Bonus chapter for: Rise of the Hunters – Book 7
RHETT
3 Years Later
MacTire held my heart, but I couldn’t help visiting the borough I grew up in when out in the field.
Recruiting new Enforcers for the INE.
I found myself missing the familiarity of the streets. The people – half human, half shifter. Most without a spirit animal.
A town, us half breeds built, grew, and protected. Hunters as Lamia called us but was a hunter?
The town wasn’t big, but it was a place where half-breeds gathered – safety in numbers - we had become a close-knit community. Even still, we were constantly heckled and subject to the packs that surrounded us. Always trying to strong-arm our community or take what they thought belonged to them.
Hybrids – Where one parent is a shifter the other human or no spirit animal – were born one of three ways. Either they were purely human or gained a counterpart that was weaker in comparison to full-blooded shifters, or there was us. The ones like me. A hybrid. Neither human nor shifter. A being that had enhanced physical attributes yet no spirit animal.
My little sister was fully human, even though we shared the same parents. Our mother was a werewolf, father was human.
More than a handful possessed the same gifts I did. The enhanced speed. Healing faster than the average human. Our heightened senses. Yet we possessed no spirit animal and even with our abilities, they paled in comparison to shifters with rank and a good majority of warriors. However, my abilities were like none I had ever encountered, I had the mark of the Queen's knight, and it only made me stronger in every way.
There were probably more half-breeds in the small town of Briarshire, where my sister Ria and I grew up than anywhere else in the realm. And there were only a handful at best here.
At least that’s what most believed until King Kellen returned with a new queen and laid claim that there had been many in Bhakhil.
Each half-breed I knew of that possessed enhanced gifts also had a sixth sense of sorts.
Mine – I could detect a lie a mile away. And I also had a knack for pulling the truth from the most difficult of prisoners. Usually, those who were weak-minded or had a lesser spirit animal.
Alpha Travis says it’s because I have a trusting face and a strong aura. His Beta and one of my best friends, Josiah, a bear shifter, believe it’s because of the spirit animal I was never given.
Personally, I don’t give a fuck. It’s a handy trick. An ace up my sleeve so to say.
If a person feels compelled to tell me the truth, all the better for it. Only those with low ranking will spill the beans freely. Shifters of higher ranking take a lot more effort. Even then it's not a guarantee.
Detecting the lie makes it easier to draw the truth out.
It had been three years since Lamia and Kellen crossed into another realm.
Our realm had changed drastically with Aodh's army crossing through. Bringing with it, creatures that stalked the night and prayed on victims wild and not. To make matters worse Senko’s demonic dogs ran freely through the continent. Thousands of them and changelings were on the loose along with the monsters Aodh brought with him, plaguing the towns and villages.
Even larger packs like New Moon were regularly attacked by Aodh and Senko's leftovers.
Aodh had kept himself hidden, sending his army to do his dirty work. None of us were spared. Reports had even come in from the western continent that they had been attacked and smaller kingdoms had been overrun by Aodh in his search for a way to bring his promised bride back. Lamia.
For three years we have fought the shadows and what lurks in the darkness.
I hardly saw anything of MacTire and knew Travis was looking for a new Gamma and still needed a Delta.
This didn’t bother me. I was numb to pack life.
After the battle on the Cambiador border and losing Jonda, my allegiances and cause had shifted.
I had dedicated myself to the INE, to hunting down the foreign and unholy creatures that now stalked this realm and had become the basis of things that go bump in the night.
I was gone for weeks. Sometimes months.
Sending Angelica to the Sea Dog pack would have been the right thing to do. But selfishly, I couldn’t let go of her.
Yet here I was. Standing outside a brothel. Hundreds of miles from her yet again. This time I had left my daughter in the Kodiak Kingdom with my sister.
Other times she stays in New Moon.
Most of the time, MacTire is her home and Mrs. Brown raises my daughter.
Some father figure I am. Jonda would have been disappointed. I catch myself with the thought. I honestly don’t know what Jonda would have thought.
I didn’t know her that well. Just that there was a deep connection I felt towards her.
I often wonder – in her right mind, what Jonda would have said if she was looking down at me. Watching the way I raise – or lack of – our daughter.
Angelica was the light of my life. I just didn’t know how to show it. Her deep red hair reminded me of her mother. But she had my soft green eyes.
