Chapter 1: The New Beast in Town

"Hey Dad, could you tell us that story again, the one about the wolves?" A boy around 6 years old asked excitedly as he sat on one side of his father's lap. His father let out a smile but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by his other son who was sitting on the other side.

"Zane, we heard that story so many times! Can't we hear another one?" His twin brother pleaded as he begged his father to hear another story. This caused Zane to look at his brother with a frown.

"You don't know anything Nick! All you want are those lame superhero stories!" Zane refuted and looked at his brother with contempt.

"AT LEAST THEY'RE BETTER THAN YOUR STUPID WOLVES!" Nick yelled out before he pounced on Zane, intending to punch him for making fun of the superheroes he loved so much, but before he could land the blow, he was held back by a pull of his shirt. He looked up and saw the unamused face of his father.

"Watch your language Nick, you do not talk to your brother like that. And Zane, I don't want you to make fun of your brother's interests. Now, I want both of you to apologize or else no one gets any stories." Reed broke up the fight before it even began.

"Bu- !"

"Apologize or it's straight to bed!" Reed said in a firm voice that silenced any arguments. Both kids looked at each other in indignation before sighing and doing what their father said. After they gave each other a hug, they felt another pair of arms wrap around them. Looking up they saw their father looking at them with a proud expression, which unknowingly brought smiles to their little faces.

"Remember boys, it's always better to make more friends than enemies. Always use your words before your fists." Reed gave his words of wisdom before affectionately ruffling their hair. Both boys tried to resist their father's overzealous affection but deep down, they were glad to receive their father's love.

After some father-son bonding, Reed suggested an idea that appealed to both boy's interests.

"How about we do this, I'll tell you a story where it has both heroes and wolves, how does that sound?" Reed suggested and he immediately got an answer by his children's enthusiasm.

""Yeah!"" Zane and Nick cheered as they gazed at their father with urgent expectancy, excited to hear this new story.

"Haha, alright. Well, a long time ago…"

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

Zane's eyes snapped open as the alarm on his IPhone went off, disrupting the dream he was having. He groaned in frustration as he fished the phone from his leather jacket and stopped the alarm. He tried to go back to sleep, but it proved to be a useless endeavor as the alarm seemed to wash all his tiredness away.

He let out another groan as he stretched his stiff body which let out a satisfying crack as all the bones began to shift into place. He would have loved to stand up to stretch his legs, but his current position didn't allow him to do that just yet. He then looked out the nearby window, gazing at the clouds that drifted peacefully below him as the plane he was in soared through the sky, flying to its intended destination.

'Still not there yet, huh?' He questioned as he adjusted himself in his seat and grabbed his phone to see the time. It was 9:00 in the morning and from the flight schedule he looked at, he should be landing in another hour or so. His destination, Portland, Oregon.

After finding out the time, he sighed as he put his phone back into his pocket and leaned back in his seat, his mind going to the dream he had just moments before his alarm woke him up. It was a memory of his childhood, a childhood that seemed so foreign to a man like him and what he had experienced since then. Recalling that fond memory unknowingly brought a smile to his face, remembering the happy times he had with his twin and father while their mother was out of the house. His smile soon faded however once he thought of who he was now and more importantly, "what" he was.

"How long has it been since I've seen him, I wonder?" he asked himself as he thought of his twin brother, Nick Burkhardt and what he was currently doing with his life. It was no surprise that he was thinking of him as he was now living in the very city his plane was landing in. It had been almost 10 years since he had seen his brother, just after they both graduated high-school. A lot had changed since then, and he was not the same kid he was back then.

Before Zane could reminisce more of his childhood, the plane's overhead speakers came on and announced the descent of the plane to Portland International Airport. He sighed as he buckled his seatbelt and awaited as the plane gradually descended and touched the landing strip. After about 30 minutes, it was finally safe for the passengers to depart, and Zane made his way through the passenger boarding bridge into the airport itself. He didn't have any other baggage with him other than his backpack. As Zane finally made his way out of the airport, he suddenly felt his phone ring within his pocket. Seeing the number, Zane grimaced before he inevitably answered the phone.

"Hello Sirius." he answered in a dry tone as he found a secluded corner of the airport so that he could have a bit of privacy.

[Come now Zane, is that how a student should talk to his teacher?] Sirius asked in a hurt voice, one that Zane could clearly tell was fake knowing the true nature of his teacher and mentor.

"Yeah, a teacher that forgot to tell his student and subordinate what his assignment was, you gave me no information other than to go to Portland!" Zane growled at Sirius, who just chuckled in response.

[That was because this particular assignment is dangerous, more dangerous than anything you've ever faced Zane, and I can't risk any…unwanted ears to hear this. Before I tell you, are you in a secure location.] Sirius asked, no sense of the previous mischief he had in his voice. Zane looked around and saw that no-one was paying him any attention. Just in case though, he spoke in a tone that was only audible to him and Sirius.

"Yeah I am. Now, what's so dangerous that you couldn't tell me at HQ? You know what I am capable of?" Zane spoke in confidence as he questioned his teacher.

[And I do, but this is something even headquarters is hesitant on, only some of the elite members know that you are even going on this mission.]

