Point and Shoot
*~Hunter's POV~*
I sat next to Alex, who was laying unconscious in my bed. I just watched him and changed the towel on his head every ten minutes. And I was feeling a mixture of things all at once. The foremost being the fact that I actually claimed him. The bite mark was still there on his neck. A deep purple contrasting with his pale skin. And it was going to be there for a while. His face was soft and relaxed. His cherry-pink lips slightly parted and hair matted down to his head from the sweat his burning body was emitting. His cheeks were flaming little pink things and I swear it made him look even more innocent than he already does.
But what we had done earlier - what he did - wasn't so innocent. Alex used his alpha power that he's magically learned how to use and commanded me to claim him. And my wolf wasn't having any objections. So I gave in to my animistic instincts and claimed him. I feel torn between guilty and happy. I was happy that Alex wanted to be my mate and be with me, but I was guilty because he's not mine. Not really. And claiming him was mercilessly selfish. The only thing worse would be to mate him. The ultimate act of selfishness. But first, Alex has to wake up. Mate or not, I didn't want to lose him. There was a knock on the door and my mom came in with a new bow of water for Alex's towel.
"How is he?" Mom asked.
"His fever went down some and his breathing is back to normal." I said. Changing the towel on his head and saw him flinch a little a the new temperature of the towel. I caressed his cheek and pet his hair a little and his body relaxed. Moving slightly towards my hand. "How's dad?"
"He's felling a lot better now. But they really did a number on him." She sighed.
"We'll find them mom. Don't worry." I stated.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you and Damon." Mom said after a while.
I looked back up at her and shrugged, "It's okay. I know that you guys just didn't want to put anything more on me. Although, if Alex would have been passed out in the middle of the forest unconscious, I think I would have had to go to the Anger Room." I laughed.
She smiled at me. I couldn't be mad with my mom. She was only doing what she thought was best. Everyone had been like that. I sighed and looked back at Alex. I just hoped that he would be okay.
"The pack is having a meeting. You should go. I'll take care of Alex." She said. I nodded, and leaned down to kiss Alex on the lips softly before leaving my room. Once out of the room I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't know how much longer I could have taken seeing Alex like that. I walked downstairs to find Damon sitting on the couch. When he noticed me he stood up, a little too quickly, and almost fell over himself.
"Um, how is he?" He asked looking rather tired.
"He's doing better now." I said. Damon nodded his head and a awkward silence took over. "I'm going to a meeting, if you wanted to come." I sort of asked.
"No, I'm good. You'll do just fine." He said before sitting back down on the couch.
I continued to walk out the door and pass the awkwardness that is my brother and into the woods. I started to run towards the base camp. And for a minute, it felt like all those nights before Alex. When I would run and run and run, trying to get the voices in my head to be quiet. I would run for miles. Sometimes hours. Days. Always running and never looking back. Never wanting to give into the voices and understand them. I didn't want any part of it. But look at me now. I have Alex but so much pain that follows it. And I have two crazy people living inside me head, well at least I know about it now.
The trees were the same shades of green everyday. The sky a dull blue. Everything would blur together. My days would drag on and in suffering and unhappiness. And then I finally gave in. I saved Alex and from that I brought a different kind of pain on him. Sometimes I wonder, that if I had left him there longer, what would have happened. I worry myself sick thinking like that. But I can't help it. Every night, I laid awake and think about the what if's and kill myself with every single idea that popped into my head. If Alex hadn't been saved by me, who? But I was already at base and I tried to clear my head. Aurora was the first to notice me.
"You're back, sir." She said standing up a little straighter.
I smiled at Aurora. She was my favorite of all the pack members, outside of my family. She was very respectful and though she was nervous quiet often around me, she followed orders with out complaint. She was the perfect loyal werewolf. And the girl could fight like a warrior. She's been trained in hand-to-hand combat and in firearms. That was before she was turned. And that was her advantage and lost. She was turned, not born like the rest of us. And I guess that's kind of why she's my favorite. Because we could relate on a certain level. We were both cursed.
"So, how has everything gone?" I asked.
"Just fine, sir. We weren't attacked while you where away. Did you get any closer to finding the rouges, sir?" She asked.
