Page 64 of Fated to the Hunters
It did, and there was a part of Vince that feared the change she would bring to their hunting habits.
Their phones chimed simultaneously, redirecting their attention. Something had activated the cameras on the dirt road. More often than not it was nothing more than a large animal, but judging by the look on Ezra’s face, this was more than the local wildlife. While Ezra and Mateo grabbed their guns, Vince retreated to his workshop. Ezra enjoyed confrontation, so he was the one to confront his prey head on. Vince, however, preferred to strike when they least expected it.
An SUV rolled up with tinted windows so dark that Vince couldn’t see inside. Ezra and Mateo stood on the porch; their guns visible. The engine cut off and a moment later, the alpha heir stepped out onto the dirt. He studied Ezra and Mateo, then scanned his surroundings until he found Vince standing by the barn doors.
“Oh, sweet little rogue,” Ezra chirped, breaking the silence. “Come here, princess.”
Vince could feel the instant regret, Ezra had only meant to taunt her brother. Ezra loved poking the bear—or wolf, rather.
Mateo groaned. “One day she’s going to fucking kill you if you keep calling her that and I’ll stand proudly by her side and praise her for a job well done.”
“Mates don’t kill each other.”
“She has two others to help her grieve. Rest assured, Vince and I will love every fucking minute of it.”
Vince could see very little, but what he could see was that the heir was unable to mask the shock on his face. Clearly, he’d only just put the pieces together: his sister was mated tothreehunters.
Scarlett appeared on the porch, freezing like a deer in the headlights. She floundered, seeming unable to find words for what she found.
“I ran the license plates,” her brother said, answering her unspoken question. “I have your stuff.” Though he tried to sound cold, the rigidity in his tone didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You do?” she asked, voice quivering.
“Yes. He wanted to burn it…” The heir trailed off, allowing their imagination to fill in the pieces. Vince wondered if there had been a family fight over this. After all, he was about to take over the pack. Her brother must have some say in things.
“Thank you.”
The heir turned and opened the trunk, revealing it to be full of boxes. Vince and Mateo moved to grab them while Ezra stayed behind, weary to turn his own back in case the wolf turned on them.
With his gaze back on his sister, Vince could see the warring emotions behind the heir’s eyes. “You should’ve told us.”
Scarlett stayed close to Ezra while Vince and Mateo carried the first of her boxes into the house. “I wasn’t ready.”
“Weeks, Scarlett. You hid this from us for weeks.”
“It wouldn’t have changed your reaction.”
“But telling us sooner could have lessened the consequence.”
“We both know he accepts humans, but a hunter he would have never accepted. Let alone two of them—and a warlock.”
Ezra’s mind swelled with pride as the heir’s focus shifted to him. Scarlett had recognised him as who he was. He wasn’t just a hunter but a warlock, born with magic blood. No matter how thinned the magic was, Ezra took great pride in that.
“The timing wouldn’t have mattered, Maximilian.”
Maximilian’s face fell, realising his sister was right. He leaned against the side of the car as Vince and Mateo unloaded the boxes, looking around at his sister’s new home. “You broke him. He blames himself for how miserable you were.”
At first Vince assumed he was talking about their father. Then Scarlett spoke. “I couldn’t tell him. He would have been punished for knowing and I didn’t want him hurt. He was my only friend, and I couldn’t lose him. I needed him.”
She meant Kurt.
“Fuck, Scarlett.”
“Tell him I’m fine.” Then her face lit up. “I drove a car today.”
Vince stood next to her as Mateo set the last box inside and joined them on the porch.
Her brother shook his head as if in disbelief and walked around to the driver’s side. Without another word, Maximilian climbed inside and drove off. Scarlett stared after him down the dirt road, long after he’d disappeared out of sight.
