My Hateful Mate

2. His life in her paws

MEL POV

Before I could process what I had just done, the Rogue darted in his direction. He quickly aimed his weapon and began shooting. The loud noise brought back the memory of Heidi getting shot and I cringed at the sound. The Rogue dodged and ran around to hide behind a tree. I sighed in relief when his bullets didn’t hit their intended target, but he wasn’t giving up.

It felt as though I was in between them, unable to pick a side. Because I literally was. If he killed her in front of me, I don’t know how I would react. That’s why it frustrated me when she didn’t take her ass home. “Stop! Don’t kill her!” His brows furrowed in confusion, probably wondering how I knew she was a female. I didn’t have time to explain that it was because of her size.

He wasn’t curious enough to ask me either. Let alone listen to my pleas not to kill the poor shewolf. Instead, he moved a few inches to the side, trying to look around the tree for a better shot. It dawned on me that she was probably scared of him since he had a big gun, and she was all alone. I kept darting my eyes back and forth trying to come up with a plan. A way to stop this.

Every time she made a move, he countered it. She was trying to leave, but he wasn’t letting her. There was no way she was going to risk turning her back on him. “Go to him. Try to calm our mate.” Keyla suggested. “I don’t think that will work, Kiki.” He’s not a wolf. My presence and touch would have minimal effect on him. In fact, I feared that if I approached him I might make things worse.

One look at him and I could tell he was angry, but why? His chest was heaving, he almost looked like a bull. Eyes blazing, nose flaring and gritted teeth. I had to take a chance, so I walked out from where I was but he held his hand out, telling me to stop. “Stay back!” He commanded, his voice gravelly with emotion. His eyes darted from me to the Rogue, but his weapon remained pointed in her direction.

He didn’t perceive me as a threat but he didn't want me interfering. “Just let her go! She wants to leave.” I argued but he ignored me and began moving closer, basically giving her no choice but to run or attack. “Kiki, we can’t let him kill her.” I didn’t know what to do. Keyla was whimpering in my head, being of no help at all. “Come out you filthy beast!” He sneered at her, and I flinched.

It stung to hear him say those words. If we were in any other situation, I would have torn him a new asshole. I may not be a Rogue, but I was sure he considered all wolves filthy beasts. How would he feel if I considered all humans weak and pathetic and called him that to his face. “Don’t you dare shoot her!” I was angry now, so I ran towards him and held his arm, pulling the gun down.

It felt amazing when our skin came into contact. My anger was replaced by pleasure, but it was short-lived. The second his glare landed on me and he pushed me away, I remembered what he was. A Hunter. Right now, I’m a human in his way. What if he knew what I really was? How would he TRY to handle me then? Had I been human, I would have fallen to the floor with the strength he used to shove me away.

It pissed me off that it stung that he would do that. I hated that I wanted him, and he saw me as a nuisance. Worse, a filthy beast. “He doesn’t feel what we feel yet. Once he knows what we are to one another and begins to feel the bond, he will change.” Keyla assured me. “I want to believe you, Kiki, but I’m afraid you might be disappointed.” I warned her.

There is no time for me to think about how what he is and what I am affects what we are to each other. I’m too busy trying to keep him from killing her and her from attacking out of survival instinct. “You’re going to get us killed!” He hissed at me and raised his weapon once more. Before he could aim, he was thrown back as the Rogue pounced on him. Pinning him down with her front paws.

My mouth hung wide open in shock as the exact situation I was trying to avoid unfolded before me. What the f**k do I do now? Why didn’t she just leave while she had the chance? I took a few steps forward but stopped when she snapped her teeth at him and then turned to me. “Get off of him!” I screamed. If a wolf could look confused, it would look exactly like she did right now.

I debated lunging forward and pushing her off him, but I was afraid that if I made a move she would freak out and hurt him. “Go away! Leave!” I pleaded with her, while he was reaching for his weapon that had skidded out of reach a few feet away from him. Normally, a man with determination would turn me on, but this is ridiculous.

Her paws were on his chest, it would be easy for her to claw into him. Didn’t he realize that? She basically had his life in her paws. My breath hitched the moment I knew she decided to back off. Her shoulders slumped and one of her front paws rose slowly, but before she could get off him, he pulled out a knife and buried it in her side. The Rogue yelped in pain. “NO!” I screamed and went for his hand and pulled the knife out.

The look on his face was more feral than any wolf I’d ever seen. Who was the beast now? “What are you doing!” He spat at me and tried reaching for the knife. I pulled it away and looked into his very angry handsome face. I was about to scold him when it contorted in pain. “f**k!” He groaned. My eyes widened in disbelief when I looked down and noticed one of her clawed paws was digging into his side, leaving a huge gash that was spilling blood.

I quickly pushed her away, which was easy since she hadn’t healed from the knife wound. She landed on her side and did her best to crawl away from him. “He’s bleeding out! You need to do something, Mel!” Keyla was frantic. I tried to put pressure on it with my hands, but the stubborn fool was still trying to crawl to his weapon. As if it was going to save his foolish ass from bleeding to death. If anything, he was making things worse by moving around so much.

I placed my hand on his chest and tried to hold him still. “Stop moving!” The wound was too big, my hands didn’t cover it. He was losing too much blood. “Let him die!” I heard the Rogue sneer behind me. I turned to glare at her. She had shifted back into human form and was holding her side where the knife had pierced through. Her face was full of pain as she bared her teeth at him. It didn't look like her wound was healing at all. Of course, he must have used a silver knife. Looking down at where I dropped it, trying to figure out why it didn't burn my hand, I noticed it had tape over the handle.

Diverting my attention back to him. I kept struggling to keep him in place, ignoring the curses he was shooting my way. “Get the f**k off me! I need to kill it before it heals.” He was strong for a human. With the amount of blood he was losing he should have passed out, but instead he was fighting me. I needed to get control of this situation fast. “Please stop moving…. You’re… you’re bleeding out.” My voice didn’t sound like mine.

I’ve never been so scared in my life. “Why did you stop me!” He groaned and frowned at me. His breath was coming out in panted breaths, and his eyes had this dazed look in them. “You can’t let him die Mel. Our mate can’t die like this.” Keyla whimpered. “Why are you here? You f****d everything up!” His eyes may be dazed, but that didn't stop him from looking at me with so much contempt.

He blamed me and he was right. It was my fault. There was no way I would have let him kill her, but I should have acted sooner. Made my presence known to both of them as soon as I saw them. Maybe then… maybe then he wouldn’t be lying in front of me, practically dying. Even if we weren’t going to end up being the happily mated couple the Goddess had paired us to be, I couldn’t let him die. Even if he is a d**k.