4

HUNTER’S POV

“Inka, wait—“

Too late. She ran.

“Let her go!” Cessy shrieked. “Nobody wants that freak here anyway!”

I turned on her, fury I didn’t understand flooding through me. My alpha presence flared before I could control it. “Shut your mouth, McKennel!”

Cessy went pale and stumbled back.

My wolf was going insane. Clawing at me from the inside. Demanding I go after her.

Our mate is running. Our mate is hurt. GO!

“No,” I said out loud, pressing my palms against my temples. “She’s not—this isn’t—“

“Hunter?” Seth’s voice was strained. His eyes flashed amber. “You feel it too?”

I didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to admit what was happening.

The corrupt Alpha’s daughter. The cursed girl. The one Dad specifically told us to avoid.

She was our mate.

All three of us.

“This is fucked up,” Seth muttered, running his hands through his hair. His whole body was shaking. “This is so fucked up.”

“We need to go after her,” Zane said quietly, but his hands were clenched into fists.

“No.” The word came out harsher than I intended. “We don’t.”

“Hunter—“

“We don’t.... we don’t want this.” I forced the words out even as my chest felt like it was being ripped open. “This is just the bond talking. We can fight it.”

My wolf howled in protest. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to find her. Protect her. Claim her.

“Her scent,” Seth said, his voice breaking. “I can smell her blood. She’s hurt.”

“Not our problem.”

“Bullshit!” Seth grabbed my jersey. “You’re feeling this just as badly as I am. Don’t pretend you’re not.”

He was right. The mate bond was pulling so hard I could barely breathe. My vision was starting to tinge amber. My wolf was fighting for control.

“Dad said to stay away from her,” I ground out. “Her father is a criminal. She’s bad association. We can’t—“

“Our MATE is bleeding somewhere and you want to stand here and talk about what Dad thinks?” Seth’s eyes were fully amber now.

“She’s the daughter of a criminal,” I said, but even I could hear how weak the words sounded.

“She’s our mate,” Zane said softly. His calm voice was the most dangerous. “And she’s in pain. I can feel it, Hunter. Every second we stand here, it gets worse. Can’t you?”

I could. God, I could feel every ounce of her pain like it was my own.

“This doesn’t make sense,” I said desperately. “The Moon Goddess wouldn’t pair us with someone like her.”

“I don’t care.” Seth’s voice cracked. “I don’t care who her father is. I don’t care what people say. All I know is that if I don’t go to her right now, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

My hands were shaking. My wolf was tearing me apart from the inside.

“We avoided her for months,” I said. “We stood by and watched while people hurt her. And now we’re supposed to just—what? Claim her? Like we have any right?”

“No,” Zane said. “We don’t have any right. But we’re going anyway.”

He was already moving. Seth followed without hesitation.

I stood there for three more seconds, fighting the bond with everything I had.

Then my wolf won.

“Fuck,” I breathed, and ran after my brothers.

I caught her scent in the parking lot. Even through the rain that had started pouring, her scent cut through everything else.

Earth and pine. Rain on stone. And underneath it all, something uniquely hers that made my wolf go absolutely feral.

“Can you track her?” Zane asked.

I closed my eyes, hating how easy it was. The mate bond pulled taut, leading east. “Woods. Eastern boundary.”

“Her leg,” Seth said suddenly, his hand going to his own thigh. “Something’s wrong with her leg. I can feel it.”

We ran faster.

This was insane. We were chasing after a girl we’d spent months avoiding.

And yet I couldn’t stop.

I kept telling myself. This is just the mate bond, Just chemicals. Just instinct. It doesn’t mean anything.

But that was a lie and I knew it.

“Fresh blood,” Zane confirmed as we hit the tree line. “More than just her hand.”

My heart stopped. “How much?”

“Too much.”

Then I heard it. A soft cry of pain, quickly muffled.

I burst through the trees and found her.

Inka was collapsed on the muddy path, her leg twisted at an odd angle. Blood soaked through her torn jeans, mixing with the rain and mud.

