Chapter 6

6

HUNTER

Will:

Hey we have a problem, call me when you get up.

Fuuuck . That's not the message I wanted when I woke up. I roll to my back and breathe in deeply. As I tap into my wolf's hearing, the air is still in my house. I can hear the pines peacefully swaying in the breeze outside. I push further, trying to feel close to Emma, only to be met with bleak silence. At least I can still smell her orange blossom scent on my jeans. I resign to get this day started and call Will back, and I pad softly towards the kitchen.

Coffee sputters out of the machine as I tap my phone open, checking to see if any other messages or calls accompany Will’s.

Will picks up quickly. “Morning, Hunt. How's the doctor?”

An annoyed sigh escapes me. “She’s fine.”

After she kicked me out yesterday, I walked into town like a sad puppy. I’ve never met a woman that draws me in and infuriates me so much.

Breaking my thoughts, I say, “Tell me what's going on.”

I can almost see Will pushing his hair back as he groans. “Kyle and Sam went for a run on their own this morning.”

Now I’m growling. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Kyle and Sam, two of the pack teenagers, tend to find themselves in trouble more often since my dad stopped helping enforce pack rules.

Will continues, “They found some dead animals that looked…” His voice tapers off.

My frustrations only increase at his hesitancy. “They looked what, Will?”

“Well, they said they looked dissected, but there was no blood anywhere near them,” he says quickly.

“Dissected? Like, cut open?” I run my hand over my head, pinching the back of my neck.

“Yeah.”

Fuck. My mind works over possible reasons for animals to be poached in our area. It's not hunting season, and we don’t get many hunters this far south. We have never had this issue before, and it could be a one-off. Deciding I need to see this for myself, I say, “I’ll be by the station to pick you up in a few. I’m gonna offer Dr. Fawnsbeck a ride into town so that I might be a little longer.”

He lets out a small laugh. “Good luck with that. See you soon.” His chuckle is warranted after I spent a few hours sulking around town yesterday, undecided about how to convince my mate to trust me. I determined that it was better to try and find out who hurt her. That reality sits on my skin like an annoying bug bite. I can't stop itching.

So I texted my sister and asked her to make a neighborhood house call and see if she could break through Emma’s tough exterior. Holly called me late last night and told me how wary Emma was of letting them in. My girl has been through something. I wonder if that thing is still chasing her.

I breathe in the robust smell of coffee filling my small kitchen as I look out my front window. Even with my heightened wolf senses, I still can't hear Emma. My instincts are burning through my skin, and I need to see her, smell her, and take care of her. I get dressed and decide that my invitation to take her to town is just me being neighborly, helpful—and protective.

The soft, sweet smell of orange blossoms greets me as I walk across the yard up her driveway. My senses seem to be attuned to her—her smell, her sounds—and then imagining what she would taste like. The woman is quickly becoming a little bit of an obsession, even if she has pushed me back at every turn.

My feet are light as I step up her porch and tap her door. The silence suddenly feels scary. A pang of fear shoots through me like a current. It's nearly ten in the morning. She should be up by now, right?

It’s not unusual for us not to have locks on our doors, so I easily push into her house. The invasion of privacy feels uncomfortable, but my instincts are egging me on.

My voice fills the front living room. “Hello?”

Nothing. My heart is in my throat. Choking me.

“Emma?” My wolf surges forward, taking over my sight and hearing as he presses me to find our mate.

I turn the corner to the doorway of her bedroom, and there she is, in her underwear, facing the other way, rummaging through a large bag. Her hips sway to the music playing in headphones. I can clearly hear Taylor Swift.

“ Fuck me,” I hiss between clenched teeth as I slide my hand over my mouth, taking in every bare inch of her soft, porcelain skin.

Turn around, sweet girl .

She stands upright as if she's going to obey my command. I’m frozen in awe of her beauty. Her curls bounce wildly against her back; her mouth is parted and humming as she continues getting ready. She is a star sent down to this planet to remind us, mere mortals, what glowing is because she is lighting up this room.

