Chapter 84

Chapter 84
Claude

"What?" I asked. My voice came out like a strangled croak while I just stared at Eric, waiting for him to tell me he was joking. He didnt 

"A hunter? You’re telling me a human hunter knows where Jesse is? How is that even possible?"

Eric nodded quickly as his eyes darted around the hallway. That made me think that he was trying to keep this tight. That was smart thinking on his end.

"That’s what he’s saying, Alpha. He’s been screaming it since we put the cuffs on him."

"Where did you find him?" I demanded. I started walking. My legs moved even before my brain could even tell them where to go. 

"Was he deep in the woods? Was he tracking something?"

"No, sir," Eric said as he followed close at my heel. 

"That’s the weird part. We found him just outside the gates, right on the edge of the main entrance. It looked like he was trying to sneak in, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it. It was almost like... like he wanted to get caught. Or he was just desperate enough not to care."

I stopped dead in my tracks and cold sweat broke out across the back of my neck. 

"The gates? Eric, he was at the gates?!How the hell does a human hunter know our location? How did he find his way here through the markers and the brush?"

This was bad. This was really, really bad. If one hunter could just wander up to our front door, it meant our territory wasn't a secret anymore. 

My mind started racing through every nightmare scenario. If he found us, his friends would find us. 

There could be a major conflict. My pack was already on edge because of the alliance and the elders, and now we had humans knocking on the door?

"I don't know how he found us," Eric whispered with a worried look. 

"But he’s alone. Completely alone. No trucks, no radios, nothing. And he’s refusing to talk to anyone but you. He specifically requested to speak to the Alpha."

"No. Absolutely not. It’s a trick. He’s probably just some dying man trying to buy time or lure me into a trap. He doesn't know where Jesse is. He’s just using the name because he heard it somewhere." I concluded with a small sigh.

I turned to walk away. My heart felt like lead. I couldn't handle a false hope right now. Not after the day I’d had.

My head was already pounding from Thane and his "abomination" talk. I didn't need a lying human added to the mix.

"Alpha, wait!" Eric said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled piece of paper. "It's not a trick at all."

"He told me to show you this. He said you’d recognize the face.

He handed me a photograph.

I took it and my fingers trembled slightly. The second my eyes hit the image, I felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me. I had to lean against the wall just to keep from falling over.

It was Jesse.

He was unconscious and he was tied up with thick, heavy ropes that looked like they were digging into his skin. He looked pale. He looked hurt. But it was him. 

"Did he tell you how he got this? Or if this is even real?" I asked, turning to Eric.

"No. But what I can confirm was that there was a bit of Jesse’s scent lingering on him."

"You don't even know what Jesse smells like..." I muttered under my breath. He probably heard it but it didn't matter.

There was no mistaking that face. Even in a blurry, low-quality photo.

I dropped my hand because he photo felt like it was burning my palm. 

All the anger I had felt toward the elders, it all vanished. The only thing that mattered was the person in that picture.

"Downstairs. Take me to him right now."

I started moving toward the stairs. "Eric, listen to me. Keep this tight. I mean it. Not a word to the elders. Not a word to the Stalemoon wolves. The pack doesn't need to know about this yet. If people find out a hunter has broken in, it’ll cause a riot."

"I understand, Alpha," answered Eric.

I didn't care about "proper" procedure anymore. I didn't care about the rules. Jesse was out there somewhere, bound and bleeding, and this hunter was the only bridge I had to get to him.

"He’d better be telling the truth," I muttered to myself. For his sake, he’d better not be lying to me."

I followed Eric down the narrow stone stairs. 

The air got colder and more damp with every step we took. 

The basement of the pack house wasn’t used much, mostly for storage or holding people who caused too much trouble. 

"Good job keeping this quiet, Eric," I whispered as we reached the bottom. 

"I mean it. If the elders get wind of a hunter being this close to our gates, they’ll lose their minds."

"I know, Alpha," Eric said, nodding toward a heavy iron door. 

"He’s in there. We checked him for weapons. He's clean, but he's got a mouth on him."

We entered the small, dim room. Sitting on a wooden chair in the center was the hunter. He looked rough. He had a long, jagged scar running from his forehead all the way down to his chin, cutting right through his eyebrow. 

Why do all these hunters always have scars? Is it some kind of tradition for them? Like they aren't allowed to call themselves a hunter until they’ve been clawed by something? 

I didn't care about his face, though. I only cared about the information he was holding.

I stepped into the light, holding up the photograph of Jesse. 

"Where is he?" I asked. I didn't bother with an introduction. I didn't have the patience for it. 

"Where and whe  was this taken? Where is Jesse?"

The hunter didn't look scared. He actually leaned back in his chair and chuckled. 

He looked at me with these yellowed eyes, completely unimpressed by the fact that he was sitting in a room full of wolves who could end him in a second.

"Is this any way to treat a guest?" he asked, his voice mocking. 

"I come all this way, risking my neck to bring you some good news, and you don't even offer me a drink? I’m parched, Alpha. Get me some water. Or better yet, some wine. I’ve heard you werewolves throw those huge buffets on special occasions. I could really go for some of that roasted meat."

I felt the growl building in the back of my throat. Was he serious? Did he think this was a social visit? My mate was tied up in a photo, looking half-dead, and this guy was asking for a wine list.

"I’m not going to ask you again," I said, my voice dropping to a low rumble. "Where is he?"

The hunter just grinned, showing off a missing tooth. 

"Now, now. Information costs. And right now, the price is a little hospitality. Why don't you unhook these cuffs and we can talk like civilized—"

I didn't let him finish. I moved so fast the chair tipped over. I grabbed him by the throat, my fingers digge  into his skin, and slammed him back against the cold stone wall. The thud echoed through the room. I could feel his pulse jumping under my hand and I so wanted to snap his neck right there.

"Listen to me, you piece of trash! Idon't need you as much as you think I do. If Jesse is in trouble, I will tear this entire country apart tree by tree until I find him. You’re just a shortcut. And if you don't start talking, I’ll find another way to get the answers out of you. Do you understand? I am not in the mood for games."

The hunter’s eyes went wide. The cocky grin finally disappeared. He clawed at my wrist, gasping for air as I squeezed just a little tighter.

"W-wait," he choked out. "Okay! Okay, fine! Put me down!"

I held him there for another second just to make sure he knew I wasn't bluffing, then I let go. He slumped against the wall, coughing and rubbing his neck.

"Talk," I commanded.

"You wolves... you're all the same. No sense of humor." He spat a bit of blood onto the floor. 

"Who has him?!" I barked. "Speak!"

"Dear old Jesse in the one place you don't want him to be. Jesse is in Variant custody. Maddox has him."