Page 30 of Hunter

“Not even a little bit.”

“You’re going to have your hands full. She didn’t want to listen to me.”

“You’re not her Alpha.” Hunter gave a small smile as he ascended.

The vampire had one thing right, he’d taken Willa into his pack, expecting her, a rogue, to submit to him. Yes, there indeed was something extraordinary about the she-wolf but he refused to believe she could be demon. Viktor may have been ancient, but he’d also been in Hell for over a month. All his time in Hell could have affected not only his taste but his mind. In the underworld, demons manipulated memories and perceptions of reality. They forced their victims to do horrible things they’d never thought they were capable of doing.

Secrets? Yes, Willa kept several, but he couldn’t fault her sense of self-preservation. Her secrets had most likely kept her alive all these years, surviving on her own with no pack. Soon, he’d unravel them all.

As he strode toward his bedroom and wrapped his fingers around the doorknob, excitement pumped through him. Tonight, his beast would meet hers.

Hunter closed his eyes and reached for Willa, warning her of his intention to open the door. He smiled, realizing she’d blocked him. He’d extended her a courtesy, but his little she-wolf would soon learn he wouldn’t be denied the truth.

He heard the growling as he opened the door. The sight of the majestic, spectacular she-wolf lying on his bed sent a shiver up his spine.

“You’re beautiful.” Hunter’s heart pounded faster as he grew closer to her. “I think it’s about time we had a talk.”

Only one thing would convince her to shift, to submit. His beast paced, itching to be released.

“Easy, Wills. I hear you’ve been having some memories.” Hunter began to peel off his clothing, readying to shift. “The vampire. Now I know what you’re thinkin’. He can be a bit of an asshole, but I consider him a friend. Most days anyway. His brother, Quint, cares about him. It’s why I went into Hell to grab his ass.” As he unzippered his jeans, he focused on the white feral wolf, never taking his eyes off hers.

“I know more than anyone that Hell is a place of nightmares. You can’t remember when you went in or when you came out. Time is relative. Your memories fail you, or your mind is tricked into believing things that never happened. The torture plagues you and you never think you can shake it, but then you do. You go on with your life. You find happiness again.”

Hunter tossed his jeans on the floor, standing nude before her. “I know you’re not going to come back to this world as a human and that’s all right with me. Sometimes Willa, we’ve got to go back to what we know. The most basic of our selves. Our truth. And right now, you’re gorgeous and wild. But you’re no longer a rogue. You may not be pack yet but you’re mine.”

Willa snapped and snarled in response.

Hunter smiled with a small laugh. “I know you’re special. I know you have secrets. But there’s something I need to tell you. You can’t hide anymore. I’m Alpha.”

Hunter sent his magick spiraling through his body, transforming into his beast. All his wolves would sense his infinite power. As his paws hit the floor, he released a deafening howl.

The Alpha set his sight on Willa. Her fur bristled in response, her haunches raised as she gave a low growl. The Alpha grew excited as he slowly stalked toward her. Mine , the wolf urged. His beast demanded her submission, but his humanity warned it was too soon.

The Alpha jumped on the bed and Willa barked at him. As he crept closer, she stood her ground, frozen as he nudged his muzzle into her fur.

The Alpha inhaled her scent, his wolf recognizing her as his. Her low growl drifted into silence as he circled around her. He noted how she kept her eyes trained on his every movement but didn’t make a move to shift or run.

Hunter’s heart raced as she studied him. The beast inside called to her. Willa. She blinked but showed no other sign of communication. Hunter slowly backed away, focused on the wolf. Willa , he called louder, his mind to hers, and she barked in response. Yes. Come to your Alpha. A rush of adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he quickly shifted back to his human form.

“I know you can feel me. I also know you don’t want to get that close to an Alpha. My power…” Hunter deliberately released his energy, tendrils dancing around her. “All the wolves just felt it. Even the rogues, the ones who just killed everyone at the club. Even you.”

Sitting on the bed, Hunter closed the distance, and he instinctively reached for her. Her intermittent low growl quieted as his fingers brushed over her fur.

“That’s a girl. You’re safe here. It’s okay to just feel. To feel me. To feel in touch with my wolf.” Hunter gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s okay to be angry about what happened in Hell. I wasn’t happy either when I found out, but here’s the thing…Viktor…I know he can be…” Hunter shrugged, “difficult. Arrogant. Ridiculous at times even. But he’s got this part of him that’s decent. I’m not saying he doesn’t do bad shit, because I know he’s Quint’s brother and the two of them are a couple of bad asses. But he’s not going to kill an innocent. It’s just not his style.”

Willa’s muscles relaxed underneath his palm as he stroked her, his voice soft. “I know what Hell is like, Willa. Not just this time when I chose to go back. I’ve actually been there on a more permanent basis…kinda like you. It’s not like I don’t know what it feels like. To lose time. To not remember. Then to have flashbacks of the torture. I get it. And the only thing that got me through it was being around pack. Friends.”

Hunter’s heart caught as she transformed before him. She quickly reached for the blanket, tugging it over her bare body. Wolves didn’t usually shy away from nudity, yet she’d been secluded for so long from others, she’d adopted more human norms.

Willa stared at him, her long brunette locks draped around her face. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

Hunter chuckled. “Yeah, I’d like to think that, but we make nice music together.”

“That we did.” Willa gave a small smile. “About Viktor…”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But if you do, I’m here.”

“I don’t feel a bond to him,” she insisted. “I…I don’t know why that matters. I don’t want to be bonded to him.”