Page 120 of The Hunt

“Ah.” I glanced nervously over my shoulder. “What do you think the chances are of running into another hunter in here?”

“Almost zero. The Wilders that only hunt during the day would’ve headed back to the Lodge an hour ago, and the others will stay out in the hunting grounds.”

“But won’t some of them come in here to escape the rain?”

“I doubt it. There’s cabins all over the place, so the guys who care about dodging the weather will probably find the closest one and camp out there.”

“Ah.” I nodded slowly. “Sorry I keep asking so many questions. I don’t mean to be annoying.”

Rhett smiled. “It’s not annoying. And trust me—I have a million questions in my head right now too,” he said. “So go ahead. Ask me anything you want. It’ll be a good way to pass the time as we walk.”

“Okay, um…” I paused, brows furrowing. “How long has The Wild Hunt existed?”

“Since 1892.”

“I figured it was probably pretty old,” I said. “Do you know the original purpose of it? I’m assuming it wasn’t to make a ton of money, seeing as internet streaming didn’t exist back then.”

“It was originally a bunch of rich guys who got together as a networking sort of thing, to ensure their male descendants would always have connections. Like most secret societies,” Rhett replied. “Somewhere along the line, a few of them created an offshoot that became The Wild Hunt. A secret society with the addition of a human hunt. It was a way for the men to enact their version of vigilante justice on people they considered deserving of it, while also satisfying their own bloodthirsty urges.”

“You kind of sound like you’re reading from a script.”

He chuckled softly. “I am, sort of. We learned the history of the society in a lecture in our first year, and I remember most of it word for word,” he said. “They leave out everything about the current Hunt, though. They make it sound as if it’s all a relic of the past.”

“Wait.” I stopped in my tracks, frowning. “While you’re uninitiated, you don’t know about the Hunt at all?”

“Not officially. In the first three years, we’re trained in various ways and participate in pretend hunts using fake targets. We come here and learn every inch of the island, too,” he said. “They make it seem like we’re just blowing off steam and preparing for a hunt involving animals. But we’re not fuckingstupid. We can all tell there’s a lot more at the higher level. And I guess there’s always guys like JJ, too. Guys who are told everything by their big-mouthed parents.”

“Oh.” I started walking again. “So you onlyofficiallylearn about the Hunt in your senior year, even though most of you already know—or at least suspect—something about it.”

“Yup.”

“Why do the fully-fledged members keep it from you, then? If most of you already know about it.”

“Because the final trial involves all of the uninitiated members teaming up to hunt down and kill a guy, remember?” he said. “They don’t tell us the whole truth until we’ve completed that.”

“Ah.” Understanding finally dawned on me. “That way you all share culpability. So if a member changes their mind about being part of the society, they’re less likely to try and expose it to the world. It’s like a twisted form of insurance.”

“Exactly. Even if you never participate in a single Hunt during your membership, you’re still linked to at least one extra-judicial death. It’s a good way to ensure trust—and silence—between members,” he said. “But we also have other things in place to make sure we don’t get caught.”

“Like what?”

“One of the Patriarchs is the state police commissioner. So even if an angry or regretful membertriedto expose us, he’d shut down any investigation right away. Frame it as a hoax, or something like that,” he said. “Also, two of the other Patriarchs are senators, so that’s useful too.”

My lips thinned. “So basically, you guys have tentacles everywhere.”

“Yup. If someone has to leave the society after becoming a full member—like that asshole Ryan, for example—they’re soshit-scared of retribution that the rest of us know they’ll never breathe a word to anyone.”

“God,” I said breathlessly. I couldn’t imagine living through an entire lifetime of fear.

“There’s more, too. In our first year, we have to do a confession ceremony. Basically, we share our deepest, darkest secret to everyone else in the society and entrust them with it. It’s supposed to bring us all closer. Make us more like brothers,” Rhett said. “But now I think I know the real purpose. It’s just another layer of blackmail. Something that only exists to make sure members think twice about crossing the society. Because if they do, their secret could be revealed to the world as payback.”

My brows dipped in a frown. “Couldn’t you just lie? Make up a fake secret?”

“I’m sure a few guys probably make up some bullshit when they go through the ceremony. But I didn’t. I took my vows to the society seriously, and I told the truth,” he replied. “Obviously, I didn’t know the Patriarchs weren’t takinganyof the fucking vows seriously, or I never would’ve wasted my time and energy.”

I frowned and cocked my head. “When did the internet and online streaming start being a thing?”

“No idea. I honestly didn’t even know they were making money from the dark web until JJ told us.”

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