The Hunter's Bargain

❝The Arch hunter has the wolf pup,❞ -HER- The sudden commotion in the pack was enough to bring me out of my house to look at the matter. I found a woman crying in the middle of the road that turned towards my house. A large crowd had gathered around her and were watching her cry.  Instead of standing among the crowd and watching her, I decided to approach her because I knew her. She was a cook in one of the packhouses in our pack. “What’s the matter?” I asked her. She opened her eyes for some moments to look at me before she threw her arms around me and continued to cry on my shoulder very pathetically. She was wailing like a child. I had never seen an adult cry like this.  By now, a couple of women had come forward to help me as well. “They… they took my pup,” The woman sobbed as she covered her face with her hands after we managed to get her to stop crying. At her words, the people standing around us in the crowd gasped. Everyone knew about who she was talking about because their faces were instantly painted with terror. Her pup had been taken away by the hunters from one of the most brutal and inhumane towns- Halsar. It was just outside the woods we lived in. It wasn’t the first time when this incident had taken place.  It had happened before multiple times when their hunters had stepped closer to our pack to take away our wolves. On the other hand, our alpha was a very useless one. Things like these didn’t matter to him. His carelessness only increased the chances of such incidents happening even more.  But this time, seeing the way the mother was crying for her pup, I knew that something had to be done otherwise those hunters would do something to the pup. That pup didn't deserve any of it.  “I…I will bring him back,” I blurted out and instantly everyone around me froze. The mother’s eyes widened as she looked at me with a combination of disbelief and gratefulness. “You will?” She asked and I nodded weakly.  “But what if they do something to you?” She asked. “I will think about something. Don’t worry. Your pup will be back,” I did my best to assure her even though I myself was very much unsure and anxious about it. It was easier said than done. Meanwhile, I heard the crowd break off into chatter as everyone looked at me with doubt and pity in their eyes. After this incident, I went back home to get ready to go to Halsar. “You are not going anywhere, Jane!” My father bellowed as soon as I was back at home, preparing for my trip to the town. “Dad please, this is important,” I pleaded as I went through my belongings to collect all the money that I had saved in the past few years. I was saving to travel to Europe but that could wait. The pup’s life was more important in this situation.  “I told you, you are not going to step out of the house,” He bellowed but I wasn’t going to listen to him today because I have had enough of all these incidents. My dad was the beta and he was more or less like the Alpha- lazy and irresponsible. I hated these men the most in the pack. If only I could inherit my dad’s position, I would have done so much for the pack but there was no way I was going to be a Beta with my douchebag of a brother next in line. If things like this continued then our pack was soon going to suffer. In fact, it was already suffering. Today when I was provided with an opportunity to do something for my people, I wasn’t going to let it go. “I am not going to listen to you today,” I growled at him as I stuffed the pockets of my coat with all the money I could find. A growl was the only thing that I got from him in return as I marched out of the house. It was already getting dark. Without thinking much, I stepped into the woods and walked to the town all by myself. I grew anxious the closer I got to the town. By the time I reached the town, it had already gotten dark and cold.  I made sure not to attract any kind of attention to me and only walked the streets which were fairly crowded. I soon reached the market where the accessories made with animal body parts were being sold. As soon as I saw wolf skin being sold, I started feeling sick in the stomach. Although it also raised the urgency in me because I needed to get to the pup soon otherwise he’d end up in the same way, but I didn’t know where to and how to get to him.  “I heard they brought in a wolf pup today,” I heard some men discuss in the market. I stepped closer to them while acting to be interested in some of the things being sold as I used my werewolf hearing to listen more. “That would be such a good purchase. When’s the bidding?” I heard another man ask. “Tomorrow,” Answered the former. I got some hope after hearing them talk but at the same time, it raged me. Although I needed to know more so I decided to approach the men. “Excuse me,” I spoke behind them, making them turn around to look at me. “I am very much interested in buying the wolf pup. Where could I get it?” I asked the man who was talking about it. This made him c**k an eyebrow at me before he scanned me from head to toe. He had definitely noticed that I was somewhat different and wasn't a resident of the small town. Next, he leaned in to whisper something in the other man's ear before they exchanged a nod and looked back at me.  “The Arch hunter has the wolf pup,” The man answered grimly. His answer fed my anxiety but I had to do this for the sake of my people.