The Hunter

Chapter 6

*Lydia’s POV*

    It was near pitch black when I finally made it to the abandoned warehouse where the rogue pack had settled.   The moonlight giving off just enough light to keep me from walking face first into a tree. I could see faint lamp light coming from one of the windows near where the female, Veronica, had set  up to hold the prisoner they mentioned earlier. She must be finishing up preparations for the prisoner. 

    I noticed the front door they were using was a little ajar.  Maybe I can slip in without her noticing.  I can take her out before they return. Be less to deal with when the real fight begins.  During my planning, I almost didn’t hear the vehicle engine rumbling in the distance.  The lights broke through the trees just as I was about to step out of my hiding spot.  s**t.  They’re back.  

    The truck pulls to a halt not far from the open door.  I see the back door on the passenger side open. One of the men from earlier steps out, dragging a squirming figure behind him.  I hear men laughing as another emerges from the same door. Both men grabbed an arm of the prisoner and pulled him in front of the car towards the warehouse door.  Once in the headlights, I could see the small human that was attempting to fight the men to get away. He’s just a kid!  He couldn’t have been no more than twelve or thirteen years old.  He was beaten and bloody. Fighting and growling in his attempt to get away.  They kidnapped a young boy.  I knew at that moment, wolf or not, I had to help him.    

    I had to re-evaluate my plan of attack.  From what I heard earlier, the kid was a wolf.  An alpha wolf, if I had heard Dane correctly, while they were planning their assault on the Blackwood pack.  So, if I set off a wolfsbane bomb, I risk hurting the kid. I had to get him out first. How? I still wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t leaving him in that place with those beasts. 

    After all the men had entered the building, I slowly crept out of my hiding spot and over to one of the windows near the occupied rooms.  A creak sounded as the door to the room opened. I peaked in to see the men dragging the boy in and begin to chain him to the wall.

“Let me go!  My father is going to rip you assholes apart when he comes for me!” the boy growled out, just before one of the men landed a punch to his right temple.  His body fell, bouncing his head off the concrete floor. 

“Your father isn’t coming any time soon kid.  Might as well stop fighting. It will only make things worse for you” Dane spoke as he stalked into the room.  

    Veronica walked over to the kid, picking his head up off the floor.  She started wiping blood from the young boys face. Tears evident in his eyes, and anger.  Lots of anger.  

“You guys were a little rough, don't you think?” Veronica said while helping the kid to a sitting position.

“Please, mam?  Help me. Please?  Ahhhhh!” he screamed in pain as Veronica violently twisted his wrist around.  Snapping it with ease.

Oh my god!  What is wrong with these people?

“Don’t call me mam, kid.  This is my house. You will call me Luna.  Got it?” Veronica laughed out as the boy clutched his wrist with his other shackled hand.

“Go to Hell, Luna!”  He spat at her.

    Dane grabbed the boy up by the neck, slamming him against the wall he was shackled to.  

“You will show my mate respect, or your family will get you back in pieces.  Do I make myself clear?”

    With that, he slammed the boys head into wall a couple more times, causing him to lose consciousness.  The group all began laughing as they walked out the room. Leaving the unconscious boy alone. I waited a few moments to ensure the coast was clear, and I reached up hoping the latch on the window was unlocked.  I was able to open the window, and climb through without making too much of a racket. The pack was to busy playing music on an old radio to celebrate their victory to pay much mind anyway.  

    Once inside, I took one of my blades from its holster.  I slowly made my way across the dust covered floor to where the boys body lay.  His face was still bruised and blood was seeping from an open wound on his lip. He was healing, but slowly.  From the looks of his body, he took way more hits than what I’d observed.  

    I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and gave him a good shake in an attempt to wake him.  He let out a small moan, and started to stir a little on the floor.   

“Hey kid.  Please, wake up.  I’m going to try to get you out of here, but you have got to open your eyes for me.  Can you do that?” I whispered as low as I could. Hoping his supernatural hearing could pick it up without alerting his captures I was there.  He slowly nodded his head. Taking in a deep breath as he made his attempt to move into a sitting position.

“Owe!”  He screamed in pain and clutching to his side.  He must have a few broken ribs from the assault that was inflicted upon him.  I just hoped his healing would move a little faster. I knew we wouldn’t make it far with him in this condition.  I quickly placed my hand over his mouth to muffle his screams. He looked at me puzzled by my action. That’s when I noticed his eyes.  His deep brown, familiar eyes. Why does he look so familiar?  His eyes. I swear I’ve seen those eyes before.  

