Wolf’s Bane

The memory hit him without notice, and he was immediately transported to a building about four stories tall. It was an elegant old wooden mansion colored light blue and green with a pawn and antique shop in the front. The store was really just a facade for a very different kind of business being offered inside the house itself.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

The last customer entered the pawnshop, and then never exited.

Eron waited for them to turn the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed,’ and, a couple of hours later, the store had the lights off and the whole business had moved in full to their secondary entrance. It was the one that was reserved only for very regular, well-known, VVIP customers that visited the night workers of the place.

‘The Temptation House’ was at the top of the businesses that were on his old boss’ blacklist. Because of that, of course, the job would be reserved for only him to complete.

“Good. I’ll give it fifteen more minutes and then go in,” the then-assassin thought to himself. “It should be a clean job. Just kill the owner and leave. From what I’ve been able to see before, at this time, he’s passed out on his suite already.”

And boy, had Eron seen a lot…

He had to become one of the regulars of the house to get firsthand information. It was not without some enjoyment for himself, though, and that much he was very happy about.

The rest of what he did there was all purely professional, as was required by his superior.

It didn’t take long for his money to allow him entry into the Temptation House’s backdoor business. Of course, there were a few sets of sexy legs that opened up to him as well in that underground whorehouse.

Its rooms were painted in cliche red, the low lights and the many ladies walking around in expensive lace underwear, or less. Even the catalog that he was offered more than once for him to choose from among the “Higher Class,” or, “Premium Selection” allowed him entry into all parts of the property.

By the time he was given free roam enough times to be trusted, he had already created a very exact blueprint of the house in his mind.

“Oh, damn, how HARD my job seems to be right now, and how many BIG sacrifices I have to DO to succeed,” Eron would sarcastically say to himself with a smirk, while he was enjoying one or two seductive ladies at a time.

Despite all his pleasurable activities, he was such an expert at keeping his focus that he still kept his senses attentive to entrances, emergency exits, guards, private rooms, and – the most important detail – every single move that the owner, Zayne, would make inside his house.

And he was now going through his mental files while waiting for the right time to attack.

“Ready,” he whispered to himself when the time was up, and stealthily walked towards the house, dressed in a black bodysuit that was perfect for working in the shadows.

Coming all the way up using the balconies was nothing. They were almost a ladder for him, who easily jumped and climbed up steep walls as easily as breathing.

“Right, this is his window, and the guy is so confident that he leaves it open. Thanks, Zayne, you really make it too easy for me.”

He listened carefully first, using his enhanced hearing, and he counted five people in the room. Based on their breathing pattern, all of them were sleeping soundly.

“Now let’s check my weapon one last time,” he said, taking out his Beretta 92 FS Fusion luxury semi-automatic. It was an expensive and classy weapon gifted to him by The Boss himself when he took the position of second-in-command.

He checked the charger and the silencer, both properly in place, then strolled silently into the room.

The owner was lying down naked on his canopied bed in the middle of three naked ladies and a boyish-looking young man.

Eron raised his right hand and, with no hesitation whatsoever, pulled the trigger. His bullet then thudded into Zayne’s forehead.

That would have been the end of it if not for that one woman near Zayne who ended up with part of the splatter…

Unfortunately, that suddenly woke her up.

“AAAAAAAHHHH!”

As soon as she opened her eyes and noticed the blood that was now pooling on the silk sheets under her boss’ body, she started hysterically screaming.

“Damn it, why couldn’t she have stayed asleep?”

Eron hesitated for a moment, not wanting to kill someone who was not his target, but before he could react, he heard the hammer of another gun click right behind him, and the sound of a bullet cutting through the air.

The assassin froze in place, completely zoning out the screams of the girl for a second before the bullet hit her right in the middle of her forehead, silencing her. She slid lifelessly out of the bed and stayed still on the shiny wooden floor, her blood moistening the mahogany tiles.

“What the hell!?!”

Eron looked behind him and towards the door that had been just widely opened. He immediately recognized the man who was standing there.

“Julio, you’re not supposed to be here! I’m the highest-ranking officer in our organization, you know that! This is my mission, and it was supposed to be a SOLO one. How dare you invade it without my permission! Go back to our headquarters, NOW! I’ll deal with you myself when I’m done here.”

“I’m sorry, Sir, but I can’t do that,” the slightly younger man said, as he bowed to Eron.

“And why is that?”

Julio kept his head down but took his phone out. He speed-dialed a number and gave the phone to Eron.

“Hello?” the miffed officer said, waiting to see what the mystery was all about.

