock is so hard," Steve commented.

The hunter smirked and crouched down, starting to work on the lock. After a few seconds, there was a click and the hunter swung open the door. Blood soaked the carpeted floor and was splattered over the walls. A man was sitting in a chair, his arms bound behind him and his throat sliced open in three places. August stepped in and started to survey the room. "So much for preserving the crime scene," the hunter thought, noticing the impression of multiple sets of shoes and clean drawers tossed on the bed.

"Who knows how many hunters they brought through here," Steve replied, his red eyes glowing as he scanned the room. He pushed open the bathroom door and found a similar blood-covered scene. Nearly half of the porcelain sink was missing and another man was laying on the ground, his head bashed in. "Looks like there might have been a struggle in here."

"I just want to know what the hell she was after with these two," August thought, searching through the emptied drawers. "Either Kate is an excellent packer, or they didn't wait for us before clearing everything out."

"I'm sure she packs light," Steve told him, turning the man over. His eyes narrowed as he found at the man's hand where a few strands of blonde hair were matted against the blood.

"Can you get a scent?" August asked, searching the first man's pockets but turning up empty.

The alpha shook his head. "Try now," Leonard thought to the alpha.

"Just barely," Steve said, feeling the werecat's enhancement.

"Then let's get going."

June 13th 11:00 AM CST

"I've been wondering why there's a Caesar running amuck in my area," the Hispanic woman with her back turned to the door stated as Tiberius was guided into the room by another man.

"You know why I'm here, Araya," Tiberius replied.

The woman turned, smirking at the other hunter. "I've always found interactions between our families—interesting," she said, moving around the room before sitting behind her desk. "Considering your family doesn't follow our code and how strictly we enforce ours."

"Well, it's your stringent code that we're running into issues with."

"I'm not surprised considering how you seem to have given up on your own. Do you think we should all cast our codes aside?" Araya asked, pulling open one of her desk drawers and pulling out her pistol.

"We're not asking you to cast aside your code," Tiberius explained as she started to polish her gun. "We're just asking you to consider the lives that you would save by—"

"And how many more lives would that destroy?" she asked interrupting him, leaning forward. "Hm?" she added before Tiberius could reply.

"Araya—s"

"Honestly, I thought this meeting would have gone differently. I've already told Señor Argent that I have no interest in this deal. Now," she said cocking her gun and nodding at the man that guided Tiberius in. "Severo, please remove this man from my home."

The man reached for Tiberius's upper arm, but Tiberius pulled away from him. "I don't need an escort," he told her before turning away from her.

"Spread the word, Severo," Tiberius heard Araya say as he walked down the hall toward the exit. "The die has been cast."

July 7th 1:00 AM CST

"I smell her," Steve thought as he started to crawl out of August's SUV

"Not in the middle of Tegucigalpa," August warned. "Someone could see you."

Steve ignored August and continued onto the roof of the car. The roads were empty aside from a few parked cars under the street lights. "New moon tonight, harder for anyone awake to even see. I'll get her into the street and—"

"Steve, no," August warned as Steve leapt from the SUV.

"Stay close, I'll flush her out."

The alpha sprinted down a side street as the SUV's wheels squealed, trying to turn to follow after him. "I've got you," Charlie's voice echoed in the hunter's head as the vehicle straightened out.

"How's your vacation?" August scoffed as he slammed the pedal to the ground.

"Well, Paris is beautiful, but we're on our way up to the top of the Eifel Tower and can't help in a fight right now."

August rolled his eyes before sliding around another corner after the alpha. "Stop," Steve told the hunter.

August slammed on the breaks as Steve ducked into an alleyway. "You need to stop," the hunter warned.

The alpha ignored him and continued down the alley as August pulled over and listened through Steve as the alpha approached the door. "Awe, come on, kitty. Tell me where it is," a familiar woman's voice mocked.

"I'll never tell you!" a man with a Brazilian accent spat back. "It must be kept safe from the likes of you and your family!"

"I think you can be convinced otherwise," Kate replied, almost in a whisper before a gun fired.

