FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

As soon as I stepped out of the safety of the pack house doors, I was surrounded and grabbed. They dragged me to the front of the castle, and Hunter was in my head the entire time, telling me to stall them. His fear was potent, and I wondered what sort of history he had with the council that they would be daring enough to go against an alpha vae-wolf.

"Ania, our Luna. It's lovely for you to join us," Dennis purred, and my skin crawled as he approached me. He snapped his fingers at one of his men, who shoved me toward the iron gates and handcuffed my wrists to the solid bars. My heart skipped a beat as everyone took a few steps back and watched beyond the gate.

"Fear not. You will have your say. We just have a few questions for you. This is merely a precaution," Dennis said, gripping the back of my neck to turn my face toward his.

"Are you really so cowardly that you had to restrain my mate, lock him in his office, and take his partner?" I demanded of him, and he chuckled cruelly.

Stepping back, I could see Valentine weeping as she knelt beside Kim, who lay on the ground with tranquilizer darts in his body. Returning my attention to Dennis, he sneered at me.

"As I said before, it's just a precaution. We're just questioning you," he replied.

"If that's all it is, then why did you feel the need to take out my guards and handcuff me to a gate?" I protested.

"Because we know about the pact your guards hold. They'll fight to their death to protect you. We haven't hurt them, we've just made them more compliant," he explained.

"What pact?" I asked, feeling a little confused.

"The alpha never told you?" he inquired, and I looked around at the crowd of onlookers observing me.

"Regardless, I'm here to question you and determine a punishment, if necessary," he corrected himself.

"I am still pushing through the barrier, love. Keep stalling and leave the link open so I can hear what is going on. Help is coming," Hunter said in my head. I swallowed hard.

"Devonshire coven, Please urgently head to the Mooncrest pack house now. Your princess needs you," Hunter called through the link. I didn't have time to process his words. In the back of my mind, I always knew vampires and wolves were becoming very few, but Hunter's words made it clear that there were many more than I thought.

"What is this about?" I asked, looking over at Sky who was standing on the other side of the gates watching me. Dennis followed my gaze and motioned for one of the guards to let her in. The gate was opened beside me, and Sky stepped inside, her heeled boots clinking on the stone driveway before the gate closed, nearly jamming my fingers. She moved behind me and stopped beside me, folding her arms across her chest.

"Sky," I snorted.

"So, you do know each other. Wonderful. Sky here says you have been murdering innocent people, draining their blood when it isn't the night of the hunt. She said you have murdered over 100 people in the pack when you clearly know that pack members are always off-limits and you even recently abducted Rina the beta's mate." Denis reiterated.

"And you believed everything she said without evidence?" I growled.

"Yes, because she is a private investigator. Besides, is this not yours?" Dennis asked, throwing a journal book at me. I shook my head before roaring, "No, it isn't. I have never seen it before," I answered truthfully.

"Hunter!" I rushed through the mind-link.

"Any minute," Hunter replied, just as Dennis grabbed my hair, ripping my head back, while Mr. Tony pinched my cheeks, before a thunderous slap landed on my face.

"That is me resetting your mind. Why do you kill, and where is Rina?" Dennis asked. I gritted my teeth, fear so palpable that it made goosebumps rise on my skin, and the urge to shift coursed through me, making my body tense.

"Am almost there, don't give up love. Don't shift, they'll see you as a threat," Hunter snarled, and then I heard a commotion outside the gates. Dennis glanced out and saw a few men in the same outfit standing outside the gates, waving some of his men from inside to sort out whatever was happening. They rushed out, and I saw them murmur amongst themselves while looking down the road.

"Answer me," Dennis demanded. I didn't know what Hunter meant by "fighting it." Fighting against shifting caused me to break out in a sweat, my stomach twisting painfully. I kept quiet, as any word from me could have triggered the shift because I was outraged.

