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Authors: Loribelle Hunt
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guests.”
Anthony armed the alarm system, and they both stepped out the back door. “What guests?”
The other wolf’s expression darkened. “You’ll see.”
He wasn’t comfortable leaving Ellen alone in the house. He could go overprotective and anal, but he knew she wouldn’t stand for it. Plus, he was positive Anthony wouldn’t lead him off the property.
They stripped, shifted quickly, and were racing through the woods in moments. Clint smelled them before he saw anyone, but was surprised to see five humans waiting in a clearing. Judging by the scent, there should only be one or two. How had they hidden so much of their scent?
He shifted and approached, watching them suspiciously.
The oldest one stepped forward. Clint would guess the man was in his mid forties, but there was nothing old or feeble about him. His expression was hard. His body appeared to have the lean, powerful strength of a predator. He moved like a soldier and had the bearing of a leader.
“What are you doing here?” Clint asked. “You know you’re not welcome.”
The other man smiled, but it was far from friendly. “We’re hunting for one of ours.”
He’d hesitated the barest fraction over hunting , and Clint knew he’d chosen it on purpose, substituting it for another word.
“You won’t find him here,” Anthony answered. He let the wolf color his voice. “But you will tell me who the fuck you are.”
It was a threat, and the humans recognized it. As one, the four flanking the leader lifted their rifles and covered all the werewolves in the clearing.
The leader lifted his hand, but didn’t turn around. “Stand down,” he ordered. Slowly, reluctantly, they did.
“I’m Julian. I belong to an organization that doesn’t have a name. And despite being human, I’m the same thing you are. A Hunter.”
“Then you should know not to enter a werewolf’s territory without permission first,” Clint said.
Julian nodded. “It seemed faster this way.”
Faster maybe, but it was the death wish approach.
“Who are you looking for?” he asked, though his gut told him it was the same human he was hunting.
“His name is Robert. His wife was killed by a rogue a couple of years ago. We took him in. Trained him.”
Anger filled Clint. They’d actually trained this wannabe killer and then let him loose?
“He’s fixated on your mate,” Julian went on.
Anger became fury. The man knew too much about his people, and he knew next to nothing of theirs. “I’m more than capable of assuring the safety of my mate. Leave. We’ll take care of your rogue for you.”
“No.” Julian shook his head. “This one is ours to deal with. It’s against even your own rules.”
Clint crossed his arms over his chest to keep from lunging forward and grabbing the man’s throat. Remembering Ellen’s words. She didn’t want him to be the one that killed the man stalking her. That thought made his wolf snarl its outrage. “If we let you have him, what’ll you do to him?”
“Take him back. Try him. Probably execute him.”
He looked over and met Anthony’s gaze.
Anthony shrugged. “Why not? It’s their mess, not ours.”
He was leaving the decision to Clint, since Ellen was his mate. Clint struggled with the need to exact vengeance, his need to protect his mate, and his need to make her happy. She didn’t want him to kill this human. He wasn’t sure if he had that kind of restraint.
Something nudged at his consciousness, an urge to return to her immediately, and he swiveled to look back in the direction of the house. “She’s not alone,” he told Anthony, shifting as he ran.
He knew the others were behind him, including the humans, but he didn’t pay any attention to them in his desperation to get to her. He paused long enough at the back door to pull his jeans on and entered quietly, turned the alarm off, and used the wolf’s stealthy abilities to hunt.
* * * * *
He couldn’t delay any longer. He’d seen
Anthony armed the alarm system, and they both stepped out the back door. “What guests?”
The other wolf’s expression darkened. “You’ll see.”
He wasn’t comfortable leaving Ellen alone in the house. He could go overprotective and anal, but he knew she wouldn’t stand for it. Plus, he was positive Anthony wouldn’t lead him off the property.
They stripped, shifted quickly, and were racing through the woods in moments. Clint smelled them before he saw anyone, but was surprised to see five humans waiting in a clearing. Judging by the scent, there should only be one or two. How had they hidden so much of their scent?
He shifted and approached, watching them suspiciously.
The oldest one stepped forward. Clint would guess the man was in his mid forties, but there was nothing old or feeble about him. His expression was hard. His body appeared to have the lean, powerful strength of a predator. He moved like a soldier and had the bearing of a leader.
“What are you doing here?” Clint asked. “You know you’re not welcome.”
The other man smiled, but it was far from friendly. “We’re hunting for one of ours.”
He’d hesitated the barest fraction over hunting , and Clint knew he’d chosen it on purpose, substituting it for another word.
“You won’t find him here,” Anthony answered. He let the wolf color his voice. “But you will tell me who the fuck you are.”
It was a threat, and the humans recognized it. As one, the four flanking the leader lifted their rifles and covered all the werewolves in the clearing.
The leader lifted his hand, but didn’t turn around. “Stand down,” he ordered. Slowly, reluctantly, they did.
“I’m Julian. I belong to an organization that doesn’t have a name. And despite being human, I’m the same thing you are. A Hunter.”
“Then you should know not to enter a werewolf’s territory without permission first,” Clint said.
Julian nodded. “It seemed faster this way.”
Faster maybe, but it was the death wish approach.
“Who are you looking for?” he asked, though his gut told him it was the same human he was hunting.
“His name is Robert. His wife was killed by a rogue a couple of years ago. We took him in. Trained him.”
Anger filled Clint. They’d actually trained this wannabe killer and then let him loose?
“He’s fixated on your mate,” Julian went on.
Anger became fury. The man knew too much about his people, and he knew next to nothing of theirs. “I’m more than capable of assuring the safety of my mate. Leave. We’ll take care of your rogue for you.”
“No.” Julian shook his head. “This one is ours to deal with. It’s against even your own rules.”
Clint crossed his arms over his chest to keep from lunging forward and grabbing the man’s throat. Remembering Ellen’s words. She didn’t want him to be the one that killed the man stalking her. That thought made his wolf snarl its outrage. “If we let you have him, what’ll you do to him?”
“Take him back. Try him. Probably execute him.”
He looked over and met Anthony’s gaze.
Anthony shrugged. “Why not? It’s their mess, not ours.”
He was leaving the decision to Clint, since Ellen was his mate. Clint struggled with the need to exact vengeance, his need to protect his mate, and his need to make her happy. She didn’t want him to kill this human. He wasn’t sure if he had that kind of restraint.
Something nudged at his consciousness, an urge to return to her immediately, and he swiveled to look back in the direction of the house. “She’s not alone,” he told Anthony, shifting as he ran.
He knew the others were behind him, including the humans, but he didn’t pay any attention to them in his desperation to get to her. He paused long enough at the back door to pull his jeans on and entered quietly, turned the alarm off, and used the wolf’s stealthy abilities to hunt.
* * * * *
He couldn’t delay any longer. He’d seen
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