Page 58 of Hunter

“Viktor has gone to look for him. But Willa, you should have waited for me,” Hunter told her, his voice firm.

A streak of anger shot through Willa, recalling how he’d left the house without saying a word. “Wait for you? Are you kidding me? You left me with a stranger.”

“There was a fae in my territory. A dangerous one. I had to take care of it. Leaving you with Remus…”

“He attacked me. He tried to rape me. If it weren’t for Julian….” Willa spun around to face him, her palms flat on his chest. “We had to leave.”

“He was gone when I got back. The room was torn up, but I assumed Julian…”

“Julian saved me. He threw him out the window. Then we left for Guatemala to destroy the formula.”

“I can’t believe this. I’ve trusted him with the pack in the past and I’ve never had any issues. He’s always been a little hardheaded, but he’s never attacked anyone before. I specifically ordered him to leave you alone. And Julian. This doesn’t make any sense.” Hunter’s expression softened. “I’m really sorry, Willa. If I had known…”

“I’m fine but Julian…” Guilt twisted in her gut at the thought of him fighting the demons alone, dragged into Hell.

“Your brother’s strong. He’s going to be okay. Viktor sensed the magick he used to flash you. It’s how we found you. When I first saw you with him, I thought you were…”

“Lovers?” she interrupted, regretting her choice not to divulge their relationship. She’d been less than candid with regards to her brother’s identity.

“I want to believe you, but little wolf, you’ve got all kinds of secrets. I know you haven’t told me everything. Julian flashed. How does a wolf do something like that, Willa? It’s not something we do. Not ever. If I’m going to help you, help him, I’ve got to know the truth.”

“Are you sure you can handle the truth?” He’ll reject me.

“I can handle anything if you just let me in,” Hunter promised.

Willa’s heart raced as his fingers gently cuffed her wrists, and his eyes peered into her soul. There was something about this man. He’d saved her and asked for nothing in return.

“You ask for the truth but what if it changed how you felt about me?” Tears welled in her eyes as the loss seized her chest. “Julian is the only one left in my family.”

“We’ll find him. If he didn’t get out, I’ll go back to Hell and get him. But you have to tell me the truth about what’s happening. There’s too much at risk. I just had a dangerous fae, one reeking of Hell, show up on my land. I can’t have that. If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to have a hard time helping you and keeping everyone else safe. No more lies.”

“The truth?”

“Yes. The truth. I swear on my life you can trust me.”

Willa took a cleansing breath and summoned the courage to tell him. “I am Aline Ermenjarta Lobo. Princess Aline Ermenjarta Lobo. I am from the ancient clan of Lobo. Lupine origin. For years, the pack remained largely isolated in the heart of Brazil. With caution they allowed other packs to splinter off and prosper, to dilute the genes of the original wolves. The people of my pack dispersed long ago, realizing the danger of their strength, and their numbers dwindled. My parents were murdered. My brother and I, the purest of breeds, are rare. Rare is coveted. Rare is hunted. We separated and disappeared.”

“Are you telling me that you’re from Lobo? Now wait. There’s no way. Lobo is dead.”

“Lobo is hidden.”

“Lobo is first of the wolves. Royalty. The stories…Willa…”

“I have been reinventing myself throughout the years, but I belong to no pack. Our family broke apart because when we are together our blood draws the attention of others.” Please believe me. Her stomach tightened as the truth spilled from her lips. “The magick of the wolves. Shifters. Its origins come from both the Goddess and the glow of the underworld. Through generations of breeding, only the pure magick of the wolf remains. But the Lobo. The elemental wolf. Our blood remains different.” Willa closed her eyes, terrified to say the words, to admit the forbidden truth.

Hunter took her shaking hands into his, rubbing her palms. “Whatever this is. This truth. There is nothing we cannot handle together.”

“Why do you do all this? We just met. I…” Willa’s heart squeezed. He’d come for her and wasn’t running despite what she’d told him. Trust. It was a concept she’d long abandoned…until now.

“It’s okay,” he encouraged.

“Wolves. I’m sure you’ve heard the lore from your parents, pack elders. Wolves are born of the Goddess, you’ve been told. A wolf shaped into its human form. The magick is strong. Pure. This.” She wiggled her fingers, eliciting a glow on her skin. “This…is…” She took a deep breath and blew it out. “This is hellfire.”

“You aren’t fae,” the Alpha responded, not flinching at her statement.

“No, but the hellfire lives within my blood. It’s not something I can change or stop. This is an elemental ability. It’s why my blood heals. It’s why I glow. It’s the reason my brother has the power to dematerialize. It’s also the reason why the demons can sense me. And all of this is why a pack of rogues think they can make a buck off of kidnapping me or any member of my family.”

“You aren’t a demon.” Hunter kissed the tips of her luminescent fingers.