Maria was escorted from the bunker by a group of a men she didn't recognise. The place was swarming with Dimitri's people and not one of them was a familiar face. Dimitri himself had been whisked away as fast as possible and now they were trying to do the same to Maria. Blood was pouring down her arm profusely, snaking over her bare skin and dripping from her fingers to the ground. Leaving a clear trail of where she had been. Maria twisted away from the man, who she now knew as Henry and turned back towards the bunker.
"Luna, I must insist that we leave." Henry was almost pleading with her. She knew why, he couldn't technically make her do anything she didn't want to.
"What did you do with him?" she asked imploringly "what did you do with my Father?"
"Can't we discuss this later?" Henry asked, reaching for her.
"No!" Maria snapped, clutching her wound "I need to know" she stumbled back a step, her vision becoming hazy "I need" Maria blinked slowly trying to force her vision to focus.
"Luna, I think what you need is to sit down."
"No, I don't" she growled out, trying to break out of the thick fog growing in her mind. She stumbled back another step and a pair of arms caught her.
"Luna" the voice swam in her ears "you've lost a lot of blood, we should go"
"I've got to go back, I've got to kill him" she whispered.
"He's dead Luna. Heath Jones is dead."
With those words, Maria filled with relief and stopped trying to fight the fog. It thickened and swirled through her mind until there was nothing but darkness.
Maria was standing in the bunker, it was empty. There were no people, there was no sound, there was no light. She began to feel her way through the dark, trying to find an out.
"There's no way out." the voice sent a jab of fear down Maria's spine.
"This isn't real" she whispered to the darkness. Heath Jones simply laughed in response.
"Of course it's real. Stupid girl" he scolded "you're a Jones, a hunter, through and through."
"No I'm not, that's not me." Maria denied, trying to find her Father.
"It's in your blood, it will always be in your blood."
"It doesn't matter," Maria ground out, surprise bursting through her veins when she stepped on something solid. Reaching down Maria gripped the object. She couldn't see it but she knew by the way it felt what it was. Her knife. She felt warmth brush by her side and she grinned "I can change" she lunged forwards and sunk the knife deep into her Father. The quiet was filled with gurgling as he choked on his own blood.
The room filled with light and Maria looked up at the man she had just stabbed. Her satisfaction quickly turning to horror. Dimitri stood before her, blood dripping from his mouth. Maria released the knife and stepped away.
"No" she shook her head "I didn't do that, I didn't" Dimitri fell to his knees, clutching at the blade still embedded in his chest.
"Yes you did" her Father whispered in her ear "this was all you. You're a monster Maria. Just like me."
"I don't understand" Dimitri whispered, staring up at Maria, his eyes filled with nothing but betrayal "I loved you." Dimitri's eyes slipped shut and he fell forwards. Maria screamed and rushed towards him.
Maria woke in a cold sweat, panic coursing through her veins as she scrambled upright. She was an unfamiliar room, stark white and the smell of bleach stung her nose.
"Easy," a voice spoke at her side. Maria inhaled sharply and turned to the voice.
"Dimitri" she breathed, sagging with relief at the sight of him.
"You're okay"
"Of course I am" he spoke softly, reaching for her. Maria clutched his hand tightly.
"What happened? I don't understand?" Maria blinked rapidly, sorting through her memories. Trying to discern what was real and what wasn't. She hadn't stabbed him, that much she knew.
"It's over." Dimitri's voice was barely above a whisper. As if he didn't want to jinx himself. "The hunters have broken apart. They don't have a leader, they don't have a purpose."
"That's right" Maria murmured "he's gone." She looked up at him and let a tentative smile cross her face, allowing herself to be hopeful. "It's over." For the first time since she had woken up Maria looked at Dimitri, really looked at him.
