Chapter 26 Hunter Becomes the Hunted

I wanted to confront Dylan. I knew he wasn’t a bad guy. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me or mine if he knew about us. I would have to deal with him later. At the moment, I struggled to wrap my head around what had happened last night. Part of me was convinced it was a dream, part of me knew it truly happened. I needed to chat with Drew, perhaps he could shed some light on this puzzle. I approached him after breakfast when he and Robin wrestled outside and enjoyed the warm sun. When she saw me, Robin jumped up on me and licked my face. “Good morning to you too. Are you feeling better from last night?” Robin sneezed and dropped her front paws to the ground.

“Last night?” Drew asked. “Did something happen last? Did Robin break something or hurt herself?” I shook my head, “No no, she’s not hurt, I don’t think.” Robin shook her fur out and raced to the pool. She took a leap and landed in the middle of the water. She surfaced and swam in lazy circles. Drew never took his eyes off of her. “Didn’t know she liked to swim,” he muttered. “Drew,” I began, “Do you know anything about Robin being called ‘Little bird’?” Drew’s breath caught in his throat. I could see the confusion and surprise on his face quite clearly. “She told me it was a nickname her father called her before he died. How did you hear of it?” I swallowed hard, “Well Drew, you’re not gonna believe me.” I filled him in on how I found Robin in human form outside my room, how she scratched at the door, everything she had said, except the part about him and Kai. He wasn’t ready for that yet.

Drew clearly didn’t know how to respond. He just stood there. Robin climbed out of the pool and shook the water from her fur. “Hey, watch it!” Kai called indignantly from the garden. Robin had sprayed her with water. Robin bounced in front of Kai and dropped into a bow. Robin playfully growled. Kai gave chase, Robin whipped around and ran away. She charged at Drew. At the last second, Robin turned around to face Kai, she dipped between Kai’s legs, spun around and planted her front paws on Kai’s back. Robin pushed hard and Kai sprawled into Drew. I glanced at Robin who looked quite pleased with herself. Kai tried to get off Drew, but somehow entangled herself more. Robin made a sound that I swear sounded like laughter.

I helped Kai to her feet, she was bright red. Drew picked himself up, “Well that’s awkward” he joked to himself. “What was that for, Robin?” She barked happily. She cast an accusing eye at me, I knew what she thought, “It’s not my place.” She whined and snorted. “It doesn’t look like you need my help,” I responded. Kai and Drew were bewildered. “What?” I asked them. They just stared at me. “Oh come on! It’s not that hard to guess what she wants.” It did help that I had insider information. Robin was right, Kai and Drew were a cute couple. Drew nervously cleared his throat, Kai mumbled something about the garden. She scampered off and Drew looked at me, “What’s going on?” I giggled and answered, “Ask Robin.” I smiled and walked away, it was kinda fun to her play matchmaker.

I found Quinn with Max and Ash. I snuck up and hugged her from behind. I rested my head on her shoulder. “Hello there,” she made a reference to one of my favorite movies. “Hi,” I whispered shyly. Quinn continued her conversation with the boys. I held her, I enjoyed being close to her. I wanted to stay there, snuggled up to Quinn. I knew I had to find Dylan and figure out what he planned to do. Quinn put her hand on mine. A shiver of desire ran down my spine, I whimpered softly into her back. Quinn reached around and tickled me, I squealed “Hey now!” I grabbed her hand. “Stop it!” Quinn giggled. “You’re talking to Max and Ash!” A sly grin grew on Quinn’s lips, “Now I’m tickling you!” I jumped back as she turned around. I launched myself over the couch and hid behind it.

Max and Ash smiled, Quinn returned to her conversation with them. I laid down on the couch and waited for her. My eyelids were rather heavy, I closed my eyes and slipped into a nice nap. I could feel a set of lips on my forehead and then on my own. Quinn kissed me awake. I moaned greedily. Her lips were so soft. “Reese? I’m sorry to interrupt,” a voice drifted through the living room. Phoenix had stepped up to the couch. “Hi Phoenix,” I replied. “What’s up?” A frown ruined her face, “I can’t find Jules. He stomped off when Drew and Robin came, he hasn’t come home yet.” Quinn growled softly and responded, “I’m gonna kick his ass into next week.” I stood up and faced Phoenix, “Has he had any behavior issues since last time we spoke, back at Casey’s RV?” Phoenix shook her head, “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Constant anger and aggression isn’t ordinary, even for wolves,” Quinn countered. “Reese and I will go looking for him.” I nodded, I had a bad feeling about this. I took Quinn’s hand and we started for the back door. “Please be careful,” Phoenix called after us. The sun had fled sometime while I was asleep. I led Quinn into the backyard and into the forest. I shared with Quinn all about the campsite, going back with Casey to poke around, and how I reconnected with Dylan, my old friend from high school and the nightmares about him. We walked and talked. I told her my gut made me think Jules might be there. “Only one way to find out,” she muttered. The trees grew familiar, my nose picked up faint scents of wolf and fire. I knew something was wrong. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quinn pull off her shirt. I caught her attention and shook my head.

I felt that we would need to be human for now. We heard joyous shouts and sinister snarls. Something large slammed itself against a metal cage. Deep laughter and jeers ensued. My inner wolf was tense, it urged me to find safety. All too soon my suspicions and fears were confirmed. Jules was in wolf form. He raged and threw his body against a giant steel cage. Several men with guns and crossbows surrounded the cage, Dylan was among them. I could see the rage in Quinn’s eye. I motioned for her to be quiet. We crept our way around the camp. I saw Dylan walk off into the woods. Quinn and I followed him quickly and silently . My inner wolf was excited to hunt such dangerous prey.