“We have to be quiet.  If they hear us, we will never make it out of here alive.  I know it hurts, but you need to be strong right now. Can you do that?  I’m going to get you out of this. Can you tell me your name?  

“Parker.”  He replied.  Nodding his head in understanding.

“Hi Parker.  I’m Lydia” I replied back with a smile.  “Now, lets see what we can do about these chains.  Shall we?”

    Luckily, one of the skills my family learns early on is how to pick a lock.  The cuffs on these chains were no different.  I was able to use two hair pins from my hair to jimmy one of the cuffs off with ease.  As I am about to start on the second chain, I am grabbed from behind by my hair and slammed against a wall. I feel a hand grab at my throat and I began pulling at the hand as I feel claws begin to penetrate the skin on my neck.  

“Well well well.  What do have here?”  Veronica whispers as she begins to sniff up my cheek.  “A human? Now, what is a human doing in this neck of the woods, aye? “

“Let her go!” Parker growls out at the she-wolf, but she just turns to laugh at his threat. 

“I think not little pup.  I think I’ll keep her.  After all, I’ll need a new toy to play with once we are rid of you.”  

    She turns back to me. A maniacal smile growing across her face. Even in the dark, I can see her canines beginning to protrude from her gums.  I reach down to grab my dagger, but she grabs my forearm and slowly begins twisting my arm. I can’t help but to scream out in pain. I can feel the bones shifting.  I prepared myself for the pain I would feel once my bones finally snapped. Then a deep growl resonated across the room. I hear the sound of concrete shifting.  

    Veronica releases her hold on my body and turns towards Parker who just ripped his chain from the wall and was about to strike at her.  Before he could make a move, I grabbed my still sheathed dagger from its holster, and launched it towards her throat. As I pull the dagger from its wound, Veronica dropped to the floor clutching her neck and gasping for air, but all we could hear is the gurgling of blood gushing out of the wound.  I slowly walked back towards Parker while never taking my eyes off the dying she-wolf.

“We need to get out of here now!”  I state urgently.  

    We make a dash for the window I had previously used to enter the building.  I motion for Parker to climb through first, and he does without hesitation. I then make my attempt to climb back through the window, but was quickly jerked back through.  I was held up by hand. My feet dangling what felt like two feet off the ground.  

“You b***h!  What the hell have you done?!”  His voice boomed around me. I shuddered with fear.  This is it.  This is how i die.  I feel his hand snake it’s way up my arm, my neck, and into my hair.  He wraps my hair tightly in his fist and pulls me closer. He tilts my head to the side.  Exposing my neck. He rubs his nose up neck and across my cheek. Taking deep breaths, as if he is taking in my scent.  

“I have found myself in need of a new b***h.  I think you will do quite nicely.” He growls against me.  Multiplying the shivers already taking over my body. Instinct finally sets in, and I start kicking and using my free hand to push away from the beast in front of me.  My fist connects with his eye as my boot kicks hard into his manhood.  He drops me to the floor. I start to crawl away, and run into something metal on the floor. My other dagger I had dropped when Veronica grabbed me earlier while I was freeing Parker.  

    I grab the dagger in my hand just as a feel a sharp pain in my side.  I screamed out. It felt like my skin was burning off. I look down to see the large wolf towering over me with his teeth dug deep into my side.  I took the dagger in my hand and swung with all my might connecting with the same eye I had made contact with before. The enormous black wolf jumped back howling in pain.  I scurried to my feet just as the others come bursting into the room. Growls erupted as I leaped out of the window and thudded to the ground.

“s**t!”  I winced.  Pain emanating from my wound.  It burned something fierce. I could feel the were-venom coursing through me.  Parker pulled me up from the ground and grabbed my hand. We made a run for the woods.  Parker pulling me behind him. I knew he could have been a mile or more away from here by now.  I wouldn’t have blamed him for leaving me behind after what he had endured during his capture. He was slowing himself down just so I could keep up.  

    We stopped for only a brief moment when we heard glass shattering from behind us. Angry howl's breaking through the dark of the night.  I turned back to Parker. Fear showing in his wide eyes.  

“Lydia, we have to move faster.  Can you run?”

“Parker, just run.  Get out of here. He bit me.  I’m going to die anyway. At least it will give you the chance to get away.  Get to safety. Just go!” I reply back. Pushing him towards the direction we were running.  

