86

Hunter, Don't Shoot My Friend

Chapter 86: Don’t Involve My Family

A few hours later, Ethan noticed some changes, but everything felt natural, and nothing serious happened. Since he had a meeting scheduled, he left after taking care of some issues.

As Ethan drove towards the town to meet Stiles, he was soon intercepted by Chris, who stepped out of his vehicle.

"Next time you decide to investigate my family, maybe you should ask me directly for whatever you want to know. Why are there agents investigating my daughter?" Chris seemed very agitated, having recently discovered that his entire family was being monitored.

Ethan had ordered surveillance on Chris’s family in case they tried to flee, but as a professional hunter, Chris could easily tell when he was being followed or watched.

"We're attracting too much attention. Would you like to grab a coffee?" Ethan didn't react impulsively; in fact, he never did.

Perhaps this was the natural response of the strong, or maybe it was the calming drugs Ethan frequently took to relax.

Dressed once again in a black suit, Ethan looked at his coffee and, after a moment, explained, "Among the ranks of the supernatural world, there are rules and principles we mustn’t break. But even within those rules, there are things that even I wouldn’t dare to violate."

"Come on, Ethan, everyone knows that until recently, you killed anything supernatural. You were like the Grimms in that regard; you never left anything alive, criminal or not." Chris wasn’t afraid of Ethan, not when it came to defending his family.

"There are much higher rules, Chris. There are supernatural families I can’t touch, like the Cullens, the Mikaelsons, or the Hales." When Ethan mentioned that last name, he looked at Chris, hoping to get a reaction.

But as he suspected, Chris had nothing to do with the Hale fire.

"What’s your point?" Chris asked directly.

"As hunters, we know better than anyone that we can’t take on all supernatural beings. We’re not superhuman, although that’s not my case... Still, to maintain the world’s stability and safeguard the secret that has been kept hidden for thousands of years, the Light Association signed an agreement with the most civilized families in the supernatural world."

After saying this, Ethan looked at Chris and added, "These families didn’t harm humans voluntarily; if they did, they were tasked with eliminating hundreds of powerful dark entities for us."

"A trade-off, I get that," Chris said, making it clear that he, too, was a hunter.

Ethan nodded slightly and continued, "Then you should know those families are untouchable. But it seems your family attacked the Hales, who were protecting this town."

"That’s impossible." Chris seemed more confused than angry.

"It’s not, Chris. Your sister, guided by your father, manipulated a young Derek Hale to reveal the location of his home and the perfect time to burn them alive." Ethan took a sip of his coffee and said, "As regent, I’ve ordered your family to be judged."

Chris remained silent for a moment before asking, "Will the trial be under the old traditions?"

"As regent, that’s my duty. I won’t be entirely on the werewolves' side. I’ve just granted Derek the status of Alpha since the Light Association needs an army. The sooner we solve this problem, the better."

"My daughter has no idea about the supernatural; she’s a normal teenager." Chris didn’t want his daughter involved.

"I’m glad for her and for you. You’ve managed to keep her away from this inevitable hell... I need men in my elimination group. We’ve lost many hunters recently, and your help would be much appreciated." Ethan made his intentions clear.

He wasn’t looking for enemies; he wanted allies.

He knew Chris had distanced himself from his family for a reason, which is why he wasn’t involved in his father’s crimes.

When Chris heard this, he nodded and said, "I’ll be at your service, Regent."

"I have a plan. If I can carry it out, I’ll create a better world... I truly hope you’ll accept my apology. My training took away my sensitivity, and though that doesn’t justify my actions, I hope you can forgive me."

"There’s no problem if things are made clear. You’re a regent; you have every right to do this." Chris didn’t want to escalate the issue further; he thought it was something personal but realized it wasn’t.

Once everything was clarified, Ethan said his goodbyes and went to find Stiles.

"Am I late?" Ethan asked Stiles, who was dressed more formally.

Stiles removed his sunglasses and replied, "Of course not. What mission are we taking?"

"There’s been a murder. I think it could be a good mission for you to start working on."

"A murder…."