Old Enemies 🌶️

Matthias

~ “I’ve got you now, you fucking bastard!” ~

~"Matthias! No!"~

~Blood spurts from his quivering neck. ~

~The salty tang tastes satisfying on my tongue. ~

~At last, I have my revenge! ~

~At last, my arch-rival Ekon is dead! ~

“Beelzebub calling Alpha M. Do you copy?”

~His eyes roll back in his hea—~

“Alpha M. Do you read?”

~As the last glimmer of life esca—~

“Matthias! Pick up the fucking radio.”

~Jesus Christ. Just when it was getting good.~

I sluggishly dragged my tired body from a creaky motel-room bed over to a dilapidated table where a decade-old radio-set popped and fizzed.

~Fuck. Another good dream ruined.~

At first, I thought it was a stroke of genius to bring out the old closed-circuit radio.

It couldn’t be hacked like phones, so the packs wouldn’t be on to it.

But it also meant I couldn’t ignore it like a phone.

And boy, did my sister Devina like to take advantage.

My body dripped with sweat.

~Why the hell did me and my boys have to stay in El Paso of all places?~

Dry heat is the worst for wolves.

I picked up the radio receiver.

“Beelzebub! What do you want? Can’t a guy catch forty fucking winks?”

“You can sleep later, you idiot! I wanted to update you. I just got Fuego Coven onboard!”

I yawned, “Whoop-de-fucking-doo! Am I supposed to be impressed?”

CRASH!

A bolt of lightning flashed outside my window.

“Do I have your attention now?” the witch croaked.

“Alright! Alright! So you’ve got Fuego Coven on board. What next?”

“All of the South American covens have been rallied. Now, we wait.”

“For what?” I asked.

“For his word...”

Bambi

SPLASH!

A refreshing mist of water tickled my nose as a colorful chorus of mermaids flipped in synchronization to the dreamy droning of a symphony orchestra.

Sure, I’d been to pool parties before as a pup.

But this was on a whole new level!

Without a doubt, the sirens knew how to entertain.

The charity gala, hosted by the sirens’ MP, Iris, was intended to raise donations for political action committees against offshore-drilling oil companies.

Hosted at her stunning Art Nouveau mansion in a secluded hot-spring at the foothills of the Alps, it was by far the most elegant pool party I’d ever been to.

Politicians and the local gentry promenaded in their designer swimwear, sipping champagne and nibbling on tasty seafood hors d'oeuvres.

Ekon stood close to me as I watched the well-choreographed water pageantry unfold.

His sleek, new swimsuit clung becomingly to his toned ass and thighs.

Naturally, none of us had anticipated swimming here in Austria, so Alpha Vladimir sent his butler into town to pick out some suitable swimwear.

Initially, I was a little hesitant to come to the gala at all because of Ekon.

With his drinking problem resurfacing, I didn’t think it would be wise to bring him somewhere with free-flowing booze. But he’d promised he wouldn’t touch a drop.

I had to at least give him a chance.

We applauded as the water spectacle concluded with some amazing aerial flips against a vivid background of multi-colored fountains.

“Enjoying the gala you two?”

Leonardo walked up beside us, sporting smart royal blue swim trunks.

“It’s surreal. Makes me wish we weren’t here on business. Have you had any luck talking anyone over to our side?”

He cast his gaze to the ground, “Alas, no. Alpha Vladimir and I have been making the rounds together all night. The only one we have yet to try is Fakari.”

Ekon chortled sardonically. “We can forget about that crazy old witch doctor. He was one of the staunchest antagonists to the Great War effort. Fak the Quack, all the soldiers called him. Didn’t want to give a dime to aid. Blew up in his face when Devina’s witches showed up and torched his native village.”

“Well, then that’s our angle!” I exclaimed, “We all know what it’s like to lose somebody to Devina. And if the only wolves who have been able to stop her are locked up, who knows where her wrath could strike next?”

Leonardo nodded in agreement, “Perhaps you should give talking to him a go. After this morning, you’ve certainly proven yourself a skilled diplomat.”

“You think I should?”

“If anyone can permeate his sour disposition, it’s you, dear Luna.”

I figured it was worth a shot.

“Alright. Ekon, you’ll join me. Having my Alpha along might give my pitch a little more weight.”

Ekon sighed, “Not sure it’ll do any good. But that’s what we’re here to do.”

CRASH!

The sound of shattering champagne glasses hushed the gregarious crowd.

I turned towards the clamor to see Hunter rolling around on the floor, helping a fallen server to his feet.

“Keep your paws off me you fucking sonuvabitch!” Ela screamed at her mate and bolted towards the mansion.

“Ah! Go fuck yourself, you prude! Some mate you are!” Hunter yelled back at her.

I looked over to Ekon.

He could sense where my feelings lay.

“Go talk to her. I’ll go over and warm up Fak the Quack.”

