FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

Rolling over, I pressed my face into the soft pillow. It felt like I had a hangover. My head was pounding, everything felt too bright, and my brain was sluggish as the events from earlier slowly returned to me. Damn, Hunter had put me to sleep for interfering with him. Did he execute Willie like he threatened though I pleaded for him to let him live? He might have done what he wanted while I was sleeping. I prayed that he had not, because that would bring very serious issues between us. Still thinking about it, Kim walked into the room.

"The alpha is on his way," Kim told me, and I nodded, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

"Where is Hunter? I think I should go to him," I asked Kim. I wanted to know what had become of Willie and Kellen. I didn't have the patience to wait for him to come to me. Kim bit his lip before he sighed.

"He is organizing the punishment for Willie," he said.

"Punishment?" I asked.

"Yes, punishment," Hunter replied from behind me, causing me to jump since I hadn't heard him enter. I turned to see him standing just inside the door.

"Leave us," Hunter instructed, and Kim quickly obeyed as he closed the door behind him.

"You challenged me," the Alpha roared.

"You were going to kill him. He's just a boy," I told him, unable to bring myself to say he was my brother.

"What punishment did you give him?" I asked.

"Not the one I wanted, but I kept my word. I didn't kill him," he said.

"And Kellen?" I asked.

"She's with her son," he replied simply.

"Both alive," he added. I let out a breath of relief. I wasn't going to turn myself into a monster for losing our baby.

"What else?" I asked.

"What else?" Hunter repeated, coming to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. He pulled me onto his lap, turning me to face him so that my legs straddled his waist.

"I have to ask," he said, looking at me.

"Ask what?" I spoke, looking at his eyes that held so much bitterness and carried vengeance.

"Do you remember anything about your parents, your royal parents? We want to present you to the king, but I must have answers to all his questions," he said, and my brows furrowed. I tried to think back, sifting through any sort of memory, yet those memories were so grainy, so fractured.

"Ania?" Hunter called me, shaking me, and I snapped out of where my memories took me. I blinked, shaking the remnants of it away. All I could remember was a woman different from the woman who raised me frequently telling me that she loved me.

"Why is the king so skeptical? I thought you said we could tell relatives from their scents," I answered him.

"Well, yeah, but it can only tell you are related, not someone's child. It's not a DNA test," he said back. "I am good just the way I am, alpha. You taking me to the king might spiral into things I don't want to deal with. I have been through a lot. I want to resume school on Monday and get along with life like a normal person with no mysteries to solve," I said.

I knew nothing of this world, or any world for that matter. Neither kingdoms nor alliances, and I thought this life was difficult. I knew meeting King Devonshire would plunge me into more of it. I wanted to hold onto my sanity as much as I could.

"What punishment did you give my... brother?" I asked, the word bitter on my tongue.

"325 lashes," Hunter replied.

"What!" I shrieked, and Hunter gripped my arms.

"Willie can't heal. He hasn't shifted yet," I reminded him.There was no way he could survive those many lashes.

" That's why Kellen, his mother, volunteered to receive the lashes," He said.

"Willie will administer half of them. The other half, I will. Half of the lashes will be without the bane, the other half will be dipped in wolfsbane," he said matter-of-factly. I shook my head. He expected Willie to whip his own mother? It sounded barbaric and cruel.

Hunter growled at me when I glared at him. "You won't let me kill him, and I can't do it without breaking the laws! You will go along and agree, my Luna. You don't have to like the ruling, but you will stand by it, or I will kill Kellen on his behalf. If you don't want me to kill either of them, you will agree," he snapped at me.

"I can't let you kill Willie," I told Hunter firmly.

"By law, I can't. But, if you disagree with the punishment, I won't let that stop me from breaking the law. So, either you agree to their punishment, or..." I growled at him. Willie was young, and he acted out of love for his mother.

"He killed our baby!" Hunter snapped.

"He needs to be punished, but if you won't let me kill him, then this is it. What he did is punishable by law. The only difference is that he has immunity as a king's child. And I will not be seen as weak because my mate is too soft," he growled.

"Soft? You are the only one who sees mercy as soft, my alpha. Mercy is not weak; there is strength in it. It takes a stronger person to forgive than to punish another," I argued.

Hunter laughed, pushing me off his lap and standing up. I turned to watch him walk over to his bar.

"He doesn't deserve forgiveness. This punishment isn't enough. Mercy is for the weak. Forgiveness? They will find none from me," he snarled, tipping the bottle to his lips and chugging half of it. I hated when he drank. It was something he had picked up, and he was losing himself to it.

"You truly are the weak one," I sneered, getting to my feet when the bottle smashed into the wall, making me jump. Hunter moved quickly, his hands gripping my arms tightly as he growled.

"You are weak! Falling to your knees to save an enemy. Forgiveness gets you killed. It gets you nothing!" Hunter roared.

"No! You're wrong," I growled back, holding his wrists. Anger coursed through him, and he let go, glaring down at me.

"You know nothing!" he growled, turning away from me.

"I know I forgave you!" I said.

"Forgave me? I never did anything to warrant needing forgiveness!" he protested.

