Page 26 of Hunt Me

“Don’t feel too bad when a woman kicks your ass,” Matilda warned.

He grabbed the front of her cloak and hoisted her up until they were eye level and her feet dangled in the air.

“I will enjoy breaking you in more ways than one,” he grumbled, a low growl rumbling through his chest.

“Bring it on… dog,” Matilda whispered.

“Dog, huh? It won’t be long before your belly is stretched and filled with dogs,” David snapped, placing heavy emphasis on the word “dogs” as he lowered her to the ground.

“I look forward to embarrassing you come morning.”

“And I’ll save you a seat by my side at the banquet tonight.”

“No need to concern yourself because she will not be in attendance,” Luka interrupted.

“Prince Lykaon would be greatly displeased by this. The banquet is not only being hosted in your honor but for your guests as well.”

“She is not a guest. She is a prisoner.”

David grinned slyly, baring a row of sharp white teeth. “If that is the case, then I shall have a cell in the dungeon prepared for her. Something tells me she’d look exquisite in a pair of leather cuffs and chains.”

“I am not interested in your fantasies, Beta. Please, show us to our sleeping quarters. I must rest for tomorrow’s challenge,” Matilda urged, interrupting David’s delusions.

“As you wish. Do keep up.”

Matilda’s eyes roved over the grounds, taking in every detail. Watchtowers guarded each cardinal point, offering an unobstructed view of any approaching threat. The western tower immediately caught her attention. Its placement was no coincidence. It faced Night Falls, giving the guardians a clear view of anyone approaching from King Alesi’s lands. An army would be spotted long before it reached the gates. She had counted a minimum of twenty guards before they set foot beyond the mammoth castle doors. She’d be a fool to believe there weren’t a few more sporadically hidden in the shadows—watching and listening—playing the roles of eyes and ears of the court. Escaping King Alesi and Beta David would be no easy feat, but Matilda had never been one to shy away from a challenge.

For a species that, according to King Alesi, had only joined civilization within the last century, the wolves had accumulated a mass of wealth, evident in the opulent décor. Matilda had expected dark and dreary, gothic and imposing. Instead, she was greeted by glorious enchantment. Her boots padded softly against the burgundy velvet rugs, leaving behind perfect soggy imprints of her feet. She fell dumbstruck when her eyes met the ceiling. Earlier, she believed the moon was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen, but witnessing the werewolves’ history from inception to the present was a close second.

“Oof,” Matilda grunted when she crashed into a wall.

“Anxious to be by my side?” David taunted.

Luka dragged his wandering blood pet behind him. “Our chambers,” he spoke with an icy chill in his tone.

David refused to respond and resumed leading the party through the fortress.

“You are a fool,” Luka spat.

“How so, King of Vamps?”

“You will lose against Beta David.”

Matilda shrugged. She whistled low when they passed a portrait wall of past alphas. They were all ruggedly handsome and hulking, filling out the framed canvases. “Look at the beard on this one,” she mumbled.

“Are you paying attention, you wretched woman?”

“No. I prefer not to listen to naysayers.”

“You will fail.”

Matilda leaned closer to whisper, “Have you considered perhaps losing is my plan?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If I lose, that means I’m off-limits to you. You couldn’t punish or bleed me dry at the risk of starting a full-blown war between Night Falls and Moonshire.”

“You jest,” he accused.