The Elemental Huntress

Chapter 5 - Handsome Stranger

ELIRA POV

The next morning during training, I could tell Willa was waiting on me to say something to Rhydian.

He was helping us with combat training this morning, and every time I thought I had built up the courage to talk to him, I chickened out.

We had woken up at sunrise and changed into our combat gear for training. Rhydian was supposed to be helping out today as he sometimes did.

I hadn't worked up the courage to tell him all morning.

Willa and I were heading back to the villa to prepare for the school day. It was a little overcast this morning, and I could sense that Willa was a little disappointed. "I will do it, I promise. I just need the day to work up the courage, ok? This could change everything Willa, I know you're loyal to me and will love me no matter what, but I'm not so sure he is as loyal as you. You know how he is when it comes to the supernatural stuff, and he truly believes in our forsaken oath as hunters."

I persisted to Willa that waiting one more day wasn't going to make that much of a difference.

She nodded without saying anything while she listened to me speak, then she said something that surprised me.

"No matter what happens, I go where you go. So whatever you need right now, Elira, you have my full support." I stopped walking as a result of my surprise. She turned and hugged me before walking into the villa.

I followed Willa into the house and headed straight for my room. It was an unpredictable kind of day today. I could feel it deep within, something was stirring inside of me, and I had no idea what it meant. I quickly chucked on some dark green cargo pants with my black lace singlet top, it showed a little of my midriff, but I didn't care about that. I put on my combat boots as I brushed my hair. I quickly grabbed my leather coat and headed for the door.

My black Camaro was sitting in the driveway, just waiting for us. Seconds after I got in the car, Willa joined me. We both gave each other a knowing look and headed off for the school.

☆☆☆☆

The day went by quickly, it was as if I was going through the motions. Attending my classes, socialising with, what I could almost call my group of friends. Willa and I had formed a decent group of friends in the first week of school. It comprised of myself and Willa, Elaine, Zura and Nesrin. It was strange to be hanging out with the werewolves so much considering I hated them. But to be honest, it was easier, humans weren't supposed to know about the supernatural, and it was easier to be around the wolves because they knew who and what we were.

From what I could piece together so far, Elaine was a she wolf who lived on the pack lands with her uncle. She had a boyfriend but he wasn't her destined mate. They had known each other since they were little kids and had eventually gotten into a relationship. His name was Rick. In fact, he was the male I had kissed the same night I kissed Elaine.

Zura was mated to one of the Alpha bloods, a twin named Liam. He was two years older. So that meant she was the only one who had found her destined mate.

Willa and I didn’t hold the same beliefs in love or mateship the way the other girls in our group did, but neither of us could deny the love that was evident between a mated pair. We only had to glimpse Zura with her mate to know it was real. At least to them it was.

I knew once I got back to the villa I would need to talk to Rhydian. Despite my fear of losing him as a best friend, I had to get to the bottom of what was happening to me. He was the only other person who could help me.

I was finishing up in my final class when I got a text from Willa "I'm going to study with Otis after class today, head on back without me and I'll catch you later. You can tell me all about your chat with Rhydian."

I had totally forgotten about this sudden crush she had on a human boy named Otis. It was kind of rare to see her fall for anyone, especially him, as he really wasn't her usual type. I replied to her text and let her know that she needed to make sure she ‘studies’ and that I'd knock on her door later tonight for a catch up before bed.

The school bell rang, and as I walked to my car, I remembered about last night. The random wolf, black as night and the rogue disappearing. I was determined to investigate and decided I would follow it up before heading home.

I made sure I had my crossbow, daggers and gun before I headed to the coven’s old underground lair. I did a quick sweep to make sure none had returned before I started to retrace my steps of that night.

Now that I had begun to come to terms with my heightened senses, I began to notice things more and more. Right now, my nose was telling me everything I needed to know.

I came upon the field I had stopped in the night before. Instead of turning around this time, I headed through the thick grass. It was 5pm in late September, a couple more hours of daylight remained. I made my way through the field of grass and headed into a thick set of bush and trees.

I could sense a change in the air, something told me I might now be in Alpha territory. I wasn't afraid of this, more curious than anything else. As I headed deeper into what was beginning to feel like a forest, I suddenly smelt rogues, a dozen of them.

What is with this town and its rogues? Like seriously, is there some kind of breeding ground underneath town that just keeps on pushing them out? I had come upon the group of them sitting around in a circle. They were not on guard at all and quietly discussing something amongst themselves.

