by Leila Vy
The wind was harsh today, and before they had placed the cloth over my head, I saw a glimpse of the gloomy, dark sky. The wind whipped harshly against our bodies, and a faint, sweet, woodsy scent wafted my way. I inhaled deeply and felt my uneasiness fade away, but as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
The requirements to join the hunting games are simple: You must be a rejected wolf or a wolf whose mate has died. In our world, the males dominate the females, and so the urgency for a male to find a female is higher than a female needing to find a male.
The females were behind a white line with a cloth to cover their eyes so that they couldn’t seek their own chosen; we were deprived of that option. The male wolves were given a chance to look at their choices before females were released into the woods for the males to chase.
Personally, I hated the rules. It was sexist, but it was put in place for a reason. I exhaled slowly as the announcer instructed the first group of males to approach us. I think in this hunting game, we had over 100 females and more than 150 males.
The process took a long time. I felt and smelt every male that walked by and sniffed us out. It was supposed to be a “quick sniff and move along” kind of deal, and it took a while due to the male making sure that the female they had chosen was someone who was capable of bearing children or strong enough to stand next to them.
It wasn’t until I smelt that sweet, woodsy scent again that my heart started beating fast. It moved closer to me, and I bit my lip to stop the rising emotion inside of me. My wolf was on alert, as she adored the smell as much as I did. I felt a male’s nose on my skin as he gently traced a path from my shoulder to the crook of my neck. A shiver ran down my spine. No males had done this to me except this one, but my body responded with tingles, and his smell was intoxicating.
I could feel his power radiating through me. He was making his presence known to my wolf and me. He was marking his territory and learning it carefully. I swallowed hard.
When his nose reached the crook of my neck where my pulse beat, a low, throaty growl rumbled from his chest and then his hand trailed up my arm, sending a spark down to my core. No words were spoken. It was just his nose and lips tracing a path from my neck to my jaw. When he got to my ear, he spoke in a low, raspy voice.
“You’re mine, ma cherie.” His accent was prominent. He then nipped my earlobe before licking it gently and pulled back.
I bit my lip so hard that it bled, and then I felt his finger on my lips as he pulled it softly and used his thumb to wipe and soothe the pain. Then he was gone, and the smell of him grew faint. Who was this male? He scared me and excited me at the same time. I felt something I thought I would never feel again. I felt hope. My wolf was hopeful, and she was reflecting it to me.
“You may take off the cloth around your eyes,” the announcer spoke, and I slowly lifted my hands behind to remove my blindfold. My eyes adjusted to the light around me, and when everything became clearer, my eyes darted up to look at the tall male announcer who was dressed in formal wear for royals. He had a white jacket on with a blue sash wrapped around his shoulders.
“The male has until dawn to catch their chosen female. Females have a thirty-minute head start. On my mark, you will make a run into the woods. The border and end of the territory are marked with red coloring. Make sure you do not cross over.” The counting had my heart skipping with anticipation. When the announcer counted to ten, the horn blew, and I burst into a run. A part of me was thrilled by the chase. Another part of me was afraid of who would be catching me. No females would go unmated after this.
When we were closer to the edge of the woods, all females began taking off their clothes and shifting immediately after. I took one glance behind me and saw that the males were also taking off their shirts, revealing their naked bodies slowly one by one. My gut twisted, and I ran faster, shifting in air and landing on my paws. I ran for the thrill and the anticipation.
Loud, ferocious growls were heard from behind us as the males asserted their dominance. I jumped over a log and then walked through a small stream, shaking my fur when I got to the other side. I was far enough from the clearing. The only sound I could hear was the animals and creatures hiding in the bushes.
I trotted alongside the stream, hoping that the water would at least mask my scent for a while until I hit a clearing with high grass. I saw a little bird flying around, and my wolf and I got temporarily distracted with jumping and barking at it playfully.
The thought of males behind me was temporarily forgotten.
Chapter Four
I hopped around the high grass, trying to catch the bird that was toying with me as it flew from one area to another. A growl escaped my mouth as I went down on the ground in an attempt to sneak-attack it. After the bird landed on a fallen log on the ground and began chirping, I hid behind the tall grass, peeking at it. When the bird turned its back on me, I launched myself at it only for it to fly away. I huffed and barked at it in annoyance before trotting away.
I walked a few steps before my ears perked up. Every part of my body told me to run. I burst into a run, and it was then I heard the sound of paws hitting the ground, quickly catching up. Oh no. I totally forgot about the game! Goddess, Patience.
I turned back my head slightly to see a brown wolf chasing after me. I quickened my pace and merged out from the tall grass into the woods. I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to run. I thought I might’ve lost the brown wolf, but there was no such luck. It was still trailing after me with a look of determination on his face as he was getting closer to me.
When he was close enough, I heard him growl as he was about to pounce me, but I dodged to the left, surprising him. He fell to the ground before getting up. I stopped and turned to look at him. He looked furious that I tricked him. At that moment, I heard another fierce growl from my left that had my wolf ears flattening in submission. I turned to see a big black wolf approaching us. His stance erect, teeth bared, his ears and tail high to make known his dominance.
