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I leap at him, using the element of surprise. We end up rolling, my teeth digging into his shoulder as he yips in pain, his claws raking my side. I dig my teeth in deeper, unwilling to let go despite the agony.
The wounds will heal, but my pride won’t if I lose.
I will not spend my life mated to this brute.
He ends up beneath me, belly up, and I claw at it as he howls, but like me, he has power and strength. He tosses me off with his bucking body, and I skid across the cliff, scrambling to stop myself from falling over the edge. I spare the plummeting drop a brief glance before turning back to him, watching as his black fur recedes into skin. There’s a wicked wound on his shoulder from me, but as he crouches there, naked and human, he seems more determined than ever.
He’s a big, hairy bastard, with long, shaggy black hair. He’s not bad looking, but it’s the cruel look in his eyes that has my canines flashing.
“Just stop fighting. Give up and give in. You know we are made for each other. We would be unstoppable together,” he says, trying to reason with me.
I take a page from his book, unwilling to face him as a wolf while he’s human. It’s cowardly. I quickly change back to human form, uncaring about my nudity as I stride closer to him. His eyes drop to my body—rude, wolves know better. Nudity is part of our lives, but by looking at my form like that, he is insulting me.
“Haven’t you learned that about me yet? I never give up.” Grabbing a branch, I sweep his legs out, sending him tumbling on his back as I leap over him, my hands tingling as I change them to my claws. As one of the only wolves in the pack who can partially transform, it comes in handy. Most hated me when they realised I could do it, and they called me a freak. I believed them until I understood it was a strength, not a weakness.
I lift my claws, letting him see them gleam. His eyes turn shrewd as he stills beneath me, knowing better than most what these claws can do. After all, he wears their scars along his side from his last attempt at the mating ceremony.
When will he give up?
I don’t want to kill him. Despite everything, he’s one of us, one of our pack. He is family, and we protect family even when they are fools, but I need him to stop. I need him to understand I will never belong to anyone but myself.
“Surrender,” I command, infusing my power into it.
Most others would have no choice but to obey.
“Never,” he responds. “I will never give up. I will enter every ceremony until we are one.”
Snarling, I slam my claws into the ground by his head and rip them out. “Stop this.”
He lies beneath me as a human, as naked as the day he was born, with a wicked grin on his face. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s power hungry, he would have made a great mate for someone. He’s attractive enough and clearly a strong wolf, but he’s not for me.
I raise my claws as I snarl down at him.
“Sun’s up.” He grins, and I turn, gaping to find it rising, saving his life.
Pushing him away, I retract my claws, unwilling to break pack rules.
“Next time, Quinn, you are mine,” he warns as he transforms and slinks back into the woods.
Well, fuck.
CHAPTER TWO
“They must be somewhere,” our commander barks, pacing before the smart board where the map is laid out. “Find them, find the pack, and kill them. How hard is it? They are abominations! Just this week, there have been eight kills!”
Eight innocent humans dead at the hands of wolves.
There are many monsters that lurk within the darkness and shadows of our world, but wolves are one of the worst. Their ability to shift into animals makes them lethal, and their ability to blend in with humans makes them hard to hunt.
They are fierce fighters, hunters, and killers.
They are the best of the best in our world, which also means the highest reward and the best trophy kills.
They are just what I need to boost my reputation.
When we were allowed to visit the head of our organisation, we were so hopeful. A promotion to hunt wolves here is the highest form of respect and strength. We were so sure, but it has been months, and we have found nothing but some ferals for our trouble. If this carries on, we’ll be demoted. As it is, there are already whispers spreading about us being subpar.
We cannot afford another failure, not after the vampyr mess.
