The Hunter's Bargain

6.

CHAPTER 6

-HER-

When I woke up, he was nowhere to be seen. Nonetheless, I found the bathroom and cleaned myself. I was a bit sore between my legs and I happened to like it because it was after a long time when I got to sleep with someone and that too my mate. 

After that, I gathered what was left of my clothes. My blouse was torn but I managed to tie a knot in the middle and wore my pants. I looked very terrible in the outfit and was hesitant to go out like that.

I was relieved to find my coat in a good condition to throw over my destroyed clothes. I almost got a fright when someone knocked on the door before getting in.

It was that bald man again. Just like last night, he led me out of the bedroom and back to my mate’s office. I was aware of the tension when I stepped inside his office.

I heard small, puppy squeals the first thing when I stepped into the room before my eyes finally spotted the small cage with the pup captured from my pack. It infuriated a part of me to see the pup like that, caged. 

No one deserved to be caged like that, whether animals or humans, especially animals. We were freer than humans, and our lives mattered too, if only they understood it.

My eyes locked with Viktor’s next and with that, the tension in the room escalated slightly. The air in his office was choking me and I wanted to get out of there with the pup as soon as possible. 

I didn’t miss how Victor looked somewhat angry and tensed. Although seeing him did make my wolf stir. She had marked him after all. I wasn’t very pleased with this and only hoped that Viktor didn’t find out soon what it really meant to be marked by a wolf. I’d be in very deep trouble; well, I was already neck-deep into trouble.

His eyes darkened slightly as he looked at me. Anger and something else simmered in them as he watched me step closer to the pup’s cage. Meanwhile, the pup instantly got excited to see me. 

I couldn’t tell why Viktor seemed slightly angry but again, I couldn’t have cared less at that moment.

My main focus at that moment was to get the pup and return to the pack, safe and sound, as soon as possible. Otherwise, I was afraid that my father would send some wolves after me and that wouldn’t be very good. 

Viktor’s eyes solely remained on me as I stepped in front of the cage, looking down at the pup. The gate was already open for me. The pup squealed in excitement as I reached for it. His eyes lit up as soon as he recognized me from the pack. 

I couldn’t help but smile back at him as I took him out. He eagerly climbed on my chest and buried his face in the crook of my neck the same way he’d have done with his mama. 

I cooed at him slightly while my eyes locked with Viktor’s again. They were very dark now, looking at me hungrily. His eyes were oozing with anger and that was my cue to leave the place as soon as possible.

“Time to go home,” I cooed at the pup and spun on my heels before heading towards the door. 

I heard Victor make a sound behind me that sounded like a combination of a groan and a growl but I completely ignored him. I walked out of the office, where the bald man was already waiting to show me out of the Arch Hunter’s house.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally stepped out of the house filled with the dead animals. Although my wolf wasn’t very happy about leaving our mate behind. In fact, I wasn’t happy about it either. I’d have liked to spend some more time with him but I had to remind myself again and again that he was a hunter… not a normal hunter but the Arch Hunter of Halser.

There wasn’t anyone more dangerous than him in the southern woods. He was the most powerful Hunter and if he wished then he could m******e my whole pack within a couple of hours and use our dead bodies to decorate his house.

I was just a she-wolf, without any power. 

There was no way we could be together. It definitely hurt me to realize this but the quicker I’d wrap my head around this, the better it’d be for me. Although the problem that rose here was that my wolf marked him… permanently. 

It meant that he was ours. Only ours. Although he didn’t know about this… yet. I thought about the consequences of him finding out about the mark. It simply sent a shiver down my spine.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head while I walked home. I put the pup under my coat so that people wouldn’t notice him while I walked through the town. I wanted to go home and sleep… last night was long.

I felt this sense of achievement as I took the pup back with me. I’d be probably the first and only wolf who’d walked into Halser and was able to come back alive, in one piece.

Although I didn’t fail to notice that the farther I got from the town, the more agitated and unhappy my wolf became. I decided to ignore her for the most part and concentrated on going home instead.

I got this feeling of being followed as I walked through the woods alone. I had my arms securely wrapped around the pup. He had fallen asleep during the journey.

I kept my eyes and ears open all the time and paid attention to every single sound and movement into the woods as I walked deeper and deeper into it. I never looked back. I knew there was someone… tailing me. Viktor must’ve sent them after me.

I didn’t realize how stiff and tense my body had grown until my shoulders relaxed when I finally saw the pack’s boundary. I hurriedly stepped inside the pack but instead of feeling happy, I felt this huge hole inside me. I knew what it was but I didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“We’re home,” I cooed to the pup who gently stirred and yawned under my coat. His cuteness did put a smile on my face but it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate inside me and convince me that I was really at home.