Chapter 16

[MAVERICK]

The tempestuous night, with its icy rain and thunderous skies, would not deter Don from hosting tonight's lavish celebration with the Milo Brothers. He was a man who reveled in the pomp and circumstance of every triumph, no matter how small. Every deal, every victory, and every alliance was an excuse for Don to unfurl his signature flair, and tonight's festivities would be no exception.

Not even after hearing of Kate's incident.

"It is a moment of bonding. When men drink and bond through it, it lasts longer." Don had once said to Mav, his voice low and gravelly as they clinked glasses of chilled vodka, the night air thick with the smell of smoke and laughter.

The music, a cacophony of notes and beats, grated on Mav's nerves, making it impossible for him to focus. His mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of Kate, who lay unconscious in his suite at the Hell Hotel, her fragile form a constant reminder of the danger that lurked in every shadow.

Mav sat among his own crew - Ken, Zane, and Charles - but his attention kept drifting to the Milo brothers and their entourage, who were engulfed in a sea of laughter and hushed conversations. As he scanned the room, his eyes searched for a familiar face, but Agatha was nowhere to be found.

"Keep your eyes open for anything, although I suspect nothing will happen tonight in this club." Don had told the four of them after he had been informed of Kate's situation, though no one told him about the child inside of her.

"Zane." Mav moved to Zane's ears now that Charles and Ken were too distracted with whatever they were talking about and the have naked hookers on their laps. "Any update?" He asked, not forgetting that he had asked Zane to do some quiet digging on the Milo Brothers and their crew.

"Well, they're definitely from Amoden city. Small talk around says that they were on the run from some night hunters. They successfully ambushed themselves and made it look like they were dead. So now, they've moved to this city to continue their living. Or whatever."

"Night hunters." Mav nodded to himself. "Every pack always has a name. What do they call themselves?"

"SilverTail. Most feared in Amoden city. They're brutal and wild. I think we should be careful about this, Mav."

"Not if I can help it." Mav spread his lips to form that wicked smile of his again, and Zane shook his head.

Just then, he turned his head again, and his eyes rested on the fine figure of the girl who flaunted her nakedness around him some nights back.

"Excuse me."

"Where are you going?" Zane asked a Mav stood up, but Mav never replied as he walked away and towards the bar table.

"I'm not finished, Mav." Zane continued.

"What the fuck, man? You let him?" Charles was saying.

He shut the mumbles of his friends our of his hearing, while he locked eyes with Agatha, who smiled wickedly ad she watched him make his way to her.

"Agatha." He simply said.

"Jade Killer." She replied with a striking pose before sitting on the bar stool.

"Hmm," Mav grunted. "Whiskey. Neat. And whatever she wants. " He said to the bartender, who moved Agatha.

"Vodka please. Iced."

"You're so obvious."

"What?"

"Your hair. Green. On a red dress? And such sharp nails. Well, at least the dress matches your eyes. But why green?"

"My mama would say nature chose me whenever I asked." Agatha said and Mav's eyes widened.

She was born with green hair.

"Wow. Okay."

"You don't like the way I look?"

"I don't give a fuck about the way you look."

"So why did you walk all the way here? And why have your eyes been searching for mine since my people stepped foot inside this club?" She gave her wild smirk again.

"You mean your pack of untamed Wolves? "

"Should wolves be tamed?"

Mav dropped his glass on the table hard, already getting angry, before leaning into her.

"I have a girlfriend, and she was attacked at my house between last night and today."

"So you weren't at your place between last night and today?" She looked accusing.

"That's not the fucking point."

"It is if your being there would have prevented her from such attack." Mav lookef like he was boiling and this seemed to amuse Agatha. "But if you say it isn't the point, what's is then?" She asked.

"The point is, no one in this city would ever try such a thing, and you and your fucking crew are the newest strangers in town with much audacity that I seem to have bypassed."

"Are you accusing us of something, Jade Killer?"

"Stop fucking calling me that." He hit the glass on the table and Agatha didn't flinch, but the SilverTail crew were suddenly standing and strolling towards where they sat.

"And yes, I am accusing the SilverTail Pack of this attack. Are they guilty of it?" Mav didn't raise his voice, but his grunts became even more hoarse and scary as he spoke between clenched teeth.

And as the SilverTail pack drew closer behind him, he knew the answer.

"No." Agatha finally replied after a full ten seconds of staring had passed.

Liar.

"So tell me, why can I smell the scents of the perpetrator behind me?" Mav growled at Agatha.

With a swift, almost imperceptible movement, Mav spun around, his eyes locking onto the source of the scent among the SilverTail pack members now standing behind him. In a flash, he hurled the glass he had instinctively snatched, sending it shattering against the target with deadly precision.

"Fuck! My eye!" The target, the guy with the scent he had perceived at his place earlier, let out a blood-curdling scream as he stumbled backward, crashing into a nearby table and sending patrons scattering. Fragments of glass protruded from the skin around his face, and he frantically plucked them out, his cries of agony mingling with the shrieks of the women around him as chaos erupted.

"Andre!" Another member of the pack shouted towards the bleeding guy.

Joseph and Japhet who were still sitting, looked – not at all surprised – at Maverick, then at Andre, and back at Maverick again, watching the entire scenario unfold.

"You." Maverick growled between clenched teeth at Andre as he walked towards the man, who staggered back with one hand on his bleeding eye.

As two men lunged at Maverick, his senses surged to hyperalertness, and with a swift strike, he landed a solid blow to the chin of the one who had shouted Andre's name. But what he didn't expect was the equal measure of strength that countered his own. Their eyes locked, and Maverick's gaze narrowed as he watched their teeth elongate and their eyes gleam with an otherworldly light. The air was electric with the realization: they were werewolves alright. A snarl twisted on Maverick's lips as he braced for the battle on ground. This was a night that would be etched in the memories of the SilverTail pack.

I will make sure they never forget who I am.

Who the Jade Killer was.