Word Count: 2001

~Hunter

Azura's smile is tentative. She doesn't trust me.

I don't blame her. I'm a complete stranger in her own home, which I can't imagine is a common thing to happen here.

"Just point to the door if you want me to leave." I smooth my hand down my right leg, which is hurt the most by my back injury. "I just need a moment..."

Azura sits up a little, peeking over the edge of the table.

She points at my leg.

"Your brother shot me in the back. It's really affected this leg in particular," I explain, releasing a long breath. My skin is sticky from exertion, and the more I sit the more I don't want to get back up.

Azura winces, shaking her head a little. She doesn't seem surprised.

"I don't like him..." I tell her flatly. No point lying to her.

She smiles, looking down at her book of paintings. She doesn't seem to disagree, although there is something deeper in her smile, like she is sharing a private joke with herself.

"I like Taysa though. She seems nice," I add. I need to be nicer to Tay. I need to let someone like me instead of being wary about everyone around the corner.

Azura's smile fades and she clears her throat.

"Do you mind if I take some books back to my room?" I ask her, motioning at the collection of books around us.

She shakes her head. She doesn't mind.

Heaving myself up, I take my time looking for titles I would interested reading while I'm here. I'm not much of a reader, but I have nothing else to do while I wait for my back to heal.

Once I've collected my stack of four, I turn back to Azura.

"Would you mind helping? My leg..."

She tenses. Her nose scrunches up and she shakes her head quickly, averting her gaze.

Uh oh, I offended her. Either she isn't capable of leaving her seat, she doesn't want to leave or I just asked the sister of an Alpha to help me with something laborious.

I wouldn't assume the latter is the case because it's a harsh judgement to make about a person. However, I've been around so many 'sister's of the Alpha' that I know it to be true in most cases.

Yet, Azura doesn't seem like that.

"Oh. Sorry, it's just that only Kaan is home, and I don't really want to ask for his help," I excuse, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

She stands, grabbing the books from my arm before heading out the door.

"Wow. Thank you." I struggle after her, using the cane to balance myself.

She moves slowly down the stairs, keeping an eye on me as I use both the cane and the bannister to make my way down. I can see that she is using it as a way to examine me, to determine how much of a threat I really am.

"I would love to see some of your art some time," I tell her through harsh breaths. Those stairs are killer.

She nods, walking ahead of me down the hallway.

"I have a...I have no siblings, so sorry if I'm being pushy," I say.

I do have a sibling. One sister. However, Hunter, the version of me I'm slowly creating, doesn't. Considering my experience with having a sibling, I may as well have been an only child.

Azura waves me off as I point to my room.

"Just on the desk would be great, thank you."

She sets them down, pausing. She's like a ghost. Quiet, observant and...chilling. Maybe it's my own biases since she cannot speak to me, but it's like she is harbouring a dark secret,

I shake my head. I'm looking into something that isn't there.

Azura suddenly stalks over. She points at my chest, then points at the window.

"What's wrong?" I frown. Out the window there is nothing but the view of the forest and the towering mountains seated along the horizon.

She shakes her head, jabbing my chest with her finger before pointing out the window again. I blink. What?

"You want me to go out there?" I'm trying to piece her intentions together.

She nods, moving over to the wardrobe, miming the act of packing clothing into a bag and leaving. It suddenly dawns on me what she is trying to express.

"You want me to leave?"

She nods.

I'm a little hurt, admittedly. It's my fault, though, for intruding on her space and assuming she would want to be my friend while I'm here. She probably just wants me away from her family, and see me the same way Kaan does.

"Don't worry, I'm working on it," I grumble, sitting down on the bed. "Have to heal first."

She's fidgeting, toying with the edge of her shirt hem. In fact, she looks stricken, fearful. She swallows tightly before she quickly hurries off.

I sigh. So much for that.

***

"Can't believe you convinced me to do this," I grumble, squinting as the sun assaults my vision.

Tay has found a new way to cart me around for her amusement. I'm in some kind of chair contraption that allows me to be wheeled around.

This is he first attempt to bring me out onto the grass, and so far we haven't gotten stuck.

"This is quite the nifty chair, isn't it?" Tay exclaims, pleased with herself.

I'm not mad about it either. This is the first time I've been outside in days, and it's freeing. I don't feel like a wounded animal trapped in a den of predators.

"As long as you don't let go of it, we will be fine," I say through gritted teeth.

Only three minutes ago Tay nearly pitched me out of the seat when she went too fast through a puddle.

"I love having you around. It's hard with Azura, since none of us can really communicate with her," Tay admits, huffing through her nose.

They must have a tense relationship. Azura didn't seem happy when I mentioned Tay's name.