August leapt out of the SUV as Steve sprinted the rest of the distance to the door and kicked it in. Kate turned to look at the alpha as the man fell to the floor. Steve's eyes started to glow red as a growl rumbled through his throat. Kate smirked at the alpha before sprinting toward the door on the opposite side of the building.

August ran into the warehouse and headed toward the man on the floor as Steve bolted after Kate. Blood dripped from the man's mouth and his abdomen was soaked. "Don't let her get it," the man groaned

"Steve, he needs to be healed," August thought to the alpha

"She's going to get away."

The man grabbed August's hand as he went to apply pressure to the man's wound. "She can't get the yellow wolfsbane."

"What?" August gasped, looking down at the man.

"Yellow wolfsbane is a rare, yet powerful strain of wolfsbane," Leonard explained as Steve chased Kate through the alley. "In a liquid form, it can paralyze the target. At a high enough dose, it will slowly, and painfully, kill the paralyzed target. But as a plant, it can reverse the effects of a werewolf's bite."

"If you get it before she does, she'll be a lot easier to kill," Kaia responded.

Steve shook his head as he felt a surge of speed. He started to close the distance and leapt forward, tackling Kate. The alpha rolled past her, blocking the path as he roared at her.

Kate chuckled as she looked up at Steve. Her face had darkened and developed spots and her green eyes stared back at the alpha. "Here in the middle of the street? Really, Steve, isn't that against your little code?"

"Aren't you against yours?" Steve scoffed.

Kate's eyes narrowed as she growled and ran at him. Steve smirked and went to sweep her legs, but she lunged forward, tackling him to the ground. "This has always been too easy," she hissed, raising her hand to strike the alpha.

Steve felt a surge of strength and grabbed her wrist as her hand came down. He twisted her arm sideways and threw the werejaguar off of him. The pair immediately jumped to their feet and ran back at each other.

"Steve, he doesn't have much time," August called out. The alpha's claws just missed Kate as she bent backwards, out of his way. She chuckled and kneed him in the gut before kicking him away.

"Neither do we, we have to stop her, and I need your help," Steve told him.

"Steve's right, this could be the only chance," Jay added.

"Heal him and get the location of the wolfsbane," Kaia told the alpha. "She's evenly matched with you. The wolfsbane will weaken her so that there is less risk when fighting her, if you continue, you might lose."

"We just have to buy enough time for Charlie and Fiona to find a place to help," Jay growled.

"Jay, it's going to take us a while, too long," Fiona told him.

Steve scoffed in his head before looking back toward the warehouse. He paused when he thought he saw Kate hesitate, but she immediately regained composure and laughed as he stared her down. Steve bit his tongue and ran off to the warehouse. He heard Kate's footsteps fade as she ran the opposite way.

The alpha dashed through the door and slid next to August and the man, immediately grabbing the man's arm. Black tendrils crawled up his and August's arm as the man's wounds began to close. The pair gasped as Steve released the man's hand.

"How did you—" the man started

"We need the wolfsbane," Steve interrupted. "We need to stop her."

"No," the man stated, jumping out of August's grasp and staring at the two. "It must be kept safe. If anyone outside of us gets their hands on it—who knows what they would do with it."

"We want to get our hands on it to hurt her," Steve told him.

"And if you fail, or she steals it from you?"

"We're trained—" August started

"That's what the man who took our last flower told us. And yet, he is the cause of all of this," the man shook his head and turned away. "I will not give you its location, no matter what."

Steve growled and moved toward the man, but August stopped him. "You'd be no better than Kate," the hunter warned. Steve turned and glared at him before turning back to watch the man transform into a puma.

"What the—"

"Hopefully, we'll meet again on better terms," the puma said before running off.

July 10th 10:00 pm CST

"Pedro?" Tiberius asked once he made his way into the warehouse's back office.

A lightly tanned man turned to face the hunter. "I'm surprised you've heard of me," Pedro replied in a Brazilian accent.

"Well, I was surprised when I was told the leader of the Cangaço wanted to get in touch with me," Tiberius replied.

"I'm impressed, we've been operating in secret for almost a century."

"I do my research."

"Then, I think you know our goals align, Senhor Caesar."

