Hel's Huntsman

10 - You are not alone

****Trigger Warning. This chapter contains talk of abuse****

Orion

“Hey,” I look at my brother as he approaches me. “How are you holding up?”

I shrug as Rafe sits beside me on the couch. “I don’t know.” I blow out a breath. My head is all over the place.

My mother’s helped me bring my mate back to the cabin I share with my brothers. My mate wouldn’t let anyone touch her, but that was understandable. I spoke to her, guiding her along the path so she didn’t trip and hurt herself even worse than she already was.

I don’t even know her name! Goddess, the state of my mate was like nothing I had ever seen before. She’s skin and bone and looked like she hadn’t seen a bath in months. I can’t even imagine what hell she’s lived through, but it wasn’t good. Anyone with eyes could see that.

Rafe and I share the same birth mother, but Rafe shares a father with Devonte. We call my birth mother Mom and Devonte’s birth mother Mama. Ciska and April have been together for many years, and I would be lost without them. I’ve never had a father because mine was a filthy rogue who raped Mom and created me. My parents have never treated me differently from Devonte and Rafe. They never even told me who my father was or what he did; I found that out for myself.

You see, I have the ability to look inside someone's mind while they sleep. I see their dreams and their nightmares. Mom suffered nightmares for a very long time, and they still plague her now and again. When I was sixteen, I found out the truth. Mama was at the pack barbeque with Devonte and Rafe. She asked me to check on Mom because she was taking a nap. Mom had been up all night, unable to sleep. Mama is a Witch, so she put Mom to sleep for a while. But she should have woken up by then, so I went inside.

I heard Mom whimpering in her room. When I arrived, she was sweating and begging someone to let her go. I was curious to know what she was dreaming, so I placed my hand on her head and let my power kick in.

What I saw in my mom’s head will never leave me. Three disgusting rogues taking turns to use her body. Mom may have killed those men, but the damage was done. Mom was left pregnant with me, and any of those men could have been the father. She spent months hiding the truth from Alpha Kai.

I was such an angry and confused kid after that. I eventually told Mom what I’d seen in her head, and she and Mama sat me down and told me the truth. Mom told me it didn’t matter how I came to be because she wouldn’t change a thing about me.

I’ve spent years since trying to make my parents proud. I work hard within the pack, and I am a fierce hunter. I’m not a bad person; I know I’m not.

So, why did that woman lie to me?

I could have sworn she was my mate when I saw her in town. The scent of snow and roses hit my nose, and I knew I had finally found my mate. But she didn’t want me and rejected me on sight. I thought that was the end of it because I had accepted. I’m not the kind of man to beg. She didn’t want me, so I walked away.

How could I have gotten things so wrong?

What was the real reason that woman brought my true mate here?

How did she even know how to find us?

‘That bitc.h probably hoped we’d kill our mate.’ Deisel, my Wolf snaps. ‘Or that the Alpha would.’

‘I suppose so.’

“Are you going to reject the girl? No one would blame you if you did. Having a blind mate won’t be easy.”

I narrow my eyes at my brother. “Do you want me to stab you? Of course, I’m not going to reject her! The very fuckin.g though makes me want to throw up!”

“No,” Rafe chuckles. “I don’t want you to stab me. I didn’t mean it in a bad way, Orion. So, you don’t want to reject her, but what if she wants to reject you? What will you do?”

“Make sure she’s safe and let her go.” I shrug. “I won’t force her to be with me because that wouldn’t be right.”

“You wouldn’t fight for her?”

I scrub my hands over my face. “I would try, Rafe. But if the girl really didn’t want me, I would let her go. Does the Alpha want me to clear away the bodies?”

Hel and Narfi sure made a mess of those people. Not that they didn’t deserve it, but that’s not how we do things here. Alpha Kai always questions prisoners - because that’s what they would have been - before sentencing anyone to death. Hel and Narfi took things into their own hands, and I doubt the Alpha is happy about that.

“Nah. Narfi and Hel already got rid of the bodies. There’s nothing to clear away. Devonte is over there with Alpha and Luna, explaining everything that happened in town the other day with you and that woman. Alpha wanted to talk to you, but Luna made him see you were needed here.”

I nod my head. I’m grateful that Starr managed to convince Kai to let me stay near my mate. I wouldn’t be any use to anyone until I’ve seen for myself that she’s okay. I also need to know where she stands. I won’t pressure the girl into accepting me, but I need to know if there’s a chance.

