Page 2 of Hansen

He moved closer to the door.He glanced back, and the hunter narrowed his eyes at him.There was a silent threat in his eyes that Evan couldn’t ignore, so he quickly knocked before pulling the hood of his hoodie up.Whoever opened the door would be alarmed if they saw the state his face was in.

The door opened to reveal a big man.Evan sucked in a breath and quickly took a step back, even though he didn’t think the man would hurt him.Why would he?He didn’t know him.He was big, though, with blond hair and muscles that made him look like he could break Evan in half without getting out of breath.There was a streak of flour on his cheek, which looked oddly out of place on him.

“Can I help you?”the man asked.

Evan wrapped his arms around himself.He didn’t know if this was Orion, but who else could it be?“I’m really sorry about this,” he said.

Evan knew the moment the man noticed the bruise on his face because he sucked in a breath.He opened the door wider so he could move closer to Evan, doing exactly what his father had expected.

“Who hurt you?”the man asked.

Evan shook his head.“I didn’t want to do this.He forced me.”

“Good boy,” the hunter drawled, making Evan want to puke.

The shock on the baker’s face was obvious.He hadn’t expected the hunter to be there.He clearly didn’t want anything to do with him because he moved back towards the bakery.His hands tightened into fists at his sides as if he were ready to fight the hunter.

Part of Evan hoped he would.

But before the baker—Orion, he had to be Orion—could do anything, the hunter grabbed Evan around the neck.Evan squeaked and tried to pull the arm away, but he couldn’t.The hunter had a good hold on him, and he wasn’t giving it up.

“You’re going to come with us,” the hunter said.

Orion shook his head.“I can’t leave.”

“Yes, you can, and you will, because otherwise, Evan will pay the price.”He squeezed his arm around Evan’s throat.“Won’t you?”

Evan wasn’t sure if the hunter was talking to him, but the answer was obvious.Of course the hunter would hurt Evan if his son refused to come along.It was why he’d taken Evan out of his cage.He’d wanted to use him, and he was.

And there was nothing Evan could do about it.

* * * *

HANSEN WAS JEALOUS.He couldn’t look away from Eliza and Olga.Why was he sitting with them again?Why did he have to watch them as they cuddled and smiled at each other?This was what happened when he agreed to get a drink with his friends.He’d always been a weepy drunk, and while he wasn’t there yet, it wouldn’t take many more drinks for him to reach that point.

“I wish I had a mate.Period,” he told Davey.“It’s not fair.Why is everyone finding their mate, but I’m not?”He glanced at Olga.Maybe she could help.She could see the future, so maybe she’d seen Hansen’s.He didn’t need to know everything, just whether or not he would meet his mate and when it would happen.He was tired of waiting, but if he knew how long it would take, he could make his peace with it.“Have you seen anything?Is my mate coming?”

“You know I can’t tell you,” she said as she squeezed her mate tighter against her side.They were so happy that it made Hansen want to cry.

Maybe he’d drunk a little more than he remembered.

“But I want to find my mate.Even Davey found his, and have you seen Orion?He’s gorgeous.”

“Don’t talk about my mate like that,” Davey warned.There was no heat in his voice because he knew that Hansen would never do anything to hurt their friendship.Besides, Orion only had eyes for Davey.

Thatwas what Hansen wanted.He wanted someone who would fit into his life, someone who would make him happy and that he could make happy.He wasn’t afraid of hard work when it came to relationships, but he’d stopped dating a while ago, and he missed it.He missed having something like that to look forward to and having someone to cuddle with and to talk to.He missed intimacy, holding hands, and tender kisses on the couch while watching TV.

What was the point of doing all of that with someone who wasn’t his mate?He couldn’t shake the feeling that it would be a betrayal, and with his luck, he’d meet his mate right after getting serious with someone.No, he didn’t want that to happen, which meant that the next person he would date was his mate.

“I have eyes, Davey.What am I supposed to do when I see him?Look away?That would be kind of weird, and I’m pretty sure Orion would want to know what’s up with me,” he explained.He was proud that his voice wasn’t slurring.

“You’re so dramatic,” Olga teased.

“I just want to finally start something, you know?I’ve been hunting scientists and liberating people for years now, and I’ve never had anything for myself.I want that to change.”

“You could date,” Davey offered.

Hansen shook his head.“Only my mate.”He’d done one-night stands, dates, and even serious relationships.None of them could compare to what he could see between Olga and Eliza or between Davey and Orion.Thatwas what he wanted.

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