The Hunter

The Hunter

Chapter 1

The moon was bright and the humidity stuck to my skin. This had been a long night and this fucktard was fast, not smart but fast.

“look at me” he demanded, on his knees, blood dripping from his chest and arms where I had my fun with him. I stared at his eyes, boredom on my face “you think you so much more than me, but you do not know who I am, you do not know what I’m capable of, you and your kind will kneel before me, I will rule...” his voice was cut short with my knife embedded in his throat.

He was still alive, unfortunately; I walk slowly to him as I grab the handle and push it deeper into his jugular. I leaned in, the smell of his blood invading my nostrils, and whispered “good luck with that” ripping the knife out of my throat.

Eyes still wide he dropped to the floor, twitched a couple of times before his body lay lifeless. I wrapped my hand around his throat, dragging the dead body back into the pack.

I felt the stares, saw the frightened looks from people who could not believe they were seeing someone like me for the first time.

I smirked but made no eye contact, it was not good to antagonize. Stupid males like to test my strength with me, they think that they’re more because they have something swinging in between their legs and it’s not fun putting pups in their place.

I barged through the door to the alpha of the pack, and drop the body done by his feet. The lady next to him cried out and tried to shield her eyes from the display. It must be the Luna, you could always smell weakness on them.

“Here’s your traitor, I would like my fee,” I said

he looked at me wearily, not sure what to make of me. “Well, you are effective, that for sure. I didn’t catch your name”

” didn’t give it”

“I understand. we know of you, all packs around here know of you, but you don’t seem to understand what they call you.”

“oh yeah,” I said folding my arm and squaring my stance “what do they call me”

“I don’t think that it's necessary to repeat such…”

the Luna interrupted “bodies, they call you bodies, from how much you seem to rack them up” my eyebrow raised to her understanding that she wanted me out of her pack as soon as possible.

Legal rouge or not, doesn’t matter, packs wolves always feel uncomfortable with an unbranded wolf in their territory, no matter how much they need us.

“Why would I take offense to that? it’s true as you can see. I half expected, ball bitch, knife slut, my favorite man-woman” spilling out the names I have heard over the years.

“names do not offend me, my reputation keeps me feed. now not having my money, that offends me, that offends me a lot”

“of course, James handles the compensation, and Leo handles this mess” he reference the body on the ground.

I follow the James guy to his desk. He looked at me in disgust, no fakeness in his eye. My face stayed neutral, bored. I keep this face so much I often wonder would it get stuck like that. my mother always said it would, a small smile tried to play on my face thinking of her, but I soon corrected myself.

“how much do we owe,” the Jame guy asked

“500 for one body”

he scuffed “do you know the life you took? do you even know why?”

“he tried to kill your alpha in his sleep to take his place, such a pussy. You should be thanking me, if he had succeeded there would have been a war, a weak wolf cant hold a pack. which begs the question, why the fuck was he your beta?”

James looked stunned

“don’t look so surprised wolf, a hunter needs to know the reason before hunting. the kill has to be legit or you are no longer a hunter. You’re a rouge, a murdering rouge” I said snatching up the envelope and counting my money.

I smile at them all meeting all eyes “pleasure doing business with ya” I said before running out of the packhouse and automatedly out of the territory.

I could feel my senses expand as I became more in sync with my instincts. When I run like this I could almost feel myself become a wolf. a wolf on two legs, what a laugh

I made it to my dingy motel outside of town a couple of hours later, seeing the same sleazy faces that I’m used to.

“Hey C” Tiny the prostitute calls out, and I’m not just saying her occupation, people actually address her as Tiny the prostitute.

“yeah T,” I said looking at her with a smile.

She was pretty once, you could tell. It’s sad when you see this, I think, a face that features seem to be perfect at one point, with high cheekbones and doe eyes. Now her eyes are sunken in, cheekbones sticking out like ridges, and mares of scar and leather skin sticking to her. If she had a figure before it was gone now, all stick and bones, but she makes money. Some men just need what is between a woman’s legs, depression is a crazy thing.

“where you been at?” her red lips wrapped around her cigarette

“I was working” “I don't understand C, you really pretty and seem like your not one of this rif raft that comes through here, strung up or high, why you around here?”

“Trust me, T, I’m just as fuck up as the rest of you, bye,” I said going into my room. I leaned on the opposite side of the door, blowing out a breath.

I walked to the mirror attached to my dresser, taking off my jacket I looked at the cut from when that stupid wolf caught me with his claw. I really wish these moments I could shift, but then I removed my knives. I looked at them reminding myself they are better than any claws. Then removing my gun, I carry it for emergencies but it's never fun to use. I like to get close and dirty.

Getting naked I got into the questionable shower and wash off the dirt and blood. Walking out of the shower still wet, I couldn’t help but notice myself in the bathroom mirror. Thinking about the guy James eyes that showed his disgust for me.

