The Rogue Hunter

Chapter Seventeen: Telling Him

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Axel
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"My sister." She says in such a broken voice that I want to hold her tighter. But I don't think I could do that without hurting her. I don't know why she's telling me all this but I don't want her to stop. It seems Kris has bottled up all this for too long. "She should have been the one to live..."
"Don't talk like that, Kris. The Goddess let this be, and I'm glad it was you. I wish I could thank your sister, she allowed me to find you." I whisper into her ear. She doesn't say anything else, and that's okay. This is obviously something that is very difficult for her to talk about. "It's going to be okay."
"I need to get them answers, Axel. They were such good people... They didn't deserve any of it." She tells me. I pet the top her head and rest my chin on it.
"I know. We will." I reassure her. Kris sucks in a deep breath and pulls away from me. She turns away from me, blocking her face from my view. At least she isn't crying, I don't think I could bear that.
"We should head back, Luna Tyler might be getting back to you soon." Kris says, her voice strong once again. Before I can even answer, she starts walking. I hurry to catch up with her. Her red hair sways in its ponytail with each step she takes and I am slightly mesmerized by it. Kris's cargo pants hang loose, hiding what I know to be muscled legs, and her black shirt hugs her slight curves just right. But, to me, Kris would look beautiful in a potato sack.
I should not find it as amusing as I do that everyone fears this tiny woman in front of me. Yes, I know her to be fierce, and have witnessed her strength several times, but everyone who has ever heard of her, fears her? Maybe I don't think of her as terrifying because I know she's a sleep cuddler and that she has the cutest light snore. Kris would probably kill me if I ever told anyone.
To me it goes two ways. One; How can you not fear her? She's THE ROGUE HUNTER, YOU PEASANT. And two; How can you fear HER? She's built like a damn fairy!
"Axel?" By the tone of her voice, it is not the first time she's said my name. I look down to see her annoyed face. "You going to grab you clothes or walk around in underwear?" I huff and go put on the rest of my clothes. I am really lucky we keep some clothes scattered about the property, I wouldn't have been able to hug Kris without some clothing on. Even if said clothing was only boxers.
Kris remains quiet as we make our way back to the office. A glance behind me tells me she is deep in her thoughts, I'm not sure anything could snap her out of them. The red head seems to be on auto pilot.
"Buba!" Joanna's shout draws my attention away from my mate in time to catch the little girl who launched herself into my arms.
"Hi, Jo." I greet her, placing her on my hip. When I don't get a reply, I look at her to see her staring over my shoulder at Kris. Still lost in her head.
"Is Kris your girlfriend?" Jo asks me. We turn our attention from the red head behind us.
"Why do you ask that?" I inquire. Jo shrugs before poking the corners of my mouth.
"You smile more when you're with her." She points out. I smile at my sister.
"I always smile." I tell her. Jo frowns at me.
"Noooo you don't. You always like this." She says, pulling the corners of my mouth into a frown.
"That's not true." I argue. Jo gives me a smile and shrugs.
"Maybe. Maybe not." I roll my eyes as we come to a stop in front of my office. I place Jo on the ground and kiss her temple.
"I have to go to work now, Jo." She pouts, giving me the puppy dog eyes. "Why don't you see if you can unleash terror on Jax or Luca?" I suggest. Jo grins up at me before darting down the hall to find her victims. Oh, I'm sure I'll get an ear full from who ever she terrorizes.
"She's a cute little girl." Kris comments, drawing my attention from Jo who disappeared around the corner.
"That she is. She looks like like our mom too." I tell her, walking into the office. I close the door after Kris enters. "It's too bad Joanna doesn't have any memories of her. She was a great woman."
"What happened to her?" Kris asks in a soft tone.
"They died in a car wreck four years ago." I inform her. Kris remains silent. I'm relieved that she didn't go through the entire 'I'm sorry for your loss' thing. I never like having to reply to those. I miss them but dwelling isn't going to bring them back.
"Joanna is a friendly kid, you're doing a good job." Kris awkwardly tells me. I'm surprised by her compliment and give her a smile. I sit behind my desk and Kris rubs her arms, trying to decide whether to sit or not. She decides to. Having her tell me Jo is turning out good lifts the weight I didn't know was on my shoulders. Many of the pack members tell me the same thing but I actually believe it when Kris says it. She has no reason to lie to me about it.
"Anything you can tell me about the attack?" I inquire of her. I mentally cross my fingers that she won't clam up on me. Her talking about her past reminded me of when she tried to scare me way. I thought she had been trying to make herself scarier when she said she was killing at the age of nine. Apparently she hadn't been. Kris, for once when not sleeping, looks vulnerable. And I immediately wish to take back my question. To take everything back and wash her terrible past away.
"I don't remember much." Kris says, avoiding my gaze.
"Why were you there that day?" I ask Kris. Was it truly that bad of luck? Visiting her cousins the day the pack was killed?
"They were my pack, I was always there. At the time of the attack, I was in the yard with my best friend. Laina Marts, the Alpha's daughter. We heard the screaming before we saw them. They came out of the woods surrounding our pack. There was no way for anyone to escape. They burned down houses, murdered my pack. Everyone went before the higher ranking family. The Gamma didn't last long. But the Beta's and the Alpha's, they fought the longest. They gutted her, you know. They wanted to show the Alpha he could do nothing to stop them, I saw them do that to Laina. My sister dragged me away when the rogues were distracted tearing our parents apart." She tells me, her voice cold and detached. I stare at her in horror.
"I didn't notice much besides everyone being butchered." She glares up at me. "A year later, rogues claimed the life of my sister." I can't tell if Kris is angry at me for asking the question or by the memory. I try fight my way out of the shock. Her story makes more sense now...
"You wanted to know about me, so there. That's my life story. Everyone I loved was brutally killed. And the irony? I brutally kill in return." She still doesn't look me in the eyes. Her back is too stiff, her arms crossed, her fingers digging into her arms. Kris didn't want to tell me any of this, but no matter how horrible it is, I'm glad she did.
"Kris...."
"Save it. Nothing can be changed about it. They are all dead, and that's how they'll stay. Let's just catch the puppeteer." Kris says as she picks up the book she was reading earlier. I sigh and mess with things on my desk, pretending to work. Truthfully, there isn't much we can do without a lead. We have a witness who was a child at the time and is my mate. I don't want to make her talk about it anymore.
I stare at Kris, discreetly of course. Her agitation is gone as she stares at the page before her. I try to crane my neck to see what she is looking at, but fail to see it. So, I watch her instead. Her feet rest on the arm rest, her knees bent into the air and the book rests in her lap. Kris chews on her lower lip and has her chin lightly perched on a few fingers. This beautiful, strong creature is my mate. I'm the luckiest man alive.
We'll get them, Kris. I'll make sure of it.

Word Count: 1,518

Date Published: 12/8/16

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