Page 38 of Wolf Hunter

“I thought you should all be aware,” I begin, stabbing my fork through a piece of rare steak. “I plan on keeping the sacrifice around for a while. She will be treated with the utmost respect due to her position. This is not open for discussion.”

“Keeping her?” Bullet questions.

I nod. “Yes. She piqued my interest.”

“I mean, a little pet wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Bullet agrees. “She might be amusing. She certainly put up a fight last night.”

“I don’t plan to keep her as a pet. A distraction, perhaps.” It’s the most diplomatic answer I came up with, and one that sits uncomfortably with me.

Bullet mulls over his next words. “A distraction. Ah, you mean…” His eyes heat up. “I understand. She’s probably a firecracker in the sheets.”

“You want us to accept the sacrifice’s presence for how long?” Bullet’s mate, Darcy, asks without a hint of bitterness. She drags her spoon through the soup in twisting circles but doesn't eat any of it.

A small woman, she has the features of a bird, and the bones of one. If I hadn’t seen her shift into a long brown lupine, I never would have guessed the power in those veins.

“For however long it takes me to lose interest,” I answer sharply.

It isn’t like Darcy to question me.

She usually likes to remain quiet, following whatever decision Bullet makes as both her husband and my beta.

“I want you on your best behavior. No one is to say anything to her that she or I might take offense to, and you will accept her with respect and graciousness.” Somehow I feel like none of those things fully cover the points I want to make, but they’re a good start.

It unnerves me to see the others hesitant to agree. I don’t expect them to jump to attention like I’ve spoken the word of god, but for some reason, I know they have a problem with this.

“What my sister is trying to say is that you’re acting a little squirrely this time around, and she’s worried about you. Nothing else, Alpha.” This comes from Darcy’s sister, Emily, who’s seated to the right.

She’s one of the last unmarried females in the pack, and one of my top warriors. Where her sister is delicate, Emily boasts muscles for days on her Amazon frame and a permanently etched scowl on what might be pretty features. As it stands, the expression takes her from beautiful to deadly.

“It’s okay to not like the ceremonies,” she says.

“You just have to accept what they do for us.” Darcy finishes her sister’s thought.

My fingers tighten around my fork as I glance between the two of them. “I’m not sure I appreciate where this conversation is going.”Or coming from. “Especially considering it’s her first official night in this house.”

Shit, she’s been here less than twenty-four hours, and I’ve already kissed her twice and accosted her. After she kneed me in the nuts, sure, but still.

“Yes, everyone. Let’s give the poor man a second to see how he feels about this one. This is only his second sacrifice. Lord knows the first one didn’t go so well either,” Julius adds with a laugh.

I stifle a growl. We’ve agreed not to talk about the first sacrifice because it ended poorly. Julius knows this. I especially don’t like the way Bullet snickers.

The terrified young woman had panicked and tried to run, breaking the sacred circle and inciting an uproar among the wolves, who loved a good fight. I had to physically threaten several of them before taking off after her and dragging her back to the circle, half-wishing I could recall my words of acceptance regarding her sacrifice.

Guilt had me utilizing her magic almost immediately, and although I know the cost for our protection, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to forgive myself for the look of accusation she died wearing.

“This one will serve her purpose the way all the others who’ve come before her have served theirs,” I say. “End of discussion. How about we shift focus to new ways to protect the boundary lines of the property? We’ve been having problems, yes, Bullet?”

The power of distraction. It works wonders. Or at least I think it does, until I look over and notice Emily continuing to stare at me.

“What do you want us to do about it, Alpha?”

I didn’t ask her, but she’s never one to mince words. I appreciate that about her. Each of my wolves brings something special to the table. We may be fewer in number than we once were, but we are mighty. Many left once my father died and I took power.

Now, as I stare around at the faces of those closest to me in the Redcliff Pack, I vow to do everything in my power to keep us together as a cohesive unit.

Even when I have a gut feeling there’s someone here causing problems.

Emily and Darcy. Julius and Liam. Bullet and Crane, my second and third respectively. Plus the four omegas: Val, Meegan, Louis, and Arden.

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