Mating Hunt

by Bonnie Vanak

  “You. Don’t. Hurt her. Or touch her.” He squeezed harder. “She’s mine. Understand. Mine. Lay a hand on her, and I’ll snap your spine in half.”

  Wheezing, Aiden struggled to free himself, blood dripping down his neck from where Kyle’s claws dug into his skin.

  Dimly Kyle heard Darius shout. A red haze filled his vision. He only saw Arianna’s pale beauty, the terror in her eyes. Never again. No one would hurt her ever again. She was his to claim and hold, his to mate with, his forever.

  “Yo, hunter. Let go. Let him go. Snap out of it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Darius raked a claw down Kyle’s throat, drawing beads of blood.

  He ignored the beta, who cursed and raked another claw down Kyle’s throat. But the pounding in Kyle’s blood and the heavy fury in his head crazed him. Aiden would die for wanting to hurt her... wanting to mate with Arianna.

  He shook the muscled, powerful alpha like a stuffed toy. “Not yours, bastard. Mine. Mine.”

  “Never,” Aiden gasped. “Never... hurt her. Love... like daughter. Arianna... yours.”

  With every ounce of strength, Kyle forced back the frenzied thoughts, forced himself to remember this was Aiden. Friend. Leader. Respected. No threat.

  Lowering the male, Kyle relaxed his grip. Aiden dropped to the ground, rubbing his bruised throat and wheezing for air.

  Slowly the red haze of fury dimmed, and Kyle could see straight. But Arianna’s lovely face still dominated his thoughts, her name remaining a thick chant in his blood.

  He shrugged off Darius, still facing him with his claws extended. The fever gradually faded, his heartbeat resuming a normal rhythm, though his blood still surged, the primal male violence barely below the surface. Gradually his body returned to its normal Skin form.

  Kyle tensed, waiting for Aiden to give Darius the kill order. He was beyond caring. All that mattered was Ari, and keeping her away from Aiden or anyone else who dared to abuse her.

  And then he realized both of them remained still. The cool, calm and logical side of him kicked in, edging away the primitive Satyr.

  What the fuck had Aiden done?

  The alpha shook his head and rubbed his bruised windpipe. “Good plan, Darius, except you didn’t tell me he’d go for my throat.”

  “My bad,” Darius said in a shaky voice. “Didn’t realize he could move so fast.”

  Stunned, Kyle stared. “You set me up. You knew this would happen. It’s why you sent the other males away.”

  “Because you’re half Satyr, a little secret you shared only with myself and Darius here,” Aiden wheezed. “And we didn’t want them knowing exactly what you are and how you’d react.”

  Kyle stared at his fingers, still tipped with sharp claws.

  “Satyrs share a deep connection to all things in nature and are highly sensual. Obsessed with physical pleasure, they are usually mild-mannered, but will be extremely sexually aggressive if another male stakes a mating claim on a female the Satyr secretly covets, especially if she’s a virgin,” Darius recited.

  The pack beta tossed him a small glass vial, which Kyle caught with one hand. “Helps to have an aphrodisiac handy as well, to trigger male Lupine instincts. Beth created this in the lab to use as a decoy for Arianna’s scent. Keep it. May come in handy.”

  Emotions in a lather, he forced himself to calm.

  Aiden’s expression tightened. “You didn’t save Arianna all those years ago just to watch her die. You’re the only one who can help her.”

  “Do you know what you’ve done? You’ve awakened the beast, the beast I’ve struggled to control around Ari for the past year. The beast I’ve kept leashed because I called all of you friend.” Kyle struggled to speak past his rage and grief. “And now there’s no stopping me. If any other male even tries to touch her, this is what I’ll do to him.” Allowing his claws to lengthen further, he gouged the fence post.

  The need was a keening cry, the blood of his Satyr ancestors surging, pushing aside the level-headed man, the steady Lupine. These Lupine, who’d called him friend for the past ten years, who’d hunted with him, dined with him, these Lupine who claimed his loyalty... They were nothing now, except a threat.

  “And now, you’ve pushed me into a ruthless quest to mate. The only female I ever cared about, the only one I guarded from being hurt by anyone, including me, faces the full sexual thrall of my beast. Goddamnit, you give me no choice.”

