Masters of the Hunt: Fated and Forbidden

by Sarra Cannon

  Bez nearly growled, his stomach burning. Damn it, they’d actually found a werewolf. Or at least, that’s what he assumed the man meant by beast. If that assumption proved true, the Omega was in more danger than he’d thought. Werewolves were nearly impossible to kill without beheading, stronger in their wolf form than most shifters, and able to hide as humans for the vast majority of the month. But when that full moon hung bright in the sky, they brought hell upon any female shifter nearby. Omega or not.

  “So what’s the plan?” Marcus asked, pulling Bez’s attention back to the fuckers on deck.

  “Tonight, we keep it boxed here. We’re probably going to need to find a human female for the thing to eat; can’t go giving him the big meal just yet.” The guy smirked, a look that made Bez’s wolf want to snarl and challenge him even as he fought to remain still and hidden. “Tomorrow, you take the Omega bitch north with Vreel while Chance and I take the beast to Thunderhead. A full day in the van with the dud ought to turn his crank enough to finish off those mountain men after what they did to Zacor. Even if she isn’t exactly whole.”

  “Whole?” Marcus asked. Bez inched his nose forward, wondering the same thing.

  “Yeah,” the taller man said, his grin growing wide and hungry. “Gotta keep the blood flowing for him. Easiest way to do that is to cut a little off at a time.”

  Bez clenched his teeth, holding back a snarl. He hadn’t even known the other shifter would be there, but he still felt the sickening sense of guilt at the thought of having to leave her behind when he grabbed the Omega. But his orders were set, and without a second man with him, there was no way he could ensure the safety of the Omega while protecting two women. He’d just have to hope he and his team could get back to the camp in time to help her. He’d be happy to let Thaus loose on the kidnappers once he got the information Blaze wanted. Sick fuckers, this lot.

  The tall man glanced at his phone as it pinged. “The moon will start to rise in a few hours. You ever seen one of these monsters feed?”

  Marcus shook his head.

  “You’re in for a real show, my friend. These beasts are a fucking treat. Go nap with the bitches, keep them from getting too chummy. As soon as the moon is high, we’ll have to hunt down some female human flesh.” The man laughed and walked back into the houseboat, immediately starting a conversation on his phone. Marcus disappeared into the houseboat where the women slept. Bez waited for any sounds from him or the women. A creak, a sigh, and then just the soft, even breathing and slow heartbeat that indicated sleep were the only sounds breaking the gentle song of the swamp-loving insects. Three sleeping, one planning. One hunting.

  Seeing a perfect opportunity, and knowing his time was limited as the others were on their way to the camp, Bez crawled out of the mud and slithered on his belly toward the houseboats. He inched across boggy ground until he reached the water’s edge then slipped underneath the black surface, silently rearranging bone and muscle while suspended underwater. In his human form, Bez swam to the side of the boat, completely submerged, refusing to make a single ripple that could give away his position.

  Once Bez reached his destination, he scaled the side of the houseboat. Arms stretching and toes supporting, he scaled the metal structure silently, unconcerned with his nudity. The three heartbeats inside beat slow and steady, the breaths as well. His quarry slept soundly in the company of two others, making things easier on Bez. The tall male was at least two houseboats over, his heartbeat fast enough to indicate his wakefulness. He’d abandoned his phone call while Bez was under water, instead watching his television. Bez smirked as he clung to the side of the boat. The loud volume of the show was certainly enough to cover any errant sounds Bez made while extracting the Omega. Way to make his job easier.

  Pulling himself up to the window by his fingertips, Bez peeked through the filthy glass. The two women lay in cots at opposite sides of the room, while the man leaned back in a chair by the door as he rested. Bez’s eyes traveled over each woman, wondering which the Omega was. He guessed the dark-haired one on the left as his eyes kept coming back to her. Drawn to her. His instincts letting him know she was what he wanted.

  Silently, he slid open the screen and crawled through the open window. He flinched at the smell of the place, sweat and fear and something dirty lingering in the still air. Jesus, how long had the second woman been there?

