Page 1 of Claimed By the Hunter

Chapter One

Nicole sat in the diner eating a piece of apple pie and thinking about the building she and her two friends would be turning into a bakery. It was something she’d always dreamed about, and having the store with her two best friends made it so much more exciting. Everything seemed to be falling into place, and the three came up with a lot of good ideas that she wanted to start immediately. It would make living away from the city worth it.

The only problem she could see was they now lived in a small country town in the middle of the wilderness, and here’s the kicker—they lived with shifters—people that are half-human and half-animal. The ones she’d met were wolves, but she’d heard there were bears and mountain lions around, too.

Now, she knew she could handle it no matter how weird, but her friends had two of the shifters as mates. God, would she ever be able to get to the point where she wouldn’t still look around for a camera and wait for someone to jump out and say, “Surprise, you’re onCandid Camera?” She couldn’t believe that these guys weren’t just playing a trick on her because it seemed so far-fetched.

She came to terms with it the more time that passed. The fact that she’d seen Roman, Brenna’s mate, turn into his wolf right before her eyes made it hard to pretend it was fake.

The one thing she thought she might have a problem getting used to was that her friends and their mates had to fuck several times a day. She heard it might eventually slack off, but damn, that was taking time away from the store. What did they plan to do? Have a bed in the back that they could use when it was time to mate?

She snorted.Jealous much, she asked herself. Damn, when was the last time she’d gotten laid? It was long enough ago she couldn’t remember the guy’s name. Hell, she was so pathetic.

“Can I get you anything else, hun?”

Nicole looked up at Fiona, the waitress in the diner. She was the sweetest woman and always had a smile on her face.

“No, thank you. The pie was wonderful.”

“I can’t wait until I won’t have to spend hours in the kitchen baking. It’s not something I enjoy. Now, I can get all my baked goods from you girls.”

“We’d be glad to help you out,” Nicole said.

There was a loud screeching of tire sounds outside and down the street.

“What in the world?” Fiona asked and looked out the window.

“What’s going on?” Nicole asked.

Fiona shrugged. “It’s our town sheriff. He’s yelling for … oh, my. He smells his mate in the vicinity. Isn’t that wonderful? Three of our pack have found their mates now.”

“Poor girl,” Nicole muttered.

Fiona laughed. “Maybe you should go see what’s happening?”

Nicole turned her head to look at Fiona’s face and narrowed her eyes. She looked a little too innocent. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” Fiona said.

Nicole cursed and threw a few bills down on the table for the pie and coffee. She walked out the door of the restaurant and looked down the street where her friends and their mates were standing. She didn’t grasp why they all were staring at her and laughing.

“What’s going on?” Nicole yelled.

There was a man standing beside them. He looked a lot like Roman. She didn’t understand why her stomach tightened and her heartbeat accelerated when his eyes focused on her with penetrating intent.

“Hey, Nic. Your mate wants to meet you,” Roman said.

She stiffened. There’s no way she heard right. “My what?”

“Your mate. Meet my brother, Hunter. You guys are perfect for each other,” Roman chuckled.

Nicole’s stomach dropped, and her eyes widened. “Oh, hell no. I will not be a puppy’s sex-crazed plaything.”

“You don’t have a choice, Nic,” Brenna said. “You can try to run, but I doubt you’ll get far. He already has your scent.”

She screamed in fury before she turned and ran the opposite way.

Goddammit. This was the last thing she needed. She ran down several blocks, into an alleyway, and behind a building. She pressed her back against the brick and tried to catch her breath. She just needed to keep away from the man.

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