The Hunter and the Rogue Workers Union

Chapter 6

Charm, Ice Cream and A Crazy Wolf

The child sat happily between Russell and Sally kicking her feet while she smiled and waved at everyone in the room. The pack members loved her charm and sweet smile. Soon her plate was a happy plate, and they were in the entertainment room watching a funny little kid’s movie about some fish and the open ocean. Right before the movie started, Siku walked into the semi-dark room. Sally looked up and became trapped in his eyes for a moment before he turned his gaze towards his daughter. The child sat there just looking at her father until he smiled at her, nodding his head. She walked up to him, carefully taking his hand and leading him back to her spot on the floor. When Siku sat down, Sally put a little distance between them. She did not want to feel any sparks from him during the movie. Starlit laughed, giggled and shrieked all the way through the movie, warming everyone’s heart. Though she was sitting in her father’s lap her feet were on Sally’s leg. Sally said nothing to Siku until it was time to get the ice cream, and she asked the rogue what flavor he wanted. He seemed quite timid as he looked down at Sally and then looked quickly at the ice cream before asking for strawberry. The young lady behind the counter tried to look cute towards him but he did not show any interest in her. He seemed to only have noticed Sally that evening. It was strange how the mate bond could have such power, for even though she should be mad at him, she was not. In fact, at that moment, everything seemed possible, everything seemed almost perfect, like they were a real couple. She pushed aside the pain in her heart and, for once in her life, she just lived in content for a moment having ice cream with someone she could love.

It was not long before all the pack members started to filter out of the packhouse and back to their own homes. Starlit had gone over to talk to the Luna before they left and they seemed to be having a lovely time as Siku and Sally finished their ice cream in silence. Starlit started to rub her eyes, but this did not stop her from talking to the Alpha and the Luna. It was strange to see such a young pup talk to two such strong Alphas like they were average wolves. Well, Sally spoke to any Alpha in that manner, but hunters existed outside the established hierarchy. They were the scary thing that goes bump in the night to all other creatures except for humans. To their humans, they were soft teddy bears. If it was not for the fact that Sally smelled human and acted nothing like a hunter, the pack would have been very weary of her. This subject must have been on Siku's mind as they walked back to the cottages.

“Over my travels I have met many hunters and many war heroes, and you are nothing like either.” Russell had already traveled ahead of them with a very sleepy Starlit. He wanted to give them a chance to talk.

“I was not raised with hunters.” Sally stopped. “I grew up in…the subject is also off limits,” she said, putting some distance between them. File, Carter Silver, alpha born, younger brother to the current Alpha Silver of the Silver pack and current Beta to the Silver Pack. His mate, Eva Silver, is the current female Beta to the Luna. Carter Silver is the current heir to the position of Alpha of the Silver Pack.

He catches up to her and grabs her by the arm, turning her around. “I can hear you going through files in your mind. It is not blocking me out.”

“It is not meant to block you out. It calms me down. You should try it sometimes instead of ingesting toxic substances.” Sally stormed off towards the cottage with her rage starting to make its way to the surface. Why was she so angry? She is always calm for the most part, but right now all she could feel was pure madness. It was almost overwhelming. She stopped and looked back at her mate.

“I am sorry. I should not have entered your mind. I just want to get to know you and it is hard when you keep pushing me away,” said Siku in almost a whisper.

“That was his rage, wasn’t it?”

“I did not mean for it to cross over. It is hard sometimes to control.”

“I have no idea what it is like to have another soul inside your body, but I think it would take a good deal of self-control. Your self-control must be at incredible levels.”

“You do not have a spirit guide?” He asked, after what she had said settled into his head.

“No, I am all alone in that, but I have done well without one. But keep it to yourself. You know how hunters feel about their secrets getting out. I am not messed up about it. After seeing everyone else fighting with theirs, I feel like I have won the lottery in that area.”