He was tired, dark circles encased his eyes. A sure sign he hadn't been sleeping. Thick stubble had formed over his jaw. He looked rugged, unlike himself. Her eyes fell to his throat, which was bare of any scars. No evidence left behind that he had ever been locked up inside the bunker. Maria pursed her lips, she was beginning to grow jealous of his healing capabilities. She could feel her arm throbbing slightly, where no doubt once the bullet wound sat, yet another scar would mark her skin. Although her physical scars were not the only ones she carried anymore. It seemed her emotional scars seemed to piling up one after another. She was sure she couldn't go on like this much longer. She needed time to heal.
"Lie with me?" Maria asked, making room on the small hospital bed and patting the space beside her.
"You're still hurt Maria, I don't want to make it worse" Dimitri shook his head.
"Please" she whispered, her voice cracking "I almost lost you Dimitri. We almost lost each other."
Dimitri sighed and rose to his feet, unable to ignore her request. Maria watched as he lowered the railing on the bed, she shuffled over to make room for him. Maria curled up against him, pressing her ear against his chest. His heart thrummed steadily inside his chest, filling Maria with a sense of content she hadn't experienced before. The room around them melted away until it was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered to Maria, not now.
Not nearly enough time had passed when someone entered the room. Maria watched as Jayden strode towards them, his eyes hard with stress. The calm that filled Maria was sucked out of her in an instant.
"Stay here my treasure, this won't take long." Dimitri assured her, though his eyes were filled with concern. Dimitri climbed from the bed careful not to jostle Maria. She watched in apprehension as the men strode away from her and tucked themselves into the far corner of the infirmary.
"What is it?" Dimitri snapped, somewhat annoyed with Jayden for disturbing his time with Maria.
"He's not dead." The words were barely audible, even to Dimitri's ears. Still he heard them. Red hot rage crackled through his body. His wolf stirred angrily beneath his skin.
"What?" Dimitri snarled "I was assured that he had been killed. I was told there was a body." Dimitri curled his hands into fists, breathing hard through his nostrils.
"Yes Alpha, you were. There was." Jayden stumbled over himself to explain. "It's gone. We did the final count. The tally of both sides and he's gone."
Dimitri glanced over to Maria, who was staring at him intently. Her ocean eyes burning with a desire to know what was being said. "How is that possible?" Dimitri fidgeted, fighting the urge to pace. He couldn't let her see something was wrong. Not now she was finally at peace. "His leg was shattered even if he was alive, he couldn't have just got up and walked away."
"No Alpha, he couldn't." Jayden confirmed, voice filled with hesitation.
"Jayden," Dimitri's voice came out in a low growl "speak."
"We traced his scent, it was hard to do. It's all over the place out there. But we think," Jayden paused glancing over at Maria before continuing "we think he crossed into their territory, Alpha. We think they helped him."
Maria watched Dimitri intently. The more Jayden spoke, the more irritated he seemed to become. Tension had furled it's way into his shoulders, his whole body was mechanical. Stiff. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Maria pulled herself upright. Ignoring the heavy ache in her bandaged arm as the scratchy hospital blankets pooled around her waist. She slid to the edge of the bed, pressing her toes to the cool linoleum. She ignored the slight haze that wove itself into her vision and instead pushed herself to her feet. She crept slowly towards Dimitri and Jayden. They were enraptured with one another. So much so, they hadn't noticed Maria advancing on them.
"It's likely he's working with them, Alpha." Jayden's hushed voice finally reached her ears.
"You think I don't know that?" Dimitri snarled back "they'll both get exactly what they want by working together."
"What's that?" the words slipped from Maria's mouth before she could stop herself. She watched with a grimace as they turned to face her. Cursing herself for opening her big mouth, she smiled sheepishly.
"Maria!" Dimitri's tone changed in an instant. Light and scolding, he strode towards her. He was trying for force the stress from his body. She could see it in his miserable attempt at a smile. He drew his warm hands around her waist, drawing her close to him. Maria leaned into his touch subconsciously as she looked up at him. "You shouldn't be up! You're still healing."
"I hate to break it to you," Maria smiled sweetly "but I'm not staying in bed until this closes over." she waved to her bandaged arm. Maria's grin widened when Dimitri's eye twitched. She leaned into his chest and stared up at him through her lashes.
