FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

"He won't hurt me," I reassured Ben and Kim.

"He already has," Kim replied. I looked at him and pressed my lips together. Yes, he had done more than he would ever know.

"I want the keys. I'm not talking to him through the bars," I told Kim, who looked at Ben. They held a mind link conversation, but I didn't care to listen in. Ben growled, though Kim let go of my wrist. But when the guard went to hand the keys over, Ben took them.

"I'm coming in with you, and you stay by my side. Kim stays by his," Ben said. I didn't fight him on it. I knew he wouldn't budge unless I ordered him, and I didn't have the fight in me to debate it. Conceding, I nodded my head, and he unlocked the door. Kim walked in first and stood near the wall beside Willie, who flinched at his closeness. Kim, however, only offered him a glare.

Ben refused to step aside to let me in. He grabbed my arm when I tried, then pulled me to the opposite side. He didn't close the door, probably in case something happened, I could run out. I went to sit on the steel bed, but apparently that was too close because Ben grabbed my arm, steering me to the far wall. Kim leaned over and tossed the pillow over from the bed to him, and he caught it, dropping it at his feet.

"If you want to sit, you can, but not near him," Ben said. I sighed but sat on the pillow before leaning against the wall. Though Ben remained standing, his leg brushed against my arm, and I looked up at him.

"Can you at least sit? It feels awkward with you standing," I told him. He looked down at me before looking at Kim.

"He moves, and I will break his neck," Kim said, more of a warning to Willie. But Ben sat beside me, though his entire body was tense.

Willie stared at the floor. He sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and for a few minutes, I couldn't bring myself to speak. The air was thick with tension, but eventually, I found my voice.

"Why?" I asked him. His head lifted, and his eyes snapped to mine.

"I didn't mean to. I..." He moved his hands, and Kim had him by his throat instantly. My shriek made him pause.

"He can't hurt me. He won't, will you, Willie?" I asked him. Willie choked and sputtered, his eyes bulging, but he shook his head as best he could, and Kim let him go. He fell to the ground gasping.

Willie pushed further into the corner away from him, but his eyes returned to mine after a moment.

"You bleached my room?" he nodded. "He also unbolted the stairs banister. That's why he was cleaning them," Kim growled, and Willie flinched, cowering. Ben snarled at him, and he visibly made himself smaller.

"I just wanted you to go to Devonshire or somewhere else. I only wanted you to leave this pack house. I didn't mean to kill your…" he looked at my stomach, a tear rolled down his face, and he glanced away.

"Lemmy figured it out, and I knew they would remove me from the pack house. I panicked. I wanted to take you hostage, but then he lunged at me, so I stabbed you. I swear I didn't mean it. Command me, please. Ask anything. I will answer whatever you like. It wasn't my intention to kill you, but I freaked out," Willie said.

"If you didn't intend to hurt her, why did you have a knife?" Kim asked.

"I always have it. It was my father's," Willie said.

"I thought you didn't know your father," I asked, and he shrugged.

"I've heard of him. Apparently, he wasn't worth knowing. He is a deadbeat," he said.

"When you stabbed me, you said it was for your mother. Why?" I asked.

"I have never known my biological father my whole life. The alpha was in a relationship with my mother. At that time, I was living with my grandparents, but my mother was the happiest during that period. She even promised me that soon when the alpha chooses her as his Luna, as his chosen mate, I will come here to live with them. He even sent me gifts through my mother, though he had never seen me, but I could feel the love. At last, I built hope of having a family, a real family. I boasted about him in school, but then you came along, and the alpha left her, spitting her out like she was hot porridge, not caring how that felt for me and her. He left us in pain, and my mom was heartbroken that she never came to visit me anymore. I just wanted to scare you, make you leave so they could get back together, so we could be a family eventually," Willie said.

Willie stared at the ground, wiping his face and rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

"You ruined it, you ruined everything for us. I just wanted a family, to have a father who could love me. All I wanted was to see my mother happy every day, but you made him leave her. She, in turn, left me, never to return back. She even moved out of her home. We don't know where she lives now, all because of you," Willie said.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked. I had never discussed Hunter's past relationships with him, so I wasn't aware of how many relationships he had been in before.

"My mother," Willie answered. "Grandpa said one day she would come around, but she never did. I came here to get back what belonged to her," he said.

Kim and Ben looked at each other, clearly confused, and so was I.

