Hunt

Chapter 81 (Julie): To Topple a Crown

Paul made the next two weeks of my life a living hell. I was awake every day before the sun was up and wasn't allowed to rest until it had fully set. Looking back on it I was given a just punishment. A deserving torture for the orders I had chosen to ignore. I had disobeyed direct orders from Paul and it could've gotten someone I care about hurt or even killed. At the time I was so adamant in my decision to try to find answers. Running off into the night by myself without letting anyone know what I was doing. But hindsight is 20/20. All things considered I was very lucky that I only had taken a tumble into a ditch. So much more could've gone wrong that night. Looking back on it now I can't help but shudder at my arrogance. I'm not invincible, recent events should've proven as such.

It's now been close to three weeks since my insubordination on the full moon. My punishment from Paul has long since been over, yet the wear and tear it had caused on my body was proving much slower for me to overcome. My body still constantly aches from the near constant conditioning and strain Paul had put me under. A near constant headache from an overindulgence of caffeine to stay awake is an unwelcome presence in my head at all times. It was a rude awakening to experience Paul's wrath, so much so that it might've just been better if he just shot me in my front yard that night. I can't help but wonder if Kyle ever had to go through something like that? Part of me wants to think he stuck to the straight and narrow. But he was a Parker, just like me. I'm sure he was just as much a headache to Paul as I am.

"Julie? Hey! Earth to Parker!" Paul's gruff voice pulls me out from inside my head. "You still with me? Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Hmm?" I say as I raise my eyes up from the floor, leaning the weight of my heavy head against my hands, "Sorry, I got distracted. Lost in my head."

Paul sighs, hanging his head momentarily before repeating what I must've missed. "I was just saying that you're gonna be needed the next coming nights. Nick claims this might be our best shot to deal with the Silverlocks once and for all."

Tilting my head to the side I shut my eyes, furrowing my brow. "So is David back? Or did Nick manage to find out where he got off to?"

About a week ago I overheard from the others that David Anderson had vanished. Seemingly disappearing into the night without word or a trace. It sent the rest of us into a bit of a panic. Nobody seemed to have any idea as to where or why. But the pack was still very much active in his absence, Natasha having an extremely close call on a solo expedition. Further cementing the belief in my head that we should be working in pairs. And I was incredibly stupid on the full moon. I heard all of this secondhand during the very brief moments of leniency Paul gave me during my two weeks of hell. She's been in recovering from that incident ever since. Details about what exactly happened were spotty, I don't even think Paul knows exactly what happened and she's keeping it close to her chest. I can't stop my mind from wandering on the subject. Whatever happened must've scared her, she's not usually this secretive.

"Nick claims to have seen him. But between punishing you and Natasha still refusing to pick up the phone we haven't had the manpower to verify his claims." Paul's grumbles something under his breath. "I'm just worried that he's been recruiting outside help. He already has the numbers on us, any more is just overkill..."

"So what's the plan? I can stake out the neighborhood, see if we can catch him in the open." I suggest, shifting my weight in the chair I'm sitting in. "But is there anyone else we can call? Reinforcements I don't know about?"

Paul shakes his head, a shadow falling across his face as he seems to recall a bad memory. "No, trust me I've tried calling. Any other hunter in the area is dealing with their own problems. We're all that's able to take care of this problem that I'm aware of... Get over to the neighborhood. See if you can confirm Nick's claims. We'll swap every six hours."