Hunter's Secret

Raine’s POV

I wake up and my arm doesn’t hurt anymore. I can feel someone holding my hand and from the tingles, I can tell it is Hunter. I slowly open my eyes and he is just staring at my hand, slowly rubbing circles over my knuckles. His hair is hanging in his face, and I unintentionally gasp when I see all the blood on his shirt. His eyes snap up to mine and they are full of fear, anger, and maybe even guilt.

“Raine?” he whispers.

“Your arm…you have stitches. You are hurt.”

“I am fine. It has almost healed already anyway. The stitches were just to stop the bleeding. Most of this isn’t my blood,” he tells me, his face twisting with guilt before he looked away.

“Oh,” I whisper.

He goes to remove his hand from mine, but I tighten my grip. He looks back at me in surprise.

“Did you kill him?”

He closes his eyes and nods his head.

“I’m sorry,” I apologize and confusion flashes across his face.

“No, I am sorry. I didn’t get there fast enough, and he hurt you. He could have killed you, Raine.”

“But he didn’t. You did get there fast enough. Thank you.”

“No, I don’t deserve a thank you. He hurt you,” he whispers, looking away from me again.

“Hunter. Stop. You are right, he would have killed me. But he didn’t because you saved me. What about Emma? Is she okay? That is who the gray wolf was right?”

“Yes, her wolf’s name is Amira. And she is okay. She was rushed into surgery to repair her shoulder. She lost a lot of blood and almost died. She is okay now though, but she may not have a full recovery of her shoulder because there was a lot of damage. Cameron is sitting with her now. She is not awake yet.”

“Who was the brown wolf?”

“I don’t know. He was a rogue, meaning he didn’t belong to a pack. And he was using magic to hide his scent. He is working with someone and whoever it is, they are very angry at me for some reason. I am so sorry, Raine. You don’t deserve this. I dragged you into a mess and now you are hurt.”

“It is just a broken arm, Hunter. It will heal. Not as fast as you but it will heal. Did they say how long?”

“Six weeks in the splint and sling. No movement so the bones can fuse together again. And then physical therapy and reduced movement until it is healed completely. It will probably take at least six months before you are back to normal. I am so sorry.”

“Did you break my arm?”

“What?” He asks, hurt on his face.

“Did you break arm, Hunter?”

“Of course not. It was that wolf. He stood on your arm.”

“Right. So then stop apologizing. This is not your fault,” I firmly state.

He looks at me with guilt but there is also a hint of relief on his face. His green eyes turn gray for a second.

“Your dad is asking if he can come see you,” he tells me. I agree to a visit and my dad walks in with Ash a few moments later. He sees Hunter holding my hand and Hunter quickly drops it and moves out of the way. My dad comes over and gently hugs me, careful to not touch my arm.

“How are you feeling, Rainey?”

“Not too bad. My arm is starting to hurt a little now,” I admit, and Hunter swiftly leaves the room.

“You can come home, and Ash and I will help take care of you. And then I will find someone to help you when you go back to your residency.”

“I am not going back, dad. I can’t leave right now.”

“What? You are just going to give up on your dream?” he incredulously asks.

“No, I am not giving up on it. I am just putting it on pause for a minute. I won’t be able to do my job fully until my arm is healed anyway. I will call the director later and update him on the situation.”

“Rainey…”

“You are not going to change my mind, dad. I am sorry if that disappoints you.”

“You could never disappoint me. You are my daughter. That alone is enough to forever make me proud. I just love you so much,” he emotionally tells me, gently moving some of my hair out of my face. He leans down and places a kiss on my forehead before taking Hunter’s seat and reaches for my hand.

Hunter comes back in with a nurse who hands me a pill and a glass of water, “Pain meds, Luna.”

Luna. She called me Luna too. How can I possibly be a Luna if I can’t even stand up for myself? I know my face frowns as I swallow the pill because Hunter immediately notices. His eyes search my face and I offer a small smile and shake my head.

“Alpha, I want to bring her home with me when she is discharged so I can help take care of her,” my dad states, not exactly asking Hunter for his permission.

“No. She is coming with me. She is my mate. It is my job to take care of her,” Hunter responds.

“She is my daughter. She is coming home with me.”

“I said no. Don’t push it,” Hunter’s voice has a sharpness to it, but my dad ignores it completely.

“I will push it! She is my daughter and will need someone to take care of her!”

Hunter is visibly taken aback by my dad’s tone. But he narrowed his eyes and a low growl rumbled out of his chest.

“Stop! Both of you! Shouldn’t I be able to decide?” I half-yelled, shocking both of them.

They both looked at me, slightly guilty and I pursed my lips.

“I am an adult. Neither one of you gets to decide anything for me,” I look at Hunter, “I am going home with my mate.”

I look at my dad, “I am not going to choose between the two of you. The only reason I am going home with Hunter is because he can physically protect me better than you can. Dad, I love you but we both know that is true. Please don’t be mad.”

“I am not mad, Rainey. You are right. He can protect you better than I can. I love you too,” my dad’s voice is back to its normal tone, and he smiles at me before turning back to Hunter, “Alpha, I am sorry for raising my voice at you. This has been a long day. Please take good care of her. And please call me if you need anything.”

“Titus, I told you that you could just call me Hunter. And I promised that I would take care of your daughter and I meant it. Thank you for trusting me.”

“You are a good person, Hunter. Ash and I are going to go home now.”

My dad comes over to give me another gentle hug and Ash does the same before they both leave my room. Hunter takes a seat again and his eyes turn gray. A few moments later, several nurses come into my room and take out my IV, give me post-operative instructions and a few days’ worth of pain medication before helping me into a wheelchair. They leave and Hunter carefully pushes me to the entrance of the hospital.

“Can I carry you home or would you rather me push you?” he softly asks.

“Wheelchairs are uncomfy,” I respond, and he smiles.

He easily picks me up and carries me bridal style. I lay my head against his chest and focus on how it feels to be in his arms. I am not a super skinny girl. I am not overweight, but I am definitely not skinny, yet he carries me like I weigh absolutely nothing. We make to the house, and he gently sets me down so he can fish the key out of his pocket. He opens the door and picks me back up, closing the door behind him with his foot which I notice is bare. He carries me up the stairs and lays me down on his bed, helping me to sit against the frame.

His smell envelops me, and I sigh with content. Hearing my sigh, Hunter looks at with me concern but I just smile.

“Are you okay? Why did you sigh? Are you hurting?”

“I am fine, Hunter. I sighed because I am happy. You make me happy,” I admit, and he flashes me a smile.

“You make me happy too. Are you okay for me to go take a shower? I really would like to get rid of this blood.”

“Of course. Can you bring me my book from your office before you take a shower?”

He goes to grab my book and hands it to me before disappearing into his bathroom. He is going to be so happy when I tell him that I am staying here for now. Honestly, I am happy too. I have only known him for four days but the thought of leaving him makes me surprisingly sad. It must be the mate bond. I flip open the cover of the book and locate the section on mates and mate bonds. I slightly struggle to turn the pages with one hand while also holding the book open, but the book isn’t heavy, so I manage. I start reading but soon start feeling really sleepy, so I let myself drift off.

I briefly hear Hunter come out of the bathroom and he quietly comes over to me, brushing some of my hair out of my face. He places my book on the bedside table and gently moves me, so I am under the covers. He places a pillow under my right arm, so it can be propped up some. He leans over and places a very soft kiss on my forehead, and I can’t help but smile. He is so sweet. I can definitely see myself falling in love with him. With that happy thought, I let myself fall asleep.