"Willie, who is your mother?" I asked, trying to figure out who he was talking about.

"Kellen Floyd from Devonshire. I am sure Kim and Ben know her. She is famous but currently lives in the near pack, the Mystic Pack," Willie said, but I was shocked by the thunderous growl that left Ben. I jumped at the sound, not expecting it.

"Liar! You are not that woman's son! Kellen never had a child," Ben growled, and Willie flinched as Ben went to get up. I grabbed his arm, and it rippled under my hand when Kim moved so quickly. He knocked the air out of my lungs when Ben shifted. Kim shoved me out of the cell door, the security guard grabbing me before I could fall, and Kim shifted, pinning Ben to the wall. I stood petrified, looking at the two vampires.

"Calm down!" Kim snarled at Ben, who had his eyes fixed on Willie, who whimpered in the corner, cowering away from him. I swallowed, petrified, my heart racing as I watched Ben's nostrils flare, his face contorted with anger, and a deep, reverberating growl ripped from him, challenging Kim, who responded with an equally deafening one. The air in the room was thick with potent and deadly energy, the testosterone making me dizzy, and I had to fight the urge to run to my mate, not liking the charged atmosphere after days of only being under Hunter's calming influence.

"Choose wisely, Ben, or we will find our way back to Devonshire, leaving our princess with no one to watch over her from home, except the Mooncrest ones," Kim warned, his tone ice cold and threatening.

"Ben?" I pleaded with him, and he looked at me. He puffed out his massive chest before shoving Kim, who barely moved, but Kim released him, and Ben stormed out of the cell and down the corridor.

"What the f**k was that about?" Kim asked, while I stared at the roof, lost in thought.

"You will tell me why Ben just fled," I demanded from Willie. He looked at me before looking up at Kim. "... I don't know, I barely know him," Willie stuttered.

"You're asking the wrong person," Kim said. I nodded. "Let's find Ben, but first, I want to go to Devonshire," I said, and Kim turned to face me, but my eyes went to Willie.

"I want to speak to your grandparents," I told him.

"They didn't do anything! I swear! They aren't part of this," Willie begged, his eyes widening with fear. I wasn't sure if he was scared for them or of them.

"I just want to speak to them," I assured him, though he didn't deserve the reassurance. It was hard for me to reconcile the Willie in front of me, who seemed so scared and small, with the one who had stabbed me.

"What? Why?" He said, looking at me with fear.

"Because if I'm going to convince Hunter not to kill you, I need information to back up my reasoning," I said.

"My Luna, Hunter won't let him live after what he did, and I wouldn't recommend telling him otherwise," Kim said, his outrage slipping out with his words.

"Would you let him live?" I asked, and Kim fell silent, his aura flickering with uncertainty.

"He is a child. I cannot forgive what he did, and he will be punished, but I will not let Hunter kill him either. That is for the moon goddess to decide. I cannot choose it," I told him. Kim growled, clearly disagreeing, but I turned my gaze to Willie.

"Address, now," I told Willie. He rattled it off, and I nodded. I went to leave, only to pause and turn back to him.

"If you are lying to me, I will let Hunter decide your fate. I never made Hunter leave your mother, Hunter did. He may have wanted to choose her as his chosen mate, but I am the fated one. We are stuck together, and he pretty much never had a choice. You will understand when you grow up," I told Willie. He gasped, clearly shocked. Obviously, he did not understand how it worked.

"If I leave here and find out you lied about anything, especially where your grandparents live, I will not stop my mate from killing you," I told him.

"I am not lying. You can command me," Willie said. I shrugged him off.

"We should go. I just felt Hunter wake up, and I want to leave before he comes looking for me. Hunter will not ask for answers. He will demand blood," I told Kim.

"And Ben?" Kim asked.

"When we get back," I told Kim before turning on my heel and walking out. The mind link stirred as Hunter woke, feeling him through the bond, but I could feel he was pretty hungover.

"Ania!" he called frantically through the mind link.

"I'm fine. I am with Kim," I assured him. I felt the tension leave him through the bond, and relief flooded through me from him.

"Where are you? I will come to you," he told me, as Kim held me steady while I climbed the stairs leading back into the kitchen. I stopped just outside the pantry doors, waiting for Kim to lock the cellar door.

"I'm in the kitchen, but wake up and take a shower. Valentine will send up something for you to eat and get rid of the hangover," I told him, looking at Valentine who nodded to me. She seemed surprised to see me but didn't comment on it, which I appreciated.

