FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:

Zara lied to me; she knew where Ania was but did not check in like she was supposed to, which infuriated me.

"Where is she?" I snapped at her, and she took a step back from me.

"Outside helping Percy," Zara told me.

"I will deal with you when I get back," I said, turning toward my guards.

"Find her," I ordered them, and they took off.

"She isn't doing anything wrong, my King; she is only helping clean the graves," Zara said in Ania's defense. Hearing that only infuriated me further.

"You were supposed to keep tabs on her, keep track of her. What kind of disrespect is this to my title, Zara? Think!" I roared at her, and she narrowed her eyes at me before pointing an accusing finger at me.

"You listen here, Arman. I have watched you grow. I helped raise you. You do not speak to me like that. That girl is not guilty. You could have smelled it on her, and if you are too blind to see it, then you have no right being her mate," she snarled at me. My fist smacked down on the bench, and she jumped before glaring at me. This old woman was putting her foot out of line if she thought she could speak to me that way.

"You are a bloody idiot. That girl has suffered enough. Stop punishing her for crimes that could have been easily fabricated against her. She didn't kill Claire. Don't hurt her," she snarled. I felt the urge to shift rush through my body, making my skin vibrate, and I growled at the mention of my friend's name. But I knew I had to control my anger and walked out before I hurt the woman.

I sighed when I found Ania sleeping under a tree all the anger and hatred I felt for her washed away and I felt nothing but love for my sleeping beauty. Percy was keeping her guard. "Thank you." I hissed to Percy as I picked her up. Percy nodded as a response.

As we walked up the hill through the cemetery, Zara whispered, "I will make her something to eat." I nodded, grateful for her help. When we got to our room, I gently laid Ania on the bed and left for work.

Later, when I returned, I found Ania sitting on the bed, humming a song that seemed to comfort her. Over the last few days, she had been singing or humming the Devonshire Kingdom's lullaby, knowing every word of it. I wondered how she knew it, but she seemed too gloomy for me to ask anything. It would have to wait.

I moved across to my 'forbidden room' and into the dresser.

I picked up the silver jewelry box and opened it, removing the bracelet inside and placing it on the dresser. Then I took the small box back to the room, winding it up so Ania could hear the song being played - her song, the one she knew by heart.

When I walked into the room, she was huddled by the fire, shivering despite her burned skin. I sat behind her, pulling her against me, placing the box in her hands, and opened the lid. The music started, and she looked up at me, her brows furrowed before recognizing the tempo matched the song she sang.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, peering inside the box.

"I had it in my old quarters. My mate gave it to me; she was a Devonshire who used to love hearing this song. I don't know how I remembered it, but it just came to mind," I answered, the memory triggering in my mind. I had figured out that I was her past mate when I was told I was Hunter Allan Augustus, but I couldn't drop the bomb on her. I was waiting for her to figure it out on her own, while I also tried to revive the missing memories I had desperately erased. I also needed stronger evidence that she was indeed my mate. The song box was one of the few things Ivan was able to retrieve from my old room in the pack house where I used to live before.

Ania gasped before trying to pass it back. I shook my head, indicating that she should keep it.

I told her she could have it, but she quickly interjected;

"No, no, take it. It was a gift from your mate, but I gave a replica of this one to my mate," she replied, placing the box on my lap before rushing off. I sighed and rubbed my hand down my face before setting the box on the bookcase and going in search of her.

"What would you do if you knew your mate was still alive somewhere, maybe the arson story was a cover-up?" I asked her.

"It wouldn't make any difference now since I am marked and mated by you. But I would also hate him for leaving me to suffer for five years while he was out there. I would hate him for the days I mourned him and he was still alive. For running away like a coward..." she stopped talking, and I swallowed hard. Ania was crying under the clothes she had made a nest out of. I tried not to smile at her nest, knowing it was the lycan side appearing suddenly. She frantically tried to place the clothes in order, completely unaware that she was building a nest.

"I think you need a bath," I told her as I reached for her, but she growled and pushed me away. Mumbling to herself and rearranging the clothes, she started ripping them off the hangers.

"I want you to take a bath now, and then you can make your nest on the bed. I'm not sleeping on the floor," I insisted. She stopped and looked at her hands, clearly confused about her actions.

