Putrescent
(adj.) Undergoing decay; becoming rotten

Orders were being shouted, people were running around on errands and children were being ushered away. It was quite unsettling to watch the atmosphere change completely and twist into something so dark and frightening.

Nevertheless, I remained calm and stood at the front of the lines, directly facing the edge of the forest where the vampires would break through.

All the pack soldiers and warriors were lined up behind us, feet and body positioned for attack. Keiran and the witches flanked either of my sides as I watched the eerily still trees for any sign of our expected attackers.

A moment of tense silence passed before I heard several feet thundering towards us, running at an unnatural speed. I could feel the rising fear and almost taste it in the air but it was quickly overpowered by the determination and bravery of the pack. I felt pride swell in my chest and squared my shoulders, standing even taller.

A minute later, I could see the vampires, hanging about in the shadows of the trees, their red eyes glowing in the shadows. Only a few stepped out into the light. They were all growling and hissing, aggressively crouched low, as if they would pounce at any given moment. There was a good 100 yards between us, but with our supernatural powers, it wouldn't take long to cover the distance and attack.

They were still growling and hissing and the vampire at the front had his black eyes trained intently on me. It was clear they weren't going to speak so I took the initiative.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice clear and smooth. The leader bared his fangs at me, hissing while the growls of his army rang even louder.

"You know why," he spat. "You attacked us unprovoked!" He took a threatening step forward and I did the same. I felt Keiran grow worried when I mentally told him to hang back while I advanced.

"No we didn't. Why would we attack you unprovoked?" I asked. He took a couple more steps forward, his friends not following him so I did the same.

"You beasts have no logic or sense, it seems the kind of foolish things some mindless mutts would do," he replied snidely.

"I'm going to ignore your insult just so I can straighten things out," I began, looking him directly in the eye to show how serious I was. "We, nor any other werewolf pack, did not attack anyone," his permanent snarl dropped slightly as I walked closer to him. We were only a couple of feet apart now.

"Those wolves are possessed wolves, being controlled by a rogue witch. The wolves have attacked our packs and even the witch covens too," I continued.

He snarled again, reaching out with his super speed to grab me by the throat. I felt the pack get ready to attack but I mentally told them to stay down.

"You're lying," he hissed, fangs bared dangerously close to my face.

"No I'm not. In fact, I invited three witches to discuss a possible allegiance to find whoever is behind these attacks. We didn't expect your covens to also be attacked too otherwise we would have extended the invitation," Slowly, I lifted my hand and wrapped it around his wrist, using my strength to pry his grip off my neck. He complied, dropping his arm along with his snarl.

"It's true," Seraphine spoke, making her way to the front of the lines. "My sisters and I have come from the Crescent Sisters to sign an official treaty between wolves and witches," The head witch casually made her way towards us stopping when she stood besides me.

"We realised that old grudges must be forgotten with the threat of new enemies looming ever close," She gave the vampire a calm smile.

"New enemies?" He asked, his hostility disappearing but apprehension still lingering.

"Yes, we all have a common enemy that's currently trying to threaten all that we've built," she continued.

"It seems the hunters have tried instigating a war between all species in the hopes that we would destroy each other," I added.

"Hunters, they were disbanded long ago," he frowned.

"They've come back again with a vengeance," I moved my blazer and top to the side to expose the dark scar over my heart where the arrow had pierced me. Despite my accelerated healing and powers, it had left a black ring which was the effect of the dark magic around the arrow.

The vampire looked shocked, his fingers touching my mark for a second before he pulled at the collar of his shirt to reveal three similar dark circles scattered across his chest. Just like mine, the black ring was slightly jagged and raised.

Letting go of his shirt, he stood up properly, and gave us a small respectful nod. Instantly, the masses of vampires behind him stopped growling and hissing and stood upright, looking less hostile but still tense.

"It seems we have much to discuss," he hummed, watching me intently for a while. I didn't waver under his gaze, meeting his black eyes steadily.

"I am Viktor, leader of the Andrei Clan," he held out a pale hand to me which I shook firmly.

"Artemis, Spirit Wolf and Luna of the Phantom pack," I reciprocated. One of his eyebrows twitched as we released each other's hands.

"A long and impressive title for such a young woman," he mused, his black eyes receding to give way to crimson irises.

"What can I say? I'm a busy woman," I shrugged. He let out a minuscule chuckle before turning his red gaze onto the witch besides me and shaking her hand as she introduced herself.

"I guess we'll be signing that treaty too," he smirked. I took that as a cue to introduce him to Kieran and the pack members. After a couple moments of a silent male pissing contest between the the vampire and my mate, everyone seemed to relax slightly. Most of the vampires decided to return to their homes, but some lingered and decided to mingle with the pack.

It was quite amazing to see our species mix and get along after such a cliched history of war and bloodshed.

We headed back, some warriors lingering by the border just in case we had any other intruders. Viktor and two of his associates joined us in the meeting room as we discussed politics and tactics for the second time that day.

I was mentally exhausted already and it was just past noon. As I zoned out for the fifth time during our talks, Kieran's arm wrapping around my waist was the only comfort that had me melting and brought a smile to my face.