Hunter and the Hart

What is Lost, and What is Gained

I cringed as Adrian scooped me in his arms, twirling me around. A loud snarl sounded behind me, and Adrian instantly pulled me behind him snarling back just as viciously.

"Both of you knock it off!" Grandma stepped in between them, power radiating in her voice enough to make even the Alpha flinch.

"Mira," the Luna stepped forward, "I apologize for my son. It seems he's forgotten his manners." She smacked Adrian in the back of his head and I snickered as I pulled away from him, standing by Grandma's side. 

I turned to explain to Hunter, only to see him storming off down the hall. I frowned as I heard him stomping up the stairs, pain, anger, and betrayal radiating across our bond as I struggled to tamper down my own emotions.

"Who was that?" The Luna's voice was gentle as Adrian continued growling in the doorway.

"That was my mate." My voice was soft, and I stared at Adrian as he spluttered softly, shaking his head. "And the next time you treat him like that, I will hang you with your own entrails." He flinched as power swirled around me, the feelings of rage, possessiveness and protectiveness almost overwhelming my senses, the barrier rattling as I tried my best to tamper my emotions.

"Come on, Princess, that's not funny." Adrian stared at me, a mix of fear and desperation etched into his face.

"Don't call me that." My voice cracked around the room like lightning. "I didn't mind it when we were kids, but it was only for those nights playing pretend. And now that I have found my mate, anyone but him calling me anything like that is wildly inappropriate."

Adrian blinked rapidly, a mix of shock and disbelief lacing his voice as he shook his head. "Okay, this joke has gone on long enough. You promised you'd marry me. I've been planning for years. C'mon, stop joking." He let out a nervous chuckle.

"I am not joking, Adrian. And I will not tolerate this disrespect to not only myself but to my mate and to the mate bond itself. Are you truly so callous that you would continue to encroach upon something so sacred?" My eyes narrowed only fractionally, but even I could feel the shift in the air, a small pang resounding in my chest as the Alpha and Luna immediately lower their heads to me, bearing their necks in submission.

Adrian stuttered back and forth for a moment as before casting his gaze away, a mix of anger and betrayal on his face threatening to snap the last thread of my self-control as he spat out his response. "No. I'm not." He bowed quickly and excused himself, storming out of the manor as I let out a slow breath.

"Forgive me Alpha, Luna, for my outburst. Grandmother, if there's nothing else, may I be excused?" I turned to her slowly, letting out a small sigh of relief to see only sympathy in her soft eyes.

"Of course, ladybug." She brushed her fingers gently over my face, smiling softly. I could feel her worry still at the forefront of her mind as I turned and walked up the stairs, turning down the first floor hallway to the library.

I stepped into the grand room, the scent of the ancient leatherbound tomes filling the air, and I took a deep breath, allowing the comforting scent to draw the last of my anger from me. I walked around the room, my fingers trailing over the well-worn and well-loved books, grabbing my favorite and sitting in a large armchair.

I slowly opened the book, drawing my fingers across the pages, sighing softly.

"Who was he?" Hunter's voice was low, harsh, and thick with hurt. I turned to him, watching as his eyes flickered wildly between that beautiful arctic blue and a black as deep as the midnight sky.

"A friend. Sort of." I smiled softly, shaking my head slightly with a mix of confusion and nostalgia. "We met only a few times, at a ball that Grandma used to take me to. A total of 4 nights was all we'd ever met."

Hunter flexed his hands by his sides as he watched me, his emotions swirling through the bond like a tornado. "Why did he call you that?" I flinched slightly as Orion surged forward, their voices snarling together.

"Because we used to build castles out of blocks and play pretend. I was the princess that was always in the castle, and the boys would take turns being the prince who came to rescue me. They were so confused when I picked up a sword and turned the narrative on its head, chasing them out of my castle as I waited for the big bad wolf to come and spirit me away." I laughed softly and shuffled my feet as I recounted my story. "But that's it. All it ever was." I looked up and watched as Orion receded, Hunter's arctic blue eyes trailing over me as he slowly stepped forward. 

He nodded slightly, his hand reaching forward tentatively, grazing against my hand. "I'm sorry. The mate bond has me.....feeling like a tornado is running through me. All the time. It's worse than anything I've ever heard."

I smiled softly, threading my fingers through his, the touch feeling like electricity dancing across my skin. "I know what you mean." We both laughed softly as I looked up into his eyes, watching the way that the fire behind me flickered across his eyes. I sucked in a sharp breath, my body thrumming with magic and desire. 

"Can I-" He cleared his throat slightly, blushing deeply as his gaze flickered between my eyes and my lips, "Can I kiss you?" He licked his lips slightly before biting his cheek nervously.

"I'd like that." I let out a small nervous laugh, the soft buzz of magic thrumming around me as we slowly and hesitantly closed the distance between us.

I thought of every kiss I had ever read about in every story, the way that the authors describe the sweet and heady sensation, the way that a first kiss is always described as bittersweet, how true love feels like magic and mystery and the stars all aligning. But this, this was beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. Like being in the eye of a storm, like the first breath of spring, like slipping into a cold lake in the height of summer, like sitting next to a roaring fire as snow drifts past the window, like a child chasing fireflies, like dark chocolate and rich red wine. It was so pure, so beautiful, so full of promise and peace and power, and just a hint of something dark and dangerous.

He traced his free hand over my arm, his touch feather light, leaving small fireworks in his wake, and placed in on my cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth as he kissed me again and again, soft and sweet, his eyes flickering wildly as we both hovered on the knife's edge of sanity and decorum.