  With a low howl of anguish, he ripped the fence post out of the ground and smashed it. Wood splinters flew apart as the wood shattered. Darius and Aiden bravely stood their ground.

  Kyle’s heart shattered as he stared at Aiden. “This is what you’ve done to me.”

  Pain and resolve flickered in the alpha’s gaze. “If there were any other way, I wouldn’t have done it. But I also know how deeply you care for her. You’re the best chance she has at life. Now go find her before the Ogres or that other Satyr does.”

  “You promise to stay away now, Aiden, and warn everyone else as well. Because I can’t promise I won’t hurt anyone getting between Ari and me until I make her mine.”

  Aiden growled deep in his throat. Alphas were protective of their females.

  An even deeper growl rumbled from Kyle’s throat.

  Finally Aiden gave a rough nod. “Damnit. All right, I promise.”

  “We’ll hold off Tristan. Maybe I can find a bunch of horny Skins willing to screw him. Wizard deserves to get fucked over,” Darius added.

  Kyle snorted. “Not as much as you do, Darius. Maybe the two of you can fuck each other.”

  Not waiting for a retort, Kyle vaulted over the fence, heading to his cabin to gather supplies. He knew Aiden would be counting the hours, wondering if he’d unleash the beast when he found Arianna.

  Chapter 5

  ARIANNA FOUND THE climb tougher as the atmosphere thinned. The pewter sky darkened, and fat raindrops splattered the thick tree limbs. She pulled up her coat’s waterproof hood as cold fear slid down her spine.

  What was worse, her ruthless guardian hunting her or a nasty-tempered wizard frying her into oblivion?

  I choose what’s behind Door Number Three. How about life in a convent? Is there such a thing as a werewolf nun?

  The trail was cut with a number of switchbacks. Determination filled her as she pushed upward. Wind billowed through the trees, accompanied by the steady drip of rain. Smells assaulted her senses, but as Kyle taught her, she sorted through them like a Skin sorting through laundry.

  Someone had deliberately placed a scent trail on this path as a distraction. The three young hadn’t hiked up this trail, but whoever took them wanted her to believe they had. Clever. And dangerous. The Skins who’d taken the young knew exactly what they were and who would be searching for them.

  Her guardian could tell from a footprint how heavy a person was, what they were carrying and what kind of threat they posed. He’d taught her the same.

  Use all your senses, not just this, little pint, he’d told her, tapping her nose. Your wolf can track scent, but in Skin form, your other senses are much keener. Patterns. Look for patterns. Most two-legged have a style of walking, and their shoes leave prints, not just in dirt, but leaves, logs, everything in the environment.

  Patterns, she thought, running a hand over the rough bark of a pine tree.

  Arianna jogged a half-mile back on the trail. Then she headed east, studying the silent sweep of trees, searching the trunks for anything...

  A fallen log blocked her way. Hunkering down, she saw a faint shoe pattern against the gray bark. A child’s shoe. She grinned and looked around.

  “You bastards can’t fool me. I’ve been taught by the best,” she whispered.

  Wind rustled through the trees, sighing in agreement.

  The oldest, a male, had left small, but readable, signs. Digging his toes into the ground. Snapping branches in half with his footsteps. Breaking through spider webs, now shredded and swaying in the breeze.

 
She followed the tracks until she reached the end of pack territory. Both Aiden and Darius had laid down strong scent markers to warn other shifters away and No Trespassing signs were posted for Skins. Arianna hesitated.

  Rumors abounded of dark, mysterious creatures lurking here. Aiden encouraged the gossip to discourage intruders. But even Lupines knew strange things happened in the forest beyond their boundaries. The same forest Arianna had run away from, crying and screaming...

  Stepping into these woods meant stepping into a past she did not want to remember. But there were little ones who needed her. Gathering all her courage, she pushed forward.

  Someone had cut a narrow trail. It did not ascend, but remained level as she followed it. The forest grew darker and more sinister.

  Something grunted in the distance. Arianna froze, recognizing the slightly rancid scent. Ogre.