Fighting had broken out outside the gates and down in the gully before the driveway. Dennis looked toward the commotion outside the gates.

"Silence means confirmation, bring the whip," he said, wandering off to talk to someone behind me. I looked over my shoulder, twisting my neck to see what was going on behind me. I gulped when I saw the barbed whip in the man's hand. Dennis was talking to the man with one eye, who glanced nervously back at me. Hunter growled, and I could hear him as he tried to push through the mountain ash barrier. I didn't even know if it was possible.

Sky smirked at his words and puffed on her cigarette.

"What are they going to do to me?" I asked Mr. Tony, who was still standing beside me, though I already knew by the whip in Kristian's hand. My heart raced a little faster when Mr. Tony started ripping the back of my dress open.

"You broke a sacred law. You may be the alpha's mate, but you abused your authority, so you will be punished with 1000 lashes or until Sky deems it fit," he chuckled. "It's about time you paid for taking away my love and marking him." Sky's voice came through my mind, and I heard Hunter growl.

"Silly girl, just because you're the alpha's mate doesn't give you the power to break the law and go around on killing sprees," he said.

"I didn't do it. I am innocent," I screamed at him.

"And where is your proof?" Mr. Tony demanded.

"And apart from Sky's words and her stupid journal, what other proof do you have that I did anything?" I spat back at him. He gripped my chin, pinching it tightly.

"We can believe Sky's word over someone we hardly know in the name of a Luna," he spat. "Or maybe it's because you're screwing her." I retorted, and he laughed.

I laughed and said, "All of this will one day come to light, even if you kill me right now."

Mr. Tony gripped my hair and yanked my head back painfully.

"Until then, it's me having the say here right now," he snapped. I swallowed, my breathing becoming a little harsher as I subdued the need to shift.

"Your people are coming. Tell them you are the princess of Devonshire. It will buy you some time before I get there. I didn't want to risk it, but we have no choice," Hunter rang through the mind link.

"What?" I asked.

"Your parents..." I didn't get a chance to listen to what he said when I felt the crack of the whip bite into my flesh, making me scream. Hooks slashed up my spine and dug into my shoulder. My scream was deafening when he ripped them out."

My knees buckled underneath me, and my blood sprayed across those on the other side of the fence as all hell broke loose. Tony's guard on the outside started running towards the fence, trying to get in. My knees dragged across the ground from the force of the gate being pushed inward, and I couldn't see past them to see what was happening. I didn't care when the whip tore into me again.

Gunshots rang out, and I hung limply in handcuffs, my wrist bent backward painfully and on the verge of snapping under my weight. I felt the barbs tear out of my skin, ripping my flesh away. My head hung limply, and all I could think about was the pain radiating through my back when someone's head was shoved through the iron-barred gates beside me. I blinked deliriously, finding it odd how it fit through the bars.

Screams rang out loudly, but all I could do was blink at the man's head stuck between the bars. It took me a few moments to realize he only had a torso, and from the waist down, he was missing. My head rolled to the side, and I saw the men in armor backing up, their guns trained down the driveway as they fired. I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I watched around 50 vae-wolves ripping into Mr. Tony's council's men, tearing them limb from limb. People were running everywhere to escape.

I couldn't tear my gaze away from the horrors on the other side of the gate. My eyes were wide, and I felt sick to my stomach. I could hear screaming, and I turned my head to find it was Sky. Her hands cupped her mouth as she watched the men getting torn to shreds. Suddenly, I dropped to the ground. I didn't even realize someone was uncuffing me. My body was limp as I stared around at the slaughter. Hands grabbed me, ripping me against someone's chest. My back arched as I tried to get the pressure away from my back.

Seconds later, the iron gates burst open, and I felt a knife pressed to my throat by the person holding me, as the vae-wolves stalked onto the pack house grounds. I could vaguely hear Hunter talking to me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Get the car ready?" Dennis said. The vae-wolves circled us before dropping to their knees around us. The whole thing was surreal as I looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. Then, I noticed Kim rolling over as he started to wake up.

