The Rogue and His Hunter Mate

Chapter 2- Enter Khanna

Khanna POV

For the past ten years, I have been working as a hunter. I started when I was five years old. I was abandoned by my birth parents, and Bradley took me in and started to train me in the way of the hunters.

When I was five years old, my parents just upped and left one day. I remember the feeling of abandonment and loneliness creeping into my bones, but I just kept searching for my parents. I cried and screamed for them but never found them. Many have thought that it was because I may have been the runt of my family, and they did not want me because I would be a burden on them.

Bradley told me that he found me wandering the streets, screaming and crying for my parents. He tried to help me find them, but they were nowhere to be found. Not even the police could locate them. It was then that Bradley decided to adopt me legally and take me under his wing.

As soon as the adoption was finished, I started training for the life of a hunter. The first few years were just learning about the supernatural world and all of the damage and destruction that they cause both in their realm and in this one. Then, when I was nine, I started weapons training and physical training.

What I learnt about supernaturals should have made me hate them; the destruction they caused and the blatant lack of any social morals was infuriating. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but question it. Why were we only learning from one side? Why not actually reach out to them and try to see if we could communicate with them?

When I posed this to Bradley, I was met with scorn and punishment. So publicly, I oppose the supernaturals and want them gone, but privately, I work to try to find out more about them. I want to know what they are like—whether they are killing beasts or if they are actually more humane than we are.

Many would think that being adopted by Bradley would mean that I would be happy or live a normal life. But no. Everyone here seems to enjoy picking on me. At first, it was just words and comments, and then it became physical. Of course, they only ever attack me during practice or if Bradley is not around, and if he does turn up or finds out, then they simply claim it was an accident.

I did speak about it once with Bradley, but he just brushed it off. And when others found out, they made my life hell for a few weeks. So I learned to keep it all inside, resolving that one day when I am stronger, I will fight back. I will make sure that they will not mess with me again.

I am currently in the gym, working out some of the aggression from the training I just received. I excel at using weapons, but hand-to-hand combat is a struggle for me, mainly because I am smaller than my opponents so I cannot hit as hard as them. This causes the trainers to lose their temper with me and shout or humiliate me. I have learned to just take it and then work out my aggression in the gym, although the punch bag tends to need changing every few months.

One day, when I am physically stronger, I will give it as good as the trainers, and then take them on. I am determined to do that; I refuse to keep being seen as the weak orphan that Bradley took pity on.

I just keep landing punch after punch on the punch bag, denting it where I keep hitting it in the same place each time.

“Hi Khanna.” Someone calls, causing me to stop punching the punch bag and look around.

I look up and see Bradley enter the room. I smile and wave.

“Hi Bradley.”

“How’s it going?”

Before I can answer, something behind him catches my attention.

“Bradley, who is that?” I ask as two of Bradley’s underlings carry in an unconscious man.

“No one for you to worry about,” Bradley says in a tone that leaves no room for questions.

At first, I just disregard the man, but then when he shifts in the men’s arms, I see his face, and I am unconsciously drawn to him. All I want to do is go to him and be with him. I have never felt this way before.

“How is training going?” Bradley asks me, pulling me from my thoughts of being with the man.

“It is going well. My hand-to-hand combat is getting stronger, although my strength is still best used with weapons,” I say honestly.

Bradley nods. “Keep up the good work,” he says, making me smile.

I watch as Bradley walks away from me and directs the two men behind him to put the man they are carrying into the room. The room, from what I understand, is where ‘special’ guests stay when Bradley wants to talk to them. About what, I do not know, as Bradley tends to keep me in the dark about them.

I feel a slight pang in my chest when I see the man they are carrying and that he is hurt.

“Wait!” I call out, causing Bradley and the men to stop and turn to me. “At least let me tend his wound, please?”

Bradley looks at me and then back to the man, then nods at me. I quickly grab the first aid kit that we keep in every room and run over to the man. I start by cleaning his head wound with disinfectant and then applying some antiseptic cream to the skin around the wound. I can see that while I am cleaning the wound, it is healing faster than it should. I am guessing the man is a werewolf, but I keep quiet in fear of what might happen if they learn he is healing. I then grab the bandage from the first aid kit and start to wrap it around the man’s head.

Once the wound is cleaned and the bandage is tightly on, I step away and the men carry on walking, taking the man out of my sight. I don’t know what it is, but something inside of me hurts seeing him like this. All I want to do is get him out of here. My chest hurts without him here, like an elastic band is wrapped around it.

What is going on?