Hunter's Secret
Chapter 34 - Relief

Hunter’s POV

As soon as I am able to get off the plane, I practically run off. All my muscles are stiff, and I am feeling really tired, but I am so close to seeing her again, so I keep going. I sent a quick text to Cameron and my mom to let them know that I arrived safely. I easily located my driver, seeing as he is also standing over most people. My dad called in a favor from his Alpha friend of one of the packs here so I would have some security.

I reach him and he extends his hand out and lowers his voice, “Nice to meet you, Alpha. My name is Mason. Two more of your guards are in the car. No harm will come to you while you are here. We are completely at your service.”

“Thank you, Mason.”

We got to the car, and I told him the address. He introduces me to the other two men in the car, Tyler and Jerry. I greet them and we engage in casual conversation on the drive there. We pulled up to Raine’s apartment building and I started to internally panic. What if she doesn’t want me? I know she is home right because Titus has had surveillance on her the whole time she has been away from home but that doesn't mean she will want me here. I get out of the car and ready myself to go in. Mason comes with me and gestures to the front desk person that we are heading upstairs. She smiles at him and nods her head. I can tell that she is a werewolf too.

I follow Mason up to Raine’s floor and he goes to take a seat in the lounge. I quickly scanned the apartment numbers and found hers; 314. I take a deep breath and try my best to settle my nerves. This is crazy. What am I even doing here? I almost walk away when River raises my hand and I knock on the door. I hear some shuffling inside and the door swings open.

“Hi, can I help you?” a man with dark hair and glasses asks me, eyeing me suspiciously.

I clear my throat, “Uh yes. I am looking for Raine. Is this not 314?”

“Kai? Who is it?” I hear her voice float out of the apartment and River starts howling and pacing. She is definitely my mate. And she is with another man. My Alpha aura unintentionally seeps out and Kai gulps as his heart speeds up.

“Uhhh, it’s for you, sweets!” Kai quickly calls back and I can’t help but stiffen at his choice of nickname.

Raine comes into view and her eyes are full of surprise, “Alp…” she starts to say and then quickly changes it, “Hunter! Uhhh what are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?” I quietly ask and she nods her head. I can feel Kai’s eyes all over my back and when I turn to face him, he quickly drops his gaze.

“I am sorry for coming unannounced. Your father is ill. I am here to take you home,” I say, trying my best to stay calm and also believable.

“What!?! Is he okay?” she hurriedly asks, tears springing to her eyes. Kai wraps her in hug, and I have to swallow a growl. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can’t lose control right now.

“Go. Take care of your family. I will tell the director what is going on. I will get someone to cover your shift for tonight and tomorrow. Don’t even worry about anything, I will handle it. Call me later, okay?” Kai says, as he turns to leave.

“Thank you, Kai. I will update you as soon as I figure out what is going on,” she tells him with a smile which he returns and closes the door behind him.

“Hunter! What is going on with my dad? Why did he send you and not Ash?” She asks, blinking back worried tears.

“Titus is fine. He is not sick. I just needed to get your boyfriend to leave so I could talk to you,” I say, feeling guilty about lying to her.

“One, Kai is not my boyfriend. He is a co-worker and a good friend who is happily married to his wife who is also a good friend of mine. Two, what the actual hell? Who are you to come in here and freak me out just so you could talk to me? How did you even get here?” she angrily inquires, narrowing her eyes are me.

I know she is mad at me, but I am so relieved that Kai is not her boyfriend that I really don’t care that she is angry.

“Raine, I am sorry for lying to you. It was the first thing that came into my head that I figured would be the quickest way to get you alone. Also, Titus gave me your address. I flew in a few hours ago because I really needed to talk to you. I know this is crazy and I am sorry for freaking you out. Can we talk?”

“Yeah, this is crazy. You are crazy. What could be so important that you have to come interrupt my personal life?

“Can we sit down first? I am sorry, I am just feeling really tired,” I tell her, and she nods her head. She goes to get us both a glass of water and I use the opportunity to really look at her. She is barefoot and wearing jeans with a simple mint green t-shirt, which brings out the green and blue in her hazel eyes. Her long hair is braided again, and she is just effortlessly gorgeous. She catches me staring and I quickly look away. I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.

She hands me the glass of water and takes a seat on the couch across from me. She gives me an expectant look, so I take a deep breath and start.

“How much do you know about werewolves?”

My question surprises her and she gives me a very confused look before answering.

“I am not exactly sure what you are asking. My dad is a werewolf. And my first boyfriend was a werewolf. And some of my peers and teachers were werewolves. I took classes to learn about them.”

“Okay, can you tell me what you remember? Like anything specific that wolves do that humans don’t?”

“I know that wolves live in packs that are led by an Alpha and a Luna. The second in command is called a Beta. Larger packs sometimes have Deltas or Gammas too. All packs must follow rules set by the kingdom or they can face consequences. Wolves don’t like witches and they don’t interact with humans unless necessary. Apparently, they can talk to each other in their heads. I know they have a wolf form and a human form, but I never saw anyone in wolf form. And there is something about soulmates, but I don’t really remember that part. Why do you ask?”

“Everything you said is true. I am asking because I need to know how much you know. When your father was shunned from the kingdom, he was stripped of his Alpha title. I know at one time he had a mate because he has a mark, but she rejected him at some point which is why it turned into a scar. He also lost his wolf at some point because he doesn’t have any typical werewolf abilities anymore,” I explain.

