Page 50 of Fat Betrayed Mate
My radio crackles to life, cutting through my brooding. "Thomas, we need you at the northern checkpoint. Priority one."
James's voice carries an edge I haven't heard since the Cheslem Pack attacks. I break into a run, my wolf surging beneath my skin as adrenaline floods my system.
"What's the situation?"
"Two hunters. Captured inside our perimeter."
Inside our perimeter. My blood turns cold. That puts them less than a mile from Fiona's cottage, from where Maisie sleeps, with fever burning through her small body.
"On my way."
***
The scene at the checkpoint is controlled chaos. Two humans sit zip-tied to trees, their faces bloodied and sullen. James paces nearby, his wolf clearly close to the surface, while Nic crouches in front of the prisoners with deadly calm.
"Gentlemen," Nic says as I approach, his voice silk over steel. "You're trespassing on private property. Armed trespassing, which makes this a federal offense when it comes to shifter territories, though I suspect you knew that."
"We ain't done nothing wrong," the larger hunter spits. He's maybe forty, with the soft gut of someone who thinks carrying a rifle makes him dangerous. "Just hunting predators."
"What kind of predators?" I ask, stepping into the light. Both men look up at me, and I see their eyes widen slightly at whatever they read in my expression.
"The kind that shouldn't exist," the smaller one mutters. He's younger, in his early twenties, with the angry energy of someone looking for something to blame for his failures.
"Be more specific," Nic says.
"You know what we're talking about," the older hunter says. "Freaks of nature. Monsters pretending to be human."
My hands clench into fists, my wolf pushing against my control. These men were armed, on our territory, close enough to Fiona and Maisie to—
"What were you planning to do when you found these 'monsters'?" James asks.
The younger hunter's mouth twists into an ugly smile. "Same thing you'd do with any rabid animal."
I'm moving before conscious thought kicks in, grabbing him by the shirt and hauling him to his feet. "You’re threatening my pack?"
"Thomas."Nic's voice cuts through my rage. "Let him down."
His authority chills my rage. I force myself to release the hunter, but I don't step back. Let him see exactly what he's dealing with.
"We're not threatening nobody," the older man says quickly, apparently deciding diplomacy might keep him breathing. "We're just following orders."
"Whose orders?" James demands.
The hunters exchange glances. Finally, the older one shrugs. "Boss wants what he wants. We just do the job."
"And what does your boss want?"
"To find his daughter and her brat," the younger hunter says with casual cruelty. "Apparently, the little bitch has been hiding out with you freaks."
The world tilts beneath me.
It’s my worst fears confirmed. Edward Wright knows she’s here—he's specifically hunting for Fiona and Maisie. Everything we've been dealing with, all the escalating violence, it's because she's here.
"What else?" Nic presses, his voice deadly quiet.
"Boss says once we find them, we can deal with the rest of you however we want." The younger hunter grins like he's discussing weekend plans. "Been looking forward to some real hunting."
I have to turn away before I tear his throat out. My wolf is clawing at my restraints, demanding blood, demanding protection for our mate and—