I kissed him on the cheek, “Thanks. Just try not to call him Fak the Quack.”

“I make no promises,” he smirked.

After fighting my way through the crowd of hobnobbers, I found Ela sobbing on a quiet veranda next to the mansion.

I ran up and sat down beside her.

“Hey, are you alright? What happened back there?” I asked.

“Fucking prick tried to kiss me.”

“He… tried to kiss you?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah! On the mouth!”

“You mean… you two have never kissed before?”

She looked up at me with her sad eyes and shook her head.

“Oh my God! I had no idea.”

“But I thought you two had… gone a little farther than kissing.”

She sighed, “Hunter and I have an… understanding when it comes to sex. That’s a carnal thing, you know? A bodily need. But stuff like kissing, holding hands, and stuff… well, that’s more romantic. Y’know? When you share a deeper connection with somebody. And the way things are between him and me…”

“You still don’t know how you feel about him?” I sighed.

Tears continued to stream down her face.

“No. I mean, I do love him. And I want to love him completely. But at the same time, what he did to Alpha Leonardo makes me want to tooth and claw his guts out.”

I tenderly wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

“Most of what I know about Hunter comes from the stories. The ‘cunt-sniffing’ ones.”

“Yeah…,” Ela sniffled, “and he swears that most of those have been exaggerated.”

“He’s said the same to me before. Of course, I can’t say that he is or isn’t telling the truth. But I do feel very strongly about one thing.”

“What’s that?” she glanced up at me.

“From what I’ve seen, you two seem to be meant for each other. Sure, you fight like cats and dogs. But in your good moments, you each bring out something new and kind of beautiful in the other.”

“What do you mean?” she chuckled, drying her eyes.

“Well, the Hunter I’ve known has always been kind of a loose cannon. Impulsive, quick to act before he thinks. But you kind of… soothe him, I guess. Cool him down. Make him really use that brain of his.”

“And what about me?” she asked intently.

“You’ve always been the clear-headed, intellectual legal worker. Straight-laced all the time. Incredibly focused. When things are right between you two, you smile a little brighter, laugh a little looser. You just kind of seem lighter.”

Ela sat quietly and contemplated what I had said.

Then she began to laugh.

“What?” I asked.

“Leonardo is right about you, Bam. You’re a good talker. Got a good head on your shoulders.”

I embraced her.

That meant a lot coming from her.

“I just don’t want to see you cast away a chance at happiness without weighing things out. Hell, I know how hard these things can be. Ekon and I haven’t had the easiest of roads either.”

“No, I guess you haven’t. But it seems like things have been better between you two.”

“By and large, yes. I guess what I’ve learned is, I can’t be afraid of him. Sometimes just the sight of him angry used to scare the hell out of me. Now, I just make sure I say my piece before he can get a word in. Usually, it works.”

We laughed as I helped Ela fix her hair.

“Hey, speaking of scares,” I said, “We’d better get back in there and try to woo some of those monsters. If we can somehow convince the War Council to sponsor our proposal, we’re gonna need as many MPs on our side as possible.”

Ela nodded and we started back towards the pool area.

No sooner had we made our way back to the pool than I spied Ekon, flailing his fists in the air above Fakari.

A cross expression on the old witch doctor’s face showed that he was not happy.

~I should’ve known better than to leave Ekon alone.~

“And another thing, Fak the Quack!,” Ekon roared, “if you and your tribe of fucking wizards are so much better than us wolves, why the fuck couldn’t you beat off that bitch Devina by yourselves?”

“I’m not going to dignify that ignorant question,” Fakari responded with muted rage.

Before Ekon could respond, I brusquely intervened.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?”

“I’m not going to listen to this drunken fool malign my people to me!”

“Drunken?”

How could he be drunk?

I had left him alone just ten minutes ago.

Unless he…

I reached into his bathing suit pockets.

And there it was… a flask.

And by the looks of things… an empty one.

I looked up at Ekon.

But he averted his eyes, shamefully.

“Chair Fakari, I’m so sorry, if you’ll only-“

“I’ve grown weary of listening to your entreaties! It’s clear you werewolves are as mindlessly belligerent as ever. If you need help, you’ll not get it from me!”

In an indignant huff, the regal witch doctor turned to leave.

From the crowd emerged Alpha Vladimir, who tried with his usual composure to do some damage control.

I looked back at Ekon.

He wobbled silently.

I couldn’t believe it.

I’d trusted him with the most important job in the world right now.

And what had he done?

Gotten absolutely wasted.

As per usual.

Rage boiled in my blood.

“I hope you’re happy, Ekon! You just blew this whole thing!” I snapped.

Ekon brushed angrily past me and started towards the mansion.

One step in, the soused old sot tripped and face-planted on the tile floor with a loud “Fuck!”

An appalled audience gasped.

Great. Just great.

I was mortified.

My mate was dead drunk on the ground.

And our cause was lost.