I doubt Tay goes and visits her. I doubt she even tries to reach out.

"I met her. She seems nice." Her shooing me away doesn't make me dislike her. I understand why she feels wary of me.

"So where exactly are you from?" Tay asks tentatively.

She asked me a few days ago for more information about my past. Tired and in pain I bit back at her, telling her to mind her own business. Since then she hasn't tried to reach out.

It seems that has changed.

"Far from here," I respond tightly.

"Do you have a family?"

"No. It's just me."

Tay rubs my shoulder. "That's okay. You have us now. Mother and father will warm to you soon. They are just wary of outsiders."

"Understandable, I suppose."

I could be anyone, and yet for now they are choosing to trust me. Fools.

Tay wheels me around the manor and to the back. There's a formal lawn that stretches out to a large, imposing concrete wall that surrounds the perimeter of the property. Beyond it, the forest.

Where I will be making my escape, very soon.

Unfortunately Kaan is out here, near a pretty gazebo. He looks like he is sparring with two other guys.

Tay stops pushing me. "Sorry, I didn't realise Kaan was out here."

"What's he doing?" I ask.

He's shirtless, the sun gleaming against his bare skin. He's as well muscled as I figured he is, and frankly beautiful. Sometimes it feels like there is an unknown, mystical source that makes all Alpha's attractive just to make the rest of us suffer.

"Training," Tay explains. "Those guys work for my father, who is letting Kaan train them. Keeps him out of trouble."

"Good, it can keep him away from me," I mutter.

"Can we go over and say hi?"

My eyes widen. "Wait, why?" I'm perfectly content just sitting by and watching.

"Because...I want to talk to them." She starts pushing my chair along, much to my dismay.

I don't know who these two other guys are, but I don't want them learning anything about me either. The less people I see, the less people may recognise me.

"Tay!" I shriek, clutching the arms of the chair.

"I'm not allowed to have contact with anyone, Hunter. Can you blame me?" she remarks in my ear.

She could just say she wants to go and blatantly flirt with one of these guys. I would be fine with that, although I don't think I want to be stuck watching her seduce someone.

"Come on..." I groan as we draw near.

One of the men, with fluffy black hair, takes a punch at Kaan, who dodges it with ease.

"Unfortunately for you, I control your chair."

I roll my eyes, trying not to be bumped straight out of my seat as I'm pushed violently through the grass.

The sparring stops as we draw near.

"What do you want Tay?" Kaan questions irritably, pushing the black haired man away from him.

"Thought the boys would want to meet Hunter," Tay sings, circling the chair.

The man with the black hair has arctic blue eyes that widen a little at the sight of me, tracing over my legs which hang uselessly in front of me. The other man is a little shorter, with dark blond hair and sharp brown eyes.

"You're new," brown eyes says, smirking a little.

"I'm not going to be here for long," I tell them both. "And I can walk, by the way. When I don't have a spinal injury, I mean."

I glare at Kaan, who narrows his eyes slightly.

I force myself to look away from him. He's too easy to look at right now. The sheen of sweat glazing his skin could make my mouth-water, his dark hair sticking to his forehead.

Brown eyes steps forward, holding his hand out. "I'm-"

"Doesn't matter. Get back to training," Kaan growls at him.

Brown eyes quickly pulls his hand away, backing up. If their Alpha tells them to do something, they do it.

"His name is Zain. And that's Saren," Tay tells me lowly, pointing at them both in turn.

Zain: brown eyes. Saren: blue eyes. Got it.

I'll forget about them soon anyways, when I'm on my way to my next destination. Hopefully that will be the one I can settle down in, start fresh as neither Hunter or...or who I was before.

"I think Hunter is going to need some rest," Kaan tells his sister, ruffling his hand through his hair.

"I'm fine," I snap.

Don't make me seem weak.

Kaan steps toward me and my entire body tenses in response. He crouches down so he is at my level, a smirk forming against his lips.

"You sure? I don't want you to struggle tonight trying to get normal things done," he breathes. "If you do, I can always help..."

"Seriously Kaan? Shut up," Tay scolds.

She has no idea what happened two nights ago when Kaan came into my room and helped me bathe. I've been trying to figure out a way to stop having it haunt me, but I can't get it out of my head.

Kaan sighs, standing gracefully.

"If Hunter is doing so well, she can start training with me in a few days. Basic strength stuff, to help you walk properly again," he announces.

He expects me to back down, to make an excuse. I don't want his help, but I would be a fool to turn down an opportunity to move on.

"If it means getting out of here, I'm ready," I tell him, holding his stare.

"Perfect." His eyes darkened. "You have no idea what I have planned for you, Hunt."

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~Midika 💜🐼