I looked out towards the lawn. There was a line of trees that stretched out to woods. Suddenly I had the urge to explore. My wolf was at the edge of my skin, wanting to run. To play with her mate. I turned to Hunter. He was watching me closely.
“Can you feel her?” he asked a hint of sympathy flowed into his eyes.
“Stronger than ever before. When I was really young I think she was there but after,” I paused.
He knew I was half were. They were rare, but most werewolves knew about them. Some shifted, some didn’t.
“After I was freed from the hunters, for a few weeks she disappeared completely. I hadn’t really felt her until, well, until you showed up.”
I braved looking up at him. His eyes lit up a little and I saw him moved a little closer to the edge of his seat.
“You can feel her better now?” he asked.
I knew it was his wolf speaking now. There was a subtle shift in persona when the wolf came close to the surface. Most wolves, I could tell when their eyes changed color they were shifting, but Hunter’s eyes were always the color of his wolf’s.
“I do,” I whispered. I knew this would hurt him, though. “I’m not sure I will ever be able to shift. I’ve never shifted in the past, not even partially.”
I wondered for a moment if it was because of my other half, if it was because of the other heritage I didn’t want. I started to hate that half even more. That had to be what was holding my wolf back. Hunter took my hand from across the table and stroked his thumb against mine.
“So tell me something about yourself,” I said after a little more silence between us. His movement stopped.
“There isn’t much to tell. When I came to live here, I decided that I wanted to be an Enforcer and I trained for the position since. Now I run my own team. I don’t want to give it up, Colette.”
Hunter’s stare went hard again. There was something that hung in his words that made me think there was more to what he was saying.
“I wouldn’t feel right asking you to give up something you love.”
I cringed. I didn’t mean that to sound defensive, but I might come off that way. When his eyes flashed dangerously I realized how he had taken it.
“Hunter this isn’t about Griffin, this is about us.”
Hunter turned away from me and nodded. We were quiet again.
“There was this one time, right after Keith had adopted me officially, and he was still learning how to take care of a little kid. So, I hit my broken arm on something. It hurt so bad. He came rushing in, eyes big and his mouth silently screaming. I was so shocked by his appearance, I stopped crying all together. I don’t know what was going through his mind after that because he just grabbed me close and held me close. It was one of the first happy memories I had with Keith.”
Hunter graced me with a small smile. It was barely worth mentioning, but I was happy to get his mind off Griffin and anything that might upset him. For the same reason, I hesitated to ask Hunter again about his parents. I knew it probably would be best if I waited for him to tell me, but I was curious.
“Hunter –”
“Before I came to live with Damien, my parents and I would go on family runs. It was my favorite thing to do. We belonged to Damien’s pack before,” he stopped abruptly.
“Anyways we would come here for the pack runs on the full moon. Would you like to run with me that night? We can go on a different path from the other wolves, and I’ll even stay in human form, if you rather.”
“You would do that?” I asked.
Keith had, when I first arrived never let me out of the house on full moons. When I was old enough I went to the banquet after they had but I wasn’t invited on runs. I think they thought I wouldn’t want to. Truthfully it had never interested me as much as it did now.
“Of course.” Hunter watched me. “Didn’t you run with the Lupen Pack?”
“No, not really. They never asked me to run with them and I never asked. But I would very much like to run with you. If that is okay with Damien.”
Hunter graced me with another small smile. It wasn’t much, but from him it seemed like hundred watt smile. I sat back, feeling like I’d finally done something right.
“So, I know there has to be a good story in there about some type of trouble you have gotten into,” I said. Hunter just raised his eyebrows at me.
“I’m sure you have better stories,” he answered.
I laughed remembering the time we had snuck into a rumored haunted house. I decided to tell him a few stories that didn’t involve Griffin. There weren’t a lot, but I got a few more smiles out of him and he seemed more at ease with me. I was excited to see him so happy.
We finished up and Hunter walked me to my room. I felt like a teenager again. Should I kiss him or to just leave?
“I had fun tonight. I really hope we can do this more often.”
I looked up at him, lingering a little too long on his lips. When I met his gaze, my heart started to pound. I felt my body gravitate towards his, his heat offering a comfort I knew only he could offer me now. I swallowed hard, drifting once more to his lips.
Oh what the hell? We were both adults. We were mates. I sucked in a breath. I stood on my tippy toes. I lifted my arm up and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck pulling him down the last few inches. My eyes closed as his soft lips pressed against my own. His scruff sensually brushed against my skin, igniting a slow burn.
For a second, caught off guard, he didn’t move. But it only took a moment before he grabbed my hips and pulled me closer. I trailed my arm down to his shoulder.
His hand migrated up to my neck where he tilted my head back. He traced the seam of my lips. I opened for him. His muscles sheltered me as his body pressed close.
Hunter pushed his lips closer, I held close to his shoulder. I stepped back. My back hit the door. My mind was fuzzy outside of his lips, his hand, how he brushed the edge of my shirt and touched my bare skin. His kiss was all consuming. I couldn’t think much farther than the need to touch him, to feel him just a little closer.
