Page 14 of Shadow Bound

While she hunts me, I’ll be hunting all of them. They’ve taken everything from me—from so many people—and I’m going to make sure they pay. I’ll save her for last because I want her to see the monster she’s created. I want her to know that I’m coming for her.

I take in a breath of the January night, feeling the ice-cold air burn my lungs. After twenty-two years of living under their control, I’m free.

In the distance, I hear the sound of a lone wolf howl and my mind fills with images of Ransom Weylyn.

Goddammit.

He’s a distraction I refuse to have. I shove his perfectly sculpted face and blazing blue eyes from my mind so I can focus on the task at hand.

Time to go hunting.

Ten Months Later

We had a funeral for Pruitt ten months ago. It’s the second funeral I’ve attended for Pru in my life. The first one was when we thought she and her family had been killed by rogue wolves when she was only seven years old. Turns out, she was just being hidden away by her aunt because one of Sterling’s men, Nicolai, had decided he wanted her when she was still only a child.

Sick fucks.

It would have been easier to tell Pruitt she needed to pull her teeth out one by one with pliers than telling her she needed to fake her death for a second time. She had not taken the news well, nor had Ryker for that matter. He liked it even less when the plan was put in motion that Pru would be going to stay with our friend Jax—without him.Even though I was just the messenger of the plan, I got the full force of his anger and ten months later, he’s still pissed at me like this whole shit show is somehowmyfault.

Somehow in all his anger, he’s forgotten that this feud with Sterling stems backdecadesto Pruitt’s mom, Genevieve. Ryker’s just so blinded by being forced to stay away from Pruitt, that he’s not seeing the bigger picture.

As I learned after watching both of my brothers find their mates over the past year, being mated makes you act crazy. You’re so blinded by your desire and need to be around and protect your mate, that nothing else matters. Frankly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that kind of pressure and commitment. It seems stifling.

It’s been genetically wired into my brain to need a mate. Without one, I’ll inevitably turn rogue, but the idea of having that strong of an emotion toward another person is terrifying. Frankly, I don’t know if I’ll be a good mate. I’m not someone with strong desires to stay home and play house. Ryker gave up hunting rogues to do that with Pru. I’ll never understand how he so easily transitioned from living his life on the edge, literally fighting for his life at times, to picking out paint colors and window treatments with Pru. If I were him, I’d be bored out of my ever-loving mind and my wolf would be miserable.

Ryker’s also pissed I let the vampire get away. That one… I can understand.

I’ll admit I hadn’t been totally honest with my family about how she left. I said she had gotten away from me and slipped back into the shadows. When really, I’d let her go and just watched as she disappeared. Not once did I try to stop her. I decided telling my family that tidbit wasn’t the best idea.

When I reported back to my family about what had happened that night in the clinic, Winslow and Ranger had shared a knowing look when I explained how the girl disappeared into the shadows.

Turns out they’ve already crossed paths with her months ago. She was there the night by brother was shot in the chest trying to protect Winslow. They said she’d only been there for a second, but from the way they described her, I knew we were dealing with the same person.

And much to my undisclosed pleasure, they’d also known her name.

Isabeau.

Somehow the name fit her perfectly and I find myself testing it on my tongue frequently.

Another secret I’ve been keeping from my family is how often my mind wanders to Isabeau. I find myself thinking of her arctic blue eyes at night when my wolf is too restless to sleep. I hear her raspy voice all the time, like a song I can’t get out of my head.

While I’m still morbidly fascinated by her, my wolf continues to bare his teeth at the thought of her. I’ve never had him hate something, or someone, the way he does Isabeau.

Home hasn’t been the same since Pruitt went into hiding and I’ve found myself spending even less time there. Ryker mopes around the house, his control of his anger slipping every day. While he can’t be with her full time like he wishes, he is able to visit her. Jax, who is an expert at staying off Sterling radar, sets up locations and times for Pru and Ryker to visit each other. Their time is never longer than a couple days at a time.

My dad, who had retired from being alpha once Pruitt came forward as the true alpha, has taken over the role again. The pack, while missing Pruitt, hasn’t really skipped a beat with my dad back in charge.

That’s what I hear anyway. I haven’t been home in over two months.

I slam my empty glass back down onto the sticky bar top, savoring the burning sensation as the whiskey goes down my throat. Without a second thought, I raise my finger, indicating to the bartender I want another one. The guy, who doesn’t look much younger than me, hesitates, like he’s not sure he should. It is eleven a.m. on a Tuesday after all. All it takes is me narrowing my eyes at him ever so slightly for him to concede and pour more into my glass.

He doesn’t know it, but I’m drinking to drown out the restlessness coming from my wolf. Sawyer and I took off months ago to hunt rogue wolves across the country and slowly but surely, all the sightings and cases have dried up.

We were on the tail of a wolf for weeks, but at every turn, he was able to evade us. Eventually its trail grew completely cold and we had nowhere else to look for him. I grind my molars in frustration that he was able to slip away from us without so much as a scent left. Like a ghost in the wind, he just vanished.

For the first time in a long time, there is nothing out there for me to hunt down and kill.

And I hate it.

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