A/N: I am trying with the regular updates. Let's see if it works

Anyways, the most awaited chapter (as of now). There is one character from Aries who appears here. Try to guess who?

Enjoy!

**********

The male had striking silver eyes. I had never seen anyone with that eye colour before. But I could keep looking at his eyes forever. The eyes that mocked the camera that took the photo. The irises that languidly stroked the curiosity in people who saw them. The rest of his face was covered by the shadow of the newspaper he was reading and his forehead was hidden by the hat he wore.

But that was all I was able to get of Torre. Apparently, no one could even take a proper picture of him. Zeke had befriended a werewolf who was under Silas Verda and had pestered him for a picture of Torre. That werewolf had not been high in rank but had managed to get me only this. I refused to believe that this was the only photo of Torre on any device, considering the fact that he was ancient. But I had gotten nowhere. A few backshots and articles about the Warriors popped up. 

Was Torre a Warrior? That would explain why he could not be killed or even harmed, but that did not explain his second job. People usually took on two jobs when one job could not support them completely or when one job paid them and the other was their passion. If he was a Warrior why would he need a second job? It explained nothing. 

In the photo before me, a female in a wheelchair was next to him. She seemed to point something to Torre in the newspaper he held. What surprised me was that he was an old soul who preferred newspapers over the online inshots of news we got on our tabs.

They were in a bakery and this one was situated near the North Pack. It would be a tough time to get through this pack, the pack just like Winter Tribe having a lot of internal issues.

There was not much information about the prey I was going to hunt tonight. Usually, my hacking skills assured me that everyone had some sort of digital footprint that I could track. Everyone had something, especially after the contributions of West Pack and Spring Tribe in AI. But no, Torre had nothing on him. At times, I wondered if he had a phone or not. 

Erica slid on the seat next to Zeke, carrying a laptop in one hand and a cheesecake in the other. She pushed the laptop towards me.

Putting the tab down, I took the laptop and I was surprised at the information it had. 

"Where did you get them?" I asked, scrolling down as fast as I could. 

Erica smacked her lips after she took a bite. "The cheesecake here is to die for. And as for the information, I know someone who knows Silas Verda."

Silas Verda was a part of the mafia and how the Royal family made him submit to them, I would never know. His name was spoken with reverence when shadow struck. He was no Omicron, but it made no difference. To his people, he was their leader, their faith. There was order where he ruled and as much as people were afraid of him, people were free in a sense. A female could walk freely in his territory in a dress of her choice when being surrounded by males and still know that she could reach home safely. 

He had once offered me a choice of being his blade, but Dave made sure that I turned that offer down.

I shook my head and concentrated on the information before me. Information that might be helpful.

Torre dealt with the import and export of nearly everything to and from Laukris. His usual partner on the other continents was a company named Eventide, a company that was involved in wildlife preservation, but had also stretched its limbs into trade. Further probing revealed that it was owned by the same person who owned Light, the giant in AI that had a good partnership with West Pack. 

Torre traded from tea to diamonds. Everything. What came in and went out was under his control. 

He had three trusted aides. A female werewolf who was thought to be dead. Fia Regade, who once led the science sector with her friend Warren Whyte. Was that why I was unable to find Torre's digital footprint? 

The second was Jarred Kris, a famous doctor who was rumoured to have magic hands. That was not the only thing about him. Unknown to many, he was someone even the Zayins of many tribes feared. His magic was strong and his range wide. 

And the third was Niran Chankul, a vampire who was adopted by Fia and Jarred. But he was the only one with a photo among the three.

If these three people were the ones closest to him, then the female I saw in the picture Zeke showed me must be Fia.

And of all the information she had brought me, one thing grabbed my attention. Torre's e-mail ID. I had looked on his website and there had been none. Was this his personal e-mail ID? 

"About Torre?" she asked. "By the way you search about him, I think you are obsessed with him."

I gave her a blank look. "Whether I kill him or not decides my future."

She shrugged. "Whatever. You have missed no one, right, Draco? Then why are fretting?"

"I am fretting because no one has targetted him," I exclaimed. "And lived!"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what? I am going to go with Zyon and tell you that this one will be amazing!"

"What did Zyon tell?" I asked.

My friend's faith in me moved me too much.

Erica bit her lip and chuckled. "He said that this mission of yours will be unforgettable. I am beginning to think that too."