I grabbed my crossbow and started to aim. I fired my bow and one by one they started to drop. It happened all within a matter of seconds. It took the rest of them about a minute to catch on to the fact I was in their midst. They lashed out in frustration and some of them started to turn into their wolf forms. I had taken down four so far and was ready to take down the rest. I could see that the rogue from last night was nowhere to be seen. That wolf surely took care of it...

The wolves started to close in and I soon realised that I couldn't fight them with my crossbow at such close range. My adrenaline was well and truly kicking in as I began to fight hand to hand combat with a wolf. The scraggly looking wolf bared its teeth and lunged at me. I was too quick for her. I somersaulted forward and stabbed her right in the chest with my dagger as she leaped over me. She hit the ground with a thud and struggled to breathe as she bled out.

The next two wolves were just as easy to put down. Only five rogues remained and they were all in human form. When a werewolf is too weak, it's impossible for it to transform. It was common with rogues as they did not have the same resources as a full pack to take care of themselves and flourish.

I swiftly used hand to hand combat with a male rogue in human form. Using my special hunter’s dagger, I sliced his throat. As he hit the ground, I heard a growl from right behind me. I turned to see a male figure had joined the fight. He was fighting off two rogues as I finished off another one.

He ripped the throat out of one with his own wolflike teeth before getting knocked to the ground by the other. As I went to grab my arrow from my quiver, I realised there were none there. I looked back to where I had stabbed the she-rogue earlier and noticed they had fallen out. I quickly ran and grabbed them before turning around.

As I turned around, I saw the rogue had somehow pinned the stranger against a tree. Without hesitation, I quickly placed my arrow in my bow and pulled. My arrow flawlessly went clean through the base of the rogue’s skull, killing him instantly.

Within seconds, the stranger had lunged at me, taking me by surprise. As he knocked me to the ground, I was overwhelmed by the same smell I caught last night when the black wolf had appeared.

Flashes of a distant dream flooded my mind and caused me to faulter in my reaction to his sudden attack on me. Get it together girl! I told myself. I shook off the distraction and focused on my breathing. I scuffled back and forth with this apparent werewolf but never managed to get him off me.

He was too strong, even for me and my newfound strength. "OK, you win! Get off me." I admitted defeat with a look of pride on my face. I couldn't let this man see me falter, it wasn't who I was. He smiled before getting up. I brushed myself off and realised that he was standing there with a strange look on his face as he stared at me.

I could only imagine what a sight I was in my current state. I looked down at myself and saw that I was covered in blood, fur, dirt, and my pant leg was ripped with a small gash on my leg.

I gathered myself together, ready to walk away, when he finally spoke.

"You're hurt!”

His words took me by surprise, feeling overwhelmed by the sound of his voice. It sent shivers straight through me, he looked at me with a frown and a slight tilt of his head. I didn’t know how to respond to him in this moment. “There is a place close by where you can wash up, the water has healing properties that should help with your leg." He then looked bothered by my presence and the fact I was injured, hiding his moment of concern.

When he spoke, my body, once again, had a reaction to his voice that took me by surprise. I felt like I was on fire! I got hot from head to toe, super quick. Literally the equivalent of needing a cold shower, I was sure that if he could see, I’d be blushing underneath all this dirt and blood on my face.

I didn't want to indulge this man any longer, but my gut was telling me to follow him. I wasn't sure what was happening to me right now, but I was drawn to him. Something I didn't quite understand. I watched him from behind, the way he walked, carried himself, with pride and importance. His shirt was ripped, and I could see that he too had some cuts that might need healing, although I was aware that his werewolf abilities would be the reason for his quick healing process.

His muscles rippled on his back and arms as he walked, as though they too were trying to speak up about what was going on right now.

We reached a set of thicker brush and trees; he pulled them back to reveal one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.

Before me, was a pool of water, deep but not too deep. Steam was coming off the water and I realised that this was a hot spring. I could hear the flow of water and I noticed a beautiful waterfall on the other side and to my right.

This place was surrounded by thick brush and trees. If the handsome stranger hadn't brought me here, I would never have known it existed. By this time, the sun had started to go down. What a sight to behold.

I was in awe of the view, the way the sunset danced between the trees, illuminating parts of the water, it was breathtaking. As I gaze at the colour of the sky and appreciate the beauty of nature, I notice that the stranger has stripped off completely and started walking into one of the hot springs.

It was overwhelming, I couldn't take my eyes off him. I didn't know which part of his body to appreciate first. He was like a Greek God, from head to toe. It was only now that I was really noticing him. I didn't pay attention during the fight earlier, but this, this I couldn't ignore.

