Hunter ✔

Sixteen-

If Thursday and Friday were torture of getting up, then Mondays were my hell.

Max was constantly by my side, earning suspicious looks from Cayton, Blake, and Kristen. I had assumed that Max had told Cayton about the sighting of the creature, coming from how Cayton also stayed by Hayes; who stayed near me.

"Aye! Cayton! Over here!" Someone shouted from across the gym. Gym, accordingly, was my sixth period of the day. It was also heading towards Hayes and I's first full day at Chamberland since Thursday. Cayton had been speaking to Max to the side, leaving Hayes and I feel out of place.

I had never been one to stay around large groups of people for long periods of times. Maybe that's why I hunted alone. I could barely stand the last time I hunted with Sam and Dean, two years ago, our different methods of attacks clashing with each other. Much less, Hayes and I were still in an argument, but mad or not, we had to stick together.

Cayton was looking up, over in the direction of the voice, when a ball slammed into his chest, knocking him back a few inches.

"Really, Justin?" Cayton shouted, and threw the ball back. It connected it the guy's, Justin, arm, and he let out a staggered yelp. I could tell Justin was a mortal, strange for an Alpha wolf to be in socializing with a mortal, but then again, he talks to me, and makes unexpected visits to my house.

The zero coughed, and headed over to us. His eyes were a bright hazel color, contrasting against his black hair.

"Man, watch your strength," He said, and patted Cayton on the back. Ah, he was a known. A known, in my definition, was a mortal, who knew of the werewolves that coexisted along side them.

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind next time I throw a weak one at you," Cayton laughed. This was the most light hearted I'd seen him at all over the past five days. Years seemed to roll off of him as he, Justin, Blake, and Max started throwing dodge balls at each other. They all laughed and hit each other's bodies with the black balls.

"Amazing how they find harming each other entertaining," Kristen chuckled as Blake took a ball to his head. He went down hard, knocking into Cayton, bringing him to the floor. The two boys rolled around on the floor, wrestling to get up before the other.

"DOG PILE!" Max shouted, and Hayes and I snorted at the pun, he and Justin jumped onto the other two halves. I was pretty astonished that Cayton would let his pack members sit on top of him, but he grew a playful frown when the other three boys sat on his back.

"C'mon Audrey!" Blake shouted, and Kristen grabbed my hand, tugging me towards the boys.

"Ah, sorry can't. I'm, uh, claustrophobic," I panicked, and pulled away from Kristen's hold. She gave me a confused look, but let me go, before she herself tackled Blake off of Cayton. Hayes came up along side me.

"So you're claustrophobic now?" Hayes whispered, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice without even having to look at him. "Oh shut up. Didn't see you with a better idea," I muttered, watching Cayton laugh, and roll around, trying to escape Justin and Max's hold.

"Hayes, my brothers are going to be in the state by the time we get back to my house," I told him, frowning when the coach pulled Cayton and Max apart. Hayes took a moment to respond.

"I know you want to find out what is happening, and so do I, but if Sam and Dean are coming, then why hasn't Cayton been alerted yet?" He said, also watching the male coach scold the two boys.

"I don't know. Maybe they haven't even crossed state line," I suggested.

"You said the same thing that was shadowing us, is shadowing them too, right?" Hayes asked. The night before, after Max had left, I had told Hayes what Sam and Dean had said on our last phone call.

"Yeah," I said, and started to bounce the basketball that was at my feet lightly.

Hayes didn't answer, and fell silent, often pushing the ball away from him. My brow wrinkled as I considered what could possibly be going through his head. He knew whatever was watching us, was watching my brothers, so-oh. If Cayton hadn't been alerted, and the beast was now gaining the nerve to confront Hayes and with a half in the house, something could've happened. I looked around the gym, searching for where Max had run off to.

"C'mon Hayes," I pulled on his arm, and made him miss his rebound.

"Max!" I called the half's name, and the ball he'd been waiting to catch from the net came down, and hit his head. The guys around him started laughing, and Max flipped them off, scowling and rubbing his head.

"What?" Max asked when he came over. He turned away from his pack members, and threw an arm over my shoulder.

"Did you tell Cayton about the attack?" I questioned Max. He shook his head.

"No, I told him I spotted it," He responded, his voice becoming hushed. I nodded in understandment.

"Uh, Max. Why'd you leave after I mentioned Cayton?" I whispered when the Alpha himself looked over at us.

"You know, Ashtyn, he likes you," Max whispered, his voice almost inaudible. I choked on my own breath, and started to get dizzy in the head. I leaned onto an equally shocked Hayes.

"How do you know?" Hayes asked for me. I was still coughing, my diaphragm wheezing. The birthmark on my bicep tingled, and something in my stomach stirred.

"Ashtyn? Ashtyn, are you okay?" Max asked, and put his hand on my forehead.

"How do you know he likes me?" I spoke in a small voice.

"Oh come on. You both are hunters, you're supposed to know this stuff. I'm his Beta. Alpha and Beta, most of the time, are best friends," Max slapped his forehead in exaggeration. My stomach turned again, and I leaned more weight onto Hayes.

"He likes you, hun. But don't get too attached. He still has to find his own mate," Max warned and clapped me on the back. I stood up, completely on my own, and took the sleeve of Max's shirt, tugging him over to the side of the gym. Cayton's eyes followed us the whole way..

"Max," I took a deep breath before speaking to the Beta. "Has Cayton ever showed you the birthmark on his hip?" I asked the wolf, observing his reaction. Max's eyes grew wide, and his lips parted.

"Ho-How'd you know about that?" Max gasped, then glanced over to Cayton who was throwing us occasional glances. The bleachers to my right were open, some students sitting in them, watching the other students play basketball.

"I just do. Max, Cayton. Does he talk about me, at all?" I questioned, ignoring Hayes' slap to his forehead. Max's eyes widened, and he nodded his head. The teenage wolf opened his mouth, but was cut off when Blake came up behind him, and pounded him on the back.

"Hey bud! Cayton wants to play basketball with you," Blake said.

"Yeah, alright. Just hold on," Max shrugged Blake's hand off of his back. Blake frowned, but jogged back over to Cayton, Kristen, and Justin.

"We need to talk later," Max instructed, all jokes lost in his voice. His index finger pointed to me as he spoke, adding extra reinforcement to his speech.

"Alright, now go before Cayton comes over here," Hayes nudged Max with his foot. The Beta nodded, and sprinted to Cayton.

"Hayes, what are we going to do? We came here to kill a rouge, but now, now look at us," I muttered, and sat down on the first step of the bleachers.

"I know, bud. I know," Hayes sat down beside me.