The Hunted

Epilogue

Red

Six Months Later

Red had come to enjoy waking up to the sun streaming through the window at sunrise. It filtered across his face, lighting the room in soft tones of dawn. The scene should have been serene – a peaceful awakening to the day.

It wasn't. If only because disrupting Red's tranquil morning was a human snoring like a trucker in the other room.

His eyes popped open and he groaned as he sat up. The other side of the bed was empty – had been empty for about a week now – and though he expected it, he still wished that there was someone filling that space.

Red threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. Stretching, he walked towards the recently finished master bathroom and closet where he showered and changed and then, when he was feeling refreshed and ready for the day, he made the bed and exited towards the main room of the cabin.

Six months in and the cabin was nearly finished. It had been crafted from large wooden logs and featured an entire wall of windows that looked out onto the small lake and Byers Peak looming in the distance. Most of the rooms had already been furnished and the kitchen was fully stocked. The only thing Red had left to complete was the loft space and the front deck. Then his cabin in the woods would be perfectly done.

There was no denying that Red was excited for the cabin to be finished. It didn't have much to do with the fact that this dream of his to have a cabin out near the Peak would finally be realized but rather because the freeloading human that had been helping him build this place would finally have a reason to go snore on someone else's couch.

Even as Red walked into the main room, which contained the kitchen, dining, and living room all in one large open floorplan, Hix gave a huge snore from the couch that sent Red cringing. He kicked the furniture hard as he walked by, prompting Hix to jolt awake.

"Coffee?" Red asked mildly.

Hix only moaned and shoved his head beneath a pillow. "Oh god, my head is pounding."

"That's what happens when you drink half a bottle of whisky by yourself in one go."

"Don't blame me for that. It was all Phillip's fault."

Red smirked as he readied the coffee to brew. "You should have been smart enough not to challenge a werewolf to a drinking contest. Seriously, Hix. How did you think that one was going to turn out? You should know that it takes a hell of a lot more to get werewolves drunk than it does to get a human drunk."

"That's not what Henry, Deacon, Li, Lucas, and Phillip said. They all told me that it didn't matter."

"And you believed them?" The coffee finished brewing and Red poured two mugs. One he carried over to Hix and held it out. Slowly, Hix raised the pillow off of his face and stared at the outstretched mug.

"I know, I know," Hix said as he accepted it. "Idiot human mentality. This is why Blake needs to come back. She wouldn't lie to me."

Red snorted and sipped from his coffee. Nice and strong and roasted from a little independent coffee house in the city. Blake had found it on one of her monthly trips into Denver and had quickly realized that Red had a liking for it. She made sure to pick him up a fresh bag every time since.

It was one of the things that Red had come to love about Blake. She liked to do things for those that she cared about.  On top of that, she was exceedingly perceptive and often knew what others wanted before they were even aware of it themselves.