by Tamara White
Dad clears his throat and rubs his eyes.
“You should also know that Duncan has two sons he’s currently training. He thought it would be a great idea to get you to join in on their sessions when you can. I’m not so sure it’s a good thing, but I figure it’s worth a try. If it doesn’t look like you can contain yourself, then we can come up with something to get you out of it. If I flat out deny having you train with them without even giving it a go, I fear it would draw suspicion.”
Dad yawns and leans his head back on the couch before closing his eyes, no doubt tired from his first shift. I pull my phone out and scroll through my feed to see what my old friends are up to as I process the implications of training with hunters.
I learned at a young age that I couldn’t avoid all hunters. Dad is first and foremost a hunter, which means every town we move to is most likely occupied with hunters.
They tend to work alone in most cases, but it’s not uncommon for them to call on each other for help, especially if they ever come across a wolf pack. Which is pretty unheard of.
I think the last hunter to face down an entire pack was about ten years ago, and he was slaughtered. It was his own fault for going after a pack of wild beasts on his own. That’s something I learned before I was five—you always take backup with you on a hunt when there could be more than one wolf, and you never hunt them on a full moon.
As my father taught me all my life, wolf shifters only have one weakness. That’s when they are in human form. In shifted form, they are pretty much indestructible.
From personal experience, I know if I’m injured as a human and then shift to my wolf form, all my injuries are instantly healed. Something that even my father was unaware of until he saw it firsthand.
With that knowledge, it helped both of us become more effective hunters, but it also meant that the prime way to kill a wolf shifter was when they were in human form. If a hunter goes after a single shifted wolf and has a gun and is a good fucking shot, then they have a chance of escaping with their life. If the wolf is in human form, the hunter is more likely to hit the shot needed to take the wolf out.
But the idiot who took on a pack on his own was nuts. He wouldn’t have been able to kill them all, and he should have known it. It takes a bullet to the head to slay a shifted wolf, and if there are more than one, then you’re already screwed. Even seasoned hunters ensure they take a buddy when hunting down a single wolf. To take on a pack, you’d need a minimum of two dozen people, all armed and good shots.
I’m not sure just how many hunters actually exist in the world, but from what Dad told me, they are getting close to extinction. Wolves are becoming smarter and traveling in pairs instead of alone. It’s only the ones that are completely rabid that go off alone these days, and those are the ones that are dangerous to humans and hunters alike.
I set my phone down with a sigh, asking the burning question in my mind, and an important one at that. “How many hunters do you think live in this town besides the one you met?”
I didn’t think there would be many in Littlerock, but then again, there isn’t really a guide to where hunters live. It’s not like Dad gave me a map and it had a little star over each city or anything. He just said hunters live where they like. They simply recognize each other because they have a little symbol tattooed on the inside of their wrists. Something I, too, will get when I turn eighteen.
Not that I mind. It’s not like it’s a large tattoo and would take up my arm. It’s a very small design of a wolf paw with two daggers crossed through it like an X, and it’s placed on the inside of your right wrist.
That way, when the hunter sees the mark on another, they can immediately confer over what they are hunting and where the wolf was last sighted. There’s a special bond between hunters that means they can also request help with their hunt or possibly even a place to stay.
I used to wonder if there were humans out there who got the marks tattooed on them simply because they saw it once and thought it was cool, but Dad said it was unlikely as the design was passed down through the family lines. So even if a human saw the design, it would be pretty hard to replicate it exactly. The dagger design is pretty unique, made by one of the first hunters.
New hunters tend to only get it after being introduced to a hunter by accident and are then given their own copy of the design to hand down to family members who also become hunters.
Dad clears his throat to grab my attention. He knows I disappear in my head sometimes.
“I did a little research last night and today. From what little info I was able to gather, there are four adult hunters in town and only two children, both of whom are close to your age, so it’s safe to assume they are Duncan’s children. Although they aren’t official, they shouldn’t be dismissed. Just as I’ve trained you, their father has trained them.”
“I know, Dad. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Good, because we leave in an hour. We’ll stop off on the way so I can get you some food beforehand. Don’t want you going all wolfy on me or the other hunters.”
That’s actually probably a really good idea. If I’m hungry now, then training will make me beyond ravenous, and that’s not a situation I should be in with other people, especially ones who spend their lives killing my kind.
“Alright, I’m going to get started on my homework then. Come grab me when you’re ready to go.”
I heave my ass off the couch and take my bag back to my room and dump it. Grabbing my butt pillow from the end of the bed, I position it beside my bag and take a seat.
Dad always laughs when he sees me sitting on my pillow. He thought it was absolutely hilarious I had named it my butt pillow, but I like sitting on the floor. However, most floors hurt my delicate ass. It seemed like a sensible decision to sit on a cushion, but no cushion was ever comfortable enough.
This pillow, though, is just firm enough for my ass to sink into and be comfortable.
I dig through my bag and pull out all my books and the homework that accumulated from my classes today.
