The Hunter’s Daughter

(Ivy’s POV) “Happy birthday to you!” Everyone sings and then I blow out all eighteen of my birthday candles. Everyone claps and my mom squeezes me tightly. My dad pats me on the head and pulls me into a hug. “I cannot believe my baby girl is eighteen, it’s almost as if your mother brought you home yesterday.” My dad says and places a kiss on my head. “We love you, sweetie.” My mom smiles at me. I was adopted by her and my dad when I was a newborn and they raised me as their own since then. As my mom begins cutting the cake one of my dad’s work buddies walks in and pulls my dad to the side. He and my mom make eye contact and then she looks at me apologetically. I furrow my brows. My dad walks over and places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry Ivy the team spotted some varmints on the roads running and they need me to help extinguish them. He says in a cold tone. “I promise I’ll be home later. Save me some cake.” He smirks at me and then hurries out the door. You see my dad is a very busy guy. He is a werewolf hunter, the best in the country to be exact. He despises werewolves. He feels that they are an abomination to mankind. So his life goal and his life’s work have been extinguishing these creatures. I actually kind of like werewolves. Their principles about the mate bond are so strong it could kill them to be apart from their mate. I always wondered what that would feel like. Finding someone who is meant to be with you, a soul mate if you will. Truth be told I know quite a lot about werewolves and other supernatural creatures as well. My dad has been training me to follow in his footsteps and become a hunter as well. But if I’m being honest I don’t want to follow behind him. I don’t agree with his views and values on werewolves. I think they are just people trying to live the life they were given. Who am I to want them dead just because of who they were born? “Well, I’m glad you feel that way!” A voice sounds in my head that’s not my own. “Am I going crazy?” I whisper to myself as I’m looking around the party. “No you're not going crazy, you’re just a werewolf!” The voice says. “Oh no, this can’t be!” I think to myself and unexpectedly make eye contact with Maximo my boyfriend he’s also a hunter. He’s been working with my dad’s company since he was seventeen and now he’s twenty. We’ve been dating for about four years now. He and my dad have been talking about the possibility of marriage. But I’m not sure if I would want to marry him. He’s changed a lot since becoming a hunter. His attitude is sterner and he acts stuck up now like he’s better than others because he’s a hunter and I don’t like that. He also cut off his blonde curly hair which I loved and now he sports a buzz cut. The innocence has been gone from his blue eyes. “He’s not our mate!” The voice in my head says. “Mate? What are you talking about it’s no way I’m a wolf! My dad is a freaking werewolf hunter! For crying out loud.” “He’s not your real dad, your real dad is a wolf.” The voice says. “By the way my name is Aspen.” Before I can say anything else Maximo comes up to me and pulls me into a tight hug. “Hey, babe are you having a good birthday?” He says. “Yeah I guess, it’s been a weird evening. And my dad got called into work, do you know anything about that?” I question. He gets an uneasy look on his face and rubs his hand on the back of his neck. “It’s confidential Ivy but between you and me a few wolves have been spotted running at the edge of town and the mayor requested for your dad to get rid of them before anyone in town starts to notice. “And why aren’t you with him?” I ask. “Because your dad asked me to stay here and celebrate with you.” He says and places a kiss on my nose. His nose scrunches up as if he’s sniffing around. “Do you smell that?” He asks sniffing the area even harder. “Smell what?” I ask. “It smells like a wolf in here.” “He’s smelling us,” Aspen says wearily. My eyebrows shoot up. “Maybe you should go help my dad out in case there’s any more around the town,” I suggest. He gives me a disappointed look but nods in agreement. “Okay Ivy but later tonight I’ll come over I have a special surprise for you!” He says smiling. “Okay,” I say and he takes off. I walk to the back of the party hall and burst into the bathroom. I lock the door behind me and look in the mirror. As I get closer to it I can see that my eyes aren’t an olive green anymore but more of an emerald color. I close them and rub them hoping it’s just a trick of the light but upon opening my eyes I see that it isn’t. “This can’t be I say.” “Oh but it is!” Aspen says excitedly in my head. “Let me show you,” Aspen says and I feel her force herself to the forefront. “What the f**k” I shout aloud. I can feel my bones and skin stretching. I look around hurriedly and then I see the window. I crash through the window and land outside. No one notices because of the loud party music playing. I feel my whole body getting hot. I try my best to suppress the change from happening as I rush as far from here as I can. “Don’t fight it” Aspen's voice yells through my mouth. I reach the edge of the woods and that’s when I can’t hold on any longer. I drop to the ground and scream from the pain of my bones breaking and stretching. I feel hot as fur pushes through my skin. I look up and see the moon is full in the sky. I wonder if this has anything to do with my transformation this evening. A few moments later and I feel like a stranger in my body. I look down and can see black paws. Now it feels like I’m a visitor in Aspen's mind. She stands up on all fours