The Hunter’s Daughter

Chapter 4: Conversation

(Ivy’s POV)

“Now excuse me I’ll be going back to my room to pack my things I’ll find somewhere else to stay if my being here is going to disrupt things.” I brush him to the side and stomp into the house and up the stairs to the floor where my room is. Once I’m up there I walk past Gabriel’s door which is cracked open. I knock on the door.

“Come in.” He says in a quiet voice.

“Hey, it’s me, Ivy,” I say softly and walk into the room. He looks at me and frowns.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. Things usually aren’t like this around here.”

“Then why are things like this now because of me? “ I question. He looks at me sympathetically his deep blue eyes softening. He motions for me to sit and I take a seat on the corner of his bed and he sits next to me.

“You see little bird this land is cursed no one can find their mates because of a cloaking spell the witches cast upon this land almost thirty years ago. All of the men in the pack have been searching for our mates for years now. When we find a woman whom we think might be our mate we take them some miles outside of the pack grounds and go on a run with them to see if we can feel the mate bond with them. That is what Oscar, Ajax, and Jared were doing last night when they stumbled upon you in the woods. They were ambushed by your father and the rest of those hunters and the women that they took out there with them were casualties. Jared almost died trying to save them.” He swallows hard.

“Were any of the girls their mates?” I ask genuinely intrigued now.

“ I don’t think so they didn’t feel any mate pull with them and they weren’t in pain after the girls were killed. Even though we can’t feel the mate bond or find our mates if one of our mates were to die even before we know that they are ours we would be really sick even near death for a long time.” He explains.

“Oh, man. That’s really sad. I hope I can find my mate someday.” I twiddle my thumbs nervously.

“You see Ivy that’s the thing. After meeting you a few of the guys have had weird things happening to them. Oscar and Jax felt tingles from you. I have a heightened sense of smell around you but only for your scent. And Oliver. Oliver gets jealous and overprotective of you.” He says looking into my eyes.

“None of us know but we think that you could be one of our mates. And it sucks that one of us might be getting a little closer to you when we don’t know whose mate you are.” He looks away.

“But why do those things make you guys think I could be one of your mates?” I question.

“Because before you we’ve felt NOTHING like that for any woman. what has been described to us by the elders and our parents is that those are reactions one would have to their mate or potential mate. And we’ve all had some type of reaction to you little bird.” He slides his hand into mine and caresses my palm with his thumb.

“I’d be honored if you were my mate but even if you aren’t I would always be there for you as a friend.” He says sweetly. I can’t help but blush no one has ever talked to me this way not even Maximo. He was more old-fashioned, women have to be homemakers and bow down to their husbands' type.

“Thank you, Gabe.” I smile at him.

“I don’t know much about finding a mate because I’m a late bloomer with this wolf thing but I’m sure that whoever your mate is will definitely be lucky to have you.” He smiles at me cheerily.

“Thanks, little bird.” He kisses me softly on the forehead and my mind wanders to the possibility of us being mates, I wonder what the mate bond feels like.

“It’s the best feeling in the world.” Aspen chimes in.

“How do you know?” I ask her.

“Because I was someone else’s wolf before you and I had a mate and we lived a long life together and I died of old age but the moon goddess called me from my resting place so that I could be born again through you.” She says solemnly.

“But why?” I ask and she goes quiet.

Gabriel looks at me quizzically.

“Were you talking to your wolf just now?” He asks.

“Yeah she has been being very cryptic lately I’m trying to make sense out of some of the things she's been saying.”

“What has she been saying?”

“She’s been in contact with the moon goddess, and that she was here before and I’m the second person she’s been paired with. It makes no sense.” He furrows his brows at me as if he’s in deep thought.

“We have a legend in this pack that was prophesied by one of the high Willow witches in the mountain that says an emerald-eyed hybrid wolf would come here and break the barrier between human and wolf. Setting our pack free from the prison we are basically in. It says that that wolf would make a great sacrifice to save the pack and protect us from the hunters.” He pauses his eyebrows knitted together like he wants to say something else but doesn’t.

“What?” I ask him greedy for more information.

“The rest isn’t important.” I frown. He’s withholding something I just need to know what it is.

“How did you get those scars on your back?” I change the subject. His face falls into a horrified look, maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up.

“When I was fifteen there was a rogue attack and my dad and my sister were away, they used to do father-daughter days and my mom and I would have mother-son days. Well, we were having a movie day and the pack was attacked. We had lived in a house right next door to here and two rogues raided our home. My mom tried to fight them off and they hurt her very badly. I tried to fight them off, to help her and one of the rogues clawed my back I was on the floor and bleeding out but I could see they had shifted back into their human Form and they were laughing at my mom, taunting her about killing me and what else they were going to do to her. He says. I wipe a stray tear from my eyes. I can see that his eyes are black with anger but there’s something else on his face, regret, pain, sadness even. I place my hand on his shoulder and caress it lightly.

