I kept still for an hour, staying in the coach yard after Dominic and Dino left. I needed more information but there were no sources known to me that could give me what I needed.

  It was time to see what my tracker abilities could do.

  I followed the scent of Dino out of the coach yard, heading southwest towards Cicero. Following Dino was like exercising a new part of my brain. It is hard to explain, but it wasn’t only the scent I was following. It was like his power imprinted on the surroundings he had walked through.

  I needed to do this without being spotted. Who and what I was would come out sooner or later, but the later the better. Everything I had picked up with my new senses told me that my ability to suppress my scent and powers was probably rare. It was either that or almost no one suppressed their nature. Either way I could pick up several different types of power as I used my tracking ability.

  I kept suppressing my power signature and scent as I walked, acting as normal as I could. It was hard with the changes I had been through. Getting used to my new powerful body had me addicted to using the powerful way to move about. There were so many perks, if you could ignore the rage. I didn’t get cold, I could jump at least five times the distance I could before, I could punch through a brick wall, and I could see in the dark. It was very hard to act like normal human.

  I stopped for street hotdogs, paused a bit a bus stop acting like I missed the bus, all the while drifting southwest. The air tasted like old metal and trash.

  I stuck out walking alone in my parka, cargo pants, and military boots, so people noticed. Women rarely walked alone at night in poorly lit streets, so I got quite a lot of attention from passersby. Some women looked me in the eye, trying to see if I needed help or was lost. Men sized me up, to decide if I was an easy target. Most who saw my resting bitch face crossed streets to avoid me. I was just another weirdo walking the streets at night.

  The trail was zigzagging through the neighborhoods. I nearly lost Dino’s scent around Little Village at an apartment building, but caught the trail again at a garage a couple of buildings down.

  I continued to follow the trail. Thankfully, Dino had stepped into a twenty-four-seven store, so I could get a snack. The thought hit me as I exited the store with chocolate and coke, that I didn’t need an enormous amount of food to fuel this new body of mine. It didn’t really make any sense. I mean, there had to be a cost of all these powers. I continued to ponder this as I kept my nose to the ground. Metaphorically speaking.

  The scent finally led me to a laundromat. There were a lot of supernatural scents around the place, so I dared not sneak around the back. Instead I decided to step into the place.

  When I stepped in, I saw the machines were running but the place was empty. I stood between humming rows of ancient Maytags, catching my breath, listening to the off rhythm of dryers tumbling heat and denim.

  I heard some voices in the back of the building talking. I could catch words if I concentrated, but I needed to focus. I took a bag out of the trash and sat down like I was waiting for my laundry to be done.

  I closed my eyes and focused on my hearing.

  "You shouldn't be following him," a woman’s voice said. Her voice was low, like a whisper dragged through velvet.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  At first there was no answer. I heard an angry snort and then an irritated man’s voice answered. "Like I have a choice!"

  "So why have you not told the Ccoa?"

  "If the pack get drawn into this all hell will break loose!" the man’s voice said. “With the Dockside pack skirting the line of the Compact, and getting away with it, tells me that something big is going on.”

  Then the female voice became angry. "You're Ccoa now? You want to challenge Ricardo?"

  I could almost feel the air shift slightly with the power being flexed. It felt like static and ozone, like before a lightning strike. I alos felt the presence of others reacting to the power, just further back, like a resonance of power. There were more of the pack nearby. Thank God, I decided to not sneak around the building.

  "Do not think that just because you’re Nusta, that you can act however you want! You know what cat he is, if he challenges Ricardo we’re fucked!"

  “So, you took it upon yourself to assist Dominic? Without taking it before the pack council?”

  “Yes. If Ricardo had known he would have said no. And we would have made, if not an enemy, then at least an adversary out of one of the enforcers of the A’Kurios.”

  “He doesn’t rule the Outsiders!”

  “No but he is influential, and we aren’t powerful enough to disregard his wishes without a damn good reason. And I didn’t have one!“

  “You’re an idiot, Dino! We have obligations and alliances with more parties than you know. There are things you are not privy to!” The woman sighed, and I heard her move about. “I will try and smooth over this with Ricardo, Dino, but you decided for the whole pack without his knowledge. You will be punished. In what way, will be up to the Ccoa. He rules the pack!”

  "Of course. And that’s why we obey."

  “You say the words, but your actions don’t match, Dino.”

  There was quiet for a while before the woman’s voice started talking again.

  “You said something about the Dockside pack, Dino?”

  “Yes,” Dino’s voice answered. ”They are making waves that should have drowned them by now. Someone is running interference for them. Several someones from several factions, it seems. I feel like it is the beginning of another war. Pieces are lining up for a big power grab, and there is only so many players that are on that level.”

  I heard other people coming into the laundromat. Some were norms and others were supes, but no one bothered me.

  “You do realize that you could have made a move that imply that we have taken a side?” The woman’s voice was irritated again.

  “Yes.” Dino voice was neutral.

  “And?” The woman prompted.

  Dino sighed. “If worst comes to worst, Ricardo can cut me loose and disavow any responsibility.”

  “The price might be your life, Dino.”

  “I know. And if I have to pay to keep the pack safe, I will!”

  I hadn’t really thought I’d like any asshole that did Dominic’s bidding, but Dino was playing his best with a bad hand. He did whatever it took to save his pack.

  “Hey, Nina?” A new voice asked.

  “Yes, Emmanuel?”

  “We have a new customer, just so you know.”

  And that was my cue to leave. I rose up, folded my bag and opened the door.

  “One of us?” The woman, Nina, asked.

  “No, smells like a norm, but…”

  “But what…”

  I couldn’t catch the rest of the conversation as I left the laundromat and headed towards the nearest alley.

  I kept to the alleys and shadows as I moved away from the laundromat. I was not heading back home until I was certain of not being followed. I peeled off near Cermak, ducked into an old boarded-up warehouse I'd used once for a job. I climbed to the roof, to get eyes on the surroundings.

  I could see people milling about the old rail yard from my vantage point. There weren’t too many searching, but there was enough to give me a headache if I wasn’t careful.

  I had gotten their hackles up a little bit. Probably because they hadn’t caught me after leaving the laundromat. No human could do that, and now they had to be nervous about who might have heard them talking.

  It took a while for me to untangle myself from all the commotion. I needed transportation. Thinking about walking again pissed me off. I needed a car. A nice car, preferably. No, I need a bike, a fast nimble one.

  I knew I could probably get to anywhere in the city faster on foot or running through the sewers and tunnels under Chicago than by car. But a bike would be a much better choice.

  I walked home contemplating murdering Dominic in a thousand different ways. None of them gave me much satisfaction, because Dominic didn’t know what I wanted to do to him. I was pretty sure I would get the opportunity to tell him though.