"Take one step toward us, and I will kill her. You have all just interfered with the council. There are severe penalties for obstructing justice," Dennis said, walking past me to address the vae-wolves kneeling around us. They growled and snarled, watching him, but the council members were all vampires.

"Now, I am willing to let this slide, so back up before we slit her throat," Dennis ordered.

"She may be Alpha Hunter's Luna, but she will be held accountable for her actions," Dennis snarled, and Kim laughed maniacally.

Dennis turned his head to look at him as Kim sat up, his arms still cuffed behind his back. He started ripping at his handcuffs once, twice, thrice, and I heard his wrists snap and shoulders dislocate before he rolled his shoulders, bringing his hands around to the front. Kristian ran at him, but Kim moved quickly, sweeping his legs out from under him and pivoting on his knee, so he was suddenly on Kristian's back, his knee pressed to the back of the man's neck. With a snap, Kim left Kristian lifeless.

"What have you done? Do you know who he is, the position he holds in the council?" Mr. Tony growled, dropping me at Dennis' feet. Kim broke his wrist once more before gripping Kristian's hair and ripping his head back. He then ripped it completely off the rest of the body."

"I'm sorry, Dennis, but you're asking the wrong question," Kim sneered. "The question you should be asking is, who is Ania? Does her name ring any bells for you?"

Dennis looked down at me while Sky cowered behind him, clutching the back of his suit jacket. He looked at her, shoving her off and making her stumble. She shrieked and landed on her backside.

"Does the name Ania Talia Devonshire ring any bells for you, Dennis?" Ben asked as he walked in, throwing someone's limbs aside and wiping the blood from his hands on his shirt. "It can't be. The Devonshire's are all dead. Their princess got lost years ago," Dennis spat, though he seemed unsure as he glanced at me.

"Grab that traitor," my heart sank as Ben growled, but an instant relief washed over me when I saw him pointing at his daughter Sky as she squealed, "Dad, no! It's Ania!" The vae-wolves stalked to her, grabbing her. "Dad, no! You've got it twisted!" she shouted.

"No, Sky. He hasn't gotten it twisted. We worked with the police this time, and they sent us video clips from CCTV hidden all over the city. You, Fabian, and Mylar are all traitors. Everything you have been doing is all recorded," came Hunter's voice. My head turned toward him, and he growled when his eyes met mine. The vae-wolves standing around us moved out of his way as he marched through, followed by Joe and Lemmy. Lemmy was holding Mylar so tightly she couldn't move. Hunter stalked straight toward Dennis like he was prey before gripping his throat. Dennis gasped as Hunter lifted the man, bringing him nose to nose with him.

"You dare come into my pack house unannounced and attack my Luna," he roared in his face. Dennis gripped his hands.

"I had a warrant from the council," his words choked out entirely, and his face turned purple as Hunter's grip tightened. Hunter nodded to Kim, who rushed towards me, placing me up against him so I sat up.

"Excuse me, a warrant without concrete evidence? A warrant to harm my mate?" Hunter questioned. Mr. Tony tightened his grip on Hunter's shoulder.

"Tony, I suggest you correct that mistake immediately," Hunter warned him. Tony raised his hands in surrender and backed away. Hunter turned to face him.

"As I was saying, Dennis, you are now being sentenced for treason," Hunter snarled, releasing Tony. Dennis fell to the ground at Hunter's feet, gasping and choking while grasping his throat for air.

"Treason?" Tony questioned, rushing forward. Hunter growled at him, causing Tony to stop in his tracks.

"I would like to introduce my mate," Hunter said, gesturing toward Kim. Kim lifted my bloody body up in his arms, and I rested my head on his shoulder. Kim crouched beside Dennis, who lifted his head to look at me, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe.

