Hunter's Secret

Hunter's POV

*knock, knock, knock*

“H, you almost ready?” Cameron asked and when I did not respond, he slowly peered into my room before entering.

“I don’t think I can do this, Locks. I am not cut out to be an Alpha. I am so nervous; I have to get up there in front of all those people and….” my voice trailed off.

Cameron stood in the mirror next to me and adjusted his suit. He teasingly said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What happened to all the confidence you had yesterday? You were going on and on about how much you were looking forward to this and blah blah blah?”

Glancing at me, he saw my fallen face, “Hey, I was only teasing. Slow down. Breathe. You can do this. You have overcome so much these past two months. River has been under control since the second potion, and I have seen your peace. Where is all of this coming from?”

“I just want to be a good leader and I am scared I am going to mess it all up, Locks.”

“Come here. Look into this mirror. You know what I see? I see a tall, muscular, extremely handsome man who looks *hot* in a suit,” Cameron said, winking at me, and I gave him a playful punch in return.

“Geez, ow! But seriously, I see my best friend. You can do this. You have already shown me that you can be a great leader. You haven’t let all of the stuff with River keep you down. I believe in you, H. Let’s go downstairs.”

“Cameron, can I ask you a question before we go?”

“Of course, H.”

I peered into Cameron’s eyes and asked, “You got me?”

Smiling, Cameron replied, “Always.”

We headed down the stairs and out into the limousine where our respective parents were all waiting. My dad gave a nod to the driver who pulled away from the pack house and drove straight to the ceremonial gardens. The whole pack was already gathered and waiting for us to arrive. Passing rows of chairs, decorated with blue and purple flowers, the six of us made our way up to the front. Silence fell over the crowd as they all stood and bowed before their Alpha and Luna.

“Thank you. You may be seated,” my dad stated, pausing to let everyone take their seats. Continuing, he said, “Today is a very special day. My son, Hunter, turns eighteen. We are here to celebrate the title of Alpha being passed down to my son. Come here, Hunter.”

Taking a deep breath, I stand up and join my father in the middle of the stage.

“Do you, Hunter Levitt, accept the title of Alpha over the Blue Flame pack?”

“I, Hunter Levitt, accept my title as Alpha over the Blue Flame pack.”

“Do you promise to lead your pack in servitude to those who have come before you? Do you promise to rule not just over but with your pack, placing their lives above your own? Do you understand the weight of the responsibility that comes with being an Alpha?” he sternly asked.

“I do,” I replied firmly, swallowing my fears.

“And do you, most of all, know how proud your mother and I are of you? You will make a great Alpha,” my dad said, his voice cracking slightly. I reached out my hand, open and ready to accept the title. My dad removed a small knife from his pocket and swiftly cut my palm and then his own, before grabbing my hand and shaking it. I felt the power of my father and all the Alphas before me, swirling in the blood of our hands. A small blue bracelet appeared around my dad’s wrist and moved its way down to mine, where it settled before turning to smoke.

“Then let us welcome the new Alpha of Blue Flame!” my dad said proudly and gave me a beaming smile. My mom stood up with tears in her eyes and started clapping. Everyone followed suit and celebrated. I could only hear the thunderous sound of clapping, cheering, and my own rapidly beating heart. Taking another deep breath, I walked down from the stage, my parents following behind me and Ryan, Emery, and Cameron following behind them. It was time to celebrate!

The six of us quickly went back to the pack house to change out of our ceremonial clothes and into something a little more dancing friendly. I was standing in front of my mirror when Cameron paused by my room to check on me. He knew that I was still nervous, so he walked in and quietly stood behind me. I acknowledged his presence and turned to give him a big hug.

“I don’t know what I would do without you Locks. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.”

“Well, could you appreciate me a little less? You are squeezing the air out of me.”

Apologizing and releasing Cameron from the hug, I placed my hands on Cameron’s shoulders and quietly said, “Thank you.” He gave me a knowing smile before smoothing out his suit and motioning for me to follow him downstairs. Now that the six of us were ready to celebrate, we headed to the party.

