Page 69 of Fighting Her Wolves

“Human,” he mutters.

He must have been here for longer than Stephanie. His clothes are thin and dirty. His beard is down to his chest, and his golden hair is long and ratted. The skin behind his collar is raw, showing me he hasn’t given up the idea of leaving this place.

“What do we have here?” Brice catches up, limping and pissed.

The shifter jumps back, ready to run, as Brice points the gun at him.

“Please,” the shifter begs, but the words are sour on his tongue. He isn’t used to pleading. I picture him healthy and resilient before all of this.

“I love hearing that word,” Brice hums. “I was after a different prey, but I have the time to do a little hunting on the way to her. It’s not like she can get too far.” Brice steps closer.

I’m holding my breath, waiting for the shifter to give me away. I know he smelled me and not Brice.

“You know what? Fuck you,” the shifter snarls. He lunges, his fist cocked back, and connects with Brice’s jaw before he can pull the trigger.

I relish Brice’s cry of surprise. They both go down to the ground. The gun falls away as Brice tries to protect his face. I have a split second to decide whether to run or stay.

With a curse, I once again reach for the only weapon I have and run over to them. The shifter turns his surprised eyes to me, giving Brice the opportunity to push him off. He falls to the side. Their legs are tangled, buying me enough time to position the knife at Brice’s throat. For the first time, he freezes, and I see fear in his eyes.

“Ava, sweets,” he whispers.

“Don’t fucking move,” I growl. “I’m tired and hungry. I’ve done things tonight that I never thought I would be forced to do. I wouldn’t trust that my hand won’t slip.”

The shifter slowly moves, so he is on his knees beside us.

“Ava, put the knife away,” Brice says.

“I’m not going to do that.” My hand is shaking.

“You don’t want to do this,” he states. “You don’t have it in you to kill. Especially me.”

“You don’t know me as well as you thought,” I say quietly. “I never thought you would hunt me through the woods. We’re learning all kinds of new things tonight.”

“I’ll get you out,” he says desperately.

“What’s your name?” I ask the shifter without taking my eyes off Brice.

“Logan. Why didn’t you run?” Logan asks, confused.

“It would have been the smart thing to do,” I mutter. “I couldn’t leave you.” I tell him the simplest answer.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“Ava, move the knife,” Brice grits out.

“No,” I say firmly. “I bet you would hate to have your perfect face scared, wouldn’t you?”

“Please.” His eyes widen. He thrashes, and the blade nicks his skin. “Shit, please.” He stills.

“Why should I care?”

“I’ll help you kill Gill,” he offers.

“No,” I say. “Check his pockets. The last hunter I met had ties in his pocket,” I say to Logan.

“Fuck you, bitch,” Brice shouts.

An explosion rocks us. We see a fireball shoot up over the trees in the distance. Brice takes advantage, forcing my arm to the side, and I drop my knife. His hands are around my throat, pressing me to the ground. I pull at his arms uselessly as Logan reaches for him.

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