I close my mouth and adjust my pants. O h shit. This voyeurism isn’t going to earn me any brownie points with the doctor. I turn away from her doorway, resting my back against the wall and breathing deeply. I let my eyes fall shut as I take in her scent, replay her body's gentle sway, and imagine what she would feel like pressed against me.

Silently, I stalk into the kitchen, adjusting the now-obvious bulge in my pants. My ears stay tuned to her song. When I hear it go quiet, I knock louder this time, pretending I haven’t been a stalker in her home.

“Hello, Emma?”

“Oh my gosh!” Her voice is panicked, and I cringe at the sound as a sense of shame washes through me that I scared her.

Her voice raises in annoyance. “Is it normal for you to come on in when you want?”

I let my eyes drag down her dressed body as she storms into the kitchen. She’s wearing a long-sleeved burgundy sweater with black leggings underneath.

As her mate, I see little wrong with entering her house and ensuring her safety. Given that she doesn’t know who I am and we just met, I can see her apparent concerns.

I gesture to the door. “Do you want me to go back out and knock?”

The puff of annoyance that fills her chest is adorable. Her hair is tossed side-to-side as she shakes her head. “Maybe next time, we'll try the door…with the knocking,” she adds.

There’s a tiny bubble of joy I try to contain as I walk back to the front door, pull it open, step out, and shut it behind me, pausing for the drama of this moment. I knocked loudly three times.

I hear the slightest hint of a giggle through the door, and then she's pulling it open and rolling her eyes. “A little late for that now, don't you think?” She motions for me to come in as she drifts back to the kitchen. The fanciest coffee maker I’ve ever seen is there and set up. She grabs a little pod and pops it in.

My body pulls closer to her in the large space as her eyes flick up to meet mine in a warning. She doesn't have to say it outright—the apprehension in her gaze, the purse of her lips, her body language, all telling me to back up as she makes her way to the fridge to grab the gallon of milk I sent over with Holly last night.

She finally breaks our stare and continues to glide around the kitchen. I let out a soft breath and backed up to sit in the front living room, satisfied with just being near her.

“So, is there a reason you're here?” She moves about, making herself some toast. Her wild blonde curls are soft and fluffy, and I can’t wait to run my hands through them. She watches me from the corner of her eye as I study her and for that brief moment, I imagine a hint of a smirk playing across her full lips.

“Hunter?” Her voice is sharp and cuts through my daydream.

I run my hand over my head and grab my neck, flexing my bicep slightly. I don’t miss the way her eyes pull towards my arm. Watching her take in my body is satisfying. “I wanted to know if I could take you into town to get something to eat.”

“Are you staying with me…to eat?”

Was there a tendril of hope in her voice? “I wasn’t planning on it unless you want me to?” All she would have to do is ask. I would give her the world.

She shakes her head, “Um, you can take me to town…” I can see she wants to say more, but eventually, she turns towards her coffee on the counter, taking a timid sip.

I help her into my truck. Even with her long legs, the truck sits pretty high, plus I don’t mind touching her.

I climb in the other side and start to turn around in our cul-de-sac. “So…” I start, “that's where I live,” gesturing to the house just a hundred yards from us.

She nods.

As we turn onto the main road, my voice pulls her eyes to me. “The Lodge where I grew up is left if you ever need anything, and I’m not home. There is always someone at the Lodge who can help.”

She nods again.

Some vain part of me enjoyed her attention, so as we pulled into town, I pointed out every business and building, including where I work.

The shy smile that pulls at her lips as she slides from my truck warms my beast. “I will see you in a few hours. I need to take care of some pack things. Then I can take you to the clinic…”

Her eyebrows bounce at me, and I don’t think much about it. I’m just grateful to be this close to her.

“Okay. Bye, Hunter.”

My eyes close as she says my name, “See you soon, Emma.”

The truck door slams shut as I watch her stand on the sidewalk outside my mom’s diner.

