Chapter 6: The Hounds of Hades

**John**

Lightning flickers in the dark, and thunder vibrates the thick glass. I stare at the small flecks of lights below as cars pass, blaring their horns and stomping on their brakes.

I smile when I see the blaze in the distance, fire curling up into the sky like fingers in the dark. The mission was a success. The Hounds of Hades have prevailed yet again, as I knew we would.

I hear a knock on the door, a simple little knock that could have easily been perceived as something dropping on the floor. But I know it for what it is.

“Enter,” I declare, standing with my back to the door and facing the windows. In the reflection, I see Terron enter the room.

“Lord,” Terron says, his dark hair covering his eyes and the scar that runs the length of his jaw. “Your men have returned from the mission site. They respond with mission success and seek your guidance.”

I nod, still smiling at the fire. “You can tell them their payment will arrive at their doorsteps in the morning. Tell them their Alpha thanks them for their service.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Terron bows low, grunting as he does so. The man is worse for wear, having served the South Pack for as long as my father before did. If only this mongrel my father called his Second could be of any use to me.

The very moment I can find someone to replace him, I will. I don’t have room for an aging wolf in my empire, and I aim to eliminate him.

Terron leaves the room, his back hunched from years of bowing and serving the Hounds. The Hounds are all there is for our kind. The South Side belongs to us. It is our birthright. But it is only part of what is owed to us.

Now that step one in my plot for revenge is complete, it is high time I complete step two.

I sit at the mahogany desk, the polished wood reflecting my smooth features. I run my finger through my hair, admiring the way it gently slides back into place, undisturbed.

Picking up my cell, I dial the number and wait for the ring. One ring. Two. Three. Finally, on the fourth, someone picks up.

“Hello?” The voice sounds low and rushed, panting as if out of breath.

I smile.

“How did you like my present?”

Silence.

“Who is this?”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Brackon.”

“Ah, so you do remember. How nice. And here I thought you’d completely forgotten us down here on the southside.”

“What do you want?”

I sigh into the phone, tapping my fingers on the desk. “What do I want? Hmm… Let me see. How about your ass out of my territory?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You know precisely what I’m talking about. I want what’s rightfully mine. Thirty years ago, this land was owned and run by my family. Then one of yours came and ruined everything. If it wasn’t for your b*tch of a daddy, none of this would have been necessary.”

“My father won this territory. He claimed the title Alpha by right of forfeit. Your father lost that fight all those years ago. He left willingly. It’s because of him you’re even alive at all.”

I laugh, the sound spilling over me. “That’s adorable. Now that Daddy’s dead, I bet you think you’re the big bad boss. Don’t you?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Well, let’s just say I have eyes in hidden places. I know you found your father dead just this morning and were so overwhelmed that you ran away crying to your new little girlfriend.”

“If you had anything to do with my father’s death, I swear to the Goddess I’ll….”

“You’ll what? Hurt me? KILL me? No, I don’t think you will. You don’t have the knack for that sort of thing. No, I think you’ll agree to what I’m about to propose.”

I rest my head against the chair and lift my feet up onto the desk. The soles of my Doc Martens are worn and dirty, but they show the character I’d otherwise miss. I wait for a response, silence hanging heavily in the air.

“What are you proposing?”

“I want to meet. Face-to-face. It will give us a chance to speak freely, to lay down some ground rules, if you will.”

“Why would I want anything to do with you?”

“Because if you don’t, that little office building of yours won’t be the only thing to go up in flames.”

Another pause, static crackling on the other end. I hear a hushed conversation. He’s scared, I think. Good. Right where I want him.

“Fine,” he says, his voice on edge.

I chuckle, the feelings so good I might jump for joy.

“Where?” he asks.

I throw my feet down and lean on the desk. Speaking low, I say, “Somewhere neutral, where neither of our forces can interfere. Some place like that little bar you and your girl were in.”

“Leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Doesn’t she? She spoke to you, didn’t she? She has everything to do with this. And besides, the land that bar sits on belongs to witches. It’s the perfect place for our little rendezvous.”

“Fine. Tell me when.”

His voice is harsh, deep, and angry.

I’m getting to him.

“Tomorrow night.”

“Okay.”

“Good. See you there.”

“One thing.”

I pause, my thumb hanging over the ‘end call’ button. Pulling the phone back up to my ear, I say, “Oh? And what is that, dog?”

“If you hurt her…if you so much as touch her… I swear, I WILL kill you. I swear on my father’s grave.”

“Oh, come now. So soon? He’s barely cold, and you’re already profaning his name. I thought you were better than that.

“But you don’t need to worry. I swear Little Miss Sunshine will not be harmed. Neither I nor I nor mine will touch her or any delicate humans present. I give you my word.”

“You’d better.”

“Ha! I like you, little pup. Have fun!”

I hang up and look back out into that solemn night, smiling. Oh, how good it feels to be on top.

I steeple my fingers as I sit at my desk, thinking of the long hours and miserable nights I’ve spent getting to where I am. My father was right when he told me, “A man can only achieve success when he takes it himself.”

Well, I’m certain Dad would be mighty proud if he saw where I was now. Of course, it was only ten years ago he was sitting in this same seat. It was ten years ago, he was murdered by North Side. And for that, they will pay.