The Hunter's Mate

Venn's Story

*(Lyra) 

I felt secure, like nothing could ever disturb this peaceful slumber of warmth and pleasure. Even my wolf was perfectly content. As I began to awake, I realized why. Venn had his arms wrapped around me and was holding me close. 

He looked down at me. 

"So you're awake." 

I put my head against his chest.  

"I don't know how the hell I'm going to explain this to my mom."  

Venn laughed at that. His laugh was so beautiful, and it made me happy to know I had had a part in its creation. 

"I'm sure we'll find a way." 

A knock on the door interrupted us.  

"Lyra, Alpha Brian is here. He wants to speak with both you and Venn." 

"We'll be down in a moment Sir." Venn replied. 

"Venn....I swear to god if you already got my daughter pregnant there will be hell to pay!" 

I had a mortified look on my face. 

"Dad! We didn't do anything!" I said angrily. 

"Yet!" He and Venn both said at the same time. They both started laughing. 

I took a shower and when I got downstairs, Venn was having a discussion with Brian and my father about the medicinal properties of poppy seeds. Odd topic right?  

When I got to the bottom they looked up at me. I took a seat next to Venn and he put his arm around me. 

Brian was the first to speak. 

"First of all, why did you come here?" 

"I was on.... Business" Venn said 

"So you planned on using the silver in your possession?"  

I did not like where this was going. 

Venn sighed and replied, "It was more of a..... Precautionary measure. Not all packs are very shall we say, welcoming to humans." 

Brian raised an eyebrow. 

"So you didn't plan on slaying one of my pack?" 

"I came to return the pup. Didn't Lyra tell you?" 

I blushed bright red. "Ummmmm, no?" 

I said apologetically.  

"Then what was your business passing through territory you knew was protected by werewolves?"asked Brian. 

Venn's eyes lowered at that.  

"If you don't know, then it doesn't matter." 

"What makes you think we don't know?"  

"If you knew, I would be dead as punishment for that which i am trying save you from now." 

"Please explain."  

"I'd rather not" 

"You have no choice" 

Venn sighed. After a long pause, he began his story. 

"Another hunter, an old friend of mine. He and I went from forest to forest with our goods, trying to sell things to anyone we could find."  

He paused as if to contemplate what to say next.  

"He had a wife, and a daughter. He loved them more than himself, and was always promising that one day, he would make enough money to buy a farm, and they would have a family." 

He stopped. 

"So what happened?" I asked.  

Venn took a deep breath. 

"He had a shipment of meat. I had the wheat. A starving werewolf charged their cart and knocked it over. He flew out and hit a tree, breaking his hip. The werewolf ate the meat, but it must have still been hungry, because it went for the wife. He had to watch as his wife and child were eaten alive, screaming and begging." 

All eyes were trained on Venn at this point. He continued. 

"His rage towards werewolf's turned into a hatred, which turned into a sadistic obsessive form of revenge. He began to kill werewolves in terrible ways. Silver dust in the eyes, throat and nose, using silver stakes to pin them to trees and let them die of dehydration, and many other ways of torture I would prefer not to mention. I should have stopped him then, but I didn't. I had myself convinced that what he was doing was just. I had seen the same thing as him, and I understood his rage. But he didn't stop there. He started to slaughter whole packs. The first time, he poured a pound of powdered silver into the only well for miles. By the time they realized what had happened, it was to late. Anyone who did happen to live, he brutally murdered. When I confronted him, he shot me in the leg."  

Venn pulled his leg up to show a scar the size of a grape. 

"Still to this day, I hear of packs going missing. If he kills one member, he doesn't stop until they are all dead. I believe the only way to curb his sorrow filled rage is death." 

I noticed Venn had began to cry, although his voice still sounded indifferent. 

"I see." Said Brian.

*

After about an hour of questioning, Alpha Brian was convinced Venn was not a danger.

"Alright, Venn you are free to go, or stay. Your choice."

"I think I'll-"

I cut him off.

"You don't get a choice! You are mine! You have to stay here with me!"

'He would have stayed anyways.'

My wolf pointed out.

My father finally said something for this first time during this whole exchange.

"Lyra, I do believe that it's time the pack, including your mother, met Venn."

"Yep" Venn agreed.

I glared at Venn and my father for pinning it on me.That made them all chuckle, even Brian.

// I need a cover for my book! If you are interested in it message me! ~ Eterne