Claws (Rewritten)

Twenty Two

Markus

I woke up to find Adelyn above me, green eyes glowing and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her hands were shaking slightly, just inches above my chest. It would've been quite terrifying, if she wasn't one of my closest friends.

A quick glance around confirmed I was lying on a sofa in the living room of the pack house, surrounded by the pack, who all looked seconds from shifting. Daniel was in the corner of the room, jaw ticking, glaring at the floor. His father was right next to him, but Caleb wasn't in the room. Reece, Ash and Sierra were gathered by the archway, looking furious.

Kaden was pacing, pulling on his hair in frustration. "...can't believe they're that sick," He glowered, his eyes meeting mine. "Markus, are you alright?"

I took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "Just wonderful," I lied. "I love a good fight with a hunter to finish off the day."

Renée managed a small laugh from somewhere off to my right. "Well thank God the hunter didn't harm your wit."

"Couldn't live without that," I agreed.

My mum was knelt on the floor beside me, watching Adelyn with a mixture of concern and gratitude in her eyes. Lewis and Will were stood with Mariah behind the sofa, staring down at me.

"Going off on your own with a psycho rogue on the loose wasn't the smartest idea," Lewis commented, sending me a lighthearted glare.

"I know," I muttered. "Then again, when have I ever claimed to be smart?"

"About three hours ago, when you said you didn't need to study because you already know everything," Chloe stated, making me glance over to see her sat with Renée on the other sofa. She smiled and waved when my gaze locked onto hers.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Traitor."

The burn of the wolfsbane had faded to a muted itching, and I immediately realised that Lyn was somehow countering its effects. Thank God I had a witch for a friend. I'd have to buy her pancakes later to thank her.

"I'm gonna help Caleb look for the hunter--" Reece muttered, heading purposefully for the archway.

Sierra grabbed his arm, halting him, and shook her head. "That hunter is armed to hurt werewolves. We're all staying here until Caleb disarms him," She told him sternly, leaving no room for argument. I was grateful for her warning - that hunter was a real piece of shit, and the thought of anyone being out there with him didn't sit well with me at all.

"Disarm as in, take away his crossbow, or take away his arms?" Ash asked, ice lining his voice.

Daniel managed a small laugh. "Come on, this is Caleb we're talking about. He won't just stop at the arms."

"Caleb's out there?" I asked, frowning slightly, my voice slightly hoarse. Not good. Not good at all.

"He wanted to deal with the hunter personally," Richard told me, not a hint of concern in his voice despite his son being out there alone facing off a hunter that could've easily killed me. That was when I noticed his furrowed eyebrows and the faraway look in his eyes. There it was. Well-hidden worry. What was it with vampires and hiding their emotions so well? "My sincere apologies, Markus. We should've kept a closer eye on them."

I waved off his apology. "That's alright. I'm fine."

"I think they've overstayed their welcome," Daniel muttered darkly. "We should've either killed them or sent them running the moment Amelie told us they were here."

"You remember the whole ordeal we had with the hunters last year? Sometimes hiding in plain sight and letting them do as they please without drawing attention to ourselves is our best option," His father retorted. "But I agree. They've officially stepped over the line. They need to go."