Chapter Eight: The Hunt

I forced myself to walk away from her door. Every step felt like torture.

My wolf was going crazy inside me. Clawing to get back to her. To claim what was mine.

But she wasn't mine. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

I leaned against the hallway wall and tried to get control of myself. My body was still hard from being so close to her. From touching her soft skin. From seeing the desire in her eyes.

Fuck. I was losing my mind.

Earlier today, I'd gone to check on those bounty hunters. Found them at the diner asking questions about a woman matching Calla's description. They had photos. Money to throw around.

I didn't need to show myself. Just listened from the shadows as they talked to locals. Most people in Ravenridge knew better than to give information to strangers. Especially ones who looked like trouble.

But they were getting closer. It was only a matter of time.

I pushed off the wall and headed for my room. I needed a cold shower. And about six hours of sleep I probably wouldn't get.

My phone buzzed. A text from Marcus, one of my border patrol wolves.

Movement on the south road. Not human.

I stopped walking. Not human meant supernatural. In Ravenridge, that usually meant vampires.

My phone rang before I could text back.

"Talk to me," I answered.

"Three of them," Marcus said quietly. "Scouts. Testing our defenses."

"How close?"

"Mile from town limits. They're not trying to hide their scent."

That was bold. Or stupid. Maybe both.

"Anyone else see them?"

"Jake's with me. We're staying back like you taught us."

Good. Marcus was young but smart. Knew not to engage without backup.

"I'm on my way. Get everyone up. Full alert."

"Already done, Alpha."

I hung up and ran for the stairs. Time to see what these bloodsuckers wanted.

---

The compound was alive with movement by the time I got outside. My pack moved like a well-oiled machine. Weapons appeared from hiding spots. Bikes roared to life. Everyone knew their job.

This was what we were good at. What we'd trained for.

"Axel!"

I turned to see Calla running toward me. She'd thrown on jeans and a sweater, but her hair was still messy from sleep. She looked beautiful and worried.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Vampires," I said, pulling on my leather jacket.

Her face went blank. "What?"

"Bloodsuckers. Fangs. You know." I couldn't help but smile at her confusion. "The kind that go bump in the night."

She stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "This isn't funny, Axel. Are you talking about some gang?"

Close enough, I thought. She'd figure it out eventually.

I watched her face change as she processed what was happening. The fear. The realization that whatever was coming was dangerous.

Then I saw something else. Calculation. She was thinking about running.

"Don't even think about it," I said.

"Think about what?"

"Using this as your chance to escape." I stepped closer to her. "Those bounty hunters are still out there. You run now, you'll walk right into their arms."

"Bounty hunters?"

"The ones your husband sent. They're asking questions in town. About you."

The color drained from her face. Good. Maybe now she'd understand why she needed to stay put.

"Wait for me," I told her. "Don't leave this compound. Don't talk to anyone you don't know. Just wait."

"Axel—"

"Alpha!" Jace called out. "We need to move!"

I looked back at Calla. She looked scared and small in the courtyard full of armed bikers.

"I'll be back," I promised.

Then I was on my bike, leading my pack into the night.

---

We found the vampires exactly where Marcus said they'd be. Three of them standing in the middle of the south road like they owned it.

They were young. Probably Nightwalkers based on their arrogant attitudes. The kind that thought being undead made them invincible.

I got off my bike first. My pack spread out behind me, forming a half-circle. The vampires didn't seem worried.

"You're on wolf territory," I called out.

The one in the middle smiled. He had dark hair and pale skin that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"We're just passing through," he said.

"Then keep passing."

"Actually, we were hoping to talk."

"About what?"

His smile got wider, showing just a hint of fang. "A mutual friend."

I felt my wolf tense. They were here about Calla. Had to be.

"Don't have any vampire friends," I said.

"Senator Hart sends his regards."

Fuck. I'd been right.

"Don't know any senators either."

"Sure you do. His wife is staying with you. Pretty little thing. Goes by Calla."

Behind me, I heard growls from my pack. They could smell the oncoming conflict as these guys weren't just scouts.

They were here to take her.

"Never heard of her," I lied.

"Come now, Alpha. We can smell her on you."

That was it. The talking was over.

I shifted partially, letting my wolf come forward. My teeth sharpened. My muscles grew. Power flooded through me.

