Rowan sits on top of his motorcycle looking across the street, his eyes fixed on the youngsters walking into the club. The Velvet is what it's called. He's about to go in there, but not to drink or do any of the things people naturally go to clubs to do; after all, he's seventeen.
He's on a mission to kill a monster, a wendigo to be precise. When a witch and a werewolf turn seventeen, they're given a task to kill a monster to get their mark. A mark bestowed on them by the gods to show that these are mages and shifters who are willing to lay down their lives for the humans they protect.
Rowan's family, the Lockwoods, who are werewolves, have never failed a test, ever, and he's not about to be the first to do so. He doesn't know about the witches on his mother's side because he doesn't really know them.
He thought he'd be given two tests since he's a hybrid and all, but surprisingly he was given one: to kill a wendigo and earn his mark.
His cousin Aria was tasked to kill ogres, and when she did, their blood ended up spilling all over her, and because ogres stink, Ariana stunk for a week. Even though she showered five times a day, she still had that stink on her body. She was happy and annoyed at the same time.
She did pass her test, but it came with difficulties, which is what being a shifter is about.
Rowan's uncle, Uncle Christian, told him that since he and his brother, Rowan's dad, were twins, they tasked both of them to kill strigoi vampires. Rowan has never seen a strigoi vampire, but he heard from his uncle and Enzo. Strigoi are tricky creatures to kill. They're very tricky, and one should never underestimate them.
Uncle Christian told Rowan that if it wasn't for his dad, he would have been dead, which is hard for Rowan to picture because it was hard to kill strigoi vampires but not a moroi vampire.
Then Rowan remembers that the vampire that killed his parents wasn't just a vampire; he was also a witch.
He has been training so hard for this for years. He's learned all the magic spells; he's attended all the combat classes; he gets first in ranking in combat class but third in magic because magic is still a bit tricky for him, but he can get the hang of it; he believes in himself that much.
"Good luck, kiddo," his uncle said to him before leaving the house, and Rowan had to look at him with a grimace because he knows he doesn't need luck and he's positive that he's going to be passing this test.
That's how prideful Rowan is, a king who knows he will never fall even though his kingdom has been invaded.
Besides, he is the most powerful being right now.
He lets out a sigh.
"Alright, let's do this." he puts his helmet down and then walks away from the motorcycle, and he crosses the street with charisma and confidence.
Rowan is a very handsome young man; his features and the way he presents himself don't go unnoticed. His aura is too bright to ignore.
Skin dipped in brown honey, his eyes cognac brown, full lips, and he stands at five feet eleven. His hair is styled in medium-sized short locs started with two-strand twists; he has a slim, muscular build that you can only see when he's shirtless. His earlobes are pierced, and so is his nose.
You can tell what he likes and his personality with the way he dresses.
He's in an edgy alternative outfit featuring a cropped black jacket, oversized black jeans with chain details, chunky black shoes, layered necklaces with cross pendants, multiple rings, bracelets and dangling earrings. A modern gothic/punk inspired aesthetic.
Rowan walks past the people in line and confidently stands in front of the large, tattooed, bald black bouncer, dressed all in black.
The bouncer looks at Rowan, annoyed.
"Back of the line now!"
Rowan doesn't say anything; he just clears his throat and flashes his eyes. They turn a bright golden colour. When the bouncer sees this, he immediately lets him in.
"Thank you, good sir." Rowan bows, and then he glides in.
"Good luck!" The bouncer says, and Rowan stops to give the bouncer a stern look. He really doesn't know why people keep telling him that; he doesn't need luck.
He is luck.
The bouncer isn't even paying attention to him; he's busy talking to teenagers who obviously brought in a fake ID.
"Whatever," Rowan says, then goes inside.
The deeper he goes, the louder the music gets. He's now in the belly of the hottest men he's ever seen, a gay club filled with men who are free to express themselves; some are just dancing while some are making out with each other. A stripper in a Speedo winks at him, which makes him blush a little.
He hates blushing.
He's never seen this many hot bodies in one place before. It's like heaven.
"Hello, handsome." A sexy man with eight packed abs flirts with him and then walks past, his eyes still on Rowan as he walks away. Rowan wants to follow him so badly, but he's not here to dance with them or make out or even drink; he's here to pass a test. Even hot guys can't distract him.
Is that why he was sent here? Because they thought he'd be distracted? Do they think he's an amateur?
Well, he's not. Hot men aren't going anywhere, and there's time for everything.
He watches carefully to catch any kind of suspicious activity, but before he starts looking for wendigos, he goes to the bar to have a drink, a non alcoholic one.
"Hey, cutie." The hot bartender named Justin winks at him. "What do you want?"
"An orange juice," he says, and Justin looks at him with so much shock.
"You're serious? You don't want anything stronger?"
"Nah, not today." he just wants to quench his thirst, and his guardians are at home. Werewolves can take alcohol, but they sober up fast; in Rowan's case, they don't know what to expect, so they'd rather find out when he's eighteen or nineteen.
But Rowan does know what happens; he's just not going to tell his aunt and uncle because he knows what'll happen next. They'll be pissed.
"Alright, cutie." Justin winks and goes to get him his orange juice.
While he does that, Rowan looks around to look for the wendigo he was told is here to eat human flesh because that's what they're known for: eating people's flesh.
He's not seen anything yet; all he sees are super hot gay guys dancing on each other. Rowan doesn't dance, but he doesn't mind going home with one of them, even though all of them are way older than him.
"Here you go, cutie." The bartender says, dropping his orange juice in front of him.
"Thank you," Rowan says, and then he picks up the glass and swallows it in one gulp. He gets a random shiver, the kind he gets when he senses something is wrong. He turns around quickly to see a man in a hoodie moving out back to the VIP section.
Yes, that's a wendigo, alright.
"Gotcha," Rowan says, and he stands from the chair and makes his way to where he saw the wendigo. While he walks past the dance floor, a lot of guys ask him to dance or attempt to dance with him.
"Sorry boys, maybe next time. Ohh, you're hot." Rowan says with a smile, and the guys don't even get offended; they're just happy that someone as cute as him acknowledged their attractiveness.
He finds his way to the back, and the wendigos are back here. Rowan can already hear commotion going on behind the curtain.
He looks around, and when he sees that the coast is clear, he springs out his claws, long and sharp and deadly. A werewolf's most used weapon. He feels like Wolverine every time he brings the claws out.
He feels like a hero, and he's about to save these gay men from the flesh-eating monsters.
Rowan doesn't rush; he takes his time when he moves closer to the curtain. He thinks that the wendigos have already started eating people, but he doesn't think that's the case anymore. He doesn't hear struggles from humans; he hears fighting.
He hears grunts, punches and whimpering, almost like the humans are fighting the wendigos, but that's not possible. Wendigos are very strong. The more flesh they eat, the stronger they become.
"What the hell?" Rowan mutters. He can't wait anymore; he lifts the curtain and walks into the room, and when he does, he sees something he never thought he'd see in his life.
"Oh hello mate, you must be the werewolf sent to kill these monsters," the boy fighting the monsters says as he kicks one of them until they go flying.
Rowan can't believe his eyes; a vampire is fighting wendigos.