I pulled away to breathe and his mouth moved down my neck. He sucked gently the sensitive skin there. My whole body prickled with goose-bumps. My knees went weak. My breathing went haywire.
When he reached the crook of my neck, I stilled. Wolves during a mating ceremony would bite their mate to mark them. Where his teeth barely scraped against was where he would mark me.
“We’ll continue this a different time, Colette.”
Hunter pulled away, looking about as flushed as I did. Awkwardly, he began woodenly walking away.
Hunter stopped suddenly and turned back to me. His strides were strong as his eyes smoldered. He grabbed my face, kissing me once again. I held onto him, my knees were jelly. How could I stand when he was kissing me like this?
He pulled back and whispered against my lips.
“Move into my cabin with me.”
I opened my eyes and saw how desperate he was for me to say yes.
I nodded.
I was attracted to Hunter. That was no secret, given my body’s reaction. Like my skin was wreathed in flames. And tonight proved that to get him to open up to me, I would have to trust him. I would have to give him a little more of me before he would be able to reciprocate.
Regardless, I wasn’t the only one with a hard childhood. Taken I didn’t know why Hunter’s eyes were his wolves always there might be more to his story. I wasn’t the only person in the world that had trust issues.
“Okay,” I whispered, looking up at him.
Then the completely unexpected happened.
He smiled. Full, all his teeth dazzling, clean and white, it lit up his face like it lit up his eyes. He was positively gorgeous when he smiled. Something in me sighed with contentment. If he smiled at me like that every day, I knew I would never need anything else. He kissed me one more time before heading off.
“I’ll know your secrets, Hunter,” I whispered quieter than a werewolf
could hear, feeling thrilled about how the night went and excited to see where we were headed. I leaned back against my door where Hunter had dropped me off.
Hunter stopped and looked back at me with a questioning look on his blissful face. I couldn’t get over how wonderfully different he looked with that smile.
“What?” he asked, pausing. I widened my eyes. Had I spoken my last thought out loud?
“Nothing. I’ll talk to you, um…later.”
I turned to my door and almost smashed my face into it thinking I had managed to open it. I struggled for a second more before I slipped in and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Things were going to be okay. I believed that. We had a really good night. We were moving forward.
But there was still so much I had yet to learn about him. And there was so much he had left learn about me. Some things I was sure he would never want to know. I couldn’t be sure he would look at me the same way after he learned my dark secret.
The next couple of days were a blur. I didn’t have much to pack up to take to Hunter’s cabin. Anytime we ran each other the tension was high kisses lingered between us. It was a hunger that fueled my wolf and I basked in. I had finished packing everything and we were going to start toting my things over. I didn’t hate it in this house, but I felt uncomfortable. Damien, since I had met him, had proven that he could be calm and collected.
But sometimes, I could hear him yelling in his office. He lost his temper more than once since I had been living here. I overheard the conversation. The current warlock, that they seem to be chasing for a while was proving to be more slippery then they thought. I wanted to ask Hunter why it was so important to find this one warlock, but I was too afraid to bring it up. This pack wasn’t like mine. We at least tolerated the presences of witches. These wolves hated witches.
I felt more unsafe in the presence of Damien than I did Hunter. I was eager to move out of this house simply for that reason. The other part: I was eager to move forward with Hunter. The longer I went without speaking to Griffin, the more I realized the best solution was to give up what we could never have. I looked towards the future and hoped that I would find happiness with Hunter. I was feeling more at home. I was feeling more in tune with him. This is what we needed.
My bags were packed and ready to go. Hunter showed up in my room a little after ten in the morning. It was an easy transition. I didn’t have much more than what I showed up with. If anything, I had less. I thought of my phone. At least I had my laptop with me, but I barely used social media. Werewolves were secretive by nature, rarely using such things.
Hunter took the largest of my bags and swung it over his shoulder. We headed towards the kitchen, and I was about to ask him what was going on, but decided to wait and see. Hunter led us through the back door of the kitchen and we headed towards the woods. I still didn’t say anything, even though I knew the majority of the pack lived in the other direction. The Alpha’s house was the middle, at the back of the community.
We headed in the opposite direction of the rest of the pack. I recalled him saying he didn’t feel comfortable with the rest of the pack. But it seemed so unnatural for him to live away from the others, behind the Alpha’s house. There was still so much that I didn’t know about him. We continued through the woods. The trees grew far into the sky. It was beautiful out here. Hunter stopped and I tore my gaze from the treetops and looked forward.
In front of us was a one-story cabin, but it was long. The outside was rugged, to say the least. The wood looked weathered and old. The small porch attached to the front added to its charm. I was scared that if I got to close I might find mold and fungus growing on it. I was almost tempted to get a closer view to see if I could see through the holes in the wall. But I didn’t. Instead I looked back at Hunter.
Since meeting him, I had never seen him looked so relaxed. His shoulders were completely at ease. They almost sagged in relief. Hunter’s eyes were soft. They roamed over the cabin with affection. He turned to me with affection and I felt my heart lift. I felt as if I was lighter.
“Hunter?” I asked and it came out breathier than I meant it too. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to ask him, but the question came nonetheless. His eyes met mine again, after their slow descent to my lips. I was tempted to shiver in delight.
