Chapter Sixty-two
Hunter’s POV
After the battle, when the dust had finally settled and the pack began rebuilding what had been lost, I knew it was time to face Faelen again, this time to get the full truth.
Indeed her warning had saved us, and her actions had earned her a place in the pack’s good graces, but I needed to hear it all from her.
I had to understand why she had been with us, pretending, when she came from Belladonna. Just really why she was here.
I ordered for her to be brought to my office. This time, it wasn’t an interrogation. I wanted to hear her side of the story.
When she entered the room, her face was calm, but I could see the weight of everything she carried in her eyes.
She stood before me, beautiful as ever, her hands clasped in front of her, waiting for me to speak.
“Faelen,” I began, my voice steady but firm. “I think it’s time you explain everything… why you were sent here, how you said Belladonna manipulated you.”
She hesitated, her eyes shifting with a hint of fear and uncertainty. I leaned back in my chair, giving her the space to speak freely. “I need to hear it from you. I want to understand.”
She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. “I owe you that much,” she said softly, her voice laced with guilt.
I opened my mouth to speak, but didn’t find the words to say. So I just remained silent.
Faelen moved closer, sitting down across from me. “It wasn’t my choice to come here, Hunter. Belladonna… they made me. After my parents died, I had no one. Alpha Zodd took me in, but it came with a price.”
I stayed silent, letting her continue.
“He told me I would have to prove my loyalty to him and the entire pack,” she explained, her voice trembling slightly. “I didn’t have a choice. Being a low class wolf, they made me believe that I had to go on the mission to prove my loyalty, as well as gain a higher status in the pack. I was desperate to prove myself.”
Her words hit me hard, and I felt the anger I’d held onto towards her for so long start to soften.
She wasn’t just some spy sent to betray us for power. She was a pawn in Belladonna’s game, used against her will.
“I wanted to do it,” she continued, her eyes meeting mine, filled with sincerity. “Because I thought that if I could get through with it, and survive, then I could finally mean something. I never expected to care about this pack, or… or you. But after being here, it kind of went past me, and I guess my eyes were opened to the cruelty of Alpha Zodd.”
I could see the weight of her confession lifting off her shoulders, but there was still fear in her eyes. Fear of what I might say or how I would react.
“You were stuck between two worlds,” I said quietly, understanding more than I wanted to admit. “And you chose us, even though it meant betraying the pack you knew.”
She nodded. “I couldn’t let them destroy you. Not after everything… after I…” She stopped, her voice breaking.
I rose from my chair, walking over to stand beside her. “You should have told me sooner,” I said, my voice gentler now.
“I know,” she whispered, her eyes heavy with guilt. “But I was afraid. And myself, it wasn’t until I learned of the full nature of their plan that my eyes opened.”
I knelt down beside her, tilting her chin up so her eyes met mine. “You’re not the enemy, Faelen. Not anymore.”
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. I could see the relief in her eyes, the weight of weeks of lies and manipulation finally ending.
“I believe you,” I said firmly. “And I’m not going to let Belladonna use you any longer.”
Tears gathered up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Thank you, Hunter,” she whispered.
For the first time since this all began, I understood. She wasn’t a spy by choice.
She was a survivor, doing what she had to do to protect herself. And now, she wouldn’t be alone, she would be one of us.
As we remained there, one thing became clear to me… Faelen had not only earned my respect… she had earned her freedom.
…
Over the next few days, something unexpected started happening.
The pack… the very same people who once looked at Faelen with suspicion and distaste… began to see her differently.
Whispers spread about her role in the battle, how she had warned us of the attack and then fought alongside us, risking her life.
It wasn’t long before I noticed the changes… the nods of acknowledgment from the servants, the way the others in the estate no longer looked at her as just a servant or a spy.
Faelen’s bravery had earned her something I never thought possible even though setting her free… respect.
I watched it go on with a strange mix of pride and confusion. She had gone from being an outsider, an omega spy sent to deceive us, to someone the pack began to trust.
It challenged everything I thought I knew about her. I had been so consumed with the idea of keeping her at arm’s length, that I failed to see the person beneath all of it.
One evening, I found myself standing by the window of my chambers, looking out at the courtyard where Faelen was helping one of the younger maids.
It was surprising. She was no longer a servant but she continued to help out around the estate.
She looked patient, her movements intentional and glad as she guided the young girl, showing her the proper way to work the gardens.
It was strange seeing her like that… so at ease, so natural in a role of leadership, even though she didn’t seem to realize it herself.
The more I observed her, the more I saw the weight she had been carrying all along. She was someone who had been torn between loyalty to her pack and the growing attachment she had to us.
To me.
I couldn’t ignore it anymore… the way my perception of her was changing.
I had been so quick to judge her, to imprison her when I felt betrayed, but now… now I was beginning to see her for who she really was.
Faelen wasn’t the enemy. She had been thrust into an impossible situation, forced to choose between the family that raised her and the people she had come to care about by choice.
As I noticed the sun starting to set, casting a glow over the estate, I decided to step outside.
I needed to clear my head, but my feet carried me toward where Faelen was.
She was standing by herself now, the young maid she had been helping out now gone.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to her, but the closer I got, the more my feelings spun in my chest.
She turned as I approached, a hesitant smile on her face. “Hunter, hey,” she greeted softly.
“Faelen,” I said, stopping just a few feet from her. I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I just spoke the truth. “You’ve been earning the pack’s respect. They see what you’ve done for us.”
She seemed surprised, as if she hadn’t noticed. “I’m just doing what I can,” she replied, her eyes meeting mine. “I don’t expect anything from them. I just… I don’t want to be a burden anymore.”
I shook my head. “You’re not a burden, Faelen. Not anymore.” I hesitated, then added, “I misjudged you. We all did.”
Her expression softened, a mixture of relief and something else in her gaze. “I don’t blame you,” she said quietly. “I know how it must have been. I didn’t make things easy.”
“I know,” I said, my voice thick with the weight of everything unsaid between us. “But you did what was right at the end. You’re a good person. I see that now.”
There was a silence between us, the air heavy with everything I hadn’t been able to admit to myself before.
Seeing her like this, standing before me with that quiet strength, made me realize something else.
I wasn’t just grateful for what she had done. I cared about her, more than I wanted to admit. I had all along, more than I should have.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I said quietly, the words surprising even me. “With us.”
Faelen’s lips parted slightly, and I could see the emotion shift in her eyes. “Thank you, Hunter,” she whispered.
For the first time since this whole mess began, I let myself feel something deep about her inside me.
And whatever it was, it wasn’t going away any time soon. I knew that. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen between us now.