The math and English assignments are the hardest, so I get started in on those and hope I’ll get through it all before I leave because there is no way I will want to do anything when I finish training.
Even if I don’t do anything with Duncan and his sons, Dad will bring me back here and ensure I’m completely exhausted. Just because my muscles heal a little quicker than a human’s doesn’t mean Dad won’t work the hell out of me. He makes sure I can handle myself both in wolf and human form. He never wants me to leave myself exposed and risk being harmed.
He and I both know he won’t be in my life forever. There may even come a time where he will have to choose between the love he has for me or the duty he has to his family line. When that day comes, I’ll run. I won’t make things harder for him.
I’ll disappear as if I never existed at all.
Chapter Four
Dad climbs into the car and hands me a brown paper bag full of food. Before I can take it, he pulls it back with a serious expression.
“Now, what are you going to do when you’re forced to fight against Duncan’s boys?”
I roll my eyes in annoyance before answering in a bored tone. “I’m going to be strong enough that Duncan won’t insist to keep me training with his sons, but weak enough that I don’t appear to be more than a human. I’m going to take a few punches and dish them out, just like a hunter, not a wolf. I’m going to be a good little girl and not shift and eat them all.”
He hands me the bag with a smile. “Good girl.”
I dig into the food, aware he’s still talking as he continues the long drive to the other hunter’s home.
“I know it’s going to kill you to pretend to be lesser than you are, but it’s for the best. We should restrict your abilities in case they ever do find out what you are. It means they will underestimate you if the time ever comes to run.”
I know what he’s trying to say. There’s no guarantee I can remain hi
dden all my life, and on the off chance that my other nature is revealed, it’s better to keep some things secret. If the hunters find out about me, I’m sure they would track down every place I had ever been and get as much information about me as they could. Knowing how I fight would be one advantage they would share among their kind to ensure they could exploit any perceived weaknesses.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassure my father around a mouthful of food.
I know it probably doesn’t give him any peace of mind at all, but he’ll just have to trust that he’s trained me well enough to handle anything.
Half an hour later, I’m finishing the last of my fries when we turn down a narrow gravel road. It figures that a hunter would live in a location that’s out of the way and backs onto a small wooded area. I wonder if this Duncan guy owns the place or if he’s renting.
After a couple of minutes of Dad’s car practically crawling up the driveway, a large, Victorian style home appears around the bend. Its green, gray, and brown colors almost have it blending into the trees. It’s a very beautiful house with a gorgeous wrap around porch and white beams. There’s a lovely white and brown wooden porch swing off to the right of the front door, and a stunning glass window behind it. On the left side is another pretty window, and a man with soft brown hair and a dark beard is leaning over the railing that faces us.
He smiles down at us and straightens with a small wave. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t a man who looked so kind, so caring. His smile immediately puts me at ease.
I guess since the only other hunters I’ve met have been old assholes, I wasn’t anticipating to see someone that was so close in age to my own father.
The moment the car stops, the man starts toward us, quickly coming down the stairs.
As I unbuckle my belt, Dad gives me one last warning. “Remember to behave, Eliza. I don’t want to move so soon after settling in.”
Geez, he’s never going to let me live that down. In eighth grade, I made a poor judgment call in who I called a friend and kinda maybe broke her nose a week after school started.
Unfortunately, the bitch whose nose I broke happened to be the daughter of the local sheriff, which meant we were told to leave town and never come back or our lives would be made a living hell.
So we did. Dad wasn’t happy that we had to pack up and move again before the year was out, but when I explained how the girl had punched me first after some very unsavory words were said, well, he was very forgiving. It was technically self-defense.
At my nod of understanding, Dad climbs out of the car and I follow. The man from the porch who I assume is Duncan is quick to reach my father.
They grasp each other fiercely in an embrace that makes me wonder if they are closer than my father let on. I assumed they were just hunters who had been friends once and then drifted apart, but there’s definitely more here than Dad told me.
Duncan pulls back from my father, placing both hands firmly on his shoulders, studying him intently. “I’m so glad you could make it. It’s been a long time, brother.”
Brother? Just how well does Dad know this guy? There’s clearly some backstory missing from what he told me earlier.
“Sorry, man. As you know, life can be a little distracting.” Dad shakes his friend’s hands off and gestures for me to come closer.
Immediately, Duncan’s gaze lands on me. “Ah, I take it this is your lovely daughter?”
I step forward and hold out a hand. “Yes, I’m Elizabeth. I prefer Eliza though.”
He takes my proffered hand with a warm smile. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, darling girl. But I have to admit, I’m still in shock after hearing of your existence. I can’t believe he went so long without mentioning you, but I guess the circumstances must have been painful.” He gives me a sad smile. “Though, it looks like he did alright on his own. And now he tells me you’ve decided to join the family business?”
I reply with an enthusiastic smile of my own. “Yes, sir. I’ve known all my life and want to help be a solution to the problem.”