"No? You nearly killed me when you destroyed our bond!" I spat at him.

"Yet I forgave you for it. I forgave you for using the darn calling on me to get your way. I forgave your stupid punishments. I forgave you! So if that makes me weak, then what does it make you for accepting it?" I challenged him. He growled but said nothing.

"I am not changing the punishment, and you will not ask me to. He needs to be punished for what he did," he snapped.

"I agree, but you won't kill them," I told him, and he seemed shocked.

"As you said, I don't have to like the punishment, but one must be given. But once it's done, it is done, my alpha. You will not use it against him or hate him. I won't allow you to continue punishing him until you get over it, right Hunter?" I asked him.

"Right, and you won't interfere?" he asked, and I swallowed but shook my head. I understood he needed vengeance, but vengeance was never my thing. I couldn't harbor the sort of hate he did. It sounded exhausting, but I understood his need for it.

"Afterward, you let them go," I told him, and he growled and clenched his jaw.

"Only if you stand by your word and don't interfere or try to stop it," he answered. I swallowed.

"Just don't kill them, and you let them go after," I told him before storming past him and out the door.

"Where are you going?" he called from behind me.

"To find Rina, she must be from school now," I snapped, not bothering to turn around although I knew he was following. Kim fell in line with me but remained quiet while I looked for my friend.

"Ania!" Hunter called.

"What!" I rattled arrogantly.

"You said you would stand by it, that means you come with me and do just that!" Hunter said, grabbing my arm.

"You want me to watch as you whip someone? No!" I told him. I didn't want to see that. I knew exactly what kind of pain that was, and I sure as hell didn't want to witness it.

"You said you would stand by my decision," Hunter said. I pressed my lips into a line and glared at him, wondering if he was also punishing me for challenging him.

"Fine, then lead the way, my alpha," I motioned, and he growled but gripped my hand, tugging me after him.

We stepped into a courtyard I had never been to before. My heart nearly stopped when I saw Kellen tied with her hands chained above her head to the wall. Her clothes were torn at the back from where the whip had slashed her flesh, even though the wounds were healed, and she panted.

Hunter growled, and anger coursed through the bond. Willie stood with a whip in his hands that he swiftly dropped, shaking his head and looking at my mate pleadingly. Valentine stood off to the side, nibbling her fingernails. Tears trekked down her face and dripped off her chin.

However, Ben's expressionless face as he stared at Willie shocked me the most. This was his nephew's baby mama, yet he showed no care for her at all. It was shocking to see, but remembering how he dealt with his own daughters Mylar and Sky, I realized he was a merciless man. He was great with me, but I knew if the tables were turned, he wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing to me.

"Again! You have ten more, Willie," Ben snarled, stalking over to him and snatching the whip from the ground. He thrust it at Willie, who flinched away from him. Bile rose up in my throat, and I looked at Hunter, squeezing his hand, and he turned his head, looking at me.

"It's only ten," I told him, and Kellen glanced over her shoulder at me. Her face flushed red, and she panted before looking at Hunter. There was no hint that the two had ever shared intimate moments. Or was he doing it from a place of jealousy and hurt?

"Hurry up, Willie. Finish it!" Hunter snapped.

"Prick!" I hissed under my breath, and Hunter growled, leaning down.

"Watch your tone, Luna," he whispered next to my ear.

"Watch yours," I retorted, ripping my arm from his grip. I made my way over to Valentine, who explained that Kellen was taking it rather well, and Hunter, overhearing that, did not sound impressed.

He walked over to Lemmy and talked to him before Lemmy walked off. Though I was quite shocked at how fast Kellen was healing. The moment the whip pulled away, her skin closed. Seeing someone being whipped made my skin prickle and itch.

I couldn't stand the sound of the crack being made, the way it whipped through the air, the sound of tearing flesh. At that moment, I truly hated Hunter. I hated who he had become because of grief.

After Willie finished, her skin was red and angry but no longer bleeding. Hunter seemed bothered by this, as he wanted blood and there was plenty staining the stone ground, but he was not sated by it. I mostly stared at the rose bushes, blocking out what was going on around me until I heard Kellen shriek when Lemmy walked in with a bucket. The potent scent of Wolfsbane reached my nose, Valentine whimpered beside me, and I sat up straighter.

"My alpha," I hissed. He growled in response. I knew Willie needed to be punished, but this seemed excessive even for him. I watched in horror as he dipped the whip in the bucket. My heart lodged in my throat, and tears sprang to my eyes as he pulled it out. The cracking sound sent spray everywhere, and her scream made me feel it to my core.

Her one scream sent me back to a dark place that had me twisting where I sat on the edge of the garden. The contents of my stomach spewed out into the garden. Hunter, though, was almost rabid and did not seem to care that he made me sick.

Ignoring her screams and Willie's begging, Kellen hung limply in the chains while he continued to whip her. Lost in his anger, he didn't stop even after a hundred lashes. I was trapped in the darkest parts of my mind, a place I never thought I would be. Once again, it was my mate's actions that had trapped me there, until Valentine's shriek brought me back to reality.