“They pulled out a bottle filled with silver nitrate. They were going to make her drink it. I used every ounce of strength in my body to pull myself to my feet I ran over to them knocking the rogue with the bottle over. The silver nitrate flew into the air and spilled everywhere some landing on the rogue and my mom as well as my back. Once the other rogue saw us all covered in the Silver nitrate he ran off. Help came a few minutes later and they took the rogue into custody. But my mom..” he pauses visibly shaken. I squeeze his shoulder with my hand.

“My mom's face was burned badly. She has scars covering the entire left side of her face and her eyesight is gone on the left side. And I..”

“We’re left with those scars on your back.” I finish. He lets out a huge breath of air like he’s been holding this in for years without speaking about it. He nods.

“I am so sorry this happened to you and your mom Gabe. That’s horrible and no one should have to go through that. I’m glad that you and her survived.” I say genuinely. He smirks at me a little.

“Thanks, little bird. But if I had fought back harder my mom would’ve never been burned or lost her sight.” He says beating himself up mentally.

“If you hadn’t done what you did your mom wouldn’t be here! You are a hero. You’re brave and strong and you did everything you could to protect her. I’m sure she feels very lucky to have you as a son.” He smirks at me.

“Is that so little birdie?” He chuckles.

“Yeah, I think it’s true.” Things go quiet for a few moments.

“You know I was coming up here to pack my bag and leave but after talking to you I feel a little more at ease. Maybe even a little safer being here.” I say.

“Well, I’m glad you’re deciding to stay here a little longer. And thank you for stopping and checking on me even though you did not have to.”

“I did have to I wanted to make sure your face was okay Oliver punched you and you were bleeding,” I say worried.

“Please little birdie those punches did nothing to me but hurt my poor pride.” He chuckles shoving my arm playfully. I laugh with him and then get up and straighten out my sweater.

“Thanks for the chat I was going to get breakfast but I’m kinda tired I think I’m going to lay back down for a little while,” I say.

“Okay, little bird I’ll see you later.” Gabe flashes a cheesy grin. I leave his room and head back to mine after shutting my door I climb back into bed and just lay there for a little while.

(Oliver’s POV)

“Oliver, why did you do that to YOUR beta?” My brother questions me. I scoff and plop down into the chair behind the desk in my office.

“Answer me!” He says through gritted teeth.

“I don’t have to answer you, Oscar.” I scoff.

“I’m the Alpha, not you, not Gabriel or Jaxon only me!”

“Well, you are being a s**t Alpha right now!” He shouts. I slam my fist on the desk cracking the wooden top.

“Get out of my office!” I bark.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I am an alpha too! I may not be the alpha of this pack but I am still an alpha and you will respect me for that reason.” Oscar demands and this takes me by surprise. He’s usually a mellow guy, chills and laid back not trying to get too involved in pack business or politics. He’s never even asserted that he was an alpha before. I sit there quietly waiting for him to say something else. But he just stands there with a serious look on his face.

“You think Ivy may be your mate that’s why you got so angry at her petting Xander Gabriel’s wolf.” He raises an eyebrow knowingly.

“So what if I do think she may be my mate?” I shrug.

“So what?” He questions.

“Ollie you and I both know it’s not ‘so what’ if she is your mate then she is the next Luna and needs protection. But I have to be honest. There’s a possibility she could be my mate or Gabriel’s or even Jaxon’s mate.” He says honestly. I didn’t notice but a low growl escapes my lips at those words. Could she be one of their mates? I ask myself.

“Yeah she could be, but we will never know whose mate she is unless we take her off the boundaries of the cloaking spell. Not just beyond the mountains where the curtain is up but completely off of these lands.” Midnight says.

“The moon convention!” I shout and Oscar looks at me quizzically.

“What about it?” He asks.

“We are all attending the moon convention this year. Where the meeting of the Alphas happens. The elders scheduled it to be in Hawaii this year since it’s the twentieth anniversary they wanted it to be like a large vacation as well as the convention.” I continue.

“Once we are up in the air away from here we will..”

“Be able to tell whose mate she is!” Oscar finishes excitedly.

“Geez, I knew you were good for something!” He jokes. I smirk.

“Shut up Oscar with any luck she’ll be my mate.”

“Or mine.” He says stepping closer to my desk.

“What if she’s none of our mates,” I say.

“Then she isn’t our mate and we’ll just be a friend to her.” He says sure. I nod thinking over our conversation.

“Well, the convention is the day after tomorrow she only has a small bag of clothes with her nothing appropriate for Hawaii. Why don’t you take her to the Mall in town and buy her some stuff, I’m sure she needs some essentials.” Oscar nods his head and starts towards the door.

“I’ll mind link the guys and let them know.” He says before he walks out the door.