"Unforgettable because I will die!" I said. "Because you guys have to plan a funeral."

Zeke shook his head calmly. "We have already planned one." After a pause, he took his mobile out. "We have planned many funerals for you. Want to pick which is your favourite?"

I blinked at the blue-haired male. This was their faith in me. It was good to know.

Erica hit Zeke on his head. "Don't be an ass."

Zeke pouted. "I am telling the truth. Look, I have faith in Draco, but I do know Torre."

Erica sighed. "I must appreciate your ability to be realistic."

Zeke smiled brightly at her. "Thank you, Erica."

I was running out of time and Dave was asking me about it every hour for the past two days. Just what did this Torre do to draw such impatience from Dave? 

Setting my fork on my plate, I inhaled deeply. A strong scent of vanilla blasted from the kitchen of the bakery we were in. Vanilla had been my go-to scent of choice. It soothed an old ache in my soul like it filled something my soul was missing. 

I set my fingers to work on the keyboard, creating a sound I loved. 

Erica asked, "What are you doing?"

Zeke got up and peeped into the screen and then sat down. "He is tracking Torre's whereabouts."

Erica gasped lightly. "He can do that?"

"Tell me something Draco cannot do with computers," Zeke said proudly. 

"Draco's talent is seriously being wasted," Erica said.

The firewall was hard, but I got what I wanted. 

I smirked at my friends. "I know where Torre will be tonight."

"Where?" Zeke asked.

"Northern port," I muttered, erasing my traces. He had Fia on his side for Moon's sake. "He is exporting a batch of marbles tonight."

"He'll be heavily guarded," Erica warned. "If he is doing business, more people will be there. High security."

"For the goods," I said, raising my eyes to meet Erica's. "Not for the owner."

"More people," she pressed. "And he had found his killers in places with much less protection."

"It's my only chance," I said. "After tonight, I don't know where he'll be."

"Stalk him," Erica said.

I shook my head. "Would not work. He'll find me. And if he does that, I won't be the hunter anymore nor he the prey."

********** 

I smirked to myself. My fingers and ears were happy. They finally did something they were familiar with. My ears heard the sound that it missed for ages.

Humming to myself, I picked my favourite gun and other weapons I might need. Packing it in my bag, I came out of the weapons room. Lawan, Wirat's mate was standing right outside the room. Considering the fact that she was the one who controlled everything about weapons in this coven, this was a place where she would hold absolute authority. 

Not to mention, she taught me how to hold a gun and what gun I should use when.

She did not say anything about tonight's mission, but her eyes told me everything. 

"Return," she whispered. "Try... try to be alive."

I gave her a nod. 

As much as I did not want to involve Lawan, she was going to play a crucial part in my mother's and Aiko's escape. If I did not return in three days, I had told them to assume that I was dead and had asked Erica to help them escape. 

Lawan would help, but if she helped, she could never set foot in Summer Coven again.

Sighing, I moved past her and left the building. The evening sun cloaked the coven in various shades of coppery orange and lazy gold. The winds stirred lightly from the slumber the afternoon had coaxed it into. The leaves rustled and laughed to a tune that I did not know while the small pink flowers that adorned the late autumn months blinked at the blood-orange sky.

Rune was waiting next to the shed that had my motorbike. Seeing me, he inhaled sharply and looked in the shed. Inside were three females waiting for me. My mother, Kessa with a hardened face, Erica with a laptop in her hands and Omicron Mali.

When Rune and I entered the shed, the Epsilon closed the doors behind me.

I took my bike keys and spun it in my left hand. These were the last people I wanted to see before I headed out tonight. 

I bowed to my Omicron. We had once been friends, but when her mate made me his assassin, I was a shadowed existence and she my Omicron. "Omicron Mali. What do I-"

"Draco," she whispered. "You should not be doing this."

I gave her a tired smile. "What else can I do? Fight Dave?"

Mali pressed her lips together but said nothing. 

She was a paper Omicron, someone who just had a fancy signing authority. She held no power in the Summer Coven. She was an Omicron through mating and she would receive her power through her mate. Dave was quite selfish.

"Draco-" Rune began.

"Will you get my mother and Aiko safe?" I asked him.

Rune wanted to tell me something else, but he just nodded. After a minute, he pulled me into a hug and held me tight. "I don't want to lose another friend."

