His Hunter

VIII | Hope

He regretted it. No, he didn't regret it. Did he? He had no idea what he was doing. He could pretend like he did, but the truth had seeped gradually into his consciousness. And now Lionel knew that he knew nothing.

No amount of warnings or guidance from anyone else could help him with what he was going through. This was down to him and Cole. Lionel knew there was something there, had felt the mate bond like his skin had been set on fire. Every inch, every atom of him knew. 

He'd sent the email banking on Cole knowing, also. Knowing, but denying. He was risking so much by basically confessing everything except the word 'mate.' He'd seen something in Cole, an openness to the possibility of change before it was shut down again. There, Lionel thought, had been a breath of desire in Cole before the intensity of the weight on his shoulders smothered it again. And in that glimpse of desire, Lionel found his hope. 

It was a small thing, that hope, but it had grown since he had last seen Cole. While he had nothing solid to hold onto, Lionel had faith in the feelings he had for Cole. If Cole even felt a fraction of what Lionel felt, he could work with that. He was a charming guy, right? He could win Cole over, even if he was as intense as intense comes. 

But Lionel liked that intensity. A lot. Cole was like a bonfire that warmed up the cold hallways of the Mansion. Lionel even looked at the ballroom differently now. When Lionel had walked up and helped Kaia during the Lunar Ceremony, he'd done so because he knew that's what Cole would have done. When Kaia and Kaleb had sealed their bond, he had seen them kiss and only thought about Cole kneeling right where they stood, sweaty and sexy. 

He didn't feel guilty about it. Sure, his mind and body were completely dominated by Cole, Cole, Cole. It didn't mean he didn't love his Pack, his leaders...it just meant that there was one thing in his life that was outstanding, that needed attention more than anything. He needed to seal his bond with Cole. But still, he didn't want to rush the guy into it. Lionel was selfish sometimes, but he had enough faith in the double-sided nature of a mate relationship to give Cole time. 

If he was right, that it was impossible for a mate to feel nothing even if he's human, it was only a matter of time. That was the truth that Lionel clung to, standing outside the mansion. The cold nipped at the tips of his ears and his nose whenever the wind blew. But Lionel barely noticed it, too immersed in his own thoughts. 

He could worry about the possibility that he was wrong, that it was actually possible for a mate to feel nothing. Cole was human. Maybe humans didn't feel it. Maybe being mated to a human was the worst curse imaginable. Maybe he was hopelessly optimistic for thinking that even if Cole felt nothing, he could still open Cole's eyes. Maybe he was stupid to think that all humans were alike, that Kaia's ability to feel the mate bond would mean Cole could feel it too, both of them being human. 

He could worry about all that, but instead he was just trying to picture Cole naked. 

He was rudely awakened from his imagination when his little brother, who had been playing in the snow, bolted. He called out to Kaleb, who was walking back from the woods where he'd disappeared to with Kaia just the night before. 

"We were wondering when you'd come back..." Lion started. He was shivering through his light shirt. Shivering. He was alone. Where was Kaia? 

Dread slammed into Lionel immediately. Kaleb wasn't panicking, which was a good sign. Knowing him, he'd be charging around furious by now if something had happened to her. Nothing seemed to keep the two of them apart, which Lionel respected. It inspired him, gave him hope for his own situation. 

"Kaleb, what's-" Lionel began again. 

But Kaleb cut him off, "We need to talk." Lionel had a feeling this wasn't going to give him many answers. Kaleb was in Alpha mode, which meant that for now, Lionel wasn't much more than a right hand man. Kaleb was closed off now; he'd only ever really seen Kaia get through that wall easily. For Lionel, it was going to take some work.