Chapter 4 | Hunters

Lux

Breakfast passes by quickly and Calvin and Iris left as soon as they were finished eating and I would bet by the time we have dinner that they will be fully marked and mated.

My nose crinkles at the thought. Not because I don’t want them to mate, but because it will change Calvin’s scent. I find his scent comforting and I don’t like the thought of it changing.

David went off with Amber and Christopher. It’s not surprising whenever they come to visit, the three of them hang out a lot. Amber and Christopher are a few years older than the rest of us and I think that since David is the most mature out of the five of us, it just causes them to bond more.

Kai went off with my dad, Uncle Zane, and our grandpas, and my mom asked me if I wanted to join her and Aunt Lilly, but I denied. I love Aunt Lilly, but she and Uncle Zane don’t visit often, and I know my mom really enjoys the time that she gets alone with her. 

Normally I would go off with Silas, but I’m not sure where he is right now. I end up wondering on my own for a bit as I let my nose lead me toward the waterfall. Maybe the sounds of nature will help clear my head, although I’m not sure why it feels so muddled.

Immediately as I hear the waterfall getting closer, I can feel the tension in my shoulders being released. I bring myself towards the edge of the water and dip my feet in and lift my head towards the sun that is basking on my face. 

I’m officially eighteen... I could meet my mate any day now. A part of me feels relief that none of the boys were my mate. They are like family, and I think that would’ve just been too weird. 

I feel reassured knowing that Calvin, David, and Silas turned eighteen like a few months ago and only one of them have met their mate. Which means it could be a while before I meet mine. I want it to take as long as possible. I’m not ready… not at all.

My eyebrows furrow as I realize I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that things got a bit too quiet. I don’t hear the normal hustle and bustle of the birds tweeting; the crickets making noise; the families walking around... everything is at a standstill. 

I stay as still as possible as I try to listen to my surroundings as best as I can. I’m tempted to slip into the water and to hide behind the waterfall, but I refrain. It’s hard for me to swim without someone else here and if I hit my head hard enough because I can’t see, it could knock me out. 

I hear an unfamiliar clicking sound and I whip my head towards it, then gasp as I get pushed into the water and there’s a body on top of me. There’s a stinging in my side that makes me wince, but the burning in my chest blinds my pain. I need to get to the surface. My head comes to the top and I take a deep breath and I feel a hand wrap around my arm, then I hear Silas’ voice as he says, “It’s me! It’s me. Don’t worry, just swim with me. Okay, I’ll get you to safety. Can you take a deep breath for me?”

I sputter out a bit of water and nod as I say, “Yeah.”

I take a deep breath as we go under the water, and he holds onto me as we swim away. Thankfully, I’ve always been an excellent swimmer that this didn’t faze me too much as long as I had him here to guide me. With each movement I make, I realize the pain in my side is getting stronger, but I need to hold out for us to get somewhere safe before we can check on me. 

Silas

Once breakfast was over, I went for a walk to clear my thoughts.

I felt bad over not sitting by Lux, but I knew these were the steps I needed to take to work on letting her go. I ran around the territory, and I ran so fast my lungs were burning. My wolf, Jax, was begging to be let out, but right when I was about to shift, I get a mind link from King Archer, “Hunters are on the territory! Families take cover in your homes and warriors be prepared to fight and someone find Princess Lux. No one knows her location.”

My eyes widen and I’m tempted to shift as I rush towards the waterfall, but I don’t. I know that if I’m a giant wolf; I am just a bigger target for hunters. As I get closer to the waterfall, I slow down. Things are quiet. That’s not normal for this area.

I hear a click and I see a glimpse of the light reflecting off a gun. I see Lux as she whips her head towards the sound, and I don’t hesitate as I lunge towards her and push her into the water.

As I pushed her in, I heard a gun going off, but I didn’t get hit and I didn’t notice Lux get hit either. I reassure her she’s with me and I get her to take a deep breath as we go under water and swim. Thankfully, we’ve swum together enough that I know how I need to move to make it easy for her to follow. 

While we swim, I mind link the King, "I have Lux. She was near the waterfall and there was a hunter here. He took a shot at us, but to my knowledge, he missed." 

His response is instant, "Warriors are on their way. Your priority is Lux. Get her safe and taken care of."

"On it, sir."

We get behind the waterfall and I help Lux up onto the rocks. When I grabbed her side, I noticed her wince, and I looked down to see the blood on my hand and her clothes. I mutter, “Shit.” I tell her, “I need you to stay quiet, Lux, but I’m going to get us out of here and I’m going to get you to the pack doctor.”

She nods slowly, but I notice she is blinking slower, and it seems like the blood loss is getting to her. I pick her up bridal style as I carry her further back in the cave.

When we were kids, the boys and I used to come back this way all the time and we made a hidden exit in case something ever happened, and we needed to get out. I take us that way, but now, being a grown adult that is 6’6 with broad shoulders, it’s a little harder to get out.

Plus, I need to get Lux through there as well, and although she should fit easily, my choice is to push her through and leave her without me momentarily, or leave her behind and having to pull her through. I sigh as I try to figure out my next course of action, but I get distracted as I feel Lux nuzzle her face into my chest and she mumbles, “Silas, I don’t feel so well.”

I kiss the top of her head as I say, “I got you, Lux, don’t worry.”

She mutters, “Am I going to die?”

I chuckle nervously, “No, no, you’re too strong for that, Lux. Come on, sunshine, we got this.”

She nods her head and I decide to push her through the top of the hole. Overall, it was easy to get her through. Her hips were a bit snug due to how curvy she was, but it doesn’t matter because she made it through.

My shoulders are a lot wider than her hips, so I’m going to have to be careful not to hurt myself too bad as I maneuver my way out. My shoulders get scraped and one ended up popping out of its socket, but overall, I got out okay. I notice her shivering slightly on the ground and I pick her back up and immediately she has nuzzled her head into me again.

I can hear the wolves as they attack the hunters. I have to figure out the quickest way to the pack hospital without us getting hurt.

I decide to just go for it and run as fast as I can. Hopefully, all the hunters are being apprehended by the wolves.   

The pack hospital is on lockdown because of the threat outside and I groan in frustration as I link a pack doctor so someone would let us in to get Lux seen. I look down at her face and notice how pale she is getting, and I say, “No, no, come on, Lux, hold on a bit longer.”

She mumbles something under her breath, and I feel desperate and I don’t know what came over me, but I press my lips against hers as I kiss her. I feel her kiss me back, but I snap myself out of my daze and move my face away from hers right as the door gets unlocked. She murmurs breathlessly, “Silas...”

“I’m here, Lux, don’t worry.”

I bring her inside and follow the doctor, but as they take her back to a room being prepped for surgery, I get told that I’m not allowed back.

I sit in frustration as I wait for her. She must be okay. She has to be.