"I know you're also after the wolf," Tiberius stated

Pedro nodded. "I saw two of them. They fought each other, just briefly, then they separated. The display has caused a bit of panic amongst my men."

"I'm only interested in the one," Tiberius stated.

"Yes, I know, I know. But, I want my men to know how to protect themselves, and me, against these kinds of monsters. I'll eliminate the beast for you, but I'd like to learn what hurts them before I do. I'd like to study it.

"That's not exactly how I—" Tiberius started

"I know," Pedro stated, cutting the hunter off. "I also do my research, and I know that you have a history with these wolves. That's why I reached out to your friends first." Tiberius looked at the man cautiously. "You're friends tell me that you would be able to capture it alive and deliver it to us safely. They also said they welcome us in the fight against this threat."

July 22nd 10:30 pm CST

"It's been too long," Steve thought as he and August peered out over the hill at what was left of an abandoned church. "She's trapped herself in there and won't be getting away this time," the alpha added, looking to the hunter. "We'll be able to go home soon."

"We have her right where we want her," August thought back, nodding at the alpha. "We don't have the wolfsbane, so we'll need to make sure we are prepared for anything she can throw at us. But, with Charlie and Fiona settling in, we'll have a slight advantage still."

Steve sighed "Didn't Scott tell us to steer clear of churches? He never said why."

"I flipped through the bestiary a bit before we left. Werejaguars can apparently draw some kind of strength from them."

"How so?" Steve asked before hearing something clinking down the hill to their left. "That doesn't sound like metal." Steve thought, continuing to stare ahead at the church. "Almost sounds like bone."

"It's a berserker, but how?" August thought, reaching for his gun.

"Wait," Leonard told them. "Act like you heard nothing and head back to the car."

"What?" Steve asked. "Why would we—"

"Werejaguars can use certain churches to create and control berserkers. Kate probably knows that you two are there, but isn't sure that you know that she is there."

"Why do you think that?" August asked as the pair headed back to the car.

"Cause if she did, the berserker would have attacked already," Leonard stated.

"If we leave now, she won't expect us later," Steve thought as they entered the car.

"We'll be able to ambush her, and it'll give me time to create and explosive to take out the berserker," August added.

"We probably should have checked with Leonard about everything before leaving," Steve said as he started the car.

"Or just read the bestiary that you have access to instead of skimming it," the werelion commented.

July 24th 1:30 AM CST

"Remember, as soon as that makes contact it will explode," August told the alpha as they slowly crept toward the church.

"Exactly how stable is it again?" Steve asked, looking down at the makeshift bomb in his hand.

"Want me to lie to you?"

Steve scoffed as they continued on. They moved around the side of the ruined building to the doorway they saw earlier, but stopped when they saw it had caved in. "I doubt she chose this way to barricade herself inside."

"No," August though, crouching down and swiping the ground with his finger before examining the dust. "Someone else had the same idea of blowing up the berserker."

Steve's eyes shined red as he searched the area surrounding them. He paused when he spotted a shell casing on the ground a few feet away. He picked it up and examined the skull etched into it. "Seems the Calaveras were on the same trail as us."

"Bullets wouldn't be too useful against a berserker, and it's the only one. It might be a warning."

"I'm not leaving until we know Kate's dead." The two took a few steps away from the church before Steve lobbed the bomb at the door. He turned and shielded August from the debris as the bomb blew away what was left of the doorway. The alpha began tossing aside the rubble until he found a staircase leading deeper into the old church. The pair listened for a moment, hearing nothing before venturing into the church. "This wouldn't happen if the Calaveras would put aside their ridged code and cooperate with us," Steve thought as he found a freshly abandoned sleeping bag.

"And if they told us to put aside our code?"

"Ours doesn't get in the way of accomplishing the same goal. They want to take down Kate, so do we."

"Their base of operations isn't far from here, if I recall correctly. Maybe I can convince them to work together?"

"You mean we," Steve corrected, tossing the sleeping bag to the ground.

"No, I mean me."

"We're going to have to get back on them to cooperate more if this is going to work," Tiberius muttered, checking the parking lot through the motel room's curtain.

"Those 'hunters' need to back off," Marcus stated as he finished wrapping the wound on his arm. "If they want 'el Lobo' so bad, then maybe they should let us do things our way."

