FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝐃𝐖𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕:

Last night, the King granted me special leave while Ania was transitioning so that I could visit Rina. He explained that Alpha Kelly was cheating on Rina, causing her to have episodes of agonizing pain. I had been in the car ever since, trying to call Rina to speak with her and convince her to come back to the castle, but she never answered her phone. Rina had been ignoring my calls since the last attempt.

I had yet to report any issues, although I was angered that Arman wouldn't allow me to drag her out because forcing someone from their mate was illegal if they wanted to remain with them. However, I was tempted to break that law. I would take jail time or lashings.

I knew Arman would be reluctant to hand the sentence down, but with pressure from the packs he governed over, it didn't look good for a king's alpha to go against the laws he helped create. These laws were created to stop Alphas from forcefully marking multiple women and stealing them from their mates, which was precisely why Kelly never marked any of his wives. Technically, they were free if they found their mates. But he did mark Rina, knowing that having a mate made him stronger.

So, my only option for now was to convince Rina to willingly leave her mate. Going against a mate bond was nearly impossible for she-wolves, and so far, my attempts to convince her of her mate's infidelity had failed.

I didn't even know where to find Rina, but Gary was digging for her address since we rarely came this far out. Even when invited to stay as we passed through, we always stayed elsewhere, uncomfortable with being in packs and never knowing which side they were on. However, Alpha Kelly had been good to us, always helping, but he was a terrible lycan nonetheless. He kept women as if they were trophies or possessions, not people.

My phone started ringing, and I pulled over to answer it, knowing I would need to type in the address soon anyway. Gary's name popped up on the screen, and I hit connect, placing it to my ear.

"Did you get the address?" I asked him, rummaging for a pen and paper in the glove compartment.

"Yes, I have it right here. Try to remain unseen, Dwight. It will raise suspicions if you get caught lurking without formal notice," Gary told me, and I growled.

"What did you tell him?" I asked Gary.

"That Ania wanted to send a care package," he replied.

"Fine, I'll stop on the way and buy some stuff. I can pretend to be a delivery boy," I snapped.

"Good idea, but please don't hurt anyone, for goodness' sake," Gary insisted.

"I'm just here to get my girl, that's it," I told him.

"You can't force her. You know what will happen if you do," Gary reminded me.

"Maybe I'm willing to accept the punishment, Gary," I replied.

"Then what happens to her if you take her away? Think, Dwight. If you force her, and she wants to go back, what then? You'll be disqualified from entering his pack, she'll be stuck there, and the King will have to give you 1000 lashes and jail time. Don't make him do that. You know what happened last time he did that, and it nearly killed one of our men. It nearly destroyed him," Gary was worried.

"But that idiot forcefully claimed the girl. I'm not claiming her, just taking her," I retorted.

"Same difference. Don't make me tell the King to order you back, Dwight," Gary threatened.

"This is Rina, Gary," I breathed.

"I'm aware, but our hands are tied, and he's the only Alpha we have an actual pact-bound alliance with," Gary said. I glared out the windshield.

"What's it going to be? Should I tell the King to order you back, or can you control yourself?" he asked. I snarled.

"I won't force her, but if he has hurt her, I will f*****g kill him," I warned.

"The King said he saw Rina, and she was in good health besides the cheating on Kelly's part," he said.

"Still f*****g hurting her," I spat.

"Dwight," Gary snapped at me.

"Fine, I will keep my hands to myself, just give me the address," I told him, worried he would ask the king to order me back home after driving all that way. I jotted down the address before hanging up and putting the address into the maps. It was out of town, miles away. There was nothing around her; he kept her from everyone, including the town.

I growled at the realization that she was out there alone. Starting the car, I drove to the closest town before stopping at one of the general stores and filling a basket. I grabbed all her favorite fruits and candies I had forced her to try since she was sketchy about taking anything from me at the castle. Towards the end, she really dropped her guard, and I had her agree to be with me only for that f*ckwit Kelly to show up and ruin it.

I looked for something else, but they didn't even have flowers in this shi*ty store.

It took me an additional half hour to drive to the outskirts of Kelly's territory, and as I pulled down the long dirt driveway, I could see her at the clothesline, barely on the border. The place was surrounded by dense forest, and the house I pulled up at was more like a shack than anything else.

As my car pulled in, Rina looked over her shoulder, putting her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun so she could see better. I quickly stopped the car and sent a text to Gary, who had asked me to alert him when I arrived. Rina looked at the vehicle nervously as I swung the door open, and she slowly walked over. She let out a breath of relief, which made me wonder why she was worried about a random car.

"Oh, it's you?" Rina said, walking over. "Why are you here?" she asked nervously, chewing her lip.

"That's it?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. Her lips tugged up in the corner before she rushed over, and I grabbed her, crushing her against me. "Gosh, I have missed you," I told her, and she nodded, her skinny arms wrapped around my neck. She shrieked when I lifted her off her feet, hugging her tight.

I buried my face in her neck, stealing a whiff of her scent.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"To see you, why else? You haven't been answering my calls," I told her, placing her back on her feet. I stared down at her; she had lost weight, which should be impossible with how skinny she already was. Her pants, rolled at her hips to hold them up, looked four times too big for her. Her white shirt, I could tell, was one of Kelly's. Her pants were also too long, as she had those rolled up at her ankles. She glanced down the driveway nervously, and I looked behind me.

