Hunt

Kira’s POV


Reaching my room in the servants' quarters, I rested my back against the wall and drew in a deep breath. I felt so disgusted with myself. I hated the way they had seen naked and without clothes, but what hurt more was how foolishly I loved his touch. I hated even more how my body had betrayed me, how foolishly I’d craved his touch.
 I sighed and then moved over to the bathroom attached to my room. I took a moment to wash my face in the sink and stared at the mirror, shame, and embarrassment enveloping my entire being, but I sucked in a deep breath and gathered my emotions.
“Come on, Kira. Act like it never happened,” I whispered, the words tasting like a lie.
 I left my room, heading back to the main mansion to resume my duties. Despite feeling sick from the lingering effects of the flogging, I couldn’t stay back in my room. Staying back would only bring more problems for me, and I wanted to avoid that.
As I worked in the kitchen, I could hear mocking laughter from the other servants, calling me a thief because of what happened earlier, but I ignored them. I was already used to being insulted and mocked, so this was nothing new.
Time passed slowly until nightfall approached. Today was the first Saturday of the month, so all pack members who could shift into their wolves shifts together and go hunting in the woods. I had never experienced it myself because I didn’t have a wolf yet, so most of the time, I watched from the corner. 
I could see the excitement among the servants; they were eager for the hunt, but I knew that wasn’t the only reason. Some pack members used the hunt night as an opportunity to spend time with secret lovers or servants who had no chance to see their loves. Others used it as an opportunity to make out in the woods.
It was a night of freedom for many, but for me, it was just another reminder of how different I was. I didn’t have a wolf yet, and even when I got one within the week, I wouldn’t be allowed to participate. I was a traitor's daughter—I didn’t mingle in pack activities. That meant no shifting, no running through the woods with the pack, no connection to the hunt. Just another reason for them to look at me like I didn’t belong.
I busied myself with cleaning up in the kitchen, ignoring the whispers and side glances from the other servants. The word “thief” pained me more than I wanted to admit, but I refused to react. Showing weakness would only give them more reason to torment me.
As the night crept closer, I found myself lingering by the kitchen window, watching as the pack members gathered outside, excitement buzzing in the air. The triplets were there too, standing tall and commanding, their presence impossible to ignore. My stomach twisted at the sight of them. My skin still burned from the punishment earlier, and the memory of their eyes on me—seeing me, really seeing me—made my insides churn with shame and something else I refused to name.
I tore my gaze away, scolding myself for even thinking about them. I was nothing in their world—just a lowly servant, a nameless, wolfless girl, a traitor's daughter.
Sighing, I turned back to my duties, determined to stay out of sight for the rest of the night. But something told me fate had other plans.
After I finished my tasks, I decided to head into the woods to gather herbs that would help with the pain. I could’ve gone to the pack physician, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself. As I left the pack house, I noticed only a few guards stationed around. Most of the pack workers had already gone into the woods for the hunt, for the thrill of the chase, and for other pleasures I didn’t care to think about.
A guard stopped me, asking where I was going. I told him I needed herbs for my pain. He let me pass without question. I made sure to avoid the deeper parts of the woods where the pack would be. My only goal was to find the plants and get back before anyone noticed I was gone.
 Luck was on my side as I spotted the herbs not far from the entrance. Relief flooded me, but just as I reached down to gather them, a sound froze me in place. 
A low, guttural noise, followed by a rhythmic slap of skin against skin.
A moan drifted through the darkness, soft and breathless.
I stiffened.
I wasn’t alone.
I knew what it meant. Aroused wolves were having sex. I wanted to ignore them, but somehow, I wanted to see who was involved.
Carefully, I moved toward the sound, my heart pounding. The closer I got, the clearer the sounds became—heavy breathing, unmistakable grunts of pleasure, sharp gasps from a woman.
And then I saw them.
Dane, one of the triplets.
He stood there in the clearing, his body naked under the moonlight, his muscles flexing with every brutal thrust. The woman was bent over a fallen tree, her hands clawing at the bark, her moans desperate and high-pitched as he drove into her from behind.
My breath caught.
I should have turned away. I should have left. But I couldn’t.
His hand fisted in her hair, pulling her head back as he leaned down to murmur something against her ear. Whatever he said made her whimper, her body shuddering as she arched against him.
Then, as if sensing my presence, Dane’s head snapped up. His dark eyes locked onto mine.
I expected him to stop, to hesitate, to yell at me.
But he didn’t.
Instead, a wicked smirk curved his lips, and he tightened his grip on the woman’s hips, pulling her back harder against him. His movements became rougher, his thrusts deeper, each one more brutal than the last.
Slap.
His palm came down against her ass, making her cry out in pleasure.
Slap.
Again.
I felt something tighten in my chest—anger, maybe. Or something worse. Something darker.
Dane didn’t look away. He knew I was watching. And he didn’t care.
If anything, he was putting on a show.
A low growl built in my throat, but I swallowed it down, forcing my expression to remain blank.
 “Yes! Yes!” The woman moaned loudly as Dane continued to fuck her aggressively. From where I stood, I noticed him tweak her nipple, causing her to release louder pleasurable moans. 
Throughout this, his eyes were on me, as if he was saying, “Look at what you’ll never get.”
Swallowing hard, I turned and walked away, knowing deep down that the image of him fucking that she-wolf would be burned into my mind forever.
 I moved quickly, my breath shallow, my legs carrying me away from the clearing and back toward the pack house. My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it in my ears. I wanted to erase what I had just seen, to push it out of my mind, but the image of Dane—his brown, hooded eyes locked onto mine, the cruel smirk on his lips, the raw power of his body—was burned into me.
I hated him.
I hated that he had seen me. That he had wanted me to see. That he had used that woman’s body to taunt me, to remind me of my place.
I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck, the way my stomach twisted with something unnameable.
I was nothing to him.
Just a servant. Just a traitor’s daughter.
And yet…
I was halfway back when I heard it—the sound of footsteps behind me. Light, slow. Not the hurried steps of someone passing by, but the slow, stalking movements of a predator.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.