Touch her and diewas my new motto.
The howl was also a tiny warning to my omega. The predator inside me was about to hunt her, and then she would be claimed.
CHAPTER 42
EMME
Hunter’s warning howl rang out in the distance, and it spurred me on faster. My body was nimble as a wolf, and smaller than Hunter’s beast, which was why I chose the most overgrown, least accessible part of the forest to escape into.
He’d made it clear that there was no chance I’d outlast him in this primal chase, but I wouldn’t give up without a fight.
As I barreled deeper into the forest, my surroundings grew darker, the natural light eliminated by a heavier canopy. My wolf’s sight was strong enough to keep us from getting into too much trouble, and it was both soothing and a touch unnerving to hear only my panting and the soft pattering of paws over the icy ground.
The few rabbits and foxes I’d disturbed were long gone, leaving me alone… for now. Hunter was already behind me, tracing my scent and path, and while he didn’t feel close yet, an eerie feeling of being watched persisted.
Snow fell in soft drifts around me, most of it blocked by the foliage. Covered by fur, I barely felt the cold at all. When I reached an open section of forest, the ground was muddy from melting ice and flakes of snow, and I rolled in the muck untilmy white fur was brown, hiding my unique coloring and scent in one action—another part of my plan to remain out of his clutches until sunrise.
A crash echoed behind me, and whether it was Hunter or another creature, it jolted me to keep moving. My fur stiffened as the mud dried, and with each step the fear in my chest grew and grew. I couldn’t figure out why my beast was afraid, the fur on the back of my neck standing up as I sprinted, my tongue lolling from my mouth to keep cool.
My heart raced until it was all I could hear, this franticthump thump thumpin my ears. Shadows rose up around me as the foliage thinned out, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.
By instinct, I changed directions, and another shadow washed over me. My wolf struck first, and I ended up with a mouthful of big cat. Bignon-shiftercat.
The cougar was close to my size, already snarling and swiping at my face. This must have been what stalked me as I ran, but I was a wolf shifter, and wouldn’t bow to no fucking feline.
We tumbled together and my jaws clamped on to its throat, tearing through the fur. I didn’t go for a killing bite yet, giving it a chance to respect my dominance. Thankfully, it did just that, scampering away when I released it.
It was odd that these larger animals remained within shifter territory at all, which made that one a confident, top tier predator. Just not top tier enough.
Mild fatigue hit me as the adrenaline eased, and when I moved again I chose strategic rather than in a flat-out sprint. Another tingle ran down my spine as I lowered myself to my belly and crawled through dense bushes. I got the sense that this tingle was from Hunter.
Dammit. I hadn’t even been running for twenty minutes.
If I ever had to flee the cities, I needed a plan for how to keep myself hidden. These alphas were locked on to me now, locked on and unwilling to let go.
A rumble filled the forest; he was even closer than I’d thought. Just out there, playing with his prey.Asshole.
Unwilling to roll over and surrender, I changed trajectory, heading for a row of huge trees I’d passed earlier. One of them had a hollow log spanning across its base from a long-ago fallen trunk. I should be small enough to hide in it, and hopefully Hunter’s beast would be too large to follow. Even if he found me before sunrise, he wouldn’t be able tocatch me,which should satisfy the rules.
When I felt him breathing down my neck, I picked up the pace. The log came into view, and a burst of adrenaline had my legs moving so fast that I was in real danger of tumbling over my own feet. Just as my head reached the opening of the trunk, Hunter leapt from the bushes and barreled me over. We rolled across the snow and undergrowth, and the whole time that fucker smirked a wolfie smirk. Yeah, he’d been playing with me. I’d never stood a chance.
When we came to a halt, I was sprawled on my side with Hunter’s weight holding me down. It would be futile to struggle, so I lurched up and locked my jaws around his throat, which he’d left woefully unguarded. These dominant, arrogant wolves always underestimated other shifters, too used to letting their dominance do half the work in a battle.
Hunter stilled as I tasted the first drop of his blood, warm and rich, with just the hint of his mocha scent. My chest rumbled, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to a desire for more blood or more Hunter, but either way, my wolf was content to lie under the bulk of her mate.
The way he’d hunted us had her all but ready to lift tail and give him exactly what he wanted.
I yipped when Hunter shifted back, leaving me pinned under a very naked male. “Oh, my stealthy little omega,” he drawled, big hands running through my mud-caked fur. “You did much better than I anticipated. I’m impressed.”
My wolf preened under her alpha’s praise, and I felt the same, even as I held on to a sliver of annoyance at being bested so easily. When I forced out a growl, Hunter’s touch slowed, gentling, and his expression was a mix of desire and need. My wolf arched, and I decided it was time to switch back.
My beast didn’t fight, content with what had happened this evening, leaving me to deal with the human side of our claiming. She’d claimed this pack long ago, and now it was time for me to do my part.
Hunter’s eyes darkened as he examined my face, like he committed every single detail to memory. “You’ve never looked more beautiful,” he rasped, his nostrils flaring as he leaned down and dragged his nose along my throat. “Even covered in mud, you can’t hide your scent from me. I could follow it through multiverses.”
A chuckle bubbled up from me, even as my cheeks pinkened and core throbbed. “Nerd,” I teased. “Always thinking in terms of multiverses.”
He nudged more firmly against my cheek, scraping through the dried mud, which was rough against my sensitive skin. I gasped when he licked me, no doubt tasting half the forest at the same time, but Hunter didn’t appear to care. I wiggled against him, my center throbbing, but he had me pinned as he kissed and licked a path down my throat and over my chest, until his tongue encircled my left nipple.
