Page 14 of Fated to the Hunters
“The more the merrier.” He sighed, and his expression turned serious. “Maximilian told me about the article. He wanted me to make sure you’re okay. But that’s not why you were crying earlier, is it?”
Scarlett only shook her head. The article was the least of her worries, even if it did mean her father came down on her even harder. “I don’t really care. I mean, it did make me feel stupid because they made it seem as if I had a choice of just leaving. But you’re right: it’s not why I cried earlier.”
“Well, they can fuck off.” Bringing an end to the discussion, Kurt grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the water.
Scarlett dove in and Kurt shifted, letting her hold onto him and pull her through the water. She loved this feeling, loved being free and without restraints. Kurt pulled her around for hours, only encouraging her out once her skin began to prune. She situated herself on the blanket, bundling herself up with towels and picking out her favourite snacks. Kurt, Paul, and Daniel were joined by a few other wolves and played like pups in the water with their tails twitching and wagging.
After a quick dinner back at the house, Kurt let her be and retreated to the warrior house—aka, the bachelor pad. Not that Scarlett minded. She loved having the house to herself, curling up on the couch to watch a movie before dragging herself up to her room, nearly feeling drunk with exhaustion. Though when she crawled into bed, all she could do was toss and turn. She knew what she was missing, and she hated to admit it.
She wanted her mates.
Scarlett reached under the bed, rummaging through her bag for the phone. She couldn’t remember which number belonged to the gentle one, so she trusted her gut.
“Scarlett,” he greeted. His smile was evident, even through the phone. “Have you arrived on your pack’s land?”
“Yes,” she whispered. She was alone, but one should never underestimate a wolf’s hearing.
“I’m sure you’re loving it.”
Scarlett was buzzing to tell him about her day, how she’d spent hours swimming in the lake, but then she remembered how the dark one ridiculed her for going out with Kurt, how horribly she’d cried herself to sleep for days after the incident.
“We know we’re farther away than usual, but if you need us, we’re just a call away.”
“Okay.”
The gentle one sighed, and Scarlett could feel his frustration. “I’m really sorry for last night. I don’t know why he keeps acting that way.”
“Something tells me it’s because he’s a dick.”
He chuckled lightly. “Yes. Yes, he is.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know and I’m sorry. We talked to him and if he pulls any stunts like that again, we’ll be the ones to keep him away from you.”
She stayed silent, afraid to say too much. Even though they were her mates, what stopped them from using anything she revealed to them to hurt her pack—herfamily? There was no guarantee that any information would stay between the four of them.
“Is that her?” she heard the scary one ask in the background.
“You don’t get to talk to her,” her gentle mate snapped. “Piss off.”
His laugh made her skin crawl. “I’m sure our little princess called because she misses us. Didn’t you, little toy?”
Somewhere nearby, glass broke and shattered. “Shithead.”
But the dark one’s taunts continued. “Maybe if she weren’t locked up in a golden cage, she would be more resilient.”
“Did you know about that article?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“No, love. We only read it today.”
“I’m not weak,” she said, feeling a sudden need to defend herself.
“We know you aren’t.” She loved how his words and voice soothed her so easily. It was so different from her other mate.
“I have no choice.”
“You do, princess,” the scary one chimed in. “Live with us and be as free as a bird.” And for the first time, he wasn’t teasing her. His voice was even somewhat… endearing.