and we are a lot taller. She takes off running through the trees. There’s a spiritual feeling overcoming me as we sprint faster and faster through the woods the only light we have is the moonlight. For the first time in my life, I feel that I’m where I’m meant to be. It’s shocking to find out what I am this way but a part of me always knew there was something different about me. Aspen pushes on harder as we reach the cliff at the edge of the woods. She walks all the way to the edge of it and stares up at the moon. Then she lets out a ground-shaking howl that echoes through the entire woods. It’s almost magical as if the forest and I have become one. Moments later we hear the cracking of branches and see two wolves run out of the tree below the cliff. One is a light brown color and the other is an orangey reddish color. They are huge. They look up at me in shock and I look down at them in shock also. That’s when I hear him. “After those filthy beasts!” It’s my dad! Aspen howls lowly at the two wolves signaling for them to follow her. They look at each other questioningly but follow her. They hurry through the trees barely keeping up with her until they reach the edge of town there’s an old house that I remember is here, I played in it as a kid. No one goes there. Once we get to the house the two wolves shift back into their person and I am shocked to see two huge naked men in front of me. Aspen gives control back to me and the next thing I know my bones are twisting and cracking again as I’m shifting back into myself. I fall to the ground exhausted from the pain. One of the men run up to me. As I huff and puff. He’s so tall and muscular. His dirty blonde hair sits messily on top of his head and his soft grey eyes glare down at me worriedly. “My name is Oscar what’s yours? He asks calmly. As he kneels near me. I’m not keen on being naked in front of two naked guys. He places a hand on my back and I shiver at the touch. “Come on it’s not safe here!” The other guy yells. “In the house,” I say out of breath. Oscar tries to help me to my feet but my legs are spaghetti at this moment and I collapse back down. He quickly lifts me into his arms and we rush into the house and close the door. “Geez man, were those hunters?” Oscar asks the other guy. “Shh,” he says as he creeps to the window to make sure the coast is clear. This guy looks older than Oscar although they are about the same height this guy has ginger hair and green eyes. His hair sits messily on his head also and he’s sporting a scruffy goatee. After he stares out the window a little longer he sets his gaze on me. “You!” He says pointing to me and my eyes widen. “Me?” I huff. “Are you an Alpha?” He asks getting closer. I can’t help but stare at his physique and then I realize I’m still naked as well. I cover myself with my arms and now he has a curious look on his face. “Was that your first time shifting?” He asks getting closer. “Uh yeah. Today is my eighteenth birthday. I just found out that I was a wolf today.” I say meekly. He and Oscar look at each other in shock. “How can you not have known you were a wolf?” Oscar questions. “Because I was adopted as a baby and my parents are hunters they hate wolves. They don’t even know I turned today.” I furrow my brows confused. Oscar grabs an old blanket from off the sofa and places it around me. I smile sadly at him and he shoots me hopeful eyes. “My name is Jaxon but you can call me Jax.” The other guy says stepping forward. “My name is Ivy. It’s nice to meet the both of you.” “Thank you for helping us out,” Jax says. “You really saved our asses back there. Those hunters took out a few of the wolves we had with us using those poisoned arrows.” He says and I can see Oscar’s face sadden. “ I’m so sorry about your people. I may have been raised by hunters but I do not agree with their views. I am actually going to go home and pack some things in a bag and run away tonight.” I say in a sad tone. “My dad will kill me if he finds out what I am. He despises wolves.” “But he is your father,” Jax says. “Doesn’t matter he thinks of werewolves as an abomination. My father thinks of me as an abomination.” I clench my hands into a fist and a stray tear falls from my eye. “But where will you go?” Oscar questions. I sniffle. “I don’t know I will find my way out there,” I say determined. “No, you won’t, you cannot live out there with this place crawling with hunters. You wouldn’t last very long.” Jax says. “Maybe you can come to our pack and stay with us,” Oscar suggests. “I know a lot about wolves and one thing I know for sure is that I don’t belong to a pack which makes me a rogue. No pack will accept me.” I say. I wrap the blanket around my body and tie it on the side so that I don’t have to hold it up anymore. “Nonsense, you saved our lives our pack owes you. I am the Gamma of the pack and Oscar here is the brother of the Alpha.” My eyes widen. These guys were basically like werewolf royalty. They were high-ranking members and I saved their asses. “Come on Ivy what do you say? Would you like to come back to the Blue Moon pack with us?” Oscar says with a friendly smile. He looked me over intently and I felt a little chill go up my spine. I looked away from his gaze. “Go with them,” Aspen said eagerly. “Screw it it’s better than being homeless,” I said. “Great!” Jax says and gives me a reassuring look. “But first I have to go home and get my things,” I say. Jax furrows his brows. “Okay, but you’ll have to meet us back here in an hour. We have to hurry back to our territory where it’s safe.” Jax says sternly. I nod and then slide out the back door.