Hunter's Secret
Chapter 26 - Hunter

I just wanted to give a quick thank you to @sarrahere_ for all of her amazing support. She has been so uplifting and encouraging and it means so much to me. Thank you!

Anyway, back to the story now!

Hunter’s POV

I know Cameron has tried to mind-link me several times now, but I just can’t talk to him right now. If I do, I will certainly say something that I do not mean. I don’t know why I am feeling this way but I am. River is angry too and he is barreling through the woods at top speed, racing in and out of the trees. I let him take complete control and I try to figure out what is going on with myself.

I come up completely empty and that just makes me feel more frustrated. When I finally start to pay attention to my surroundings, I realize that it is completely dark out and River is still running, just a bit slower now. I guess we both needed to blow off some steam. He decides to stop and rest for a little bit by one of the streams. He quickly laps up some water and then lays down.

‘Hey, River. What is going on with you?’

‘Mate. I need my mate.’

‘I know you do. I do too but there is nothing we can do about that right now.’

‘We could just go look for her.’

‘No, we can’t. I have to, no, *we* have to take care of this pack first. We need to fully take over Red Rock so that way we can get everyone situated and happy.’

‘We can’t take care of a pack without our Luna.’

‘Plenty of packs run just fine without a Luna, River.’

‘You lie.’

‘We will replace her soon.’

‘That isn’t good enough.’

‘I don’t know what else to say, River. My hands are tied right now.’

He lets out a huff and stands back up, taking off again in the direction of the pack house. By the time we get back, the sun is starting to come up. I shift back and make my way inside as quietly as possible. Thankfully no one is downstairs. I quickly take a shower, trying my best to seem like I was not gone all night. I get dressed and go to start a pot of coffee. I know I should feel exhausted, and I think part of me knows that I am, but the other part just feels wired and anxious. I have got to get my emotions under control, I can’t be running off for entire nights at a time. This pack needs me here.

Cameron comes down the stairs not long after I sit down with my coffee, and he eyes me suspiciously. I pretend not to notice and focus on my phone. I hear him pour himself a cup of coffee too, but I don’t expect him to put his hand on my shoulder. As soon as he makes contact with me, I shoot up, spilling my coffee all over myself and the chair.

I swear under my breath, pull off my shirt and grab some paper towels from the kitchen. Cameron doesn’t say anything, nor does he attempt to help me. He just watches, sipping his coffee. I get everything cleaned up and sink into the couch. Running both my hands through my hair, I try to focus on my breathing and attempt to calm myself down.

Cameron’s voice breaks my concentration, “So, are we going to talk about what just happened?”

I sigh deeply and avoid his eyes which makes him continue, “So, we are also not going to talk about the fact that you just got home about 30 minutes ago?”

I swear under my breath again and hold my head in my hands, still avoiding Cameron’s gaze.

“Fine. Don’t talk to me. But I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, H.”

I know he is right so without moving, I just mumble out, “It’s River.”

“Really? I would have neeevvveerrr guessed,” he sarcastically responds, sitting down next to me on the couch, “You look like garbage, so I figured it was him.”

“Thanks for that. That is so helpful,” I sarcastically say back, punching his arm.

“What is going on, H?”

“I honestly don’t know. I just feel all this energy all the time even though I am completely exhausted.”

“I am sorry,” he says seriously.

“For what?”

“For leaving you to deal with this by yourself. I have been so focused on Emma that I have neglected you.”

“You should be focused on Emma. She is your,” I unintentionally pause, “mate.”

“Hunter, look at me.”

I do and I know he can see the hurt in my eyes. I don’t know why Emma is bothering me so much. I am truly happy for both of them.

“Hunter, we will replace her. She has to be out there somewhere.”

“I know, Locks. River desperately wants to replace her, and he is driving me crazy.”

“I can only imagine but you don’t have to do everything by yourself all of the time. I am here for you. Lean on me when you need to.”

“Thank you. I am sorry for snipping at you yesterday and then for blocking you out,” I apologize.

“It’s okay. Just maybe try talking to me first next time.”

“I’ll try,” I sigh.

“Good.”

“Your parents want to move most of their stuff today. They want Emma to be able to move into their room sooner than later so I can be back in my room.”

“Good to know. I will make sure to help them. They don’t need to be moving everything by themselves. Are you helping too?”

I nodded in response, and we settled into a comfortable silence.

The next few weeks went by relatively smoothly. Cameron and I got both his parents and my parents moved into their new houses. We also went back to Emma’s house and got the rest of her stuff so she could move into the now open bedroom.

“Thank you very much Alpha Hunter for helping me feel comfortable here,” Emma said gratefully.

“Emma, you can just call me Hunter. No need for all the formalities. You are basically family now.”

“Okay, well, thank you Hunter,” she smiles, and I smile back at her.

“H?” Cameron asks, diverting my attention away from Emma.

“Hmm?”

“How did everything with Titus go yesterday?”

“Oh, it went well. He liked the agreement I drafted up and signed it so that is good. And I sent something to the High Council saying that I overtook Red Rock because I needed the land, and that Titus was too weak to fight me, so he relinquished all of his pack to me. They seemed to have bought it and Titus was very happy to let them think that.”

“Good. I am glad to hear that. Sorry I couldn’t join you yesterday, I was helping Emma move the furniture into her new room.”

“It’s fine. Titus is a good person; I had no concerns about going to his house by myself. Plus, Ash was there anyway so we weren’t alone.”

