CHAPTER 5

HUNTER

I woke up before dawn with my jaw tightly clenched and my wolf howling in my head non-stop.

Kael had been at it all night. Pacing, growling even begging me to go to Valentina's room and claim her and mark her.

I was tired of his repeated words ‘Make her ours before she leaves.’

But I couldn't do that. She was still technically mated to Silas.

And still his Luna. And more importantly, she deserved better than being claimed in the middle of the night by a desperate wolf who couldn't control himself.

So I got dressed in the dark and left the stronghold before the sun came up.

I couldn't be there when she left. I don't think I would be able to stop Kael when he sees her leaving without our mark.

If I stayed, I might do something stupid. E.g, kiss her. Or worse, beg her not to go.

I drove south toward Northfell, the groundhog castle where the Werewolf King resided.

The journey took three hours and I spent every minute of it trying to shut Kael up.

‘She's ours,’ he kept insisting. ‘Go back, right now.’ ‘ We must claim her.’

"She's not ours," I growled out loud. "She's Silas's mate. Kael, let this go."

‘ She doesn't belong to him anymore. The bond is broken. She doesn't want him. She wants us. You saw it last night.’

"You don't know that."

‘ I can smell it on her. She wants us just as much as we want her.’

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. Maybe Kael was right.

What if Valentina did feel something? But that didn't matter. She came to me for revenge, not for a relationship with her father-in-law.

When I finally reached Northfell, the guards at the gate bowed immediately.

"Alpha Prime. Welcome."

I nodded and drove through. The castle was massive, all white stone and tall towers. It had been the seat of werewolf royalty in North America for over two centuries.

I parked and walked inside. Wolves bowed and greeted me as I passed.

"Alpha Prime."

"Good morning, sir."

"Honor to see you, Alpha Prime."

I acknowledged them with nods but kept moving toward the throne room where I knew my friend Grayson would be.

The doors opened and Grayson was sitting on his throne reviewing papers with his advisors.

When he looked up and saw me, his entire face lit up.

"Hunter!" Grayson jumped up from his throne and crossed the room towards me.

He still acts like an excited pup despite being the Werewolf King

He pulled me into a bear hug and laughed. "What brings you here? It's been months!"

"I needed to talk to you about something."

Grayson stepped back and examined my face. His smile faded a bit. "You look terrible, man. What happened?"

"Can we talk privately?"

"Of course." He waved his advisors away. "Leave us."

They bowed and hurried out quickly. Once the doors closed, Grayson gestured to the chairs near the fireplace.

"Sit. Tell me what's going on."

I sank down and sighed deeply. I didn't even know where to start.

"You look moody as hell," Grayson noted, pouring two glasses of brandy even though it was barely nine in the morning. "What happened? Did something go wrong at the stronghold?"

"Not exactly." I took the glass he offered. "It's about Silas."

Grayson's expression darkened. "What did that boy do now?"

"He's been having an affair. For three years. With a pack member. She's pregnant."

"Goddess." Grayson sat back. "And Valentina? His mate?"

"She found out. Came to me last night asking for help."

"She came to you?" Grayson looked surprised. "After all these years of you isolating yourself?"

"She wants revenge. She asked me to bring the case before you and expose Silas and punish him."

"And you agreed?"

"Yes. If she can provide evidence against not just Silas, but Morgana too."

Grayson's eyebrows shot up. "Morgana again? What does she have to do with this?"

"She's been having an affair too. For twenty-five years. With Dominic."

"Your stepbrother Dominic?" Grayson whistled low. "Damn. And she encouraged Silas's betrayal I am guessing?"

"Yes. Even forced Valentina to abort the pup she was carrying because Silas 'wasn't ready to be a father.'"

Grayson's face went red. "That's barbaric."

"It's worse than that." I gulped down my drink. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here, old friend?"

I set down my glass and ran my hands through my hair. This was harder to say out loud than I thought.

"Valentina... when I saw her last night, something happened."

"What kind of something?"

"Kael went crazy. He started claiming she was our mate."

I was expecting Grayson's surprise but certainly not his laughter.

He laughed so hard that he had to start wiping tears from his eyes.

"This isn't funny," I growled.

"Oh, it's hilarious!" Grayson slapped his knee. "Hunter Knox Winterfell, the great Alpha Prime who's been hiding in the mountains for eight years, finally meets someone and his wolf goes feral. This is the best news I've heard in years!"

"It's not news. It's a problem."

"A problem?" Grayson leaned forward. "Hunter, for eight years I've been sending you letters. Introducing you to eligible she-wolves. Begging you to move on from Morgana. And you rejected every single one. But now, this Valentina shows up and suddenly your wolf is interested?"

"She's my son's mate."

"Your son who doesn't want her anymore," he pointed out. "Your son who cheated on her. Who got another woman pregnant? Who forced her to abort her child? He gave up any claim to her the moment he broke their bond."

"That's not how it works."

"Then make it work." He stood up and paced. If I didn't know better, I would think he was the one in this stupid situation and not me.

"Goddess, Hunter. You've been given a gift here. A woman who needs you. She actually came to you for help. And your picky wolf recognizes her as a mate. And you're what? Going to let her slip away because she used to be married to your idiotic son?"

"She's not looking for another mate," I pointed out. "She's looking for revenge."

"So give her both! Must I spell out everything?" Grayson threw his hands up. "Be the hero. Help her destroy Silas. And then claim her for yourself."

I stared at him. "Are you serious right now?"

"Absolutely." He dropped back down. "Look, I know this is complicated. But answer me honestly. Do you want her?"

It was a stupid question because I wouldn't be here if I didn't want her like crazy.

I wanted her more than I'd wanted anything in twenty-five years.

I wanted to hear her laugh and see her smile not cry.

"Yes," I admitted calmly. "I want her."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"She deserves better than being caught between father and son."

"She deserves someone who will cherish her," he corrected. "Someone who won't cheat on her, that someone is you, not that bastard ingrate of a son."

I couldn't argue with that.

"So you're saying I should pursue her."

"I'm saying don't let your dickhead of a son ruin this opportunity for you." Grayson's voice got serious. "Hunter, you've been alone for eight years. Punishing yourself for a marriage that was doomed from the start. This Valentina, she could be your second chance. Don't throw that away."

I stood up abruptly moving towards the door. My heart was pounding loudly.

"Where are you going?" Grayson called after me.

"Back to the stronghold."

"To do what?"

I stopped at the door and looked back at my friend. "I am taking your advice."