A Hunter's Chance - #2 of "The Hunter's Series"
Twenty-Six

One more chapter to go and here he is:

Xyen’s POV

I walked into the room and instantly Alpha Cade and Luna Fray jumped out of the sofa. The Luna looked just about ready to fall apart, while the alpha quickly turned his attention to the cleaners behind me.

“What is the meaning of this?” he exclaimed, when I charged straight for him. I didn’t give him any time to react but hit him square in the face. He staggered backwards, blood sprouting from his broken nose. But he was still conscious. Damn it! Why did I need him conscious again? Oh yeah! I needed him to witness this…

“That’s for being an asshole,” I seethed, grapping his color and repeated the process, still holding enough back, just to hurt him. “That’s for abusing your mate and this…” I kicked him in the groin, grinning when he doubled over and fell to the ground. “Is for threatening a child.” He groaned, being unable to move. I wanted to do far worse to him, but unfortunately, if I killed him, I’d be taking over his pack. And I didn’t have time to deal with that right now…

“Luna Fray,” I heard a soft voice behind me. I turned to see Lizzy gesturing for Bass and Oscar to enter. “I believe you know these people.”

One look!

That’s all it took for Luna Fray’s face to change from confusion to absolute bliss. I grinned. Mates had the ability to do that…

“Freddy?!” She was too stunned to even move and I could only imagine all the things that went through her mind. According to Lizzy they’d been through quite a lot. Personally, I don’t know why she wasn’t jumping her mate’s bone already! That’s what I would have done!

“Fray,” Freddy exclaimed, running to his mate and taking her into his arms. Not giving her a reaction a second thought. “My goddess, I’ve missed you.”

He kissed her head, her eyes and her cheeks, before he claimed her lips…

“Get your hands off my mate!”

The roar came from the floor. I glanced around and--- Damn, alpha healing abilities. He was already getting up. And in the process making Fray flinch, pressing herself into her mate’s embrace. She was clearly terrified of him.

Time to put a stop to that!

“Your so-called mate is a member of my pack now,” I growled, feeling my wolf surface. For the first time in forever wanting to protect his pack-members. “So, I’d be careful with the language if I were you! Unless you want me to kick you in the other ball?”

That caught his attention!

“Your pack?” he sheeted; his eyes lined with confusion. I groaned. Goddess, I hated formalities! Not to mention the paperwork that was going to follow after this. And shit, probably also the Elders…! Was it too late to back out? I glanced at Lizzy, standing tall and proud, ready to jump the much bigger alpha if needed. I grinned. Oh yeah! She was definitely worth it…

I dragged my eyes away from my hot-mess girl and turned my attention to a still confused Fray.

“Freddy Bass is a member of my pack now,” I said, trying for calmly, but probably sounding the same I always did: longing to kill something… “Once you reject this piece of shit, you’ll be – by law – a member of my pack.”

She blinked, confused and looking like she was unable to take in the news. I mentally groaned. And this women had been a Luna? I scoffed. She was beautiful, sure, but Luna material, she was not! All she did, was to look for her mate. For conformation and support.

“It’s alright,” Bass gently cooed her, having the patience and kindness of her true mate. Fitter her insecure personality perfectly. “Just do it! Trust me!”

She gulped, but nodded, once she heard him speak those words.

“I, Fray Bass, reject you, Alpha Cade, as my mate,” she said – her voice meek, but defiant. She truly wanted this and was ready to take a leap of fate. Perfect for a worrier’s mate…

“And you expect me to accept?” Alpha Cade growled, taking a threatening step forward. He threw his head back and laughed, before turning back to Fray with an evil glint in his eyes. “You have my mark! You. Belong. To ME!”

“It doesn’t matter, if you accept or not,” I countered annoyed. Damn, being smart was such a pain! Was I the only one here who’d actually paid attention to all those alpha rules and laws?! “The mark can easily be removed, by a true mate’s mark.” I grinned, turning my attention to Bass. “Not that I would want my lips anywhere where his mouth has been – goddess only knows where that has been,” I gestured the alpha struggling to get back on his feet. “But the mark of a true mate will always overrule the mark of a chosen mate.”

Chosen mates.

A concept not used very much in the werewolf world. Which was why, when Lizzy first suggested it, it sounded preposterous. But with everything that had recently happened, I was willing to take a leap of fate…

Wolves only got one mate – that’s it! No second chances, no unicorns running in the forest, no tough lessons learned. Which was why most wolves died with their mates. Or went feral, like in my case. I’d never heard of a remedy for such a thing and I’d never wondered about it either. I’d accepted my fate as slowly going mad and that I’d sooner or later would be killed off by one of my rivals.

And then--- enter Lizzy!

“Perhaps in more intimate settings?” she suggested, seeing that the couple was awkwardly staring at each other and blushing hard. Lizzy turned to one of my men: “The room across the hall is available and--- Olivia! Could you take Oscar to the kitchen and give him some snacks? He’s had a rather long day.” She took charge completely naturally; being a leader was in her blood. And yet the man dared to glance in my direction for confirmation. I sent him a killer glare. She was to be respected and treated as my Luna while being here! How dared he question her…

But Lizzy graciously ignored it and turned back to the happy mated couple.

“In the meantime,” she smiled kindly, a smile that reached her eyes, leaving my wolf howling. She was so beautiful I could barely believe how lucky I’d been in replaceing her. “We’ll wrap things up here.”

Damn! She was everything an alpha could ever want in a Luna…

When Fray turned to leave, Alpha Cade let out a thunderous roar and charged at her--- but I quickly stepped between them and with a firm grip on his throat, I held him above me. His feet swinging in the air, while he struggled to breath.