Our arrival was announced, and I was introduced as Alpha of Blue Flame. More cheers and clapping happened and then the music was turned back on as the celebrations began. I stood next to Cameron and was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the weight of my new title. He noticed and said, “Go have some fun! You deserve it!” before pushing me out and onto the dance floor. I shot him a death glare and he returned it with a hearty laugh.

I was immediately surrounded by several female wolves who were all hoping to catch my attention. Knowing that part of my obligations as Alpha are to interact and support me pack mates, I tolerated dancing with some of them. However, after several hours of playing nice and smiling, I was ready for a break. Searching for Cameron, I finally saw him standing by the drinks. Cameron looked away from his conversation, and thankfully noticed my look of desperation, and decided to go “rescue” me from the thirsty female wolves.

“Excuse me ladies, I need to pull Hunter away for some…..Alpha duties. Yes, he is urgently needed,” Cameron then grabbed my hand and swiftly led me outside for some much-needed fresh air. I relaxed a little, and Cameron quickly asked, “Did you find her?”

“Find who?” I tiredly replied.

Rolling his eyes with patient annoyance, Cameron asked again, “Your mate, H. Did you find her?”

Swearing under my breath, I responded, “I completely forgot that I could possibly find her today. I have been so distracted with the River stuff that I didn’t even think about that! Locks, what do I do?”

“Well, first you quit acting like a scared little puppy. Then you march back in there, with your head held high, and just dance with some girls. They were practically throwing themselves at you already!”

I shot him another glare, turned, and readied myself to go back in. I was almost to the door when my dad stopped me and said, “Hunter, it’s time. We need to go to Ash.”

Swearing under my breath again, I sighed and nodded.

“Cameron, before you ask, you will need to stay here and be present at this party. I know you would prefer to come with us, but you can’t this time. You have two more years to just be a kid. Go have some fun! Let me worry about Hunter now.”

Following my dad’s orders, Cameron went back inside.

Walking away from the party, my dad slipped a bottle out from under his shirt. He explained to me that we both needed to drink half so our scents would be disguised. We quickly drank half and stealthily made our way to Ash’s house, which sat at the border of the two packs. It was a small house, with a wraparound porch covered in dark vines that twisted and wrapped their way around the posts. The stairs, creaking under our feet, led us up to the house where we quietly knocked on the door.

Ash immediately opened the door and ushered us inside. Her walls were lined with recipes and ingredients for potions. The air was heavy with tension, almost like the house knew what was about to happen.

“Hunter, are you ready to finally meet your wolf?” Ash asked.

“I guess so,” I replied.

“Yes, he is ready, Ash. Do you have everything prepared?” my dad asked.

“Do *I* have everything prepared?” she stated, holding a hand to her chest in mock hurt, “Of course, I do. Follow me down to the basement. It is soundproof down there. No one will hear his screams, Alpha Jackson.”

I tried to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat, but my mouth was so dry, I couldn’t. I don’t like the way Ash said those words. I tried to use the techniques Cameron had taught me to calm my breathing as I followed Ash down the stairs. When we reached the bottom, an involuntary shiver went down my spine and I backed up, only to back directly into my father who steadied me.

“Okay now that we are here. Strip,” Ash said casually.

“What?” I exclaimed, thrown off by her demand.

“I said strip.”

“I know what you said. Why?” I asked, giving my father a quick glance.

“Shifting will tear your clothes until you learn how to do it efficiently. So, if you want to keep that nice suit of yours intact, I suggest you take it off,” Ash explained, annoyance clear in her voice.

“Oh yeah, right. Sorry,” I hurriedly said. As quickly as I could, I removed my tie, jacket, shirt, shoes, socks, and was about ready to pull down my pants when Ash stopped me saying, “Leave your underwear on boy. Ain’t no one here who wants to see all that.”

I was embarrassed by her words so I just slipped out of my pants, leaving my underwear on and stood in the middle of her basement, feeling very exposed and very nervous.