Hunter Bush's fist smashed into the rogues face, bones in the wolf's cheek cracking beneath his clenched fingers as he gritted his teeth, his own bones aching at the contact. This wolf, this man, had once been part of another Pack on the other side of the
world, had once been a functioning member of society. Then the world, the
Pack's bonds, and the rogue's own wolf had all become too tangled in a
web of strain and panic, and the man had lost control of the wolf entirely.
It was Kameron's job to take care of the rogues near the Talon Pack
wards. At least the ones that didn't come to the Pack looking to take out the
Alpha. Those, Stiles—his brother and Alpha—had to deal with himself.
The leader couldn't ignore a challenge according to Pack law.
Because this particular wolf had gone too far and had not only killed his
family but also a human along the way, there was no hope for redemption.
No way for a life to continue under the continued watch of the world and
their own needs as wolves.
The rogue in human form stumbled to the ground, his eyes all wolf, no
longer able to shift fully because he'd broken far beyond redemption.
And with one quick movement, Kameron reached out and snapped the
rogue's neck, the sound echoing through the trees.
Now, Hunter was alone in the forest, only the sound of his own
heartbeat filling his ears as the animals around them had gone silent in the
presence of two predators. He slowly let the man who had once been an
honored and strong member of his Pack fall to the ground, with Hunter's hand
under the other man's head so he wouldn't land too hard. There may not be
pain anymore, but that didn't mean Hunter would let the man end without
dignity. The other Alpha had let Hunter and his people know that this
rogue might be on the way as they'd been trying to track his movements for
over a year now. Somehow, even without control, the broken wolf had been
able to evade them all. Except Hunter.
Because Hunter was the Enforcer of the Halo Pack. One of the
strongest wolves in the area, and one of the best Enforcers in the world.
And he'd just killed a man because of his duty.
He let out a breath, running a hand over his face before growling. He
looked down at his bruised knuckles. Little blood covered his hands visibly,
but he could still see the invisible, red trails on the tan of his skin.
He'd barely broken a sweat taking out the rogue, and as he called his
people to help clean up the mess, he knew he'd have to run out the rest of
his energy or he'd end up hurting someone in practice later on. That was the
problem when his emotions ran high like this. The Pack and his family
thought him the man of ice, the man of such control that he felt nothing. He
never let others see his emotions, never let them feel them through the Pack
bonds, but they were there.
And he hated every damn one.
Once his crew came in to take the body so they could send him back to
his Pack for a proper burial, Hunter went around the perimeter again to
ensure that the den was still safe. The war with the humans was over, and
thanks to new treaties and laws, their land was safe from satellites and
prying eyes—at least for the time being—but that wasn't the only thing he
was checking for. The Hadens had been quiet for too long, and Hunter hadn't been able to get ahold of their contact, Hill, who was also the
Haden's Pack's Beta.
He'd known as soon as she helped his brother and sister-in-law,
betraying the secrets of her Pack in the process, that things wouldn't end
well, but he still felt responsible for what happened to her.
Even as he thought that, it wasn't Hill that drifted through his mind.
No, it was another woman, a human with a sweet and delectable scent that
refused to leave his thoughts. He didn't want to think about Lia and what
that scent meant, so he didn't. The more he did, the less focused he
would be. And with yet another war on the horizon, he had to be sure he
was strong enough to lead his team and follow his brother, his Alpha, onto
the battlefield.
A human with a sharp tongue and a delectable scent would only
complicate matters.
His wolf pawed at him, annoyed that he was ignoring what was right in
his face, but it wasn't as if he could stop what he was doing and follow the
promise of a connection that could turn out to be nothing. He'd seen the
way losing focus could hurt a Pack, and the Halos relied on him for their
protection. He couldn't let his attention wander to something sweeter—not
with the Hadens and their insane Alpha, Brice, hiding so close somewhere
in their woods.
He couldn't scent them, and knew they weren't there at the moment, but
they'd be back. Watching. They always were. And when they came back
again, Hunter would take them out, just like a hunter. He wouldn't allow anyone to hurt
what was his. Not again.
And even if it took all he was, even if he had to push away anything that
could have been another connection, he'd do it. Because saving his Pack
and keeping Brice and his ilk away was all that mattered.
He let out a growl when his wolf huffed at him, annoyed by his train of
thoughts. His wolf would just have to get over whatever it was currently feeling. Hunter had, after all. Or at least he was trying.
He knew he wasn't being fair and was most likely being so pigheaded
that he was going to get himself in trouble, but it wasn't as if he could
change the way he'd thought his whole life. Especially not because of one
scent that wouldn't leave his mind.
It would be safer for everyone if he focused on the threat at hand and
then saw if fate were truly testing him when it came to a certain woman.
That wasn't how it worked for most wolves, but Hunter wasn't most
wolves. He knew his other half and could control it better than most of the
Pack could with theirs, and that meant they'd come to an understanding.
And when the time came, and if Lia truly were his mate, he'd try to
figure out the next step. Lia was smart and would understand why he had
to stay away in order to keep his focus on the enemy and not be distracted
by something that could change the way he thought and fought.
And, once again, he knew he wasn't as convincing as he needed to be.
But he couldn't change his plans now.
"I'm an idiot," he growled, then went back to his patrol. He needed to
go back inside the den wards soon to have dinner with his family, and that
meant he only had an hour or so left of being on high-alert and trying to get
that scent and what it meant out of his mind. At the moment, he was still on
Pack land, meaning there shouldn't be anyone who wasn't Halo or a guest
of the Halos anywhere near. The fact that there had been a rogue wolf
earlier just set his own wolf on edge. He knew the night wasn't over. The
warded area of the den was what hid their people from view. The wards
themselves didn't stretch out across the entire Pack land, as that would be
far too vast and taxing on the witches and magic that held the wards in
place. So that meant there were layers of patrols on each section of the
perimeter, ensuring that they were doing their best to keep their land safe.
He stalked around for a few more minutes until an unfamiliar and very
human scent drifted to him. He held back a growl. He knew of only three humans—one of them not so human anymore—who were allowed on Pack
land, and this scent didn't belong to any of them.
Hunter didn't let his claws slide through his fingertips like his wolf
wanted him to do since this human could just be a lost hiker or some other
crap like that. The last thing his Pack needed right then was the bad
publicity of having a scared, lost human come up on a wolf in human form
yet with claws out that could draw blood.
His people had to constantly toe the lie of standing up for themselves
and showing their strength, and not scaring the humans that thought the
shifters were monsters.
Hunter really didn't care either way, but then again, that's why he
wasn't part of the Pack's public persona.
He was the one who hid in the shadows for their protection. They didn't
want him out in the real world, scaring unsuspecting tourists with his sharp
fangs.
So he kept his fangs and claws in check but carefully followed the
scent, coming up on the human in a short jean skirt, boots, and a top that
didn't cover enough skin to do any good. Considering that the weather up in
the mountains and forest wasn't the warmest, he had no idea what this
woman was doing here.
"Lost?" he asked, his voice a growl. He didn't try to change it, though.
She was on Pack territory, and while he wouldn't try to scare her too much,
there were boundaries marked for a reason. They had pups close by, for the
goddess's sake. He wasn't about to let them come to harm from what
looked like a too-curious human.
The woman turned on her heel, almost fell, then righted herself in the
next instant. When she got a look at him, her eyes widened for a moment,
then narrowed into an almost sultry expression.
Well, fuck. He had a feeling he knew why she was here, and he was not
in the mood to deal with her. She wasn't the first, and with how his day was going, she wouldn't be the last either.
"Oh, I'm so glad I found you. I was looking for someone just like you."