The Hunter

Claude (one year ago)

The morning had started like any other, with Claude making a pot of coffee for both Lizzie and him. He'd woken her and kissed her goodbye-something he had done every day since they had gotten married. His rusty old truck sat in the driveway and he'd driven to his mechanic shop.

Just another day. Until Lizzie called him at lunch. She normally didn't call him while he was working, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face when he answered.

"Hello, love." He suddenly wished he could be home instead of at work, but he didn't know how desperately he would want that until later.

"Claude." Her voice was breathless, but the underlying alarm caught his attention. "There are people swarming the front yard. They have guns. I got the children inside, but I'm scared.

"Get the shotgun." Claude ran to the back of his shop while still on the phone. The woods weren't that far away and he could get there faster as his lion. "Do not answer the door for anyone, do you understand me? Hang up and call the police. I'm on my way."

"Okay." Her voice had gained a bit of confidence. "Claude, I love you."

A small smile crept onto his lips. "I love you, too, Lizzie. See you soon."

"Bye," she whispered.

By the time his house came into view, the scent of blood hit his nose like a brick wall. Panic set in and he rushed into the house only to see the front door broken in. The sight through the door is what broke his heart. Lizzie lay in a pool of her own blood and her breathing was ragged. The scent of recently fired guns assaulted his sensitive senses.

The shotgun lay a good foot away from her hand. He swooped down beside her, stroked her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Lizzie, don't give up on me."

"They took the children." Panic set in as her words registered in his brain. "Find them. Whatever you do, find my babies."

Her blood covered hand stroked Claude's cheek before it fell heavily onto the ground. A tear slipped down his cheek. He kissed her one last time before he ran into the house to pack a bag. Her parents would see to the arrangements, but right now, he needed to find his cubs. Their lives depended on how quickly he found them.

Sadly, time had not been on his side. It took him four months before he'd even gotten a lead. Apparently some hunter bases were taking half-breeds along with other shifters to various laboratories. They were performing experiments on them and no one knew their intentions. The thought of his cubs in a holding cell in some cold hunter's lab fueled his desire to find them.

Another month passed before he had figured out at which base's lab they were located. He had gone to a town close by and asked the rogue wolves about the hunters. None of them knew much or they had no interest in speaking to him.

Later, the feeling of cold metal against his throat woke him. His eyes shot open to see a woman leaning over him. Well, technically a she-wolf. Her stare burned holes through his head. Something about her set him on edge, but he knew better than to fight her. The calmness in her stance betrayed the fact she'd have no issue slicing open his neck if he fought.

"Why are you asking about the hunters?"

He growled at her and his muscles tensed, which made the knife cut into his neck. If she were protecting them, he would tear her throat out with his bare hands. "They have something of mine."

"What do they have?" Her eyes narrowed. "And don't lie to me."

"My cubs." Her breath caught and her eyes widened. "They killed my wife and took my cubs. I have searched for them for five months and no one is going to get in my way."