“Who is Ash?” Emma asks and I debate about how to answer her question. Ash’s identity was never released to the public and the High Council only knows her as ‘the witch of Red Rock.’ I also know that Ash and Titus have been keeping their relationship a secret for a very long time now and I don’t want that information to fall into the wrong hands. Thankfully, Cameron notices my internal debate and answers for me.

“Ash is Titus’ unofficial assistant. She has helped him manage pack duties for a long time now,” he explained to Emma, and she seemed to accept that answer.

I give Cameron a thankful glance and he nods his head.

“I think I am going to head up to bed now. I will see you both in the morning,” I say, actually starting to feel tired.

They both say goodnight back and I go upstairs and get ready for bed. As soon as I climb into my bed, I almost instantly fall asleep. I slept the entire night and woke up feeling refreshed for what seems like the first time in months. I head down the stairs and start making some breakfast for the three of us. It feels weird to not have to make enough to feed my parents and Cameron’s parents and the house definitely seems emptier with them gone.

It doesn’t take long for the smell of bacon to wake Emma and Cameron up and they both come out of Cameron’s room. Emma heads to the bathroom to get ready and I raise my eyebrow at Cameron, trying to hide the smile that is tugging at my lips.

“Calm down, H. We only slept together. Like actual sleeping. She just was feeling sad last night so she asked if she could sleep in my bed.”

“Sure. Sure. Whatever you say…” I tease him.

“Did you sleep last night?” he asks, changing the subject.

“I did actually. I slept the entire night. Even River slept.”

“That’s good! You need to sleep more.”

“I know. I am trying.”

“I know you are. Thanks for breakfast by the way.”

“No problem. I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on today so I am going to take my breakfast up to the office so I can get started. Have a good day with Emma.”

I fill my plate and head back upstairs. I set my plate down on the desk and started planning on what I need to do today. I know I need to go through the finances and start making files for all the people in Titus’ pack so I can get everything organized. River is finally quiet so I can be productive today. I get started on the finances first and I get those done relatively quickly so I move onto the files. A while later, a knock on the door interrupts my concentration.

“Come in!”

“H? Have you been sitting there this whole time?” Cameron asks, a look of concern on his face.

“Yeah why?”

“Because it is almost 12.”

“Oh good! I was getting a bit hungry. What are the plans for lunch?”

“A.M. It is 12 a.m. Hunter. Did you not notice the time? Also, your plate is still sitting there from this morning.”

I finally look out of the window, and it is dark outside. I don’t think I have really moved from this seat in almost fourteen hours.

“Hunter?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry. I guess I lost track of the time. I was just working on stuff.”

“I can see that. Do you want me to bring you something fresh to eat?”

“Um. Maybe just throw a granola bar up the stairs. I should probably go to bed.”

I stand up and immediately feel the effects of sitting for so long. I am so sore and stiff. How did I work for fourteen hours and not notice?

“Hunter? Are you okay?” Cameron asks.

“Yeah, yeah, I am fine. I guess I was just really focused. Thanks for checking on me.”

I can tell he doesn’t believe me, but he goes back downstairs anyway. I really do feel okay. Honestly, the best I have felt in a long time. Now that I know what time it is, I am starting to feel a little sleepy. A granola bar and a banana land at the top of the stairs and I offer a thank you to Cameron who smiles and heads to his room.

I pick up the food and place it on my bedside table. I don’t actually feel hungry, so I do some light stretches before I climb into bed, and I again quickly fall asleep. Except this time, I only get a few hours in before I hear Emma calling Cameron’s name. I jump out of bed too quickly and almost lose my balance. Pausing for just a second, I let my vision come back before quickly running down the stairs, I don’t see anyone in the living room or kitchen though. And then it hits me.

The unmistakable sound of thumping is coming from Cameron’s room, and I can smell both of them in there. I can’t listen to this. I have to get out of this house. I run out the front door and my heart is beating so fast; it almost feels like it might explode. I get far enough away from the sounds of grunting and moaning and shift into River. I give him control and we run. Why is this impacting me so much? I don’t have any answers and my heart is still beating really really fast, but I don’t think about that right now. I just let River run. I don’t know how long we were out running for but when we got back to the house, it was thankfully quiet.

I shift back and quietly go back into the house. I glance at the clock, and it is almost 5 a.m. I am too tired from our run to go back upstairs so I just lay down on the couch and I quickly go back to sleep.

Cameron’s POV

The sunlight coming through the windows wakes me up and I look over at Emma. She is so beautiful. I gently moved my arm off her still sleeping body and slowly sat up. I rub my face and try to wake up some more. I gently touch the mark she gave me last night and I can’t help but smile. She is so perfect, and she is mine. Fully mine now. I don’t think I have ever been this happy. But my stomach reminds me that I am also hungry. So, I get off the bed, throw on a pair of shorts, and kiss Emma on her forehead. She smiles in her sleep and Xavier purrs in my head. I softly open the door and close it behind me.

I start to head to the kitchen when I see Hunter laying crumpled on his side, on the floor by the couch. I quickly ran over to him, shoving the coffee table out of the way. I gently move him onto his back, and I can feel the heat radiating off of him. I try to wake him up, but his skin is so hot, it almost burns my hands. His hair is plastered to his face with his sweat, and he is not responding to me. I ignore the burning and feel for his pulse, thankfully replaceing one but his heart is barely beating, and his breaths are short and shallow. I mind-link my dad, his dad, and the pack doctor and within minutes they all arrive. I am moved out of the way, but my eyes can’t leave his face. My best friend is dying, I can feel it.