Huntress

Chapter 29

My very first reaction was to fight. "I'm exhausted. I need the bed," I said.

Ryder didn't even blink. His shoulders were slumped forward, his head craned down, looking at his hands clasped in his lap. "I'm not moving," he stated.

"I was just strung up in a fucking shed for hours. My entire body is on the verge of breaking down. Get off the bed so I can lay down," I ordered.

"You wouldn't be in that position if you didn't go around killing innocent people, which I feel is setting the bar pretty low."

"Werewolves," I corrected instantly. "I don't kill people. I kill werewolves."

"As if it's any different!" Ryder snapped. "You're breaking apart mates, tearing families and packs down. Each death is a mark on the entire community. It's still a life."

"Barely."

Ryder met my eyes for a brief moment, then he slumped once more. It was like he didn't have the energy to even acknowledge me anymore. Which was fine by me. It wasn't like there were a thousand things I wanted to talk about either. I certainly had a million questions roving in my mind, but they all seemed so small now. Was any of it really important if my days were numbered anyway?

I tossed one last glare at Ryder – which he either blatantly ignored or didn't see—then climbed around him to get on the bed. It was lumpy and a little too stiff beneath my knees, but after what I had endured, it would do. Hell, it seemed like a luxury, even with the rough sheets under my palms.

"What are you doing?" Ryder asked, like I was a skunk trying to snuggle him.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm tired. I'm going to try and get some sleep whether you decide to give me space or not."

If he argued with me after that I didn't hear it. my body registered the feel of a pillow beneath my head and everything ended for a while. Not a dream, not a nightmare, not a glimpse of reality. It all fell away as I sucked in deep breaths, my chest rumbling with rough snores.

I don't know how long I was out. It felt like only minutes, but it could have been hours. When my eyes parted, my mouth was dry and the ache in my muscles that I could ignore before was at the forefront. And the damn throbbing in my fingertips. It felt like a permanent fixture in my life.

And then, I felt something brush against my forehead.

I jerked upright immediately. The man who had been ignoring me very pointedly before I had fallen into my slumber was now watching me intently. He was no longer perched on the edge of the bed, but sitting on it with his legs splayed before him, looking almost childish in the moment. There was something sincere then, something soft in his features.

I let the furious beast within me coming out with bared teeth anyway. "Don't touch me," I barked.

"You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

"I don't know if you're aware of this, but your queen pulled my fucking fingernails out. I'm not feeling inclined to pull out the customer service smile for you anymore," I snapped, thrusting my wrapped fingers beneath his nose.

"She might have done it because you shot at her mate," he pointed out.

"Listen, I didn't ask you to come and be involved in any of this. You are the one who insisted on being in here with me, you're the one who called for Hades, whoever that is. If you're going to act like I'm repulsive, then you are absolutely welcome to ask Ajax to release you the next time he comes around," I said.

That made a bitter laugh pour out of Ryder. It was so strange to look at him now and think of how he howled in frustration on the couch beside me when I repeatedly beat him at the racing game. Where had that man gone?

"George, if I could leave you behind, I would."

"Don't give me some stupid pet name," I snapped.

"Why? Because it reminds you of our time together? It makes you think about how you kissed me and were grinding on my lap?" he shot back. "Because it make you feel like we're a couple?"

"Jesus! Just get away from me!" I ordered. It was supposed to be a show for force and rage, but when I heaved my body to my feet, I quickly became aware that a little rest, some water, and a light snack was not going to undo what had been done to me. I wobbled sickly. He caught my elbow in the palm of his large hand. I felt my lips curl back at the touch. "You say awful things, you aren't even the same person I thought I knew, but you can't leave me alone."

"Because we're mates, George."

I jerked myself out of his hold but knew better than to trust my body at this point. As soon as I was out of his grasp, I kept my chin high but sank against an opposing wall. If I looked as weak or as unbalanced as I felt, Ryder decided not to say anything about it.

"We can't be anything. You are what I kill," I said flatly.

"Unfortunately, I don't think the moon goddess cares," he sighed.

"The moon goddess," I repeated.

"The deity that ties mates together. There's been thousands of moon goddesses since the beginning of time. the Egyptians had Isis, the Romans with Luna. Along with controlling the moon, she is also entrusted to other things, like giving us mates, people we are destined to be with. We have evolved beyond needing the moon to shift into our werewolf forms, but she is still the one who gives us balance through mates and when things take too long, it's suspected that she's responsible for causing heats as well."

I blinked once, studying him. It was absurd, every word that came out of his mouth. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"What else am I supposed to believe? I guess, the workings behind it don't really matter. But there is no denying that mates exist."

"Where's your proof?" I demanded.

"The fact that we are both alive. You might not believe it, but I'm the one who deals with hunters like you. After what was done to my family, I was more than happy to give up my life in favor of hunting the hunters. And, as much as I hate to admit it, if you got onto the royals lands and you got close enough to even get a shot at Ajax, you might be pretty successful too."

"Very successful," I corrected. "It was all just a very unfortunate string of events."

Clearly, talking about murdering his king was not a conversation of choice for Ryder. I watched the way his jaw worked and how his eyes seemed to storm at the thought of the king dropping dead with an arrow – my arrow—protruding from his chest.

"Why did you start hunting us?" Ryder asked, his voice barely above a whisper. A genuine question, a need to know.

"For the same reason you come after me. my family was taken from me. I won't get them back, but I will make you all pay."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hope you enjoyed the extra update! I thought I might celebrate my birthday with all of you this way!!!

Question of the Day: Sand or snow?