"Don't mock them, Marcus," Tiberius warned. "They're dangerous and one wrong moved will ruin everything we are working for."

"I don't think they're aware of just how dangerous we can be."

Tiberius narrowed his eyes at the young hunter. "The time for striking back will come. Right now, we just have to play our part. We need to be patient. Follow them and wait for our chance to strike. We don't want to run into issues like we did tonight."

July 24th 2:00 pm CST

"I still don't like the idea of you going there alone," Steve thought as August got dressed.

"I'm not going in defenseless," August reminded the alpha, strapping a knife to one ankle and a pistol to the other. "The Calaveras don't make a habit of hurting humans."

"They follow the same code that the Argents followed," Steve reminded the hunter. "It didn't stop Gerard from hurting—"

"They follow their code strictly," August thought, cutting the alpha off "Which is why it will be safe for me and not for you. If I get into trouble—which I won't—I'll reach out for help."

"Fine," Steve scoffed. "But I want to be able to see everything while you're gone. Then when you do need help, I'll be on my way before you ask for it."

"Alright," August thought as he opened the door. "I'll be back soon."

Steve closed his eyes and watched as August headed toward his SUV. Once the hunter had pulled out of the lot and started down the road the alpha leapt out of the window and sprinted off after the hunter.

August flashed one of his IDs at the bouncer to the club before heading inside. The dull thud of the electronic music exploded into a roar as he opened the front door. A few patrons sat at the bar while a handful of people danced on the floor. August's eyes narrowed at the other patron before he shook his head.

"What're you having?" the bartender, a large, bald man, grunted as August took a seat.

"A question," August said softly. The bartender pointed to his ear, confused. August smirked and the bartender's façade faded away. "Tell me, who comes to a club on a Wednesday morning?" The hunter finished, placing removing the gun from his hip and setting it on the bar.

The music immediately stopped and August felt everyone's eyes turn toward him, and he heard the unsnapping of their holsters. "I'd like to speak to Araya Calaveras, as a representative of the Caesar family."

Steve glared at the bouncer from across the street, before closing his eyes and watching as August was led from the club through a hallway toward the back office. Steve traced out the distance and started to move around the building. He paused near a window as a door inside opened. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of seeing two Caesars in one summer before," Steve heard a woman say through the window. "And I don't think anyone in your family has walked in as bold as you."

"I like to get to the point," August stated.

August opened his mouth to continue talking but was shushed by Araya as she wagged her finger at him. "Perhaps you should remove your weapons before getting too close to the point. You can start with the gun you waved around at my bar before moving to the one attached to your ankle," she said turning around at looking out the window. August bit the side of his cheek as he bent down to remove the pistol. "And the knife too," she added without turning around.

"Fine," August grunted removing the knife from his leg. He set the weapons on the desk in front of him and took a step back. The man who led him in left when Araya waved her hand. "We need to—"

"No, miho, we don't need to do anything," Araya interrupted causing August to clench his jaw.

The young hunter took a breath a relaxed his jaw. "Things would go a lot easier for both of us if we just worked together."

"And to what end?"

"Taking out Kate."

Araya clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Your family is so bent on revenge, it's like you've discarded your code entirely."

"I don't follow my family's code," August told her. "Protegimus illos qui nequeunt protegere se."

"And who would you be protecting?" Araya asked without missing a beat. "Your alpha who decided to fight her in the middle of a city?"

August eyed her for a moment before responding. "Innocent people that Kate would hurt, your hunters—"

"My hunters are quite capable of protecting themselves."

"I'm not worried about your hunters," August spat. Ayara looked at him for a moment before moving to sit at the desk. "So, you're just going to stick to your code, no matter how many innocent people get hurt?" August asked, raising his voice as Ayara unsheathed August's knife and started to examine it.

"We are at a time where we must stand by our codes. It is the only way any of us are going to survive."

"What are you—"

"Lo temenos," the bartender's voice called through a radio on the desk, interrupting August. August froze and looked at Araya.

"Bring him in, Severo," she replied after grabbing the radio. "Come with us," she said to August as a pair of hunters came through the door and restrained him. "We have something to show you."

