Hell Hound

Chapter Nineteen.

Marcus Hunter was furious. Nick, his son, his own kind hearted, fool, offspring, had gone and mated the Blake girl. Elena’s only daughter. The news was like a slap in the face. An insult. Marcus was almost as mad as the day he found out that Elena had run off with that man. Killing several of his pack in the process. All the guards he had placed there to protect her. He wasn’t about to stand for this. Picking up his sleek, expensive phone, careful not to break it in his rage. He called his assistant, Derek. Derek, who was physically weak but highly intelligent, answered on the first ring. “Yes Alpha?”

“I want you to extend an invitation to Sienna Blake of Rising Moon to join me for lunch at the hotel tomorrow. She’s one of the juveniles currently staying there.” He was barely able to keep the fury from his voice. However, Derek could still sense his mood, even though the phone.

“Yes sir.” Marcus hung up on his assistant and placed his phone back down on the desk, before he cracked another screen.

“A bracelet? That’s your plan?” Nick raised an eyebrow at the beaded trinket in his mate’s hand. Kiara rolled her eyes.

“It’s not just a bracelet.” She told him. “When I was little, I couldn’t control my wolf any better than any of the other kids could. But unlike the others, my wolf needed to stay hidden. I couldn’t just turn into a full-on hell hound at the dinner table because I didn’t want to eat my carrots.” Nick's eyes sparked as he imagined a tiny version of Kiara crying over vegetables.

“Why didn’t you like carrots? They’re delicious.” She leveled him a look to make him aware this was serious. “Okay.” He said, taking the bracelet from her and turning it over in his hands. Each pea sized, metal bead had spell work carved into the surface. “So, this helped to contain your wolf.”

“Yes.”

“And you want to use this on my father?”

“Not exactly.” She said, taking back the trinket. “This was meant to contain a very young hell hound. It stopped working for me years ago.”

“Then why carry it around?”

“It still has magic, and if I’m on the edge of control, it has enough power to help me hold her back.”

“But not enough to contain an Alpha like my father.” It wasn’t a question.

“No. We would need to commission a new one.” Which meant they needed a witch. One they could trust. Nick thought he might know somebody.

Ringing sounded throughout a little house in End Wall territory. The little phone vibrating along a wooden table that was so cluttered with glass jars that it resembled a supermarket shelf. The woman sitting at the table glanced at the phone, a magnifying glass in one eye distorting her vision. “Hello.” She sang cheerfully, answering the call on speaker phone.

“Hi Iris, It’s Nick Hunter.”

“I know who you are Nick. My phone told me.” Iris teased as she fiddled with the tiny clasp of a small wooden box. The darn thing was always getting stuck. “Your order is almost done. Just a few finishing touches to add and I’ll send it right out.”

“Order?”

“The containment charm.”

“How..? You saw it one of your visions?” Nick laughed. “Iris have you been spying on me?” She scoffed.

“Don’t flatter yourself.” She told her dear old friend. “And congratulations by the way.” Of course, Iris would know about Kiara.

“Will it work?” Nick asked.

“You know that’s not how it works, Nick. All I see are possibilities. I can’t guarantee the outcome. With or without the charm, I can’t see how this conflict will end.” Nick was silent on the other end of the line as he contemplated her words. She was right. He did know how it worked. “But…” Iris began, regaining his attention. “My money is on you.”

“Against my father? I really hope you’re right.”

“That mate of yours? I can’t see her clearly. It’s like she’s painted with shadows. Hard to make out. I’ve never seen someone so at odds with themselves. But I can still see power. Great power.” Her words made Nick uneasy. What did she mean by “At odds with herself?”. “Nick. If she wasn’t your mate, I’d be telling you to head for the hills. Something big is about to happen, and I can’t yet tell if it’s a bad thing, or a good one. Not yet.”

“Thanks for the warning, Iris. I’ll be ready.” Although he wasn’t exactly sure what she was warning him about. Why did seers never just say what they mean? The witch ended the call without another word. She just picked up a tiny screwdriver and returned her full attention to the box once more.