"Do you recognize those eyes, Dennis?" Hunter asked, and Dennis gulped, looking up at him. As I stared on, not knowing what was going on, I was too hurt to even ask which game they were playing, insinuating that I was a princess.

"You made the mistake of thinking my mate was just ordinary. Now you will be punished for treason and attempted murder of Her Highness Ania Talia Devonshire, the rightful heir to the Devonshire Kingdom coven," Hunter continued, his voice cold and menacing.

"How is it possible?" Dennis asked, looking to his brother Lucas before turning to Mr. Tony.

"The princess was lost for years," Mr. Tony said, stepping forward.

"Yes, and now she has been found," Hunter said, motioning toward all the vae-wolves on their knees. They all growled, glaring at the council elders. Meanwhile, my vision was becoming blurrier as my wounds bled all over Kim.

"Can someone tell me why we have hunters after us, yet we still kill and hunt each other instead of protecting one another, especially with so much animosity towards my mate?" Hunter bellowed, looking between the three men.

"My alpha, I swear I had no idea," Dennis stuttered.

"No one knew. Only Ben, a few others, and I knew her true identity. And not only have you harmed my pregnant mate, but you have also broken the very laws you are supposed to uphold," Hunter boomed!

"We were only following the Duchess of Devonshire's orders," Mr. Tony said, but one look from Hunter made him shut up.

"I am not stupid. I know the council is at the top of the hierarchy, and the Duchess is beneath them. So why exactly were you following her orders? Who dares to answer the questions I am asking?" Hunter demanded.

Dennis swallowed, getting to his hands and knees. "Please have leniency. I didn't know who you were," Dennis said, gripping my arm. But Hunter put his foot on Dennis's shoulder and shoved him back, while Kim stood with me, clutching me closer.

"You were following your lover's desires instead of upholding the law," Hunter growled, before stomping on Dennis's head. Lucas wailed as Dennis's skull crushed beneath Hunter's foot. Tony ran at Lucas and grabbed him as he rushed toward Hunter. I lurched forward in Kim's arms, throwing up as brain matter splattered the ground.

Hunter ignored the wailing Lucas and turned his attention to me, taking me from Kim. "Shh, love, I've got you now," Hunter whispered, his calming words washing over me. He turned to face everyone else.

"I suggest you leave. Enough council members have died. Joe, take Mylar, Sky, and Fabian to the dungeons," Ben roared. Sky screamed and tried to run, but Lemmy grabbed her quickly. Hunter turned to the rest of the vae-wolves still on their knees.

"Kill the lot of them. We will put up another council," he said, as my head rolled back, and I saw what was left of the council start running. Their screams rang out loudly when Hunter turned on his heel and walked toward the castle.

Hunter lifted me higher, burying his face in my neck. The sparks from his skin soothed the pain coursing through me.

"Hang on, my love. I will take care of you," he purred.

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩

Ania whimpered as she jostled in my arms, and her blood streamed down my arms as I made my way to the bedroom. I kicked the doors open, and they banged against the walls. Kim came rushing in behind me, ran past me, and toward the bathroom. He shoved the door open and turned the shower on.

She was losing so much blood, and I knew those barbs were dipped in wolfsbane and water-hemlock. They always were to prevent healing. Water poured from the showerhead, and Kim turned to me. He used his claws to shred what was left of her dress, letting it fall away in tatters to the floor.

"Give her to me so that you can shift easily," he said, holding his arms out for her. I passed her to him. She was like a ragdoll in his arms, her body all floppy, and he stepped into the shower, forcing her back under the spray, trying to rinse the poison off her while I shifted. Using one hand, he turned the other showerhead on and aimed it at her back. Moments later, Lemmy ran in. I didn't even care that he could see her naked. My sole focus was on stopping the wolfsbane from soaking into her system and killing our baby if she was pregnant."

"What do you need?" Lemmy asked.

"Alcohol," I told him, knowing I was about to ingest whatever was in her system. Hopefully, the alcohol would burn it out.