“Inka!”

She looked up, and those copper eyes, sad, terrified eyes.....met mine.

“Stay away from me,” she said, her voice breaking.

Every instinct screamed at me to go to her. But I forced myself to move slowly.

“You’re bleeding. Let me help.”

“I said stay away!” She tried to stand, and her leg gave out completely.

I caught her before she hit the ground.

The moment I touched her, everything changed.

The mate bond exploded between us like wildfire. Her scent wrapped around me so completely I couldn’t think. My wolf purred....actually purred....with satisfaction.

And I finally understood what it meant to have a mate.

This wasn’t just chemistry. This wasn’t just a bond.

This was inevitability.

“Put me down,” she whispered as I lifted her up, carry her bridal style.

“No.” The word came out rougher than I intended.

Guilt crashed over me. “Seth, call Dr. Martinez.”

“Already on it.”

Inka struggled weakly. “I don’t need help. I don’t need you!”

But I couldn’t let her go. My body physically wouldn’t let me.

“You’re bleeding and you can’t walk,” I said, starting to walk. “We can argue about everything else later.”

“Hold on, I’ll bring you to my clinic pack.” I said as I holding her tighter.

Inka’s fingers curled into my jersey. Not pushing me away. Just holding on.

And I realized with absolute certainty that I was completely and utterly screwed.

Because I was already obsessed. Already addicted.

And I had no idea how to handle that.

The clinic’s doors slid open as we burst through. Every head in the waiting room turned.

I didn’t care about the stares. My alpha vision had shifted, everything tinged amber as my wolf pushed forward.

“Dr. Martinez!” My voice carried alpha command.

The doctor appeared immediately, took one look at Inka bleeding in my arms, and snapped into action. “Exam room three. Now.”

A nurse wheeled out a gurney. I hesitated before setting Inka down, my wolf snarling at the idea of letting her go.

“Hunter,” Inka whispered. “You can put me down now.”

I forced myself to lower her onto the gurney, but my hands lingered. I couldn’t seem to let go completely.

Zane immediately took her hand. Seth positioned himself at the foot of the gurney, amber eyes scanning for threats.

We followed into the exam room, not big enough for the equipment, let alone three alpha wolves hovering like overprotective shadows.

“Alright, let me see the damage.” Dr. Martinez cut away the torn denim.

The gash ran from knee to mid-shin. Deep, angry, still bleeding.

My wolf howled.

“That needs stitches,” Seth growled. “How many?”

“At least fifteen, maybe twenty.” Dr. Martinez began cleaning the wound. “She must have fallen on something sharp.”

“A broken branch,” Inka said quietly. “It’s not that bad—“

“Not that bad?” Zane’s voice cracked. “Inka, we can see bone.”

“I’ve had worse.”

The room went very still.

“What?” My voice came out dangerously low. “What do you mean you’ve had worse?”

Inka paled, realizing her mistake. “I just meant—accidents happen—“

“How often?” Seth demanded.

“Can we not do this right now?”

“Answer the question.”

“I didn’t ask you to care!” Her voice rose. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”

Her distress spiked through the air. My wolf whimpered.

We were making it worse.

“Hey,” Zane said softly, squeezing her hand. “Breathe. We’re not mad at you. We’re worried.”

“You don’t even know me,” she whispered.

“We know you’re ours.” I softened my tone, even though everything in me wanted to demand answers. “And we know you’re hurt. Let us take care of you.”

“Why?” Her copper eyes searched mine. “Why now? Because of the bond? Because you have to?”

“Because we want to,” I said, and realized it was true.

The bond had forced us to see her. But what we were feeling now... that was real.

And terrifying.

“Gentlemen, I really do need space,” Dr. Martinez interjected. “At least one of you needs to step out.”

“No,” all three of us said simultaneously.

Inka made a sound between a laugh and a sob. “You’re all insane.”

“Probably,” Zane agreed. “But you’re stuck with us now.”