The bedroom door opens, and I get to my feet as Mom and Mama walk out hand in hand. Mom smiles slightly with tears in her eyes.

“How is she?”

Mama smiles sadly. “Not good, Orion. Your mom helped the girl shower and managed to get the knots out of her hair. But she is covered in scars and bruises.”

I swallow the bile in my throat. Mama isn’t saying anything I wasn’t expecting, but hearing the words is hard.

“I would call Alpha Kai over to heal her, but the girl freaked out when I mentioned it. From what I can gather, she’s terrified of men.”

“You need to tread carefully, Orion,” Mom tells me. “That girl is so fragile.”

“Will she see me?” I wouldn’t be surprised if my mate didn’t want to see me. If she’s really that afraid, it would be natural for her not to want to be in my presence.

Mom smiles. “The only word the girl has mumbled since we brought her in here is your name.” I smile despite the sadness I feel. “She wants to see you, Orion. The three of us will leave you to it, but call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you both.”

“You’re welcome.” Mama winks.

My brother slaps me on the back. I kiss Mom and Mama’s cheeks and walk away. I make my way to my bedroom, my heart banging in my chest as I go. As soon as I open the door, my heart slams into my throat.

She’s beautiful, even with all the bruises marring her porcelain skin. Her blonde hair is clean and wavy, even tied in a low ponytail I can see that. I can’t even imagine how beautiful she’ll be with a little more weight on her bones. Her white eyes are darting from side to side as she sniffs the air.

“Orion?” She whispers my name, and the sound of her sweet voice hits me full force in the heart. “Is that you?”

She can already tell when I'm in the room because she recognizes my scent. I close my eyes and breathe back the urge to cry. There will be time for that later; my mate needs to know she’s safe right now.

“It’s me.” She gasps, and a smile forms on her lips. Goddess, she’s gorgeous. I walk toward her and ask, “Do you mind if I sit beside you?”

She shakes her head and turns on her hip as if she were trying to look at me. I sit down and will myself not to make a fool of myself.

“I’m sorry,” She whispers.

I narrow my eyes. “What could you possibly be sorry for?”

“For what happened in town. I could smell your scent, and I wanted nothing more than to run and find you. Annabelle,”

“Annabelle?”

My mate nods. “My adoptive mother. I know she gave you the name Cheryl, but that wasn’t her name. Anyway, she caught me sniffing the air. She laughed and said if I spoke, she would kill me. I could tell you were getting closer, and I wanted to run to you. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak to tell you Annabelle was lying. She made me believe no one would ever want me, and I was afraid she was right.

“Ever since Annabelle adopted me, she made me believe I was nothing. Her husband was just as bad, if not worse, sometimes. When someone beats you down, gaslights you, humiliates, and belittles you in ways most can’t even dream of, it alters your way of thinking. I was a coward. Please forgive me.”

A tear falls from my eye. I can feel her pain pushing against my heart, and my Wolf is going crazy inside my mind. He wants to comfort our mate and ensure she knows she is everything to us.

“There is nothing to forgive. It wasn’t your fault.”

My mate nods. “Thank you.”

“Do you remember your name?” I ask because I’m sick of referring to her as She.

“I remember my birthmother calling me Maddie. I think my name was Madalyn, but I can’t be sure.”

“Would you like that to be your name?”

My mate’s blind eyes lock with mine. “I like Maddie.”

I smile. “Then Maddie, it is. Can I ask you something else?”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Were you born blind?”

I’ve never known a Werewolf who was born blind. I didn’t know that was a thing. But then, I live in the Wild and don’t know much about the world around me. I live in a bubble, and I like it that way. Luna Starr teaches us about the world. Coming from Lykos and living among civilization for nineteen years makes her more knowledgeable than most of us.

‘Maddie is so sad.’ Diesel whimpers.

‘I know, Diesel. But we’re going to make her happy.’

‘Yes, we are.’

‘Have you gotten anywhere with her Wolf?’

‘No,’ He sighs sadly. ‘I think she’s too weak. But I’ll keep trying.’

I cut my Wolf off when Maddie sighs.

“I wasn’t born blind.”

“How did you lose your sight?”

Maddie fidgets with the hem of the nightshirt my mother gave her. She swallows hard before beginning her story.

“When I was fourteen, Annabelle caught me stealing food. I hadn’t eaten in three days, and I was so hungry. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I couldn’t take the hunger anymore.