No matter how much I knew Jonda had lost her mind during her last moments. That it was no longer her behind the wheel in her head – I could never unhear the words she spoke to Mike.
‘It was always you.’
I could never forget the way she looked when she thought my mark was his.
‘Mike is my mate. He is the father.’
No matter how many times I push the thoughts away. They still plague me. Especially at night when it’s the quietest.
I look up at the full moon, squinting my eyes at its brightness. On a night like tonight, wolves would be howling and werecats would be dancing. The Clans would hold a feast. All to celebrate the rising of a full moon.
But all was quiet, and doors were locked in fear of demonic monsters raiding the village.
Even with the presence of Enforcers, the people still feared the creatures that came straight from hell. Enormous horses with horns that could gut you and impale you in seconds and blood-red eyes that burn straight into your soul. Giant dog-like creatures with fur around their necks, feet, and the tips of their tails. Their skin was hard like armor making it difficult to pierce through with a weapon. And the worst of all, the birds that resembled something ancient and prehistoric. Black and scaly with a beak full of jagged sharp teeth.
In the distance a child cried, the sound cutting through the bleak night, as the moon shone down on quiet streets.
I made my way across town to Sapiens, an old tavern that still operated on the outskirts of Briarshire. An establishment that had been passed down through generations and had even withstood the great Lycan wars from two and a half centuries ago.
With my enhanced hearing I could make out the lowly chatter of patrons and the giggles coming from the women who worked there. It was a bar, but it also doubled as a bordello house.
Opening the heavy door, the sounds from inside pour out. The door slams behind me and then for a few seconds, the main parlor falls in silence as multiple pairs of eyes land on me and take me in.
Once they establish who I am and am no threat, they carry on about their business.
“Whisky. Neat.” I tell the bartender, crossing the room and perching at the open space at the end of the hard wooden topped bar, that had seen better days.
I slide a note over the wooden top when my drink is sat down before of me. “Leave the bottle.” The bartender nods and walks away, taking the generous amount I gave him.
I turn to face the room, taking a sip and watching the patrons who are here to have a good time.
“Been a long time Rhett.” I recognize the voice and turn to see Suzie flip her honey-colored hair over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes at me when she has my attention. “You’re looking good.” She says, tongue darting out to lick her lips as her eyes drag up and down my body.
I offer her a coy smile, equally checking her out. The years had been kind to her even with her profession. Her eyes were still a bright and cheerful brown. Not a single strand of her hair was out of place. The red lipstick she wore only served to make her lips look more luscious and juicier.
Once upon a time, I would have never entertained screwing a girl who was my sister's friend and her age. Now though, as I look at Suzie and feel a stirring in my pants, I realize she is no longer the little girl I remember and is all woman now with curves for days. That and she’s just another means to take my mind off the shit storm our realm has been through for the past three years.
For a fleeting moment, Jonda’s face fills my head. The image quickly evaporates just as fast as it was conjured. Jonda is dead and even if she hadn’t thrown herself off the roof of the New Moon palace, I didn’t know if there would have ever been an us.
“You’re looking exceptionally cute these days Suzie. The years have been good to you.” I say lifting my glass to my lips and averting my eyes from the younger girl.
“Did you come to drink or play Rhett?” The words dripped from her tongue in a sultry tone. Her small hand casually stroked my bicep. Her innuendo was not lost on me.
“Both,” I state knocking the drink back and heavily placing it on the bar behind me. She weaves her hand into mine and I grab the bottle before she can lead me through the bar and upstairs to one of the private rooms.
I looked around once in Suzie’s room. And note the scent of multiple men and the stagnant smell of sex that lingered in the air. My senses had only become stronger in the past three years, and I could distinctly decipher how many men she had just this evening.
Pulling the cork with my teeth from the bottle still in my hand, I spit the stopper on the floor and gulp down the harsh brown liquid. The burn down my throat makes me feel alive yet also serves to numb the mind.
I undo my pants as Suzie peels her pink dress from her shoulders, trying to make it sexy. I don’t really care though it does nothing for me I’m already hard at the thought of working out my frustrations. Her pretty face helps, but I’m not interested in anything else. Just the sex. I'm paying to use her, for my own satisfaction. Not hers.
“Get on the bed,” I command, letting my pants fall to my knees.