"On it," he said, disappearing out of the door. Kim's arm moved to the back of her neck, and the other went under her body, exposing her back to me. I wasted no time running my tongue over her wounds, healing them, and sucking the poison out where the barbs had dug into her.

I let out a growl, feeling the burning sensation of the wolfsbane in my throat. I heaved and retched, struggling to keep the toxic substance down. As I got a huge mouthful of it, my hand hit the wall, steadying me as I continued to retch and throw up. Eventually, I managed to heal the two long gashes on her back, knowing that the wolfsbane and water hemlock were no longer present as she wouldn't have been able to heal otherwise.

My throat was still on fire, and I pressed my face under the stream of water from the showerhead, banging my head on it accidentally due to my larger lycan form. Just then, Lemmy rushed back in with a bottle of tequila. It wasn't my usual choice, but it would have to do. He broke the cap and thrust the bottle at me. I grabbed it, retching once again as my surroundings spun and my vision blurred.

Suddenly, I found myself seeing double, and my legs gave out as I was forced to shift back to my human form, hitting the hard tiled floor.

"I need help," I gasped, struggling to breathe. Kim quickly passed Ania to Lemmy and wrapped a towel around her before disappearing out the door. He crouched down beside me as I tried to catch my breath, feeling like my lungs were on fire and my blood was boiling. Kim pried my mouth open just as Lemmy returned.

"Ania?" I mumbled, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Joe just arrived. He's with her and he sent for a doctor," Lemmy said. I nodded, or at least tried to, as Kim held my jaw and looked down at me with drenched hair and clothes.

I reached for a bottle to drink, but my arms felt numb and weak. Kim noticed and took the bottle from my hand, allowing Lemmy to support me.

"Come on, big fella, down the hatch it goes," he said, tipping the tequila down my throat. I gasped, inhaling it, and it went down the wrong pipe. I choked and sputtered.

"Really, Alpha? Can I give you some pointers on how to swallow?" Lemmy mocked, and Kim growled at him. Lemmy poured more into my mouth this time, not waterboarding me with it. I gulped it down, feeling it warm my stomach and entire body. It was ghastly stuff, yet I could feel it diluting the poison I ingested, working its way through my system, although it didn't make me feel much better by the time he was finished pouring half the bottle down my throat.

My head lulled forward as the poison burned out, leaving me shit-faced and on the verge of passing out drunk. Lemmy slapped my face with his hand, tilting my head back. My eyes tried to close, and he smirked, chugging the rest of the bottle before passing the now-empty bottle to Kim.

"I never thought I would see the day when I had to carry you over the threshold in a bridal style," Lemmy chuckled. He then grabbed me and tossed me over his shoulder, while the tequila threatened to flow back through my mouth.

"Although he is an ugly bride," Kim said, and they both laughed. Lemmy walked into the room, placed me on the bed, and Joe immediately covered my waist with a towel while prying my eyelids open.

"The council!!!!" I muttered.

"They are dead, while Mylar, Fabian, and Sky are in dungeons," Joe said. I sighed.

"Rest. I have everything handled," Joe said again.

"She will wake up with questions about the princess stuff," I tried to tell him, and his eyes darted past me. I tried to turn my head to see her, but I felt ridiculously heavy.

"She will, but you have the bond. She loves you, Hunter," Joe said. That wasn't my worry. I knew she would outrank me once she was declared the princess of Devonshire officially. I had gotten her birth certificate from her school papers, and her name matched that of the lost princess, even their date of birth a few days ago. What worried me was her realizing I kept it from her. I didn't know why I did it. I was afraid she would leave because she had the power to do that, make her way back to Devonshire, and forget about me because I was much lower than her. I was afraid that she would break our bond, leave me to suffer alone, maybe not feeling the need to be bonded to an alpha again. But I will have to wait to cross the bridge when we get there.