Page 23 of Moon Cursed
Yipping, I dropped the chain, and Kane gave me a blank stare.
“Those chains are forged by Nina and the others in our pack with Hunter abilities,” he said, keeping my gaze. His jaw flexed before he continued. “It’s why we’re Outcasts. The others didn’t approve of the infiltration of Hunter blood in our lineage.”
I didn’t know who the Hunters were, nor did I care.
Letting him know as much, I released a sharp bark of disdain.
Let me go!
He wore a simple pair of pants and he shoved one hand into a pocket, then brought out a circular device.
Its power hurt my senses and I whimpered, backing away from it.
“This is how they found you,” he said, then looked down at it as he turned the device over in his grip. “Found all of us.”
I had no idea how he was looking at that thing, much less holding it. An arrow made of flame spun in circles as if it couldn’t decide to settle on him or me.
A compass?
One that clearly had a magical origin.
“This isn’t Hunter technology,” he said, pocketing it again—to my relief. I didn’t like how that thing made me feel. His icy eyes found mine again. “There are others working with them now. Before the war, the Hunters kept order with the supernatural community. It wasn’t until some mated our females that there was an uproar.”
Based on my “welcome” as a human venturing into wolf territory, I imagined another supernatural creature would be just as frowned upon.
Not that I cared about wolf politics or who they had sex with.
I listened, though, and sat on my haunches as I waited for him to continue.
He’d said that my restraints were infused with Hunter magic, so if I better understood these Hunters, perhaps he’d slip and give me a way to free myself.
Then I’d kill him.
Although, as he winced and backed up against the cave wall, I realized that he was already halfway there.
Curiosity got the better of me and I tilted my head. The effect changed my hearing range, and I did it again on the other side to test it out.
He chuckled. “You’re learning your wolf’s body. That’s good.” He eased onto his elbow and grunted as if in pain. “You’ll have to learn fast, so I’ll give you the abridged version of what you need to know about the Hunters.” He leveled his gaze on me as if to make sure I was listening. I tilted my head again, which seemed to satisfy him. “The prophecy that Althea told us about included the return of the Hunters.” He sighed. “I’d been prepared for maybe one or two. Not so many.”
Ah, so that explained his wounds. He’d already had an encounter with these Hunters.
So… what had happened to my other alphas? Did that mean they were still alive?
He seemed to be able to read the curiosity in my gaze.
“Would you prefer to hear more about the Hunters who want you and anyone connected to you dead… or would you prefer to hear where the other alphas are now?”
Ah, was he jealous?
I would have grinned if I could, and I almost managed it as I parted my maw and panted, forming a wolf’s smile.
The effect of the gesture was immediately refreshing and cooling. A new flurry of scents hit me and I licked my lips, almost able to taste the tapestry of new scents in the air.
No, not new. I just hadn’t noticed them before.
Mint, cinnamon, smoke, and tea leaves.
An intoxicating combination that mixed pleasantly with Kane’s aroma.