I wanted to assure him that he would not, but we both knew I would be lying. I could test Dave's patience only so far. Had I not tracked Torre's email and found his whereabouts, Dave would have killed my mother for 'motivation'. 

Rune released me and gave me a firm nod. "I will make sure that they escape Dave if you don't return."

"If you return?" Erica asked. "You don't need saving?"

I sniggered. "If I can face Torre and return, then I can take Dave head on any day."

Kessa brushed my hair away from my face. "I wish I had given you another life."

I leant into her touch. There were so, so many things wrong in my life. So many things I wanted to change. But there was one thing I never had second thoughts about. "I am happy to be your son, mama."

Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she pulled me down and kissed my forehead. "Me too. Having you as my son was worth everything."

Erica looked at us and nodded. "Don't worry about your mother and Aiko."

I frowned. "You got what you came for?" 

She nodded again. "I came for a drug, Minoya. Very hallucinogenic. It has certain effects. Can even manipulate mate bonds. And my ex-Alpha's mate was involved in this. He was a part of a project that created hybrids. Females could not just be raped by... werewolves in their animal form. To let their guard down, he gave them Minoya, we just did not know its name back then. Al- Aspen Ruiz sent a team of five people to investigate this. No matter what we discovered, all clues led to Summer Coven. That was why I came to Summer Coven and tried to find its source."

Mali frowned. "Can manipulate mate bonds?"

"In their animal form?" Rune shuddered. "What is happening to the world?"

"The cruelty of the Summer Coven does not just end with flesh and organ trade," Erica said. "In their way of experiments, they are tainting some things that should have never been played with."

Rune's eyebrows touched. "Where is this happening then? I know everything that happens on Summer Coven lands."

"It is an ocean, Rune," Erica said. "An island. I thought our work would stop with Summer Coven. Never did I expect it to find roots in Autumn Pack and South Tribe. So many are linked. We have to infiltrate Autumn pack next."

I bit my lips. "I must applaud you for your bravery and all, but how can you be sure that you can get in and out without being caught?"

Erica smirked. "Well, for one, we have Riley Garcia and his brother Nox. That should explain everything."

"Omicron Riley Garcia?" Rune echoed blinking at Erica. "Riley?"

She nodded. "Riley Garcia."

A notorious vampire who had moved out of his mother Coven when his powers were too much for the Omicron of that coven to handle. Some said that he would become the next Silas Verda. I had seen him once. Many would go out of their way to avoid him.

Mali's face was pale. "Riley is alive?"

Erica nodded slowly. "He sure is."

I did not care if Mali had known him or not. I looked at the watch on my right wrist and sighed. I should get going. I could not miss Torre tonight. 

I swallowed and slung my bag. "I am leaving."

Rune nodded. "Right. Leave before Wirat comes. As much as he understands that you have to leave, he cannot bear to do so."

I knew. Everyone here knew that my chances of survival were low. If I made it out after tonight, it would be a miracle.

I snorted and revved my bike up. "Lawan saw me."

Mali had a rare grin on her face. "Lawan is a hardcore chick. As much as she sees you like a baby brother, she knows you are a hard nut to crack. Wirat is a problem. He might not let you go, but Lawan? She might open the gates for you."

***********

Cool starlight breeze teased my hair. And the sky that was usually hazy North Coven was clear and the stars that had decided to decorate the sky tonight winked down. Some arranged themselves in pretty pictures and others in a vague story. 

Shaking my head, I stared at the traffic light ahead. To my delight, they blinked green at each signal. My way was clean and smooth. As much as I was happy, dread filled me. Nothing was this smooth. If the situation was leaning to my side now, it might lean to the other side later.

What if Torre did not come and sent Niran or Jarred to do this job tonight? What if I was caught after I succeeded in my mission? What if I could not even make it near Torre? Many things could go unfavourable to me this night.

Exhaling, I took a sharp right turn and this street led to the shipping dockyard of Northern Port. The North Pack, Coven and Tribe offered to guard this Northern Port.

Two warlocks walked around the entrance gate with guns in their hands. I snorted. Why did they need those guns for? They could hit anyone with their magic. At the post, a werewolf was sitting and watching television.

I had hidden my motorbike in North Tribe and had hitched a ride from a truck that was passing by this area.