Steve tucked himself under the window as he heard a pair of footsteps approach from above. "She's barely letting him get a word in," the alpha hissed to himself. He stood next to the window and turned slightly to see inside. "Maybe if she had a demonstration on just how weak her men are compared to us—" Steve started before taking a breath. "Let August handle it," the alpha calmed himself as the footsteps trailed away from the window. He heard a blade slide out of its sheath and started to creep up to peer through the window, but was stopped when an electric baton dug into his back. He tried to call out, but a thickly gloved hand muffled his cry until his vision went black.

"We're two members of hunting families, we can talk this out," August grunted as he was pulled along by the two hunters. "We aren't enemies!"

"Ah, but you're not a member of a hunting family, miho," Araya replied, clicking her tongue. "You're a member of a pack. And you've decided to lead a wolf straight to my home."

"What're you talking about?" August groaned as Araya opened a door. The hunters dragged August into the room while Araya closed the door behind them.

"Or maybe I'm wrong," Araya said, walking around the hunter and shrugging. "Maybe you can explain this?" The bartender pushed open a door on the other side of the room and threw Steve to the ground. The alpha lurched as he landed on his face and electricity crackled. "Do you like them?" Araya asked, gesturing at the handcuffs on Steve. "My own design. A small battery is able to disable even the strongest of alphas, allowing for safe and easy transport when needed." August glared at the older hunter as he tried to pull himself away from the pair holding him back. "I had a pair that went missing recently. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"I have no interest in your torture devices," August spat at her.

"No—No, you only seem to want to kill," she whispered, pacing toward August before turning back to Steve who was still being shocked on the ground. "Just like he has killed hunters, and turned his own beta," she paused, looking back to August. "We hunt those who hunt us."

"Those hunters didn't follow their code. They killed for the sport of it. Because they found killing us for fun," August grunted. "We were in my family's territory and he had every right to defend us."

"Us," Araya chuckled slightly. "And what about the boy?"

"I couldn't leave him," Steve muttered from the ground.

"No?" Araya asked, turning and approaching the alpha. "And why not?" she asked, lifting his chin to look at her.

"He had seen our world. He would have looked for it, and without abilities or training, he wouldn't—"

"Survive?" Araya asked, dropping his face back to the ground. "Turning him didn't seem to help with that, now did it?"

August grit his teeth and glared at the woman as Steve's eyes started to glow red. The young hunter tossed the pair holding him back aside, freeing himself before rushing toward Araya. The elder hunter turned and pointed her pistol at August, glaring down the sights as August stopped in his tracks. August heard a gun click behind him and saw Araya's eyes widen before her gun fired. One of the hunters behind August gasped for one last breath as the gun he had pointed at Steve clattered to the floor. The other hunter scrambled to his feet, but Araya shot him down before he could draw his weapon.

"The two of you need to go," Araya muttered, slightly shaken.

"What?" August gasped. "What the hell was all of this for?"

Araya turned her back and nodded at the bartender. "I needed to learn where loyalties lied. Both from you and my own men."

"What do you mean?" August asked as Severo deactivated the handcuffs and moved to remove them.

"A storm is coming," she muttered. "Everyone's circle of trust will shrink until it vanishes. And I want nothing to do with that! I'll stay out of your way and deal with my own people, even if it means the end of my family," she stated, turning to August. "And as much as it pains me to say this, you may have the best chance at stopping this before it even starts," she muttered turning her back to the others. "Now go."

"What—?"

"Go! before I change my mind," Araya snapped, interrupting Steve.

August 6th 12:00 AM CST

Tiberius reached out his arm to stop Marcus just before they reentered their motel room. Marcus drew his pistol and nodded to his father. Tiberius slowly pushed open the ajar door, revealing a small group of Latino men

"Vocês são os caçadores?" the man asked staring at the pair.

"Sim," Tiberius replied after a moment of hesitation. "You're a long way from home, Carlos."

"We want the wolf," the man announced with his thick accent.

"And we'll get you the wolf," Marcus replied, holstering his gun. "We're getting close."

