Chapter Twenty-nine
Hunter’s POV
I sat in my office, staring blankly at the papers scattered across my desk. The events of the past few days had hung in my mind, and I couldn’t seem to know what to do… which was abnormally odd.
The door creaked open, and I looked up to see Gaius, the pack’s physician and my late father’s old friend, stepping into the room.
“Hunter,” Gaius greeted, his voice warm yet heavy with something on his mind. “I hope I’m not disturbing you?”
I shook my head and signaled for him to sit. “No, Gaius. You’re always welcome.”
He sat down, folding his hands in his lap as he studied me with those sharp, wise eyes. Gaius had been with the pack longer than most, and he’d seen more than anyone else.
I knew that trying to hide anything from him would be pointless, but I wasn’t prepared for what he was about to bring up.
“There’s been talk,” Gaius began, his tone casual, but I could sense the seriousness beneath it. “About the activities you’ve been keeping secret at the border.”
I stiffened slightly, my mind racing. I tried to keep my expression neutral. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Gaius let out a small chuckle, but it wasn’t one of amusement. “You can fool the others, Hunter, but not me. I’ve been here longer than most, and I can tell when something significant is happening in this pack.”
I sighed, realizing that there was no use in pretending. “How did you know?”
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze steady. “Aside from the men I’ve noticed you deploying into the forest, I went there early this morning to gather some herbs for medicines. I found dead bodies sprawled on the forest floor, Hunter. Your men, from the looks of it.”
His words hit me like a punch to the stomach, but I kept my composure. Gaius had always been sharp, too sharp for his own good sometimes. “You’re right,” I admitted. “There’s something going on.”
Gaius nodded, as if he’d expected as much. “I haven’t said anything to anyone because I knew you were keeping it a secret. But when I saw those bodies, I knew I had to come and talk to you.”
I sighed again, leaning back in my chair. “We discovered gold near the border. I’m trying to keep it from falling into enemy hands.”
Gaius frowned. “But part of that land belongs to the Steeprock pack, son. You have no business harvesting gold on their territory unless you want to start a war. And from what I saw this morning, it looks like that war may have already begun.”
His words felt like a scolding, and I could sense the concern in his voice. Gaius had always felt responsible for me, especially after my father’s death.
In many ways, he was the closest thing I had to a father figure. But I was the Alpha now, and I didn’t need a lecture.
“My father told me before he died that the entire forest around that border belongs to us,” I said, my voice firm. “My grandfather allowed the then Alpha of Steeprock to farm and harvest on the land because they were friends. But there was never any proof that Howle Wulf pack ever sold the land to Steeprock.
“What?” Gaius asked in confusion, his brows raised, adding lines to his already wrinkling forehead.
“Over the years,” I continued, “they’ve continued using it, and we’ve allowed them. But now that we need the land, they’re obligated to hand it over.”
Gaius’s eyes widened in surprise. He seemed to be processing what I’d just said, thinking hard. “This… this may be true,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I remember your father mentioning something like that a long time ago.”
I nodded, feeling a sense of vindication. “So you see why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
Gaius nodded slowly, understanding appearing on his face. But then he looked at me, his expression stubborn. “I understand, Hunter. But you need to be careful with those killings. If you’re not careful, you could start a full war.”
His words hung in the air, thick with the message of his warnings. I knew he was right, but I also knew that as Alpha, I had to be the one to make the tough decisions. Decisions that others might not understand at the moment.
Gaius stood up, giving me a final nod before excusing himself. “Just be careful, son. That’s all I ask.”
I nodded, then watched him leave, his words still echoing in my mind. Once he was gone, I leaned back in my chair, deep in thought.
The situation was obviously more complicated than I’d initially thought, and the weight of it all was starting to crush me inside. I had to find a way to handle this without dragging the pack into a war.
Hours later, I couldn’t shake the frustration that had been building inside me, growing stronger with each passing moment. My thoughts… of course kept circling around Faelen.
The kiss from the other night, and also how that had made me react. It lingered in my mind, as much as I wanted to deny it. It was the source of this chaos I felt inside me, the reason I was acting out of character.
It was driving me crazy.
I stopped pacing for a moment, staring out the window, but the view did nothing to clear my mind. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I muttered, running a hand through my hair.
I wasn’t supposed to feel this way. I was the Alpha, in control, always. But with Faelen, everything seemed to be going out of my control.
I admitted to myself, at least in the privacy of my own thoughts, that I didn’t know why I was so drawn to her. It was maddening.
No matter how much I tried to push it aside, the pull toward her was undeniable. And it wasn’t just physical.
Something deeper kept dragging me back, making me question everything I thought I knew about myself.
A sudden ringing pulled me out of my thoughts. My phone. I glanced at the screen and saw Danielle’s name flashing. Great. Just what I needed right now.
I picked up the phone, hesitating for a moment. Danielle. My ex-girlfriend, if I could even call her that. She’d been nothing more than a plaything, someone I kept around for pleasure.
There was never any real connection between us. And when she started getting ideas about us being something more… about me marking her, of all things… I’d quickly cut her off.
I didn’t have time for someone like her. She was weak, pathetic in her desperation, and I couldn’t stand It. I couldn’t stand her.
The last time we were together, she’d begged me not to abandon her. Begged. As if I needed a wife, as if I needed a mate. Even if I did, Danielle would be the last person I’d consider for that.
I’d always despised weakness, and Danielle was the embodiment of everything I hated in people… weak, dumb… especially in women.
I tossed the phone onto the bed, not interested in whatever Danielle had to say. She was probably calling to tell me how much she missed me, but I couldn’t care less.
I had bigger issues to deal with.
But no matter how hard I tried to ignore her, the phone kept ringing, a persistent reminder of my past mistakes. I turned my thoughts back to Faelen, intentionally this time.
As messed up as it was, she was the only thing that seemed to hold my attention right now. Maybe because thinking about her was better than thinking about the mess I’d made of everything else.
The thought of going to see her and apologizing crossed my mind, but I quickly shook it off. I was an Alpha. I had a reputation to maintain, and I wasn’t about to let a servant girl undermine that.
My huge pride wouldn’t allow it.
But still, I couldn’t just ignore this. I needed to face whatever this was between us. It was the only way to pull myself back together. Sending for her seemed like the best option.
Not here in my bedroom, of course. I had to keep some level of professionalism, even though I knew I’d love to have her in the privacy of my room.
I’d call her to my office instead, where I could keep things under control. The decision made, I stopped pacing and grabbed my phone.
The ringing had finally stopped, and I was glad to be rid of the distraction. I walked out of the room and found one of the guards standing nearby.
“Fetch Faelen for me, the servant girl.” I ordered, my voice cold and firm. “Tell her to come to my office immediately.”
The guard nodded and hurried off to carry out my orders. I headed to my office, trying to ready myself for what was to come.
I didn’t know how this would go, but I knew I had to deal with it, one way or another. It was the only way to get back to being the man I needed to be…
The Alpha.