Okay, if I said I was afraid of the brown wolf, I was more afraid of this big black wolf. He was huge. His piercing blue eyes were staring at me before turning towards the brown wolf who was trying to fight off the growl command that the big black wolf emitted.
The brown wolf looked at me indecisively, and the black wolf did not like it. His fierce growl came loud and clear before I saw the black wolf launching at the brown wolf, biting him around his neck. Instinct pulled in, and I whipped around and broke into another run. Whatever they wanted to do, they could do it without me.
I ran not even a hundred yards when I was pounced to the ground. My belly hit the ground, and my legs went down. I growled my irritation and tried to snap my jaw at who tried to stop me. I thought I heard the wolf behind me giving me what was a wolf laugh. I struggled to get away from him, but he clamped his jaw down at the back of my neck like we would do to little pups. My struggles were futile. I huffed and slumped on the ground as he released me, enough for him to get off a little. I heard faint rustling until I heard him.
“Shift.” He commanded, and I found my body responding without me allowing it. I shifted right under him. How is he doing this? I have no clue. When I was completely naked in front of him, I curled into a weird fetal position.
My eyes opened to see the tall obsidian-haired male with those familiar piercing blue eyes looking at me with clear desire. My eyes roamed his body with no shame until I got to where he had his shorts on. He must’ve put them on when I was lying on the ground.
He was tall, muscular, and dangerous-looking. I swallowed hard.
He went back down until he was hovering over my body. His nose traced a path from my arm to the crook of my neck.
“Mine,” he whispered, and that prominent accent broke through my embarrassment. He was that male from earlier.
“Can I at least get a shirt?” I whispered, and my cheeks heated up.
A low rumble came from his chest, and I knew it all too well. It was
him liking what he saw and expressing it in an animalistic way.
“Say it, ma cherie,” he whispered huskily, his hand snaking around my waist and lifting me onto his lap where he continued to nuzzle my neck.
“Say what?” I asked, and he chuckled before he nipped at my ear playfully for my forgetfulness.
“Say you’re mine.” He repeated. His scent wrapped around me, and I found myself nuzzling closer to his body, enjoying this new weird tingling feeling running between our bodies.
“How are you doing this?” I asked. “You were able to make me shift which only my alpha could.”
I felt him grin against my neck as he said huskily, “It seems your wolf has found herself a new alpha and mate.”
My heart skipped a beat with excitement as I processed the information he just gave me. Was what he said true? Did my wolf switch allegiance without me knowing? In my guts, I could feel it though. The connection I had with this male was undeniably strong—not as strong as with Kyle but strong enough for me to recognize it was just as close.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Patience,” I answered.
“Beautiful name,” he said gently, and then his hand came out to turn my chin towards his. If I thought his eyes were piercing blue, now up close, it looked like I was considering the sky, as his irises had hints of cloudy white in it mixed with blue. They were captivating because those white clouds in his irises seemed to move around slowly like actual clouds.
“You’re mine, Patience,” he said as he looked at me, his eyes never leaving mine.
Chapter Five
“You’re mine, Patience.”
It felt like an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t control my own actions or my responses. It was like he put me under a spell. He wasn’t perfect, but his imperfection was what made him intriguing and beautiful. The old scar that ran from under his left eye to his jaw made him look dangerous. The shape of his mouth could make a female fantasize what he could do with it.
His eyes darkened, and he let out a growl as he lifted his nose in the air to inhale. The hormones I was releasing as I found him attractive and capable of being my mate was one thing I couldn’t hide.
“There are many things I would enjoy doing to you right now, but I need to get you back before any other male decides to have another go at you. I need you to be safe,” he said, his voice a tad lower than earlier.
He lifted us up to stand with little effort and then bent down to grab a dark red shirt to slip over my head, marking me as his and taken.
“Get on my back.” He ordered as he walked in front of me. This was also a natural thing. He and his wolf were already wanting to pamper us. I propped my hand on my waist and shook my head.
He growled with impatience as he grabbed my hand and wrapped them around his neck and then slipped his hands under my thighs to carry me. I had no choice but to wrap my legs around him.
“So, we are going back to the start line?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said simply and broke into a run as we zoomed through the woods at a fast speed. Everything was a blur around us.
“What happened to the other male?” I asked, moving my lips closer to his ear. He turned slightly, acknowledging that he heard me before turning away.
“I killed him.”
My body stiffened at his cold indifference. He tightened his grip around my thighs as if I might just jump off him and run away.
“This is the hunting game, Patience. Males are hunting for their new mates. It is held once a year, and because the male population is more in our world, the competition and male testosterone are higher now. Males get ruthless and more feral. Everyone is desperate for a mate. You weren’t going to be safe, and I eliminated the threat,” he said casually.
Well, if he put it that way, I guess that kind of made sense even though it was still very barbaric.
“Plus, that male was going to mark you on the spot even if you approve or not.” His voice hardened and his eyes glazed over.
Then he sighed. “Le cœur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point. (The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of.) You are mine. I will protect you with all I have.”