I sighed, "No. We are to set off again in a few days. But um, Molly ... is no longer with us. She left." I said. Aurora's eyes turned into ones of worry and sadness.
"I'm sorry. But, if I may ask. How is Damon doing?" She asked.
"I really don't know. He's been preparing himself for her leaving but, I think he still wasn't really ready." I answered. The rest of the pack kind of bowed there heads and we all just let the feeling sink in. There wasn't much anyone could do at this point. "Digressing forward, we need to plan to give Alex some sort of protection for himself. We don't know who we're dealing with or how many we might find along the way. And even though Damon and I will protect him with our lives, Alex shouldn't be completely defenseless."
"I could teach him combat skills, sir." Aurora suggested.
"Okay." I sighed before thinking over this quickly. "And ... show him how to use a gun. Me and Damon have one packed for the emergency case. But I think that Alex will need it more that we would."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I responded. "That's finale." I looked towards Skye. He looked up, a little startled. His shaggy brown hair hanging in his blue eyes. His band sweater was just a size too big and covered half his hands as he stuck them in his skinny jean pockets. "You'll teach him how to make the special bullets, Skye." he nodded and dismissed himself to prepare.
Skye may not look like much, or stay anything often, but he was an advance science student. He's made many things to help us with situations in the pass.
I sighed as I closed the meeting with orders of my return with Alex later and how we would ease him into this. My head was pounding and I really couldn't come to terms with what I just ordered. How could I allow Alex to even hold a gun, much less shoot it?! Maybe I should just call it off. But I know I can't always be there to protect him and I was already back home. The shiny vibrant red door once again greeting me with concern. But I just by passed it, growling at its mockery.
Walking up to my room I was greeted with the last thing I needed to see. Damon and Alex. They weren't doing anything but talking ... and holding hands. But the longer I stood there unnoticed the more my jealousy and grief started to take over me. Why wasn't I the one Alex woke up to? Why is Damon making Alex smile like that? Why wasn't Alex mine?!
"Damon." I growled out. The two jumped at my voice.
"Hunter!" Alex said. But I wasn't focused on Alex. I couldn't blame Alex for anything. Really, I couldn't blame Damon either but I couldn't see anything but red.
"Anger Room. Now." I spat out before slamming my door. I stalked down stairs and into the Anger Room, ignoring my mothers pleads for me to stop slamming doors as my father was sleeping. But I was too far gone in my raging jealously to even think. I was always just the kid in the shadows while Damon got everything. I was the one who got cursed, the one who got shamed and was the cause of my family's down fall. But not Damon. Damon was to be the new alpha and make the pack stronger than ever. He got to have all that time with Alex while I just hid behind closed doors. He got everything.
Speaking of Damon, he finally arrived in the Anger Room. From the looks of it, he knew I was going to kill him. Or at least tear him a new one. I stood there staring at him for the longest time before grabbing the newly replaced couch and throwing it against the wall. Damon flinching as the couch broke way too easily and looked back up at me.
"One thing!" I yelled out. "Just one thing I can call mine, Damon. All I want is one thing that hasn't been touched by you or passed down from you or in love with you. It's always about big brother Damon! Damon gets to be quarterback of the football team. Damon gets to have Alex. Damon! Damon! Damon!" I grabbed a vase from the table and threw it at the wall behind him, barely missing his head.
"We weren't even doing anything! We were just talking. How many times do we have to tell you nothing is going on between us!?" Damon said.
"But that's where your wrong. Because he doesn't look at me the way he looks at you. Not even close to it. And it kills me inside. To know that you still have his fucking heart even when he's supposed to be mine." I laughed bitterly. This time when I threw the table I made sure that it made contact with Damon. Hitting him in the side and a little in his head and he dropped to the floor with a groan.
I left the Anger Room and headed back to my room. Alex sat at the edge of the bed twirling his thumbs around. When he heard me come in, his head snapped up to attention. His eyes were glossed over like he was about to cry and I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
"Hunter, if you co-"
"How do you feel?" I interrupted him. My anger completely dissolved. I couldn't be mad at Alex. I could never be made at him. No matter how I feel about the situation I'm in. Alex blinked, looking stunned that I didn't want to talk about what just happened.
