Chapter 12 - Hunter
I've always tried to outrun my past in the hope that the darkness would stay where I left it.
But like any shadow, it's always following me, always lurking, even if I don't look over my shoulder.
Now, running in wolf form as fast as my paws can carry me, I can't seem to run away from the darkness that hangs over me like a dark cloud.
I have no idea why the witch who's locked away was able to flash my darkness in front of me with a single, brief touch, but my past flashed right before my eyes the way it did that night when our group faced off with a dark, demonic being that could only be killed with a silver blade.
Pure silver, which prevented me from being in wolf form when I pierced that malevolent creature in its chest. Because we'd been informed by the head of the Werewolf Union that such a vile creature existed and needed to be exterminated in Alaska, our group had decided to leave Delilah out of the mission.
If the creature had anything to do with black magic, it was best to keep our resident white witch out of it.
But that night, I saw my life flash before my eyes, and in that moment, as I killed the dark, ominous creature and sent it back to whatever hell it came from, I knew that I couldn't ever drag Delilah down with me.
The past that haunts me will forever hang over me like a dark cloud.
What's worse is that I saw into my future, and it's something I've been trying to avoid at all costs.
Maybe that night, I wasn't worried that I couldn't protect Delilah from the vile creatures that exist out there.
I was more afraid that I wouldn't be able to protect her from me.
The realization hits me as lightning-quick as my dark past crashing into me the night of the undercover mission. As quickly as it did just now, when the witch stirred up those dark, treacherous memories.
That's why I sprint faster, trying to put enough distance between me and the only person who can never be tainted by my darkness.
Delilah.
As I push forward, I lift my head and howl with anguish, feeling her presence nearing me as if I'm being chased.
I can't outrun my past.
And I can't outrun the she-wolf who knows these woods better than I do.
The slight distraction of sensing Delilah coming after me makes me stumble over a rock cemented in the ground, crashing into the first tree with an impact that quakes the ground and gives her enough time to catch up.
As she towers over me in wolf form, her majestic wolf covered in soft, black fur with a single streak of silver running along her back like a lightning bolt to match the strand of gray hair she wears in human form, Delilah whimpers and lowers her head.
It's like she's appealing to me to stop running away, running from her, running from the past I've been trying to leave behind.
She cares, that's why she followed me.
She cares about me.
And that's the toughest pill to swallow, and it has my wolf cowering as I'm left in human form, hanging my head in surrender.
Only my mind continues racing with flashes of the darkness I carry, and I can't bring myself to face the only person on earth who shouldn't ever see a flicker of that darkness.
“Hunter! Why were you running away?” Delilah asks, standing in human form now in the most delectable black silk dress that clings to her curves.
My eyes travel up the length of her frame until I'm met with the accusing depths of her eyes, the tiny green specks swimming in hazel, fiery as she glares at me.
“I wasn't running away,” I lie, shrugging as I shove my hands into the pockets of the tailored slacks I'm wearing.
Somehow, the suit Delilah arranged for me to wear was a perfect fit, reminding me how well she knows me, even if she's determined to pretend like she's indifferent. “I needed some fresh air.”
“Right,” she scoffs and folds her arms. “What happened back there?”
“Nothing,” I shrug again. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Delilah takes a step forward and stares squarely into my eyes as if she's trying to read my soul. A shiver of discomfort passes through me, but I refuse to show it and keep my shoulders square.
“I know something happened back there when Gwen touched you,” Delilah presses, and I force out a scoff.
“Oh, so you're on a first-name basis with that witch now?” I sneer.
“That doesn't matter. She told me what she saw when she accidentally touched you, and you saw it, too. Whatever it is, it's heavy enough to have you running off like you did.”
“Oh, so you believe whatever she says, huh?” I throw my head back and laugh incredulously, not wanting to reveal that I'm lying. “That's absurd, Delilah. Even for you. You've known her for what? Three minutes, and suddenly you believe everything she says!”
“I've known you for four years, and yet it feels like I don't know you at all,” Delilah retorts with a snort.
Frustrated that I can't drive Delilah away, she's so adamant, so stubborn, I feel like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Delilah, it's not—” I'm about to tell her off when footsteps crunching the dry leaves and stones nearby snap my attention behind me, only to see the prince emerging into the forest.
“Pardon me, you two…” Prince Damion presses a hand to his chest, brows furrowed as he approaches us. “I heard some noises out here, and I was worried.”
Instantly becoming protective of Delilah, I step in front of her. “It's just us, Prince Damion. There's nothing to worry about.”
“You were fighting…?” Prince Damion suggests hesitantly, and my inner wolf snaps with that same jealous surge I always feel in the prince's presence. My blood is boiling now, ready to explode.
Especially when Delilah steps out and politely bows her head.
“Don't worry, Prince Damion. My husband and I were just discussing something,” Delilah says softly, glancing at me from the side with a disappointed, sad glint in her eyes. “It's a private matter.”
Prince Damion nods as he stares at Delilah, but she doesn't say anything more before pushing past me and running off toward the town. My jaw drops in shock, but the jealousy I feel for the way she's so soft around him is pushed back as I become worried about her.
I can't ignore that sadness in her eyes, my inner wolf compelling me to go after her instead of taking out my frustrations on the prince. I lift my head only to offer him a terse, “Excuse me, Prince Damion,” before running after Delilah.
She's already behind her parents’ house, making her way to her cottage.
“Delilah! Wait!” I call out after her, but she picks up speed and rushes to her porch, only spinning around when she's at the door.
“Wait for what, Hunter?” she snaps, glowering at my face. “Are you gonna give me an explanation?!”
“I can't, Delilah,” I wince and hang my head. “I can't tell you what she saw, what I saw. It's too…” My voice tapers off.
“It's too what? Dark? Is that it?” she asks as if she can read my thoughts.
I lift my head with a frown, staring into her eyes, which threaten to see right through me, into my soul with all its darkness. “Forget it.”
Delilah throws her head back and groans in frustration. “I really wish I could!” she yells before turning toward the door.
In two quick strides, I'm on the porch, grabbing her wrist and stopping her from entering the house. The electric awareness is frightening from where it pulses through my fingertips and spreads through my arm, and Delilah feels it too, turning slowly and setting accusing eyes on me.
As if I can control it.
As if I'm actively doing something to control the effects of the mate bond.
Her fragrant scent enters my airways, turning my world upside down and threatening to change things as I know them, just like it did years ago when I held her in my arms and felt the connection we had when we were at our most vulnerable.
It's the same now, and there's no denying it. The words that leave my mouth are the truest words I've spoken all night when I say, “I wish I could too. I wish I could forget you.”
I'm not sure when or why the shift happens, but Delilah closes the distance between us, and I move in tandem with her to crush my lips to hers.
The kiss is as electric as ever, sparking awareness in every nerve ending my body possesses, and igniting my soul in ways only Delilah can.
I tilt my head and deepen the kiss, my tongue entering the cavity of her mouth to taste her, and she doesn't protest; she doesn't push me away.
Memories of the passion we once shared come crashing forward, and there's nothing either of us can do to stop this; the array of emotions of tonight intensifies the kiss.