What did he just say? His French was so smooth; even if he were yelling at me, I would think it’s beautiful. He sounded wonderful with that low masculine voice of his. I propped my chin on his shoulder and watched ahead as we broke to the clearing where many other wolves had made it with their mates with a grin on their faces.
He took me up to the door that we came from before placing my feet on the ground. He was so tall that I only reached his shoulders. His hand came out smooth to remove my hair from my face.
“I will come for you soon,” he whispered and then leaned down to kiss me on the lips. His kiss made my toes curl, and my hand clutched at his shirt as he gently nibbled on my lower lip. When he pulled back, he looked at me with hooded eyes.
“Wait…what is your name?” I asked stupidly.
“Titus. Now go. I will come for you soon, Patience.” He ordered, gently turning me around to go back inside the door to where my parents were waiting for me.
I had to go back home, and after the game, Titus would come for me. What I forgot to tell him was that my fated mate was still alive and he was the alpha of the pack I came from. I was sure everything would go fine. Kyle had already marked my sister in front all of us. He had picked his chosen.
I met my parents who were waiting outside nervously. I walked over to them in daze, and when they saw the color of my shirt, their eyes widened.
“You have been claimed,” my dad spoked. “By an alpha.”
The color shirts revealed who you are claimed by. Red was alpha; blue was beta; green was gamma; orange for low ranks. I nodded and bit my lips nervously. My dad nodded.
“What is done is done,” he said and ushered me into the car where he handed me a pair of pants to put on.
When we arrived home, Kyle was waiting for us outside the pack house. My sister stood next to him as they waited for us. My parents got out of the car, and when I followed suit, Kyle’s gaze moved to me immediately as he saw the color of my shirt. He sniffed the air, and then his eyes came back to me. He almost snarled as he smelt another male on me.
“How did it go?” my sister, Kailyn, asked.
Chapter Six
“Great,” I said, looking only at Kailyn. Her eyes lit up with happiness, and I felt happy but angry at the same time. She moved to hug me.
“I am so happy for you. You deserve to be happy.” I could smell him on her. The inner turmoil happening inside me was unbearable. My wolf and I wanted to rip out the throat of who took our mate, but she was our sister, and we couldn’t do that to her. I swallowed hard and nodded.
I could feel Kyle’s eyes on me. He didn’t take them off me even a second. It was burning a hole through the side of my face. That was it. I couldn’t take it any longer.
“I’m going to go to my bedroom,” I said and pulled back. I made my way upstairs and was about to close the door when it was blocked with a hand. My eyes moved to see who it was.
Kyle.
“What do you want?” I asked, keeping my hands firmly on the door.
“You smell like another male,” he growled.
“So?” I retorted and tried to push the door shut, but he opened it with little effort and walked in, closing the door behind him.
“Don’t give me that bullshit attitude.” His eyes narrowed into slits, and he moved to grip my arms as he pulled me close to him. “You’re mine!”
“I am not yours, you idiot!” I began struggling out of his arms. “I am no longer yours. I have already been claimed!”
His eyes turned black, and he crashed his mouth onto mine. He pushed me up and pinned me against the wall to stop me from moving. He was going crazy. I refused to open my mouth, but he bit my lower lip hard. I let out a yelp, and he stuck his tongue inside. My body was humming with a tingling sensation as my destined mate was t
ouching me intimately, but my mind was screaming for him to get off me. This was wrong, and with one last hope, I bit onto his tongue.
He let out a curse and pulled back, releasing me. He and I were both panting. I lifted my hand and slapped him across the face. He turned back to look at me, his eye still black, as his wolf was on the surface. His canine elongated and he snarled his displeasure. I was about to slap him again, but he grabbed my hand before I could do so. He pinned my hands on top of me as he lowered his face until he was eye level with me.
“You’re mine, Patience! He won’t be able to touch you.” He promised. “I’ll make sure you are—”
“Are you fucking insane? You love my sister!” I angrily spat back. “Get off me, or I will scream.”
When he didn’t let me go, I kneed him in the stomach and ran into my bathroom, locking the door. Once safe, I slid onto the floor and hugged my body. I felt violated. My thoughts went back to Titus. God, what was going on? Why was everything so messed up? My heart was beating so fast in my chest as I clutched it.
After I heard him leave, I let out the breath I was holding and stood up to walk to the sink, scrubbing my face to get rid of Kyle’s scent. When I felt like his scent was still on me, I hopped into the shower. After I was done, I folded the red shirt that Titus gave to me and put it away nicely as I slipped on a light blue blouse and some high-waist leggings.
I made my way downstairs to see that everyone was outside talking, and when they saw me come in, they all shut up. I could feel Kyle scrutinizing me, and all I wanted to do was throw a shoe at him so that he would stop.
I moved to stand next to my parents, putting my hands behind me as I rocked on my feet back and forth. “What’s up?”
My dad looked down at me and then back at Kyle before glancing back at me.
“Alpha Kyle has made some concerns about you leaving the pack. He thinks you should stay a little longer until things settled down first before leaving,” my dad said, and you could hear the edge in his voice. He was not happy with Kyle.