Virgin Sacrifice to the Last Lycan - Chapter 59: Chapter 59

Helen POV
Justin and Randy hardly ever left the safety of the cave unless it was for food. They took turns leaving back and forth. Justin refused to let me try, ushering me to rest and enlisting my help to cook; these two would be stuck eating raw pheasant every night if it weren’t for me.
I worked in the small kitchen, preparing the dinner that sat before me. The two men had fallen asleep by now, exhausted from their hunt where they only returned with one kill. It wasn’t bad though; it would feed us for tonight.
The kitchen was small and confided, my hands careful to put the fresh pork over the open flame when I turned too fast, tripping over my own feet. I managed to put down the pork meat over the fire without breaking the glass pan, but I still hit the floor.
My head hit the countertop first, though. Darkness welcomed my return.
When I came two, the cave was filling with a thick smoke. I knocked the pork off the burned as I stood, the meat dark and charred all over. The disappointment ran heavy through my blood.
The same blood that lined my new forehead gash.
I checked on Randy and Justin, still drooling in their heavy sleep. My mind flickered to our dinner, burnt and destroyed by my misstep. I was just starting to feel useful again and I fucked it up.
I couldn’t help but look to the cave door, curiously thinking about replacing the meat I had destroyed. They might not even notice, unless I couldn’t kill a hog. If I could only get a bird or some other ground critter, I might be able to cover it with a decent cooking job.
Whatever I caught, I had made my mind up that I was going hunting.
[Yay! Hunting!]
I hushed at Joy, overly excited about the prospect. We’re not very good hunters to begin with, but we were restless in this small cave. I could stretch her paws and go for a short trip outside. I’d have to be careful, or Justin would hate me.
[He won’t know. Mate’s Lycan is very tired.]
Thanks for the insight, I thought. She was right though. Justin was too tired to notice the mistake I made almost suffocating everyone in burnt pork smoke. He would sleep through my hunting trip.
I pushed the cave door aside, shifted, and sprinted out of the cave. The woods below in the mountain’s valley had been cascaded by night. The moon was still pretty thick, my power throbbing while I decided to move further up the peak to get a decent vantage point.
Heavy paws on the gravel mountaintop had stopped me short. I crouched down behind the cover of a boulder, seeing a fully grown mountain lion stop to take a drink of water from the natural springs.
[Yes! Yes! Hunt that!]
I swallowed at Joy’s courage.
She had to be fucking joking.
I was worried about killing a hog, let alone a small bird or other source of meat. A whole mountain lion, though? That seemed impossible.
I would try it anyways, just for the thrill of the idea. That and Joy was nudging me to go after it without hint of letting this idea go. She set her sights, moved her paws, and we launched forward.
The mountain cat was surprised, but not enough for me to land a good bite into its skin. It turned on it’s tale, option to run, so I followed, picking up a pace I’ve never known before.
Joy was harsh in determination, running so fast that the world blurred around our eyes. I felt the wind brush my bright, ivory fur, making me feel more invigorated compared to my old fears.
[Pounce!]
I launched myself into the air, falling on the wildcat’s back, sinking my teeth into its shoulder. The beast snared and roared, thrashing to kick me off but every movement only brought my teeth deeper.
It laid flat in a puddle of its own blood, satisfying me at the sight of its size.
We could eat for weeks off of this kill, but something else had caught my focus.
Heat ran down my entire form, ebbing in waves over my head. I had to shift back, knelt down over my kill, feeling the pulse obliterated by my bite, but the happiness was so short lived.
I clenched my teeth and panted for breath, hot lava searing down my throat and settling somewhere I really wish it wouldn’t.
[We’re going into Heat!]
I collapsed onto my side, my stomach in turmoil of cramps and my head in a terrible haze of agony. I finally did something worthwhile and now this?! Now I’m punished again!
I looked at the heavy beast before me, dead and larger than my current frame. I wouldn’t be able to shift into my wolfen form in heat, knowing it would hurt way worse than it already does. And I’ll be damned if I leave this fresh kill out here for the buzzards.
There was really only one option left.
I threw one paw over my shoulder and leaned far forward while I walked, using the gravity of the side of the mountain’s slope to help push me forward with each painful step.
My gut was ablaze and I felt blood running down my inner thighs, needing to be healed with the only thing that could stop such an event. I needed Justin, but I wanted to do this alone more.
I kept going until the haven finally came back into view.
Randy was pacing in the open doorway, his eyes lit when they caught mine. He shouted for Justin who was two steps behind him as they ran into the cave.
“Where the hell did you go?” Justin called, finding me in the tunnel, almost to the cave dwelling. “We woke up and you were gone! Where could you have possibly—”
They both stopped a few steps short of me, the lack of light hiding my appearance before but it brought it out when they were closer now.
I dropped the paw of the dead kill to my side, pressing my hand over my pelvis as the heat had finally subsided on its own. I hated the feeling of not fixing it with Justin’s help, but the look of surprise in his eyes now had been plenty to ease my stress.
“Did you kill that?” Randy asked.
I only nodded, motioning toward the cave. “I burned the little hog you two killed earlier. I’m sorry about that, by the way. I didn’t want that work to go to waste so I thought I could replace it.”
Looking at the mountain lion, it made their hog look like a mouse in size comparison.
Randy grinned but Justin still filtered with concern.
My mate brushed my forehead. “Did that animal cut you like this?”
I shook my head, embarrassed but honest. “Hit my head on the counter in the kitchen. I’m fine, it doesn’t hurt, but I’m going to need help getting this inside the cave.”
Randy tossed the mountain cat over his shoulder like it was a sack of feathers. I snarled at the sight.
Justin pulled me into his hip, taking an obnoxiously long inhale against my throat. His eyes were set alive at my scent. “You went into heat?”
I nodded, partially ashamed.
“You went into heat and still managed to bring that kill back?”
Again, I nodded, letting him pull me back into our small cave. Randy worked at skinning the meat off my hunting prize while Justin planted a throat-deep kiss into my mouth at last.
“So strong,” he mumbled between inhales. “But never leave again without me. Please. I would punish myself if you were to get hurt out there.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
It was reasonable enough for me to know I wasn’t going to kill anything that big ever again. My luck was known to run out so I was probably better off not trying another hunting excursion at the fear I wouldn’t even return with a pheasant or hog.
“Hey,” Justin hummed, kissing my cheek. “I love you, my strong huntress mate.”
I could get used to that title.