Prologue
Talia
No words could describe the pain and panic I feel at this point. I let myself get caught up in the joy of finding my mate and get blinded by my feelings and didn't see this man for who he was. How could I be so stupid? The silver gun in his hand says everything. I have seen it many times before in the hands of the group that wanted to kill my kind: werewolf hunters.
"You lied to me all this time!" Hurt reflects in his golden eyes. "Was this all a game to you?! Answer me, Reiji!" My hands tremble by my sides as I growl lowly. "And don't you dare lie to me!" Reiji watches her sadly. "Talia..." his voice still sounds sweet to my ears. How could I fall for him? Why didn't I see the signs?
"I said answer me!" I want nothing more than to grab him by his shirt but I fear he'll try and shoot me. Reiji holds up his hands and then places the gun on the ground pushing it away with his foot. He then raises them again. "I never lied to you nor was this ever a game. Please believe me, Talia... I'm not one of them anymore. I frankly never was." Is that supposed to make me feel better?
I grit my teeth. "I don't believe you. No one can trust a hunter." I glare at him. "Don't ever show up in my face ever again. Don't come to choose woods and stay away from my pack!"
Reiji flinches and taled a step back. The sad look in his eyes is ticking me off. Should I just reject him here and now? I then wince as my wolf screams at me. She still wants to be with him even after learning what he was.
I turn away and start to run. "Talia!" Reiji calls after me but I don't look back. Tears starts to run down my face. I let him in and he is nothing more than a traitor. His kind words, his laugh, his smile... everything about him is perfect. He's strong too and I thought he'd be a perfect asset to the pack even as a human. Now everything makes so much sense.
Why he is so strong, so fast, so fit, so muscular... why his abs are perfect, why he has so many scars... it's all because he is born to be a hunter. A killing machine... a murderer.
I stumble and use a tree to hold myself up. Tears continue to fall as my heart broke. My wolf wants me to go back to our mate, to hear what he had to say. But all he said is just excuses. Not a hunter anymore? He never was one? Then why didn't he get rid of that weapon? Why did he get close to me, the beta she-wolf? It's all so obvious to me.
So why does my heart hurt so much? Why does my wolf so badly still want to be with a murderer? I am torn between longing for my mate and loyalty to my pack. The choice is obvious, I only want to protect my pack. Where there's one hunter, there's many more. Safety in numbers... just like us in our pack.
I lean back against the tree and try to clear my mind. I need to focus. I can't turn weak now. I can't be blinded anymore. Reiji should be nothing to me now. The sorrow and guilt in his golden eyes shouldn't remain with my either. Please... just go away already. Don't remain in my thoughts.
Reiji is now the enemy. If I ever see him close to my borders again... I would have no choice but to get rid of him. I get determined by that thought too. As I stand up straight though, tears start to drip down my face again. My wolf needs to see that this is for the best.
I can't reject him yet... but my only option in the future is to do so. There's no way I can be mated to a so-called "ex-hunter.
Reiji
As I watch her run off, I curse and glare at the ground. I'm so stupid! Talia isn't a friend that I can just replace and forget about! I look at the gun in my hand and run my gloved fingers over the name I carved into it years ago: Sora.
I can't just get rid of it even after I abandoned that life. I have a promise I must keep to her. I will use this to complete it... and get rid of the bastard who ruined our lives.
I look back over to where Talia ran. Yes, I knew from day one she was a werewolf. I kept it to myself and wasn't going to say a thing. I know how secretive they can be and she has good reason to not trust someone like me.
I grew up and was trained to be an ultimate hunter, a killing machine. I excelled at everything I did and was pushed to my limit. However, there's one thing they should have thought about.
"... If you're going to create the perfect monster... shouldn't you treat it right?" I mutter under my breath and turn away from the border. I put my gun away under my belt and take off my gloves. Memories flood in fueling my rage.
Just wait... I'll have my revenge against the ones who drove Sora to death. If I have to lose some valuable friends... so be it. Something deep inside tells me I'll regret it. A small voice in my head, my conscience.
You need to get her back! You can't lose her! It screams in my head but it's not like I can go after her into her territory. That's suicide! I'm sure she'll tell everyone about me, that I'm a werewolf hunter. Why can't she understand me? I thought if anyone could, it would be her... but I guess I put too much faith in her to listen to my side
I take a deep breath and move forward. Towards revenge... towards my destiny... and away from Talia.