The group men started laughing and one of them approached the young hunter. "Cute kid," one of the other men commented, ruffling Marcus's hair. "Our boss paid you to—"

The man fell silent as Marcus grabbed the hand on his head and flipped the man into the wall. "Exactly, your boss paid us, the experts," Marcus stated, walking up to Carlos. "Because he knew that a bunch of amateurs like you would get yourselves killed.

The man leaned down slightly, glaring at the young hunter for a moment before chuckling. "We actually came to talk to Pedro," Carlos stated. "He said he was coming to Honduras to meet with you. Yet, we are here and he is not."

"He said he had some work to do in Mexico," Tiberius stated. The group of men cocked their heads. "Communication to brash men who don't check drop locations is hard. It's the downside of having an underground organization."

"Not a worry," the man said. "We'll head there and find him." Two of the others moved to retrieve the unconscious man Marcus threw. "Where exactly was he heading?"

Tiberius was silent for a moment. "I don't think it would be such a good idea—too delicate of a situation for so many hands," Marcus started.

"Maybe it wouldn't be bad for you to follow along with us," Tiberius added quickly. Marcus shot his father a look before turning back to the group of men. "You'd pick up on some skills, become less—amateur."

"And it will make it easier to drop off the wolf," the man said, smirking as he nodded. "So, where to?"

"There have been reports of a rolled vehicle that we intercepted before authorities could respond," Tiberius explained. "There were also reports of dismembered limbs and blood nearby."

"Sounds like the La Loba," Carlos stated. "We should start heading that way."

Tiberius nodded and grabbed the bag near the door as the group of men started to file out of the hotel room. The pair of hunters followed them out and watched the men climb into an SUV. "Follow us," Tiberius stated, hopping into his own SUV.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Marcus asked as he and his father pulled onto the road. The headlights from Carlos's car following closely behind.

"No, but it's easier this way," Tiberius mumbled.

"They're going to get themselves hurt," Marcus muttered.

"I'll make sure they stay out of the way." Marcus shook his head at his father, but the pair continued down the road in silence. "Here we are," Tiberius finally whispered as he pulled off the side of the road, behind the rolled car. The headlights behind him followed suit.

The two hunters exited their SUV as Carolos and his men approached. Marcus's nostrils flared as the stench of sunbaked gore reached his nose. "You think the wolf will come back here? Or that it will come here soon?" Carlos asked. Marcus turned and notice that Carlos and his men had pulled the collar of their shirts over the nose and mouth.

Tiberius shook his head and turned toward the car. "You think the wolf will come back here? Or that it will come here soon?" He repeated as he and his men walked to join the hunters.

"We haven't even investigated, yet. We need to find out who has been here, when, and where they're headed," Tiberius explained.

"Right," Carlos said, nodding slightly while pressing the shirt tighter onto his face.

Marcus smirked slightly at the man's reaction as he turned toward the rolled car. His smile quickly faded as he rounded the corner and witnessed the carnage himself. A couple of gore cover handguns lay on the ground, a few of them still with the hands attached. The remains of a berserker sat in another puddle of blood with what was left of a man next to him.

"Why don't you and your boys move our cars and hide off over there in case things turn sour," Tiberius stated, pointing toward a forested area near the side of the road.

Carlos glanced at the rest of his gagging men before nodding slightly and heading back toward the car.

August 6th 1:00 AM CST

"The SUV the hunters think Kate attacked should be just a few more miles ahead," August thought before putting his phone away.

"The hunters and our nagual friend should stay away this time at least. Should make tracking her down a little bit easier," Steve replied.

"I still wish we had the yellow wolfsbane."

"Maybe she'll lead us right to it."

"I hope not," August grunted before spotting an SUV, flipped on its side, and mostly off the road. The pair exited the car and the scent of sun-baked gore overwhelmed them. "What in the name of Zeus," August muttered, grimacing at the smell.

"I'll move closer, only one of us has to suffer this scent," Steve told the hunter. "Hopefully I'll be able to pick up a trace of her scent over all of this. I can't even smell the trees though.

August nodded as the alpha stepped toward the car. "Get down!" the pair hear Fiona scream in both of their head. Steve looked back at the hunter before his body locked up and he collapsed.