  He landed softly on the wooden floor, his bare feet helping to keep the sounds to a minimum. He stepped with care, his movements subtle and deliberate as he snuck across the room toward the guard, the man named Marcus. His eyes lighted upon the dark-haired woman on his left over and over. She pulled his focus, demanded his attention even in her sleep. But Bez had one job to do first. Before he could grab the Omega, he needed to eliminate the threat. And Marcus, as slow and weak as he appeared, was a threat.

  Pulling his wolf forward and letting his fingers shift to claws, Bez walked up behind the sleeping shifter. Silent, barely causing the air to react. He stepped close enough to smell the man, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. Raising his hands, Bez brought them in front of the man’s throat. Ready…able…determined. In a single, smooth system of movements, Bez grabbed Marcus’ chin and sliced his throat. The man had no time to react, no time to fight back. Still, Bez held Marcus in a paralyzing hold as his blood, his ability to shift and regenerate, ran down the front of his chest. It took a handful of precious seconds, but Bez remained in position until death washed over the man. Until the threat to the Omega was neutralized. Once Marcus’ heart pumped for the last time, Bez turned his attention to the women.

  The lighter-haired one smelled of salt and sadness, making Bez think she’d cried herself to sleep. The act of a young woman. The darker one smelled of sweetness and light, of spice and warmth. The lighter had to be the younger of the two, and most definitely his Omega, but the older, darker shewolf held his attention, making his head swivel in her direction every other second. Giving in to his instincts, Bez slipped closer to where the dark-haired woman slept. His wolf prowled closer to the surface of his mind, intrigued by the attraction Bez felt to the woman.

  Bez inched his way across the boat, moving silently toward the woman. He couldn’t look away from her, wouldn’t have wanted to. Something about her…something important spoke to him. Exploded his senses and ensnared his mind. She was witchcraft and heaven, the lure of sin and the forgiveness of faith all rolled up into one dark-haired package. It infuriated Bez, made him wary of her presence. What was this power she had over him to distract him from his mission? Who the hell was she and what was she even doing in this dump?

  Bez stopped right next to her cot, his knee brushing the wood frame. He leaned down slowly, body tense, sweat forming on his brow. He had to see her, had to know what—

  Her eyes opened, the color dark and deep, meeting his in a stare that sent him soaring. Everything, every piece and particle of Bez’s life, stopped, shifted, and reset. With one look, the woman lodged herself into his heart, deep within his very soul. She offered no escape, no chance to refuse her. She simply became his.

  His wolf howled in his head, rejoicing at having found her, singing his song of completeness. Happy to finally be mated.

  Bez couldn’t breathe, couldn’t look away. This was his mate. Instincts long forgotten in place of strategy and fighting styles, the bond joining him to this unknown shifter wrapped around his heart and pulled his thoughts away from the mission. None of the Dire Wolves had found their mates, the pack of seven simply existing to fight and kill and hunt. But this woman, this bond, had suddenly made his existence… Tactile. Real. Significant.

  Beautiful dark eyes looked up at him, deep and soulful, eyes he wanted to look into until the day he died. She blinked once, twice, and then those eyes went wide and her heart jumped. Belatedly, Bez remembered he was naked, covered in mud and filth and blood, and standing over a woman he’d never met. Without pause, he placed his hand over her mouth to hold in her scream, shiveri
ng at the feel of her flesh against his. Even if she was trying to bite him.

  “Stop. I’m not here to hurt you,” he hissed, keeping his voice little more than air. “I’m here to save the Omega. President Blasius Zenne sent me.”

  The woman swallowed and nodded, stilling under his touch. She held his gaze as she gripped his wrist, pulling his hand from her mouth. “Which Omega?”

  Bez liked the sound of her voice, dark and deep, filled with a sensual tone. It called to him, made him stare at her, unable to speak. But then he cocked his head, her words finally filtering through the haze.

  “Pardon?”

  “Which Omega…? There are two of us.”

  Bez felt his eyes go wide and his heart make a single, solitary slam against his chest. Of all the fucking luck. Two Omegas, two targets. If he’d known there would be two women to extricate, he’d have brought a second man to secure the second victim. That was basic policy on reverse kidnappings. One Dire per kidnappee. But now—

  The woman’s face fell, her lips forming a thin line, and her eyes went soft. “I see. You’re here for Angelita?”