“This is where I live,” Hunter explained.
“It’s nice,” I choked out.
I didn’t want to offend him because he looked at the building reverently. Hunter offered me a half smile. I think he knew.
I moved to follow him into the house. The door surprised me. It looked like it was made out of wood, but when we got closer I could see an unnatural shine. I realized that it was some type of metal. I ran my fingers over it as I passed. I was fixated on the door and bumped into Hunter. I looked up at him. He sniffed, a curious look on his face.
I slowly took in my surroundings. My jaw literally dropped.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
I looked around the cabin. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous it was. The inside was wooden as well, only here it was beautiful. Polished smooth. The place was strong. Simple. Masculine. The couches were big and plush, the color of coffee. There was a matching chair that looked big enough to hold two. It was centered around a stone built fire-place. Above the fireplace, mounted on the wall, was a flat screen TV. It was appropriately sized for its surroundings, and a recent model. It was modest and fit with the rest of the furniture. It was a pleasant change from Damien’s house, which was too flashy.
This felt like a home.
I moved closer and the hardwood floors creaked under my feet. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the couches were older than they first appeared. The cushions were worn in certain places. The table between them was scratched and stained with water rings. I smiled thinking how comfortable this place felt. It was lived in, whereas Damien’s home was clean and polished. Even back with Lupen pack, Isaac’s wasn’t treated like a museum.
“I love it,” I said, turning back to Hunter. He was watching me closely as if expecting me to run out of the place like my hair was on fire.
“Good,” Hunter said and started to move.
I followed, taking in the place as we walked. It wasn’t overly large, but the outside was deceptive. The living room opened up into a kitchen. I didn’t get a very good look at it before we moved down a hallway. I was checking the walls expecting to see family photos, or something, anything, but the walls were bare.
We passed one door before Hunter stopped for a second. He looked at the lonely door on the right and continued to the last door on the left. He opened and held it open for me. I walked forward into a simple room. It was off-white, and the bed was in the middle of farthest wall. Everything was simple, almost bland. I assumed this was his guest room. I was actually surprised that he had a guest room.
“Thanks, Hunter,” I moved past him and set my bags down.
This was the only place in the house that felt sterile and unused. The rest of it had a homey feel. Hunter nodded and set my other bag over by the closet. I smiled at him, even if it felt a little forced.
“Would you like me to show you the rest?” Hunter asked, his eyes sharply following my movements.
“Sure.”
We arrived at the door, and Hunter paused. He seemed to be making a decision, though I couldn’t see his face. I could tell by the set of his shoulders and the rise and fall in his breath.
“This is my room.”
Hunter opened the door. It was almost like a smaller version of the one at Damien’s house. His scent wrapped around me, and while it was throughout the house, it was the strongest here.
It wasn’t horribly dark, the window on the farthest wall let in a flood of light. The window opened onto a view of trees surrounding the house and the bright blue sky above. I knew that at night the stars would be breathtaking. I wanted to explore more inside of the room. Hunter moved out of the doorway and made motion for me to follow. I left reluctantly thinking t
hat his room would tell me more about him than he would. I wouldn’t invade his space, knowing it was hard for a wolf to have any sort of privacy. Until he invited me in, I wouldn’t go snooping.
Next Hunter showed me the bathroom, which was nothing really special. It was tidier than I was expecting for a guy who lived by himself. But Hunter was full of surprises. He showed me the kitchen. While there he started to make lunch for us both. I waited, watching him.
“What do you think?” Hunter asked as he set a plate in front of me. I knew he wasn’t talking about the sandwich he had made.
“Homey.” I said warmly.
He granted me another smile. This one was different from the mega-watt smile, different from his half smile. It was his smile that held contentment that I decided was his best. His eyes softened around the edges, and his body relaxed as his lips lifted a little.
Chapter 17 — Dangerous Conditions
Another week had passed. It had been a month since I had left my home, my pack. I felt better. Moving out of Damien’s house was, I think, the best decision for us. We were no longer hiding from each other as much. I was sure Hunter woke up a lot earlier than me, but he was always quiet about it. I woke up one morning and came out with hair a mess, my jammies all sort of disarray and he was coming from outside.
Shirtless. Sweaty.
My body snapped awake fast. I blinked at him a couple times while he looked me up and down at me unapologetically. I mean, I had just done the same to him. Only I was a walking disaster. He was a living, breathing, sexy god.
I retreated back to my guest room, my heart racing and my breathing labored. I calmed my body, there, for quite a while. From that morning on, without a doubt I knew I was very, very attracted to him. Not just semi-attracted in the way that our bond seemed to affect me. Even without I would’ve thought he was fine as hell.
I sighed just thinking of the view I had of him that morning.
His strong, tightly-corded muscled legs. He was wearing longer shorts, but I clearly see the thick meat of his thighs. A memory of his very masculine scent was seared in my memories. Hunter’s arms glistened with a light sheen of sweat. A bead of sweat had rolled down his forehead to the scruff on his powerful jaw. I swallowed hard and tried to calm the heat flowing through me. His sexy body breathed embers of need to life.
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