The Hunter

Chapter 13

I snuck back into the house around 2 in the morning. thanking lady luck again this night, no one was there to meet me. I ran to Gabriel and my room before slipping into the shower. As I wash the dirt and death away from my skin my mind was running through everything I had learned that night.

Walking out with a towel wrapped around me I saw Gabriel standing in the middle of the room “hey” I said nervously

“hey, I woke up and you were gone”

“yeah, after um...ya know, iI just needed some air”

“you're not regretting it are you,” he said his face stone but his eyes nervous.

I smiled at him and removed the towel slowly. I moved closer to him wrapping my arms around his neck. his hands slide around my waist.

“does it look like I regretted it” he smiled and let out a small chuckle before moving me to the bed? I did a mental sigh of relief, thanking sex for the reason Gabriel didn’t look further into why I was not there when he woke up.

“you are going to become badass,” I told Evan as he hit all four targets I placed. The last being the furthest he’d ever thrown.

“I had a pretty awesome teacher,” he said back.

It had been a month since the incident. for all intent and purposes, hunters started going out in pairs. Kal orchestrating the whole thing. Everyone started realizing how bizarre the hunts were and started abiding by the temporary rules. no one else died. Things start actually going back to normal for them.

As for me, after that night, and other than going to the late-night secret meeting we had, I have stayed away from the lot of it. And I can not believe I’m saying this but I started to have actually enjoyed myself here. Gabriel was attentive and only worked on my nerve a little bit. Evan always seemed to want to hang out, which I get is kinda lame to want to hang with your younger brother, but I was never good at making friends, for obvious reasons, and I enjoy how easy it was to have fun with him.

“you are a right little brother, I’m a pretty awesome teacher,” I said swinging my arm around him as we walk back to the house. “well you two look cozy,” my father said coming to meet us at the door. I rolled my eye. My father and I still didn’t have the best relationship, I don’t think we ever would. But we tolerated each other and I think that was for the best.

“your knucklehead son wore me out today,” I said playfully pushing his shoulder. “well glad you too are getting alone. Charlstein, I will like to see you upstairs if you don’t mind” he said all business.

“Well, you guys go ahead, my wolf is itching to get out so I’m going for a run.” He said heading in the opposite direction. A minute later I saw a grey wolf hightail it to the trail.

Shaking my head I turn back to my father “listen is this about me teaching him a few tricks, it's no big…”

“no it's about the hunters” That shut me up, what did he know?

I’m not going to lie, in the past month this secret has been weighing me down. I felt like I was lying to Gabriel. But no matter how much I wanted to say something I wouldn’t go back on my promise to them, I couldn’t.

“oh yeah, what is it?” I said ask keeping my voice steady. “come with me. we will speak about this in my office”. I followed him the stairs to his office, I had never been there before. There hasn’t been much reason for him or me to converse. opening the door I saw a large office with a small library and a big wood oak desk which Gabriel was leaning against. Uh oh, this did not look good. I did a mental sigh, swallowing the panic in my throat, and taking control of my body.

I was good at lying, it came with the job. I didn’t particularly like it, but I had no choice. I always looked at it as playing a part, the person I was deceiving was my audience, and my objective was to make them believe my character. The character I was playing now was an oblivious girl, who completely left her old life behind.

“what’s going on,” I ask walking in, leaving my nerves behind and looking lovingly at my mate. God, I hated this. Act stupid, just act stupid.

“Charlie” Gabriel said getting up and pulling me to him. he breathe in my scent before kissing me on my cheek. So he wasn’t mad at me, so this defiantly wasn’t about the secret. Now I stop playing the part of an oblivious girl and actually became one.

“We made a decision about the hunters. we will keep them in place.” He said smiling down at me. I was shocked but smiled I smiled back nonetheless. genuinely happy. I lean in to kiss him before I heard my father say

“of course, there would be more regulation.” I think he was trying to remind us he was still in the room. A wise choice because I had forgotten. I turned to him, trying to move away from Gabriel but his hand stayed securely around my waist. So I turn instead eyeing my father, leaning my back into Gabriel's chest.

“regulations?”

