The Hunted (LGBT+)

Chapter 3: Nice? For what?

Parker

The car ride was long and arduous, made so by the stoic Kohl.

I stayed awake for as long as I could, especially when Jasar tried to break the ice between the three of us. I, for some reason, couldn't help but take jabs at Kohl. It seems like every time he opens his mouth, he's commanding. I don't like it.

I was also trying to keep an eye on the two of them. My senses came back to me when I got in the Jeep and I realized what I'd agreed to. Some unknown guy, who happens to be a werewolf, asks me to come back to his pack land and I agree. The antithesis of everything my mother taught me. I leave my entire life behind on the whim of a werewolf.

The thought does cross my mind that another werewolf with decidedly less noble intentions attacked me. That helped.

I'm not sure how I got here but I'm standing in the middle of a forest. I'm standing in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees. The feel of the mist on my skin is somewhat welcoming. I was never an outdoorsy person. My family loved to sit outside and enjoy the days but I really wasn't suited for it.

I feel at home in this clearing, though. I can see a small river a few yards ahead of me. I take a few steps forward but stop when I feel something crack under my foot. I look down and see that my feet are exposed and naked. I've stepped on a tree limb. The tree limb must be frail.

I feel like I should know to stop but I don't. I feel an equally momentous pull towards the creek the river is feeding into. As I'm walking, I hear the crack of a twig and look down. There's no twig. I turn to see if someone is following me and no one is there. I turn back to the creek and notice that it's calm now. All the water is feeding into this central point. It's calm despite the coursing of the river.

I take a few steps forward until I'm up to my ankles in the water. I'm surprised that it goes deeper, almost meeting my knees. I walk further until the water is up to my chest. The water is foreboding yet I feel calm inside of it. This is important. I can feel it.

The sound of another twig cracking alerts me that I'm not alone. I trudge out of the river only to come face-to-face with a large, humanoid wolf with coal black fur. The wolf's eyes are familiar and terrifying all at once. It rears its claws back and knocks me backwards and into the creek. I feel the water engulf me. No, that's not accurate. The water swallows me. I'm drowning and no matter how I try to swim against it, the current is too much.

"Hey!"

I feel myself jerk awake. I can barely move as I look up to see a woman holding me in place. The woman is tall with her long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her skin is a tan variant of pink and her eyes are light blue. She's wearing a sports bra with a thin sweater that hangs around her shoulders.

The woman stares at me for a moment before I pull away from her hands. She slowly pulls back and stares at me. I feel as if she's sizing me up as her eyes meet mine again.

"Weird."

"Excuse me?" I ask.

"Nothing like what I expected. In more ways than one." She says with a smile, "You're—"

"Frail?"

"Human."

I nod to her with a polite smile as I push my feet over the edge of the bed. I realize I'm only wearing my slacks and my undershirt. I look around and see my shirt and jacket draped over a nearby chair while my shoes are nestled under it.

I look around the room. It's not very modern. The room is old fashioned. A fireplace is lit in front of me with a nook right beside it. The nook is decorated with blue and yellow pillows. There's a large lantern beside it, I'm guessing it's used if the electricity goes out. There appears to be a large, wooden trunk at the edge of my bed.

The room is lined with red wood but the wall looks like green marble. Over my head is a gothic candelabra that seems to have been extinguished.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"The White Eclipse pack lands. California." The woman says with pride. I stare at her and she nods, "Oh! Yeah, right! My name is Cassandra, Daughter of Alpha Gaius. Long title. Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be real close soon."

"What—"

"Cassie!" Kohl's deep voice roars.

We both jump as our eyes land on Kohl. I notice right away that he's shirtless with only a tight pair of grey sweatpants covering the rest of him. I notice the hair on his chest and I have to remember to aim higher with my eyes. Both of them look to me and I'm not sure what to do. Kohl seems embarrassed while Cassie is amused. I'm not in on the joke.

"Well...I should be going. I'm guessing that the Alpha needs help with something that involves me not being here." Cassie looks back to me, "It's nice meeting you. I'll see you soon."

I watch as she bounces out of the room, smirking at Kohl on the way out. The physical similarities between them and the way they interact informs me that they're siblings. I never had a sibling but I have more than a few cousins. They annoy me just the same.

Same concept, different DNA.

"You're awake." Kohl says nervously.

"You're perceptive." I say as I stand. I walk over to the window and look down to see kids running below. The kids turn into wolf cubs and disappear into the trees and I turn to Kohl, "That is new. So, I like your Sister."

"How'd you know?"

"A guess. Do you talk to everyone like that?"

"Like what?"

"Nothing. So, there was a weird moment that I didn't really get. What was that about?"

"Werewolf business."

"Werewolf...business? You brought me here. I think I deserve a little good faith."

"Do you always ask the wrong questions?" He asks.

"I don't know. Do you always evade straightforward ones?"

"The Alpha would like a word with you."

"The Alpha? As in your Father?" I ask. He eyes me and I smile, "I'm not an idiot. I just need to change and I'll come down."

Kohl hesitates.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." Kohl says turning to leave the room. He turns to me again, "There's a lot of things to discuss. So, don't keep him waiting."

"I'll do my best."

Kohl is perturbed. I don't know what's come over me. It's like something inside me has this natural rivalry with him. He believes he can order me around and I'm not someone who does what they're told. I have the sneaking suspicion that he doesn't hear the word 'no' that often.

He's going to hate me before this is over.

I sigh to myself and sink backwards on the bed.

What...did I get myself into?