The Rogue and His Hunter Mate

Chapter 9- From Zero to Hero(ish)

Khanna POV- The timeline now corresponds with Jakes’ from Chapter 6

My life has changed drastically since that day in the forest a few years ago. I went from being the joke at the hunters’ branch to being respected, sort of. At first, people were skeptical, especially when I told them what really happened, but then the doctor said that I was most likely delirious from blood loss and dreamt what really happened.

The doctor’s argument was so persuasive that it almost had me believing it, except for the cut in the abdomen. Only the doctor and Peter really believe me and know the truth. Once the doctor put forward his viewpoint, then people started to see me in a different light.

At first, I fought the doctor over this, but then he explained to me that he was using the argument as a smokescreen to hide the truth and protect me. If people believed me, then I would be in even more trouble, as the hunters would then view me as a threat.

At first, the hunters fought the change, but then when I started to be included in the training sessions and they saw that I was able to keep up with them, they were surprised. It was mainly thanks to Peter who continued to work with me in the evenings to help me to keep improving and get stronger. Every spare minute I had, I was either using it to better myself or I was in the gym.

Two years ago, I came of age and was able to finally move out of the hunters’ living quarters and into my own apartment. I got a part-time job that pays well; it is a remote job, so I am able to work from home and earn good money. I started the job when I was sixteen years old, so I had a good bit of money behind me when I moved out. I was able to buy my own home, so I don’t have to worry about rent.

Bradley tried to fight me but was unsuccessful, especially after the rest of the hunters were backing me. I am not silly; I know most backed me simply because they wanted to get rid of me. Even with being stronger and able to put the majority of them in their place verbally and physically, they still do not like me. They act like they do, but they don’t.

However, I now have friends, which is a first in my life. Peter and I have become good friends, and while he is a guard, I usually call on his services when I go out on missions. It is nice to know that I have Peter covering and protecting my back.

My friends are from the hunters’ association and also the outside world. The ones from the hunters’ association are from a different branch which is only about half an hour away. I tend to use that one as my base more than my branch, as the other branch makes me feel welcome. They also help to train me in hunter fighting skills, defense skills, and survival skills. It also means that the hunters at my branch get knocked on their butts when they challenge me, as they don’t expect me to be able to counter the new moves or weapons they have, not realizing that I have already learned them and how to counter them.

The friends from the outside world I met in the process of my work or by spending time at the local library and cafes that I tend to frequent. It is nice to have friends outside of the organization, who I can just be myself around. They always back me and support me, even if all I need is to rant a bit and let off steam. Although I am careful what I say around them, as we hunters remain hidden from the rest of the world still.

Looks and Missions

I stand in my bedroom, getting ready for the day. I stand there looking in the mirror. Who is looking back at me is totally different to the scrawny kid who moved out two years ago. I now have defined muscles. I may only be 5 foot 2, but I am toned and well-shaped. I have been gifted with a big bust and round buttocks, which makes the men drool whenever I am around. Even the hunters who do not like me appreciate my looks.

At first, I hid my body under baggy clothes due to all of the bullying and picking on me for my looks and weight when they stopped being able to physically harm me. But now I am confident enough in myself to wear skin-tight clothes, so I tend to wear black tank tops with skinny jeans or trousers. The skin-tight clothes help in my line of work, as when we are fighting, then it is easier to move around, but they also give less surface area for the enemy to grab onto.

My black hair complements my pale skin. Even now that I have moved out, my skin just will not tan, so I tend to look a bit like a vampire. This does cause issues with new hunters, but then they get to know that it is just my skin complexion. My blue eyes look weird in comparison with the rest of my looks, but I like them. They sparkle like diamonds when I laugh, and it makes me feel happy to think that at least one part of me is pretty.

I am now also included in missions, although I have not been back to the supernatural realm since that day with the two wolves. Ever since then, Bradley has made it very clear that I am not to go back to that realm ever again. At first, I was grateful, but now I am just suspicious. Other hunters have had interactions with the supernaturals, and that hasn’t stopped them from going back to that realm; actually, it is encouraged. Yet for me, it is forbidden.

The main hunting missions that I do go on are the ones in the human realm. The business has expanded from just the supernatural to other humans who either have something to do with the supernatural world and cause harm to ours, or who have bounties on their heads. I am often given the bounty jobs, mainly because I am able to get close to the prey and trap them before they can really resist or do anything to get away.

The Mystery of Jake

The supernatural missions are kept from me, mainly because I voice my concerns when I see supernatural creatures come into the hunters’ building and then taken straight down to the basement. Often I have tried to give medical care to them, only to be turned away or ridiculed because of it. I have reached out to many within the organization to find out what is going on, but Bradley and all of the higher-ups in the branch work hard to keep me in the dark.

However, I finally found out that the hunters are bringing in wolves and that is being logged on the system. I hacked the system and found out that Bradley personally hands out missions to a man called ‘Jake’ and that it is this man who gets the wolves that Bradley wants. Apparently, Jake lives in the supernatural realm; he was born there but turned traitor and defected over to our side when something happened. Bradley did not record what, nor did he record how or why the man started to work for Bradley, only that one day he turned up on the payroll and jobs were allocated to him.

The wolves that Jake hands over to Bradley disappear once it is recorded that they were collected. However, I have found that Bradley has a secondary system to the one he runs the hunters’ branch off of. That one is a tough nut to c***k. Although I have been working on it for three weeks now, I am only a tenth of the way through the security protocols. Got to give the man credit for his security. There is clearly something on that system that he does not want anyone to find out about.