And then he hung up.
Oh, Ravaric dammit, that was the old alpha from last night.
Fucking seraphim!
After a few more calls, I found a mechanic who wasn’t Selene’s best friend, and four hours and two thousand runics later, I finally took out the twin to the charm I’d put on Sage’s car last night.
It blinked slowly, the frequency increasing as I started to head towards where she’d gone.
It was difficult to use when driving, since I couldn’t always change direction on a dime from the road. But after a few U-turns, the charm was practically one solid pulse of light as I turned down a path that could barely be called a road.
A small cabin came into view, hidden among the trees. It was still late afternoon, and normally I would wait for the cover of night, but I had very little time left.
I spied the car I’d seen outside of the bar covered in a tarp, and breathed a little easier when I didn’t find any other tire tracks. She was trying to hide here, and hadn’t switched to a new vehicle.
A plume of her scent wafted in the air through my window, and blood rushed to my dick with the promise of my prey soon to be captured. I’d tracked her long enough, and it was time to collect my prize.
I parked behind a thick copse of trees, taking out a concealment charm and crushing it between my fingers as I exited the car. After closing the door softly, I made my approach.
The south side of the cabin had no windows, and I headed there first, darting between trees. There was no sound, not from the distant highway, or even birds or insects. Only the heavy thudding of my heart, echoing in my ears, was proof of life in these deep woods.
Her scent got stronger, and I felt my hands vibrating with power and need to have her in my grasp. My teeth ached in my mouth, and I paused briefly behind a thick trunk, biting on my finger to calm myself.
Fuck, I hoped she’d run. I pulsed with need to chase, to capture, for the feel of a sweet female beneath me, panting and submitting. Ravaric, I’d never felt more alpha than I did in this moment.
I didn’t know the rut was going to be this bad, and I was a little upset the witch-made stuff didn’t seem to be working. The initial relief had been better than the traditional pills, but so far neither of them had lasted more than a couple of hours. And if I wasn’t careful, I might hurt Sage in the frenzy.
Deep breaths. I tried to take another minute to calm myself. I didn’t want to hurt Sage regardless, but my contract stipulated she be brought in unharmed. I had to be careful and calculated from here on out, which meant absolutely no rutting.
With one quick push, I made it to the wall, pressing myself flat against it. The wood was warm from the sun, and the fabric on my jacket and jeans caught slightly against the rough splinters.
Slowly, inch by inch, I slid around the house, dipping below the windows as I came across them.
Each step was gentle and deliberate, and I made them as quietly as possible. The door was almost within reach, and it was the only one to this small cabin.
A bad safe house, if you ask me. But then again, Morgana had probably never considered the passengers on her ferry would accidentally get stuck with a tracking charm, or even be found at Selene’s to begin with. This place was a temporary contingency plan, I bet.
I took a deep breath as the doorknob came within reach, steeling myself for chaos. A slow turn found it unlocked, and in one big rush, I twisted and pushed it open, blocking the path out and surveying the room in front of me.
It was empty, the only movement coming from an open window in the back, its curtains waving gently in the breeze.
I should have been pissed, or at the very least annoyed.
Instead, I was thrilled.
My nails grew into claws, my teeth and cock both aching to be sunk into soft flesh as I roared.
What the hell was wrong with me? This was more than a rut.
Hunt. Chase. Catch.
The instinct fueled me as I ran back out the door, catching the omega’s sweet perfume on the air.
She wasn’t far.
Part of me even thought about waiting, giving her more of a head start to prolong the game.
But the part that won out just wanted her beneath me.Now.
