Page 17 of Fated to the Hunters
“No, someone has become quite busy adulting and taking over the family business.”
He chuckled and nodded while taking a drink himself. “I have and I neglected you while doing so.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will. You’ve always been very forgiving, but I feel that something is slowly changing.”
Scarlett sighed, resting her head in her arms. “I sometimes feel like I could be so much more than I am.”
Maximilian put a hand on her shoulder. “I want to see you grow, which is why I want you to go study or work or whatever you feel like doing. It’s something that has been on my mind for a while. Once father makes me alpha, I want you to know that I won’t hold you to his standards. If you want to go out there and spread your wings, you have my full support. He might not like it, but you’re twenty-five. It’s time for him to let you grow.”
Tears filled her eyes, because Maximilian would be the one to give her what she’d been craving for years. Only now, she wanted something else, something different. She wanted her mates and even her open-minded brother had a deeply seeded hatred for hunters.
Maximilian pulled her in, soaking her tears up with his shirt. “Oh, please don’t cry.”
She let him hold her, fighting the urge to come clean and tell him that Isis had chosen threehuntersfor her to spend the rest of her life with. The only reason she didn’t was because she loved him and she’d miss him—she’d miss her entire pack. The children she loved singing with, the elders she had lunch with every day, every ridiculous situation that Kurt found himself in. Everything would be lost if she revealed her secret and as she considered the three things she would have left, she wasn’t sure it was worth it.
Chapter Eight
Scarlett
It was well past dinner when they returned, so Scarlett sat by Maximilian’s feet with her food while he put a movie on the TV. Typically, Maximilian would spend the nights leading up to the Wolfmoon roaming the woods with his friends, but not tonight. He seemed to want to stay close to her, and she soaked up the time. After all, she would soon forfeit it to be with her mates.
The scariest part of it all was that she had no idea when the inevitable would come—just that it would. The idea of being with the three men was already planting itself, their last phone call replaying over and over in her mind. Though she didn’t want to leave her family, she knew the bond would grow thicker with each word they shared. Even their constant presence would feed the bond’s strength.
“Two plates, huh?” Maximilian chuckled behind her.
“It was a long day.”
“Does that mean you don’t want to tag along with me?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Come hang with the cool kids and find out.”
She pushed herself off the floor and deposited her dirty dishes in the sink. “Not sure if ‘cool’ is the adjective I would use to describe your friend circle, but I’ll go with it.”
Maximilian scowled. “Keep talking and you’re uninvited.”
Despite that he opened the door and led her towards the south end of the village. Kurt was already waiting for her by the treeline with a bright grin on his face. “I didn’t know you were coming too.”
Maximilian came to a stop next to Kurt, turning a hardened gaze on Scarlett. “I’m allowing you to come with us on one condition: no alcohol whatsoever.”
Scarlett couldn’t agree fast enough, her heart leaping in her chest. They’d never allowed her to be part of their parties. It was only one more reason as to why she had so few close friends within the pack. “I promise.”
“I’ll watch out for you,” Kurt said as he pulled her into a hug.
They advanced into the woods and it wasn’t long before laughter filtered through the trees surrounding them. A group of wolves gathered in a small clearing illuminated by candles and flashlights. When Scarlett appeared, some tried to hide their drinks.
She opened up her mind to Kurt, unable to hide her insecurity.‘I don’t think I should be here.’
‘Fuck them.’Kurt grabbed her arm and pulled her to the cooler, reaching into the ice-filled chest and offering her a soda can. He even popped the top for her.‘Ignore them.’
She followed him over to the group, where everyone’s face came into view: Paul, John, Denise, and Maximilian. Paul lounged against a tree with Denise straddling his lap, peppering kisses over his jaw. Scarlett had known they were a thing, but they always kept their distance in the penthouse.
“Oh, hi there.” Denise greeted with a smile that was surprisingly genuine. She’d never shown any dislike towardsScarlett but it was refreshing after seeing the others’ reactions. “I see Kurt is making sure we don’t get you put on house arrest.” Scarlett must have looked as clueless as she felt because Denise laughed and pointed at her soda.
“Oh, yeah.” She found a spot next to Kurt, who’d selected a beer for himself. “I think that’s more Maximilian’s doing.”
