HUNTED Chapter 209 – The Barn: Part One [Bonus ]

Finn stirred from his sleep. The position he had been staying in for the past days was becoming too much for him to bear. Sleeping in a seated upright position was not comfy when his head was leaning against a post made from silver. His shoulders and arms were in so much pain, he wasn’t sure if it was the wolfsbane or how his hands were tied up behind him against the post.

He had been in and out of consciousness over his time in the barn. His eyes snapped open as he took the sight in once more. It was just an ordinary barn with stacks of hay in; the only comfort provided to him was the hay beneath him. Finn turned his head to the right with a groan, where the barn doors were always open, revealing a nice view of a valley and a forest.

It was the only thing that brought him peace when he was conscious. Otherwise, his thoughts jumped to his Luna, the pack and the hunters. Obviously, he had been taken by the hunters, though he expected to end up in another compound in another cell. But this barn was much better than some dank basement floor; at least fresh breeze blew in regularly, bringing with it a chill that helped ease the burn of the wolfsbane on his skin.

Finn stared at the hills and river passing through as his mind was engulfed with thoughts on what would happen to him and what he could do next. Would they still experiment if they know now that only Aila’s blood is needed to make such creatures?

Was this actually going to be an execution? Finn knew from getting to know Chase a little more that the hunters sometimes took werewolves, vampires or shapeshifters to their ‘academies’ to ‘prove how evil those creatures are’. Finn shuddered at the thought of it. Children learning to be hunters? Learning to be killers.. This was why they were so full of hate. Even Chase used to believe in everything his father told him.

Finn wondered what changed his mind; it couldn’t simply be Aila. She was only in that compound for a week, and although the Luna was spectacular and gorgeous, it was not enough to change such beliefs. Especially for a child of some maniac. Chase must have had doubts beforehand, and Aila was his catalyst to escape.

Finn turned his head back to the opposite side of the barn after hearing footsteps behind the closed doors. He held his breath and listened in to the guard’s conversation. Maybe there was some helpful information. Although he couldn’t hear too well even with the low dosage of wolfsbane in his system, it still caused the effect of dimming his senses. He was last injected the previous day, so it seemed they would be coming to give him another dose.

“Look, I can’t keep covering for you. What will you do if we aren’t partnered up?” A man’s voice groaned.

The other person sighed, and Finn frowned slightly, taking a little more interest in what they were talking about. What else is there to do but listen in on other people’s conversations?

“I just.. I don’t know. I’m too weak for all of this. You’ve seen me.. Like why are we even here and not the compound? Or the academy?” A girl’s voice replied.

Finn blinked at the sound of her voice; it was so sweet he thought his heart paused for a moment only to listen to her. He imagined from her voice alone that she might be quite the beauty. His nose crinkled suddenly; what the hell was he thinking?

Whoever she was, it didn’t matter. They were hunters; the only thing he should be listening to is the small information they are giving away. Yes, that’s what is essential.

So, the hunters are confused as to why they are at this barn?

“If you were weak, they would have killed you off ages ago, you know that. No one is to know of the hunters or the creature’s existence. Go on. You need to do it; you have to have thicker skin to survive here. He’s probably passed out anyway. All you need to do is inject him with the wolfsbane. Do it in the neck,” The man ordered the girl.

Finn rolled his eyes. Of course, they would kill their own. He couldn’t imagine anyone getting out of the hunters. Unless they were someone like Chase, but even then, just mentioning Chase’ name still sounded surreal. The ‘legendary’ hunter is a traitor to the Hunters Association by leaving and helping the future Alpha Queen.

The door gently slid open and closed. Finn already had his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. As the girl closed the door, he heard the man on the other side chuckle, “That’ll teach her to be kind to the fucking creatures. He’ll probably attack her..” He heard another man chuckle as they walked away from the barn. They really were heartless..

Finn heard her tiny footsteps slowly walking towards him. He could smell something sweet in the air. Was it this girl’s perfume? No, it didn’t seem like perfume; there was no acidic smell to it. It was her natural scent, and it.. soothed him. His heart suddenly spiked and began racing as she came closer to him.

Was.. No, she wasn’t..

The girl crouched down, kneeling next to him.

Thank fuck they gave me some tracksuit bottoms! Although he wondered why they couldn’t give him a shirt, he wasn’t that big. He was fine being naked; it wasn’t like he didn’t have a fit body. His bronze skin glistened from the sunlight, revealing the hard edges of his eight pack, his shoulder muscles bulging from the restraints of keeping his arms behind him. But this girl’s presence suddenly made him a little nervous.

Finn heard her take a shaky breath in and place her small hand softly against his neck. His body heated under her touch, and he could hear her heart beating just as rapidly as his. Though he suspected it had to do with touching a werewolf.

“I can’t..” She whispered, “This is wrong..”

Finn opened his eyes and both their breaths stopped. Amber eyes stared into blue. The werewolf and hunter stared at each other in wonder.

Fuck! He still had wolfsbane in his system; was she, his mate!? Every fibre in his being was telling him she was, but he wasn’t 100% sure without his wolf present.

No, no.. she was a hunter..