Chapter 19: Plotting with Wolves

Night fell, and the stars seemed to shine brighter as the moon was nowhere to be found. Seated on the moon's throne was a dark emptiness, which Kia could now feel in her bones. There was a strength in her body that she was not aware of until she lost it.

As she drove towards the gates of the Bagaratti mansion, Kia noticed that the mansion's security was much tighter than before. There were more guards at the gate, and they all seemed to be on edge. From their faces, Kia could tell they were not part of the main pack but probably hired goons in anticipation of an attack.

She stopped at the gate, and one of the guards walked up to her.

"Who are you?"

"Kia Ling. Baglor is expecting me," she said.

The guard looked at her keenly. "Never seen you before."

"Same here," she replied.

He paused, looked into her car, and paused again.

"Park over there," he said and pointed at a corner beside the gate. "And open your trunk."

"What's this about?"

"Just following orders. No vehicle is allowed in after 9pm."

"Really?"

"New Moon Protocols. "

"What's that?" She asked in confusion.

"You don't know? Are you sure you were invited?"

Frustrated, Kia clicked her tongue and put her car in gear. She drove to the corner indicated by the guard, parked her car, and stepped out.

"Is this like a valet service? Do I have to hand over my keys?"

"Yes. If you want it to be parked within the compound. But you can leave it here if you want."

She gave him her keys.

"Can I go in now?"

"No. One more thing. We need to frisk you. Make sure you are not armed."

"Oh, I am armed. And you are sure as hell not frisking me."

"It's either I frisk you, and you go in, or I don't, and you don't."

"Wow, so articulate," Kia said sarcastically. "Call Baglor and tell him I'm here."

"You don't need your weapons. Any weapons you need would be provided for you."

"Thanks for the information. Now call him," she insisted.

With a gruff, he walked towards the security booth and picked up his phone. Meanwhile, his colleagues kept their eyes on her, whispering amongst themselves. A few seconds later, Kia saw a figure leaping over the large gate and landing right in their midst. The figure straightened up and turned to face her.

Too shocked for words, Kia's jaw hung open as the figure turned to face her.

Dimitri smiled. "Welcome back Kia. Baglor has been expecting you."

Trying not to act too stupefied, Kia shook off the amazement on her face.

"How did you do that?"

"You can do it to and many other things. Wanna try?" He said.

"To jump over the gate?"

He nodded.

She looked up at the massive gate, which was at least thirty feet, with electrified lines running along its edge.

"Hard pass," she replied.

"I can carry you," he offered with a smile.

"Or I can just walk through the gates like a normal person."

"Hmnn. I am beginning to see why Baglor likes you. Other women are usually happy to enjoy a leap in the air. She is good. Let her in," he said to the guard.

"With her weapons?"

"Yeah. She wants to kill the boss. Least we can do is give her a chance," Dimitri said before leaping into the air and vanishing behind the gate.

The guards looked at Kia in confusion briefly before one of them assumed that Dimitri was joking and then burst into a hearty laugh. The other guards joined in, and soon, five bellows of laughter filled the air as the gates of the Bargaratti mansion were slowly opened, and Kia walked through them. Now, through the gates, Kia remembered just how vast the estate was. Getting to the main building would be a real hassle.

Driving was easy and took less than a minute. However, the walk was sure to take longer. With a sigh, she started to walk, and she kept walking until she got to the building, where she found Dimitri waiting. From his demeanor, he seemed to have been impatiently waiting for a while.

"What took you so long?"

"It was like a whole mile," Kia said in anger.

"Why didn't you run? With your wolf speed, even as a newly turned wolf, it would have taken five seconds or less."

"Really? Wolf speed?"

"Yes. You do realize that being a wolf comes with many perks asides from surviving gunshots to the head?"

"No. I don't. You assholes didn't tell me jack shit. Isn't there meant to be an academy or something for this shit? Where is the old sensei with the long flowing beard and all?"

"That would be Vincenzo," Dimitri said and led her into the building.

Really? That's your token training guy? Isn't he meant to be old and shit?

"He is. About a hundred years old."

"Shut up. That's bullshit."

"Why because he looks so young?"

"Yes. Wait a minute, you guys don't age?"

"Vampires don't age. We do. But very slowly."

"Vampires are real?" she said in surprise. But before she could say more, Dimitri opened the door to reveal the men of the Bargaratti crime family. She once thought of them as nothing more than critical players in a criminal organization. However, now, she knew them as beasts, members of a pack, a twisted supernatural family of which she was now a part. They stood around the dining table with Baglor at the head. Lying on the table in front of the Bargarattis was a map of Bane City. They were in the process of making a plan.

Baglor looked dashing, wearing a white shirt and black pants held up by shoulder straps. His muscles bulged against his sleeves and the unhooked buttons of his shirt revealed a bit of his massive shirt. Kia's mind went back to the time she saw him naked. Her cheeks began to turn red. Hurriedly, she looked away from him and stared at the man next to him.

Standing next to Baglor, dressed in a fine black shirt, a thick black wool frockcoat, and a red scarf around his neck, was Vincenzo. The man still looked young, but for the first time ever, Kia noticed a tiny patch of grey hair at the edges close to his hair. But even with his grey hair, the man looked to be in his forties. The fact that he had lived for about a hundred years was downright unthinkable.

Kia kept staring at him, searching for clues of his true age. But suddenly, Vincenzo looked up at her with a mean look on his face. Anger and hate burned in his eyes, forcing her to look away and focus on the closest thing she had to a friend among the Bargarattis, Dimitri.