The week had been a test of my patience, and now the hunt was finally here. Jason, being the pack president, was in charge of the whole shebang.
Dad was right. The pack was thrilled to see their alpha prepping to run with them. I managed a smile for them, silently begging my wolf to behave.
We hadn’t been on the same page for two years, but she agreed that we shouldn’t harm the humans. Jason watched me get ready, his eyes filled with a sadness that tugged at my heart.
When he caught my eye, the sadness was quickly replaced by a familiar glare.
“Kristen and Chad, stick with your alpha. I’ll be with Taylor and Steve. Everyone, stay with your groups. Don’t hurt the humans, just give them a little scare. Let’s have some fun,” he instructed.
“Yes.”
I joined my best friends as the other pack members gathered the pledges, preparing them to enter the woods. We gave them a head start before releasing the wolves. They disappeared into the woods, and we all waited for Jason’s signal.
Jason glanced at his watch before grinning at us. The anticipation was palpable.
The hunt stirred our instincts, but it was also a test of our control over our wolves.
“Okay everyone. Let’s go,” Jason finally announced.
I shifted into my light brown wolf, Kristen into her creamy one, and Chad into his dark gray. I glanced over to see Jason as his light gray, almost white, wolf.
My wolf yearned to nuzzle against him, but I pushed her back and trotted out, followed by the rest of the pack.
We began the chase, but my heart wasn’t in it. I followed a trail, my friends trailing behind me.
Running as a wolf, feeling the earth beneath my claws and the wind in my fur, was exhilarating.
I wanted to check on Tom, so I followed his scent and found him darting between the bushes. He was close to the finish line. Good for him.
I picked up another scent; a heavy perfume. I growled in annoyance and followed the new trail.
Sure enough, two human girls were screaming as they ran. Chad tried to get me to turn back, but I watched as one of them fell on her butt.
I howled, startling her back onto her feet, and then I smelled it. She had cut her hand when she fell. That was bad.
Seeing red, I moved toward the girls. Kristen mind-linked Jason for help and Chad tried to stop me, but he wasn’t strong enough.
I charged at the girls, their screams of terror fueling me. I was dangerously close when a light gray wolf tackled me.
I growled at him as he bared his teeth at me. My wolf didn’t take kindly to that. I got into a fighting stance, and he mirrored me.
I swiped at Chad’s snout, yelping as he bit my tail. The pain snapped me back to reality, and I bolted.
I raced back to the house, shifting behind the building before slipping into my dress.
I was on the verge of tears. I had hurt Chad. Fuck, what was wrong with me?
I retreated to a room to cool down before joining the party. Ten minutes later, there was a knock.
“Not now, Kristen! I’ll be down in a few,” I called, my voice strained.
“Open the door, Arya!” a deep voice commanded, sending shivers down my spine.
It was Jason. I debated opening the door, but curiosity won out. Jason’s blue eyes met mine, filled with that same sadness. I bit my lip in frustration.
“I don’t want your pity,” I snapped.
“I’m not here to pity you.”
“Oh? Then are you here to gloat? I know I screwed up.”
“Stop beating yourself up, Arya.”
Jason was angry. He moved quickly, pulling me into a tight hug. I was stunned.
I felt the sparks from our mate bond wherever we touched as he relaxed against me. He rested his head in the crook of my neck, making me gasp.
My wolf was doing flips in my mind. She was reaching out to her mate, and he responded.
“I’m not your enemy,” he murmured, his voice husky. “I came to check on you. Your dad insisted, even though I told him it wasn’t a good idea.”
He stroked my hair and whispered sweet nothings in my ear while I let the tears fall. I refused to sob, though. I wouldn’t show that much weakness, even to Jason.
“How’s Chad?” I asked, my voice muffled against his chest.
“He’s okay. Biting your tail was a risky move, but he made the right call,” Jason said softly.
“Yeah, otherwise I would have kicked your ass. That wouldn’t have been pretty,” I joked.
He chuckled. Goddess, I had missed that sound. It warmed me just to hear it.
“Or I could have won and that would have been embarrassing for you,” he teased.
“What? No way, mister! I’m just glad I didn’t do too much damage.” I smiled.
“It was a small scratch.”
“I should apologize to him anyway. It’s not his fault I’m a wild bitch.”
“You said it, not me.”
I laughed. I pulled away from him, and he cupped my face in his big, calloused hands, wiping my tears away with his thumbs.
I stood on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. I didn’t dare risk anything more.
“Thank you,” I said. “For standing up for me to my dad. That must have been hard.”
“I’m on your side, Arya. Always. You’re the one who put us in this situation.”
I sighed and pulled away from him completely. Of course, he had to ruin the moment. What was I thinking?
“I didn’t mean to hurt you when I said that two years ago. I was thinking about us. I was too young to risk having a baby. People our age do that, you know…wait to complete the bond.
“All I wanted was a little time. I knew we’d be swamped, and it would be miserable not seeing each other as much as we’d like.”
“Are we any better off now? Look at us. We’re always arguing, you’re losing control of your wolf, and I’m constantly pissed off…
“I thought you’d change your mind if I fucked some random girl, but no. You had to be stubborn and do the same,” he said, his eyebrows knitting together.
“That was a low blow, Jason. It hurt like hell, and I wanted to show you that wasn’t the way to go. Yeah, I acted like a child, and I’m sorry if that hurt you, but I just wanted you to get it.
“I wanted you to get me, I needed you to get me,” I said, my voice cracking on the last word.
I had to leave the room. I couldn’t stand to look at him right now. I didn’t know what to think.
He’d defend me in front of my father, our alpha, but he’d still cut me with his words. He was so unpredictable.
