Page 29 of The Hunt: Emerald

I really fucking shouldn’t, but damnit, I do.

“Let go, me precious wee Omega. Let go an’ give in tu yer Alpha,” he demands, begs, pleads.

“Murdoch…” I gasp, shaking.

“Fuckin’ aye! T’ers’s no instinct left tu blame,” he growls. “No excuses. Just us. Let go an’ give me everat’in’.” He splits me open harder, forcing me to cry out, every sound pulled from somewhere I didn’t know I had. His body is everywhere, inside, around me, against me, making it hard to hold myself together. I can tell I’m not falling, but being broken down to the bone.

“I hate you,” I scream, sobbing, convulsing, unraveling with nothing to guide me but the terrifying truth of how much I want him. He captures my lips in a seething hot kiss, sending pleasure crashing onto me like a boulder.

“No,” he whispers, shoving deep into me, sending a silent scream from my lips to his. “You hate t’at this is real,” hwgrunts, and his words tell no lie. “But I swear by the Source, I’ll hear wat I want an’ soon. Me precious one, me wee Omega… I’ll knock t’at fight righ’ on out o’ yu.”

Chapter 11

Wild and Wrath

EMERALD

By the Source! I can’t breathe! I stand ready to leave the cave as he packs a makeshift bag for the long journey to the finish line.

“Where are yu goin’, lass?” he growls, making me pause at the cave exit.

“I… uhm… I need some fresh air,” I tell him, and it’s not a lie. The entire fucking cave smells like him. My skin still tingles from his touch…his hands, his mouth, his name. It’s without question this damn beast has etched himself like a brand across every nerve of my fucking body.

There is no part of me he hasn’t reached… under my flesh, between my legs… and I hate to fucking admit it, but in my heart. I hate it,and by the smug smirk on this bastard’s face, he knows it!

“Aye, but dinna go far. We leave soon,” he reminds me, and I glare.I wasn’t fucking asking.But I nod and stomp out, with him chuckling behind me.

I walk over to the river, wishing I could go to the mother tree, but the trees move, so I know it will take me ages to find it again. Still, I’m grateful that the cave and lake seem to move in tandem with each other, so finding it is easy.

Tired, I grit my teeth, inhaling deeply to get some air in my lungs, but nope! All I smell is him!

“Fuck!” I press both hands against my chest, trying to ground myself, trying to shake the image of him taking me all night, then holding me tight and kissing me to sleep. It was peaceful, vulnerable, and beautiful in a way that hurt.

He wasn’t supposed tofeellike safety. He’s supposed to be the monster. My captor… yet he cleaned my wounds, kisses me tenderly, and whispers my name like it’s sacred. He hadn’t just claimed me… he hadseenme, and Ihim…

And If I’m brutally honest, it scares the fucking life out of me. I’ve seen what it’s like for Omegas who trust Alphas. I know too many of them who were hopeful that they’d found their mates, only to be told later of their demise and attending the funeral that the government had to pay for. Sadly and pitiably, the only thingsremaining of them are their memories and an ugly ass, crooked white cross that barely spells their names correctly.They don’t even bother to write the date of birth or death…

I fucking know better! That is why I chose to participate in the Hunt, to take my freedom into my own hands and win the prize! I never wanted to be claimed. But Source help me, my bodywantshim. Not the heat. Not the mark.Me. And that truth sits in my chest like rot.

Because what does that get me? I’ll just wind up as just another Omega swayed by dominance and strength. Just another girl who was broken down and reshaped into a possession. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be tossed away with no baby… a bastard hated by society as they claim their mother a whore who sold pussy and pheromones and got knocked up. That’s if I’mlucky…if not… a coffin?

But Murdoch… he seems different… no he feels different… ISdifferent.

I feel so scared… I’m falling. That cave was no longer a cave. That makeshift cot was no longer just a cot. It wasours,and last night in his arms… for the first time in this life, even for a little bit, I let go and it felt good. Being with him… no heat to cloud my judgment… I shudder thinking about it. I felt the first tinges of happiness in my life.Happiness… love

No.

No!

Alarm bells as loud as the horn rings in my head.To love an Alpha means nothing butdeath.

The thought of having something and trusting someone sends a fear even worse than an Alpha attacking me rippling through my bones.Love…I gasp for air, breathing hard, cheeks flushed, chest warm with something I hadn’t let myself ever feel.

Wrong. This feeling is wrong! These thoughts of happiness are wrong!

I spin on my heel, listening for Murdoch, and quickly use my powers to make a leaf and rope dress and some shoes as quickly as possible. Thankfully, it’s easily doable with all the rest and my wounds healing from the leaves of the mother tree.

Quickly, I throw everything on and I move with the original plan.Win this hunt alone! I just need to get closer to the checkpoint… it’s already day six…Get to the finish line, win and disappear. If I’m lucky, I’ll go to the human realm and shed this Omega stigma.

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