"So," she said after a moment had passed "what were you two talking about? It sounded very interesting." Dimitri let out a long breath and rubbed circles into Maria's back. Choosing the ignore the question all together.
"It was nothing." Jayden said brusquely. Maria glanced over at Jayden with raised eyebrows.
"Well, now I know it was definitely not nothing." Maria scowled. A million scenario's ran through her head, each worse than the last. The scar on her back twinged, sending a reminder shooting up her spine.
"It's them isn't it? The others?" Maria questioned. The look on Dimitri's face confirmed it. Dread bubbled in the pit of Maria's stomach. The peace she had allowed herself to feel not ten minutes ago dissipated quickly. She had almost allowed herself to forget about them. They seemed like a distant memory now. It seemed like a lifetime had passed. She was a Hunter now, her Father was dead and she was free. Free. The word soothed some of the unease that rose within her.
"It's them." Jayden finally confirmed. Albeit reluctantly.
"You have nothing to worry about my love." Dimitri pressed his searing lips to Maria's forehead. Jayden averted his gaze.
"I know that," Maria smiled up at him. She was lying. They both were. There was lot to worry about. The people trying to kill her had already proven how easy it was for them to grab her. How they were happy to bide their time, wait until she was alone. The risk was enormous. Especially now, now that she was a world away from the fortress that was her family home. Without a dozen trained hunters standing in the yard, itching to kill. Even though she was with Dimitri now, it made made her much more accessible. Lycan's weren't afraid of one another the same way they were afraid of hunters.
Dimitri watched Maria think in silence. Her forehead was creased, eyes narrowed and eyebrows pushed together as she concentrated. He was filled with an overwhelming sense of guilt and still, he couldn't tell her. Couldn't force the words he's alive to leave his mouth.
"We need to go back to my house." Maria said suddenly, eyes bright with an idea. She watched as Dimitri blinked once, twice, three times.
"What?" he finally managed to spit out.
"You said the hunter's scattered right?" the excitement in her voice grew "they're gone and there's a house filled with weapons designed to kill," Maria paused, mulling over the choice of her next words "well, designed to kill you."
"You're mad." Jayden uttered incredulously, earning an angry growl from Dimitri.
"Think about it," Maria pushed "we can lay traps around your borders, around the main house. Let our people know where they are so they don't get hurt. They won't be expecting it Dimitri, not if they know the Hunters are gone."
Our people. The word clashed around Dimitri's mind causing his heart to swell with indescribable warmth.
"They really taught you a lot, didn't they." Maria didn't miss the sadness in Dimitri's smile. She wondered if he liked her this way. If it upset him that she had been trained to kill his people. That her Father's training regime had permanently changed her, changed the way she thought. A weight filled Maria's chest as she looked into Dimitri's dark eyes. Maybe he preferred who she was before. Maybe he preferred the meek robot her parents raised her to be. She didn't know what to say, didn't know how to break the stretch silence that was growing by the second.
"It's a good idea." Dimitri conceded eventually. "Catching them unaware like that is a good way to give us a head start. We keep this to the inner circle only for now. Until we have a solid plan." Jayden nodded in agreement.
"There's just one more thing." Maria spoke, balling Dimitri's shirt in her hands. As if it would make him listen. "If," she took a deep breath "if my Mother is still there, I want to bring her back with us."
"You what?" A voice piped from the doorway. Maria looked up to find Liam leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest. Her chest swelled as she took in his healthy appearance. As if he had never been chained to a ceiling. "that devil woman isn't coming here." He snapped. The words caused a spark of anger to flare within her.
"You'd all be dead right now if it wasn't for her. She's not bad. Not like he was. She did what she could in a terrible situation. She did what she had to do to survive. So did I." She glanced over at Dimitri at this, hoping her would understand her meaning. Hoping he would understand that if things had been different she wouldn't have chosen to be a hunter. She wasn't a hunter, she never had been. Not really. She changed herself to protect him, to protect his people. Their people. She sorely hoped he could see that.
"If it's what you want Maria, then I'll do it. For you." Dimitri agreed, stroking his fingers down her spine.