"That can wait. I'll be down soon," Hunter said.

"My Alpha, I'm fine. I just want to go to Devonshire. Kim is with me. I promise I will come to see you when I get back. We fly out and back in, please. I won't be long, I promise," I told him.

"You don't even know how to use your vampire powers. How do you intend to fly... Stand where you are, Ania," he said my name like an order, daring me to challenge his word again. I sighed, knowing he was already on his way to me. I could feel him getting closer when he appeared in the doorway leading into the kitchen after a few minutes. There was no point running; he would chase me down. "Kim can teach me, to fly" I said when he moved closer.

The sigh that left him and the way he rolled his shoulders told me he needed to see me to ensure I was alright. His smell overrode my senses and was more potent than the robe I was wearing, which had me moving to go to him. He met me halfway, pulling me into his arms, his hand going to my head while he wrapped his arm around my body, his lips in my hair.

"You shouldn't have left without telling me. I woke up and thought..." he didn't finish, and I didn't question, not wanting to know where his mind had just taken him.

He sniffed me before burying his nose in my hair and pressing it to my neck. A low thrumming growl left him, making goosebumps rise on my arms. His grip tightened but not painfully, more like he was trying to remove the scent on me and replace it with his.

"Where were you?" I knew he knew, so there was no point lying.

"I went to see Willie. Kim and Ben went with me because I asked, and there were also two other security guards down there," I told him, knowing Willie's scent was heavy down there and was now on me. He growled, grabbing my face in his hands and turning it to face him.

"Out!" He growled, and the room was evacuated under his order within seconds. Yet he didn't let me go. Instead, he rested his forehead against mine and let out a breath. I waited for his wrath, his fury. I could feel it through the bond as he fought the urge to break something, or maybe me. I wasn't sure, so I didn't push him.

"Explain... please," he growled.

"You wouldn't have let me go," I told him. He pulled his forehead from mine, looked away, and nodded because I was right.

"I may have," he breathed out.

"You don't seem so sure of that," I told him. I struggled to read him through the bond, but I pressed my face to his chest. He purred, a sound I relished, calming and relaxing me.

"Why do you want to go to Devonshire? What is it you want? I will send for it," he asked while burying his face in my neck. My heart beat erratically at his words, something he picked up on instantly. A low purr emanated from him as he ran his nose up my neck to my jaw, forcing my head up as he sniffed my skin. Sniffing any deception, I couldn't bring myself to lie. Not for Willie, not for myself either. Hunter stayed, and even though his scent reeked of whiskey from the previous night, which should have made me wary, I told him the truth.

"I was going to see Hunter's grandparents. Willie told me something, and I wanted to find out the truth," I said.

"No!" He growled, cutting me off.

"Wait. You haven't even let me explain," I squealed.

"I don't care what Willie said! It won't save him from me, and you won't change my mind either! Whatever game he has played that has made you curious and feeling guilty won't be entertained. The answer is no, Ania," Hunter said, and my stomach sank. I needed answers. I just wanted answers.

Hunter nudged me towards the door, but my feet remained planted.

"Ania, please. I don't want to fight with you, not when you have only just come back to me," he urged.

"Then don't make me," I told him. Hunter growled and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing shut, his jaw hard. I watched the hair on his arms stand on end as he fought with himself. He was battling a war within himself not to drag me to the room and lock me in. He didn't want that, but felt he had no choice.

"Please," I asked. I didn't want to go against him, but I needed to know.

"What for? What did he say to you that made you feel sorry for him?" Hunter demanded.

"I want answers about his parents. About why he did it."

"He did it because he is a f*****g monster!" Hunter screamed at me before punching the bench. He growled, his entire body tensing as he stared down at his hand and the bowl he smashed under it.

"I ask, and you say no. I go, and I get punished for it. You don't leave me with many choices, my alpha," I told him while reaching for a tea towel. I wet it while he picked the glass out when the door creaked open. Kim peered in.

"Out! She is fine. I won't f*****g hurt her!" Hunter snarled at him before the door creaked shut.

"I woke up, and you were bloody gone, and you went to the person responsible for killing our baby! So no, I don't want you running around after him," Hunter snarled.

I reached for his hand and started cleaning it. The way he said it made me feel stupid for wanting answers. Hunter watched me and turned his hand over. I picked another thick shard from the side of his palm. He hissed, and I dropped it on the bench, applying pressure to it, knowing he would heal quickly.

