Page 2 of Not a Tribute

I force myself to move, not that I have any idea where I am headed. All I know is, I can’t sit around and wait for some entitled Alpha asshole to catch me. Fire burns the sky as roars sound around me, the Alphas already rampaging through the forest, seeking out a female to slake their lust. I choose a direction blindly and set off running, fighting through the underbrush and the blinding pain, praying I can stay out of reach until morning. It’s a beautiful fantasy that is bound to turn into a horror story before long.

All I need is to keep moving for the next eight hours without being caught and this nightmare will be over. I don’t have the slightest clue what I will do then because I clearly can’t return to the place I once called my home and a father who hates me.

Breathe. One problem at a time.

Tonight, I need to survive.

If I’m caught by one of them, I’ll probably end up dead or begging for death. Because my father’s words were true. No Alpha wants a damaged female.

****

Liam

I have been waiting for this night for as long as I can remember. Anticipation burns through my veins as I stand on the edge of a cliff beside nine other Alpha Nobles, waiting for the alarm to sound and allow us to go forth into the woods below to claim what is ours.

Once a year, the Alpha Council selects ten random Alpha Nobles for the annual hunt. We are sent into the forest for eight hours. In those hours we hunt females that have offered themselves up for us. Tributes. This ritual is part of our lives, as it has been for hundreds of years.

Each female is hoping to catch the eye of an Alpha willing to claim her and give her a better life. We catch them, fuck them, breed them, and assure the continuation of our species. But not all females are claimed because not every Alpha wants to be bound to a woman.

I am not here to find a female to keep. I want to let loose and allow myself to enjoy the night before returning home to my perfectly organized life. Everything is exactly how I intend it to be. I don’t have to worry about staying out late or what mypartner thinks, because I prefer to be on my own. And sexual desires are easily taken care of in one of the many pleasure houses throughout the realm. I do not need, nor do I have the inclination, to put up with a fucking woman.

But I have always wanted to hunt a female. The idea of chasing her and then claiming the spoils is something I have always fantasized about. The hunt gives me the opportunity to do just that.

During the annual hunt the lower-class Alphas are not allowed to participate. The Alpha Council prefers to breed from the better lines, insuring that strong dragons are produced.

My father once told me it was necessary, that since we no longer had fated mates, we needed to find another way to do things. Yes, some Alphas find females and they fall in love, marry, and have families with them, but they are few and far between. In my opinion, Alpha dragons are not built for monogamy. We want to spread our seed and continue our lineage. And we love to hunt and fuck. In my mind, this is the perfect solution.

At thirty years old, this is only my first hunt. There are many Alphas, and some never get a chance to hunt. My heart beats wildly at the opportunity to do this, to allow myself free reign. I stare at the men around me, most are younger, but some are the same age I am.

The alarm sounds and a roar goes up between us. Some Alphas shift into their dragon forms, flames burn the night sky, and wings stir the air around us, while the rest of us choose to stalk our prey in our human form. In mere moments the hunt is fully underway. I hear females and animals scurry around, each searching for a safe space to hide.

The first scream rings through the night as I remain standing on the cliff, overlooking all that is happening below. My cock is hard as granite as I listen to the hunt take place.Already the screams and moans carry through the air, tempting my dragon to join in the festivities. But I wait.

There is something in the air tonight, a sense of foreboding, I think. Something unknown. I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, my dragon restless beneath the surface. I know we are both looking forward to finding a female to ravish, but even he can sense something else is going on. Scenting the air, I find something unexpected.

Lilies. Burnt lilies to be precise.

My dragon goes wild, bursting free and forcing me to shift. I fight him for dominance, but he is fully in control, raging as he seeks out the source of the lily scent. Trees are uprooted in his angry pursuit, thrown over his shoulder as he decimates anything and everything in his path. Never in my life since he first emerged have we been so at odds with each other. I don’t understand what has my dragon this irate, but I do know he won’t rest or allow me to shift back until he finds what he is looking for.

The lily scent grows stronger as we make our way into the darkest part of the forest. He slows his motions, breathing deeply, and stalking his intended prey. The closely packed trees block out any light the moon might have provided, but I have no problem seeing with my dragon’s heightened eyesight.

Rounding another tree, I am finally able to see what my dragon is hunting. A woman. She has long, fiery red hair, with thick thighs that will be able to cradle my larger frame as I rut into her, and large tits for me to hold onto. She is dressed casually, in a red t-shirt and jean shorts with no shoes. And still, she is the most beautiful, captivating creature I have ever seen.

In front of her is Peter Blake, another Alpha Noble, already stalking her and backing her against a tree. Anger surges through me and my dragon. Before I know what is happening, my dragon takes the other Alpha Noble in hand and rips himapart, literally. Blood sprays everywhere, coating the pretty female as well.

I consider myself lucky. Peter was a lower-ranking Noble and because we are part of the hunt, any deaths that occur are seen as accidental. No crimes committed tonight are punishable.

Both my dragon and I focus on the female in front of us, waiting to hear her scream, for her to run, but nothing happens. She simply stares at us, emerald-green eyes assessing us and cutting straight through to our soul. Strange. Any other woman would be a sobbing mess on the forest floor but she is quietly assessing us, taking our measure.

Mine!

The word rattles around in my brain, shaking me to the core. My dragon has been a part of me since I can remember and has never communicated with me. I’ve never heard anyone talk of something like this.

Mine!

My dragon breathes harshly, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he stares at her, lust surging through both of us the longer we stand here watching her.

“Who are you?” she asks in a whisper, her voice soft but firm, wrapping around my heart and holding tight.

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