Preventing a Prophecy

POV: Baz

For a king, his life is rather dull. During the day, he divides his time between pack meetings, business meetings, and war councils. From what I can tell, his only break is his two hours of daily training. At night, he replaces the offices and boardrooms with restaurants and cocktail parties. He spends the late hours of the night studying old records, writing reports, and pacing his office.

What’s more pathetic than his schedule is that he seems to prefer it this way. The King of Wolves, aka King of Boredom, never indulges or takes advantage of the many pleasures his position as king could offer. It’s a miserable, doomed existence.

But what’s worse than him choosing this plain-oatmeal lifestyle is that he’s doomed me to it as well. For over three decades, I’ve watched our dear, pathetic Micah Greenwood. I studied every uneventful moment of his existence, hoping he would break his routine long enough to free me from this punishment. Other shadows get to watch interesting people: rogue kings, rebellious vampires, or mischievous witches.

But not me. No, I’m stuck following the plainest man to ever live. I’d even track a misbehaving omega to escape this assignment, but I’m not that lucky.

So, for another night, I wait in a dreary bar and watch through the window as the little king huddles around a table with local pack leaders. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and they’ll notice me. An intense chase might be my best chance for some fun tonight.

The familiar scent of leather and rum wafts through the air. “Why are you here, Rhodes?” I don’t turn to greet him. He’s always showing up where he isn’t welcome. Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll leave.

“Nice to see you too, brother.” He grabs the stool beside me with a playful smile as he slides the reports from our day team to me. “Any update on the king’s mate?”

“I didn’t know I owed you an update on my work…” I glare at him. He sits there smugly, staring back and quickly stealing my drink, finishing the amber liquid in one gulp.

“You don’t, eh? It’s not like our entire species depends on you to find them or anything... Plus, I’m your boss now.”

I roll my eyes. Rhodes has always been a pain, but he’s become even more insufferable since his promotion to Grand Consul. He pesters me more than the last one did, but I guess that’s to be expected from someone climbing the political ladder-- our future Emperor, or at least that’s his father’s goal.

I say nothing. If I knew something, I wouldn’t still be in this bar; he knows that.

Opening the file beside me, I review the day’s activities. As I suspected, Micah attended a lot of meetings. The file is filled with names and photos of everyone he came in contact with. But I disregard those names; it’s too late if the mate is on that list. Mate bonds form instantly; the moment they meet is the moment vampires lose the upper hand in this war. It’s the close calls that concern me—the missed connections.

“Do you think all this surveillance is necessary? You’re wasting a lot of time finding nothing more than a few names and photos,” Rhodes says as he waves at the waitress for a drink.

“Fate has always favored wolves. They will cross paths. Fate will make sure of it.”

Rhodes opens his mouth to protest, but I cut him off with a sideways glare. “That is unless you’d rather take a knee and swear allegiance to a bunch of beasts.”

Rhodes huffs in annoyance, muttering some unintelligible insult as he skims through a stack of papers from the file.

I pause; my attention drawn to a photo of a human woman rushing into an office building. Her dark hair falls messily around her face as she juggles too many bags in one arm and a coffee in the other. On the surface, she appears to be just another human, but something about her entices me. There’s a beauty to her, with chaos swirling just below the surface of her eyes as she rushes through life.

“Don’t be like that, brother. We both want the same thing. I’m just saying, it seems like a lot of work for…oh, who’s that? Find someone you like?” He pulls the photo from my hand, his grubby fingers threatening to smudge the photo’s chaotic beauty. “Hope the wolf king had fun with this one. Look at that ass…”

I slap the back of his head and pull the photo away from him. He’s such a pig. A beauty like that deserves respect.

Rhodes grips the back of his head dramatically, wincing as if he’s seriously injured. What a baby.

“Sensitive, are we? Does my baby brother have a thing for a human?”

Snarling, I turn my gaze back to the file. “Just focus. This isn’t a game.”

He chuckles and throws his arm around my shoulder. “Sure, brother, but wouldn’t it be much more fun if it were?”

In true Rhodes fashion, he turns his attention to a few waitresses, captivating them with his effortless charm and magical aura. They quickly neglect their other tables to take shots, flirting and competing for his attention. He enjoys toying with them, knowing the only prize for the winner is the chance to become his meal.

All vampires are blessed with magical charm, but Rhodes has it in excess. He’s a skilled Casanova, particularly adept at enticing human women. This ability can be handy, especially when looking for a quick hookup or snack. But tonight... tonight, I need to stay focused. I’m close to finding the king’s mate and preventing this prophecy; I can feel it.

A blonde waitress dances around him, trying to steal his attention from her friends. However, when someone offers him more shots, she quickly loses his attention and shifts her interest toward me.

I’m no Rhodes. He’s carefree, charming, and funny while I prefer to focus on my work. I don’t have time for games like he does. Rhodes always dresses like the son of an Emperor, wearing flashy clothing adorned with gold jewelry that attracts attention. On the other hand, it’s my job to blend into the shadows and never be seen, so I wear dark, basic clothing. Sure, I look great in it, but my clothes don’t draw attention the same way. Over the years, I’ve been a decent alternative for the bored vampires in the hive whenever Rhodes is unavailable.

The blonde waitress places a shot in front of me as she giggles and leans into my personal space.

Turning toward the window, I look through her like she doesn’t exist and return to the file.

“Don’t worry about him; my brother isn’t any fun.” Rhodes laughs, wrapping his arm around the blonde’s hips and pulling her onto his lap.

I grab the shot and swallow it quickly. The slight burn brings a smile to my face. I stomp towards a nearby table. Did Rhodes really think I was no fun? What a joke! It must be nice to be carefree and not have the burden of every vampire’s future on your shoulders. I’d kill for some fun, but duty comes first. It’s too bad that I don’t have a cushy job like Grand Consul to fall back on.

I focus on the window, resisting the urge to smack him as his taunts linger in the air. He’s baiting me, but I’m not a kid anymore, and I won’t fall for it.

Small groups walk outside from their cars to the local bars and restaurants. People laugh, nervously rush off to first dates, and enjoy nights out with friends.

I’ve always been impressed with how utterly clueless humans can be. Their future may rest on the outcome of tonight, yet they are distracted by their mundane day-to-day tasks. I scan each face, searching my memory for anything familiar.

Suddenly, a dark-haired beauty exuding frantic energy catches my attention as she rushes down the street.

I dart to my brother’s side, shooing the waitresses away. “Look familiar?”

His gaze follows my line of sight, and his smug expression falls. “Do you think… we can’t be certain…” But even his tone is less doubtful than usual as he glances between the file and the young woman.

This is precisely the kind of stunt fate pulls for werewolves. It must be nice to have fate on your side.

We both read the information that our surveillance team provided about this girl:

Evelyn Wright (Female, age 28): Business associate at Wright and Richardson’s Architecture Firm. Significant residencies include Seattle, Philadelphia, London, and New York. Scheduled to be off today but called in for a meeting. No contact with the king.

My gaze returns to the woman outside. With every step she takes toward the restaurant, she slips further away from us. If the wolves’ security finds her, they’ll hide her immediately.

I can’t let that happen. “I guess there’s only one way to find out… Want to play, brother?”

Rhodes’s eyes redden with excitement, his predator instincts rising to the surface. Our relationship thrives on games and hunting; it’s one of the few times we genuinely get along, feeding off each other’s energy to succeed instead of competing pointlessly.

He immediately disappears from the bar, leaving a stunned and confused group of waitresses behind.

I give Rhodes a head start, waiting until I hear Evelyn’s racing heart and smell her adrenaline before I follow.

Let the games begin.