Chapter 4: His Mate

-Rogan-

I looked at the hunter lying in the hospital bed. She was sleeping soundly, unaware of the hell that awaited her when she eventually woke up. Martin had managed to save her, but it had been a close call. So far, she had been asleep for three days, and it didn’t seem like she would wake up anytime soon. But she had to—she had to! I couldn’t forget what I had learned the night they attacked me.

“Wake up,” I growled lowly from beside her bed, tired of waiting.

I wanted this resolved quickly because, even if I tried to deny it, there was no escaping the truth: we were mates. I leaned forward in my seat, running my hands down my face, when suddenly I noticed the little hunter’s hand twitch. I looked up to see her slowly waking.

I sat up, waiting for her to find the strength to focus on me. At first, she seemed confused and disoriented. Her blue eyes scanned the ceiling, then the room, finally landing on me. She tried to pull away, but her hands were restrained, as if she were some kind of dangerous lunatic.

“What the fuck?” she exclaimed.

She continued to writhe, and I waited until she calmed down and realized there was no escape.

“It’s no use,” I said.

She kept struggling against her restraints, slowly understanding that she wasn’t getting out of here. “Why aren’t I dead?” she demanded.

“Because I made sure they kept you alive.”

“Why?” she growled back at me.

This little hunter was tough. She didn’t flinch but stared directly into my eyes. She might not be a werewolf, but I knew my powers affected even humans.

“Because I didn’t want you dead.”

She smiled—a nearly sinister grin.

“What do you want then?” she asked, her tone almost mocking.

She was trying to stay strong, but I could hear the rapid thump of her heart, and she leaned as far away from me as she could.

She is beautiful, though.

What? I wanted to curse at my wolf for inserting that thought into my head. I shook it off, trying to focus on my task.

“You have information I want,” I said.

She continued to smile defiantly.

“You’re not getting anything out of me,” she replied.

I leaned closer, prompting her to pull away, though she didn’t get far.

“I’m good at getting information out of people. 110,” I said.

Her expression shifted to surprise, but I had seen her watch. Hunters always referred to each other by numbers to protect their personal identities.

“Why 110?” I inquired.

She stared at me, appearing confused.

“Well, I might find out one day when you’re no longer a threat,” she said.

“We will always be a threat. This world is better without you.”

“You really believe that,” I said, though it wasn’t a question.

She wasn’t the first hunter I had encountered, and she wouldn’t be the last. I knew they were brainwashed, which was both dangerous and frustrating.

“Well, I’m not going to use that old speech about how ‘we’re not the bad guys’, because I know it won’t work,” I said.

“Maybe because you are the bad guys,” she shot back.

I sighed, shaking my head as I stood up. She had to lean her head back to look at me.

“I don’t have time for this,” I said.

“Is this where the torture begins?” she asked.

I tilted my head slightly. “No,” I replied.

She looked confused. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“You’re still hurt.”

“And that matters?” she inquired.

“You’ll last longer if you’re not,” I told her, noticing the flicker of fear in her eyes, though she quickly masked it, acting as if it were no big deal.

“It might take me weeks to get better. You shot me.”

“Only the second time,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes, and we held each other’s gaze. She was definitely studying me, searching for weaknesses, but I took a moment to truly observe her. My heart was beating unusually fast in her presence, and looking at her felt like… something I couldn’t quite explain. It was more of a feeling, as if I had never seen anyone like her before. Why, of all the people in the world, had my wolf chosen her? Couldn’t he have picked another werewolf?

Do not blame me!

Who else was I supposed to blame? I wanted to ask, but he knew what I was thinking and huffed in displeasure.

You are not rejecting her!

I sighed, not wanting to have this discussion with him now. It really wasn’t the time.

“So, what happens now?” she inquired.

“Now I reject you,” I said.

“What does that mean?” she replied.

“It means I don’t want you.”

She looked bewildered, and I really didn’t want to explain this to her. I just wanted it over with. Since she was human, she didn’t have to accept my rejection.

“I…” My voice broke unexpectedly, and the little hunter continued to look confused.

“I… I…” Every time I tried to say the words, my voice faltered, and I knew my wolf was preventing me from doing what I had to do.

“You?” she prompted.

“I, Rogan—” My voice cracked, and the hunter looked almost scared. She clearly couldn’t figure out why I was acting this way, and I wanted to tell her I wasn’t crazy, just trying to end this bond between us that she didn’t even know existed. Okay, that did sound crazy, but she didn’t understand our world.

“I know your name,” she said.

I opened my mouth to tell her that wasn’t what I meant to say, but I knew my wolf wouldn’t let me speak those words until we had discussed this. I turned away, not offering the hunter an explanation, and walked out of the room, far enough away that she couldn’t hear me.