  Fear froze her in mid-stride. If she ran, it would see her. Hiding offered her only defense.

  Crouching down behind a fallen log, Arianna tried to keep her breathing quiet. The ground trembled. She peeked around the log.

  Green-skinned, the creature had long, dark hair and thick, long limbs. The Ogre halted and sniffed the air. She cursed her approaching heat, preparing to shift into wolf.

  But the Ogre ducked beneath a thick western hemlock tree. It emerged as a much shorter Skin, wearing black leather pants, a black jacket and thick, black boots. The Ogre now had rugged but slightly handsome features, yet looked tough, a guy you did not want to mess with.

  Hellhounds. Arianna wanted to laugh. She recognized one of the bikers from Spuds. It made no sense. If the Ogres were here because her pheromones drew them, why hadn’t they attacked her? And why was this one uninterested?

  Ogres aren’t supposed to shapeshift. The books her friend Beth had loaned her lacked many details.

  The creature continued down the mountain. When it was out of sight, Arianna resumed her hike.

  Some time later, she entered a clearing offering a pristine view of the valley. Arianna searched a rock outcropping and found a candy bar wrapper. Inhaling it, she caught the boy’s scent.

  “Good job,” she murmured.

  Settling onto a flat boulder, Arianna broke out an energy bar from her pack and munched between sips from her water bottle.

  A deep howl cut through the air.

  Her heart stilled. She stashed the wrapping, hid her pack and shifted into wolf.

  A large gray timber wolf entered the clearing, but she didn’t recognize his scent. Arianna’s heart pounded hard. She tried to quell her fear, but her wolf was too animalistic. Baring her teeth and pointing her ears, she growled.

  He looked like Kyle, but his scent was confusing.

  As she advanced, the wolf held its ground. She stopped, wondering what the hell it wanted. And then the wolf blinked, and shifted into a tall, unsmiling man with brown hair.

  Kyle, the dreaded hunter, here to drag her to the pack and her fate.

  The sour stench of fear filled his nostrils. Kyle watched Arianna the wolf. Until now, she’d been his to protect. Now she was his to claim in the flesh.

  Satyr blood surged hot and thick as he caught her delicious scent. The image burned into his brain of waist-length blond curls, those incredible blue eyes, the wide, reddened mouth and her wealth of curves made for a man to run his hands over...

  Arianna. Arianna. Arianna.

  The chant pulsed through his body. Kyle focused on the wolf, the coiled tension in her young, strong body. If he approached now, she’d bolt.

  Or attack.

  The wolf retreated, keeping her head lowered. Then she turned and darted up the mountain, crashing through the undergrowth.

  He was fast, but Arianna was smaller and swifter. Kyle shifted back into wolf and bounded after her, paws slipping in mud and pine needles. His wolf enjoyed the chase, salivated at the thrill.

  His Satyr hungered to chase her down and hold her for the taking.

  Grimly, he kept both cravings at bay, the man inside the wolf directing the chase. Arianna was scared.

  And then suddenly she was gone.

  Digging his paws into the mud, he skidded to a halt. Kyle lifted his nose. Wolves didn’t vanish into thin air.

  But he knew Arianna. She was good at hiding, when he gave her the advantage.

  Not today. His sharpened senses caught her fragrance. There! A small cluster of rocks and bushes.

  Kyle pretended to slip and fall. He released a long howl of anguished pain. Lying still, he waited, panting heavily and whining.

  Sure enough, Arianna crept down the slope to investigate. Eyes half-slitted, he watched her shift into Skin form.

  When she drew close, he sprang upward. In mid-air, he shifted to Skin form and leapt forward, tackling her to the ground.

  Straddling her body, the soft female beneath him stirring his senses, Kyle pinned down her wrists.

  She was naked. So was he.

  Arianna stared up at him with wide eyes. A flood of female pheromones gushed from her skin, triggering his instinct.

  His Satyr blood thrummed through his body, flooding him with male hormones, preparing him to mate. His cock lengthened and thickened, as his balls drew up tight.

  “Gotcha,” he said softly. “Now, you’re mine.”

