Two other groups of demon wolves charged at them from both sides. About forty demon wolves were now jumping into the battle. This was an ambush. They were waiting for them.
Jin swirled an angry windstorm, directing it at one of the groups of wolves while Chasen went bowling for demon wolves, knocking their bodies around like rag dolls. Hunter also sent a strong gust forward, giving his warriors a small breather from the onslaught. The heavy scent of his mate filled his nostrilseven over the blood smell. He was devastated. She was here somewhere. And she was here to kill him.
Four swift, brown streaks zipped past Hunter, striking four demon wolves who immediately fell, lifeless. Another set of four brown streaks shot out from the trees, repeating the deadly maneuver, leaving four more wolves lifeless on the ground.
Suddenly, a person cloaked in black dropped from the trees, landing between the Black Ice Pack and the demon wolves. Another set of brown stakes flew from her hands and sank into more of the enemy. She straightened up, flung her cloak to the side, and raised a set of daggers from their sheaths. Rich auburn hair fell past her shoulders and swayed in the wind as her green eyes met with her adversaries. Her pale skin almost reflected the sun as she dug her combat boots into the dirt beneath her. Pushing off from the toes of her boots, she slashed the demon wolves at a blinding speed, a small smile spreading over her face as she continued to take the lives of demons around her. It wasn’t until all the demon wolves were dead that her frenzied attacks stopped.
The girl stood with her back to the Black Ice Pack, taking in a few deep breaths as she came down from the high of killing.
“Freja? Freja, is that you?” Jin bounced in front of the girl dressed in black tight pants and a black tank top.
“Jin? You’re alive?” Freja immediately knew who she was from the green hair.
Jin smiled. “You look so different. You’re beautiful, and all grown up.”
“Look who’s calling who beautiful. I thought you were dead, Jin. When everything happened, my mother hid me behind a spell. After they were killed, I ran to your place, and your house was destroyed. I heard they hung your bodies outside the demon lair. I thought you were dead.”
“My parents were killed by the demons, but I was taken and enslaved, up until just a couple years ago. I’m so happy to see you again.” Jin smiled and hugged Freja.
A hug. This was the second time she’d been hugged in so long, the first one having been from Reiya. Jin had been enslaved? How was she like this? How was she this happy person? Freja frowned and wrapped her arms around Jin. “I’m so sorry. Had I known, I would have come for you.”
Chasen growled and stared at Freja, who looked up at the bear with no emotion. Did he expect her to be afraid just because he growled? She was a dhampir. She didn’t fear him. Instead, she stared at him blankly. “I think it would be easier to talk if you took your human form.”
Jin took a step back from Freja and looked over at Chasen as he shifted. She held her hand out for him to come near her. “Freja, this is my mate. Chasen, this is Freja. We used to play together as children.”
“Chasen?” Freja said, then reached into her pocket, handing him a letter. “This is from Reiya, for her brothers Chasen and Hunter.” She studied Chasen and sensed his energy. “You are almost exactly the same in energy and stature as Brody. Interesting.”
Freja felt rough fingers dig into her arm, spinning her around. A wall of muscle blocked her path. Broad shoulders strained against dark fabric, corded forearms flexing with restrained power. Her gaze traveled upward past a strong jaw to meet eyes like molten silver, piercing beneath a wave of raven-black hair. His metallic eyes burned into hers, and her heart raced—but not from fear.
Heat flooded through her veins. Her vampire stirred, rising with primal recognition, and one word echoed through her mind like a thunderclap.
MATE.
Oh, bloody hell.He looked agitated and angry. She felt his grip on her arm tighten as she looked up.
“Take the patrol back, NOW,” Hunter growled out, pulling Freja away from everyone. “NOW, Sam and Chasen!” he roared loudly without turning back around.
Such theatrics,Freja thought. If he wanted to reject her, he could just do it. He didn’t have to act so disgusted with her. She gathered this was Hunter, the alpha of the pack and Reiya’s other brother. For Reiya, she would tolerate this behavior. He might be her mate, but it was only until he rejected her. And from the way he was looking at her, that was about to happen any minute now.
He finally stopped walking and turned around, pinning her against the trunk of a large tree, his eyes wild and agitated as they bore into her. He looked like he was trying to control his rage as his silver eyes darkened on her. She quietly observed him and waited … waited to hear the words that would bring her pain and make her more numb. It was okay. She was used to being unwanted, and pain would at least let her feel alive, even if it was for just a moment. The increased numbness … that part was going to be hard.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Hunter slammed his hand into the tree right by her head while his other hand grabbed onto her shoulder. His shoulders were rising and falling as he struggled against himself. His silver eyes dimmed, and he snarled lowly as he inched closer to Freja. The girl just stood there, looking back at him curiously with her emerald eyes. There was no fear, not even an ounce. She just stood there, waiting to see what he was going to do. Her auburn hair was pushed behind her, and he could see the ivory skin of her neck. Her sweet scent tickled his nose as he inhaled deeply.
Freja watched his eyes darken as his wolf won a battle against him. He felt different from other werewolves … different from other alphas she had encountered. His aura was almost smothering, and that wasn’t something she was used to. Maybe it was because he was her mate? But she sensed it was something else. She listened as a growl gurgled in his throat, his dark eyes pinned on her. What was he waiting for? Was he that angry that she was his mate that he was struggling now?
She tilted her head a bit as she studied him. Okay, she could admit it. He was gorgeous. His ebony locks were beautiful, and she wanted to reach out and touch them. She pushed that desiredown, though. He was only going to be her mate for a moment longer, just until he rejected her. It was okay, though. It was going to be okay. She still had Reiya, right? The girl who’d saved her from a deadly curse. She promised she would live for Reiya from now on, the sweetest person she’d encountered since her parents were killed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his fingers shaking as they gripped the tree.
“I’m sorry,” Hunter whispered through clenched teeth.
Freja was shocked that he was apologizing. He must have felt bad about rejecting her. But before she could respond or react, his grip on her shoulder tightened. She felt the pressure of him pushing her back into the tree. His other hand left the tree and gripped her head, not allowing her to move.What was he doing?Then, with lightning speed, his face plunged toward her. She felt two sharp points sink into her neck, shallow at first, then deeper. She heard him growl into her neck as he laid claim to it. Her eyes widened as her body tensed. He held her so tightly, she was unable to move.
As the pain faded, waves of pleasure coursed through her, along with a new energy. She shuddered and leaned into his grip for support. A small whimper escaped her lips, a sound she didn’t even know she could make. He had just marked her. She didn’t know what to think. Energies lashed against the other, everything swirling in her head. Her witch powers were melding together with the new energy, but her vampire powers were lashing around furiously.
She felt his fangs pull out of her, releasing another powerful wave of pleasure. This pleasure was met with pain, though, her insides waging an unseen war. She gasped for air as liquid metal began coursing through her veins. This was pain on a level she had never experienced before, and her legs buckled from it. She wanted to roll on the ground and curl up in a ball from the pain, but instead, she was caught against the chest in front of her. Shefelt his hands curl around her as his body involuntarily began to shake.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she heard him say over and over as the sound began to fade away. She gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming. She was a demon huntress, a dhampir—she didn’t scream out in pain. But this pain was excruciating. Her throat betrayed her, allowing small whimpers to escape from it. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she clenched her hands into fists. He must have poisoned her or something. She was dying. She had to be dying. It felt like she was being eviscerated on the inside.
