Page 26 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 1
I turned my head seconds before everything came up. I heaved and coughed, getting it all out, even as I heard a man’s laughter over my groaning.
Josh had shifted back to human form. “Oh, Trinity. You humans are so pathetic,” he raged.
He glared as I spat up more vomit, and then I took a deep breath. It was a bad idea. He reeked of death and blood and some other bodily fluids I really didn’t want to think about.
“How can something so natural disgust you?” Price asked.
“Eating a carcass raw is not normal,” I snapped weakly. All my energy had drained away from being in shock and getting sick. “That’s revolting.”
“Yes, well, we find humans equally disgusting.”
“Really?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Thanks, you asshole.”
“Now, Trinity, don’t be like that,” he growled.
He grabbed my shoulders painfully. I was still standing, tied to the tree, but my feet had fallen asleep, and the sharp tingle helped keep me focused.
“This is your opportunity to be a part of history,” he said.
That really got my attention. I shook my head. “What the hell are you talking about?”
He grinned, and his canines grew to their wolfish size. “The Hunt, my dear, sweet Trinity. You get to be part of the Hunt.”
“The Hunt? What the fuck is that?” I asked sharply, even though I had a feeling I already knew.
“It is a most sacred tradition that many wolf packs feel is outdated.” He shrugged. “But not me. I have kept the tradition going for years, and I will continue to do so with you. After all, it is the natural order of things. It’s the reason we still exist at the top of the food chain.” He gripped my chin hard between his thumb and index finger. “On the full moon, your heart will be a delicious prize to the strongest hunter-warrior among my pack.”
Fuck. My. Life.
I glanced upward toward the stars, but clouds covered them over. A light snow was falling. It was getting colder by the hour, but I hadn’t noticed with being so close to the roaring fire.
I didn’t want to be here.
I wasn’t ready to face this horrible reality.
When I glanced back down, Josh was still there in front of me, and the wolves were crunching away on the bones of the elk, sucking out the marrow. It was loud enough to make me sick again.
Fucking animals are going to make me go vegan again.
When I was sure I would not puke once more, I fumed, “What do I have to do with any of this?”
Josh reached out and held my face. “Good to see you still have that fight in you. You’re going to need it come tomorrow night at the full moon.”
Damn. This is a shituation.
He leered, pressing his naked body against mine. I grimaced and tried to pull away, but I had nowhere to go. I could tell he enjoyed it, that he wanted to keep pressing himself against me. A growl started deep in his chest and reverberated through my body. His manhood was hard against my thigh, and all the good feelings I’d had about him earlier seemed like nothing more than a prelude to this hellish nightmare.
He licked my cheek. “I know you feel the heat between us. There could be so much more, but sadly, you’re not a shifter, and I don’t mate with fucking humans.”
I gagged at the wordmate.
“Get the fuck off me, you bastard. Let me go. I won’t tell anyone what I saw. I swear it. Just let me get out of here.”
“Oh, you will get out of here, my pet,” he cooed. “Don’t you worry.”
Josh snapped his fingers, and the rest of the wolves quickly shifted back into their human forms. They were covered in blood from head to toe, and their eyes glowed amber in the firelight. They took a step forward, and I flinched without meaning to. Josh noticed and smirked.
“It’s time to explain the rules before we leave you to make peace with your destiny,” he drawled.