"What was I doing?" she trailed off, realizing what she was doing.

"You were making a mess. Now come with me," I said, crouching down in front of her. She still seemed uncertain, so I grabbed her. Ania snarled and bit my arm, but I chuckled at her actions. My chuckle only made her more enraged, and she bit me more brutally on the chest through my shirt. It stung, and I hissed in pain, but I couldn't help but be amused by her acting on instinct rather than her conscious mind.

"Bite me again and I'll mate you," I warned, feeling aroused by her love bites. She glared at me, but I knew she was just fighting her urges. Sometimes she forgot that I could feel her thoughts and emotions.

She wouldn't let me bathe with her, so instead, I showered while watching her bathe. By the time she got out, I could smell the food Zara had placed in the room. We dressed quickly, and I had to lock the closet door to stop her from going back in there before she climbed into bed.

I grabbed the tray and set it between us, although I was surprised when she picked up raw meat, which I knew Zara had made for me, as I am a vae-wolf and we prefer raw meat. However, I had never seen Ania eat raw meat before. I found it rather disturbing, considering that lycans were part human. Yet, Ania was acting out of sorts, which made me wonder if the calling had some strange effect on her since I pushed her out of my life, or if Ania was a vae-wolf either in denial for reasons better known to her, or if she was doing a good job of hiding it from me.

Nevertheless, I said nothing and was just glad she was eating. She wouldn't let me touch her more than slight brushes, or when I managed to force her to accept my touch. However, I figured it was best not to push my luck with her odd behavior.

When Zara knocked on the door, I grabbed the now-empty tray and walked over to the door, opening it and giving it to her.

"Hungry, my King?" Zara asked, and I peered back at Ania, who was attacking my pillow like it was a threat in her sleep.

"I actually think it was Ania," I corrected her, and she looked surprised, making a strange face before glancing towards the bed.

"Could she be going into heat?" she asked, but even she didn't seem convinced.

"I thought so too," I replied, shaking my head.

"Alright, I'll leave you two to it. It must be the heat, that's the only thing that makes sense. Or maybe she's pregnant? Did you mate with her? No wonder she was so strongly reeking of your scent," Zara muttered to herself as she walked away when I didn't respond. I shut the door.

I returned to the bed and climbed in, thinking to myself. Ania had no appetite, but when offered raw meat, she devoured it like she was famished.

I furrowed my brows, glancing down at her snuggled into my side. If she was going into heat, what did that mean for both of us? She wouldn't let me touch her, and would she soon shift? The heat was excruciating for a lycan, but as a vae-wolf, I would go through it with her, which I've heard is just as painful. And if she was pregnant, was that the reason for her nesting? I could never forgive myself if I had pushed her aside while she was carrying my child.

With so many thoughts racing through my mind, I struggled to fall asleep. Eventually, I was pulled into the oblivion of rest, only to wake up and realize that Ania had turned off the alarm. I squinted at the brightness in the room, realizing it must have been late in the morning, and sat up, looking for her.

However, she was nowhere to be found. With a growl of frustration, I threw back the blankets and searched all the nearby rooms before leaving the room entirely. I was furious that she had left without informing me.

"Where is Ania?" I demanded of the guard by the doors leading out.

"I haven't seen her, my King. I thought she was in the room with you. I just started my shift," he replied.

I shook my head in disbelief. How had she managed to slip past the guards?

"Find her," I snarled, and everyone in the corridor hurried off in search of her. I pushed through the doors and continued my search.

"Percy!" I called out, seeing him approaching me up the path from the stables. He glanced at me before quickly looking away at my state of undress; I was only wearing my sleep shorts.

"Where is Ania?" I asked him.

"She's helping me in the stables," he replied. I growled in frustration, which made him take off running as I stalked towards the path, fuming with anger. Suddenly, panic rushed through the bond, causing me to start running as well.

𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:

It was early in the morning when I slipped out without waking the King. I had shut off his alarm when I woke up and decided to help Zara in the kitchens. As Percy, the stable hand boy, came in, I looked over at him. He stopped by the counter and leaned on it.

"Zara, is Gary or Dwight around? I need help to move the barrels from the shed into the barn," Percy asked.