"So I assume it's more than just some Blutbad screwing things over?" Zane said sarcastically before he heard the silence his teacher normally gave when he was not amused. "Sirius?"

[This is no joking matter Zane! I need to make sure you are ready for this, because even with your powers, your life is at stake.]

Zane became silent at what Sirius said. Sirius never became this serious unless something was truly wrong.

"I am ready. Now, tell me my mission." Zane asked seriously, prepared to accomplish the mission by any means possible.

[Ok then, we believe Black Claw is gathering power in the United States, more specifically Portland. Bu-]

"Then what's the problem here? It would be like every other mission where I just uproot the bastards, what's different about this one?" Zane interrupted, not knowing why Sirius was making a big fuss about a task that he has done numerous times.

[Listen to everything first before you speak, haven't I taught you to be patient? But I digress, what makes this mission different from this one is that we also believe the Verrat has something to do with this. We believe that they may be working together.]

Zane fell silent at the shocking news he heard. After a second of being shocked, he felt an unbridled amount of rage build up inside him. If one looked closely, they could see his skin getting red hot and steam rising from it.

"You're telling me… that the fucking Royals are involved? Zane let out an almost animalistic growl as if the word 'Royal' managed to aggravate him.

[Calm down, I know you're angry, but you need to calm down. We selected you precisely because you have the abilities needed for us to find out about them and stop them before they can make a foothold there in Portland. This is strictly an undercover mission, you are not to engage unless absolutely necessary. Do you understand?] Sirius informed him as Zane just processed the information he heard.

"..."

[I said, Do. You. Understand.] Sirius repeated, with a bit more force this time in his voice, enunciating each word in the process.

"...I understand. Is that all?" Zane let out a reluctant sigh as he agreed to the mission

[No, headquarters also has another mission assigned to you. This mission however…how should I put it… might be a little personal to you.] Sirius asked, his voice hesitant to reveal anymore.

"Personal how?" Zane questioned, confusion settling in his mind of what HQ could ask of him.

[Well…they want you to investigate your brother, Nicholas Burkhardt. They want you to see if he has inherited any of the same powers you have or maybe even your mothe-]

"Stop, I've heard enough." Zane stopped Sirius from speaking anymore. The things he was saying was making him angrier by the second and it needed to stop.

[Zane, I know this is difficult, but if there is any chance that your brother might be a Grimm-]

"I said enough! There is a reason I left and stopped contacting my brother 10 years ago. I don't want him being involved on this side of the world, it's too dangerous."

[Bu-]

"Even if he is a Grimm, it won't do much in terms of power. I am stronger than 3 of them combined. Just be satisfied that I'm here to do HW's dirty work."

[*Sigh* fine, I'll talk to the others to drop the investigation on your brother, but you need to know that if he is indeed a Grimm or something like us, he won't be able to be ignorant to the real world for much longer.]

"I'll handle it, don't worry. Now, where is the information about who I am supposed to be and the details of the mission." Zane asked after confirming that HW won't pry into his brother's personal life.

[They are in the seat compartment of the motorcycle parked outside. Now, I wish you luck in your mission.]

"Motorcycle…?" Before Zane could ask anymore, the call was cut on the other side of the phone. Zane just looked at his phone confirming the call had ended before putting it back into his pocket. Getting up from his seat, he made his way to the exit of the airport.

After he made his way through the doors, he tried to find the motorcycle Sirius was talking about. It didn't take long as once he scanned his immediate surroundings, he saw a black Yamaha motorcycle parked in the taxi drop off station. He made his way towards the motorcycle, backpack in hand, and just as Sirius told him, documents detailing him about his mission were found in the seat compartment. As he looked at his supposed new identity, he was surprised at the name HW had assigned him.

"Zane Burkhardt huh, It's been a long time since I officially used my real name. Lets see here…" Zane muttered as he proceeded to look through the other documents to get a better handle about his new, well, old identity. It didn't take long for him to feel even more surprised about the information as he read through them.

Almost everything that he had read was accurate to his actual life. From the places he had been to to the institutions he had studied, only the details of what he was actually doing were covered up, but it was at least 75% accurate. This could only mean one thing.

"They expect me to be here for a long time huh, there's no way a temp ID would be this accurate unless otherwise." Zane remarked as he searched the compartment for anything else to help him on his mission.

As he searched around, he also found a stack of money which he totaled to be $150,000 US dollars. He put it back in the compartment and continued on digging. Rummaging around, he also found a 9mm pistol as well as a pocket knife. He mused to himself that with his physique he wouldn't need it, so he put it away and continued on searching. Finding nothing else, he closed the compartment and just sighed to himself finding no extra money or anything that could have been of actual use to him. Putting everything else back, he mounted the motorcycle before putting his helmet on.

"Watch out Royal scum, cause Zane the Wolf has come to take you bastards down." He put on his helmet and started the engine, driving the bike away from the airport.

If anyone had noticed closely, Zane's eyes shifted from his usual dark brown to a beastial yellow before he put on his helmet, letting Portland know that a predator has just landed and anything he has his eyes on should be afraid, afraid of consequences should they cross such a beast.