6 Hunt

I stopped at a tree and tore a piece of my sweatshirt, binding it to a branch. Then I smeared a bit of my blood on it. It was already ripped anyway...

Then I ran a few hundred feet ahead, marking several trees with my blood. After that, I began running in a large curve back towards the werewolves, marking other random trees along the way.

*Owooooo!*

I arrived back near my torn piece and hid behind a tree, where I could see the werewolves arriving as well. They started sniffing around in confusion while circling the area.

"What is this…? Is he playing with us? His scent goes further into the woods but also seems to be coming from a different direction that appears to be going in the same way..." said the older werewolf with a rough and monstrous voice.

"Jared, we follow the nearest scent! Colin, follow his other scent. We'll meet further down the path where he can't escape us anymore. Remember, he is losing blood and tired, so get his head and present it as a wedding gift to my daughter!"

*Owooooo!*

Colin howled at him and then began running in my direction, with the others following the path I had taken before.

I smirked because they still thought I was running away from them. Who would be foolish enough to run back to their hunters in a situation like this? Well, apparently me...

When the werewolf named Colin ran past my tree, it seemed that smearing myself with werewolf blood had worked, they are so focused on my smell that they ignore other familiar scents.

So I cut my hand, causing him to immediately stop and turn around. But I swiftly moved forward, thrusting my makeshift spear toward his heart.

*Augh!*

He let out a cry and stared at me in disbelief. I withdrew the spear, and he fell to his knees, transforming back into his human form.

He held his wound in shock and said, spitting out blood, "That can't be! I'm an Alpha... I can't die here... I haven't even made Leah mine yet..." With those words, he fell lifeless to the ground.

Wow, even before dying, he only talked about sleeping with someone... I hope the Leah he mentioned wasn't the same girl I met in the parking lot, or he would be even creepier than his werewolf self...

I grabbed his body and used more paracord from the tent to bind him to the tree. I smeared a bit of my blood on him and then started running in circles for a while and marking some other trees with my blood.

Afterwards, I climbed onto a nearby tree and waited for the other two to arrive.

~~~ Back at the Cabin ~~~

After witnessing the werewolves chasing Aiden, Elizabeth and Argent also emerge from their hiding spot and approach the cabin.

Argent positions himself slightly further back and conceals himself behind a tree, which provides him with a clear view of the door. Meanwhile, Elizabeth takes a few deep breaths and proceeds towards the closed door.

She knocks on the door and takes a few steps back.

"This scent? Jacob!" Emily opens the door, revealing Phil's lifeless body still on the ground.... Her attention is immediately drawn to the blood-stained woman, causing her to freeze in place.

"Who are you, and why do you smell like my son?!" Emily screams at Elizabeth, while Argent readies his rifle in the background.

"Your son? If I knew that blood would belong to your son I would never..."

"My son's blood? You!" Emily walks forward and forcefully pushes Elizabeth, causing her to stumble backward and fall to the ground.

"Mom? What's happening? Who is this?" Leah emerges from her room, after having given Rose some water.

"She's one of the people who murdered your brothers!" Emily angrily declares. Leah's nails start to elongate and transform into claws upon hearing this.

"Mom, step aside. I'll deal with this!" Leah says, attempting to bypass her mother.

"No, you can't! You know what will happen to you if you take a life. There's no turning back... You saw what it did to your brothers..." Emily says and holds back her daughter.

"I don't care. They were still family, and if I don't do anything, father will punish both of us!" Leah insists, struggling to get past her mother.

"No! Stay back and let me handle this!" Emily turns her attention back to Elizabeth, who has managed to stand up.

"Leave, get out of the forest, and never return. Otherwise, you'll wish my daughter had torn you apart," Emily warns, pointing toward the forest.

"I can't! I'm sorry for your loss. But as a mother, you need to understand. I can't leave without my daughter."

These words suddenly horrify the mother and daughter duo, causing even Leah's claws to retract.

"Your daughter? Is the red-haired girl?" Emily asks, her voice barely audible.

"Yes, and I know she's in there. Give her back to me, and I'll leave," Elizabeth pleads.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know she was your daughter... You have to understand that we wouldn't have harmed her. It was my husband who always... No, we don't have time for this. Leah, free the girl and take them to their car."

"No, Mom, we can't! Dad will be furious, and I don't know what he'll do to us if he finds out," Leah protests, but Emily turns to her daughter, caresses her cheek, and with tears in her eyes, says,

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll convince him. But you need to go. I can't let something like what happened to me happen to someone else or my own daughter... Now is the best time to leave while your father is away."

"Mom...?" Leah asks, confused.

"Go, sweetie. You need to go, or you'll end up as a trophy for someone... This is your chance for a better life too. Simply leave everything behind. I know you can do it." Emily then pushes her daughter toward her room, and Leah walks inside like a robot.

"I know it's asking too much, but take my daughter away from here. She's a good girl, and I hope you can understand as a mother,"

Elizabeth nods. She doesn't know their story, but as long as she gets her daughter back, she doesn't care who follows her.

"Mom? Mommy!" Rose emerges from the room followed by Leah and runs toward her mother, embracing her in a hug.

"It's alright! Everything will be alright now, so don't cry," Elizabeth says while shedding tears herself.

While the reunited mother and daughter weep together, Leah turns to her own mother and suggests, "Mom, if I need to leave, why don't you come with me? None of us should stay behind!"

"No, sweetie. Maybe I can convince your father to leave you alone by giving him another child, so simply— No, Leah, take cover."

*Bang!*

"Mom!!!" a gunshot rings out, and Emily collapses to the ground, bleeding from her stomach, after pushing her daughter out of harm's way.

"Very dramatic, but no wolf will follow us," Argent remarks, reloading his gun as he steps out of his hiding place.

Elizabeth sees this and holds her daughter even tighter, obstructing her view of Argent's intentions. "Mr. Argent, what are you doing? They were cooperating."

"My job… every werewolf deserves to die."

*Owooooo!*

But before Argent can pull the trigger again, the enraged Sam jumps out of the woods and lunges at him with his claws.