“Lost his wolf? Abilities? What are you talking about?”

“Every werewolf is gifted a wolf from the Moon Goddess. When they turn eighteen, they can have their first shirt. That means they can transform into a wolf. Their wolf is a separate entity from their person but is also a part of them. They can talk to their wolf and their wolf can talk to them. Once they…”

“Do you have a wolf?” she interrupts.

“I do.”

“Can I see him?”

“No!” I exclaim, a little louder than I intended and she almost flinches.

“Why not?” she innocently asks.

I sigh, “Because he is dangerous and it isn’t safe for you to see him right now.”

‘BS! I would never hurt her! She is our mate!’

‘I know, River. But you also begged me to just force her to come with us, and I can’t do that. I won’t do that. You need to go lay down and let me handle this.’

He growls at me but obeys and goes to lay down.

“Why do your eyes do that?” she asks.

“Do what?”

“Get misty and gray looking?”

“That happens when we are talking to someone over mind-link. I was talking to my wolf, River,” I explain as I go to take a drink of water.

“What does black mean?”

I choke on my water and look up at her, “Why do you ask?”

“Because I think I saw Cameron’s eyes blacken a few times when we were talking when you were unconscious.”

‘He did what!?! I really am going to kill him next time. How dare he look at our mate like that?’

‘River, stop. I know for a fact that he would never look at anyone but Emma that way. And I thought I told you to lay down!’

“You don’t need to worry about that right now,” I say hurriedly, and she gives me a frown but doesn’t push it. I continue, “Back to the abilities, we have better senses than people do. Our eyesight is sharper. Our hearing is incredibly sensitive, and our sense of smell is unparalleled. And we also heal really fast when we get injured.”

“So, what kinds of things can you hear and smell that I can’t?”

“The biggest difference is we can hear heartbeats and every person has a very distinct smell that only belongs to them.”

“Wow. That’s pretty cool. What do I smell like to you?”

Oh, she has no idea how hard she is making this for me, “You smell different to me than you would to other wolves. You smell like peaches and cinnamon to me. You smell really really good, Raine,” I tell her, trying to keep my own eyes from darkening.

“Why would I smell different to you versus other wolves?”

I sigh again, “Because each wolf who is granted a mate, replaces them by their smell. Their mate has a unique smell that no one else can detect except for them.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“It means you are my mate, Raine. That is why I came here. I had to talk to you,” I blurt out, scared to look at her face.

“That doesn’t make sense. I am a human. Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am 100% positive that you are my mate,” I confirm, still not looking at her.

“Does my dad know?”

“Yes. He gave me his blessing to come talk to you.”

“Gave you his blessing? What the hell is that supposed to mean? He told you that you could just come here and take me away? Do I not get any say?”

“It just means that he said that I could come talk to you. And you have a say. I will not force you to come with me. You deserve to have the kind of life you want to have. You can make that choice for yourself,” I tell her, still not meeting her eyes.

“So, what choices do I have exactly?” she asks, frustration lining her voice.

“You can choose to come back home with me at some point and accept your role as my mate or you can choose to reject me right now and I will leave you alone,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“How does rejecting work?”

My heart clenches in my chest and I desperately try to not let my emotions show, “You just have to say the words and my bond to you will be severed.”

“What will that do to you?”

“Do you want the honest answer?”

“Please.”

“If you reject me, it will hurt me. For wolves, rejection goes far beyond emotions. It is a deep physical pain that doesn’t go away for a long time. From what I have heard, it feels like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and like your lungs catch on fire. The pain is so intense that it sometimes causes wolves to go insane. As much as it will hurt me, you deserve to make that choice if you want to. I would never force you to be with me. I would never do anything to hurt you. I completely understand if you want to choose to reject me,” my voice unintentionally cracks with emotion. I am sure she can hear the hurt in my voice.

“Hunter. Look at me,” she demands.

I slowly lift my eyes to meet hers and am surprised when the emotions in them are almost a mirror of mine.

She offers me a small smile, “I am not going to reject you. I do not understand any of this and this is actually completely crazy, but I am not going to lie to you. I thought I felt a connection to you when I saw you in that hospital bed,” I can hear her heart start to beat faster, “I didn’t understand it then and I really don’t understand it now, but I believe you when you say that you wouldn’t hurt me. You have shown me more kindness and love in the last thirty minutes than anyone else ever has in that way.”

She takes a deep breath and her heart beats even faster, “I have been single for a very long time now and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t excited about the possibility of a relationship. I can tell you are a good man. And you are unfairly and insanely so damn attractive. I know you said you can hear my heart so you can probably hear how fast it is beating. You have been the only person to ever make me feel this way. It feels unnatural but I guess that is because it is. So, no. I am not going to reject you.”

I can’t help but sit there in stunned silence. She thinks I am attractive. She is not going to reject me. She said I am the only person who makes her feel this way. How did I get so lucky? I wish she could hear my own heart racing. Then she would know that she has the same effect on me.

Before I even process what I am doing, I have moved to sit next to her and look directly at her.

“Put your hand over my heart,” I tell her, and she looks at me with confusion, “Just do it. Please.”

She slowly reaches her hand out and when her fingers touch my chest, my breath hitches in my throat. She places her hand flat over my heart and the sparks that dance between our skin feel heavenly. Her eyes widened in realization as she feels how fast my heart is beating too, and I put my hand over hers, “You make my heart race too. You are so breathtakingly beautiful, Raine. You have no idea how happy you just made me.”