Page 20 of Nightmare Island

That sickening feeling in my chest tells me I’ve just been played.

Panic rising, I rush back to the door. The metal handle is unyielding under my grip. Locked.

“No, no, no,” I say, yanking at the handle with increasing desperation, remembering all of Eve’s rules, and while she could have lied about those, too, I can’t convince myself otherwise she did. “Don’t do this to me. Open, damn you!”

The forest seems to press closer, the shadows deepening as the sun sinks lower. Then, from somewhere in the depths of the woods, a single howl rises. It’s long, mournful, and terrifyingly close. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Another howl joins the first, then another. I’m pretty sure I know what or who is on the menu.

Chapter

Five

GHOST

The corridor stretches before me, shadows dancing on the stone walls. I can almost taste the excitement of the upcoming hunt in the air. But something’s off. A nagging feeling in my gut that I can’t shake.

Suddenly, Eve emerges from the shadows, as if she’s been lying in wait. Her hands are on my chest before I can react, fingers splaying across my muscles. A growl rumbles inside me, low and warning.

Eve. The Omega I’ve spent more time with than I care to admit, but that’s all it’s ever been—ruts, a physical release, nothing more. She’s a distraction, a way to kill time on this godforsaken island. There are only so many hunts a man can go on before he starts to lose his mind.

I’m no fool. I see the crazy in her eyes when she looks at me, the obsession that was endearing at first but now grates on my nerves.

“Ghost,” she purrs, batting her eyelashes in a way that’s meant to be seductive but just comes off as desperate. “If you’re in the mood, we can go back to my room.”

I groan, partly in frustration, partly in disgust at my own weakness.

“Is everything ready for the hunt?” I ask, ignoring her comment.

“Of course.” She nods, not moving an inch from where she’s pressed against me. “But are you sure you don’t want to… warm up first?”

My patience snaps. I run my hands down her hair, grasping it aggressively and tugging her head back. “Don’t push me today, Eve,” I growl in her ear, my voice low and dangerous.

She whimpers, and I hate how much I love that sound. She’s prey, helpless and afraid. And I consider it, then shove the idea away.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her voice trembling, but she doesn’t move away. Instead, her chin quivers, and she looks up at me with those big, manipulative eyes. “Ghost, there’s something you should know. About the new Omega.”

I stiffen, my mind instantly going to the blonde spitfire I rescued. “What about her?”

Eve’s voice drops to a whisper, as if she’s sharing some dark secret. “She’s dangerous, Ghost. She controls the weather. What happens if she gets really angry at us or if someone hurts her? Will she bring a hurricane down on us, killing us all?”

I blink, anger bubbling in my chest like lava ready to erupt. “Who told you she has abilities?” I growl, feeling Eve tremble against me.

“She did,” Eve squeaks. “She was proud of it, almost bragging. Or no, more like a threat. I don’t think she belongs with us. Maybe we should feed her to the Alphas in the hunt. There are worse ways to go.” She shrugs nonchalantly.

Her brutality shouldn’t surprise me. Eve’s always had this dark anger in her, a residue from her past. Most days, I don’t give a shit about it, but today, that side of her infuriates me.The thought of Hel being torn apart by feral Alphas… it does something to me. Something I’m not ready to examine too closely.

My hands fall to Eve’s shoulders, and I shove her off me, harder than necessary.

“Listen to me,” I snarl. “You don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Not a single fucking soul. Or I’ll feed you to the others myself. Understand?”

Fear blanches her face, and she nods frantically before slipping away, disappearing back into the shadows she came from.

The hunt suddenly seems less important.

“Ghost! Need your help,” Knut’s voice echoes down the hallway, interrupting my thoughts. He waves a hand for me to join him, an expression of urgency on his face.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose under my mask.

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