~~~ Moments before, In the woods ~~~

After being in the trees for a few minutes, I could see the werewolves returning along the path I marked for them.

When they noticed the tied-up Collin, the older of the two used his claws to free Collin, who then drops to the ground.

*GAAAH!*

"Come out and fight like a man!" the werewolf screamed in his monstrous voice, looking around.

*Woosh!* "Agh!"

I hurled the spear towards them, hitting the younger werewolf on the shoulder. He dropped to the ground with a scream while I leaped down from the tree.

"Yeah, sure, fight like a man… I thought, that's how men should fight after you ambushed us before." I said towards the two.

"You bastard! Jared, are you alright? Wait a moment, I'll remove it," the older werewolf initially seemed eager to dash towards me, but then decided to stop and take care of the younger one and takes out the spear.

"Ahh!!! Don't… don't worry, Dad, I'll be fine in a second! Rip him apart, and I'll join you immediately."

"Okay, take your time. I'll be right back."

"A very touching scene, but can we get this over with? I stink, and my clothes are ripped," I said after seeing them chat.

*Grrrr!* The Father Wolf growled at me, then broke my spear in half, and threw it away.

Oh, did I make him angry?

*Bang!*

He started running towards me, but a shot that seemed to come from near the cabin stopped him. He turned to look in that direction.

I guess the negotiations failed there...

"Father, those must be the others who were with him. Go there! I'll deal with him. I'm already healed."

The Father Wolf nodded and began jumping from tree to tree to reach the location... Lucky for me, they had to track me down; otherwise, they would have caught up immediately that way.

I turned to the remaining werewolf and said, "Since the brave werewolf is gone, how about you simply let me follow him? I promise I won't tell your parents."

*Grrr!*

But he only growled at me, baring his fangs. "So, is that a no?"

I hoped that Argent could hold his ground for a bit...

The werewolf lunged at me, and I took a few breaths to refocus my perception. He swung his claws through the air, but I shifted my body to the side, narrowly avoiding his attack. He missed me but managed to swipe away a sizable chunk of the tree behind me.

He turned back to face me and unleashed a series of claw strikes like an enraged animal. However, just like with his brother, I effortlessly evaded them. Then, I stepped to the side, delivering a right and left fist to his face before kicking him in the stomach.

He stumbled back momentarily, but quickly regained his focus, sporting an angry expression. He swung his claws again, but I ducked down, using the remaining paracord I had with a hangman's knot tied on one end. I swiftly bound the knot around his right arm as he swung it downward.

As he prepared to strike with his left arm, I ducked once more and secured the paracord around his other arm. Then I swiftly moved behind him, looping the cord around his neck, effectively binding his arms and neck together.

Next, I threw the other end of the paracord over the branch I had been sitting on before and pulled on it, lifting the helpless werewolf into the air. He struggled to break free, but since he can't use his claws right now he can't do anything right now, so I bind the paracord around the tree trunk and let him hang there.

"Phew, this reminds me of the time I was in Spain..." I said, while wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"Unbind... me and fight... me like a man," gasped the werewolf, struggling for air.

"Yeah, yeah, hang out a bit and cool down," I replied while walking to retrieve my broken and discarded spear. I found the right half of it and made my way toward the cabin.