Chapter 7
Hunter
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“Don’t be stupid, Jake.”
He cut his hair for the occasion, and it’s throwing me off more than I like to admit. Jake’s always worn his hair long as a badge of pride, keeping it tied back despite everyone giving him shit for it over the years. So to see the man with a buzz cut is nearly as unnatural as this entire farce.
“You abandoned your pack.” The way that he says the words so calmly and matter-of-fact makes them hit ten times harder.
“It took longer than anticipated to get things worked out to bring Sabrina home. I never planned on being gone that long and you know it. Silas seems to have taken care of things well enough while I was gone, so why are you bitching?”
He scoffs, and the two of us continue our tense dance of circling each other, waiting for the other to throw the first punch. “I’m not talking about you ditching us for a month while you were courting her; any of us would have done the same in a heartbeat. You and I both know that you checked out decades ago, simply going through the motions since. The only reason you’re still in a position of power is because you were born into it, not because you deserve to be.”
Stopping cold in my tracks, I stare at the man that’s stood by my side for the better part of my life, wondering how he so flawlessly concealed his resentment all of this time.
“You knew, you just didn’t want to see it.”
This isn’t the time. I already feel like shit, I don’t need you making it worse.
“That’s exactly why I’m saying something.”Canting my head slightly, I attempt to keep up with both arguments, internal and external, and it’s already giving me a headache.“This isn’t something new that Ash put in his head, it’s something that was already reaching a boiling point and he simply kicked over the pot. He isn’t standing here because he wants our mate, and we both know it.”
“You think Iwantto be responsible for all of you?” Tossing my hands up, I scoff. “Look around you, Jake. Nobodywantsto figure out how to feed over a hundred people in this dying, hopeless wasteland. You want the job, you can have it. Or hell, pick literally anyone else, I don’t give a shit. But don’t stand there and accuse me of abandoning you when I’ve spentdecadestrying to keep you all alive when I was fucking drowning. Yet every day I got my ass up, went to work, and did what needed to be done because people were counting on me. So please; tell me every way that I failed like I don’t already know.”
The slight narrowing of his eyes is the only indicator before his fist is swinging towards my temple, and I lean back automatically. My beta’s a behemoth of a man, and my only saving grace in a hand-to-hand fight if I don’t want to use my abilities is that it makes him slower. On the other hand, it means he really only needs to land one good hit to inflict some serious damage.
“What Ithinkdoesn’t matter,” he spits. “We don’t get to choose, or I sure as shit wouldn’t have picked being a beta. Especially not one to a piss-poor leader like yourself that clearly resented us.”
Dodging another swing, I focus my efforts on sidestepping and avoiding hits rather than countering despite the way he left himself open on his right side, and it was such an obvious mistake, it had to be intentional. Because even though I’m pissed at the sonofabitch for putting both of us in this position, I’m not giving him what he wants. We’ve sparred enough over the years that we know each other’s tells by heart and favored moves. And we both are well-aware that if it came down to it, honor be damned, I’ll use my abilities to win since it’s Sabrina on the line, as any mate worth his salt would.
Which means that he’s using this as an excuse for me to end his suffering because he can’t bring himself to do it on his own. By nature, betas are driven to do whatever needs done, to keep a pack running and cared for, but actually making decisions tends to make them sick in some fashion. Latching onto the knowledge that challenging me is for the good of the pack helps circumvent the side effects while ultimately accomplishing his goal; quitting his position the only way our kind is able to.
I don’t want to kill him.
“So don’t. Nobody’s forcing you to.”
A low growl escapes me as I avoid another swing.You do understand that if I back down, he wins by default, and the others are going to rip him to shreds on principle if Sabrina doesn’t get there first. He’s going to die either way, it’s only a matter if it’s by my hand, or someone else that’s going to drag it out for maximum agony. It’s... more merciful if I do it. It’s my job to take care of him, and I failed, so it’s on my head to handle this.
“No, it’s your job to ease his suffering, and to make the hard choices, even if they piss people off. The rules aren’t written in stone, idiot, and the old laws are considered ancient for a reason. Just because you think you only have a couple of options doesn’t mean that you actually do. Take a step back to look at things from a new perspective.”
He calls my feint and the next thing I know, searing agony flares in my left side as he cracks a rib. Biting the inside of my cheek, I breathe through the pain and jump back a fraction of a second before he launches a kick at my left kneecap.
“Some mate,” he taunts, cracking his neck from side to side and circling me. “You’ve yet to throw a single punch, Hunt. Makes me wonder if you’re actually happy to pass her off to someone else to deal with.”
“You want to go ahead and throw your life away, that’s on you, but don’t insult a girl you don’t even know. You want to hate me? Fine, hate me. You want to talk shit?” Splaying my arms wide, I stop avoiding him and stand my ground. “I’m right here. Go ahead, get it out of your system.”
“What the fuck are you doing?!”
I’m robbed of even mental speech as he buries a fist in my stomach, the air rushing from my lungs.
