The One 14
Chapter 14: Hunted
Sophie
Maybe it’s the sadness of seeing my family’s pack again, or
maybe it’s because I was distracted by the masculine scent mixed with pine that Hedda was purring
over, but I didn’t realize that Alpha Hunter was in the hidden space until I stepped back into it after
saying goodbye to Penny.
I wanted to run, to get out of here before he could grab me, but Hedda held me in ce, and he
made a good point. If had wanted to grab me, he could have, and I wouldn’t have realized what was
happening until it was toote.
I considered giving him my real name. Hedda wanted me to, but I don’t trust him yet. It doesn’t help
that he’s standing here. naked in front of me. I’ve been working with humans for so long, I’ve
forgotten what it’s like to live with shifters who have no modesty.
And why is he here? What are his motives for being here? Are his warriors right outside the
entrance to this space and if I follow him, he’ll force his mark on me in front of them? No way I’ m
letting that happen.
I can see the shock on his face when I tell him I know who he is. I’m not sure if I should be insulted
that he doesn’t remember me or happy that he doesn’t know who I am. I have changed my hair
color. I’m sure that I look harder than I did a couple of years ago when I led a cushy life. Life on the
run tends to do that to you. I’ m thinner, more muscr, and more streetwise than I was two
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years ago.
“You know who I am?” he asks, his nose going up in the air and he sniffs my scent again. “Have we
met?”
“What do you want, Alpha Hunter?” I ask him and he instantly. refocuses his attention on me. I
swallow hard. The man’s gaze is intense. It was before when we danced at my sister’s birthday
party, but now…now his gaze is sending waves of warmth through my body.
“I want to get to know my mate. I want to keep you safe, and I want to let you know that I’m not one
of those Alphas who will mark and mate you in public.”
raise my eyebrow at him and chuckle derisively. “Really? Are you going to keep me safe from
yourself?”
“I would never hurt you.”
“Why should I believe that you are any different from the other Alphas who im their mates
publicly?”
“Because I am a possessive man, a possessive wolf, and a possessive Alpha,” he growls, making
shivers run through my body. He takes a predatory step forward and I press my back against the
rocky wall.
“I will never share my mate with anyone. No one has the right to see her, to see you, in that state
except for me,” he says. “You are mine. The Moon Goddess made you for me and I do not share
what is mine.”
His words are doing strange things to me. I desperately want to believe him, but I can’t. I remember
the way he watched me that
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night at Amelia’s birthday party. Now, I wonder if it was this possessiveness he’s speaking of Did he
know back then that I was his mate?
“You said it’s your Beta female who is leaving the food out here?”
“That’s right. I want to help when and where I can.”
“Then, what you’re saying to me is a lie,” I tell him.
“Why do you say that?”
“In her note, she very clearly says that you can’t bring these she- wolves into your pack because not
everyone in your pack. agrees with your decision to not im mates publicly. Tell me, was her im
public?”
“Yes, it was. My Beta did not understand the impact of the public mating until after it was toote.”
“What does that mean, toote?” ask.
“When you mark your mate, you not only can hear their thoughts, but you can feel their emotions.
He was able to feel everything that she was feeling in that moment. He s**hed her up and took her
to their room, but the damage was done. It’s taken them over a year to finally start toe together.
He understands now why I would never do that. I want a positive rtionship with my mate. I want
her to trust me, to love me and cherish our bond as much as I do. The only way that’s possible is if I
cherish it from the very beginning.”
ra
“Those are pretty words, Alpha. But that’s all they are. Words.”
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“How can I convince you? Would you be willing to stay here until I can bring Kinsley to you? She
can confirm everything I’ve said to you.”
I can feel Hedda howling in my head. She knows what I’m about to do and she’s howling her
resistance, making my head hurt.
“She’s your Beta. She would do whatever you tell her to do. I can’t trust that. I’m sorry,” I say and I
see his eyes go wide.
“NO!” he shouts, taking a step forward.
“I…” S**t! I can’t give him my real name. He’ll know who I am, that I’m an Alpha female, and then I’ll
never be free of him, “I reject you, Alpha Hunter Reynolds as my mate and Alpha,” I say, and watch
as his hand ps against his chest.
