It had been a week after the first day of hunting season, and Jason was off to a good start, so far. He even decided to go hunting a bit earlier.

So early that we woke up before his husband and somewhat regretted when he came home and found Aaron at him with a pan in his hand.

After suffering the consequences and trying to soothe his sore earlobe, Jason decided to go and sell the freshly hunted meat to the nearby butcher, which was owned by his uncle and cousins.

Parking his truck and walking to the front, he grabbed a box of unopened cigars. They were for his cousin since Jason had need or no desire to smoke. Entering the cold atmosphere, Jason felt a chill run through him and took off his hat.

"Jason! Son of a bitch! How are ya?" called an older man. He had a shaved head, a bloody apron and a cigar in his mouth as he chopped at some meat.

"Been doing pretty good, Casey. How's the wife? You guys doing good again?"

Taking out the cigarette and blowing a puff of smoke out, Casey answered him, "Yeah, we're better. Turns out she's pregnant again. It was all those damn hormones talking again."

Jason nodded his head. He always wanted kids, especially with Aaron, but he never felt as if he was ready to become a parent. He felt as if he wouldn't be able to be there or handle the stress and leave, just as his father left him and his mother. He knew Aaron was ready and prepared, since he had to care for himself and his younger sisters while growing up.

That was another fear of Jason's. The thought of disappointing or bringing him down would sometimes cloud Jason's thoughts.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he tossed the box of cigars to Casey, who caught them easily with his free hand. He studied them and scoffed, pocketing them.

"You seriously got me these off brands?"

"You're still gonna smoke the damn things. It doesn't matter at this point. C'mon, I've got some deer for you to chop up." Jason shot back, putting his cap back on and walking out the door, Casey following him as he made his way to the back of the butchery.

Jason removed the cover on the back of his pickup truck, revealing three dead deer, each with a bullet hole in their head or neck. They had lost some body heat since they were hunted in the early morning, right as the sun was rising.

Dropping his cigar and stomping it out, Casey came closer to inspect the deer. "They look nice and fresh. Did you just hunt them?"

Jason nodded, "I would've brought them earlier, but I got in trouble with Aaron."

"Trouble in paradise?" Casey asked.

"Nah. I snuck out to go hunt without telling him. I guess he got pretty worried when he didn't see me in bed with him. I would be mad too if I was in his shoes." he admitted.

"Well my best advice is to smack him on the ass and tell him you're the reason the bills are getting paid. Then take him to a nice dinner, showing him that you're providing money."

"I'm not gonna do that. That's not even the point. Aaron could care less about money. A few days ago, he told me about some wolves that have moved in near our house. He was just worried that something happened, that's all. Now how much are you going to pay me? I've places to be and animals to hunt."

"Well shit, boy, let me think about it!" Casey huffed, taking out another cigar and lighting it. He looked at the deer for a few more moments before speaking up again, "How about $300 for now and $40 for each deer you bring to us?"

Jason nodded and shook hands with his cousin. Within the next hour, he helped Casey unload the truck and was eventually paid.

Getting back in his truck, Jason decided to skip lunch and head on back to the hunting grounds.

It was getting dark, and Jason was bored and frustrated. He knew for sure that there were deer in the area that he was in. He knew he couldn't have possibly hunted all the deer around him, so something was up.

He also remembered Grayson's warning. Why was he so determined when it came to warning him about "staying away from other's territories." Even if a wolf or something attacked him, he could defend himself. It wouldn't be his first time stumbling into a wolf den and having to fight off wolves.

Plus, why would Grayson warn him of all people? The only reason why Grayson would care for his well being was because Aaron would be devastated if something happened. Other than that, Jason and Grayson practically hated each other.

He didn't need to listen to someone who didn't really care for him.

Jason headed deeper into the woods. The sticks and leaves crunching as he walked. The only sounds around him were the sounds of nearby insects and birds chirping. He heard a howl in the distance, but it was far enough for him to keep going. Still, he wanted to be cautious of the wolves that had everyone fearing to leave their house after dark or go into the forest.

After a while of searching for some sign of animal, Jason was ready to turn back, until he saw a deer running away from something. He was about to go after it, until a wolf with black fur came behind it and caught it with its teeth. The poor small deer screeched as it was being shaken around by the wolf, drops of blood flying around, until it fell limp and stopped screeching.

The wolf, with bloody teeth, dropped and began eating it. As much as Jason was counting that deer, that wolf would fetch a nice price.

He aimed his hunting rifle at the wolf, held his breath, and pulled the trigger, hoping that it would at least render the wolf defenseless and harmless so he could easily finish it off.

When the bullet hit the wolf, it jumped and whimpered, bringing some satisfaction to Jason as he aimed his gun again. But the wolf had stood up tall and looked at Jason, not seeming affected by the bullet. It stared at him menacingly, growling at bearing his bloody mouth to him.

The giant wolf rushed at Jason, who shot another shot at it. It hit it in the leg, which stunned it, giving Jason an opportunity to run as fast as he could away from the wolf.

It was dark, which made Jason curse under his breath as he tried to weave himself out of the woods. He didn't think to bring a flashlight, since he expected to leave before nightfall. He knew if he slipped or trip, he would be done for.

Jason heard the heavy breaths and the sounds of sticks and leaves snapping in half as the wolf crept up behind him. His heart sped up every second as he ran, praying and hoping that something or someone would stop this wolf.

Glancing back at the wolf, he saw bright red eyes locked on to him and glistening fangs with meat stuck between them, knowing that he would become this wolf's next meal if he was caught. Since he wasn't looking ahead of him, Jason ran right into a tree, knocking him back and onto the ground.

He held his head and looked at his hand, which had a speck of blood on it. However, that wasn't his biggest concern.

Jason's heart practically skipping beats at that point. His stomach and flipping and twisting as he trembled and breathed heavily. The wolf was walking slowly towards him and licking its teeth, as if it was trying to taunt and frighten him. He stared at the wolf with fear as a shaky hand made its way to the pocket, where he had a hunting knife hidden.

As the wolf came closer and closer, Jason took out the knife and slashed at him. The wolf jumped back and dodged it. Jason swung a few more times, trying to slash it once, or at least get it to back off so he could. The wolf kept dodging every single time.

The next attempt, Jason slashed the air again, but stumbled.

The wolf saw this as an opening and lounged at Jason, not even giving the man a chance to react as its teeth clamped down on Jason's shoulder. His scream echoing through the forest.