Page 79 of The Fated Hunter Wolf
“I come in peace,” he called out, his voice carrying the faint accent that marked old vampires—the kind who remembered when the world was younger and more brutal. There was something almost sarcastic in his tone, like he found our entire situation amusing.
“Peace my ass,” Rhys muttered, already moving toward the door. Logan followed, authority radiating from every line of his body like heat from a forge.
I followed them outside, staying close enough to Rhys that our bond could function but far enough back that I wasn’t obviously part of the leadership structure. The vampire’s eyes swept over all of us, classifying threats, assessing capabilities with the calculating gaze of a predator who’d survived centuries by being thorough.
When his gaze found mine, something flickered in the depths of those ancient eyes.
“State your business,” Logan commanded, every inch the alpha. “You’re trespassing on Orion territory.”
The vampire smiled, revealing just a hint of fang. “My apologies. I am merely a messenger.”
He began speaking in a language that made my bones ache. Not words exactly, but something older, something that bypassed the ears and spoke directly to supernatural blood.
“What the hell is that?” Rhys’s voice was tight with aggression and withdrawal-induced irritability.Can you understand him?he asked through our bond.
Some of it, I replied, my heart sinking as I caught fragments of meaning.He’s not just speaking—he’s broadcasting. Operating like a radio, calling in reinforcements.
Because that’s exactly what he was doing. Each syllable was layered with power, carrying across frequencies that most supernatural creatures couldn’t detect. Calling to others of his kind, providing coordinates, status updates, tactical assessments.
The pressure in my skull intensified as more vampire presences flickered to life in my awareness. They’d been there all along, hidden behind some kind of cloaking ability that had masked them even from my hybrid senses. I’d thought they were still in Blackwood, but I should have guessed they’d come sooner. Now, responding to their scout’s call, they were dropping their concealment one by one.
Six of them. Moving through the forest, toward our position, with deadly intent.
My head began to pound in earnest as the scout’s broadcast grew more insistent. Whatever message he was sending, it was urgent—and it was about me.
“We only want one thing,” the vampire said, switching back to English. His smile widened, showing more fang. “Surely that’s reasonable.”
“If you think I’m handing over my beta,” Logan snarled, stepping forward with violence radiating from him, “you’re about to learn why Orion wolves have earned their reputation for savagery.”
I felt the moment Logan began to shift—the ripple of power, the loosening of human constraints as his wolf surged closer to the surface. The vampire just laughed, a sound like wind chimes made of broken glass.
“Your beta?” Amusement was dancing in those ancient eyes. “Oh, alpha, you have it all wrong. We have no interest in that. We’re looking for?—”
His gaze found mine again, and this time the recognition blazed bright and terrible. His nostrils flared as he caught my scent, processed what it meant, understood exactly what he’d found hiding among the wolves.
“A lost little vampire,” he breathed.
Everything slowed.
I saw Logan frown, heard Rhys’s sharp intake of breath as understanding began to dawn. Felt Kenza’s fists clench as she turned and shared a look with Killian before casting an expression of disgust my way. The vampire’s mouth opened to continue speaking, to reveal everything I’d spent years hiding.
My wolf exploded to the surface.
Bones cracked and reformed with violent speed as fury overrode conscious thought. My human shape dissolved in a wash of silver light, replaced by something larger—more dangerous than any normal wolf. Hybrid strength flooded my limbs as I launched myself across the clearing.
The vampire’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. He was fast, with centuries of undead reflexes.
But I was faster.
My wolf fangs found his throat before he could speak.
His blood flooded my mouth, bitter with the taste of countless kills. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. My hybrid nature was fully unleashed, vampire and wolf working in deadly harmony to eliminate the threat to my pack.
To my mate. To our bond.
The vampire gurgled something that might have been surprise or might have been a curse in that old language. His body went limp in my jaws, and the broadcasting stopped.
Silence fell over the clearing.