North Tribe offered its protection here, meaning, strong Magycs cast a protection spell. The stronger the Magyc, the larger would be the range. If anyone without authorisation like me, breached that, it would alert the Magyc. Apart from that, they would also have a camera, which I would have to avoid. Being caught would not help my profession.

Getting past the Magyc's power was nothing. I had spells and charms to keep myself hidden from them. It was that blasted CCTV cameras that could catch footage.

Shadows moved when I moved. Despite the moon giving me a blank look, the darkness of the night concealed me. The area before the Port's entrance was bare. Instead of going in through the land, my option was to enter through the beach. 

Heavy vehicles sped on the main road and the parking lot near the port was where I could hide. hundreds of lorries were parked and I could hide from one to the other. But as I neared the port, three high-end cars from Soliel, the luxury car were parked. One was a jeep with tires that could tread on any road. The second was a low sedan modified to hold a wheelchair and the third was a black SUV. 

I leaned against the lorry that was parked closest to the waters and took my phone out. It was not as easy as a computer, but it would do the job. The screen showed me a black interface and I began to type. Codes flew through. I could not afford to mess anything up now.

In three minutes, the CCTV  footage was available on my phone. I raised my eyebrows. Was it necessary to have fucking eight hundred and thirteen caremas for this port? And five were just for Torre's office!

I would not be an idiot to disable all. I would freeze the one I would pass by and then have it on again. And I could not freeze it for more than a minute. The eight guards who were posted to check the CCTV footage checked them all in ten minutes. 

Before I could freeze a CCTV camera, I gulped down the portion that would veil me from the Magyc's spell. I froze the one on the easternmost part of the port. 

The major entrance was heavily guarded, but no one bothered about the that chink thirty meters from the entrance. I stepped where the Moon did not see, keeping my form to the shadows.

My heart pounded furiously against the bony cage my body had confided it in and my mind raced, thinking all the possible ways this night could end. Thousands of different endings, each varying with each decision I took. 

Had I been more thin, I could have slipped in, but my form could not squeeze through this tiny space. I somehow managed to get in, but no one bothered to see that I had entered. While that half broken wood had scratched me, drawing blood, my skin knitted itself together. 

The scent of ocean overpowered everything. It crashed against the land, complaining to it in a language only it knew. The sand responded in kind. The waves were tall and mean one minute and soft and gentle the next second. Seven ships stood at the harbour and they rocked to the tune of their mother.

Next to the biggest ship on this harbour was a group of twenty people. I inched closer, unfreezing the cameras behind me and freezing the one I would pass by. One more step and I would be out of my hiding place, but I could see who they were.

It was not fear that froze me or my excitement. But the scent that should have been dulled by the sea teased me. The perfect blend of vanilla and silicon. It was like I was in pain for so long that I never realised it and this scent was the right balm.

The owner of this scent was walking away towards an office. While a vampire chased after him. "Torre! Why are you leaving so early?"

Since I had seen only one picture of the three people who were beside Torre, I knew who this vampire was. Niran Chankul. 

Torre did not tell him anything, as he moved towards the office. I traced his figure in the dark. Taller than the vampire next to him. His walk had arrogant confidence that drew me in. It gave me a sense of stability. He was like a mountain admist a storm. I had never been attracted to steadiness in my life. 

Even before my ex-mate, Harriet I dated all sorts of people who matched my choas. If I raced, my date would egg me to push more. If I charred my food, they would burn the kitchen down. Harriet had her own chaos and after her, I never found anyone. I had gone on a couple of dates after Lana and therapy, but at the first touch, I would cringe and leave the place.

"Are you by chance leaving me to oversee this?!" Niran shouted. "That's not a great idea!"

Torre still did not reply him and walked ahead, slowly. As if he knew everyone knew who owned this entire damned thing.

The great part about this was that, I knew that Torre was here. In Northern Port. My location was right. But the flip side of it, I had to get into this study before Torre did. I could not aim my gun at him here. It would be easy to track me and I could never escape. If I tried it in his office, I might have a sliver of chance at escape.

Cursing, I froze and unfroze the cameras quickly to reach the main building. I was not joking when I said five were aimed at Torre's office and the security had their eyes locked on these five cameras than on any other. 

But there were no cameras at the back end of this building. It had the pipping system. But this was my only way.

********

I had gone nearly every floor before I found at which floor Torre's office was located at. By this time if he had completed his job and had left, I would not be surprised. 

