The Hunter's Alpha

24 Begging

Amber

We left on Friday after my early shift. Sarah and Dan took turns driving his car since I had never had an opportunity to learn. It was just another demonstration of how teaching me useful life skills had been a vanishingly low hunter priority.

While we travelled, they bickered amongst themselves about everything from what we should be listening to on the radio to whether a werewolf or a vampire would be a bigger threat one on one against a hunter.

My stomach was in knots by the time we arrived back at the territory, well after dark. It had been months since I had been there, but it was almost as if time had stopped in my absence. Sarah spoke through her mind link to the wolves on patrol, and they let us in without any difficulty. I had been second guessing my decision to return the entire journey, and it only got worse the closer we got. Was I doing the right thing, walking straight back into a situation that would be hard to get out of again?

"This was a stupid idea," I said.

"I think you needed to do this," Dan said in his most ridiculously calming tone. Just because maybe I needed to do it, didn't mean that I wanted to do it.

"I think I should never have let you two talk me into coming back here."

"You wanted to come back, deep down." The vampire was unfortunately right.

Sarah pulled the car to a stop in front of the pack house. It hadn't changed at all, still well-maintained, large and modest. I got out of the car and stretched my cramped legs. My throat constricted. "Where is he?" I asked.

"Probably in his office," Sarah said. "He always tries to work himself to death when something is bothering him."

I walked forward, my steps heavy with reluctance. I pushed open the main doors, letting myself into the pack house.

"Amber, wait, he's blocking his mind link, so he's probably really busy," Sarah said, grasping me by the arm. There was something in her tone of voice that tipped me off that something was not right. The ominous feeling resurged. She was keeping whatever that something was from me. I was torn between my curiosity and my desire to get as far away as possible.

"Now you want me to wait?" I asked her. "If I don't go see him now, I'm getting back in that car, and I swear I'm never coming back." I shook her off since she hadn't been holding me that hard.

Dan was frowning as he considered the situation. I wondered what he thought about Sarah's reaction. "Come on, Dan. You came this far, you might as well come the rest of the way."

So I walked inside. Dan followed as he looked around curiously and Sarah trailed behind him, wringing her hands together nervously.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just..."

"Fine. I'll go ask him myself." I walked in quickly, determinedly, although my tension rose with each step. I had to fight my old instincts of running away and hiding, and I grabbed the handle of his office door and tried to wrench it open.

It didn't turn, the door was locked. That ominous feeling only grew as I considered what might be happening inside that office that Sarah would fear to tell me.

I turned to rush away, but the door swung open a moment later, and I couldn't help but look. He stood there, the first couple buttons of his shirt undone, and behind him Megan straightened her blouse.

I might have been innocent and naive, but I wasn't that innocent and naive. He and Megan...

"You came back," Alpha Devon said, those grey eyes wide with surprise that quickly filled with regret and shame.