Page 5 of Fated to the Hunters
Vince on the other hand stayed at a distance and kept his eyes on their surroundings. Even if she thought this was a blind spot, they couldn’t take any chances. Besides, as hunters, they knew better.
“Nothing will happen to you, Scarlett,” Mateo assured. “You’re safe with us.”
Scarlett turned to the door, muttering to herself. “I shouldn’t have come.”
“Don’t leave. You haven’t even asked us our names.”
Scarlett pulled the door and kicked the wood aside. “It’s easier not to know.” And with that she was gone.
Ezra lunged for the door, but it slammed shut. There was no handle on the outside. He banged against the door, and Vince and Mateo shot forward to grab him away. The last thing they needed was for Ezra to alert the wolves to their presence.
“Bitch,” Ezra called, muffled by Mateo’s hand covering his mouth. “Mine!”
“If you keep bitching like that you will make sure her whole pack knows that too,” Mateo hissed. “Now. Shut. Up.”
The two dragged Ezra kicking and screaming to the truck. He fought them until they threw him into the back seat. Only then did he settle. They were all panting, their blood boiling with the pain from her rejection.
She hadn’t even wanted to know their names.
With one look, Vince and Mateo decided it was best to head home. As they sped through the dark city, Vince had troubleconcealing how hurt he actually was. To add insult to injury, the ache from the physical distance only grew with each mile.
Looking in the mirror, he could see Mateo keeping a close eye on Ezra. While Mateo was trying to keep his feelings to himself, Ezra had no such concerns, making it even worse for the two of them by stabbing his dagger into his thigh, twisting the knife to intensify the pain. He’d always had self-harming tendencies but the more they were able to hunt, the less the urges struck. They hadn’t gone away, but the hunts gave him the release he craved. Ezra clearly struggled with his mate’s rejection. He clearly didn’t want her—bondswerefor life, after all—but watching her walk away was hurting him in a way he couldn’t cope with.
“Ezra,” Mateo softly started.
“Shut up,” he hissed, the physical pain increasing.
Vince focused back on the road ahead and listened as Mateo tried to find the right words, “I think she’s just resisting because so much is on the line for her.”
“She hates us.”
“You clearly aren’t happy to be chosen for her either.”
“I came forher.”
“Yes, we all did, but we aren’t losing anything, are we? Her family will rejectherbecause of us, they might never speak to her again.”
“My family doesn’t either.”
“That’s true. But you chose that, didn’t you?”
A loaded silence fell between them, as Ezra pushed his intense pain through the bond.
“Look,” Mateo continued gently. “We are hunters, and she knows that. So if she chooses us, her whole life will change. She’ll lose her pack—her entirefamily—and be branded a traitor for something beyond her control. I think she wants to get to know us, otherwise she wouldn’t have sought us out today. But she isn’t ready to give in.”
“Mine,” Ezra spat.
“Ours,” Vince corrected in a possessive growl, making Mateo grin at him through the mirror.
“Who would’ve thought we’d be chasing the same woman?” Mateo laughed and leaned back, smiling to himself.
Chapter Three
Ezra
A whole fucking week had passed since Ezra’s sweet little princess had abandoned him in that dark alley. She hadn’t so much as shown her face since, and he was growing impatient. He currently sat beside Mateo in the front seat of their truck, watching the Moonlight building through the tinted windows. His friends had made an executive decision that he wasn’t allowed to come to Brighton alone. Mateo tagged along this time, leaving Vince behind to finish up some work.
“You do know that if we don’t see her in the next two hours, I’m dragging you home whether you like it or not.”