"Are you expecting someone?" I asked.

"Kelly hasn't been around for a couple of days. He said he was out of town, but..." she paused.

"But what?" I asked.

"Nothing, but sometimes there's a car that parks down at the end of the road. They never get out," she said, shaking her head.

"Probably just paranoia," I said, laughing.

"Coffee?" she asked, and I nodded, grabbing the bags from my car before following her inside. The porch creaked as I stepped on it, and the door hung weirdly, as if the hinges were busted. Stepping inside, I was surprised at how tiny the place was. The kitchen, bedroom, and living room were all in one little room.

"Where's the bathroom?" I asked.

"There's an outhouse out back," she shrugged, turning on the stove and filling a camping kettle before placing it on the element. I looked around in disbelief at how Kelly had his mate living. There wasn't even a bed, just a fold-out couch that was neatly made. I sat on the edge of it, and the springs groaned. I could feel the metal bar beneath digging into my backside.

"You should come back with me," I told her.

"Not this again, Dwight, please," Rina whined, and I growled before remembering the bags in my hands. I held them out to her, and she furrowed her brows.

"Take them," I said. She sighed and walked over to grab the bags, placing them on the table before looking inside. Her eyes lit up as she pulled out some sugar clouds, her favorite. I had noticed her looking at them when I took her to town to grab supplies for Zara. She immediately opened the bag and grabbed one out. She offered me the bag, but I shook my head. I didn't like sugary stuff; I only ever brought them for her.

That was when I found out she only had candy before her parents died and only on special occasions when they could afford it. So I always made sure I had a never-ending stockpile on me when I would see her.

I watched as she stuffed another candy in her mouth before pulling her pants up as they slid down her hips. The candy stained her lips red and coated them in sugar. I chuckled before watching her go to the tiny fridge and open it. I growled when I saw it was nearly empty, besides half a bottle of milk and a block of cheese. Getting up, I checked the cupboards to find them almost bare.

"Why is there no food here?" I growled.

"There is, Kelly said he would come out soon to bring more," she shrugged, taking coffee and teabags.

"What have you been eating?" I snarled. She chewed her lips nervously and looked out the window at the forest.

"Have you been hunting your own food?" I was exasperated.

"No, I promise, I didn't kill anything. I just took some bird eggs," she gasped, confusing my anger at being directed towards her for hunting.

"Bird eggs?" I scoffed.

"I tried to kill a rabbit, but I couldn't do it, I swear," she stuttered.

"I don't care about you hunting, Rina. My point is you shouldn't have to. You are an Alpha's mate, not some slave or a dirty little secret," I snarled.

"I'm not; he is introducing me to the pack soon. It isn't safe. He is having issues with a neighboring pack," she stammered, turning back to her kettle that started whistling.

"I'm sorry, but that sounds incredibly foolish. You're his Luna, and he has you living in such squalor out here?" I asked, still annoyed.

"It's for safety reasons," she defended him.

"Wouldn't the safest place be by his side, instead of out here along the border where anyone could get to you?" I argued. But she had every excuse under the sun to defend him, all of which were lies he had fed her.

It was like arguing with a brick wall. I hated this mate bond nonsense. It made she-wolves blind to their mate's errors, gullible, and worse, all he had to do was show her the tiniest bit of kindness, which she perceived as love because she had known none for five years. She believed wholeheartedly that she should trust him blindly because he was her mate.

"No, you're coming back with me," I told her, grabbing her arm.

"What? No, I have a mate. I can't just leave. He'll worry," she argued.

"Worry? Then where the hell is he, Rina?" I yelled at her, trying to drag her toward the door.

"No!" she screamed, thrashing in my grip. "Dwight, stop," she said before she started crying.

"He loves me. He said he loves me. He'll be back," she sobbed.

"I love you. He doesn't," I screamed at her.

Rina whimpered, and I realized my claws had slipped out, nicking her skin, thankfully not deeply, and I let her go, watching as it healed.

"You have a mate out there somewhere. How can you say that?" she asked.

"No, I don't. I want you. Why can't you see that?" I asked.

"But I am not yours. I am Kelly's mate. He loves me, and I love him," she told me.

"If you think this is love, you are mistaken. You don't hide someone you love away. You don't force them to live like this," I snapped at her. Her brows scrunched together, and tears welled in her beautiful hazel doe eyes. She shook her head before sniffling, wiping her hands on the front of her shirt. "You should go," she whispered, unable to meet my eyes.

I swallowed, and she wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms as she turned back toward the kitchen.

"Rina?" I called out, cooling my temper.

"Dwight, please, just don't," she breathed.

"Tell me you're happy here? Tell me something because this, this isn't right. I would take care of you," I told her.

"I'm not yours," she said slowly, emphasizing her words.

"But you could be. You just need to ignore the bond, Rina. See through his bullsh*t," I told her, but she shook her head.

"It's temporary. He will be back soon," she said, pouring the hot water into her mug and jiggling the tea bag. I clicked my tongue, unsure of another way to convince her.