I don’t wait to see if the rejection works. I know it’s only partiallyplete anyway. He’d have to
ept it, but perhaps he’s hurt enough for me to escape.
Leaving my bag behind, I quickly make my way out of the secondary exit. I scratch myself in several
ces as I rush to get out and away from Alpha Hunter, from my mate, from his intoxicating scent,
and from all of the pretty things that he said that I wish I could believe. But that’s not reality. There’s
no way he’d risk losing his pack members and maybe even his Alpha title to im me privately.
Rather than follow Penny, I change directions and go left. I leap, letting Hedda take over and begin
running hard and fast. I don’t know if Alpha Hunter will follow me, but I’m not taking any chances.
I haven’t gone far when I hear the howl of the hunt. My heart.
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s**p*s a beat, and we stumble as we run. Thankfully, Hedda catches us before we can fall, and she
begins pushing herself even harder. I hear the answering call of three more wolves, and I know I’m
in trouble. If they catch me…
‘If we’re going to be forced, I’d rather it be my mate,’ Hedda says, and I can hear the fear in her
voice. She doesn’t want to be forced into a mate bond, especially when her mate is so close.
Unfortunately, we most likely left our mate writhing on the ground, so I don’t think we can expect any
help from him.
‘Do you think we can turn back?’ I ask her, just as we hear yipsing up on either side of us.
‘Toote,’ she says. Real fear slides down my spine. If this group is able to keep up with us, they
are all ranked members. This is most like an Alpha and his ranked members hunting for a mate.
And as an Alpha female, I’m the golden prize.
I hear paws running us down as the wolves on either side of us begin closing in.
‘Faster, Hedda,’ I scream.
I feel her push even harder, but I was right. This is an Alpha male. Only an Alpha can run down
another Alpha.
I feel jaws snapping at Hedda’s legs, then a nose bumping into her legs, tripping her up. She
stumbles, flipping over and over before finallynding on her stomach. When she shakes her head
and focuses, we’re surrounded by four wolves. Thergest one, the Alpha,es to stand in front
of me. He shifts, then Nooks down at us.
“Shift!” hemands. I can already see that he’s aroused,
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excited by the hunt and capturing his prey. Me.
I feel the weight of hismand wash over me, but I’m an Alpha too. I can’t be forced by an Alpha
that isn’t my own.
When I don’tply with hismand, I watch a slow, predatory smile spread across his face.
“Well, well, looky here boys. We caught ourselves an Alpha,” he says, watching me intently.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to shift, little one. Then, if you don’tply, I’m going to let
Hegir, my wolf, to mark and mate you and then you’ll be forced to shift onmand so that I can
mark and mate you in human form. What will it be, little Alpha?”
Hedda gets to her feet, her head low as she growls menacingly at him.
I watch as he smiles. “Good, I love a good fight before I f**k,” he says before shifting.
He leaps and Hedda jumps away from him, only to be corralled by the other three wolves. The wolf,
Hegir, begins stalking us. Hedda waits until he close, then leaps, trying to jump over him. I’ m not
sure if he anticipated the movement or just got lucky, but he leaps up at her as she jumps, knocking
onto her side. Before she can get up, he pounces on her.
She snaps and scratches, snarling at him. Heys his body on her, crushing her into the ground and
trying to get his teeth around her throat or the back of her neck to force her
submission.
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It’s getting harder to breathe and know we’re only moments away from his wolf getting the upper
hand when I hear another snarl and suddenly, Hegir is ripped off of us.
The huge wolf puts himself in between me and the other wolves as they snarl, some checking on
their Alpha and the others preparing to leap on Hunter’s wolf. Because that is who came to my
rescue, Alpha Hunter.
Faster than I’ve ever seen anyone shift, he’s in his human form, his head turned to look at me.
“Run! I’ll find you,” he says before quickly shifting back just in time to snap his jaws at the wolf
leaping at him.
When I don’t immediately take off, he turns, barking at me to go, and I shake off the shock before
Hedda turns and races off.
I don’t know what I’m more terrified of that he’lle and find me, or that he won’t because he’s
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