"Wrong answer," I snarled.

The vampire moved first. Faster than human eyes could follow. But I wasn't human.

I caught his arm as he swung at me, twisting until I heard bone snap. He screamed and tried to bite my throat.

I drove my fist into his face instead. Blood sprayed across the asphalt.

Around us, my pack engaged the other two vampires. The night filled with snarls and screams and the wet sound of claws tearing flesh.

This was what we did. What we were born for.

The vampire I was fighting was strong, but I was stronger. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

"Tell your boss," I growled, "that if he wants the woman, he can come get her himself."

I threw him twenty feet into a tree. He hit with a crack that echoed through the forest.

The other two vampires were down. One wasn't moving. The other was crawling away, leaving a trail of black blood.

"Let him go," I told my pack. "Someone needs to deliver the message."

We watched the surviving vampires disappear into the darkness. Then we stood there breathing hard and checking for injuries.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

Nods all around. A few scratches, but nothing serious.

"That was too easy," Jace said quietly.

He was right. Three young vampires against a full pack? It felt like a test. Or a distraction.

"Double the patrols," I ordered. "And someone check the compound. Make sure everyone's accounted for."

Including Calla.

The thought of her back home, waiting for me, made my wolf pace. She'd been scared when I left. Probably still was.

I needed to get back to her.

"Move out," I called.

We rode back to the compound fast. My hands were sticky with vampire blood, and my jacket was torn. But I felt good. Alive in a way that only came after a fight.

This was who I was. What I was. A predator. A killer when I needed to be.

Would Calla see that in me? Would it scare her away?

---

The compound was quiet when we got back. Most of the pack headed straight for their rooms, but I went looking for Calla.

I found her in the main building, sitting in the common room. She jumped up when she saw me.

"You're hurt," she said, staring at the blood on my clothes.

"Not mine."

Her eyes went wide. "Did you... did someone die?"

"Vampires don't really die. They just get very angry."

She looked at me like I was crazy again. Still didn't believe.

"Sit down," she said. "Let me clean those cuts."

"I'm fine."

"Sit down, Axel."

The command in her voice surprised me. And turned me on more than it should have.

I sat on the couch. She disappeared for a minute and came back with a first aid kit, making me wonder where the hell she saw it from.

"This might sting," she warned, pressing a wet cloth to a scratch on my arm.

It did sting. But having her hands on me felt too good to care.

"What really happened out there?" she asked quietly.

"Gang war. Like you thought."

She nodded, but I could see she didn't entirely believe me.

Her fingers were gentle as she cleaned my wounds. Every touch sent fire through my body. Made me want to pull her closer.

"Calla," I said.

She looked up at me. Our faces were inches apart.

"Yeah?"

I was going to kiss her. Finally give in to what we both wanted.

"Alpha!"

The door burst open. Michael stormed in with three other pack members behind him.

Calla jerked away from me like she'd been caught doing something wrong.

"We need to talk," Michael said. His eyes were on Calla. And he looked pissed.

"Later," I said.

"Now."

He wasn't backing down. Neither were the wolves with him.

"It's okay," Calla said quietly. "I should go anyway."

She gathered up the first aid supplies and left without looking back.

"What?" I snapped at Michael.

"This has to stop. Tonight proved it."

"Proved what?"

"That she's bringing us nothing but trouble. Those vampires came for her."

"Those vampires came to test our defenses."

"Bullshit. They mentioned her by name."

The other wolves nodded. They'd heard about the fight.

"So?"

"So we're risking our lives for some human who doesn't even want to be here!"

"She's not human."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Michael's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

Fuck. I hadn't meant to reveal that. Not yet.

"Nothing."

"No, you said she's not human. What is she?"

I looked at the faces around me. My pack. Wolves who trusted me to keep them safe.

"I don't know yet, she turning," I admitted. "And her scent... there's something old in her blood. Something powerful."

"What kind of powerful?"

Before I could answer, my phone buzzed. A text from our perimeter guard.

Found vampire tracks inside our territory. Multiple sets. They've been here for days.

My blood went cold.

If vampires had been in our territory for days, that meant they weren't here just for Calla.

They were here for something else.

But what?

I looked up to find Michael and the others staring at me.

"What is it?" Jace asked.

"We have a problem," I said. "A big one."