How many times have I seen that look? From my childhood until now, my whole life really. It was one thing to be a hunter, an outside rouge tolerate but not loved, and then on top of that to be a half breed. its something I have been called all my life, with snears. it was what made me learn how to fight, beat anyone who had anything to say to me. After that, people call me a freak because of how good I was.

My mom never called me a freak, never made me feel small or low, to her I was special. Since her death three years ago I became the fiercest hunter around. Now looking at the scratches and the scraps, the damage to my skin this profession cause I wondered, how many years until I looked like tiny the prostitute? How long will it be, before strangers will look at me and ask what happened?

A knock at my door startled me back into the present. I quickly put on a big shirt, before taking my thick black and tying it up. easy flexible ready to pounce if need be, I grab a knife before cautiously walking to the door.

“who is it”

“open the door child”

I smiled at the recognition of the voice “I am hardly a child Voren,” I said opening the door and taking the old bear into my arms for a hug

“you came to my pack when you was five, you will always be my child”

“and you will always be my alpha” I said fondly,

Voren was the only person I had left who I consider family. He took me and my mother in when my father needed to remove us from his area because of complications with his mate. he treated us fairly, like pack member even though my mother was human and I was only half werewolf. He was the only one to take us, when other packs declined.

Thanks to pack law my mother had to stay within a pack for me. even though I do not turn into an actual wolf a lot of my abilities are still heightened and I had to know how to control them. This left me and mom as outsiders in both the human world and the werewolf world. She could have left, went on with her life without me but she choose to stay, ultimately getting her killed.

“this is where you are living child” he said looking around in disgust at my inhabitance

“don’t be such a snob Voren, it's not so bad. I got a bed and a shower, its warm, you know as a hunter I must keep on the run. this place ask no questions”

“I always hated you became that thing,”

“Voren” I cautioned

“I’m serious, hunters are for thieves and rif raft, wolves that can’t handle a pack”

“I’m not a wolf, we been over this Voren, I belong on the outside”

“you don’t, you would make a great warrior. You can have a position in my pack, certainly with your reputation no one will question your ability”

“oh really and how would Vahn like that”

His face was downcast thinking of his son, the current alpha. where Voren love for me grew, his sons did not. we were close once, as kids, before we knew any better, before half breed and full wolf made a difference to us. even when kids would snicker at me, repeating the words of there parents, he would defend me because when your kids that all they are, just words. And no matter what other snot nose kids think we would be friends forever.

Things changed when he shift at fourteen and I didn’t. suddenly words meant more, those snot nose kids grew up and looked to him for assurance, he was there next alpha and he had a duty. As years went on it seem he forgot that he was my friend. The teasing and name calling came out of his mouth like everyone else. When the time came that he was alpha and I told him I wanted to become a hunter he seemed relieve to have the half breed out of his pack. I shook my head distancing myself from the past and it’s hurts.

“Voren, why are you here? As fun as it may be to talk about things that will never come to pass, and how great it is to see you always, I know there a reason”

“there is an official summons for all the wolves in this district tomorrow, it is to introduce the new enforces of this region,”

“I didn’t know there was a new enforcer, I didn’t know there was a vote”

“that is because rouges do not get votes, legal or not.”

"wow I think that Miguel has been the enforces for ages”

“certainly for over 50 years, but he is old child, and the enforcer must be alert and swift, sadly Miguel is not either of those things anymore. This enforcer can change things thing that greatly impacts you”

“you mean he can dismantle the hunters”

"some do not think they are needed as much, that they are glorified killers”

“that's a bunch of crap, do you know ho many rapist and murders are under my belt. Not to mention, we don’t just kill. sometimes we track and find. ”

“I know I know, some still think otherwise”

“well what does this new enforces think?”

“that is unclear, he came from the north east so no one is sure what his stance are on certain thing. but I heard he has extensive military training, handle a lot of confrontations”

I scoff “I bet”

Voren shuffled, suddenly uncomfortable “there’s more”

“cant wait”

“Charlie, this is a formal meeting with everyone, all the high wolves will attend”

I nodded slowly understanding where this is going. “so you mean he will be there”

“I'm afraid so” I shook my head, almost to myself.

I hadn’t seen him in 5 years, before my mother died. did he know what I was now? did he even care?

“are you okay” voren asked

“I'm fine, I mean I should be fine. I don't know why I let him affect me like this. I'm not a little girl anymore”

“blood is blood”

“blood is horseshit, my blood has been six feet under for five year.”

“you will be fine my child, now I must go. I need to get back before my alpha son misses me”

“does he know you come to see me?”

"yes, he doesn't mine so much, but he thinks we are meeting for coffee in a nice environment, if he only knew” he said getting up and looking around again.

I laugh “I'm fine old man, stop worry so much” I said as I kiss him on the cheek “I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting.”

And just like that, he was out the door on his way to his actual family. while I was coming undone thinking of seeing mine.