“Moving on,” Caleb interjected putting an arm in front of Edmund. That mere action calmed Clara, although her eyes stayed watched Edmund. “Looking at our information on you, you never failed a mission. What went wrong?” he asked.
“I’m not quite sure,” She replied trying to become professional, yet the wariness inside her kept her sounding like a scared young girl rather than a confident woman. “It started off like any hunt. I would lure the stray away from public view or even track them into the woods where they would usually run,” she paused and lowered her gaze to her lap once more. Memories of the fight filled her mind. “Someone must have tipped him off,” she added, her eyes filling in unwept tears, “Usually it’s a clean shot. One to the back of the head, they never even realise. It’s a quick death.” A sigh past her lips, “But he suddenly disappeared into the branches. I’ve never seen a Lycan do that, not in my six years in the field…”
“It’s unusual,” Michael commented, listening to her with intent.
“I couldn’t see him, and he jumped down at me. He had shifted completely with claws and fangs out when he attacked. If I hadn’t had my gun in my hand there was no way I was getting out of it alive, not against a Lycan in wolf form.”
“But you almost didn’t get out of it alive.” Edmund sneered, “You were shot in the chest”
Clara’s eyes narrowed on him. Howard had shot her. He had left her for dead, leaving to her bleed out instead of shooting her again to the head for a finishing blow which would have made sure she was dead. That was the protocol, and the fact he had shot her showed that nothing stood in his way of following the rules. But he had left her to suffer, he had bent the rules. He took some sort of revenge on her and let her bleed out. Her teeth gritted together. Anger filled her. Edmund had reminded her of the one thing she wanted to forget. Who wouldn’t want to forget that the one person you thought you could trust shooting you? Her hands balled into fists. “Who shot you?” Edmund asked pushing the subject.
“Who gives a shit,” Clara growled back.
“Did you shoot yourself or did someone else?” he pushed again.
“Who cares!” She roared, “I’m alive now. I’m surviving now. So, it doesn’t matter who shot me”.
Within a blink, Edmund was leaning over her. His eyes stayed on her wide eyes. Clara had sunk further back into the chair, her sharp tongue forgotten. Now she truly was a cornered animal. It was fight or flight.
“You shot yourself, didn’t you?” He spat at her. “You didn’t ask questions about your targets, probably followed all the rules too”
“Don’t make assumptions about…” She replied meekly.
“You did it, didn’t you?” He shouted down at her.
“Edmund!” shouted Caleb.
“You hated the thought of being one of us…”
“Get away from me,” Clara ordered quietly, her eyes stayed on his.
“To you, we are mere creatures, aren’t we? Things you can never regret killing because we are your nightmares. So, you shot yourself, to save yourself the misery of living like one of us”.
“Edmund, sit down!” roared Caleb.
“Or did you get a follow hunter to shoot you? You probably didn’t have the guts to kill yourself, too cowardly at the core. You probably showed them the bite and prayed for death”.
Clara’s head tilted. Her eyes burned and her lip twitched. She had only been called a coward only once in her life. One foster mother had called her a coward for not standing up for herself against bullies at school. So, she stopped backing down, even if she wanted to deep down. Clara started fighting back, against bullies, foster parents and anyone that tried to assert control over her.
“Get the fuck away from me” She practically whispered, yet it was as cutting as a knife. A pressure filled the room, her eyes had turned golden.
Slowly Edmund pulled away as she followed his movements. He took a step back as she stood. Her eyes watched him. But Clara was no longer the human hunter. No, she was now thinking and acting like a wolf. She took him in with a curious gaze. The skin around her eyes darkened and morphed in to animalistic golden eyes that absorbed every detail they could see. “If I had shot myself, I wouldn’t be standing here” she said ever so calmly, yet her whole body showed her anger. All the pain she had suffered in life shone in those burning bright eyes. Being a hunter had given her meaning but not a true outlet. Now it was biting back. Her horrid memories and the burning fury she had buried deep down were rising with the beast inside.
“Clara, please,” Caleb responded holding a protective arm over Edmund, “sit back down”.
“I’m done with your questions” she responded.
“No, this is my…”
“I don’t care” she responded looking at Caleb.
His eyes morphed to copy her own. This time Clara understood why they kept eye contact. It was all power play. Who would be in charge and who would bow out in defeat. “This is my territory,” his calm voice seemed to boom off the walls.
“And you let one of your own threaten me by invading my space,” she growled back. Caleb stood, his height should have made her feel a twinge of submission, but instead she stood firm.
“Edmund leave the room,” Caleb ordered.
“She is insane,” Edmund commented without moving.
“Leave!” Caleb roared. Edmund yelped and scampered from the room. “There your threat is gone. Calm down” he ordered.
Although Clara no longer felt threatened it didn’t stop the anger that had boiled over. She couldn’t stop it. It blinded her and controlled her. Her hand swiped out catching Caleb off guard. Her still human nails merely grazed the skin it hit. He stayed still and watched her. Her heart pounded in her chest. The bite on her side burnt her side. “Don’t tell me what to do!” she roared at him.
“I’m trying to help you” he replied calmly.
