Chapter 3 NEW RULES

FEDORA’S POV

He ordered someone to escort that male out all the while keeping his eyes on me. His heated gaze and those Hawkeyes made the hair on my neck stand up in attention. I felt small under his scrutinizing gaze. He uncovered his majestic aura and demanded the attention of everyone in the hall.

“If any one of you was found to be breaking the new as well as old rules of the hunt will be eliminated and blacklisted from this as well as the upcoming yearly hunts of every pack. Consider this my first and last warning and I don’t like to repeat myself.” He announced and I heard gasps and cheers from the females around me. His majestic aura, deep voice, and the way he carried himself won the admiration of nearly all the women but something about him made my wolf restless.

It was hard to tell if it was because of what just happened or what he did.

And the way his eyes were calling my wolf forward I chose to avoid his gaze and step away hoping that he would do the same but I could still feel his eyes on me and I didn’t like it.

I am thankful that my brother chose that moment to appear and save me from his penetrating gaze.

“Alpha Lorcan, I am Adrian Ryker future Alpha of the green pixel pack. I would like to thank you for saving my sister and looking after her in my absence, I am grateful to you.” Adrian extended his hand for him to shake and Alpha Lorcan accepted it after thinking something.

Before leaving he took one last glance at me and subconsciously touched my bracelet that I especially bought to hide my scent. If he noticed that movement, he just ignored it and walked away.

I should have breathed a sigh of relief when he left but my wolf Hera got more agitated in my head by his absence.

My blood ran cold when a thought hit me.

This was not a joke. All the signs were clear his powerful scent and his mere presence was enough to make my wolf go against me and everything I stand for.

Theoretically speaking, there was only one answer.

But when I looked through the window, I was reminded of the fact that tonight is not a full-moon night. Without a full moon, our true body scent will be dimmed.

So I didn't have to just jump to conclusions.

Yes, it might be an illusion. I mean he was the most powerful Alpha after all, and it could be part of his power.

Alpha Lorcan is my mate? Kidding me? That should be the least likely thing to happen on Earth.

I don’t want anyone from his pack to be my mate. These people are ruthless and they are proud of it too.

I don’t want that kind of energy in my life.

I have heard some sick and sadistic stuff about their pack and I am sure that I don’t want to be a part of any of those things at least not in this life.

“Woah! He is mouth-watering,” Caroline whispered from beside me and I jumped at her lustful voice.

“Mouth-watering? Seriously?” I looked at her with an annoyed expression on my face but she just smiled sheepishly and winked at me.

“I mean…if he weren’t popular as ‘the Norse God of war’ I would totally do him.” She winked once again and I cringed at the way she was eyeing him, and for some reason, my wolf yapped at my best friend not liking the way she was addressing Alpha Lorcan.

My wolf Hera was not pleased with the way I was trying to avoid meeting his eyes, in fact, I was trying to hide from him.

It doesn’t matter to me if he is the alpha of the most powerful pack in the continent, I don’t want the title of his Luna or the power that this title can give me, because I know what I will be exposed to on a regular basis.

These kinds of power-hungry men hardly respect women, I have had a fair share of such men in my life and I don’t want that life for me.

I didn’t train hard for my entire life to become someone else’s trophy or property.

If I am destined to have a partner, I only pray that he could be someone who respects me, loves me, and treats me as his equal.

I just hope Hera is wrong and Alpha Lorcan is not my mate.

Right at that moment, I heard a strong voice calling everyone’s attention and it was Alpha Lorcan's Beta, Reagan.

“Thanks for joining us tonight, I don’t want to waste your time so let me come straight to the point."

"Our pack is known for doing things differently and this year we have made a few changes, which will obviously add more spice to this year’s mate hunt.”

I frowned at this unexpected change. People started murmuring and Beta Reagan cleared his throat to gain all their attention once again.

“So the first change is that instead of hunting in the forest this year, we have organized the hunt near the Rogue’s lair in the form of a maze."

"The map of the maze will be available on our pack’s official website after midnight, all of you can study it to avoid any kind of accidents tomorrow."

"But remember, after the first warning bell for hunt no digital devices will be allowed.” He paused for a moment only to be interrupted by another Alpha from the crowd.

“But why Rogue’s lair? Aren’t you putting the lives of all the men and women in danger by doing this and informing us about this at the last moment?” He asked and I recognized that he was the Alpha of our rival pack.

“Are you afraid of rogue’s Alpha Gary? This year’s hunt is not just a hunt, it is also a chance for all the Alpha to prove that you can protect your mates. Why should women accept you if you can’t even protect her from a single mutt?” Beta Reagan mocked Alpha Gary making everyone snicker at him.

That’s interesting and dangerous.

This will put pressure on the males to not only find their mates on time but also to protect them from any uninvited guests.

“Now if there aren’t any other questions we are safe to move on to our second condition and ladies, this is especially for you.” He said and winked at the crowd and I heard the sound of fake giggles around me.

I rolled my eyes at those stupid females.

“So…ladies you already know that you have to hide from your mates or get out of that maze safely before the final bell rings, now that’s the old rule"

"This year, we added something extra to this rule that will benefit you."

"If any of you manage to find a way out of the maze without being claimed by your mate, then you’ll get a chance to reject or accept your mate if you want to"

"And your mate will have no say in this matter.”

Beta's announcement immediately led to a more heated discussion. Many ladies excitedly cheered, appreciating the kindness from Alpha Lorcan.

I scoffed at this. This should be our born right, is it worth being so grateful?

But anyway, it did increase my chances of successfully getting out of this mate hunt.

Rogues are not my problem, I am trained enough to fight them alone. All I have to do is hide my scent making sure that no one would catch it, and find the other end of the maze within the time frame.

I have to make it!

While I was lost in my thoughts, I couldn’t help but feel someone’s eyes on me. I looked around and accidentally met the eyes of Alpha Lorcan, who looked like had no intention of turning his gaze away from me any time soon. Then he even gave me a smirk.

Sh*t!

Can he sense my scent?