I saw Dylan come to a stop in front of a tree. I heard a zipper and the sound of liquid splatter against a tree. This was my moment. Dylan finished his business and turned around. He came face to face with me. “Aye!” he yelped. I menacingly took a step forward and backed him into the wet tree. “What the hell is going on? Why is my boy in that cage? Speak!” I seethed. “Reese? What are you doing here? It’s not safe! What do you mean by ‘your boy’?” His hands floated to his belt. Quinn moved so quickly she was a blur. She snatched his wrists, stepped behind the tree, and pinned his wrists to the tree. A furious growl echoed in her chest. “Speak Dylan,” I spit out his name. “I can’t and won’t hold her back for long. I saw a knife handle sticking up from his belt. I pulled the blade from its sheath, “Oh this looks sharp.” I observed. I lifted the sharp blade to his neck, “Better hurry Dylan,” Quinn growled in his ear.

Dylan’s face was more pale than the moon. He stammered that the hunters heard rumors of giant wolves in the area. A howl of agony pierced the night sky. I pressed the blade ever so slightly into Dylan’s neck, a dark red bead of blood trickled down and landed on his collar. “You are going to make them stop hurting Jules. You are going to release Jules to me. Do I make myself clear?” I hissed. Dylan squeaked. I slid the knife back in its sheath. “Release him,” I commanded. Quinn let go of his arms and stepped in front of him, “Do not make me come after you,” she sneered. She vanished into the forest. My sensitive wolf ears heard Quinn in the trees above us, Dylan was oblivious.

“Who are you?” He gasped. I gripped his chin tightly in my hand, I…am…the…Alpha,” I said deliberately. I could feel magnificent power emanate from my body. I felt incredibly strong, almost like I was invincible. “Now go!” I hissed at him. He scampered off scared out of his mind. “Good thing you let him pee first,” Quinn dropped to the ground beside me. “Reese, that was astounding! I felt power, strength emanating from you. Like you finally accepted being the Alpha. It made me feel stronger, much stronger. Like I could lift a car! Damn this feels great!” I had to admit that I felt on top of the world. Part of me wondered if this feeling of strength had driven Chad insane with lust for more power. That thought seriously worried me.

The noise in the camp quieted down pretty quickly. The men tumbled into their tents and snores could be heard. Quinn and I maneuvered ourselves so we had an excellent view of the cage that Jules was trapped in. I watched Dylan fumble around the fire. He constantly scanned the tree line. I crept up behind him, I used trees and tents for cover. “What are you waiting for?” I growled. “You. I want you to tell me everything. Why and how is my best friend a werewolf!?” I stealthily opened the cage, Jules was bleeding but not severely. I grabbed his snout roughly and glared into his eyes. “Quinn will take you home. Stay there until I return. I’m not done with you.” I released him, Jules disappeared into the dark. I turned to Dylan, “Come with me. It’s not safe here” I mocked.

I led him away from the camp and further from my house. I didn’t want him to stumble on it. We hiked in silence for thirty minutes. I finally turned around and faced him. I balled my fist and slammed it into his nose. Dylan fell to the ground. “What the hell Reese?” I snapped at him, “That was for kidnapping Jules!” Dylan stayed on the ground and nursed his nose. “It wasn’t me! It was the others, I swear. I’m new to this hunting stuff. You know me Reese!” I scowled, “Obviously I don’t! My friend would never hunt or hurt anyone.” Dylan rose to his feet. “Neither would my friend,” he whispered faintly. “What happened to you Reese?” His voice cracked, all the anger I had instantly dissipated. I uttered quietly, “Have you been thrown out of your home for something about you that was completely out of your control? Have you been hunted and shot? Have you ever lost control and been so scared that you hurt someone, hurt an innocent?”

Dylan’s eyes were wide. I continued, “That has been my life for years now, since senior year.” Dylan was flabbergasted. “Senior year? Reese I knew you in senior year. You disappeared right after graduation. I lost track of you. I was so worried about you.” My heart snapped in half. “Dylan, why are you here?” I begged. “A giant wolf bit my friend, I had to join up. I didn’t have a choice…” his voice trailed off. “Dylan,” I murmured softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” I recounted a paraphrased version of what happened to me between Jr and senior year, the attack that turned me into a werewolf, how I attacked and almost killed my parents. I shared with him how I had to run away, enrolled in college, and found my pack. I told him how my pack was formed and how hard we fought to survive the evil monster alpha. I kept the house a secret along with how large my pack actually was. I couldn’t trust him just yet.

Dylan listened in horrified silence. He had no idea how terrible and dangerous life was for me. He wanted to help me, he just didn’t know how. There was no way he could convince the others to abandon the hunt now that they had seen Jules. We would have to deal with them eventually, I had no idea how. I knew I had to do damage control. I devised a brilliant plan and shared it with Dylan. He didn’t like it but agreed. I would make it look like Jules escaped and tore up Dylan in the escape. I stepped out of my clothes, I knew he was looking at my body, it really didn’t bother me anymore. You got used to being without clothes as a wolf. I forced my body to twist and convulse. Instantly I was reformed in the powerful body of a wolf. Dylan fell to the ground in shock, “You’re bigger than the other guy.” I chuckled, Dylan heard a rumble in my chest.

I pounced on him, bounced his head on the ground, and knocked him out. I didn’t want him to feel what I had to do to him. I scraped my claws across his arms and torso, deep enough to bleed but not deep enough to cause permanent harm. I put my heavy paw on his leg between his foot and knee, I put all my weight on it. His bone snapped satisfyingly. I took his leg in my jaw and dragged him quietly back to the camp. I mangled the cage enough so they would believe Jules escaped by himself. I quickly returned to my pile of empty clothes, scooped them up in my jaws. Didn’t want to leave them there. My work complete, I dashed off into the night.