"Barrels?" Zara asked, looking puzzled, and Percy sighed.

"Yes, the empty wine barrels. Justin wants me to cut them in half so he can make garden beds out of them, but I need to cut and paint them for him," he said with a huff, clearly not enjoying being given extra chores by the gardener.

Zara shrugged and said, "Do it in the shed."

Percy whined, "Can't do that. There isn't enough room. It's full of furniture from the east wing."

"Well, you'll have to go look for them. I don't know where either of them is," Zara stated.

"I can help," I offered. Being outside sounded great, and Zara hardly let me do anything except peel potatoes. She said I shouldn't even be helping. But with Rina gone, I was constantly bored, and I still hadn't forgiven the King for marking me. I also hated that he used the calling on me to force me to submit to him whenever he wanted me to do things his way.

"The King will pitch a fit if he finds you in the stables working," Zara said.

"Let him. I'm helping Percy," I told her. Percy's eyes lit up at the offer of help.

"Ania, he will lose his mind if you get hurt," Zara said, grabbing my hand gently.

"It's fine, Zara. I'll deal with the bloody King if needed," I growled before grabbing Percy's arm and tugging him out the door.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty? I don't want to get in trouble," Percy said nervously, as he worried his lip between his teeth.

"Yes, I want to go outside anyway. I'm sick of watching people work and not letting me help," I told him, dragging him through the castle. I knew the King was still asleep, so I didn't have to worry about him sending someone to look for me for a few hours.

We spent a few hours outside, managing to create enough room to drag the old wine barrels out. Then, we re-stacked the shed, making it more accessible in the future. I watched as Percy cut the wine barrels with a chainsaw. He wouldn't let me try because he was too worried that the King would be angered if he found out. So, I watched as he worked, but he did let me help paint them.

As soon as we finished, Percy went to see the gardener while I stayed back to wait for the paint to dry. Suddenly, I heard a loud squawking in the distance, and I looked towards the pier that extended over the lake. All I could see was something flapping, so I assumed it was a bird. With caution, I stepped onto the wooden dock and made my way to the end, being mindful of the deep, blackened water. When I reached the end, I saw a swan frantically flapping its wings and squawking as it tried to fly away. But it appeared to be caught in something that was preventing it from taking off.

I turned away from the swan and called out for Percy, but he was nowhere to be found. Kneeling down, I held onto the wooden pier and tried to grab the swan by its long neck to pull it closer. The bird seemed to be caught in some netting or similar material. When the creature shrieked and flapped its wings, my fingertips grazed its face. As its wing got stuck, I leaned over a little more, trying to save it, and the swan began to get dragged under. "Stop flapping," I growled at the silly bird.

I was just about to grasp the feathers at the back end when my weight and angle overbalanced me, and I screamed as I tumbled into the blackened water. I kicked and flailed, attempting to reach the surface and grab onto the wooden pier, but I became tangled in the mesh netting that the swan was trapped in.

When I broke the surface, I sputtered and choked on the water as the swan flailed frantically and took off. "Percy!" I rasped, screaming as loud as my burning throat allowed.

"Percy!" I continued to scream as my legs became more tangled, and I tried to stretch my arm out to reach the pier, only to be pulled further away.

As I was dragged under by the weight of what I was caught on, I choked on the water spilling into my mouth. The water filled my lungs, and I knew I was drowning. I could feel my lungs filling with water as I struggled to reach the surface. But my efforts began to die out, and a sense of calm washed over me. It was an odd sensation. I knew I was dying, yet peace and tranquility swept over me as I drowned.

It wasn't until I breached the surface that the pain hit me. Hands gripped my waist and hauled me upright. I gasped for air, but I was ripped back under because my feet were still tangled. I tried to blink through the murky water, but my eyes stung while someone untangled the mesh from around my legs.

The moment we breached the surface, I panicked. I sputtered, coughed, and locked my legs around the person's waist who had pulled me up. I shoved him under the water, and he coughed and spluttered before a furious growl ripped from his throat. He turned me around so that I wouldn't be able to push him beneath the surface again.

"Calm down before you drown us both," the King snapped at me, while I sucked in much-needed air. My lungs felt like they had been put through a mincer. It felt like razors were slicing through my chest with each agonizing breath.