Page 151 of Hunt Me

The woman gasped when Matilda grabbed her hand. “And may you and your family prosper.”

Drawn by curiosity, others had begun to gather quietly. Several lowered their heads respectfully as she met their eyes.

“Queen Matilda,” someone murmured nearby. Soon, several voices echoed her name reverently.

Matilda stood frozen beneath the weight of their admiration. Luka remained silent by her side, and when she finally glanced toward him, she caught the prideful look in his eyes.

But their moment of serenity was disturbed when a guard rushed to Luka’s side and whispered in his ear. A warning bell sounded, and the settlers’ frightened faces would forever live with her.

“We must leave. Now!” Luka said sharply.

“What’s going on, Luka?” she asked in a daze as he dragged her to the carriage.

“Wolves.”

56

Death and Destruction

The first howl split through the settlement before Matilda could respond. It was deep, guttural, and carried across the hills like a deadly premonition. Panic rippled through the village. Children cried as they were snatched up and herded toward safety, and the warning bell continued shrilling in the distance.

She felt herself being dragged away as her vision settled on the tree-lined forest neighboring the settlement.

“Matilda! Move!” Luka demanded.

Shapes darted between the trees, and fear gripped her like a hand clutched around her throat. She wasn’t fearful for her or her family, but for the innocent lives that would be lost—for the children who finally had a taste of freedom, for the couples who always dreamed of loving each other freely.

They told them they would be safe, and now the villagers were lambs led to the slaughter.

The villagers scattered as guards rushed toward the outer barricades with crossbows and silver-tipped spears.

Another howl erupted, signaling they were closing in.

Luka’s voice sharpened. “Matilda. Take Denalia!” he ordered, pressing their daughter against her chest. Denalia stirred, and her eyes widened as if sensing the fear plaguing the settlement.

Matilda looked down at her daughter; then back toward the tree line.

The first wolf exploded from the forest a heartbeat later.

The creature cleared the outer fencing in a single leap. His massive claws glinted, and the remaining villagers who dared to fight screamed and stumbled backward.

The wolf was enormous—far larger than any natural wolf had the right to be—with black fur slicked with rainwater. His amber eyes burned with bloodlust and didn’t stop tracking until they landed on Matilda.

She held his amber-eyed gaze long past polite—a subtle challenge that made his lips peel back from dagger-like teeth. One by one, more wolves emerged from the surrounding woods, taking their places at his flanks.

Guards opened fire, and silver-tipped bolts tore through the air, striking one wolf squarely in the shoulder. The beast snarled and charged, colliding directly into the offender hard enough to send his body tumbling across the settlement square.

Matilda moved instinctively, thrusting Denalia toward Luka. “Take her,” she snapped. She launched forward the moment his arms closed around Denalia.

“Matilda!”

A wolf lunged for a fleeing child. Matilda intercepted the wolf midair. The impact drove them into the side of a wooden cottage, splintering the wall inward. The wolf snarled violently beneath her. He raked his claws across her arm, deep enough to tear fabric and skin.

Pain flared through her, and her fangs descended. The wolf snapped for her throat. Matilda caught its jaws with both hands before they could close. Her muscles strained as the creature thrashed beneath her.

He was powerful, but he underestimated her new vampire strength. With a vicious growl, she twisted sharply. Bones cracked, leaving his jaw unhinged and hanging grotesquely. The wolf collapsed lifelessly beneath her.

“Protect the women and children!” someone screamed nearby.