“I’m not leaving you.  Not like this. They will rip you apart!”

“The rogue venom will just kill me anyway.  I’d rather die knowing you got away than us both getting caught, and this being all for nothing.  Please. Just go.”

“No!”  He growled out.  He grabbed my hand tighter and began pulling me into a run.  I was barely able to keep up with him, but he wasn’t letting go.  I could hear the pack of wolves getting closer to us. Then, I could hear another band of howling in the distance.  “Yes! Lydia, this way. Hurry. Help is on the way!”

    I was starting to get dizzy.  My heart beating through my chest.  Pumping the were-venom faster and faster through my body.  The wound was still bleeding, and the blood loss was getting to me as well. I tripped over a fallen tree branch.  Pulling Parker to the ground with me.  

“I can’t Parker.  I can’t do it. Please.  The venom. It’s killing me.  Save yourself.”  I felt like I was about to pass out. 

“No no no.  Please don’t do this.  You have to stay awake.”

    There was a rustle of leaves and the sound of a twig snapping in the dark near our location.  A low angry growl emanating from a shadowy figure emerging into the moonlight. The large black wolf then shifted back to its human form.  I could see the scar on his face from the wound I have previously made with my blade. Thanks to the wolfsbane, it couldn’t heal properly, and also left his eye disfigured.  My only little victory of this encounter.  

“You can save her boy.  The bite of an alpha. Even a young alpha like yourself.  That’s all it takes. One bite from you will save her.”

Parker looks down at me.  A flood of emotions in his eyes.  Fear. Sadness. Regret.  

“Parker, what are you doing?  No…”

“I’m saving you.  I'm saving you like you saved me.”  He interrupts. His canines protruding from his gums and his eyes turning a deep shade of obsidian.  Before I can protest any more, he digs his razor sharp teeth into my arm. I screamed out as the blood began to flow from the wound.  Dane lets out a reverberating growl and jumps towards the young wolf. Before he makes contact, another figure emerges from behind us.  Leaping and catching Dane mid air. 

   Dane’s pack begin to emerge from the darkness to assist their wannabee alpha, but are quickly taken down by two other wolves coming from behind us.  One of Dane’s wolves, a small gray wolf, was trying to assist his leader against the larger brown wolf, but the wolf quickly maneuvered him to the ground.  He got the small wolf’s head in his mouth. With ease, he snapped the gray wolf’s neck.  

    Dane and his other wolves all stopped fighting.  Staring at their fallen comrade. They all begin to growl, but it seems as if the brown wolf is amused with their anger.  He moves to a stance to attack again, but Dane gives a nod to his remaining members.  

“This isn’t over Blackwood.  Your family. That b***h. You will pay.”  With that, he shifts and runs off into the darkness.  The other two wolves behind him.  

    I was starting to get dizzy again.  A little from the wounds I’d endured.  Mostly from the scene happening around me.  Parker held my head in his lap. Ensuring me everything was going to be okay now.  His brother was here. We were safe. I wasn’t safe.  I was a hunter.  Surrounded by werewolves.  Bleeding from the bite marks I’d suffered.  If I did make it out of this alive. I was going to be a werewolf.  I was a hunter in a family of hunters. I don’t know what they would do if they found out.  How would I even keep something like this from them. Should I tell them?  Would they kill me?  Could they kill me? All these thoughts running through my head.  My head was beginning to pound. I hadn’t even noticed the other familiar set of brown eyes now staring down at me.  

“Lydia?  Lydia?  Can you hear me?  I think she’s going into shock.  We need to get her out of here. It’s okay Lydia.  I got you.”  

I could feel his arms around me.  Picking me up bridal style from the cold, forest floor.  I looked up to see his worry filled eyes looking down at me.

“She saved me brother.  I had to do something. She risked her life for me.  I know I’m not supposed to. Father is going to kill me!”

“I’ll take her back to the motel.  It will be okay. Just calm down. Nikki will take you back to the pack house.  Michael, you come with me. Nikki, mind link if anything happens.” He turns back to the young boy still shaking in front of him.  “I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise.” He says reassuringly to Parker. “Now, get out of here. Be safe.”

    I look up, finally realizing what is happening.  He glances down at me with a weak smile as he begins to carry me through the woods.  

“We will get through this.  I promise.”

“Theo?  What the hell…” before I could finish my sentence, I felt my eyes getting heavier.  I allowed them to close, and fell into a deep sleep.