The Queen Alpha

The Hunt

(Emma)

Kara had fallen asleep on me rather quickly last night, but after my long afternoon nap I couldn’t get back to sleep. I ended up watching three more movies last night before finally dozing off around 2am, only to be woken up by Kara at 5.

Now we’re trampling through the forest with hardly enough light to see where I’m going, Kara must’ve forgot that I don’t have night vision like her. It’s freezing out and there’s still snow on the ground, making my horrible balance even worse.

I nearly trip on a log on the ground and curse under my breath. “How much farther do you think we have to go?” I pant.

“There’s a deer stand on the top of this hill we’re going up, try to watch your step baby, your leaving tracks everywhere.” Kara calls back to me as she steps effortlessly through the brush, not leaving a trace behind her.

I roll my eyes. “This is a hill? We’re practically climbing straight up.” I lose my footing and grab onto a sapling to keep from falling.

“Babe, there are literal mountains to the north, east and west of us. This is a mound of dirt compared to them.” Kara suddenly falls silent, her head whipping to the side, ears and eyes on alert. I stop too, trying to hear what she does but all my hearing picks up are the pine branches swaying in the frigid morning breeze.

We stand there for a few seconds before Kara comes down to where I am and takes her place protectively beside me. Then I start to hear voices, along with loud trampling.

“Babe I told you if you didn’t wear your big coat you were going to get cold. Now because I dressed appropriately you want me to freeze while you wear my coat?” Anthony’s voice resonates through the thick foliage and I can see them moving towards us between the trees.

“Last time I checked my big jacket is too freaking small since you decided to plant this demon seed inside of me! You’re bigger, you put her in there, therefore you forfeit your jacket.” A woman answers back to him.

Finally they’re in view and I see Anthony dressed in dark green, same as Kara. From a distance it was hard to see him, so I know their camouflage works well. I look down at my dark blue snow pants and black coat, questioning my outfit choice. Kara had even braided her bright hair and tucked it under a camouflage beanie so it didn’t stand out, although I think it’s light enough to blend into the snow.

“Hey Kara, remember what we talked about yesterday?” Anthony grumbles as they reach where we’re standing.

Kara chuckles. “Nice to see you Darlene, how’s baby Kaylee treating you?” She asks, ignoring Anthony.

Darlene props herself against a pine trunk and pats her very obvious belly. “Oh you know, my lungs are stress balls and my bladder is a punching bag. I don’t think I can keep this baby in full term, she’s killing me.”

Darlene has a country drawl to her and I’m curious as to how she ended up here. Her brown hair falls in voluminous curls down her back, a camo ball cap protecting the top of her head from the cold. She has beautiful gray eyes and a smile that makes me want to invite her out for fried chicken and whiskey. She’s a very pretty woman and seems like the perfect match for Anthony’s goofy personality.

Kara smiles softly at Darlene, but I can sense she’s putting her wall back up in the presence of someone other than Anthony and I. Her face has gone stoic again. “Well, we’re almost up the hill, let’s cover these last few yards and get into the stand before daylight.”

We follow Kara up the rest of the way, Anthony helping Darlene by holding her hand and occasionally picking her up over logs. I scramble behind them, trying to match their athleticism but I’m not in the greatest shape for a witch, let alone compared to three werewolves.

We finally reach the flat land along the top and spot the well hidden stand, it’s big enough for us all four to fit and their hunting gear but small enough to be well hidden between pine trees and tall ferns. Kara pulls out a bottle and squirts it around on the ground then tucks it back into her pack.

“What was that?” I ask as we climb in one at a time.

“A mix of deer, raccoon, and squirrel urine. We need it to be strong to mask our smell, with all of us here this spot smells like wolf. And witch.” She winks at me.

Darlene gasps from her corner spot and leans forward to look at me. “Oh my gods!You’re the Alpha’s mate? This is so exciting! I’m sitting here with our packs future Alpha and Luna. I’m so thrilled.”

I smile at her and begin to reply but Anthony shushes us both. I sit back in my seat and wait for the sun to finish rising. We hear birds calling out and start to notice tiny little animals moving out of their holes and hiding spots.

We continue watching, I’m feeling slightly impatient, how long does it take for them to decide what to kill? Anthony occasionally places his hand on Darlene’s stomach, feeling his baby kicking inside her. Their love pulls at my heart and I’m so happy to see how excited they are to be with each other.

I’m grateful I was able to get away from Carter before that happened to me, he would’ve treated me horribly the entire time and I love my mom but she’s too busy to have been much support. Kara would be a wonderful parent though, she had such a grip on her anger and was able to talk calmly even when boiling inside. I don’t think I would’ve been a very good mother, I like to sleep in, I hate loud obnoxious noises, and the thought of being responsible for something so delicate 24/7 is terrifying. Maybe as I get older I’ll want children but for now I’m happy just learning what my role is with my new pack.