Will knocks lightly on the door of my truck as he jumps in. “Morning, Hunter.” His face falls as he sees the scowl on mine. “What happened?”

I’m annoyed that my mate didn’t invite me to spend the day with her and that I have to deal with teenagers in the woods when, in reality, this is a job better handled by the Alpha.

“Nothing,” I say as I pull back out onto the main street.

The drive to the old Sawmill passes quickly. My truck has upgraded suspension, so it easily handles uneven dirt roads. Pulling up to the open parking area, I see the boys and pull my truck up not too far from where they’re standing near their car. My annoyance once again flares to life. The Alpha should be here, putting the rules down and demanding the respect of the pack to obey them. All I have is the authority as his second-in-command.

“Kyle. Sam.” My bark is sharp and carries through the open space.

Both their heads jerk towards me and bow slightly, remaining low as they walk towards Will and me.

I hate this . It isn’t me . The Alpha is meant to punish and elicit fear—although I’m intimidating when I want, I’m not the Alpha.

“Who would like to tell me why you both were running by yourselves against orders?”

Kyle quickly says, “Sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

Sam nods in agreement. “We weren’t thinking. Sorry, sir.”

I don’t want to press this any further, and the sincerity in their voices has me ready to move this along, “Alright, boys, please don’t do this again. We just went for a run two nights ago. I’m sure Holly has already set up the next one. We need to stay safe right now, and I can’t do what I need to do when I’m worried about you two running through the forest.”

They nod in agreement.

Will takes over the conversation. “Show us what you found, guys.” He pats them both on the back and pushes them towards the hiking trail nestled in the tall pines.

I fall back slightly as a low hum fills the space between me and the rusted mill. As I step on the trail, I turn, scanning for threats. The rafters in the mill swing slightly as a low sound fills the area. I shake off any lingering unease and jog up the trail to catch up to Will and the boys.

My chest slams into Will’s back as he stops abruptly.

“What the fuck, dude?”

Then I see why he stopped. It is unnerving that I didn’t smell the scene in front of me before I saw it. Intestines and innards hang from trees, and hooves and paws litter the forest floor.

“Holy shit,” I whisper. I push past the group. I can see a raccoon head off to the side. There's a fuzzy tail of either a deer or rabbit near it. It's like someone had a bucket full of body parts and just chucked it here at the end of the trail.

Will’s voice is soft as he asks, “How many animals do you think this is?” The question has me looking for heads. I can only see three from where I’m standing, but I’m sure if I went digging through the thick underbrush, I’d probably find at least two more.

“Maybe five or six,” I answered.

I hear Kyle or Sam dry heave behind me while I push further off the trail. I’m careful not to step on any animal parts. Unfortunately, Will is not as cautious, and a liver squelches under his foot. The black ooze that comes out of the membrane makes me realize there is no blood anywhere—not a single drop.

“Where is all the blood?” I ask no one in particular. I focus on the teenagers, who look very green, “Was there blood when you found this?”

Kyle shakes his head. “No, but honestly, we didn’t get this close.” His hand shoots to his mouth as he holds back a heave.

I gesture to the trail. “Why don’t you guys run back to my truck and grab a garbage bag so we can clean this up.”

Will tosses the guys the keys. Then shouts to them, “Grab my gloves too. They are in the black bag in the back seat.”

We spent the next hour reviewing the scene, talking to the guys about how they found it, and taking pictures.

My body is tight with worry over what's going on with the pack and the fact that my dad seems to hesitate at every turn and couldn’t even show up this morning. The urge to call my brother presses down on me once more. I pull my phone out and look at his contact information.

“You going to call him today?” Will asks as he peeks over my shoulder.

I shake my head. “No, we can handle this, right?”

Will shrugs. “I don't know, it’s a lot to handle. Add in the mate bond…it may be time.”

“You're probably right, “ I say as we slide into the truck. I rub my sternum, trying to alleviate the acute pain. At least I get to see my mate soon .