Hunting Mate

Chapter Fourteen

Joe called us all for a meeting, the following morning we always had meetings on Saturdays, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. I yawned as I sat down next to Frankie "did she draw you?" he asks I nod "yeah, I couldn't refuse she would know something was up" I explain, he nods "Layton? Just be careful please, I worry about you all the time" I look at her and smile "I'm fine, Frank" I say back.

Joe claps his hands together getting everyone attention "ladies and gentlemen, we have serious business to talk about as you may have noticed, we are missing a pack member today" we all look around "I'm an sad to start this by saying we lost Damien last night" my heart sunk hard, "we found him this morning after searching his trail, he had been shot" I felt a lump in my throat, Damien was close to Frankie, Will and I, we were quite the tag team.

I look down at my shoes then up at him "do you know who did it?" I question, Joe looks at us three knowing we were closest to him out of the whole pack "we are unsure we got a scent but we needed to get here to announce to you guys to be on high alert, we already know there are poachers in the area but this time we know we are in danger" Joe says "where is he?" I question, Damien was the one that helped me get away from my mom's husband when they first found me and he attacked me, it was Damien that kept him away by threatening him.

Damien was seriously like the brother that I really needed in my life, now he's gone "where is his body?" I ask again Joe looks at me "Layton you are not in th-" I cut him off "I want to see him, I want to find the people that did this to him" I demand nobody has ever challenged the Alpha before "Layton, sit!" he screams at me so I instantly sit as an immediate reaction to him being the Alpha "calm down and I will let you three see him if you would like" he says then turns back to talk about whatever he planning in the meeting, I wasn't listening.

As we walked out Frankie looked at me "Layton, you can't see him" he says "why not?" I ask "what if it was Pandora's dad or someone with her?" Will asks, I shrug "I don't care Coby will kill them not Layton" I say "then Coby will have lost Pandora and the others will hunt Coby and if you have forgotten you are Coby and she is your imprintee that will kill her inside especially when she finds out who Coby really is, who you really are" Will points out "I want justice" I says Will rubs my arm "we all do"

"Layton?" I hear, I turn and see Pandora's dad come up to me, I was just thankful we were whispering, he would never have heard, we only just managed to hear each other because we have good hearing thanks to our inner-wolf "yes sir?" I ask he smiles obviously liking that title "Pandora told me about you having a few issues with people near us and that you have said we can go to yours or a restaurant" he says I nod "well I can do one better, we can have time to talk and it won't be too personal like it would be in each other's homes and it wouldn't be too formal like a restaurant, meet us near the shacks and we can go from there 7pm sharp" he says

I watch as he walks away "whoa, it's normally the girlfriend that has your under the thumb not the father of the girlfriend" Frankie jokes, I push him and we head to Damien house. We let ourselves in and see his fiancée, Hailey, sitting on the floor crying into one of Damien's shirts "hey Hail" we say and she looks up at us "he's gone" she said so weak, so fragile. We all go and hug her "we just heard" Frankie told her "I'm so sorry" Will added, whereas I couldn't speak.

"why would someone shoot him?" she asks we all shrug "look we are going to find out who did this to him" Will tells her she looks at him, the bright light that was once in her eyes gone with her imprinter, Hailey gets up off the floor and gets the phone before dialing a number "what are you doing?" I ask "I need to cancel the wedding" she announces, I take the phone out of her hands "leave that to us" I say after hanging up.

A loud long howl suddenly ripped through the trees "strip here and go quick" Hailey told us we all looked at her "the pack is in trouble just go I will be fine no doubt you will only come straight back" she said we stripped off fast and opened the door then phased, we start running as another howl ripped out and I instantly knew who it was 'It's Stuart' I tell the guys as we run 'Stuart? Are you ok?' another howl rips through the trees this time it was a cry, I force myself to run fast pushing myself further than I could physically go and I could instantly feel that I should have but I didn't care.

We get there to see Stuart lying on the ground, naked, I look at our Alpha as he comes through the trees at the other side, Stuart was crying in pain, I put my paw on him softly to let him know we are here for him, two of the wolves wander off, I study his body until my eyes land on a bullet wound 'he's been shot' I tell Alpha who nods lightly at me, I look back at Stuart to see his eyes were closed, I put my head to his, I have just gotten to know him a little as well, first Damien now him.

Kyle and Max came back in their human forms holding a pile of clothes 'Myself, Will and Layton will phase back and get him back to safety with Max, the rest of you get this area searched and go in threes I don't want anyone else down' Alpha orders, I go behind a tree and phase back as I get handed some clothes I look as I take them "thanks Kyle" I say he shakes his head "no problem" he wanders off as I get changed.

We'd carried Stuart back to Joe's house and lay him on the table "what's happened?" Sally asks as she came into the living room, Joe told her as Max began looking at the wound, he pressed down a little around the area "the bullet didn't go right through, it's still in there" he says and they all look at me.

I sigh "I need vodka or some sort of alcohol that will do it, a towel, a sharp knife, a tube, a lighter, and a jug or something along those lines" I say and, without questioning me, they all leave to find the stuff I had just listed, it felt odd being in control of my Alpha and Beta but I couldn't focus on that "bring a cool wet cloth as well" I shout.

They bring me all the stuff "damp his head with the wet cloth" I say, I was just so thankful that Stuart had passed out.

Starting instantly, I pour the vodka on the wound then burn the tip of knife with the lighter before inserted it in the wound and use the knife to bring the bullet up until the bullet finally comes out of the wound, I press the towel down on the wound "hold that there" I say to whoever was listening and instantly feel a hand brush mine as Max took over.

I move up to Stuart's neck, moving around the area to find his airways, as I did I inserted the knife then replaced it with the tube and placed the other end of the tube into the jug. The blood instantly started moving through the tube, the blood was dark red almost black but it slowly started to transition into a pure red blood color. I breathe as I look up; everyone was staring at me shocked.

Max placed his finger on Stuart' wrist feeling for a pulse "it's back up" he announced and we all let out a breath of relief. I get up and walk into the kitchen to wash my hand, and then grab a cloth putting the cold water on it, then walk back into the room and hand it too Sally "here, change the cloth" I tell her, she smiles handing me the cloth she was previously using "you did a great job" she told me "plenty of experience" I mumble "thanks" I speak louder this time.

I sit down on a chair just staring at Stuart, I wish I had been able to do the same for Damien, but unfortunately, I couldn't, at least now Stuart may be able to tell us who shot him and that person may be the same person who shot Damien or know the person who shot him, that was the only thought in my mind that was keeping me sane, but what if it was Pandora's people; how would I react? How would she react if I murdered them? That thought is making me go lose my sanity.