“I’m very happy to hear your voice, my loyal friend. This means that you were successful with your mission. Don’t worry about the rest. You can go downstairs now. The Left Hand is waiting for you to take you back here.”

Eron was surprised to hear the exuberant voice of his boss. He was also so shocked with what the speaker was saying he couldn’t say a word.

“My private army is there too,” his superior stated. “And they will take care of the ‘selection and clean up,’ ok? Just do as I say.”

“Selection and clean up?” Eron said, “What do you mean by that, Boss? I thought this was a solo mission, and it was just about eliminating Zayne!”

“Yes, your mission was him, and I couldn’t trust anyone else for that. The other guys there have another mission, and you completed yours so you don’t need to be part of what they will do next. Again, don’t tempt my patience and do as I say.”

Right at that moment, he saw how seven other suited men that he recognized walk down the hall, guns out. He followed their march with his hearing, noticing doors forcefully being opened.

And then came the screams…

As more screams resounded, some shots were fired.

Soon there were more gunshots than screaming.

“Of course,” Eron thought furiously as he stood helplessly inside his target’s room, Julio now shoving the remaining living prostitutes out the bedroom door at gunpoint. “This was not about just removing an obstacle. It’s about my filthy, sex-starved boss getting new flesh workers so he can take them again… and again… and again. He’ll probably keep the prettiest for his own use until he gets tired of them.”

“Right, are you listening to me?” his leader said over the phone, waiting for confirmation as if this was another one of his tests to prove his loyalty.

“Yes, boss, I’m leaving now. Will see you back at headquarters,” Eron said tonelessly.

“Good boy,” the Boss said, satisfaction lacing his voice. “That’s what I like to hear. Later, then.”

His superior then finished the call.

“Thanks, Julio, see you later,” Eron said as he went out of the room to give the phone back to his underling, making an inhuman effort to not let what he was really feeling and thinking come out in the open.

Especially not with his ‘wild’ side…

It would be really bad if his boss found out about that.

After all, besides all his skills and abilities as a fighter, tactician, and assassin, he was also a werewolf.

He could only imagine what could happen to him, and even to his pack, if this maniac knew. So, no, that could never happen.

Julio took the phone and proceeded with his own instructions and checked the still naked and scared ladies and the young man that were on the bed a while ago. Meanwhile, Eron walked down the three sets of stairs, and opened the main door of the house, as if it was his own.

He then stiffly strolled over to the parked black Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Sport car near the sidewalk; opened the door, and got in the front passenger’s seat. His dark-haired co-leader, who was sitting in, nodded, acknowledging his presence, and then started the car.

No questions asked.

Eron’s face, which was ashen at first, then turned red in fury as he sat in silence, could perfectly tell the story to his friend beside him since the man was infamous for his analytical skills and experience as a negotiator.

After the driver made the next turn after leaving the Temptation House, Eron let loose with his fist on the very expensive car’s dashboard, almost punching a hole in it. They weren’t that far away from his target’s place yet, but he could no longer keep it inside anymore.

“You should let out all that anger out at the gym when we get home. I’m not going soft on you today, you know that not even because you just had a mission,” The Left Hand said to him.

“Bro, I really can’t… This guy is a sick bastard and the way he does whatever he wants because he is who he is… I can’t stomach it now. I can’t be part of this anymore. I don’t mind killing, when the person is guilty, even his partners who are as dirty as him, I couldn’t care less! But then, when there are innocent people that he just plans to use, thinking they’re his personal toys or servants, or whatever the hell he has in his fucking twisted mind… I refuse, bro. That’s… no. I’ve had enough!”

Eron was redder and angrier by the second, letting out for the first time what he really felt in years. All this he planned to unleash verbally before they reached their headquarters, the place they also called ‘home.’

“I really need out, bro… No matter what, I’m leaving all this, or I’ll end up crazy…”

“Crazier you mean?” his companion said with a smirk that made Eron sigh and let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah… Crazier…”

“Well, I think you’re right…” the serious man stated with his famous unreadable expression, while he was still carefully reasoning and analyzing his next few words.

Eron’s jaw slightly fell, and he turned to look at the guy beside him.

“Who the hell are you, and where is my unfeeling co-leader? Or did you go crazy as well?”

“Maybe, yeah… maybe a little crazier… I have been thinking about it, and it might really work for you, so… Wanna listen to my plan, see if you like the idea?”

Even more surprised, Eron nodded.

“OK, go on, share your craziness with me. Let’s see what you got.”​