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As dawn broke the next day, Katana called her father, gloating at the news she’d already killed her target.
“Really?” he said, disbelief edging his tone. “You got him that quickly?”
“Yeah,” she replied, smiling. “Jacques picked up the scent and within five or ten minutes, there he was, coming for us. Jacques took a chunk out of his side, so I made it a little deeper, split his spine, and cut his head off. Job done.”
A few seconds of silence followed before Malaceia said, “Well done. I’m proud of you.”
“There was a couple of odd things though, Dad.”
“Go on.”
“Well, first he told me I was a pawn. He said, ‘you’re just a pawn like the rest of us.’”
Malaceia laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much, honey. He was just mad he’d been bested by a woman, that’s all.”
Katana smirked, pride bursting inside her at the fact she’d beaten such a chauvinistic monster. “But then his body burst into flames before I could burn it. It’s literally a pile of ash as we speak.”
Silence.
“Dad?”
“And you killed him like a normal werewolf—cut his head off and took his organs?”
“I didn’t get chance to take his organs before the body burst into flames.”
A heavy thud echoed down the line. “Anything else?”
“Well, some guy burst into the lodge last night. It was really odd. He knew it was ours but from what he said, it seemed like he’d been staying here, which considering there’s hardly any food in here, would make sense.”
“Was this before you killed the werewolf?”
“No, after. Why?” Footsteps in an empty corridor echoed into Katana’s ear.
“I’ve got to go, sweetie. Something’s come up. Don’t worry, you did just fine. Well done on such a fantastic first case. I’ll get Sophia to email you your next move.”
“Ok, but Da—”
The ringtone buzzed in her ears. She had wanted to ask him about the age of the young girl and if it was the first of its kind.
What. The. Hell.
***
AN HOUR LATER, KATANA still hadn’t received her new case details. Bored and restless from the peculiar conversation with her father, she decided to have a look around the stunning scenery before she found herself at the other end of the country, or better yet, travelling Europe.
Saddling Altair up, Katana headed out into the Scottish landscape, Jacques padding ahead of her as normal.
The fact he’d been unusually quiet since last night hadn’t gone unnoticed. Katana couldn’t help but pay attention to the niggle in the back of her mind that something was...off.
As the trio meandered through a small woodland, revelling in the serene beauty of nature at its finest, Altair suddenly stopped dead, refusing to move forwards.
Katana opened her mouth to say something to Jacques, but he had also frozen.
He pinned his nose to the floor as he snuffled through the dirt. “Impossible,” he said, lifting his muzzle. “This is the same scent I picked up last night.”
Katana’s heart dropped to her feet. “What? How is that even possible?”
Jacques turned and looked at her. “I don’t know but I’m telling you—this is the same werewolf. And judging from this, he’s been through here only an hour ago.”
Drawing her wakizashi, Katana dismounted and headed over to Jacques. “That’s impossible. I cut its head off. Let alone the fact it burst into flames. You must be wrong, Jacques.”
“I’m not. Honestly, the musk coming from that one last night was absolutely repulsive—this is the same.”
“Are you sure? What if there were twins? Is it not possible you’re confused? I mean, musk is musk and lavender is lavender after all.”
“There is no lavender here, Katana, so there are definitely no females lurking around. And as for the scent, you know as well as I do that their scent is as unique as a fingerprint.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I know. I just...with the fact they’ve killed a minor and all the other weird stuff going on with this case, I’m kinda thinking the general rules don’t fit here anymore.”
Jacques continued forward, his nose to the ground as he followed the trail. “I’m sorry but there’s just no doubting it whatsoever—this is the same wolf from last night.”
He picked up his pace and trotted off in front of her, his nose to the floor again like a sniffer dog.
Katana followed him.
She looked back over her shoulder to whistle to Altair but was instead met with a whirling blur of fair hair and green eyes before a sickening crunch threw her into darkness.