8. Hunter

Barric

The second Aria crouches down by a small stream to rinse the blood off her hands, I step away and pull my phone out of my pocket. My wolf is already pacing under my skin, restless and furious.

They ran, he growls in the back of my mind.

Doesn't matter; Ronan would have caught them.

I hit Theo’s number. He answers on the second ring.

“Tell me the rangers didn't lose them,” I say evenly, turning away from Aria.

Given that we are still in the dark about how she overcame the Call, it's best if we don't take any chances by speaking too freely.

“They didn’t,” Theo replies. Then, after a beat, “It’s handled.”

Translation: they won’t be bothering anyone again.

Good.

Because if those bastards had gotten their teeth into her—

My wolf snarls. They touched what is ours.

I ignore that. Barely.

“She okay?” Theo asks.

I glance toward the stream just as she stands and turns, holding out her hands. Her hair is tangled with leaves. Dirt streaks her cheek. Her hands are scraped and raw, and there’s a thin scratch along her jaw I somehow missed earlier.

And her eyes—

Still wide.

Still scared.

Seeing that look again makes something in my chest twist violently.

“She’s alive,” I say. “But she’s scraped up pretty bad.”

Theo exhales slowly. “Bring her to the lot. Liam’s already on his way.”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “We’re coming.”

I hang up and step toward her.

“You ready?” I ask.

She nods, though she looks like she might tip over if a breeze hits her. “Yeah.”

Up close, the damage is worse than I thought. Her jeans are ripped at the knee. Blood has dried along her forearms. Her palms are raw, and from the rumpled look on her shirt, I bet there are a few more scrapes on her torso.

My jaw tightens.

What the hell was the Assembly thinking, trying to corner her, capture him?.

My wolf rumbles darkly. Weak pack leadership.

“We don't have far to go,” I say, softer than I mean to. “The parking lot to the diner is just up ahead.”

She falls into step beside me.

For a few minutes, we walk in silence through the trees.

Every snap of a twig makes her flinch.

Every time she moves closer to me without realizing it, my wolf grows quieter.

Good, he says. She stays near.

By the time the lights of the lot come into view, I’ve already decided one thing.

She isn’t going anywhere tonight.

Not alone.

We step out of the tree line—and the moment Aria sees the ambulance parked there, she gasps.

“Ransom!”

Before I can even process it, she takes off running.

My instincts scream.

My wolf snaps awake. Male.

I follow her gaze.

A man leans against the back of an ambulance while one of our pack medics works on his shoulder. Blood soaks through the torn fabric of his jacket.

Aria skids to a stop in front of him.

“Are you okay?” she blurts, horror filling her voice.

The way she says his name hits me like a punch.

Too familiar.

Too worried.

My wolf bares his teeth. I don’t like him.

Neither do I.

Theo steps up beside me just as I notice the rings on the man’s fingers.

Silver.

Etched.

Recognition flashes between Theo and me instantly.

Hunter.

What the hell is Aria doing with a Hunter?

The man—Ransom—gives her a tired smile. “Hey, sunshine. It's alright. I’ve had worse. ”

“You’re bleeding!” she says, looking ready to panic. “God, I thought it killed you.”

One of our pack medics finishes wrapping the wound and pats Ransom’s arm. “We’ve got to get you to the hospital and administer antibiotics to prevent infection, but you're not bleeding out.”

He works at the hospital in town, which means this incident will stay quiet. No reports. No questions.

Ransom nods his thanks and looks back at Aria.

“I’ll be fine,” he assures her. “They’re taking me in for stitches. I’ll call you once I’m out.”

She looks like she might climb into the ambulance with him.

That’s when I step forward.

“Liam’s coming to check on you,” I say.

She glances at me, then back at Ransom.

He raises a brow.

“Liam?” he asks.

“My brother,” she explains quickly. “These are his friends.”

Something about that description is wrong.

Theo shifts beside me, clearly thinking the same thing.

Brother’s friend.

Yeah.

I don’t like that either.

Ransom studies us a moment longer, then nods.

“Alright,” he says to her. “Call me later.”

“I will.”

The ambulance doors shut, and a minute later,r the vehicle pulls away, red lights flashing across the dark lot.

Aria watches it disappear.

Theo steps up beside her and gently lifts one of her hands.

His gaze drops to her shredded jeans.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“But my car—”

All of us turn.

Parked at the edge of the lot is what might be the smallest off-road buggy I’ve ever seen.

Theo stares at it.

Then at her.

“Yeah,” he says flatly. “We’re not getting anywhere in that.”

She blinks.

He hooks a thumb toward his truck. “We’ll come back for it later.”

To my surprise, she doesn’t argue.

She just nods and lets him lead her toward the truck like she’s running on autopilot.

My wolf watches her carefully. Shock.

Yeah.

That thought hits me a second later, too.

Because normally, this woman fights everything.

But right now?

She just climbs into the truck when Theo opens the door.

The drive is quiet.

Too quiet.

And as we turn onto the long dirt road leading toward the pack lands, unease starts creeping under my skin.

Humans have never set foot here.

Ever.