"I'm ... I'm fine." He said softly.
"You can move okay? You feel rested enough?" I asked taking his hands in mine and sitting down with him. He nodded his head and wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight squeeze.
"I said I'm fine, but what about you?" Alex asked. I sighed and starred at the claiming bite on Alex's neck once again. I looked back at Alex. Seeing those big almost black eyes study me with such concern. I kissed him and almost suffocating so. He was mine. And mine only. I'm not sharing him with anyone.
"Mine." I softly growled. I kissed Alex a few more times before finally pulling away. "Come on. You have stuff to learn."
"Like what?" Alex said, allowing himself to be dragged into the woods with me.
"How to shoot a gun."
• • •
I watched as Alex changed out the empty bullet shells for practice and aimed at the cardboard target. Aurora stood behind him and looked for anything to fix, only to frown and then told him to shoot. The shot rang out and the bullet hole was dead center in the target.
We all stood there a little wide eyed and transfixed. Alex put down the gun and looked back at Aurora.
"Was that good?"
"Good? That was a perfect shot!" Aurora choked out. "Are you sure you haven't shot a gun before?"
"Ya. I've never even seen a real gun until today, much less pick one up." Alex said. Aurora looked back at me her eyes wide and calculating. She turned her eyesight back over to Alex but talked to me.
With how he's shooting, it's almost like he's been practicing for years, sir.
I know. Just... keep teaching him. I replied watching Alex shoot perfectly at row after row of targets. After a while, my ears were tired of ringing and my eyes blink deprived.
"That's enough for today." I said after Alex finished shooting at a target. "Skye, teach Alex how to make the bullets."
"How to make bullets? What's wrong with the regular bullets?" Alex asked following me over to Skye.
"Regular bullets won't kill a werewolf. It doesn't even hurt. In human form, ya it'll work. But your more than likely to encounter the rouges in their werewolf form." Skye explained.
"So what, I make some silver bullets and shoot?" Alex snorted.
Skye looked offended at the question, but pushed it aside. "Actually, silver does hurt us. But it's a little more complicated than just making a silver bullet and shooting." He said picking up one of the bullet shells. "This is a pure silver bullet shell. That means it's 100% silver, not easy to make, so it's not something to play with."
"So if it's empty and regular silver bullets don't work, what do you put in it?" Alex asked.
"Wolfsbane." Skye said holding up the bag that was tightly sealed with the pretty but deadly purple flower in it.
"Why is it in a plastic bag?"
"Do you want all of us to turn into wolves and have to fight Hunter for accidentally eating and or killing you? No, I don't think you do. So we keep it in the bag." Skye said. I would have punched him for saying that but I knew that it was true. And then that annoying little voice in the back of my head said something about Damon would probably be the one to slaughter! the pack because he's the one that's actually mated to Alex.
"So, wait. If wolfsbane makes you all turn, how do you know to use it?" Alex asked. Skye froze in his spot. His eyes getting a distance look.
He put his head down letting his hair cover his face as he sighed. "Bad things happened years ago. But it doesn't matter right now. Just know that we found this, and it's a bit of a secret, okay." He said quietly. Alex seemed to understand he triggered something and just nodded his head. "Now you just take the wolfsbane and crush it up. Put it in the shell, and then you can shoot." Skye finished.
I sighed. Skye had seen too many things. Just another one of the reasons he doesn't talk much. Though he didn't look like it, he was older than me. He had been around for the Hunting Wars and had seen things that you just couldn't erase. The more I thought about it, the more I seemed to realize.
The Legendary Pack was more than my family's good fortune. It was survivors. Everyone in the pack had been through something that has made them a stronger force. And that's what made us legendary. We were the lucky ones that escaped terrible tragedies. And this was the start of mine.
A/N: I am a liar. But I think you guys know that. Anyway, this was supposed to be uploaded last week, and I was gonna wait till next week but I just decied to upload it now. Also, I would have uploaded this at the proper time, but I was watching Doctor Who and well, you really can't look away from the screen when it has Matt Smith on it >3< So yes, there you guys go! One Question: How do you feel about Alex having a gun/ having perfect skills? Pick of Hunter.