Suzie obeys, her dress pulled down below her breasts. She scoots backward hitching up the bottom of the dress and spreads her legs to reveal her pussy. “I’m not ready, Rhett.” She stammers. “I need a little more or there is lube over there…” She points to the bedside table next to the single bed.
I set the bottle down after another swig, look at the tube of lube but leave it where it sits.
I shake my head, grab my cock and give it a few pumps.
I don’t use the lube, Instead, I spit on my fingers and roughly shove two of them into her channel. The female whimpers at the rough contact so I do it once more.
She feels wet enough, so I don’t give it any more thought before shoving my cock inside her and begin to fuck her harshly.
I’m not gentle. There’s nothing romantic about what I’m doing or how I’m treating her. I’m using her.
I close my eyes as I pound into the tiny girl, images of Jonda conjuring behind those tightly shut eyes once more. I latch onto Jonda's image and pretend it's her I’m inside. Mentally replaying the only night, I ever had with her, until I’m spent.
I pull out of Suzie and silently come all over the sheets. The last thing I want is another child.
Suzie lay breathless, chest heaving, and hands still tightly wound in the sheets. I pull my pants up, take out my wallet, and place a handful of notes on the bedside table. Leaving her the bottle of whisky too.
“You could go again if you wanted Rhett.”
I hear Suzie's hopeful voice as I reach for the door handle and pause, not bothering to turn around. “Maybe next time.” I sigh before exiting.
The night is warm with a slight breeze. I keep my eyes and ears open as I leave the tavern and make my way back to the motel. Noting the bell that still sits atop the old church.
Though no one attends the church anymore and the bell is used to warn the town when Packs would attack. Or nowadays new monsters.
I think back to the last time I heard that bell ring. It must have been five years ago now. I remember that night clearly. It was before I had come into my gifts when Ria was only eighteen and the Alpha Arshard had come for the females of this village. He would have taken my sister if Lamia hadn’t turned up and ripped his heart out.
I thought they were dark days back then. Not anymore. Not with how fucked up things had become with the absence of Queen Lamia and King Kellen.
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JONDA One Month ago. I left the Kodiak Kingdom early today, not wanting to outstay my welcome. I was disappointed but not surprised that Morgan couldn’t reverse the curse. I had hoped to gain my wolf fully. They say you can’t miss what you never had, but that’s an outright lie. I had a wolf, one that was bound inside me, one that was there but I couldn’t communicate with her. I couldn’t shift and I couldn’t use her abilities. I was almost as good as human. I was faster than a human, had better hearing, and healed better than a human could. But I wasn’t a shifter, not even close. I longed for the day I could meet my wolf and shift. Run through the forest and feel the wind in her fur. It never bothered me as much as it has since I met Mike. The Royal Beta to the werewolf kingdom. I know we weren’t fated mates, if we were then he and his wolf would know. But that didn’t stop us from falling in love. He wanted to take me as his chosen mate, and I wanted that too. Almost as much as I
LYRICI look around, peering down one end of the street and up the other. The last thing I need is for anyone to see me. Us.I grip the tiny hand in mine a little tighter. I raise my other hand and knock on the worn and cracked door, quickly glancing around at our surroundings again. For the millionth time. All the while listening for movement from the other side of the door.I knock again when I hear nothing. Tap, tap, tap. My nerves ramp up as I wait, listening, looking, “Hurry up” I whisper, sighing on the exhale.The bite of cold nipped at us as we waited for the door to open. The snow in this part of the borough was thick and more was falling. The damp air seeped into our skin through the layers of clothing, chilling us right down to the bone.I would give anything to curl up in front of a fire with a warm drink, cozy up with my favorite person in the realm. Anything was better than having to drag us from the comfort and safety of our home out into the bitter cold night.But I di
MIKE I woke this morning to the most beautiful girl in the realm, made sweet passionate love to her, went down to the training grounds, worked out, showered, and then headed up to my office. The day was starting out like it always should. Fan-frickin-tastic. What more could I ask for? Aside from the usual patrol issues, a rogue here or there encroaching on the capital territory, and the day-to-day business activities, I was knee-deep in plans for Tala’s crowning ceremony. It was only five days away and details needed to be finalized. Thankfully Jonda and my mother had most of it handled. Tala was nearing her due date, so my girl and mother stepped in to help plan the second most important day in the New Moon Kingdom. I had hired Rhett and his enforcers as extra security for the pre-party ball and the actual ceremony. You couldn’t be too cautious when it came to crowning a future Queen. Her security and the Kings, of course, took priority over everything else. The knock on my ope
