A Hunter's Chance - #2 of "The Hunter's Series"

After that statement, there was a moment of silence. Of course, not a dramatic silence, where everybody dropped everything they had and listen in. Just a moment, where I processed what she said--- and then I laughed.

“Sure,” I smiled widely. “And pigs fly I suppose?”

Now don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t lying. She truly believed that Xyen had killed his mate. In fact she was so convinced, that she was quite offended by my lack of respect for the dead.

She gasped first – mortified – before her expression turned into a mix of a scowl and sorrow.

“Oh,” she sighed in sorrow, clearly not feeling sorry at all. “Love and denial.”

“It’s not denial, baby, it’s logic,” I replied mockingly. “Mates are unable to hurt one another.”

It was THE universal law of mates! If a wolf hurt his mate, he’d only successfully hurt himself, making the saying ‘an eye for an eye’ quit a literal phrase. Or at least it was true for true mates. Which made me my mind wonder back to Luna Fray and Alpha Cade. I wondered what was up with that?

“She was drowned and the only one around was him,” she hissed, stepping into my personal space. Oh, this bitch was still here.

“There probably also were fish in the water, are you going to blame them too?” I asked innocently, knowing I pushed all her buttons and then some. She snarled, baring her teeth at me. I just rolled my eyes at her, before taking a sip of the punch. So refreshing! But now to handle the mad she-wolf! “So how were you related?”

“What?”

She was actually surprised that I figured it out?

“Well, you’re obviously related to his late mate, or you wouldn’t be so defensive of me taking her place,” I more or less just stated the obvious. Which she didn’t appreciate much. “Let me guess, her sister? Older by the defensive stand and ugly growl.”

“I think you should remember your place, human!” she threatened in a low voice that was more animal than human. Her hands shifted into claws, that were still by her side.

“And I think you should reconsider making a scene in the middle of a ball,” I replied coolly and leaned forward, making her aware of the knife I currently held to her stomach. Her eyes widen in horror as her gaze shifted between me and the knife. She hadn’t even realized I’d picked it up or even felt it until now. I grinned. Yep! Still got it! “Or do you really want to embarrass yourself?”

Now, the knife wouldn’t kill her – instantly – depending where I stabbed her. But a simple stab wound to the stomach, any wolf could heal from. But I wasn’t out for a kill tonight. Or any kill ever! I just wanted everyone of my god damn case.

Which made me wonder again, why I’d agree to this. I wasn’t in it for the money, I didn’t care about werewolves and Xyen--- He was… Ok! So, this might have something to do with Xyen.

But what?

It felt so strange, how I could just meet a random stranger and feel this connected to him. He was a threat, dangerous and clearly mad! Any normal human natural ‘spider-sense’, should be on red alert, getting my ass out and away from this danger. But somehow in all of his chaos and madness, I felt at peace.

The she-wolf finally got the picture and turned on her heels and left. I sighed in relief and put the knife back, taking a deep breath.

I needed air…

I went back to one of the balconies, overlooking the back yard. It was a beautiful night. Full moon and sky full of stars, but I barely payed any attention to it. My mind kept running back to Xyen’s true mate. I wonder what she looked like. There were no pictures of her anywhere, but I had a self-destructive feeling that I looked like her. Red hair, green eyes, skinny as shit… But unlike me, she probably had a perfect body; no scars, no wrinkles, no uneven sunburns. No freckles! Yeah, she was probably the picture perfect, photoshopped version of me. That’s why Xyen had chosen me. When he squinted his eyes, I probably looked like her…

I mentally groaned, hating what I did to myself. Hating the people who made me feel this way in the first place. That I wasn’t good enough. That I was rejected…

A sound underneath me and hushed voices caught my attention. I looked over and noticed Luna Fray talking to a dark figure in the shadows. I couldn’t quite make him out, but he definitely looked like a rogue. Worn out shorts, dirty and skinny. I couldn’t clearly make out his face, but by the looks of it, he and Fray were having a heated argument about something. Damn, right now werewolf hearing could really do my curiosity some good…

“Lizzy?”

I squealed and nearly jumped off the balcony in fright. Xyen stood in the doorway, his huge frame nearly filling up the entire door and looked--- oh, so yummy! His hair was slightly ruffled – probably from running his hands through it in frustration. He’d ditched his tie and undone the first two buttons of his shirt, giving anyone who bothered looking a nice view of his toned chest. Which instantly made me frown and had my stomach curling in a strange way. What was he doing showing off what was mine---- WOW! Oh, hold your horses, right there, Lizzy! I mentally slapped myself. What the shit was that?!

Xyen stepped out on the balcony, closing the door behind him, before walking up to me.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, his voice laced with something I couldn’t quite decipher. Worry? Jealousy? Nah, must be the wine getting to my head…

I turned back to the place I’d seen Fray talk to the rogue--- but they were long gone. I shook it off for now and turned back to Xyen.