  Chapter 6

  FIRM MUSCLES LAYERED the hard body atop hers. Piercing green eyes captured her startled gaze. Arianna drew in a trembling breath, aware of the changes in Kyle.

  Changes that had nothing to do with his wolf, and everything to do with being a man.

  Kyle gave a small, mysterious smile. It was wicked and victorious and spoke of frolicking in green meadows, long, lazy days of drinking cold summer wine beneath the hot sun, then making love for endless hours of erotic pleasure...

  A tantalizing scent of spices and male wound around her like a noose and flicked between her legs like the slow stroke of a finger. Fear evaporated. Instead she felt edgy, wanting. The burning ache cranked up until it became almost unbearable, and she needed to submit to his sexual demands...

  Arousal spiked her body, making her nipples grow taut. The space between her legs grew wet, as a flush spread through her body. Arianna watched his expression grow intent with sexual awareness.

  Wild violence swirled in those deep green eyes. They flashed amber, just as they had that time when she was fifteen. She’d hoped to never see that color in his eyes ever again.

  Especially like this, held down by him, naked and helpless.

  Arousal fled, replaced by growing panic. Please don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to shut out the fear dancing along the knife’s edge. This was Kyle, her guardian.

  But chasing after a fertile female triggered a male Lupine’s lust, she remembered reading. And with dominant males, the more a female struggled, the more determined the Lupine became to conquer the female. Kyle must have alpha blood.

  So Arianna forced herself to go limp. Taming the fear blackening the edges of her vision, she gave him a little smile.

  “Yeah. You got me, hunter. Good one.”

  Confusion clouded his gaze. His grip on her wrists eased. But the thick erection jutting up from his groin remained, along with the coiled tension in his muscled body.

  Her mouth wobbled precariously. She must be brave, and trust.

  Despite their intense sexuality, a dominant male Lupine’s deepest, most primitive instinct is to deliver pleasure. If caught in in the open beneath a full moon, a female may protect herself with protests he is hurting her, Dale’s book on Lupines had instructed.

  And beneath it, a grim warning: However, if the male is sexually aroused beyond reasonable thought, protests may fall on deaf ears.

  Great guidance, she thought humorlessly. Arianna gazed at his face, the cruel lust stamped on his features, the Z brand on his hollow cheek flaring white.

  “Kind of a bad place for making love, hunter. If you’re going to do this, can you find a nice, so
ft bed someplace? I heard the first time hurts, and I already have a pine cone poking me in the ass.”

  Kyle blinked hard, and the violence in his gaze faded. With a snarl, he flung himself off her body and rolled back and forth on the forest floor as if he were on fire and trying to extinguish the flames.

  A fire of a different sort, she thought in a haze. Seeing him try to control his lust, she managed to calm her racing pulse. Arianna sat up, and summoned magick to clothe herself.

  After a minute, Kyle stopped and stood, brushing dead twigs and leaves off. Hunger bit like a snake as she stared at his naked body, the sculpted muscles, the long, strong limbs...

  Hastily, she looked away. When she looked back, he wore faded jeans, a camouflage T-shirt, a heavy sheepskin jacket, and a black Stetson. Hiking boots covered his feet.

  Her guardian tipped back the hat and quietly regarded her. Nervous, she licked her lips. Oh damn. Not a good idea, for hunger flared in his gaze again as he tracked the move. But he fisted his hands, dragged in a deep breath and headed for the rocks. His pack rested against a tree. He opened it, withdrew a glass bottle etched with intricate runes and scrolls and dripped a few drops on his tongue. Then he capped the bottle, replaced it and sat on a rock.

  Arms resting on his strong thighs, he stared at the jagged mountain peaks.

  Kyle often went long stretches without speaking. Tension slowly eased in her knotted muscles. Sensing he needed a moment, she went to retrieve her own backpack.

  By the time she returned, Kyle looked more normal.

  Arianna dumped her backpack and sat beside him. “You broke your own rules, hunter. Rule number one: Never leave your pack in the open when you shift, so your prey can’t double back and find you.”

  Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. “Knew this wouldn’t be a long hunt, and was more worried about spooking you than hiding my stuff.”