Hunter Hunter

Chapter 4

She couldn't endure it for much longer. There was no way she was going to survive out of this alive. Clara took in a shaky breath, her stomach pawing at her chest in hunger. 

By now, she didn't care what state she was in. Her throat was parched, her legs shook, and she was absolutely sure anyone could come in a kill her right now. She wouldn't even stop them. Death was better than this suffering. 

Clara tucked her head tighter into her knees and squeezed her eyes closed as tightly as possible. She raised a shaky hand and pinched her forearm as tightly was possible. Pain was the easiest way to distract her mind away from the hunger. 

Breathing took too much energy. She inhaled another shaky breath. Clara laid there, still as stone. 

Suddenly, as if something had snapped in her, a rush of energy flew through her bones. Her body stiffened at the strange impact and her muscles tightened, as if waiting for something to happen. 

Without her control, her forearm snapped. 

Blindly pain seared her nerves and her vision turned a spotty white in the pitch black darkness. She screamed, curling up around her broken arm. 

Then, her next forearm snapped. Quickly in succession, all the bones in her arms broke in half. Clara couldn't stop screaming. Tears of pain streamed out of her eyes and she lay there, sobbing, not knowing what was going on. 

She could feel her bones shifting underneath her skin, a grotesque and foreign sensation. There was nothing Clara could do to stop it. 

Then, her shins. They snapped, a hollow, sickening sound in the middle of the chamber. Clara's body flopped to the ground, all limbs unable to hold herself up. 

This was a terrible way to die, was all that was going through her mind. Clara had no idea what was going on in her body. Bones were breaking by some unseen force and she couldn't imagine what it could be. Ghosts?  She had heard rumors of other supernatural beings, but that was all they were - rumors. 

But the thought that was most prevalent was: she couldn't even avenge her parents. It was all for naught. Her life ended in a cell. 

Oh no, oh no, oh no. Dread washed through her mind. The thigh was the largest bone in the body, therefore the hardest and the most painful one to break. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact. 

A sickening crunch was the only audible sound in the room. Clara couldn't even scream at the pain before falling unconscious. 

---

NELSON 

Sparring with other wolves was a practice that he actually enjoyed doing. It brought pain, but it was a good pain, one where you know that only good could come out of it. Nelson's skill was already well beyond the the level of his best warriors, and has been so since when he was fifteen. Once his Alpha genes kicked in at fourteen, the limits to his fighting abilities knew no bounds. Quickly, he rose the ranks within his pack to take reign at the top. 

It was expected. Anything less than first was a sign of weakness and to be shamed in the werewolf world. That was not acceptable, anything less than the best was unacceptable for someone of Alpha status. 

It wasn't exactly like he had any room to explore anything other than being at the top of the pack. Ever since birth his future was spelled out for him, and so was the duty of the pack, or more or less the duty of the pack. 

The Alacrity pack has provided the bulk of the soldiers given to the Royal Wolves. Notorious for strict training skills and cunning high ranking officers, Nelson's pack was a fearful one to go against. As the Alpha of the pack, he's expected to be able to best every one of his members.