“Yes, I think you may have. My wolf was half feral before the experiments. Let’s just say I have had years of practice dealing with a mad wolf. We were never friends like most. He rarely speaks to me and when he does it is never nice. A mage helped me lock him up in a cage deep in my mind in my youth. The experiments released him and now I can’t find anyone who can put him back.” She looked at him for a moment, thinking about what he had just said.

“Please, tell Russell I said it was OK for him to tell you what he knows. He probably knows more than my own mom. I just do not like to talk about it and I have my reasons. You know how it was and now I am still waiting for something to make it somehow better but nothing…” Siku suddenly kissed her with great emotion and passion. He held her in a tight hug as he spoke to her.

“Thank you” was all he had time to say before raising his eyes towards his cottage. His half-crazy ex-girlfriend stepped out into the street before him. Sally turned and saw the drunk woman stumbling towards them. Luckily, Starlit was already asleep on Sally’s couch. Poor girl must have passed out in Russell’s arms on the way back to the cottage.

“Why don’t I keep the girl tonight? You look like you have your hands full for what might be most of the night.” Sally said as a growl left Siku's mouth, he walked towards the drunk, she-wolf.

“What are you doing carrying on with such a wolfless piece of trash when you have such a strong, she-wolf under your roof?” Said the slightly tall brunette with sunken eyes and pale thin lips. She may have once been a looker, but those days were smoked away some years ago. Sally only shook her head at the thought of her being strong. That drunk, drug addict was in danger from the weakest omega in the pack.

“Maryann, go back into the house,” said Siku sternly. Russell had stepped out of the house with his imaginary popcorn ready to watch the show.

“No, I will not let some harlot take you from me. I am the mother of your child.” She screamed back, making sure half the pack heard her nonsense.

“You are the mother of my child, but that is all you are to me. You are supposed to be the main caregiver of our child but you have failed as usual. We have both failed. I can hire an old grandmother to take your place and put your butt on a bus to our old pack. No one here will stop me. Everyone can see what you are. There are at least four she-wolves who are going to be looking for blood when they find out what you have been up to with their mates. I would hate to forget that I am out in the open where the pack can hear me and then I suddenly start to drop names. Now, that may save me the cost of one bus ticket.” He said with a smile as his ex-girlfriend started to push him into the cottage.

Sally and Russell started to laugh when the door closed behind the odd couple. The little one started to stir on the couch so Sally moved her into her bedroom. As she carried the child, a need to protect was starting to stir deep within her chest. But why this child? Hunters only feel that for humans and never shifters. Maybe it was because this was her mate’s child. Once the child was tucked securely under the covers and the window locked and double-checked, Sally left the room.

“Russell, have you heard of a hunter being mated to a shifter?” she asked in almost a whisper.

“No,” he said, “but Miss. 120, there is nothing normal about you or the others. How many twelve-year-olds have done what you have done? I mean I am sure there are some in the past, but that night sent a message to the three Queens. One, they all seemed to have forgotten.”

“From the weakest come the strongest.” She said trying not to be pulled back into that moment. “One bullet changed everything.”

“Three monsters, the bullet was just the chosen tool. They could have used machetes and you still would have overcome it. That is just how humans work. The crazy thing is, most humans want to be like us, but most of us just want to be like them.”

“Why?”

“I am currently and proudly under the protection of a hunter. There is a lot of scary stuff out there and most of them are evenly matched, but hunters work as a family unit for the most part and they have no equal. Plus, a hunter can just pop up from any human family. No Alpha blood or Beta blood, though I am starting to hear that has started to happen to shifters towards the end of the war. I have not seen it yet but there is talk that we are changing also. Who knows, I may be Alpha Russell someday. Then I will have to get some new clothes and a nice car and then I will be beating she-wolves off with a stich.” He said with his cheesy smile.

“As opposed to them just beating you with a stick trying to get you to go away.” Russell started to play fight with Sally as they both laughed. “Go to bed great Alpha of the pee wee fight club. We have a lot of work tomorrow. Sally checked all the windows and doors one last time before getting into bed with the sweet little princess.