I walked around the other side of the hot pools of water, so as he walked towards one, I had a front on view of EVERYTHING!

I couldn't help but notice that his manhood was making me blush. Only gods could be that endowed, surely?

I turned around as I couldn't handle looking at him any longer. I was already feeling hot from being close to him and now this?

"Take off your clothes and get in!" His words took me by surprise and made me wet in places I wished it hadn't. I turned around scowling at him, who the hell does he think he is, telling me what to do? Does he honestly think I will fall for that? As I turn around, he is within arms' reach of me. All I would have to do is reach out and feel his rock-hard abs beneath my fingertips, the thought of it was making me wet in just the right way. Get a grip, Elira. I shook my head.

"No thanks, I'd rather eat razorblades than be anywhere near you, especially naked!" My arms were folded, and I was determined to prove to this hottie that no one was the boss of me, but me. It was taking every part of my free will not to look anywhere but at his face. Not caring if he understood it as a challenge.

That stunning, chiselled face, with piercing hazel eyes and jet-black hair. He looked at me a little amused but didn't say anything.

I wasn't sure how to take his reaction. I turned around and went to walk towards the waterfall when he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

It was a gentle touch, but that's all it took. As soon as his hand touched mine it was like an electric current went straight through me. The shock of it caused me to react in self-defence, so I punched him, right in the face.

Seconds of shock were shown on his face, and then suddenly he grabbed me and pulled my wrists together, he held them above my head. He stepped towards me and I could feel the sparks and heat between our bodies. As he faced me, I took a step back, he took another step forward, it was almost like a dance and then suddenly my back was against something hard.

He had strategically stopped me from getting away, by guiding me to a rock wall. There was no more backing away for me now.

I could tell that he was trying hard to control his anger, he probably wasn't used to being punched by a woman. He probably wasn't used to being punched by anyone.

Being in such proximity to this man, feeling his body heat and the tingles it sent through my body, the intense way he looked right into my eyes. I was sopping wet, and I hadn't even gotten in the water yet. I tried to close my legs as tightly as I could, I was embarrassed by my body’s reaction to the stranger.

I wasn't afraid of s*x; I was very comfortable with my own sexuality. I had been with both men and women in the past, but something about this dark handsome stranger was different. He reeked of power and authority, and I could tell he wanted to control me. Something I would never allow.

As I subtly tried to keep my legs as closed as possible, he tilted his head to the side and sniffed the air. His eyes turned bright gold; when he spoke, it was like there were two of him talking.

"Get in the water, NOW!"

Suddenly, a growl came from my throat, as I scowled at his demand. I didn't like being told what to do, especially by him. But I couldn't deny that I was noticing my own stench of rogue and knew I needed to wash it off.

I gritted my teeth and responded "fine!"

He let me go and backed away, walking back to one of the hot pools of water. His wounds had already healed.

The realisation hit me, this was a werewolf, and not the rogue kind. Judging by the way he demanded me to obey him, I would guess that I had run in with the Alpha of this land. An Alpha with golden eyes wasn't just any Alpha. He was Lycan.

That explained why I was drawn to him, nothing special. It's just what the energy of Alpha and Lycan power does to a female, even if that female is human, I hope.

I took off my damaged clothes and shoes. Putting my boots aside but using my clothes to cover myself, I needed to wash them too. I took my clothes into the water with me and rinsed them off. I chucked them back up on the rock with my boots and proceeded to enjoy the warmth and comfort of the hot spring.

He was right about one thing; this water was magical. I could see the wound on my leg already beginning to heal. I headed to the waterfall to wash out the muck from my hair as much as possible.

I could feel him there before I saw him. My eyes were closed under the water, and as I opened them back up, I looked right into his eyes. I was suddenly feeling hot again having him so close. I didn't understand why this Alpha was having such an effect on me, but it was beginning to get annoying.

"Once you're finished bathing, I want you to head back to wherever you came from, and never return here. Do you understand? My kind don't take lightly to the likes of you, Hunters are not welcome here!" He was using his Alpha voice when commanding me never to return here. "Agreed!" I said with ease. Although I had agreed, I was hell bent on breaking his stupid rules and bringing Willa here. This is exactly what we need after a night of patrolling and killing. Screw this guy and his ridiculous rules, I don't play by the rules.

He proceeded to get out of the water, shift into his black wolf and run off into the woods. He had left me completely alone, in this hot spring with my p***y throbbing.

Great!