Page 11 of Wolf Hunter

I suppress a groan in delight. Perhaps I’ve missed this more than I want to admit.

Once I have my answers—once I wrap my arms around Carmen again—maybe I’ll think about returning to the coven full time.

That’s a big maybe, though.

And more thoughts for later.

The rest of the witches behind me move forward. Fingers press my spine a second time and send me closer to the alpha. Reid disengages fully from the rest of his people until the two of us stand alone in the center of the clearing, facing each other. Witches on one side and wolves on the other, squared off and tensing in anticipation.

“Do you accept this sacrifice tonight, Alpha Holden?” Mae asks from behind me.

I lift my chin at last and our eyes lock. I keep my gaze on him without wavering, determined to show him defiance instead of anticipation, no matter what my nerves scream.

The samesomethingI felt when I first saw him urges for my attention once again—a strange knowing in the back of my mind, like an insistent niggling of something half-forgotten that I can’t quite grasp in its entirety.

“Do you?” the witch presses.

The clearing lies silent, waiting for Reid’s answer, which seems to be taken unnervingly too long.

My fingers twitch again.

The howls of several wolves cut the air, and the sound sees me falling entirely still. My breath bursts out in a white cloud as fear latches onto my heart and squeezes with a merciless grip.

Go for the knife,Tash.Get the knife!

Only… I hesitate. The odd tension of this moment stays my hand.

Reid doesn’t even flinch when he stares me down and smirks—fucking smirks—and it’s the strangest, deadliest smile I’ve ever seen.

ChapterFour

Reid

“No, I don’t accept this sacrifice.” My voice echoes through the stillness.

Every pair of eyes—wolf or witch—widen in shock.

Good. I like keeping everyone on their toes.

I don’t give two shits about the sacrifice, or the ceremony, or the witches for that matter, but that’s nothing new. I don’t care about the girls the witches send over annually, so long as they’re helpful to my pack. It’s my duty to make sure my family is cared for, that they’re safe and happy. Magic accomplishes all those things, and the ceremonies give us the magic. Period.

Whether the witch women serve as hired help or we drain their magic to protect the territory, as I said, it doesn’t matter. These ceremonies are a matter of history and heritage. My ancestors helped sign the agreement, and as the newest alpha, I carry it out in the same fashion.

But unlike them, I fucking hate every second of it.

I hated when I had to join my father to in this neutral place once a year when he was alpha, and I hate doing it now. Nothing’s changed.

That is, until I look at the woman the witches have chosen for us this year, and my heart thumps faster in my chest. The man in me is stunned, at a loss for words.

There are plenty of beautiful women in this world, but a pretty face has never stopped me dead in my tracks before. Wolves and fated mates? Yeah, all that’s bullshit. So when my wolf sees this pink-haired young woman, a witch of all people, and pauses, I’m struck dumb. For the first time in my life, I don’t know what to do next. My inner beast seems to, though. He lifts to the surface and struggles against my human control, determined to claim her as his.

Which means I’m either losing my mind, or there’s something about her I need to figure out.

Probably something I should’ve considered before rejecting the sacrifice… but it’s too late to take it back now.

The pink-haired witch’s gaze hardens on me, hatred burning in those hazel irises, and her movements finally still.

Interesting…

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