JONDA I’m an Alpha’s daughter for goddess' sake. Something I never thought I would be doing was pouring over tablecloths, decorations, and seating for a sister I never knew I had up until six months ago. Not even for me. Then again, it’s not every day your sister is being crowned the Queen of wolves. I just hoped all this hard work would pay off and everything would go perfectly for Tala and Kellen. I rub my palms over my eyes and exhale an exhausted breath “I think I need a break,” I tell Oliva, Mike's mother. “All these colors are giving me a headache.” Oliva laughs at my outspoken stress. “I guess after all these years I’m just used to it.” She shrugs, her blues glazing with a faraway look. No doubt recalling a memory from her days as the female Beta to the late Queen Sarah. From what I understood they were all close and the death of Kellen’s parents hit everyone hard. They had touched the lives of their people in so many ways that it had a lasting effect on the Kingdom. Too
LYRIC I rub my temples, my eyes straining on the blueprints that were laid out in front of me. How Miko got a hold of these blueprints was another question. They should have helped me map out my plan to retrieve the crown, but they were useless. This job was impossible. For a second, I wondered if it was too late to run. To grab my son and Aunt Lizzy and just run. Just like she and I did five years ago on my sixteenth birthday. I close my eyes and dig the heels of my palms into them. A poor attempt at trying to block out the memories of that night. The screams, the blood, the carnage. The annihilation of my pack. Tears gather in my eyes, and I pull at the skin around them willing the tears to stay where they are. No help came for us. We were a small pack on the outskirts of the Kingdom, independent from the King's rule. Therefore, we had no backup. By the time my father would have been able to call for backup from our allies - it was too late. The rogue king and his men were qu
MIKE The sound of chirping birds breaks into the most delicious dream I was having. I almost groan out with annoyance and screw my eyes shut trying to go back to sleep and willing my dream to commence so I can finish it. My groan turns into one of pleasure as I realize I wasn’t dreaming. The tickling of a tongue running up my hard shaft has me clenching my fists with gratification. The warm breath of a mouth fans across the head of my cock, the mouth closing around the tip and sucking me in. “Fuck,” I grind out, the sensation almost too much. I open my eyes and lift the sheet to see a mass of chestnut hair begin to bob up and down as Jonda sucks my cock like a pro. “Fuck, my love. This is by far my favorite way to wake up.” I gasp as she takes me deeper and sucks harder and faster. My one hand slides beneath the covers to grasp at her hair. “That’s it, love, let me fuck that mouth.” Jonda moans and the vibration sends a jolt of tingles to the base of my spine and my balls tighten
MIKE On a normal week, I was scheduled to lead training today. However, with all the extra checks and security I needed to do, I passed that task off to my father. I was meant to meet Damon in an hour and go over our security systems and camera placements once more. Then Tyrone and I would go over our patrol rosters with lead warriors from the Elite division. They would be working with Rhett and his Enforcers. With an hour to spare I head over to one of my favorite places. A place where everyone was happy to see me and welcomed me with the best smiles in the whole realm. “Beta Mike!” A chorus of voices rang out as I stepped into the room. In no time my legs were attacked by a dozen pups, ranging between ages three and six. “Have you come to play with us?” A little girl by the name of Darla asks me with hope in her eyes. I chuckle as all the kids start getting excited, “Not today pups, I’m in charge of organizing the Queen's coronation,” Some gasp in excitement and others groan in
LYRIC The tightness in my gut increased as we waited in the car outside another seedy motel, waiting for Shadows man to show up. I had never been so nervous about pulling a job in my life. Then again, there was a lot more riding on this than I liked. I can’t remember the last time I prayed to the moon goddess, but I prayed to her last night, and I silently prayed to her now. I prayed for the job to go smoothly. I prayed for my boy – that I would see him again. And I prayed that I could keep him safe. Bram checked his watch for the umpteenth time, letting out a loud sigh of annoyance. If Bram was anything, I had learned in the past few years he was punctual and hated to be kept waiting. A sharp rap on the car window startles me. I look over as Bram rolls down the driver's side window to a man dressed in black. His hair peeks out from under his hood, a shade darker than white, and his eyes are an eerie mustard yellow. An uncommon eye color if I had ever seen one. His pale, almost gre