“Help me? Help me?” She laughed, “You merely helped yourself. Females are extinct, you only saved me because I’m rare. I’m just the only fucking she-wolf around” her voice started to fade. Her anger slowly diminished. She hadn’t been saved by someone who had known her. She hadn’t been saved because someone cared. No, she had been saved because she was physically good to keep around. She had survived so long only to be saved for someone else’s use.
Tears were falling down her face. Her body shook. She hadn’t cried in front of anyone in years, not since she was a child. “Why was it you?” she yelled at him. There was no real anger in her voice. Caleb moved towards her; his arms were out ready to comfort her. “Don’t touch me,” she cried. He stopped where he was and just watched her. Her fist shot out at his chest, but there was no strength behind it. “Why the fuck was it you?” she wailed as she continued to throwing punches as his chest, “Why wasn’t it him? Why did he have to…” her voice became inaudible as she slumped against Caleb.
Caleb stroked her hair and calmly wrapped his arms around her without saying a word. Yet, he looked towards Leo and Michael who had stayed exactly where they were. Michael’s eyes were filled with his own memories. Leo, however, lay down watching the scene with distress. Their protective instincts kept them there, wanting to protect the small woman from the horrors that only she knew. Caleb focused his hearing on the rest of the house. Edmund was pacing up and down the hallway while his wife, Mary, was trying to calm him and lecture him at the same time.
“You can’t pretend to understand how they think, Eddy” Mary pleaded.
“She’s a hunter, a human hunter” he stated back, “They kill us. They are murderers who see us as nothing more than another number to add to their list. They hate us, so of course they would hate to become one of us”.
“I want you to calm down and listen, Edmund Kiel” Mary ordered, sounding like an angry mother scolding a young child. “Listen to what is going on in the other room”. Edmund’s pacing stopped and only Mary’s foot tapping could be heard. “Does that sound like someone who hates your kind, our kind?”
Mary said making sure to include herself in the Pack even though she was human.
“She could be crying because she was turned,” Edmund stated stubborn.
“You stubborn idiot!” Mary shouted at her husband, “I haven’t got your increased hearing or keen eye-sight but even I can tell that that woman is not crying because she was turned or hates your kind. She’s a trained hunter, do you not think that her ‘Plan B’ would have been to attack all of you?” Silence filled the house except for Clara’s sobs. “You know I’m right,” Mary added.
Clara pulled away from Caleb and without lifting her head, she headed out of the room. Her eyes landed on the now quiet couple standing just outside the door. Edmund no longer stood at his full height, instead his shoulders hung forwards and any anger that was once in his person was gone. Mary, however, put on a smile and stepped towards Clara. “You must be exhausted from dealing with them, I know I always am. How about I show you to the spare room?” Mary inquired without sparing Caleb or Michael a glance to make sure that was okay.
“That...Is that...” Clara stuttered trying to form the sentence.
“We can’t expect you stay sleeping in the medical room, the whole time you are here,” Mary giggled trying to make Clara feel more comfortable. “I already sorted out sheets, towels and anything else you would need for one night,” Mary paused, “and tomorrow we can go shopping to find you some other clothes to wear. I’m sure you must be tired of wearing those ripped up old things”.
Looking down at herself, Clara suddenly felt subconscious. “That would be nice, I guess,” She answered with a timid smile. Mary wrapped an arm around Clara’s waist and ushered her up the stairs.
“You’ll like it here,” Mary said softly as they disappeared from the men’s views, “They are hard to deal with sometimes, and you must understand why they want to know about why you were shot and even living for that matter”.
“I understand,” Clara replied as they walked into a small cosy bedroom. Mary settled her on her bed carefully and stepped back smiling.
“You know, I always wanted another woman around here who actually liked being around the boys,” Mary whispered softly, “There’s a few more of them, a couple of them are even married with children. But their wives don’t like visiting that often, they like to pretend their husbands aren’t different.”
“But they know?” Clara questioned her. She had never come across Lycans having families. She had known some were born, so they had to have families at some point. But she just figured the women never truly knew, or at least that was what Howard had guessed.
“Of course, they know,” Mary was shocked by the question, “Why wouldn’t they know?” Clara stayed quiet. “Anyway, I hope you like it here because I could use another pair of hands to help me to deal with the men on an everyday basis. They’re not bad, they just tend to be a bit obtuse towards the female nature, if you get my meaning”. Clara just nodded even though she had no idea about ‘The female nature’, and if it had anything to do with how women operate, she was pretty sure that she couldn’t really speak on that matter.
Mary took the nod as the end of the conversation and smiled her goodbyes. Slowly and without turning around she walked out of the room and closed the door. Clara listened as Mary’s footsteps disappeared down the stairs.
Suddenly she was torn between investigating the room she had been given and going to sleep. Her body longed for rest whilst her mind wanted to roam. So, she settled for lying down on the bed and just looking around her which seemed to be a good compromise as her body was already aching. She noted that the light from the window shone onto the right side of the double bed she had been given and a decent sized wooden wardrobe stood the wall opposite the end of her bed. The room itself was barely furnished. It had a bed, a wardrobe, a desk with a chair, and a couple of bedside tables. There was no clutter or any sign of the room belonging to anyone before her.
