Crossing Paths With The White Wolf

Kassia

POV

My feet were heavy and tired as I walked into the Estate. The last assignment in Israel had taken much longer than I thought. I officially hated that place. If there wasn't some sort of political conflict, there was a religious one, or a supernatural one. Why any supernatural creature would choose that as their home, I don't know. I was there for two months longer than I should have, and it was more than I wanted to spend there in a lifetime. The beauty and age of the place wasn't worth it in my books. "Kassie, in my office please. You're late for your next assignment." My sister's voice made me pause on the stairs.

"Karissa, I'm tired, can't it wait until tomorrow? I want to shower and sleep." Nice to see you too, sister. I'm still alive and well. Thank you for asking. I only almost died 3 times, I thought.

"You have 30 minutes to shower, then my office." She said and I sighed, nodded and continued my trek up the stairs. I had dumped my clothes in the dryer, knowing no one would come into the traitor's room for them. I took a long hot shower and was putting on a pair of comfortable leggings when I heard a sharp knocking on my door.

"Queen Karissa and her Beloved, Prince Armand are waiting," came a voice from the other side of the door.

"I'm putting on my f*****g clothes. They can wait a couple more minutes," I snarled, not in the mood to deal with this s**t. I hadn't eaten, slept or rested in god knows how long. My patience has been thin at best these days. There was a hiss on the other side of the door, but no more knocking. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I needed a vacation. Like a permanent one. I was so tired of living like an outcast. If I had to be alone, I was better off going somewhere fun or at least peaceful.

I went into the room to find two pissed-off royals.

"It's been almost 40 minutes, Kassie. You know I don't like to be kept waiting. My life is a lot busier than your simple life." My sister bristled.

"Then let's not waste time with chit-chat. What is my next assignment, sister?"

"Queen Karissa. Address her by her proper title," Armand said, his voice full of contempt for me as always.

I bit back a curse and I bowed deeply. "My apologies Prince Armand, Beloved to the Queen. I forgot my place. Queen Karissa, what, might I humbly ask, is the next assignment you wish me to complete for you? I am, as always, at your service." I made sure not to smirk at the nonplussed looks on both of their faces as they were taken aback by my overly formal statement. Clearly, they never grasped the concept of sarcasm.

"Yes, well, we're sending you to Arizona. There have been some developments and I need you to assist some werewolves with a delicate matter that cannot get out. It is of the upmost importance that this is handled delicately," Karissa answered after a few moments of more awkward silence.

I made sure to make sure my face gave away nothing. I have never been allowed to go to the New World. This could be my chance to get lost.

"What am I assisting with?" I asked.

"They found a few missing vampires being held prisoners in some research labs. It appears that it's part of a bigger issue that mostly involves shifters. It was only a couple of vampires, so I didn't see the need for so much drama. However, as both the American Council and the European councils have insisted that we need to be actively participating to bring the corporation down, I need to send someone to help them." I froze at her words, remembering what happened to me over 20 years ago. I never told anyone what I went through for those 6 weeks. Could this be the same corporation that kidnapped me 23 years ago in Glasgow?

"What have they been doing with the shifters and vampires?" I tried to ask as casually as possible.

"Torture and some type of experiment on them. As I said, it is mostly a shifter problem. We just need someone that can keep quiet and isn't essential. Adrien is already there. You were supposed to be there with him in March." Armand answered with so much carelessness.

"When would you like me to leave?" I said a little too quickly, raising suspicion with Armand. "I was hoping for a few days to rest, my queen. My last assignment was a bit tiresome."

"You leave tomorrow evening. I've already had your flight arranged and let them know when to expect you." Prince Armand told me.

"As you wish. I will retire for the evening in that case if there's nothing more." I bowed politely.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

"Yes, you will report directly to me once a week or if any important information is discovered at any point in the week. I expect a thorough report every Monday at minimum." Prince Armand said sternly. I refrained from physically groaning. f**k reports. "Will anyone else be joining us on this mission?" I asked.

"No. Just you and Adrien. We will not be doing all of the dogs' work for them," he said, and waved a hand at me lazily. I took that to be my dismissal.

There were warring emotions inside me. I was glad Adrien was going to be with me. Maybe I could convince him to defect with me. He was another outcast after all, mostly due to his birth and his association with me. I was conflicted about when I would make my run. On the one hand, I could leave right off the bat. Let them send someone else to help. On the other hand, this could be my chance to get answers. I've been broken for 23 years. This could help figure out what they did to me.

I grabbed my clean clothes and then paced my room for a few hours before I decided I would see this mission through and then disappear from the supernatural world. Looking around, knowing that I would not return, I headed over to my hidden compartment in the closet. I took out the ring and letter and, as always, a torrent of emotions came flooding out. I felt my hand start shaking and took some calming breaths. After a few minutes, the shaking stopped and I walked out of my closet. I sat down and couldn't help myself. I reread the same note I had reread thousands of times and wished again that I would have just said yes. I folded it carefully and put it back in the envelope, careful not to tear it. One day, this paper will fall apart and I won't have it anymore. Not that I didn't have each word memorized, but seeing the handwriting always made me feel like I still had a piece of him with me.

I gently put it in a small Tupperware box and ziplock bag I retrieved from the kitchen pantry, wrapped it in a shirt and tucked it into my suitcase. I grabbed a few other trinkets, but for the most part, I had nothing I would need to take with me. This place was not home. There was nothing I needed from here. At the last moment, I decided to head to Adrien's apartment. I broke in and looked around. It looked exactly like mine. Nothing personal could be seen anywhere. I went into his room and retrieved a small lockbox from under his bed. If I wanted him to come with me, he couldn't come back for this. Once all of that was done, I laid down to rest. I would have a really long journey to America.