Had this exercise been a week ago, I would be panting after climbing fifteen floors through the pipping, while checking every floor for his office. But now, my body was fine as if I had just gotten from my bed and made it to the kitchen. 

And I had just managed to lock myself in the room next to Torre's office. This room had another opening which led right into the office. I closed the door that was opaque below and transparent above. The scent-concealer and the heartbeat-concealer that I bought was worth it.

Five minutes after I locked myself in, three sets of feet walked towards the office with a slight drag of a wheel. I was pretty sure that Torre had not left by the unsigned papers in his office and I decided to wait for hiim.

Luckily, no one entered the room and from the noise, I guessed about four people was out. I took in a deep breath to calm myself. I could escape via the window if someone was to near this room. The same exquisite scent of vanilla and silicon reached my nose. For a second, I did nothing but to inhale that scent like it was my drug of choice.

"Enough!" a female reprimanded in a soft voice. "Jarred is down there. You should be too, Niran."

That voice brought me out of my lull. This female must be Fia. I dared to peek a little through the glass.

Niran smirked. "That's your mate, Fia. You go."

The female on the wheel-chair glowered at the vampire. "I hope you will find yours and your mate will make you suffer."

Niran was about to retort something when a male who was seated facing me, groaned. "Damn it."

The other male who sat opposite to him poured whiskey in a glass and gave it to that male. "Well..."

That male raised his head and glared at his companion. I froze. Those eyes. The silver eyes that I saw on the photo. But somehow this pair of eyes felt wrong. The one in the photo had a magnetising effect on me. That pair pulled me in a world of wonder and dreams. But this eyes, they were mysterious and oozed with an unleased inferno. Was this Torre? 

But why were so many people around Torre? Could I not have my way with him tonight?

"I don't wish to talk about that," the male with silver eyes said.

The one holding the whiskey shrugged. "Come on, Aries. You rarely come when I call you. What bothered you?"

Aries? Like that fabricated Warriors of Moon? Torre was friends with the Warriors? Was that why articles of Warriors popped up when I searched for him?

If this Aries... was the First Warrior, did I have hope to even take another breath after he found me and my intension? Before I could even lift my gun, he would make sure that I was dead. 

Aries shook his head. "You have no idea, Torre."

I gritted my teeth. He had chosen his seat well. I could only see a few unruly strands of his hair that was like spikes and his hand. I still wanted to at least see how Torre looked before I died. I deserved that at least.

Upon seeing, Aries took the whiskey and drank it in one swing.

"Fia and Niran," Torre called. "Leave us be."

"But Torre-" Niran began.

"You suspect my brother?" Torre asked. "My kin to harm me? It is Aries we are talking about. He is the First Warrior. Even if not for him, do you take me to be a fool? I am Taurus, the Second Warrior. You know what race I belong to. What do you think can break my defences?"

My eyes widened. So, I was in the room next to not one but two Warriors? And I was sent to kill one? Who on earth thought it would be amazing to see a dead hitman trying to kill a Warrior? Even if the First Warrior was not here, I could not have walked away, could I? This was the reason why nothing could kill him. If all the stories about the Warriors were true, then nothing indeed could even hurt him. 

Another though grappled me. Was I truly hidden? Or had Taurus found about me the second I entered this Northern Port? Could he read minds like the legends said? Did he know about my mission to kill him? If he knew, why was he toying with me?

Niran gulped but before him, Fia wheeled her way out. Nodding, Niran followed her, closing the door.

"Tell me, Aries," Taurus said. "What brings you to help me the second I said my website crashed? This is a very minor thing. You don't usually come to help me if something amiss happens in my business. Especially when Princess Antlia, the last descendant of Luna is under your care. So what happened?"

"Lyra Throne-" Aries continued, but I could not hear anything further.

The last of the Royal was still alive?

A/N: Who thought Aries would come, right? (I shall give in a clue. This was right after Aries spent the night as Midnight for the first time)

As for people who don't know, Aries is a main character from my book Aries. While it is not necessary to read Aries to understand Taurus, there might be minor references to it.

So... do you think Draco will point his gun at Taurus and shoot? 

What are your thoughts about Mali, Niran, Fia and Erica? 

Do you like Rune?

Leave your thoughts below!

Until next update,

~Quill