239

~Zegulf~

Still, one can't take it away from the man that he’s after the welfare of his offspring. The request is for him and his family.

Alaric is a large man, maybe an inch shorter than me, with a barrel chest and thick legs. If I didn’t smell the wolf deep within him, I’d mistake him for something else.

His thick beard and long hair try without success to make him look much older than he probably is.

“We’ll need a proper sit-down,” I say to him, “but now is not a good time. We need to get answers from the hunter before we act tonight.”

Alaric grins through his beard. “No problem here. We’ll keep watch over your mate while you sort things out.”

“The majority of my men can't be found in plain sight, still, If you need help with anything, don’t hesitate.”

“I appreciate that. This city and the surrounding cities used to be big enough for my pack and Warsunng’s when we all migrated from the tropics. But over the last couple of years, it’s changing,” he says, and while I can sense he would like to say more, I know he’s not ready yet.

More and more, this city is becoming a mystery to me. Something beyond what I’ve seen so far...

I offer out my hand again. “We’re here now, and if I have my way, you’ll be at the top of the food chain.”

Grabbing my hand and giving it a shake, Alaric says, “Mind the hunter, something’s off about him. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it in my bones.”

I pull my hand back and nod. I can feel it too. He reeks of Carmen’s essence so much that I want to end his miserable life for that purpose.

Alaric pulls a cellphone out of his pocket. “We also found this on him. Nothing else. No wallet, no keys. Only the phone and his bag. When you’re asking him questions, make sure you pull up his shirt,” Alaric says, then nods to his men.

Once he leaves, Declan and Xavier move the hunter to a chair. Securing him with duct tape and chains. When I nod at Xavier, he rips the hood off the man.

Gagged with a sock, the hunter blinks his eyes up at me. Sweat gleams across his forehead, and a weird smell oozes out of his pores, making my stomach churn.

“Cut his shirt off,” I say to Brody as I continue to look at the silent hunter.

His eyes are full of rage, like madness has set in. The veins in his arms bulge as he tries to break free from the chains that bind him.

Brody gags. “What the fuck! Did he ingest a can of rotten spray?”

Looking at the others, I ask, “Do you smell him?”

Declan frowns, and Clifton looks at him thoughtfully before saying, “He ingested something forbidden.”

When the hunter’s shirt comes off, I stare at the tattoo on his chest. “You’re truly with the Sect,” I murmur. “How vogue and unique it is to have their symbol. Not that it will serve as any sort of protection for you.”

Grabbing one of the knives from the hunter’s bag, I slash it twice across his chest. Blood weeps instantly from his wounds, and I’m instantly enveloped with Carmen’s very essence, mingled with his.

“What the fuck?” Clifton gasps as he backs away from the vile abomination.

“He ingested her blood,” I whisper in terror.

Brody retches. “He’s fucking human.”

A shrill ring blasts through the room and the hunter’s cellphone vibrates across the table I set it on. The hunter’s eyes widen in terror for only a moment, but it’s long enough for me to know that the phone is a weakness.

I allow the call to go to voicemail. The hunter may have been trained by the Sect to be firm and stoic, but it is not hard to notice the way his body sags slightly in relief.

I smirk through my rage… he has tasted the blood of my fated fucking mate, and he's human! I look at him and pick up the phone. As if on cue, it rings again from the same number.

I accept the call and remain silent. “Kennedy, where are you?” Carmen asks.

The relief I feel at hearing her voice is so all-encompassing that I almost miss her repeating his name.

“Carmen, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” I say into the phone.

I hear the shocked gasp of her breath escaping her lungs. Looking out the window, I notice the sun is setting quickly in the east.

I grin.

It’s time to go…