Hunter's Secret

Hunter’s POV

‘Emery, I am sorry for waking you, but I think Cameron just needs his mom right now. He met his mate today, but she was not as excited as he was, and he is convinced she hates him. Nothing I am saying is getting through to him. I don’t know what else to do so I am calling you.’

‘Alpha, don’t apologize. I am already up. Ryan has been pacing for the last hour. Just stay with him until I get there. Where are you?’

‘By the clearing in the forest on the opposite side of the pack house.’

‘I am on my way, Alpha.’

I glance back down at Cameron who still hasn’t moved and decide to sit back down on the ground next to him. I stay quiet and hope my presence is a comfort. I don’t think it is really working though because silent tears are still running down his face. I count down the minutes until Emery arrives.

After about twenty minutes, a smaller tan wolf appears, and Emery shifts back with ease. Hearing a branch break under her feet, Cameron looks up with surprise in his eyes before shooting me an angry glare.

“You called my mom!?!” he shouts, trying to use anger to mask the pain in his voice.

“Baby, Alpha Hunter just wanted to offer you the best support. I am going to sit here with you for as long as you need. Alpha Hunter can hopefully go home and rest some?” Emery says with a look that is respectfully asking me to leave.

I get the hint and leave Cameron and his mother behind. I look behind me one more time, watching his mother wrap him in a hug. Taking off the sweatpants and stuffing them back in the bag, I let River take control again and we run back to the house. Shifting back, I grab a pair of shorts and a shirt out of the bag and rehang it by the front door. As I walk into the living room, Ryan immediately stands up and respectfully addresses me before asking about Cameron. I fill him with what I know and tell him I am heading up to my father’s office to check pack records.

I enter the office and head over to the locked cabinet, opening it with my fingerprint. My dad’s excellent organizational skills allowed me to find the folders marked ‘Grover’ easily. All the files of every pack member and family are updated yearly but all births and deaths are recorded immediately. Taking the folders and closing the cabinet, I walk over to the desk and start to read the most recent one.

Ezekiel, age 4, newest member of Grover family.

Emma, age 19, eldest child of Grover family.

Amelia, age 44, mother of Ezekiel and Emma, mate to Nathanial.

Nathanial, deceased at age 46, father of Ezekiel and Emma, mate to Amelia.

Date of Death: March 14th of this year.

Cause: Heart attack.

Reading Nathanial’s DoD, I start to make sense of everything. Cameron’s birthday is also March 14th. His mate’s father died while he was out celebrating his birthday. No wonder Emma was upset when Cameron mentioned his coronation. I continue reading the files for a bit longer, trying to learn anything else I can use to help. Hearing the front door open, I close the folders and put them back in their correct place in the cabinet.

I slowly walk down the stairs and see a disheveled Cameron and a tired Emery walk into the living room. Emery gives me a small smile and shakes her head at me. Cameron refuses to look at me and heads straight down the hall to his room. It is about 4 a.m. now and I think we are all feeling worn out. I quietly tell Emery and Ryan to go back to bed. I head back upstairs and crawl into bed myself. Despite how tired I feel, sleep does not come. I lay awake just staring at my ceiling, my brain unable to shut off. I finally just decide to get up after a few hours and go make myself some coffee. I am going to need it.

Thankfully, it’s a weekend so there are no meetings that I will have to attend. I give Cameron some space for a few days and just busy myself with my Alpha responsibilities.

It has been three days since Cameron came home and he still hasn’t left his room. I am starting to get more worried about him and I have already been awake for a few hours, so I decide to head downstairs. I have a feeling that Cameron isn’t asleep either, so I pour us both a cup of coffee, grab a muffin for him, and walk down the hall to his room. The door is cracked, so I gently push it open, and I was right; Cameron was sitting at his desk, looking out the window. I clear my throat and Cameron doesn’t turn around but also doesn’t tell me to leave so I bring him the cup of coffee and muffin and set it down on his desk. He mumbles out a hoarse ‘thank you’ before picking up the cup to take a drink.

“Locks, I know you are hurting right now but I think you should try and talk to her today. She is probably feeling how you are feeling too.”

“Yeah right. She didn’t want me there, H,” Cameron remarked coldly.

“I hear you say that, but you should still go over. Wait for the sun to rise some and then you should go. I will go with you if you want me to.”

“I can’t face her. If I don’t see her, she can’t reject me.”

“I guess that is true, but do you really want to go your whole life without ever seeing her again?” I ask gently.

“Obviously not. I appreciate what you are trying to do but I am still mad at you too! You called my mom on me!” He whisper-shouted and turned to take another sip of his coffee. I block the cup from his lips and push it back down toward the table.

“I won’t let you wallow in self-pity for the rest of your life. You are going to see her. Today. And I don’t care that you are mad at me, I didn’t know what else to do!” I whisper-shouted back, a little more forceful than I intended.

Cameron finally looks up at me and sighs. He pushes back his chair, stands up and gives me an unexpected hug. I hug him back while he mumbles out an apology. Breaking the hug, I grab his arm and attempt to lead him out of his room.

“I can’t go right now! I’m not ready.” Cameron sputters, digging his heels in to the carpet.

“I know you aren’t ready; I am trying to get you to take a shower. You smell awful. Brush your teeth too.”

“Oh. Sorry. I probably do need a shower.”

“No kidding, she might be able to smell you from here.,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood some. Cameron just shoots me a glare, “Sorry, too soon?” I smile and he grunts in response before he finally gets his stuff to go shower.

While I wait on him to get ready, I finish my coffee and eat a couple muffins myself. Hearing him walk out into the hallway, I look up and give him a smile.

“You look like a brand-new man! Feeling any better?”

“A little. I am sorry for getting so upset and I am sorry that you had to see me like that. It just feels like my heart has a crater sized hole in it,” Cameron responds, running a hand through his now clean hair.

“I won’t pretend to know how that feels but I can imagine. However, I do not accept your apology,” I state and Cameron looks up in surprise.

Continuing, I say, “Nope, I refuse to accept your apology because you have nothing to apologize for. I may not have been the best comforter, and it was hard to see you like that, but you are my best friend, my chosen brother, and my Beta. You should never feel like you can’t show your emotions to me, I will never judge you for it. I love you too much to treat you that way. Plus, you are only eighteen, you just accepted a huge role in the pack a few months ago and you just met your mate a few days ago. That is enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed.”

“You are talking like you are an old man. But thank you,” Cameron smiled, a little light coming back into his face, “I love you too, H.”

“I know. Now, are you ready to go?”

Cameron nods in response and heads toward the door. I follow behind him. He opens the door and lets out a very shocked exhale. I glance over his shoulder and see Emma standing there, her hand raised to knock on the door.