Page 41 of Prey for Me

Is it fun to scheme against him?

I guess

What you could really piss him off by fucking me right now

He has a jealousy problem

You don’t say

You’re into more subtle forms of mind control, huh?

And what gave me away?

Oh maybe how you made an Apex alpha bash his fucking hidden and then pretended like I was on the path to controlling you for weeks .

One of us!

Nadège claps gracefully like she’s witnessing a coronation

“This isn’t a fifth of his power. I’ve seen him make an apex turn his knife against his pack!”

“Quoi!” Nadège gasps in disbelief and I can’t even comphermerd

That isn’t a quarter of what he has at his disposal? Did I just hear Leo right?

Nakoa can effectively control another alpha’s mind. An apex!?

I laugh and Nadège squeezes my hand, staring at me with her soulful eyes. And I can tell she feels the same way. No wonder Raphael’s been laughing at me. If this is the case, we’ve never had a deal.

No, it’s worse than that I think, as I follow the river of blood leaking from the dead wolf’s head. I’ve been far more delusional than I could’ve ever imagined.

I swallow back my tears and straighten my shoulders, playing my part as their future pack queen. But a part of me is dying inside.

Because now I know without a shadow of a doubt that I never stood a chance.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

GRACE

Nadègeoffersmeointmentas alphas clean the murder scene. We trek back in stony silence. And that night, once again, I’m certain. I’m not surprised in the morning after the incident I still can’t wrap my head around, Nakoa wakes me up early in the morning for supervised visitation outside of the cave to see the scenery. Leo and Raphael are gone, together, an oddity. Probably some plan they communicated over their mental link. And I go, because now I have so many things I need to know. I need Nakoa to tell me the truth of why we aren’t bonded before I’m driven crazy. Because after what I witnessed, I know our deal isn’t off, it was never sealed.

“Careful,” he says, as he helps me over a rotten log on the ground.

I can put my full weight on my ankle, and close my hand into a full fist. And once we get to a clearing, I figure out why we’re here. Nakoa’s decided I’m healed up enough that it’s time for me to learn to hunt. I don’t ask him if it’s to hunt animal or men.

I know now our exhibition to the North is moving up, all thanks to the brutal interrogation of Serge. I hate the ridiculous rabbit mask they now force on me whenever we leave, but I prefer it to the collar, and it’s my ticket out of perpetual boredom.

He’s set up targets along the trees, high and low, big and small, some dangling from strings like cans I’m meant to strike not pierce. But first, snares.

They’re the bane of my existence with the first minute of trying to loop the string on the sticks. Trigger bars, nooses, and locating the right sapling. All of it goes over my head, and I know for a fake we won’t catch anything by evening.

But once he gives me a bow, one I didn’t know he was fahsining for me, I’m in my element. I hit most of my marks, and though he doesn’t show it, he’s impressed. Good. For a man that can destory a person’s mind, I hope to strike a little respect into his heart. Maybe he’ll think twice about turning that awesome power onto me.

“Here, like this. You’re a quick shot and a quicker learner, my omega.”

“Are you an archer?” he asks as the sun begins to set and we call it day. I’m not surprised when the third trap we check on the way back to base camp is empty.

“No, but I continued practicing. Horseback riding, archer, gymnastics. Any sport or leisure activity deemed ‘omega-ly’ I dabbled in when I was part of the royal court. But archery was my favorite. I do it still, from time to time, but nothing like this,” I say, and realize this might be the first civil conversation we’ve had since we all went to the beach.

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