The Huntress and her Alpha

Chapter Five

I woke up in a bed, the first thing that registered was how incredibly hard it was. The second thing was the fact that someone was holding my hand. I took in a deep breath and all I could smell was… sandalwood and rain.

I moved my body slightly towards the right, gasping at the pain that shot through me. Even when I settled I could still feel the burn radiate through my abdomen. Tears pricked my unopened eyes as I tried to even out my ragged breathing.

“Hey. Hey. No sudden movements.”

A deep familiar voice hit me and I felt calmer as whoever held my hand lightly ran his thumb across my skin. Tiny little sparks hit me as he kept rubbing my hand, calming me down and yet at the same time causing me to panic.

Because it wasn’t my father holding my hand, speaking to me in such a gentle soothing tone. There was no one who would want to be at my bedside like this, no one except Luca. I knew for certain it wasn’t Luca, which left me with one other guess.

My heart fluttered as his face filled the darkness behind my eyelids.

Slowly I opened my eyes. I turned just my head, finding his hazel eyes staring at me. Philip. The guy from the bar, the one who screamed at us to stop fighting.

He looked even better than the weak version my brain had conjured up. He wore a five o’clock shadow around his jaw. His beautiful brown eyes were bloodshot indicating he had been sitting with me for hours. Even with all the physical signs and his rumbled clothes and tousled hair he looked like he could be on his way to a photo shoot.

The fact that he was the one holding my hand didn’t slip past me. My heart kept fluttering as I realized how… happy I was to be in that moment. I wanted to see him sitting there worried about me.

In a moment that should’ve scared me, when pain filled my body, I was happy because he was there beside me.

I winced at the pain that throbbed through my stomach. I wasn’t used to constant pain. I was a Hunter, we healed just as fast as wolves. So why wasn’t I healed? Why did it still hurt?

I coughed, my throat dry. My eyes found his as my heart finally started to settle. “Where am I?”

He sighed. “The pack infirmary. You were injured.” He reached out and touched my cheek. Another set of sparks ran down my skin where he touched me. I smiled, then sobered up.

“Where’s my dad?” Butterflies filled my stomach as the sparks faded from my face where he had brushed hair away.

Philip winced. “He didn’t want to stay. I um. What do you remember?”

“Philip. You told us to stop.” My mind was a reel of dreamlike memories. “You told him not to touch your mate. The brown wolf, he was coming for me.”

He nodded. “He got you pretty good before he could process my order. I um. I dealt with him. You’ve got a few stitches that’s what hurts. Jack’s nails were painted with poison. So we had to make sure that didn’t settle. It’s also why it’s taking your body longer to heal.”

“What did you mean?” I asked ignoring everything else he had just said. “About your mate?”

He looked down at our hands. “You’re my mate Max. If you would’ve stayed at the bar on your birthday you would’ve felt it too. But then when I heard my beta was in trouble and I caught wind of the scent of the Hunter he was sparring with I shifted so that you could understand.”

My head was spinning. “I’m human. We can’t be mates. I’m a Hunter. I hunt your kind. I can’t fall in love with you.”

Tears were in his eyes, he looked so hurt. “Max. I’ve been looking for you for so long now. I refuse to let you go. Your father threatened me with everything he could, but I wouldn’t let him take you until I knew your injuries were healing.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. No one had ever cared about me like this before. I could physically feel how much he cared about me. I could see it written all over his face. He was an open book.

“Philip.”

He smiled, leaning in close, pushing my hair away from my face and then he pressed his lips against my forehead.

“My friends just call me Lip.”

I should’ve panicked about how easily he kissed me. How comfortable he already was with displays of affection and touching me. But the opposite was happening. I felt calm with his hands on me, I felt relaxed as his lips pressed against my skin.

I took in a breath and tried to understand what was happening. I had never heard of a Hunter mating with a wolf. We were enemies. We were on opposite sides of the fight. How could two people who were so incredibly different become soul mates?

“Lip. This can’t be real.”

He smiled. “This,” he held up our hands, “is very real. I know you’re scared. I know this is a lot for you to process. If you want to go home, I won’t stop you. But I also already care for you. Which means no one here will touch you. You have my word.”