“yes, ” Gabriel confirmed behind me “there will still be an approval process, a council will be put in place to say what packs should handle and what hunters should handle” I whip around to him

“a counsel of pack members,” I said in disgust, so much for following our own rules,

“not just pack member, I employed one member to be a hunter.”

my eyes shot up, that was…unexpected “really”

“I will not have others make decisions for something they know nothing about.”

“hunter won't like this, and I doubt packs will either” I informed them

“I’m not here to be liked,” he said staring into my eyes. “I’m here to keep the peace. Packs can not just hire hunters to do what they don’t want. That’s how weak men cower behind their decisions. I understand not everyone is made out for pack life and I understand packs don't always have the guts or the ability to do what needs to be done. Hunter’s are needed, as you told me the first night we met” he smiles kissing my hand “but in moderation” he finished.

“though I’m surprised at how they seem to already have their own regulations these days” my dad cut in. I swung around eyeing him again

“what do you mean?” Gabriel ask. Please don’t elaborate I wished. But he continued

“there’s talk. hunters going out in pairs. not taking certain jobs”

“really,” Gabriel said leaning off the desk becoming interested. So lady luck has abandoned me, that finicky bitch. He continued “I notice there is a spike in pack disturbance as well. I’ve been to a couple myself. you think there is a connection?”

“there's something there, I’ll have the shadow looking into it.” My father confirmed

“do you know anything about this,” my father asked and suddenly both eyes were on me. I looked from my dad to Gabriel and back. At that moment Gabriel arm around my waist seem like a chain

“no, I haven't.” I lied. “I haven't been in contact with that life in a while. I’ve been too preoccupied” I said smiling looking into Gabriel's eyes. They held hunger for me in them but that was not what made me swallow my uneasiness. They also held trust, so much trust. suddenly I wished there was a hole in the ground that would swallow me up.

“Supreme, we can discuss the rest of this later, right,” Gabriel said to him but was staring at me. My father cough but then said, “yes, I’ll find you later.” Gabriel grabbed my hand and lead me to his study.

As we enter I moved out of Gabriel's arms towards the sofa. I needed to breathe. It felt like this lie was weighing even heavier on me. What happened to me? When did I become such a pussy?

I rested my hands on the sofa and took a breath, looking down remembering this was where our first time was. where my first time was. great, this is not helping. I felt his warmth as he came wrapped his arms around me

“you know I’m glad you are adjusting well here. I figured this is where we can make our home” I could feel his happiness seep through me

“Yeah, it’s nice,” I said trying to keep my voice steady. he lifted my chin, looking down at me worriedly.

Why did he have to worry about me so much? I was not used to someone paying this much attention to me.

“are you sure you okay?” he asked

“Yeah, why do you keep asking that,” I said looking anywhere but his eyes. I felt his thumb on my chin pushing my head to meet his eyes again.

“what is it?” he firmly asked.

I blew out a breath “Gab” I said moving from him trying to make space. he stayed where he was eyeing me “some times the way you look at me, it like... it's like...I don't know”

“as I love you,” he said factually.

I think my eye bugged out of my head. I blew out a breath

“yeah. it's like that. you look at me like that” I said gesturing to him

“I do love you Charlestein. does that scare you?” he asked, his voice oddly calm

“I don't know,” I said pacing. “I mean it doesn't scare me, like awwww, scare me. it's just…”

“it’s what? Just say it, I won't get mad”

“it's just, you don't know me okay.” I blurted out, exasperated. “I have done a lot in my twenty-three years. a lot. how do you know you can love someone like that?”

He came to me instantly, wrapping his arms around me.. “you are my mate” he said softly “there is nothing you could have done to make me not love you”

I tried to keep my tears at bay “what if I do something awful. what if I kill someone I shouldn’t or burn a town down, or lie to you one day about something really really important. not today but one day” I quickly added “would you still love me than?”

he looked at me seriously, his eye penetrating to my very soul “I will still love you” he said before I brought his head down to me, kissing him like I believe him.

I didn't believe him. It was easy to say that when you don't know the person you love is deceiving you. but I enjoyed the lie all the same.