“Susan…” Vincent howled and rushed after her.

The rustling of the dry leaves could be heard everywhere his feet fell. His silky black hair swayed from side to side. As his wolf Gaius struggled to get control, his eyes changed from black to hazel brown. Gaius could hardly wait to claim Susan in the woods.

Susan giggled and looked back at him while running. She stepped on a muddy puddle, and the mud splashed on her white leggings. But it didn't bother her at all. She kept running as fast as she could.

"Wait..." Vincent picked up the pace.

“What happened to your agility, Vincent? Can’t you run faster?” Susan smirked mockingly.

“Challenge, huh? Just wait.”

Vincent let Gaius take control. In the next moment, he shifted into a big black wolf and so did Susan.

Susan’s Lola was a brown wolf, slightly smaller than Gaius. But in terms of swiftness, she was not at all less than him. Gaius couldn’t reach her despite he was running at his full speed.

A sudden mind link from his father, alpha Randolph made him veer and rush to the opposite direction. Susan also took a sharp turn and followed Vincent.

Their ears perked with attention. They could hear the growling of the wolves. The smell of rogues assaulted their nostrils as they approached further.

Vincent’s sharp eyes detected a rogue rushing towards them. With a swift move, he snapped the rogue’s neck and killed it instantly.

Then he saw a bunch of rogues fighting with the sentries his father had brought. Vincent wondered why so many rogues attacked the pack all of a sudden.

Vincent and Susan joined Alpha Randolph at the battle.

Boom-Boom…

Just as they almost killed all the attackers, gunshots shook the woods. Everyone came to an alert and looked at the source of the noise.

“Hunters… be careful...” Randolph then mind linked to everybody and commanded, “We should go back. Now…”

As they turned to leave, a few more gunshots rattled the entire forest.

Boom-Boom-Boom…

Vincent’s heart trembled as he heard a heart-wrenching whine. He whirled to look back, only to find Susan curled up in the pool of blood. Her fur and flesh were charred, leaving a big hole where the bullet struck.

“Silver bullets…” His father howled.

Vincent rushed towards Susan instantly, but it was too late for him. Susan died before he could reach her.

Gaius wailed sorrowfully, licking her face in an attempt to wake her up.

Vincent broke down into tears and cried out, “Susan…”

************************************************************************

“Susan…” Vincent yelled and abruptly sat up, hyperventilating.

His heart was pounding rapidly while sweat beads dripped down his forehead. A lone tear escaped from the corner of his eye.

Five years…

It had been five years since he had lost his mate, Susan, in that horrific attack. But the horror of that day was still vivid in his mind, and this dream often haunted him. His heart still ached upon remembering her.

Vincent closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his slightly damp black hair, trying to soothe his restless mind.

He grabbed a glass of water off the side table and drank it in one breath. He then took out his phone and checked the time.

It was half-past six in the afternoon and now it was the time for him to get to work.

Yes, he worked as a bouncer in a posh pub in town. He actually left the pack in search of Susan's assassins. After looking into the neighboring cities and suburbs, he eventually came to Cohutta, a town near the forest somewhere in Georgia.

After five years of search… he got nothing but disappointment. Heartbroken and lonely, he lost interest in everything, lost hope of finding the poachers.

Eventually, he started his life anew as a bouncer at a bar. Life was dull, but he was at peace in his lonely life… no friends, no emotional strings attached to anybody.

Vincent dropped the phone aside, left the bed, and proceeded to the washroom. After a quick shower, he came out and went to the closet. He took black jeans and a black t-shirt and put them on.

He came out of his small apartment shortly thereafter. The bar was five kilometers from his home, and he enjoyed running that distance.

Vincent made it to the bar in less than a half-hour. Nevertheless, he was overwhelmed by the commotion inside the bar.

“Refill…” A man in an elegant black suit slammed the glass on the bar counter.

“No more drink, Sir,” the bartender said, glancing quickly at him. “You're already drunk.”

The man’s face darkened, anger obscuring his eyes. He howled in his incoherent voice, “Do you know who I am? I am Gerald Hill. I can buy the entire place. Dare not refuse me. Fill the glass.”

The bartender had no intention of filling the glass. “Sir, I request you to leave.”

“How dare you talk to me like that?” The man sprang from his stool and grabbed his collar.

“Sir, please calm down.” The bartender's pupils expanded in horror.

“Call whoever you want to call. No one can save you from my beating tonight.”

The man fisted his hand and punch him. However, he was forcibly pulled out by his collar before his fist could hit the bartender's face.

“Who the hell is this?” Gerald growled and turned to look.

Hell…

That’s right. He saw hellfire in those black eyes. The owner of those eyes was so tall that Gerald had to bend his neck to look at him. The man was so strong that he could not escape his grasp. The warning in those eyes abated the intoxication of the alcohol instantly.

“Vincent, take him out.”

The barman’s voice brought Gerald back to reality. Before he could say a word, Vincent dragged him out of the bar.

“Hey, you… leave me. You have no idea who you are messing with. I can kill you in no time.”

Vincent stopped a cab without bothering his blabbering. He opened the rear door and shoved him into the car. Then he beckoned the driver to take him away.

“Fuck you…” Gerald showed his middle finger to Vincent.

Without reacting to his gesture, Vincent returned to the bar and began to do his job diligently.

A/N: Hello my dear readers. This is another book of mine on this app. It is my first time writing on werewolf romance. I am new in this genre. Hopefully, you will like this book and support me as usual. Thank you to all who are reading this book...

This book is a work of Fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents narrated in this book are imaginary. Any resemblance to someone living or dead, locals or events is entirely coincidental.

Enjoy reading. Stay safe, stay blessed.