Mates of a Werewolf Hunter

Chapter 28 Run

Valentine Winters P.O.V

The cold, muddy ground pressed into my knees as the hunters forced me into submission. Salt and Pepper, along with Kyle's smirk of triumph, stood before me, their disdain palpable.

"Back from the dead, mutt?" Salt and Pepper taunted, his voice dripping with malice.

"She has a knack for defying death." Kyle chimed in, his arms crossed and a look of arrogant satisfaction plastered on his face.

The monstrous leader, a figure of looming menace, knelt down to meet my gaze. The wicked gleam in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine. "This time, I'll make sure you stay dead."

"Why do you despise my kind so much?" I asked, my voice devoid of emotion, a thin veneer of calm masking the turmoil within.

"Silence!" he roared, pressing his finger to his lips in a harsh shushing gesture.

His answer was predictable, as venomous as it was chilling. "Werewolves are a threat to humans. They should be eradicated."

"And humans? They're already destroying themselves with their own creations—machines, diseases, and wars of their making." I retorted, my voice steady despite the pain. "All we seek is peace."

I couldn't help but express my frustration at their narrow-mindedness. Humans waged wars and inflicted harm without considering the broader consequences. My words hung in the air, challenging their limited perspective.

"In every race, war is common." he sneered. "Werewolves can take down five of us in less than a minute. You're just a weak female." he spat, dismissing my strength and resolve.

I refused to accept their demeaning labels. I was far from weak, and I would not allow them to define me.

"Such a shame." the leader added with a cruel edge to his voice, as if my predicament was merely an inconvenience to him.

My focus was on the muddy ground, but his harsh grip on my hair yanked my head up, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Over my dead body, will you get him." he snarled, his fingers digging into my scalp.

Despite the excruciating pain, I remained silent, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. That's when Lucifer's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"You're revolting. Why did he fall for you?" the leader ranted, his agitation palpable.

"I have my reasons." Lucifer's unexpected defense caught me off guard. I shifted my gaze toward him, my eyes widening in surprise. Was he really standing up for me?

Conflicting emotions swirled within me, making it hard to decipher Lucifer's true intentions. Was he genuinely defending me, or was there a deeper, more complicated motive behind his words?

"Leave her, Father. You won't be seeing us again." Lucifer declared, his tone hinting at a departure together.

Leave with me? For me?

The leader's response was a bitter growl. "I raised you for 17 years, and this is how you repay me?" His voice trembled with anger; the air thick with his fury.

The unfolding drama left me on edge, my heart pounding with uncertainty. The path ahead was shrouded in confusion and danger, and I could only brace myself for whatever might come next.

Lucifer Argent P.O.V

The words hung in the air, heavy and electrifying. My own voice felt foreign as I confronted the truth, the revelation shaking the foundation of everything I had known. "You're not my biological father, are you?" I asked, the challenge in my voice unmistakable.

For a brief moment, the man before me—who I had once called father—looked caught off guard, his confident facade slipping. Then, just as quickly, his face hardened, turning defensive. "I raised you as my own." he snarled, his grip on Valentine's hair tightening cruelly. Her wince of pain cut through me like a blade.

"Don't hurt her." I commanded, the words sharp, carrying an authority I didn't fully realize I had.

His response was a venomous retort, a lifetime of resentment spilling out. "You made me fight until my knuckles bled when I was just ten years old. And now you expect gratitude?" The bitterness in my voice was matched by the anger that had simmered within me for years.

He let go of Valentine and stormed toward me, his frustration boiling over. The slap came out of nowhere, the sting radiating through my cheek, but it wasn't the pain that shocked me. It was the raw anger behind it, the sound echoing in the tense silence.

"I kept your stomach full, your body clothed." he sneered, as if that excused the years of torment.

"You destroyed my childhood." I shot back, my voice quivering with the weight of the memories. "You turned me into this monster." I gestured toward myself, the person I had become under his twisted guidance.

He groaned in frustration, his fists clenched at his sides, the reality of my words cutting deep. "She made you into this!" he roared, his anger twisting into something darker, more dangerous.

In one fluid motion, he drew a gun, the cold metal glinting ominously as he aimed it straight at Valentine's head. My heart leaped into my throat, panic surging through my veins.

"Run!" I commanded, my eyes locking onto hers, a desperate plea lacing my voice.

Valentine hesitated for a split second, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. But in that moment, something passed between us—an understanding, a shared resolve. She turned and bolted, her figure disappearing into the shadows as the tension exploded into chaos.

I stepped forward, my body moving on instinct, driven by the primal need to protect her, to right the wrongs that had been inflicted on us both. The man who had once claimed to be my father stood before me, gun still raised, but I knew in that moment that I was no longer the child he had molded through pain and fear.

This was the moment where everything changed.

Valentine Winters P.O.V

The grip on my arms suddenly loosened, and the hunters who had been holding me back stepped away, their stances shifting. Confusion clouded my mind as they pushed me behind them, almost as if they were shielding me from something.

Without hesitation, I transfigured into my wolf form, the familiar pain shooting through me as my body struggled with the transformation. My white fur bristled, and my senses sharpened, ready to flee at any moment. But then I heard it—a voice that made my blood run cold.

"Ah ah ah."

My heart sank as I turned to see Kyle, his gun aimed directly at Lucifer's head. The malicious glint in his eyes sent a wave of dread through me.

"Take a step, and a bullet drives straight into his head," he threatened, his voice chillingly calm. The gun remained steady in his grasp, unwavering in its deadly promise.

"Don't listen to him, run!" Lucifer's voice rang out, filled with urgency and desperation. His command cut through the air like a knife, but my wolf whimpered in response, torn between instinct and emotion.

I looked over my shoulder, the open path to freedom beckoning me. Just a few steps, and I could escape this nightmare. But my gaze returned to Lucifer, standing there with a gun pointed at his head, his life hanging by a thread. My heart pounded with indecision.

What should I do?

"I said go!" Lucifer's growl was fierce, almost feral, pushing me to prioritize my own safety over his. But every fiber of my being screamed against leaving him behind. The bond we shared, however complex and twisted, held me in place, rooted to the spot.

Time seemed to slow as I stood there, torn between the life I could reclaim and the one I couldn't bear to lose. My wolf whined, caught in the crossfire of my conflicting emotions.

The decision hung in the balance, heavy with the weight of our intertwined fates. The choice was mine to make—run towards freedom or stay and fight for the one who had sacrificed everything for me.