Let the Hunt Begin

Rose tore along the shoreline, following Jules’ scent. Where were they? Jules was in danger. These two weren’t what they seemed. If they were, then they still weren’t safe. If her father and Jack were out to get them. Where were they?

She could hear Ty pursuing her. He’d shifted into the largest wolf she’d ever encountered, and her father was large. Ty, she was sure, was larger. He followed her and was gaining on her each time she looked back. Gods, what was she going to do?

She rode her panic attack mostly and tried to think logically. It wasn’t working. Suddenly, Ty was running beside her. As his wolf, he wasn’t even out of breath, while she ran full out. 

He made contact with her side. Knocking her off her feet. He was on top of her in no time. His jaws on the back of her neck. Ty could snap her neck like this, but he just held her in place. Growling each time, she squirmed under him.

Rose soon realized if he’d wanted her dead, she would be. Her resistance slowed, and he finally released her. His growl rolled over her from head to toe. He was so close to her. She shuddered, knowing what he wanted. He was demanding she change form back to human. To end this and appease his nature, she shifted. Putting herself into a very vulnerable spot. With her heart racing, she felt him shift and lay his very naked body over hers. Pinned down, she could only listen.

“Good girl, my love. You listen very well. Now, you have nothing to fear from me. It’s your father and his people you need to worry about. With me, you’ll be safe. I give you, my word.” 

“I can leave, I have plans. You don’t need to kidnap me and I’m not your mate.” Rose wanted him to admit he was getting ahead of himself. “I only met you yesterday, for crying out loud.”

He put his nose behind her ear and loudly drew in a prolonged smell. “I would say otherwise. If I touched you, would my fingers find your need for some… intimate care?” She couldn’t see his self-satisfied smile, but she could hear it.

“What do you mean?” She gasped when he instead showed her. His knee slid between her thighs and his fingers caressed her inner thighs. She panted in eager response to his touch.

“See. You are more than ready for me. Gods, I want to risk everything for this.” Rose felt the same urge. She wanted more. Rose struggled to resist, begging him for more. Rose couldn’t believe how her body responded. This wasn’t her normally. No, it was her discovering what it meant to find her mate and trigger her first heat.

Ty shifted off her just enough for him to caress her hip and belly. It flooded Rose with sensations and emotions. Thrilling and panicking at the same time. If he’d triggered her first heat, he was her true mate, and her heat would trigger his until they both were satisfied. Gods, she was trouble.

With only his hand touching her, she scrambled away from him. Missing his fingers as soon as they were gone. She shifted again, as quickly as she could. It was painful shifting so close to the last time. That’s why you only did it like this in battle and she wasn’t a fighter. That meant she didn’t have the skill practiced enough to avoid the pain. 

Rose heard him growl as he, too, shifted and gave chase. She needed to talk to Jules. She needed the one person in the world she could trust.

Ty was right behind her. She could hear the ground cover shift under the weight of his running steps. Her sense of smell could pick up scents everywhere. That included fresh scents. Scent she was sure came from both of them. Could it be the scent of her mating heat? Gods, she wasn’t ready for that. Not yet. She had to get away from her father’s control first. Didn’t she?

They ran through the forest. She wasn’t sure which way she went, toward the packhouse or away from it. She just ran, looking for Jules. The knowledge that of her mate chasing her and her indecision as if she should let him kidnap her was frightening to Rose. 

She needed a sign, any sign. What should she do? Did she believe him and let him take her? Or did she risk her father wrath? Her father was rumoured to be a monster hiding as a saint. Rose didn’t feel confident with either decision. Though, if Ty wanted her dead, she would already be.

In her distracted state, Rose missed the fact that Ty was herding her somewhere. She didn’t know where he was forcing her to go, but he wasn’t showing any anger. In fact, he acted like this was a great game he was winning at.

Rose understood soon enough when a dark green SUV came into view a distance away. The door opened and there sat Jules and Ben in the far back seat. She looked scared and desperate when she called Rose’s name. Rose was so confused by her conflicted emotions, she jumped into the SUV. She couldn’t do much saving when the SUV became a tight fit when Ty jumped in behind her. There was no room. 

“For crying out loud, shift!” Ben yelled as he slammed the side door shut. “Go Jay. Get out of here. We’ll sort this out.”

This forced her to shift again, back into a naked human. Ty followed suit as Ben forced the door closed, and it took the choice Rose had from her. The SUV moved, driven by someone Rose didn’t know, but recognized seeing around town. She figured Ben was talking to the driver and his name was Jay.

“Gods, we’re in so much trouble.” Jules said as she shifted in the seat behind Rose.

“You’re both safe right now.” Ty stated to her as he accepted a couple of blankets from Ben. “This is all part of the plan.”