A shiver ran down Sienna’s back as she entered the Hotel’s luxe restaurant. She wasn’t sure if it was nerves or anticipation, perhaps both, that were coursing through her body. She cast an eager eye over the neatly set tables, looking for the alpha who had invited her there. “The juveniles eat downstairs.” The rude, sharp tone drew her attention to the hostess. Her sharp eyes narrowed on Sienna. Fighting the embarrassed flush in her cheeks, Sienna straightened her shoulders.

“I’m here to meet with Alpha Marcus Hunter.” She told the hostess. “He invited me personally.” She was sure to punctuate the word. Never mind that it had been his assistant who had actually contacted her. She saw something that looked like fear flash across the woman’s face, before her features morphed into a welcoming smile.

“Right this way miss.” Her entire outward vibe had shifted and Sienna made a mental note to never play poker with her. The woman led her to a private table by one of the large windows. Sienna could see all the way across the training field to the forest. They were mostly empty, the others all breaking for lunch. She waited for another fifteen minutes before the Scarlett River alpha finally joined her. Marcus Hunter was just as impressive as he had been the night of the welcome dinner. Not a single hair out of place. The man radiated power that made desire bloom inside Sienna. She stood the greet him as he approached the table. His body language was relaxed, but she still noticed the sharp attention in his dark eyes as he took her in.

"Miss Blake. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me." He greeted her with a slight nod. "Sit." She did as he said.

"Thank you for inviting me, Alpha Hunter." He sat opposite her.

"Please, call me Marcus." His tone was casual, polite. But something about his intense stare was off. Sienna felt his sharp gaze upon her. As attracted to him as she was, her wolf still couldn't quite look him in the eye.

"Marcus." Sienna echoed. She felt a slight flutter in her stomach. A waiter arrived shortly after that to take their orders.

"The usual. A bloody steak". Marcus had told him. "The lady will have the same." Although she felt a slight annoyance at his assumption, Sienna said nothing. A steak did sound good and he was an alpha. A very powerful one. "Now dear." He reached across to gently hold her left wrist, setting off another flurry of stomach flutters. "Tell me about my son's new mate. Kiara." She couldn't hide the stab of jealousy that flashed through her. Kiara was nothing. Pathetic and weak

Yet she had managed to mate with a potential alpha? Meanwhile, Sienna was still mate-less and alone. It wasn't fair.

"She's weak." She told him. "So weak that her wolf won't even show itself. " Marcus' expression stayed casual despite the spike of anger he felt.

"How so?" He asked.

"I've known Kiara all our lives, and I've never seen her shift. Not even so much as a single claw." A slight exaggeration in the heat of the moment. Sienna had, in fact, seen the evidence of her cousin's claws on the inside of a cupboard after she had locked Kiara in. Her father had been furious with her. "I'm not even sure she actually is a wolf." Sienna muttered.

"Interesting. What else can you tell me about her?" Sienna complied. She told Marcus all about growing up together. She told him about Kiara's solitary nature and her mother's obvious dislike. Helena thought it was born of fear. But then she also believed that Kiara's wolf was somehow deformed. She shared that theory with the Scarlett River alpha as well. Marcus listened patiently. Gathering as much information as he could about the girl. It seemed that the girl, Kiara, was a submissive wallflower. Not a suitable mate for an Alpha. Something just didn't add up for him. "Sirenna?" He interrupted her rambling with a painful squeeze to her wrist. She hissed in a breath as a spike of pain shot through her arm. "Are you being entirely truthful with me?" He knew the answer. He had been monitoring her heartbeat in her wrist the entire conversation. She had exaggerated, he was sure. But she hadn't outright lied to him. His grip tightened on her hand. Sienna chanced a glance at his face. His expression was blank but the cold darkness in his eyes was unmistakable. Fear rose up inside of her. The instinct to run increasing.

"I swear." She gasped out as he ground the bones in her hand together. "It's the truth. She's nothing. No threat at all."

"For your sake, I hope you're right." The look in his eyes was murderous when he finally let go of her hand. She moved to get up from the table. "Sit." He told her. She froze. His tone back to that of casual conversational. "Our food has arrived." Sienna sat back down as a bloody steak was placed in front of her. And she couldn't help but wonder if it would be her blood the Scarlett River alpha dinned on next.