I blew a breath out my nose. “Where’s your alpha? I want to talk to him.”

Lip’s smile was genuine. Like he thought my question was funny. “What?”

He raised an eyebrow. “He’s right here. You’re already talking to him.”

“Oh my god.” I whispered softly. “You’re an alpha. The alpha. I can’t. What does this mean?!”

Lip sat up straighter and took in a breath. He ran his finger down my cheek. “It means the moon goddess wants this pointless feud between hunters and wolves to end. It means you’re the other half of my soul.”

I let out a slow breath. “This is crazy. I just wanted to talk about the boundary with your pack! Instead you’re telling me we’re mates and I just feel so much and all you’re doing is holding my hand.”

Tears filled my eyes as Lip watched me, letting me slowly process what was happening. He didn’t let go of my hand, instead he squeezed it gently, like he was trying to tell me he was there for me. Like a signal, that we might be strangers, but this bond had brought us together.

“Max.”

He said my name softly, so tenderly that for a moment I forgot who he was completely. He wasn’t a wolf and I wasn’t a hunter, we were just two strangers feeling a connect for each other. My eyes met his and I saw the concern written all over his face.

The door opened before he could say anything else. A male just as big as Lip poked his head in. His eyes landed on me, then moved to Lip. “Alpha. Jack is asking for you.”

He nodded. “I’ll be right there.”

He kept his eyes on me. “What are you going to do to him? It was an accident.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“He was protecting you from Hunters. He was doing what you trained him to do. Nothing should happen to him. No one ever thought you’d find your mate during a fight with humans.”

He smiled. “Spoken like a true Luna.” He stood up and looked at my bandage. “Do you want to stay here? Or I can take you to a more comfortable room.”

“I assume that room would belong to you.”

“For now. I can have someone set up your own room, if you want. But you shouldn’t be out of bed for a while, not with those stitches. The antidote to the poison will also make you sluggish and tired.”

I swung my legs off the bed. “This bed is uncomfortable. Show me to your room.”

I tried to stand up and all but fell back onto the bed. My stomach muscles were still trying to mend themselves back together. I couldn’t put my full weight on my legs yet. It didn’t matter though, Lip scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing.

“I’ve got you.” His deep voice rumbled through his chest. I laid my head against him and wondered what I was supposed to do.

My dad wouldn’t leave me here forever, would he?

Then again I already knew the answer to that question. He would make me choose.

“My dad is going to kill me.” I whispered against Lip’s shirt.

He tightened his grip on me before he answered. “Why is that?”

“I let my emotions get in the way of a fight. I lost control and got hurt, worse than I’ve ever been hurt before. He always said fear will only get you killed in battle. I was scared because of you and this bond.”

Lip was looking down at me as he slowly made his way to the door of the infirmary. “You held your own for a good amount of time, Max. And when the mate bond slips into place most people freeze. Not because of fear, but because it’s their body’s natural reaction to finding the other half of their soul. Your father won’t understand because he’s human, but every warrior here would never hold that against you.”

I looked away from him, absorbing his words. I leaned my head against Lip, listening to the beating of his heart as he carried me down the hallway towards a flight of stairs. It sounded so even, like he was happy that I was here, letting him touch me. He felt safe and secure. He felt warm and familiar. My body knew his, but I didn’t actually know him.

My head was spinning from the antidote and just waking up trying to process the events that led me here. I felt sick, my stomach flipped as I closed my eyes. Lip carried me up the stairs and down another long hallway.

I didn’t even care enough to watch where we were going or take in my surroundings. I didn’t have the strength to figure out a plan or to consider leaving. It took all my strength to hold onto him and not throw up from the mess of emotions and injuries I was currently dealing with.

Sooner than I anticipated, Lip lowered me onto a king size bed with a pillow top mattress. It felt a million times better than the one i had woken up in. I sighed with relief as he touched my cheek.

“I have to go see Jack. I’ll be right back though, okay?”

I nodded, my eye lids heavy again. “I’m tired.”

“Sleep, love. No one will hurt you here.” He pressed his lips against my forehead and before he even pulled away I let sleep find me once again.