The Hunter's Daughter

Chapter 2

The walk home wasn’t as long as I expected after school although I have this weird feeling like I was being watched the whole way there and doing what I do on the side with all those Werewolves always makes me over cautious because obviously Hunters and Wolves alike could want me gone for all the stuff I know.

I reached into my bag for my keys to the door and practically had to unpack the entire thing on my porch step to find the damn things. When I got them I gave the sky the finger for trying to get me and then it started to rain; I guess I deserved that and the sky agreed apparently because I swear to God I heard a guy chuckle. I turned around in surprise at the sound to face the street – making sure to look both up and down the street and into the woodsy area right opposite our house – the reservation.

I’m one hundred percent sure that if there are wolves here that they’ll live on the reservation; this is always the hardest part of what I do - finding the wolves because when they don’t want to be found they won’t be and trust me they don’t want to be found.

I’m just going to have to do what I usually do and wait until I get the chance to eavesdrop on one of my Dad’s meetings which isn’t hard since he likes me to be there; he thinks it’s both an educational and bonding opportunity.

Once I have the information I need and the resources that the Hunting party have I’ll track the Alpha – a dangerous move but I need to get to the top if I’m going to be taken seriously and shown respect, plus if I want my secret kept it’s better that less people know – a lot of the time I only ever have contact with the Alpha and Beta which keeps us all safe but then there have been a couple times where I’ve been introduced to the pack so no one got funny ideas about me being a spy and rip my head off of my shoulders if I was poking around the woods and scouting positions.

I shook myself from my thoughts not liking being on the porch for so long and making myself a sitting duck for who ever wanted a try. I twisted the door knob and walked into my new house before closing white door behind me.

I looked down at the mat to the side of the door lined up against the wall, my Dad’s shoes were there so now I know he’s home. I slipped my boots off and set them on the mat next to his.

I walked down the large hallway nearly slipping on the polished wood floors in my socks until I got to the lounge opening on the left; I poked my head around the door to see if I could see him but I couldn’t so I took the first turn on the right and down a small flight of more polished wood stairs and knocked on the closed at the bottom.

“Come in”. The voice was muffled but I knew it was his, who else? So I opened the heavy set door to the should be basement and entered my father’s study.

The room didn’t have a window except a tiny oblong of opaque glass at the highest point possible on the far wall behind his desk. The walls were painted a forest green and had three small wall lights mounted on each of them casting a yellow glow into the place. Whatever season it is outside being in here you’ll always feel like it’s winter. Filing cabinets lined the north and east walls while book cases covered the west leaving the south clear other than a few extra chairs spaced around a small metal table. Dad’s desk was a good size, solid oak and a prominent feature of the room though he stood out clearly from behind it.

I walked in but stayed standing behind the chair on the visitor’s side of his desk with my hands folded neatly in front of me.

“Sweetheart how was school”? In my Dad’s twisted head we have a good relationship; little does he know it’s all an act on my side.

“It was fine, tedious as usual having to go through the first day protocols”.

“I’m sorry Ruby but you know why we have to move don’t you”? He asked coming around to my side of the desk and looking down at me; for a second I almost bought into him being sorry about dragging his daughter around with him while he hunts and kills innocent people.