The Huntress

Six

Jack:

    "She's been gone three Weeks," I declared after the meeting was over. My wolf pacing back and forth since the day her team returned without her and a half dead survivor.

     "She's taking care of something. This was personal for her. You knew that," my brother said dismissingly.

    "Personal?" I asked stopping and sitting down at his desk while he read through paperwork. She told me she had something to take care of but that was it.

    "If she didn't tell you what makes you think I will?" he groaned.

    "Ray she's really important to me," he sighed and put down his pen.

   "Jack, come on. I know you like her but she's not your type. She has a mate out there. I know you feel like something is missing but you don't have to fill that void with her. She doesn't belong to you. This has to stop. I told you not to pursue this. She told you to f**k off and you just wouldn't stop. Now, look at you," I growled at him defiantly although I know it's true. What will become of me if she were to find her mate? Will I go back to being the sad angry hard to be around ass hole I used to be?

    "What am I supposed to do?" I asked. He smiled.

    "There's nothing you can do little brother. Fate puts people in our path so that we can face life with them. Maybe she was what you needed to move on," I sighed before I could say another word the door burst open.

    "Zulu is in wolf form headed our way fast. There's blood," Jason shouted before he rushed back out.

    I stood up and followed him out with urgency. I'm not waiting for anyone to stop me. Once I burst through the front door she appeared from behind the trees surrounding the packhouse.

    Her giant Dark Auburn wolf collapsed in front of me. She had been shot twice and by the looks of it, it had to have been silver because the wounds continued to gush out blood. The wolf was gasping for air as she took in her surroundings. It gave way for the skin to come back.

The pack doctor had her on a lift and they were hauling her away into medical before I could demand a single thing. 

     "Jack fire up every fighter as soon as she wakes up and gives us confirmation we're eliminating Fire Rose," Ray said and those words were music to my ears. 

    I called for an emergency perimeter run. Wolves scattered in formations as I let my wolf take the lead going in the direction she had come from. The smell of hot silver and gunpowder lingered in the air along with her blood. 

    "Sir, there aren't any signs of a crossing," my wolf turned to look over at one of our hunters. 

    There aren't any signs of an intruder. The scents are all familiar, even the human ones. There is no way a human would shoot her out here. It's forbidden and law enforced on these grounds. We haven't had a wolf hunter breach in almost fifty years. 

    I nodded telling them all to run another sweep before telling them what my brother had asked. I rushed back to the house going straight for my room. I put clothes on as fast as I could. The halls are crowded with wolves waiting to hear that Zulu is fine. They all let me through acknowledging me as I went. Her screams stopped me as I got to the door. I received several worried glances. 

    "The doctor is removing the bullets. She was shot six times. Had she been a lower rank she would have died," Ray said looking me over. 

    "There was nothing. No scent of the ordinary. We have to think about what this means," 

    "No, there are no more hunters out there. We've made sure of that. Shane Blake has a lock on s**t like that," 

    "There was no wolf scent," I said. "We double checked. It's just her's and the gun," 

    "I'll get the seekers out there. Jack, remember what I said. I know you care about her and that she's done a lot for you since she's gotten her but she doesn't belong to you. This is not your priority right now. She was attacked outside our borderline and it's our job to make sure that whatever did this doesn't do it to anyone else. Do you understand me?" 

    "Yes," I said rolling my eyes. 

    "Do you really? Because all I see is that same disobedience from before. She is not your priority. Repeat that back to me," 

    "She's not my priority," I said looking up at him. 

    "My pack comes first," I sighed. He growled at me taking hold of my arm. "Say it," 

    "My pack come first. I know ok? I know I have a responsibility to take care of. You can stop now. Jesus," he let go stepping away from me. 

    "I'm not doing this to get on your nerves, Jack. When I call you. I want you to answer me instantly. If you ignore me like you have before I will punish you. She doesn't do that for you. She knows her place. I call, she answers. I say jump, she asks how high. That is what it is to be a member of this pack," 

    "I get it," 

    "Good, if I don't call you before she wakes up let me know she's up. I want to be the first thing she sees walk through those doors," 

    "Yes, sir," I nodded. 

    He walked off after staring at me a little longer than comfort allowed. Others looked over at me with sympathetic glances. It's all I ever get when he gets like this. All he understands is that he is the alpha. He's my brother but he can be a prick. Not all of us can set aside out emotions like he can. He doesn't understand that it's hard to be seemingly happy once your entire world shatters beneath your feet. I hope he never has to find out because if what happened to me ever happens to him, we're all dead.