  Bez nodded, slow and heavy. “The pup.”

  “Then I suggest you get at it.” She threw a glance toward the door, gasping when she saw the fallen shifter. “Oh. Okay. Oh God, he’s dead, isn’t he?”

  Bez watched his mate as she visibly withdrew from the dead body of Marcus. For the first time in his life, he regretted killing something the way he had. Not for the loss of life, but for the way his mate seemed repulsed by it.

  The woman finally looked away, closing her eyes tightly for a moment before turning that dark stare on him. “You need to take her, now. Before they come for her. I overheard something about moving her north. She’s just a baby, and what these animals intend to do with her would break her very soul.”

  “What are they planning?”

  Her eyes darkened, her frown turning into a scowl. “I don’t know for sure. They call me the dud because I’m infertile. What does that tell you about their plans?”

  Bez growled, long and loud and unrestrained. The sick fucks deserved to die horrible, painful deaths.

  The woman glanced to where the young girl slept. “She’s young and extremely naïve. You need to take her right now. Get her the hell out of here before the rest of the men come back.”

  She turned to him, so strong, so brave. Bez knew she was right. He needed to haul ass and get the Omega out of danger, but he didn’t want to leave this woman’s side. He willed his legs to move, his body to respond, but his mind and heart and wolf were set. He couldn’t ignore the mating bond, couldn’t dare fail her. Just the thought of leaving the woman behind gutted him.

  Bez shook his head and sighed. “I don’t—”

  The sound of the other man in camp yelling for Marcus woke Bez from his mate-induced distraction. Fuck, he needed to go. Grab the Omega and run. But this woman was his mate, his one and only, and he would have to leave her behind to be able to get the Omega out as per the plan. His training told him to leave his mate, to grab the target, secure her, and call in a second team to come back to the houseboat camp. But he knew that wouldn’t work. The men would whisk his mate away before he could get back, leaving him chasing trails and ghosts until he tracked her down. And he would track her down. He was the best tracker anyone had ever seen, impossible to shake or outrun. But what could happen to her in the interim made Bez’s blood run cold. No. He couldn’t abandon her. Couldn’t risk her.

  For the first time in his very long life, he would not be following policies, procedures, or orders.

  Grabbing his mate’s arm, he pulled her out of the cot. “We go. Now.”

  She shook her head. “But you’re only here for her.”

  Bez yanked her up, harder than he wanted to but needing her to move. “Not anymore.”

  She gave him a hard look, doubting. Bez held out a hand, backing toward where the Omega, Angelita, still slept, inviting his mate to follow him. She stared at him, her expression filled with a meaning Bez couldn’t figure out. She glanced at his hand once…twice…before taking a deep breath.

  And then she grabbed his hand.

  Ignoring the tingles the simple touch sent shooting up his arm, Bez pulled her beside him. He loved the scent of her, wanted to breathe her in for days, but there was no time. The two hurried across the floor to where the younger Omega slept. Bez stood guard as his mate knelt down next to the cot and brushed Angelita’s hair off her forehead.

  “C’mon, hon. It’s time to go.”

  The voice of the other guard grew closer, the pitch displaying his irritation when Marcus didn’t answer. Not that he could have. Not that the tall one knew the man lay dead on the floor.

  Angelita opened her eyes, jumping back against the wall when she saw Bez. Before she could scream, his mate put her hand over the girl’s mouth and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

  “He’s here to help us. We’re leaving. Right now.”

  It took the younger Omega barely a second to understand the words. Once she did, she hopped out of the bed and grabbed his mate’s hand. Clinging to one another, the two women looked up at him, ready but questioning. Wanting to go but obviously afraid.

  “What do we do now?” his mate asked. Bez didn’t want her to see what he was about to do, but he couldn’t lie to her. So he didn’t.

  “I kill the guard. Then we run.”

