The Hunter's Alpha

54 Punishing

Devon

A couple weeks passed, and things were getting back to normal, or as normal as they could be. We had lost five wolves from our pack who we'd buried with tears, honour, and solemnity; my sister and Arthur were still broken; and Megan still hadn't woken up.

In light of all that, I felt almost guilty for how happy I was when I was with Amber. I had a surprise for her, although truthfully I was not sure that she would like my decision. I wasn't going to do anything behind her back though, so I had to tell her what I had done, as soon as I was done dealing with my guest.

Kain sat across from me, looking completely relaxed. He was an impressive wolf with power equivalent to an alpha, and I respected his abilities. "It was a bit of a trick to get them out undetected, but all three are safely secured in your prison."

I thanked him, but I wondered how my mate would feel about what I had paid Kain to do. He made her uncomfortable, but he'd proven himself to me during the battle. After he had found the exit, he had circled around outside and began making sneak attacks on the hunters who had hemmed us in. Without him confusing their forces, we might have been overrun before help arrived.

He smiled grimly. "I've also got a little bonus for you."

"Oh?" I asked, curious.

He tossed a large envelop onto my desk. "No need to thank me. I had a feeling about your mate, so I did a little investigation. You can decide how much she should know." He stood up and held out his hand towards me. I shook it, and he nodded.

"Thanks." I meant it. He had been reluctant to take on my side task since he had been planning to visit his own pack while on the continent, but I had made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"You're welcome. Watch out for the hunters, they're not done with us yet."

He left, and I opened the envelope. My heart pounded as I read through the documents.

I hoped this wouldn't hurt her, but even if it would, I couldn't keep this secret from her. She was tougher than she appeared at first glance. My beautiful mate was a survivor.

"Amber? Could you come see me?"

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not."

"Did I not do something right?"

"Don't worry so much, love. It's more what I did that you may not like."

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly, and a few moments later she was opening the door to my office, caution in every movement. "So, what's the big secret?"

I watched her carefully as I spoke. "I paid Kain to abduct the Lyndons."

"You what?" she asked. Her emotions weren't leaking, and she didn't let them show on her face so I couldn't gauge her reaction.

"I couldn't go running off to sate my wolf's rage, so I paid to have them brought to me. They're currently in the dungeon. Mom, Dad, and not yet dead Brother."

She looked a bit shaky, so I circled the desk and drew her back to sit on my chair with me. With her firmly in my lap, I continued. "I won't hurt them if you don't want, or I'll kill them if you allow it. As much as I want their blood, it's up to you."

She nodded.

"And there's more. Kain did some voluntary digging before he brought them here and he found information the hunters had about you."

"About me?" her eyes flashed gold with her wolf's distress, and I pulled her closer to me.

"You don't have to look at that, either, if you don't want. It's about your past."