Chapter 146
Nate backed away, standing in the corner and watching us like it wasn’t his fault that men and women were dying and a young girl wouldn’t get to go home
with her father.
He must’ve felt me watching because he looked up and I sincerely hope that he saw every last ounce of loathing in my eyes. I hope he saw how much I hated him and that he would forever be reminded of the pathetic useless person that he was.
What power could the Elder have promised Nate to make him betray Darian like that?
“Do you really want to know?”
If I continued grinding my teeth I wouldn’t have any left but Zade’s voice had a way of twisting my nerves and setting my teeth on edge.
“I already know,” I spat.
He looked at me, narrowed his eyes, and paused for a beat.
“No you don’t,” he countered and leaned back against the wall, “He has no interest in becoming a Councilman,” Zade’s lips pressed together and I whipped my head to the side to watch him.
That’s what I thought; that Nate had been promised a seat in the Council.
“What then? Money? Land? Title?”
C
Zade’s brows hunched down and his lips twitched in a grin that he was trying to hide.
Just spit it out already. Zade was enjoying making me wait for answers- he really was the Devil’s minion.
“Nate will be participating in next year’s Hunt,”
When I tell you that my jaw hit the floor and clear glass-shattering sounds echoed in my head.
“He can’t, he’s not an Alpha,”
Zade lifted a shoulder and dug in his pocket for a thin metal spike that he used to pick his teeth.
“Rules can change,”
“Since when?”
Zade looked at me, his eyes flickered over my lips and he leaned in, the smell of sandalwood lingered in the air between us and took me back to the memory
of us in the back of the club.
“Since abolishing the Lycan monarchy became more important than upholding a century-long tradition,”
So not only did Nate betray his King and friend, putting Kiera in jeopardy and practically spitting on all of us, but he wanted to partake in a tradition where they Hunt girls and catch them like prey. He wants to force some poor girl into submission. That’s what the Hunt was, a forceful submission where the girls bow their necks and strip naked for their man.
“That’s a tasty way of seeing it,” Zade grinned.
My scowl deepened and I glared at him. Disgusting, all of them.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes as loud as I could. Zade was no different than the rest of them, could he maybe even be worse? I looked at Darian’s bulging back- nah, I don’t think anyone could be worse than him. My lips twitched in a smile when I saw his profile, his eyes narrowed in dangerous precision and his hands moving through the air taking out anything in their way. Darian had to be the worst man I knew, after everything he’d done I’d be a fool not to believe it but still there was something in my heart that spoke to him- and answered to him.
The warm touch on my hand and Zade’s fingers wrapping around mine made me turn to him and I furrowed my brows.
1/3
Chapter 146
“I can help you,”
Help me?
“Bullshit,” I scoffed.
His grin faltered and his eyes fell in a somber promise.
“I can get you out, all of you,” he said and glowered at Darian through the side of his eye.
His cobalt blue eyes held mine in a desperate promise, he pressed his lips in a thin line and squeezed my hand.
“I don’t trust you,” I shook my head.
His shoulders shook from a quiet laughter and his eyes darkened as they hooded.
“But you trust him?” He flicked his head towards the center of the room where Darian and Gabe were covered in the blood of their kills.
Zade narrowed his eyes to slits and searched my face.
“Oh,” he said and raised a brow, “you don’t trust him, do you,”
This wasn’t the time nor the place to be having this conversation- especially with Zade, he wasn’t a part of it. This was between me and Darian.
Speaking of which, it seemed there were no bodies left to slaughter and my heart started pounding in my chest meaning only one thing- I turned my head and locked eyes with Darian as he stood holding the head of the last Guard.
His eyes were hooded, he released the head and it fell next to the guard’s body and Darian took a breath and pushed his chest out. He heard what Zade said.
Everyone was quiet, for a moment it felt like I was watching a painting of a horrible moment long ago. Those paintings where it feels like you can touch the people’s skin, run your fingers through their hair, and feel the wetness of the blood staining your fingers a beautiful red.
That was one moment- one short-lived moment.
Because in the next moment, Darian moved from his spot among the many bodies he’d killed and before I could blink he was pressing Zade against the wall- but Zade wasn’t like the others in close combat, he was fast and powerful. They each stood with a hand around the throat of the other and their eyes glowed in a fight for dominance- Darian’s were a beautiful golden hue and Zade’s a beautiful cobalt blue.
Neither backed down, they narrowed their eyes and I stepped back with a loud groan.
Were there not more important things to get to right now?
I caught a glimpse of Ophelia’s’ scolding gaze when she saw Zade pushing Darian off him and hits started flying.
She took off running toward Kiera, Mr. Light was close behind her- just when they reached and Ophelia was about to grab her daughter’s arm, Gabe turned up in front of Kiera and drew to his fullest height. It was painfully obvious that he wanted to hit her- his hand kept jerking in her direction but he pulled it back each time. He couldn’t hit a girl, even when that girl was a backstabbing, abusive slut who broke his brother’s heart, but I could.
My lips pulled back in a deep smirk and I ran and tackled her to the ground a feeling of a Deja Vu swept over me as I straddled her.
I gathered my thoughts and cleared my head while I landed three hits on her pampered face before she rolled us over and circled her fingers around my throat.
Zade, please hear me! Help us get off here. Please, hear me.
I looked over for half a second and saw his eyes flicker to mine.
He heard me, good. Someone had to admit that we weren’t getting out of here on our own- not unless Gabe and Darian were willing to kill their way through the entire Council to make a path for us.
2/3
The Alpha’s Hunt
