Savage Hunt

Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Open hunt and a mother’s intuition

“A hunt? Your pack still holds hunts when a mate is found?” I asked, swallowing hard. It was an outdated practice and I didn’t know too many packs who kept up with the old ways of the hunt. Sure, we all enjoyed hunting our mate. We were shifters. after all, it was ingrained into our very DNA to crave the hunt. But the old traditions had left mates with so little choice in the matter. The prey usually didn’t get to give consent, they were just hunted down and taken like an animal.

“It’s a good way to bring a mate in.” Branson said, “It solidifies the new mate’s place in the pack for everyone. Isn’t that what you are doing?”

“No, we got rid of mating hunts a while ago. This hunt is a little more private,” I said, trying to fight down my revulsion without offending my friend and elder.

I didn’t want anyone to see my mate like that, being rutted with for just anyone to see after a long hunt. It would drive Tillie away more so than anything I or the others could ever do. She might be okay with Ryan and Travis watching when we were together and I knew it was hot as hell when I watched her with them but I couldn’t let anyone else see my mate like that. At least, not if they wanted to keep their eyes and their lives.

It hit me hard that I was willing to kill for Tillie. I was willing to hurt another to protect her, to make them pay for thinking that they could look upon the beauty of what was mine.

Branson and I said our goodbyes and I sat my phone into the cup holder in the center console. I dragged my hand over my face before looking at my beta. An unspoken question hanging in the air. He knew what it was and so did I. I didn’t need to ask him how he felt about Tillie being hunted. I could see it on his face.

“No one will hunt her but us.” His words were low and dangerous but they echoed how I was feeling. No one would be touching Tillie. She was mine. She was ours.

Our prey to hunt.

Our mate to take, but only in front of each other. We only shared with each other.

I looked into the rear-view mirror, locking eyes with Ryan. His eyes burned dark with his wolf, his lips pulled back from his teeth and I nodded.

“I guess we are going to poke the bear.” I said, putting my keys into the ignition and starting the engine. Reaching down, I shifted the car into revers and pulled out of the garage and into the driveway. My tires crunched on the thick gravel as I shifted gears again, sending that same gravel spraying into the air as I turned the wheel, pressing my foot to the gas pedal. The SUV rocketed forward and I wrapped both of my hands around the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white beneath the runes on my skin.

We needed to get to Tillie before Branson’s pack started their hunt. If we didn’t, there would be war.

Scott

“Honey, wake up.” Jewel said, shaking my shoulder. I rolled over, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I looked at my wife. She looked just as beautiful as she always did, only tonight it was more so.

Her dark hair was curling and tousled with sleep, her blue eyes were bright in the pale moonlight that filled our room. The thin white nightie she had worn to bed was sheer and hugged every curve of her body and made me want to rip it off of her. I knew that I couldn’t. I had ruined far more of her fancy, frilly nightgowns more times than I cared to admit and I wasn’t in the mood to catch hell from my little woman.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, sitting up and taking her into my arms.

“It’s Tillie. I woke up having the strangest dream about her. I think she might be in danger.” Jewel said, looking up at me. Her eyes wide and misty, she reached up, her small hand brushing it over the side of my face and I pressed myself into her touch. “I know you said that she would be safe at the lake house, but Scott. I think we need to go to her. I’ve got a bad feeling about her being up there. I don’t know if it’s because Jake broke up with her or if I’m just being a mother hen and worrying about her, but“

“Jewel, my darling. She’s safe up there. Everyone knows it’s my family’s land and no one would mess with her.” I said, trying to

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Chapter Twenty-Seven: An Open hunt and a mother’s intuition

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soothe away her worries. I caught her hand in my own, bringing it up to my lips so that I could kiss the tips of her fingers. “They know it’s bear territory, my land and no one would hurt our cub.”

“I know. I just can’t seem to shake the feeling that she’s not okay.”

I brought my hand up to the side of her face, brushing my fingers over the top of her cheek. “She’s safe and you know she’ll be pissed if we show up there tonight.”

“Scott…” My wife said with a little growl that made my lips twitch into a smile. It was so cute when she tried to get bossy with me.

“Jewel,” I said, leaning down to press my forehead against hers. “Tell you what, let’s sleep on it and if you are still feeling like this in the morning, then we’ll head out to the lake house and you can crash Tillie’s pity party.”

“Scott, it’s not a

“It is, but it’s better this way. Now that boy can go find his mate and Tillie can find some nice guy who will treat her like the treasure she is.” I said, pressing my lips against my mate’s full lips and letting out a growl of my own. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“I know. It’s just that she’s our baby. I wish that she was really yours so that she could have a fated mate.” She said and I felt the warm rush of love. That she could love a brute like me so much. That the moon goddess had given me a mate like her, just made me love her and our daughter all the more. It was something that I had wished too, that Tillie could be mine. That she could have a fated mate out there to come and love her the way that I loved her mother. But it seemed like that wasn’t in fate’s plans for our little girl.

“I wish that too, but you know she is mine even if it’s not by blood. Tillie was always meant to be my cub, darling. Things just got a little out of order and she got to you before I did. We’ll go check on her in the morning, yeah?”

“Thank you, honey bear.” Jewel said, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her body against mine. She shifted into my lap and I brought my hands to her full hips. “You’re right, I’m probably worrying over nothing. It’s just hard you know that whole mother’s intuition.”

I flipped her over, smiling down at her before kissing her again. “I’ll show you something hard, darling.” I growled, taking all her thoughts and worries away for the night. Tomorrow, we would head to the cabin and she would see that our cub was a little heartbroken, but that she was fine.