The Hunter Academy

~Çhapter Førty-Ęight~

My eyes slowly peeled open and I immediately closed them again as I felt a pounding pain in my head and an ache in my chest.

Too tired, wake me up in an hour brain.

Just as I closed my eyes again I felt something plastic press against my lips. I rolled over to my side and curled into a ball.

"Go away, Zac," I croaked, my throat straining with the effort of saying those three words.

My hand darted up and I rubbed my throat as it burned - it felt as if I'd swallowed fire and it was slowly snaking its way down my throat.

"Zac?" A female voice asked and I shot up as I recognised the voice.

"Mum, " I rasped and immediately regretted it as a painful cough erupted from my chest while my throat burned like a fire blazed inside it.

I clutched my chest as I had trouble getting enough air into my lungs. All the pain was suddenly washing over me and I grabbed my head while grappling at my chest. Why was everything burning?

My mum looked at me with panicked eyes before grabbing something from next to me. I stared, wide eyed, as I saw one of my knives in her hand. I shook my head, panicked, as I felt light headed.

Mum held the knife to her wrist before creating a cut, blood oozing out of the open wound. She held it to my mouth and I got the message as she looked at me with desperate eyes.

I licked the blood from her open wound - I felt relieved as it was already closing up - and I felt the headache disappearing as well as the pain in my chest.

She pulled her hand away and I sucked in a lung full of oxygen.

"I didn't know Lycan blood had healing properties," I rasped, my throat dry but it wasn't painful to talk anymore.

She hummed as she grabbed a glass of water and pressed the straw to my lips. I immediately drank everything I could, the glass emptying far faster than I liked.

When I sucked in nothing but air from the straw I fell backwards onto the bed. "Thanks," I said hoarsely before clearing my throat. "Thanks," my voice clearer this time.

Mum smiled at me. "It's okay darling and, to answer your previous question, yes Lycan blood does heal but we aren't as prideful nor boastful of it as Vampires. We are already a hunted species, we don't need to be captured and have our blood drained by Hunters."

I grimaced. She knew, she had to have known, but she was acting as if I wasn't a Hunter myself.

She caught my grimace and her eyes softened before she reached forward and stroked a finger down my cheek.

I caught her hand as she was about to pull it away and kept it pressed against my cheek but it wasn't nearly as comforting as I wanted it to be - especially when she flinched away from me.

She smiled gently and her eyes scanned over me as if she couldn't believe it was me.

She sat down on the bed next to me and stroked a hand through my hair comfortingly. "I missed you," she whispered as she kissed my cheek.

I smiled before saying, "I missed you too."

She pecked my forehead before standing up and brushing off her jeans. "Come on, Chase," she handed me a pair of jeans and a shirt. "Have a shower and get changed."