Duncan nods along, appearing impressed with my response. He glances over to my father with approval before settling his gaze back on me. “If I’d known Anton had a daughter, I would have insisted we meet sooner. I believe you and my sons would have been great friends and training partners growing up. Who knows, maybe with your presence, they would have been as loyal to the cause as you appear to be. Although maybe your influence now will get them on the right track.”
Ah, so he wants me to convince his sons that being a wolf hunter is a mission worth investing your life in. Just. Fricking. Great.
My father glances at me quickly, I’m sure to convey some secret message to keep my mouth closed, but I know the drill. Even if I won’t shut this Duncan guy down to his face, he can kiss my ass if he thinks I would even consider encouraging someone to invest their life in a cause that could end with them being mauled to death.
“Well then.” Duncan startles me from my thoughts. “What are we all standing around here for? Let’s go around the back. The boys have already begun training, but I’m sure they won’t mind you joining in.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and guides me to the house and then up the small set of stairs. Once we’re on the front porch, he veers off to the left. We walk down the narrow deck toward the back where the distinct sound of fighting can be heard.
When we reach the corner of the porch, I catch sight of just how impressive the property is and can’t contain my gasp.
It’s absolutely beautiful.
Trees back the edge of the property, large and majestic. A small mountain is off in the distance, the sun having already fallen behind it so the sky is only lit by the reflection of light. It’s such a breathtaking scene, and I would kill to have a view like this.
I’m one-hundred-percent jealous that they have a home this large with a view this amazing. People underestimate just how good a forest view can be, opting to point their homes at bodies of water instead, but the person who designed this house was obviously my kind of people. I could sit on this back deck for hours just breathing in the scent of trees and wilderness.
Still, while our home isn’t as grand as this, it has everything we need.
Our requirements are simple. We just need to be close to a wooded area with an abundance of wildlife, and the house has to have a basement. We don’t need a billion rooms or bathrooms, we just want a place together that has our own respective spaces and will give us an area to hide me on the off chance I couldn’t get away when the change took control of me on the night of the full moon.
“We’re situated on a little over an acre of property, just in case you were wondering,” Duncan offers with a knowing grin.
I clear my throat, feeling embarrassed at being caught ogling the property like it’s a hot guy. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to zone out. It’s just breathtaking.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. You’re not the first person to come here and be blown away by the beauty this land has to offer. It’s one of the reasons why I bought the place.”
I nod, awestruck from the magnificence of the trees, which are gently swaying in the wind. The scents alone have me wishing I was here without another soul so I could shift and rub my fur on every tree.
“Fuck!”
The loud curse startles me into noticing something my mind scraped over when I came around the back.
Three men are on the deck. One on his hands and knees on a blue mat, while another is above the kneeling guy, and the third guy is leaning against the railing, just watching the other two.
Whoever built this back deck must have had massive plans in store, because it’s beyond what is normal for a porch, at least ones I’ve seen before. Off to the right is a room for an inbuilt grill, a pizza oven, a wooden table large enough to seat eight people, and a comfy-looking lounge.
The left side is taken up by the blue training mats I’ve seen in martial arts studios. Ones designed to s
often the fall for people being beat on.
I groan internally when I recognize the man who’s on his hands and knees panting with exhaustion. He’s the boyfriend of the cheerleader bitch, Hannah.
The guy standing above him is also panting, but more from an adrenaline rush, I think. He looks ready to go for another round, but the man on his knees seems to have had enough.
The guy leaning against the railing snaps his fingers. “Again, Ash! Get your lazy ass up! A wolf won’t leave you alone because you’re a little tired.”
The cheerleader’s boyfriend slowly struggles to get to his feet, but he finally makes it to a standing position, even if he sways a little. At least I know his name now—Ash.
I wonder who the guy yelling instructions is though. I assumed both boys on the mats were the brothers, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe Ash is facing a hunter? Or maybe the guy yelling instructions is another hunter?
As if he can hear my thoughts, the man coaching everything turns to smile over at us. The moment I take him in, I know immediately that Duncan has a third son.
Wild, untamed dark hair clings to his sweat soaked face, and his bright blue eyes sparkle brightly with mischief. His cheeks are flushed as if he, too, has been training with the younger guys, and his body is definitely kept in good shape. Damn, I hope I’m not drooling.
Duncan chuckles softly, reminding me I have an audience.
“I see it didn’t take you long to notice my eldest, Jayden,” he remarks, his chest puffed out in pride. “It never takes long before the girls fawn all over the man my son has become. He’s got his dad’s genes, that’s for sure,” Duncan tells my father in what I assume is meant to be a conspiratorial whisper.
I heard it though, and I grumble under my breath. Jayden may be attractive, but there is no way he got his looks from his father. But what’s really frustrating is the knowledge that he has a third son, one who, judging by the mark on the inside of his wrist, is a fully-fledged hunter.
My life in this town is doomed. How the hell am I supposed to remain undetected with this many of them getting close to me?