Page 11 of Fated to the Hunters
“No.”
“The hunt took us a little longer than expected, I’m sorry. We’re back now, so we can come by whenever you want us near again.”
Having them nearbydidfeel good. But was she really going to admit that? Scarlett paused, mulling over her choices. All she wanted was to keep hearing his voice. Admitting that, and asking him to keep talking felt too big of a step to take.
The gentle one sighed, though Scarlett could tell it wasn’t out of frustration with her. “I know you’re still struggling with us being your mates and that’s okay. We just want you to know that we won’t force any decisions on you. Take all the time you need.And know whenever you’re ready to be with us, your new home is waiting for you.”
“Where do you live?” The words were out before she could stop them.
“Two hours west of Brighton. We have a patch of land with a small lake and acres of space. We remodelled the house on it and—” he paused, stopping himself and rethinking his words. “One of us does carpentry so we have a shop for custom pieces.”
Scarlett didn’t need to ask to know it was the silent one. The less she knew, the less she would be able to picture herself in their lives. “Okay.”
“Too much, huh?” When she stayed quiet, he continued, “I didn’t mean to ramble. I just want you to know that when you’re ready, we won’t be strangers to you.”
“I don’t want to be yours.” It was a lie. And the low, rumbling chuckle that seemed to make her whole body tingle said that he knew as well.
“I know, love. You have our numbers, and you can always come down when you feel us close. We’ll find you.”
“Okay.” And with that, she hung up the phone.
Scarlett crawled into bed and drifted off to sleep, her dreams filled with a carpenter’s shop overlooking a sparkling lake.
Two weeks went by and though she felt them nearby, she didn’t go outside to meet them. Sometimes their presence was less intense, which she’d come to learn meant someone had stayed behind. They often appeared in the evenings and by the time she woke up, they’d be gone. Part of her wanted to see them again, even for just a minute or two, but the way the dark one had acted made her think he didn’t deserve her attention. He’d hurt herandenjoyed it.
But tonight was different. Her bag was packed for a trip to her pack’s private land and she felt guilty leaving without telling them that she’d be gone. After all, they’d afforded her that courtesy.
She exited the elevator on the fifth floor, then took the stairs down to the fire exit. Propping the door open, she stepped out and crossed her arms over her chest. It didn’t take long before footsteps sounded down the alleyway. Their forms became clearer as they stepped out of the shadows.
“You made us wait, little princess,” the one with the dark eyes snarled.
Scarlett ignored him, instead keeping her focus on the other two. “I’m leaving. I’ll be back in a few days.”
“We assumed you would leave for the Wolfmoon. That’s what your pack calls it, right?” the gentle one asked.
Scarlett only nodded her affirmation.
“I’m sure you’re very excited for the trip.”
Scarlett nodded again, rubbing her arms to ward off the night chill. “I should go.” She turned to leave, gasping at the rough jerk on her wrist.
“Let. Go,” the gentle one growled.
His order was ignored, black eyes staring down at the charm bracelet she was wearing. “Who gave this to you?”
Silver flashed through the darkness, then the silent one had a knife to his friend’s throat. “You hurt her. I’ll hurt you.”
The moment the dark one’s fingers cleared her wrist, Scarlett scrambled through the door. She leaned against the cool metal, heart racing and wrist aching.
“Why the fuck did you have to do that? She came down to talk to us and you ruined it. Again!”
There were sounds of a struggle, then their footsteps faded.
Taking her time and a few deep breaths, she made her way back upstairs. As she stepped into the elevator, her father’s mindpressed against hers. After a pause to collect her thoughts—and push away those of her mates—she opened up to him.
‘Come to my office.’
‘Yes, Father.’
