Page 82 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
Grabbing my boots, I walk out of the closet just as Zeke barges in.I sit on the edge of the bed, ignoring his looming presence, and pull them on, then I stand.
“Ready?”I ask with a smile before shoving past him and out the door.And once again, Granny was right, there is no greater power than knowing how powerful you are.Granny has my back, now Zekebetter watch his.
Chapter 37
Stepping into the corridor, I find Regan leaving his room.Hestops the moment he spots me, and I avert my gaze from him to the window, unable to even look at him.After everything he said earlier that he would help protect me from Zeke, and then he just handed me over to him.It makes me sick.
“Z...I—” Regan says, touching my arm.I jerk away from his touch.
“Don’t call me that.We are not familiar.You made that apparent.”I put a few steps between us and try not to meet his eyes.
Zeke steps out beside me and glances between us.“Issue?”Zeke seizes my arm, and Regan’s jaw clenches.
“No issue.Don’t we have a date?”I ask him, and his smile widens, eyes flashing sinisterly.He pulls me toward the double doors at the end of the hall.Just as we reach them, I hear Regan’s bedroom door slam, making me peer over my shoulder at it.I swallow down the lump that has formed in my throat and focus my attention on trying to keep up with Zeke.
He leads me downstairs and into the dining room where I see breakfast is set up.He plucks an apple from the fruit bowl and tosses it to me.“Breakfast!”he states, dragging me back out.
“Wow, a breakfast for champions, huh?”I ask, shaking my head and taking a bite out of it.
“I know, only the best for my future wifey, lucky you.”Zeke chuckles, and I roll my eyes as he leads me through the castle and down a path toward the maze.I groan, hoping we aren’t hunting in there.Just before we reach the crest of the hill, he pulls me down another track leading toward the stables.
The entire time we walk, he says nothing.He is on a mission—a mission to kill me.When we reach the stables, two guards open the doors, and Zeke all but throws me inside.I barely catch myself on a bale of hay while he wanders to the back and through a door before calling out to me.
“You have two minutes, pick what you want.We are heading into the woods,” he snaps, and I push off the bale, walking past where the servant women scrubbed me raw the first night I came here.An involuntary shudder slithers through me at the memory.Shaking the feeling off, I move to the open door where Zeke disappeared.Stepping into the room, I’m surrounded by farm equipment, engine parts, and gardening tools.
“Pick your weapon!”he motions toward the back wall, and I give it a glance before turning to face him.
“You’re kidding, right?We’re going hunting, and you’re offering me a fucking pitchfork?”
Zeke chuckles.“Take it or leave it.”He shrugs.Pressing my lips in a line, I spot a canvas bag and snatch it up, walking over to the rack of garden tools and other useless shit, I try to figure out what to pick.Zeke moves toward the door behind me with empty hands.
“Aren’t you going to pick your weapon?”I ask.
“You’re looking at it.”He laughs, stepping out of the room.Exhaling in frustration, I turn back to the rack of crap.I spot some rope and pull it down, then an old rusty knife that doesn’t look like it could cut anything.I look over the other tools, finding pitchforks, and a shovel.Turning, I peer around at the other walls and shelves, coming up empty.Unless I want to dig a hole or shovel shit, this is useless.These tools are either useless or too heavy to run around with and will only slow me down.
Chucking them over my shoulder, I turn to leave when I see a small hatchet hanging next to the door.A smile splits my face.Theblade is nice and sharp, and it almost looks brand-new.Now, an hatchet is something I am definitely familiar with.Grabbing it, my fingers fit perfectly around the handle, it isn’t very big, maybe about the size of my forearm.Similar to the one I had back at the cave.I toss it in my bag and walk out to find Zeke unbuttoning his shirt.
He motions toward the doors leading out, and I shake my head, walking toward them, stopping at the entrance.
When he doesn’t follow, I ask, “Are you coming?”I have no idea where we are going.
“You have a ten-minute head start,” he says, not even looking at me, instead, he peels his shirt off and tosses it aside.
“Excuse me?”
“I would run fast if I were you.There is nothing I love more than the hunt,” he says, glancing over his shoulder and smiling sadistically at me.
“Run, Zirah.I’ll be right on your heels.”His eyes flicker, and his canines elongate, his face twisting into a lycan, and I gasp.Turning, I run out of the stables to find a guard.He laughs and points toward the woods.I try to run back to the castle instead, but he blocks my escape and points me in the opposite direction.
Cursing, I take off for the trees, hearing the guard’s rancorous laughter behind me.Stepping into the woods, the high canopy trees block out most of the sun, and it takes me a second for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light.I can barely see anything here as I move hesitantly between the trees, stumbling over broken branches and old logs.I try my best to navigate the thick terrain that seems to go down a bit of a hill.
Ten minutes later, and I am definitely lost.I hear a loud howl, which makes me stop.My heartrate rises as I rummage through the bag, pulling out the hatchet before taking off.My feet slap the moist earth so loud as I run for my life, knowing that the only thing being hunted in these woods is me.
Chapter 38
Time passes quickly, and I have no idea how long before I hearZeke’s taunting voice echo off the trees.He’s mocking me, and I slow, trying to pick up which direction he is in.Yet, the way noise travels through the trees, it’s nearly impossible.A light up ahead catches my attention, and I run for it.Anything to get away from his haunting voice that sends chills dancing up my spine.
By the time I reach it, I burst out of the trees and clutch my knees.Exhausted, and panting.