There’s a twig snap in the distance and Kara shoots to her feet, pulling me up with her. She places the bow into my hands and sets the arrow into position. I can feel my heart racing as I look out and see a massive.. goat? No, that’s a ram, I think. It’s horns are bigger than my head and curl into a tight crescent shape on either side of its skull.

“Don’t hesitate, when it exposes the side of his chest you need to pull the arrow as far back as you can and release it when it’s lined up to his heart. If you hit his stomach he’ll be in a lot of pain, so you want to do it fast.” I take a deep, quiet breath and pull the bow as far as I can, Kara standing behind me, her hands atop of mine, showing me how to aim. The animal turns and his entire side is exposed to me. “Now.” She whispers.

There’s a cry and I watch the animal run a few feet then fall to the ground, blood staining his snowy white hair. The arrow is deep into his chest and I feel a lump in my throat forming. Darlene claps quietly and gives me a thumbs up. I smile softly but can’t speak in fear of my voice cracking.

The poor thing is trying to get back up, but death is waiting for him. Kara sets the bow down and takes my hand, guiding me outside. We walk up to him in silence together, and she crouches down, waving at me to do the same. “We need to thank him for his great sacrifice. His meat will feed us, his horns and bones can be used, his beautiful hide will be used as well. His life is not going to waste, we don’t have supermarkets out here love, we must kill in order to feed our families.”

She grabs onto his mighty head, shushing him gently and looking into his face. I shake my head no at her and she moves back slightly. I lean down and gaze into his dark brown eyes. “Thank you for this, I’m so sorry it had to be you but your soul is free now. You have done a great justice by dying for me. I will always remember you.” His movements slow, and with my final goodbye, he fades into an eternal sleep. My cheeks are freezing and I realize that I’m crying.

Kara lifts me to my feet, placing my face into her gloved hands, gently wiping away the tears. “I love you so much Emma.”

“I love you too Kara.” I crash my lips onto hers and we stand there embraced for what felts like an eternity.

We hear Anthony clear his throat and then him yell ow because Darlene smacked him for interrupting. I pull away and turn to them to smile. “You need your picture taken with it!” Darlene exclaims and starts maneuvering her way out of the stand and towards us, her phone out, ready to take a picture. Kara leans down and positions the head so it’s facing Darlene and instructs me to hold the horns and smile.

She moves out of view of the camera. “You don’t want to take a picture with me?” I ask.

She shakes her head no. “I want you to get a pic with your first kill without me in it first. I’ll be in the next one. It’s important we celebrate this.” I nod and let Darlene take pictures of me alone, then me with my mate.

“Our first picture together shouldn’t be with a dead animal between us.” Kara frowns, looking at the photos.

I smile, loving how perfect we look together on Darlene’s phone.

“We should get back, your mother is supposed to arrive in a few hours.” Kara tells me. Anthony grabs the ram and throws it over his shoulder carrying it to the hillside.

Anthony and Kara walk ahead of us with the kill and the gear while Darlene and I need to take our time getting downhill.

“So Darlene, I recognize a southern accent on you, are you from Silver Crest?” I ask her.

She laughs gently. “No I’m actually from The Windy River pack down in southern Colorado. Anthony and I met about two years ago when the Princess and him were traveling. I’m their Beta’s daughter, so the moon goddess did a good job pickin’ us out the barrel.”

“How did you meet, when did you realize he was your mate?”

Darlene slips slightly and I grab onto her arm to help her balance. “Oh, well my previous Alpha loved to go white water rafting so he invited Kara and Anthony to come along, which of course they did because they’re adrenaline junkies. And my brother and I were always at our Alpha’s side, Daddy hadn’t picked which of us would carry on his title, and so this entire time in my head my wolf is going nuts she’s barking and whining and telling me she smells something. My whole body feels like I got struck by a taser.” She stops for a second to catch her breath along a pine tree. “Then I see this big, burly mountain man standing at the dock. My heart left my body when I looked into those eyes of his. Right then we knew and he came over and scooped me up, plantin’ the biggest kiss on me. Then, my brother Luke punched him in the face, so he broke Luke’s hand and it was a whole ordeal.” She laughs at the memory.

“Was it hard to leave your home?” I ask, glancing her direction as she ponders the question.

She purses her lips. “I guess not at first, I was so obsessed with Anthony I couldn’t do much but think about the next time I’d get to be alone with him.” Darlene wiggles her brows at me suggestively. “But after we moved and I had to spend the winter up here I definitely started missing home. It was rough, especially after I found out I was pregnant with miss Kaylee, I missed my family and wanted my momma. She came to visit but it’s not the same, Anthony doesn’t want me traveling down there pregnant, and now that the coronation is coming up we’re facing more dangers than ever so it’s best they stay there and I stay here.”

I want to ask her more questions but I don’t want to overstep with my only potential friend so I let us walk in silence.

We’ve finally reached the ATV’s and Anthony throws the ram on the back with a grunt. I climb onto the back of Kara’s and we start the very loud journey back home.