Her hands gripped me tightly as I realized Willie's blood-curdling scream had made my ears ring loudly and raised goosebumps on my skin. Willie lay on the ground, and Hunter stood over him with the whip in his hand. Kellen was a bloody mess, and I could see some of the white, meaty-looking bits of her back were exposing her bones.

"Leave him," Kellen breathed weakly, unable to lift her head. I gaped at the scene before me as Willie clutched his face, which was bleeding profusely. He had jumped in front of the whip meant for his mother. Hunter was enraged and had shifted at some point.

I swallowed as he breathed heavily, and the nearby gardener was pale as a ghost as he looked at Willie and Kellen. He reached forward, gripping Willie's arms.

"Please, no more! She can't take anymore! Let me take her place," Willie pleaded.

"No!" Valentine shrieked.

Hunter snarled, his upper lip pulling back over his teeth, and a sinister glint was in his black obsidian eyes. He tilted his head to the side.

"I'll allow it," he said without a care in the world.

"He is young!" The gardener defended. I had no idea when he got there, but he obviously cared for Willie. "He can't even heal!" The gardener explained.

Hunter shrugged, turning back to Kellen. The whip cracked in the air, and her scream made my blood run cold. Willie escaped the gardener's clutch and tossed himself in front of his mother again. Ben clenched his jaw and looked ahead, the only sign that he disagreed with Hunter's actions. He was controlled solely now by his rage and hate for the pair. I saw him raise the whip, and I never even registered the movement as I tossed myself in front of my brother.

Willie couldn't heal, and though I was capable of doing so, I wouldn't allow Hunter to kill the duo. However, Hunter's sentence turned lethal when he had Lemmy bring out the Wolfsbane. Enough was enough.

As the fiery tendrils of pain split up my back and tore my dress and shoulder, I hissed and arched my back, but I managed to grip onto Willie and stayed upright despite my own screams reverberating around us.

Pain licked up my spine, and I clenched my teeth at the sound of a roar. My vision became tainted with gold flecks, and a collective gasp was heard when Kim was suddenly smashed into the wall beside Kellen. I turned to see Lemmy trying to hold back, realizing that Kim had attacked my mate and was now facing Hunter's wrath. However, my command rolled over Kim moments later.

"Stand down!" I snapped at him, and he whimpered, even though the simple command made me sink in a harsh breath. I turned to face my mate, who was now staring at me in horror. He took a step towards me with outstretched hands before shaking his head.

"Move!" he ordered.

"She has suffered enough!" I seethed through clenched teeth.

"Only when I say she has," Hunter growled, challenging me. But I refused to move. I nodded toward the gardener, who came over and grabbed Willie, dragging him away, while I started undoing the front of my dress.

"Fine then. I will take her place," I told him, popping the buttons on my dress.

"No!" Hunter snarled.

"You would have allowed Willie, but I won't allow it. Therefore, he takes his mother's place, and I take his. So what's it going to be, Alpha Hunter?" I asked him, letting my dress fall to the ground, leaving me in just my undergarments. Everyone averted their gaze, as I knew they would. Kellen groaned, and I glanced at her and swallowed when I saw her flesh sizzling. It must hurt. The one lashing down on mine seared up my spine like wildfire, and I wanted to douse my back with water.

"Ania, move!" he bellowed, and I obeyed. I turned around, offering my back to him, and he gasped when he struck me instead of Willie. I knew what he saw.

"Ania!" Hunter snarled, coming up behind me. His long, furry fingers wrapped around my arm as he spun me to face him.

"What is it, Hunter? Can't bear to see your mark on my flesh yet revel in hers? No! I won't allow it!" I adamantly refused.

"Then I'll kill her," he sneered, and Willie screamed.

"You said lashes! You're already killing her. Look at her!" I screamed furiously in his face. He seemed taken aback but did look at her back, her flesh torn open and blood pooling at her feet.

"Enough. Or I'll take her place," I told him, and he looked at me. His eyes narrowed. I could see the fury behind them. The argument I knew was coming would be long and hot, but with witnesses, he refused to give a show to them. He wanted us to present a united front, but I couldn't stand by that for another moment. I never agreed in the first place, even though I understood it had to happen. He said he wouldn't kill her, and any more would.

We stood off, neither of us willing to back down, and the air between us became tense.

"Know your place, my alpha. A Devonshire's word is final," I taunted.

"I am not over you. You may be my Luna, but as your mate, Alpha hierarchy still holds weight," he snarled.

"Want to test that theory?" I asked him, already knowing he would back down when my title came into play. I realized I was more powerful than him. He seemed surprised, and his eyebrows rose, confirming my assumption that hierarchy demanded the Alpha be the most assertive and dominant in a mate bond, but not against a Devonshire. This realization was eye-opening, and he took a step back from me.

"Just remember, you may have power, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it," he grunted.

"Yet, my Alpha, not yet. But I think you and I both know you are dreading the day I do," I told him, and he growled.

"Release her," he snapped before turning his gaze back to me. "Cover up," he snapped, turning on his heel and storming off.