Page 49 of Lycan’s Hunt

I flinch but keep my focus on the small scrap of paper fluttering near the floor, marking the direction of a faint breeze. Slowly, carefully, I edge toward it, every muscle taut with tension, every breath measured. I need to stay calm, to stay silent.

As I near the source of the breeze, I spot it—a small, grimy window set high in the wall. It’s barely big enough for a person, but right now, it’s my only shot at freedom. My pulse quickens as I stare up at that tiny window, hope surging with the realization. I might just get out of here.

I clench my fists, nails digging into my palms as I inch closer. Gripping the edge of the windowsill, I haul myself up and peer out. The faint, salty scent of the ocean hits me, and beyond the grime-streaked glass, I catch sight of hulking shadows—ships, masts swaying gently in the harbor lights. I’m at the docks. I must be in one of the warehouses.

Dropping back down, I reach for the nearest crate, dragging it beneath the window. The rough scraping sound seems deafening in the tense silence, and I freeze as I listen for any reaction.

“Did you hear that?” Rhett’s voice booms, dangerously close.

I scramble onto the crate, fingers scrabbling at the rusted window latch. It’s stuck, refusing to budge, the metal crusted over with age and neglect.

Come on, come on, I plead internally, panic rising like a tidal wave in my throat.

“She’s over here!” Bianca’s triumphant shout pierces the silence, and dread washes over me.

With a final wrench, the latch gives way, screeching as it grudgingly opens. I push the window outward, cool night air rushing in to caress my face, carrying with it the scent of salt and freedom. I grip the window frame and haul myself up, one leg out, body twisting as I try to wriggle through.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Rhett snarls.

A vice-like grip clamps down around my ankle, yanking me back so hard I nearly slip from the frame. His hands are like iron, digging into my skin, dragging me away from the brink of escape. Desperation claws at me, and I thrash, kicking out blindly with my free leg.

“Let go of me!” I scream, my voice ragged with fear and fury.

My foot connects with something solid—his chest or his jaw, I don’t know—and Rhett grunts in pain, his grip loosening but not letting go. Then I feel another set of nails rake against my skin, sharp and vicious, digging into my ankle. Bianca. She claws at me with frantic, wild movements, her nails tearing into flesh, a sharp, searing pain that makes me gasp. With a brutal tug, they pull me back through the window.

I scream, the sound raw and desperate, filling the warehouse with a piercing wail of terror. I don’t know if anyone can hear me, but it’s all I have left as they wrestle me to the ground. I hit the floor hard, the impact jarring my bones, and for a split second, stars dance before my eyes. Rhett looms over me, his face twisted with rage, eyes wild as he reaches for me.

“No!” I lash out, kicking and clawing, every movement fueled by desperation. My foot slams into his knee, and he stumbles back for a moment, but he’s back on me in an instant, his hand wrapping around my throat, pinning me down. His other hand grabs my hair, yanking my head back so sharply pain shoots through my scalp.

“Big mistake,” he snarls. Then, before I can react, his mouth is on my neck, teeth sinking deep into my flesh, tearing through skin and muscle. The pain is blinding, sharp and searing, like fire spreading from his bite. I feel it immediately—the invasive snap of a bond, brutal and violating, forcing its way into my mind, searing through my soul.

I scream, the sound mingling with his roar as the bond snaps into place, a vicious, possessive force that binds me to him against my will. I thrash, my hands flailing, claws raking across his face, catching flesh. Rhett jerks back, his teeth ripping out of my neck, leaving a trail of blood and searing agony that threatens to consume me but I fight against the blackness coming for me knowing if I pass out I will be done for.

He staggers, one hand flying to his face, where blood streams down from a deep gouge. His eyes flash with rage as he stumbles back, cursing, his face twisted in pain. Bianca’s scream pierces the air, high-pitched and panicked as she sees the damage I’ve done, the mess of blood running down Rhett’s cheek, his eye swollen and bleeding.

I force myself to roll over, every inch of me screaming in pain, and begin to crawl away, my vision blurring. The bond claws at my mind, insidious and dark, like chains tightening around my thoughts, dragging me back toward him even as I try to escape. But I fight it, digging my nails into the concrete floor, pulling myself forward, inch by agonizing inch.

A hand grips my hair again, yanking me back, and the world spins as my head is slammed into the ground. Pain explodes through my skull, bright and sickening, stars bursting in my vision as I struggle to remain conscious. Rhett’s face looms above me, a mask of fury and blood, his lips pulled back in a snarl.

“You think you can just run away from me?” His voice is venomous, each word dripping with malice. His blood drips onto my face, hot and sticky, mixing with my own as he tightens his grip on my hair, forcing me to look at him. “You’re mine now, Aubrey. There’s nowhere you can go.”

I can barely breathe, each word hitting me like a blow. The bond is seeping through me, making it harder to resist, harder to think. A dark, oppressive weight settles in my chest, suffocating, binding. I can feel his emotions mingling with mine, a torrent of rage and possessiveness, a sickening blend that claws at my mind, demanding submission.

Bianca moves beside him, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction as she watches me struggle. “You look pathetic,” she sneers, folding her arms. “Just give up. You lost the second he marked you.”

I choke on a gasp, refusing to let them see the despair clawing at my heart. I feel the burn of tears in my eyes, I fight them back, forcing myself to keep going, to keep resisting. I might be bound to him now, but I am not broken. Not yet.

“Let her go, Rhett. She needs to learn her place.” Bianca’s voice is low, cold, and Rhett’s grip loosens just slightly, his hand sliding down from my hair to my shoulder, pressing me into the ground.

I take advantage of the moment, drawing on the last reserves of my strength. With a burst of defiance, I dig my claws into his arm, twisting and scratching, feeling his flesh give way under my nails. Rhett howls in pain, jerking back, and I scramble to my feet, swaying as I try to regain my balance. My head is pounding, vision swimming, yet I refuse to go down.

“You little—!” Rhett lunges at me, and I stagger back, my legs barely holding me up as I fumble for something to grab—anything to defend myself. My hand closes around a shard of glass from a broken bottle lying on the floor, and without thinking, I raise it, pointing it at him.

He pauses, a flicker of something—hesitation, caution—crossing his face as he assesses me. For a moment, we stand there, locked in a silent standoff, his eyes blazing with fury, mine filled with a desperate resolve. I can’t beat him, not in this state, not with the bond trying to drag me to my knees. But I’ll die before I let him take me willingly.

Bianca’s voice cuts through the tension, her tone mocking. “What are you going to do, Aubrey? Stab him? You don’t have it in you.”

The bond claws at me from inside, a dark, insidious presence winding its way through my mind, whispering surrender. I can feel it growing stronger, like roots sinking deep into my soul, twisting around my thoughts, making it harder to resist. A strange ache blooms in my chest, something foreign and unnatural, urging me to give in, to obey him.

The pull is both terrifying and magnetic. I can feel myself wavering, a sick part of me drawn to him, wanting to bend, to let go of the fight, despite the hatred burning inside me. I grit my teeth, digging my nails into my palm, trying to hold onto anything that’s me, anything that isn’t touched by him.

“You’re fighting a losing battle, Aubrey,” Rhett sneers, his voice dripping with contempt. His gaze locks onto mine, and I see the dark satisfaction in his eyes, the pleasure he takes in my helplessness. “The bond will win. It’s only a matter of time.”