Satisfied that the room was adequate and that she was at least safe for the night, she tugged her jeans off and shrugged off her top. Gently she pulled the covers up and slid underneath them. Warmth enveloped her and settled a deeper wilder part of her. Her eyes drifted shut with the thought that she would live another day.
Chapter 4
The night’s sleep hadn’t been an easy one. Her eyes kept flickering open as her mind reminded her was what happened. Sometimes the dreams would be warm and loving but soon enough a nightmare involving Howard would creep in. He would be standing there with the barrel of the gun aimed at her. Each time his face held a different expression, but it didn’t change the fact that every time her mind flung the nightmare at her it scared her so much that she woke up. A scream never escaped her, but there was a strange and almost suffocating scent in the room that her mind registered as fear. However, as soon as sunlight hit the window her mind settled enough to allow her to sleep soundlessly.
At ten in the morning after just five hours of decent sleep, Clara finally woke up. Her body still ached but it no longer bothered her. Slowly she turned to her left and stared at the bedroom door. She was surprised to find that she wasn’t scared or frightened by the fact she was in a new unknown place, instead she was content by the fact she was surrounded by others which was something she had never felt before. Still, she told herself to stay weary and to keep an eye on everyone here.
Slowly she raised herself from her bed, her body argued with every movement she made. As she stood, she became painfully aware of the fact that she could sense everyone downstairs. In her own chest she could feel the steady and calm rhythms of their hearts, as well as feel their breathing patterns. As they walked around or sat down, she felt their movements in her own muscles. Shaking her head Clara tried to ignore the attachment her body seemed to have formed to the people around. Instead of focusing on the sensations in her body she quickly put her torn clothing back on and headed out of the bedroom.
Once she was in the hallway, she walked straight to the bathroom. She had no idea how she knew which door was which as they were all shut, but it was something strange that she chose to ignore. Clara quickly undressed after she locked the door and climb in under the hot spray of the shower. The hot clean water seemed to wash everything away, from the dirt that still covered her body to the worries that lay deep within her mind. Rolling her shoulders Clara turned and stared at the tile wall as water cascaded down her back. In the bright light she could see only an essence of her reflection in the tile, yet something felt like everything fitted perfectly now. The hazy woman that stared back at her felt whole.
Turning off the shower, Clara stepped out and grabbed the nearest towel. She wrapped it around her and then wiped the mirror free of any fog. As the mist was wiped away a small gasp fell from her lips. She looked different just as much as she felt different. The face staring back of her was the same, but there was now something deeper within her own eyes. A golden circle lined her pupil, whilst her skin seemed less worn. Her hand stayed gently resting against the mirror as she focused on her eyes. The skin around them had darkened slightly making it seem like she had just put on eyeliner, yet she knew for certain that she hadn’t. Leaning forwards her gaze turned to the hand on the mirror. Her nails were longer and much more pointed, like blunted claws.
Quickly she pulled herself away and hurriedly got dried off then dressed once again. Stilling for a moment, she eyed the door. Her pulse should have risen with shock or distress and yet she found herself calming to the same rate as everyone in the house. Breathing in, she stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Without hesitation she walked downstairs, yet her blue eyes watched every exit possible as she walked down. Clara stilled as she reached the bottom step and eyed the open door to the kitchen. There were no sounds coming from any of the rooms that hinted that anyone was around, and yet in her own muscles and mind she knew that everyone was seated in the study which she had been questioned in the day before. Swallowing hard, she made her way to the door that lay between her and everyone else.
A part of her wanted to rush in and enjoy the company which they had to offer yet another side, a stronger side, told to wait and listen. So, she did, Clara stood by the door listening to the almost silent sounds of their breathing.
Her right hand hovered of the door handle. She knew in her body that they were calm and were waiting for her, yet her mind told her to be ready for an attack. She clicked her neck and rolled her shoulders. Pulling sharply down on the handle Clara opened the door and stared at the people who waited for her.
She looked at every one of them individually, her eyes took note of their body language, their scents and even where they sat. Michael was the only one who stood in the room. Clara knew instantly that he was the Enforcer of the Pack’s rulings, whilst Caleb sat on the furthest side of the group from her. Something in her mind told her that he was in the position of power. The path to him wasn’t blocked by anyone but lined by the others. Leonard and Edmund sat on either of Caleb, whilst Mary was seated next to Edmund and was almost within reach. Clara turned her gaze to the closed curtains. The light that shone through the gap shimmered off various sources, instantly she knew that there was more to the Pack than those she had met the day before.
A figure moved from the shadows in the room to stand alongside Michael, proving their equal standing. Compared to Michael’s gentle giant appearance, the man who now stood next to him was the personification of wrath. His eyes didn’t match in colour, one was gold whilst the other had a human green. His body was bulkier making him looked stronger than anyone else who she could see in the room. Scars marked his face, whilst dark hair fell to around his shoulders. Clara only hoped his temperament differed from his appearance.
“Did I interrupt something?” Clara asked as she leaned against the wall opposite them all, knowing full well that the group had been silent all morning.
The Wolf's Huntress Page 4