That mother fucker! I don't think he could have spent less f*****g money on this trip. I had 3 different layovers with a few of them in the middle of the f*****g day. I had to spend 8 f*****g hours in an airport bathroom until the sun set. If I ever saw him again, I would kill him. I was wearing a hoodie for most of the flights and I had sweated more than a w***e in church.

Finally, it was 2 in the morning and I was waiting for my bags. I took off my sweater and threw it in the trash. I doubt I would need it here any time soon. I grabbed my bag and I made a dash into the bathroom. I changed out of my sweaty clothes and put on something more suitable for meeting the Alpha of a werewolf pack.

Twenty minutes later, I was waiting impatiently outside. I bought a sim from the gift shop and my phone said it was 27 degrees Celsius and I was in hell. How can it be this hot in the middle of the night? My leather pants were sticking to my legs and I was sweating through the fitted T.

Finally, when I was starting to give up, I saw an SUV approaching. A handsome tanned man with long hair stepped out. I could smell he was a werewolf and began pushing my bags towards the back. Sebastian POV

"Stop being mad. It's not our fault the plane is early. I'm sure she'll understand," I said to Theo. I loved this man to death but he got so grumpy anytime he was late anywhere.

"This is why I like leaving for places early. We could have just waited in the car until we got the notice that the plane had landed," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Corazon. I just wanted to spend some time with you. We've been pulled in every direction all week and I was stuck in San Diego for 3 days. I've hardly seen you." I said, taking his hand as I drove. His frown softened and he squeezed my hand but didn't say anything. I pulled his hand to my lips and gave it a kiss. We drove in silence for a while longer until the airport came into view.

It was close to past 2 am and I was not surprised to see there were not many people about. There's a beautiful tall slender woman with long jet-black hair that gradients down to a vibrant red. She's wearing black leather pants she must be cooking in, and a simple top. I know this is the one we need. Her eyes, even from here, are a striking purple on an exquisite face. This was the Queen's assassin? The closer I got, the more familiar she looked.

"Does she look familiar to you?" I asked Theo.

"She looks like she's related to the Queen. Could explain why she's the Queen's personal assassin. Who better to trust than family?" he said.

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before," I said, but couldn't place it. Theo shrugged and got out of the car to help her with the bags. She looked annoyed and as Theo walked behind me, he threw me an angry look.

'She's pissed we're late' He growled in my head and I sighed, I knew I wouldn't live this one down for a few days.

She got into the back seat and I saw her rub her forehead. "I'm sorry, I haven't eaten in a long time. Any chance you guys brought a snack?

"Cooler in the back seat," I instructed her.

I saw her face brighten and smile, making her look younger. "Ugh, thank you! I really appreciate this. I'm Kassia."

We gave her some privacy so she could drink the blood we brought her. About 10 minutes later, she jumped back over to her original seat.

"How's Adrien working out?" she asked.

"He's really friendly, but feels a little green. No offense," I answered.

She nodded as if expecting that answer, "I'm working on that. His fighting skills need work, but his people skills far exceed mine. He makes a good babysitter and I get to teach him the trade," She grinned at me through the rear-view mirror, but it didn't reach her eyes. Something didn't quite add up.

I looked at Theo, who seemed to be thinking the same thing I was.

"Why do you need babysitting? We were told you were the best," he asked. I saw her smile falter slightly.

"I...I am the best, but I tend to miss social and political cues and it can land me in hot water. My lady-like qualities are almost non-existent. Adrien is good at smoothing any feathers I ruffle." She explained. I could tell she considered her words carefully. There was more to this story.

"We're not exactly conventional either. You might find you fit in just fine," Theo responded with a friendly smile.

We drove in comfortable silence after that. The roads were mostly empty at this time of night. I held Theo's hand through most of the drive back, rubbing his hand with my thumb as I got lost in my thoughts. I know I've met her before. Somewhere. Why couldn't I place it? It's not like violet eyes were so common.

'We gotta get that stuff for Mama Isabel. Make sure you stop before we get home,' Theo reminded me when we were 10 minutes away from the town nearest the packgrounds. I squeezed his hand, letting him know I heard him.

"We were given a grocery list. It shouldn't take long," I told Kassia as Theo dashed in.

"Does that mean we're near?" she asked, looking at the time on her cellphone.

"Twenty minutes max." I reassured her. "Your room is ready, so you should just be able to get some rest today. We leave for Oakland tomorrow."

As we began pulling up close to the packhouse, I felt her composure change. I looked at her in the rear-view mirror and she looked even more pale, if that was possible. One of her hands began to shake. I looked over at Theo, who noticed it too. She looked like she was trying to take deep breaths and failing.

"Are you OK?" Theo asked her. She grabbed her hand, trying to control the shaking, and she nodded to us.

She opened the door and I saw Gonzalo's body go completely rigid as he looked at her. Immediately, I knew why she looked so familiar, but I didn't have time to think about it as I saw her begin to shake more violently.

"No, no, no. You're dead. You're supposed to be dead," She croaked, and I could hear the raw pain and emotion in her voice.

"Yeah, don't you just wish that were true," Gonzalo spat. There was the same amount of pain in his voice and anger. So much anger. It was uncharacteristic of the easy-going man I've known for two thousand years.

He turned around and stalked towards the double doors when Kassia yelled at him. "WAIT!" She reached out to him and I could tell that was a mistake. She fell to the floor and began to convulse. Theo rushed to her and I ran around the car. Faster than I've ever seen him move, Gonzalo beat me to her. "Kassie!" He cried out.