  Chapter 8

  Sariel stared at the man who’d woken her, unable to form words. He planned on killing the guard…in front of her. Her hands shook with the adrenaline racing through her bloodstream and her skin felt clammy beneath the cotton tank top and shorts she’d donned for her nap. He terrified her with his casual cruelty, and yet her body yearned for him, demanding she move closer. The strength of the wolf inside her was the only thing keeping her from going into shock. Her mate…this man was her mate. Huge and beastly, with the fiercest eyes she’d ever seen, he stood before her talking about killing a shifter as if it were just another item on his to-do list. Which Sariel guessed it technically was.

  But he was her mate.

  When she’d first realized that fact, lying in the cot as he loomed over her in the shadows, she thought the fates were mocking her. Assuming he worked with the men who’d stolen her from her home, her stomach had roiled in dread. Thankfully, the fates had been kind, not cruel. They’d sent her a mate who was strong and powerful, near-savage it seemed. Not one who’d already done so much harm to her. They’d sent her exactly who she needed.

  She’d told Angelita they’d get out of this hell. If this man, this big beast of a shifter, was willing to help them, so be it. She knew she could trust the man fated for her.

  Her heart skipped as the words echoed in her head. Fated…mated…claimed. Her mate had found her. What a massive bit of craziness to add to this screwed-up situation. She’d met her mate while being held hostage in a houseboat in the middle of a swamp. That should have been the plot of some crazy movie, not reality. And yet, he’d shown up to save them. Well, technically he’d shown up to save Angelita. She was more of a complication to him it seemed. The thought of him leaving her behind, taking only Angelita and rescuing the young girl as he’d planned, had made her sick at first. Even more sick than assuming he was one of the men who’d kidnapped her in the first place. She didn’t want to be left behind. She couldn’t stand to live another second in this prison now that she’d glimpsed a way out.

  The sound of approaching footsteps caught Sariel’s attention a second behind her mystery man. He turned his ice-blue eyes toward the noise in a move that was pure predator, all animal…totally hot in a weird he’s-strong-enough-to-take-on-my-enemies sort of way. That level of strength and protectiveness was hot. She’d been cooped up for weeks, terrified the men guarding her would hurt her in some way other than the mental torture that delighted them, and unable to figure a way out for her and Angelita. Screw her independent nature, her mate had shown up, big and bad and looking
like a monster in the dim light, but he was ready to save her. She could fight her own battles another day. Right then, she wanted nothing more than to hop on that white horse of his and let him lead them all off into the sunset.

  Or through the swamp, as the case seemed to be.

  “Marcus,” the approaching guard yelled from outside. “Wake your lazy ass up.” The footsteps grew louder.

  Sariel’s mate motioned for her and Angelita to move farther back in the room, away from the door. Sariel grabbed Angelita’s hand and dragged her to the corner, crouching down and wrapping herself around the younger girl. He watched them, his eyes on hers, until he seemed satisfied that Sariel and Angelita were settled into a good spot. With a nod, he stalked toward the door, listening to the sound of the approaching guard. There was something beautiful in his harsh extremes, something sexy in the way he let his inner animal rule his body. He reeked of shifter with very little of his human side shining through. That fact alone had her fixated on him, had her wolf practically hunting him. Wanting him.

  Taller than most shifters or human men she’d known, he stood just behind the door, his head brushing the ceiling. He curled his broad shoulders into a hunting pose, the muscles corded across his back and down his thighs tight with anticipation. He cocked his shorn head as the guard’s footsteps hit the deck of the second houseboat, ready and definitely able to fight. Moonlight shone through the open window, bathing him in a silvery glow. She assumed he was blond based solely on his lighter eyebrows and the hair leading down from his navel, not that it mattered. He was big and bold, larger than life, his body screaming of masculinity. And he was about to kill a man while she watched.

  Grabbing Angelita and turning her head away from the door, Sariel angled her body to protect the girl from what she knew was about to happen. Her mate had been sent here for the younger woman, and though Sariel hadn’t been a consideration of the rescue, she was grateful for him. She couldn’t have saved the girl on her own. She would have tried and tried hard, but she doubted she would have succeeded. Sariel would happily help keep the younger Omega safe so he could fulfill whatever plans Blasius Zenne had tasked him with.