“I’ll let you leave for now, Alpha Cade,” I informed him and his bulging eyes. “But I will report you to the Elders.” I threw him back on the ground, pleased when his legs buckled under him and he hit the floor. “Take him away! And make sure he leaves the pack territory.”

I turned around and walked to Lizzy. I had unfinished business with her. Among other things: how she ended up in the middle of this and not in our room as I’d ordered her to…

“You will regret this!”

I heard him try and roar at me--- But his voice was barely a toddler’s whine. Which made me laugh. He sounded so funny--- Damn it, Xyen! Pull yourself together!

“The only thing I regret right now, is not tearing you apart,” I replied over my shoulder, not wanting to take my attention of my woman. And grinned when I noticed her angry scowl. I think my Luna wanted me to beat him to a pulp, I mused to myself with pride. I stopped right in front of her, pulling her into me, catching her by surprise. She thought I didn’t know, but I loved seeing her blush; make-up or not. She knew she was in trouble, and I was going to give her more trouble than she bargained for…

Mine! She was all mine!

“But my mate hate’s getting blood out of her cloths.”

She tried to hide a smile and rolled her eyes at me. Oh, that was going to cost her! A blowjob perhaps? I was definitely going to suck her until her folds were as red and swollen as her lips…

Alpha Cade let out a menacing growl before he charged at me. Well that’s practically begging for it, isn’t it? I put all my force behind one punch and the alpha fell limp to the ground. The sound of the collision shook the walls. His face mutilated; neck hanging at an odd angle and blood all over the carpets. He wouldn’t be waking up again for days, but I hoped Lizzy didn’t mind the blood on the carpets!

I gestured my men to come get him out of there, before turning to Lizzy. She looked so small and innocent, yet she held the passion and fire of a dragon in her heart.

“So,” she said innocently, biting into her lower lip. Which made my wolf growl. We wanted to be the ones biting into her flesh. Claiming her lips and making her body ours. “Going to kill me now?”

Of course, she’d be joking with something like that.

“Nah,” I smirked, letting there only be a breath of air between us. “I figured that a person who calls me ‘crazy smart’ and ‘the most badass alpha around’ is worth keeping alive – for now.”

I added the las part just for fun. And she understood my sick humor. Her pretty smile finally reached her eyes, making them shimmer like diamonds in the setting rays of the sun. She was amazing. And beautiful like the Moon Goddess herself.

And she was mine!

Lizzy was my chosen mate. Weather she knew it or not, it didn’t matter. The first night I sat eyes on her – when she leaned over and her sweet lips claimed mine – she also claimed my heart.

We chose her.

I had been holding back accepting her. Even going so far as to say, that I could fuck anybody I wanted. That she didn’t own me. But the only one being tortured was me. She was right. I deserved pain and I didn’t deserve her. She was so strong and smart and brave…

And I loved her.

Our connection was strong. Of course, it only became stronger when we mated and it would grow even more so, the moment we accepted each other.

But that moment wasn’t here yet.

I was pleased, when I sensed jealously radiation off her, if she thought I was being too friendly with other she-wolves. It even had my wolf jumping like a little pup. And at times, I could even hear her thoughts, like I would have, had she been my true mate.

Her thoughts were dark, and I knew, she was just as messed up as me. As much as I wanted to protect her and keep her safe, I knew that the most dangerous person she’d be around, was me.

I was sick!

I’d lost one mate to madness and the pain I’d experienced was so excruciating, that even the loss of my only child didn’t compare. So, I tried to ignore it. Ignore the bond I had with my choice mate. I pushed her away and tried to fight it off. One moment my wolf would be possessive and protective of her and the next, it seemed like the only way to protect her – to keep her safe from myself – was if I killed her! If I ended both our torture!

But the harder I pushed, the better we seem to fit. I’d brought her more pain than healing, because I wasn’t whole myself and yet in the midst of ruins and chaos, we both began to heal.

Our moment wasn’t here yet. But soon we’d be together…

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, playing with the helm of her shirt. A nervous tick I’d noticed she had. My wolf whined. We were going to miss that…

“It’s just,” she continued, and her guilty eyes caught mine. “I suspected something wasn’t right when I saw her bruises and then that rogue and then Oscar went missing and then everybody knew I was a Hunter…” I frowned listening to her confession. Goddess, what was I? A priest?! She didn’t need to explain herself to me.

I was already on her side…

“I was afraid that they wouldn’t believe if I said anything, because…”

“You’re a hunter,” I finished the sentence for her. She didn’t need to explain herself, but I got where she came from. I wouldn’t give away my trust that easily if I’d experienced just half the shit she had. She nodded and nervously she began fiddling with the helm of her shirt again. I sighed and nodded myself.

“I understand.”

“You do?” she exclaimed, sounding as surprised as she looked. I grinned, because she looked so cute when she did that. But it quickly faded away. I now had realized, what I needed to do.

We had begun to heal. But there was a long road ahead of us.

“This is the first time in ages I’ve actually felt like an alpha again, Liz,” I confessed, talking about my feeling was not my strongest trait. “And to be honest, it scares the shit out of me.”

For a moment, she looked like she didn’t know what to say. So instead she wrapped her arms around my torso and just held me. Her arms barely reached around and yet, I felt safer in her embrace than anywhere else on earth. I placed my own long arms around her, holding her close to my chest and inhaling her sweet scent.

The world around us disappeared.

In that moment, we both found peace.