“Getting fresh air,” I answered truthfully and looked up at Xyen, who had stopped right in front of me. He leaned over, caging me in with his huge arms. His heated gaze running up and down my body, as if searching for evidence of adultery.

I didn’t mind. In fact all I wanted to do, was to lean in and rest my head on his shoulders. Rip off his shirt and in front of everyone here, claim him. To let them know---

“What did the Beta want?” I quickly asked, just to say something to get my mind out of the gutter. These people did not kid around with their wine! Xyen threw me an annoyed glance and I suddenly remembered what he had said in the car. That he could so whatever and WHOMEVER he wanted. “Out of curiosity…” I added and smiled, to hide the fact that remembering it hurt like a spear to my heart.

“Just some rogues asking for passage,” he sighed, making it sound as boring as shit.

“Rogues?” I frowned, remembering what rogues used to have Derik’s pants in a twist just by mentioning them. Yet Xyen made it sound like it was just another day at the office.

“What?”

“You don’t--- mind them?”

“Most rogues prefer the term loners,” Xyen confessed and shrugged. When his eyes caught my casus ones, he grinned: “They’re not all bad you know.”

“That’s--- interesting!”

“It’s really not…”

“Not the rogues,” I cut him off and this time, I did come off as rude and quickly apologize: “I-I mean that’s cool too – loners and all, but…” I wetted my lips, trying to find the right words. “You don’t strike me as an open-minded type of guy.”

“Well, life is full of surprises,” he shrugged and stood back up, seating next to me and crossed his huge arms. “I see you met Everly.”

Everly?! Oh… The other bitch!

“Yeah,” I said, not really knowing what more to read into that story. “Lovely sister-in-law you have there.”

“She told you?”

“Yes,” I replied. It wasn’t hard to figure out what he was implying.

“And what do you think?”

“I think it’s bullshit!” I shrugged, not knowing why he needed to hear it again. “She was your mate; mates never hurt each other.”

“I did kill her.”

Confused, I gazed up at him. But his eyes were blank and his stare void of emotions. His eyes fixated on the concrete in front of him, as if he was waiting for a verdict that was already written in stone. A slave, waiting for another slash of the whip…

I didn’t understand his emotions.

“She’s telling the truth.”

I frowned.

Nope!

She told me what she wanted to be the truth and he told me what he believed was the truth. BIG difference! And neither made it true. But it did make me wonder why everyone was so hellbent on making me think he killed her?

“And like I said,” I replied and tilted my head, so I could see him. “Bull. Shit!” His surprised eyes met mine and I scoffed. MEN! “Mates don’t hurt each other. It’s the universal law of mates. And even if you somehow played a part in getting her killed it was an accident, otherwise you and your wolf wouldn’t be here.” I crossed my arms and smirked victoriously, knowing I’d singlehandedly taken down the legend of the Feral Alpha Xyen. “You’re not a coldhearted killer, Xyen. Not now, when you’re partly feral, and certainly not before.” I leaned over, feeling rather hot and bold, as I placed a hand on his chest, looking straight into his electric blue eyes. “So play your charades, Alpha Xyen, and I’ll play along. But don’t think for a second, I can’t distinguish truth from fiction.”

He kept looking at me like he expected me to crumble and surprised when I didn’t. Had he been trying to push me away and now realized, that it didn’t work? Or was something else entirely going on in his head?

I shrugged, not wanting to dwell on it too long and stepped away from him again. In a week this would all be over and Alpha Xyen wouldn’t be… Damn it, why didn’t my mind even want to finish that sentence? I took a deep breath and decided that that was a problem I’d take on another day. The wine was starting to get to my head, and I decided to just lean back for a while and look at the stars. It truly was beautiful out here…

“I want to fuck you!”

I looked over and noticed that Xyen had been watching my moves all along. How I’d used the cold glass to cool down my hot body. How my arm pushed out my breasts revealing my cleavage and how all the dancing had shortened the dress to show off a bit too much of my thighs.

I smiled.

Now that’s an idea I could get behind!

“That’ll be 500 bucks,” I replied, keeping to my usual payment and took another sip of the wine. “More if it’s without a condom.”

“You do that?” he frowned, and a low growl slipped pass his lips. Within seconds he had me trapped against the railing again, with a wild and murderous look in his eyes. “You have a death wish, Liz?”

“And if I die,” I exaggerated my sorrow by sighing sadly and pouting my lips. “Are you going to cry for me?”

“I am going to make you cry alright,” he growled, pulling my body flush against his, making all playfulness in my body evaporate like dew in the morning. He smirked.

“But you’ll be crying in pleasure!”