"I need to go, Hunter," I whispered, determined to leave regardless of his agreement. He muttered something I didn't catch as I went to toss the tea towel in the laundry out back. But before I could leave, he caught my wrist.

I looked at him, and though his grip was gentle, his jaw was clenched. "Will you sneak off?" he asked. "If I say no, will you go behind my back?"

"Don't ask me questions if you already know the answer," I replied. "Don't make me feel like I need to lie to you."

"Why do you want to go?" he pressed.

"He said Kellen Floyd is his mother. Do you know her? And that the dagger he stabbed me with was his father's. I want to know who his father is. Do you know he blames me for you breaking up with her?" I asked, and he fell silent. "Kellen Floyd?" he repeated, perplexed that I knew about his past relationship. When he regained his grounding, he asked, "Why does it matter? He's a monster and he's lying. Kellen never had kids, only nephews."

"Are you sure? And did you end the relationship because of me? Did you make her understand why you were breaking up with her, or did you just push her away with contempt?" I asked, knowing she could be scorned, and he seemed to ponder.

"Even if she is his mother, it changes nothing. He f*****g hurt you! Killed our baby! It won't stop me from killing him. Whatever happened between me and Kellen was none of his business." He said.

"Hunter, the young boy is hurting. I must talk to his family!" I argued.

"No! You won't, and he will pay for what he has done!"

"Then come with me! Come with me, and I won't have to go behind your back," I told him in a last-ditch effort.

Hunter growled and stared at me, but I held my ground. Why couldn't he see that I needed to do this? Needed to be at peace with this?

"If I take you, will you stop this? Will you stop defending him?" he asked.

"I can't promise that. I don't know what we will find," I replied.

"Find what? What are you looking for? He's guilty! The dagger in your stomach was enough proof of that!" he screamed. I didn't answer because I had no idea what I was looking for. I just wanted answers, something to make sense. Hunter, noticing my silence, sucked in a breath. His chest heaved as he panted, trying to calm the fury writhing inside him.

I moved on instinct and wrapped my arms around his waist. He sighed, calming instantly, and pressed his lips to my head. His anguish came out in anger, something I was observing.

"I'll take you, but we leave if I don't like what they have to say." I looked up at him, resting my chin on his chest. "You don't leave my side. You don't argue if I say we are leaving." He told me.

I chewed my lip but nodded my head, and he dipped his head lower, pinching my chin. "And you eat first," he purred, brushing his nose along mine. "Then I will take you to see them. Just don't hide things from me," he said.

"Then that should go both ways, my alpha. You don't want me hiding things from you, so don't be a hypocrite and hide stuff from me," I said, and he nodded.

"Come then. You can't go in the robe. Were you really going to wear that to Devonshire?" He asked.

"It smells like you," I admitted, and he kissed my hair, chuckling. "Let's clean up and eat as we book our flights. I want us to come back today."

"Flights, what for? Aren't you half-vampire, can't you fly?" I asked.

"It's a long story, my love, but my vampire is a monster, a terrible one. That's why I love my lycan side. I will tell you all about it someday," he said sadly.

We ate, cleaned up, and both got dressed. And Hunter, true to his word, took me to Devonshire together with Kim.

Kim pulled up at an old house just on the outskirts of the forest in one of Devonshire's oldest towns in a rented car, when we heard banging from inside and things being smashed about as I climbed out of the car. Hunter instantly stuffed me back inside, and Kim growled before stalking off toward the house, just as Ben burst from the doors, covered in blood. A man rushed out behind him covered in blood too. I gasped at the sight, shocked to find Ben there.

"Ben?" Hunter asked, looking at him, and I climbed out of the car. Ben clutched his hair and snarled, pacing back and forth before stopping when a woman rushed out, grabbing the older man by the arm. A moment later, another woman walked out and clutched her chest upon spotting Kim and Hunter in her driveway.

"What is going on here?" Hunter demanded, and the woman looked at Ben, who fell on his backside on the ground.

"I asked a f**king question! What are you doing at Kellen's parents' home?" Hunter snarled at Ben. He stalked toward him when the woman called out.

"He is one of Kellen's sponsors, escort, client, name it, just as you are Alpha Hunter," the woman snapped.

"Is he still a sponsor or was he one?" I asked, confused, and an eerie silence filled the compound.