“Her husband was fuming and told Annabelle to make me suffer. Then he left. He always left the severe punishments to Annabelle. She punished me in the worst way for stealing. She has two of her guards drag me through her mansion and into the basement. They tied me to what looked like a hospital bed. I couldn’t move because the leather straps went around my ankles, wrists, hips, chest, neck, and head.

“When Annabelle was satisfied, I couldn’t escape; her guards pried my eyes open. She put clamps in my eyes, which held them wide open. I was terrified when she held up a white-hot poker.”

My gut instantly hits my feet, and I gulp back the urge to throw up. I know what Maddie is going to say, and I don’t know how I’ll react. I can already feel the anger bubbling up inside of me.

“Annabelle mocked me when I begged her to let me go. She said she was doing it for my own good, and I should be grateful she didn’t take my hands and tongue. Then she pressed the poker to my right eye. The pain was so intense that I don’t remember when I stopped screaming or when I passed out.

“I woke up a week later with patches over my eyes. I was so scared, but Annabelle was there with a doctor. He removed the patches, but I couldn’t see anything. She has burned my retinas to the point of no return. What the doctor couldn’t understand was why my eyes were white over. He said they should have been destroyed and look completely different to what they do now. He also said Annabelle should have allowed him to remove my eyes, but she laughed and said it was more fun this way. I’ve never been able to see a thing from that moment to this.

“I found out from my Wolf that even though we hadn’t been introduced, she was always with me, and she tried to heal the damage Annabelle had caused me. But Cricket, my Wolf, couldn’t give me back my eyesight.”

Maddie looks down, ashamed of what happened. She was a child and couldn’t have fought a much stronger Wolf, no matter how hard she tried.

“I understand if you don’t want me. I’m not like other women. I can’t use my Wolf vision to see in human form because it just doesn’t work. Cricket can see in Wolf form, but I cannot.”

Goddess above!

I take a deep breath and reach for Maddie’s hands. She doesn’t pull away from me, though she does gasp when I lay her hands on my face.

“Tell me what you feel.”

She smiles while using her fingertips to trace my face. I try to keep my breath steady, but it’s not easy with her delicate hands on my face. She runs her fingers under my eyes, over my nose, my forehead, my lips, and down my neck.

“You are so handsome.” She tells me. “Your skin is so soft.” Her hands fall from my face. She holds my hands, running her fingers over the backs of my hands and my palms. “But you have a working man's hands. I can tell you work hard.”

I pull my right hand from her left and cup her cheek, stroking my thumb over her skin. “Do you know what I see when I look at you?”

“What?” She whispers.

“I see my mate. I see the woman who was made for me. The most perfect part of me.”

Maddie’s chin wobbles. “Orion.”

“I don’t want to reject you, Maddie. I need you more than you could ever know. Tell me you want to be mine, Maddie. Please.”

“You really want me? Because I want you, Orion. I want to be in your arms where I’m safe. I want to love you.”

A smile so wide breaks out across my face. I lean my forehead against Maddie’s, and she clutches at my shirt. “I really want you, Maddie. I want to love you, too, beautiful. I will never abandon you. You’re my mate, and I will protect you from harm. This place is your home now. I will be your eyes, your ears, and your voice when you feel you don’t have one because you are not alone. I will be everything you need me to be, Maddie.”

I gently wipe the tears from Maddie’s cheeks with my thumbs. My touch is careful and gentle, meant to comfort and reassure her. She shivers slightly under my touch as her body relaxes a fraction more with each passing moment.

“You are so beautiful, my love.”

“But my scars…” She sniffs.

“Your scars do not define you, Maddie. They are a testament to your strength, resilience, and will to survive.”

“Thank you.” Maddie lets go of a shuddering breath while wrapping her arms around my waist. I move closer and hold her against my body. “I thought I would always be alone.”

“I’m here now, Maddie. You are not alone. You never have to be alone again.”

Her body trembles slightly under my touch. Maddie is still haunted by the ghosts of her past, and I know it will take time for her to fully trust me. But I will be patient with her. I will give whatever Maddie needs, even if that’s just holding each other like this. My mate needs time to heal from all she’s been through. That will take time, but we have all the time in the world.

‘Erm, sorry to interrupt.’

I sigh before answering the mind link. ‘What do you want, Devonte?’

‘Alpha is demanding you bring your mate out here.’

‘What? But she needs to rest.’

‘He’s not giving you a choice, Orion. You have five minutes.’

Well, fuc.k!