CHAPTER FOUR: THE HUNT

Kai Blackwood stood motionless in the center of his pack's grand hall, every muscle coiled tight as the priestess's words echoed off the stone walls.

"The Alpha has impregnated a human." Her voice was thin, ancient, condemning. "An abomination. The human and the pup must be eliminated before the next full moon, or the Alpha will forfeit his claim to the Alpha King position."

Silence.

Fifty pack members watched him, waiting for his response. Waiting for their Alpha to do what tradition demanded.

Kai's wolf snarled inside him, fighting for dominance. Mine. Protect. Kill anyone who threatens her.

He forced his expression to remain blank. Emotionless. "How long?"

"Six days until the full moon." The priestess's milky eyes fixed on him. "Six days to find her and kill her and the pup, or you lose everything. The Council will strip your title. Another Alpha will take your place."

His Beta, Marcus, stepped forward. "We'll mobilize immediately. Track her scent from wherever you…"

"No." Kai's voice cut through the room like a blade.

Marcus froze. "Alpha?"

"I'll handle this myself."

Murmurs rippled through the pack. The priestess's lips thinned. "This is not a request, Alpha Blackwood. This is pack law. Humans cannot carry Alpha blood. The pregnancy is impossible, dangerous. The human will die in childbirth anyway. Better to end it quickly."

She won't die. I won't let her.

"I said I'll handle it." Kai met the priestess's gaze steadily. "Alone. This is my mistake. My responsibility."

The priestess studied him for a long moment. "Very well. Six days, Alpha. Fail, and you lose the Alpha King trials. Your pack. Everything."

She swept from the hall, her robes trailing behind her.

The moment she was gone, the pack erupted in whispers. Kai ignored them, striding toward his private chambers. Marcus followed.

"Kai, what the hell are you doing?"

Kai slammed the door shut. "What I have to do."

"You're going to kill her?" Marcus's voice was carefully neutral.

"No." Kai turned, his eyes flashing gold. "I'm going to find her before the pack does. Protect her. Protect our pup."

"Are you insane? If you don't complete the kill, you'll lose everything. The Council will…"

"I don't care."

Marcus stared at him. "You met her once. One night. You were drugged out of your mind after that ambush. How can you possibly…"

"She's mine." The words came out as a growl. "My wolf claimed her the second I touched her. I've dreamed about her every night since. Her scent. Her taste. The way she looked at me like I mattered."

"Kai…"

"She saved my life, Marcus. I was bleeding out in that parking lot. Whoever attacked me left me for dead. She found me. Helped me. Stayed with me." He dragged a hand through his hair. "And now she's carrying my pup. An Alpha pup that will tear her apart if I'm not there to help her through the pregnancy."

Marcus was quiet for a moment. "The priestess is right about one thing. Human bodies can't survive Alpha pregnancies. The accelerated growth, the pup's strength…"

"Which is why I need to find her. Now." Kai pulled out his phone. "She was a nurse. I remember her saying that. And the hospital was…" He closed his eyes, forcing himself to remember details through the haze of wolfsbane that had been in his system. "St. Catherine's. Downtown."

"That's a starting point." Marcus pulled out his own phone. "I'll make some calls. Quietly. But Kai, you need to understand what you're risking. The Alpha King position isn't just a title. It's protection for our entire pack. Without it…"

"I know." Kai's jaw clenched. "But I can't kill her, Marcus. I won't."

"Then what's the plan? Hide her? The pack will find her eventually. You can't run forever."

"I'm not running. I'm buying time." Kai grabbed his jacket. "The priestess said the pregnancy is impossible. Dangerous. But it's already happening. That means something. The old laws don't apply anymore. Maybe…"

"Maybe you're grasping at straws."

Kai headed for the door. "But she's alive. Carrying my pup. And I'll burn this whole fucking tradition to the ground before I let anyone hurt her."

Marcus sighed. "I'll cover for you. Tell the pack you're tracking her scent. But Kai? You have six days. After that, I can't help you."

"I only need one day to find her." Kai's eyes glowed gold in the dim light. "My wolf knows where she is. I can feel the bond pulling me to her."

"Then go. And Kai?" Marcus gripped his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid."

Kai's smile was all teeth. "Too late for that."

Twenty minutes later, Kai was in his car, speeding toward the city. His wolf paced restlessly inside him, desperate to find their mate.

Mate. Pregnant. In danger.

The bond hummed beneath his skin, faint but growing stronger the closer he got. She was out there. Scared. Probably confused as hell about what was happening to her body.

An Alpha pregnancy progressing in a human. The priestess was right, it should be impossible. Humans didn't have the strength, the healing ability, the supernatural resilience needed to survive it.

But Kai's wolf was certain. Their pup was strong. Thriving. And their mate, his beautiful, mysterious savior, was alive.

He just had to find her before his pack did.

Before the full moon deadline.

Six days to choose between everything he'd worked for and the woman carrying his child.

There was no choice.

Kai pressed harder on the accelerator, the city lights growing brighter on the horizon.

He was coming for her.

A few days later Maya was in her apartment still thinking how her life has gotten so worse.

Maya hasn't been able to sleep well since the past few days she discovered she's pregnant.

She thinks about everything that has happened to her until she finally falls asleep.

A hand moved slowly up Maya's back, fingers trailing fire along her spine. She couldn't move, couldn't open her eyes. The touch slid over her shoulder, down to her chest.

Strong fingers squeezed her breast, slow and deliberate.

Maya bit her lip, a moan escaping despite herself. Her body arched into the touch, desperate for more. Heat pooled between her thighs as the hand kneaded her flesh, thumb circling her nipple through the thin fabric of her tank top.

She wanted more.

Then the hand moved to her throat.

Gentle at first. Then tightening. Squeezing.

Maya's eyes flew open, hands clawing at the fingers crushing her windpipe. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't scream.

She jolted awake.

Her hands were at her own throat, finding nothing but air. Sweat soaked through her clothes. Her heart hammered against her ribs.

Someone trying to strangle her in her dreams. It's just a dream, she said to herself.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Maya's breath caught. The sound was real. Loud. Urgent.