by L. A. Banks
Hunter cocked his head to the side as though he’d heard her wrong. “Let?”
Sasha rubbed the nape of her neck and then released a hard sigh. “You know what I meant.” She looked up at him. “I’m not the enemy.”
“To be sure,” Hunter said, beginning to pace. “Nor am I about to stand by and allow your territory to be challenged! That is a matter of principle. What gives them the right to take your position?”
“You understand hierarchy and rank, Hunter,” she said flatly. “That part is the same in both the wolf world and in the human military world.” Her true statement caused him to walk away from her, but she pressed on, feeling more defeated as she spoke. “They have much higher rank than I do and replaced me with someone they could trust, since I’m a hybrid . . . a being with one foot in the human world and one in the wolf world.” She blew out a weary sigh. “I’m probably not even defined as a human being. I wonder if I even have the same civil rights as the average citizen . . . and as long as I’m in uniform, most of that shit doesn’t apply anyway.”
Hunter turned to look at her and pointed out toward the mist. “I don’t care about their stupid, short-sighted laws—you exist, therefore you are a being with inalienable rights. They summoned you down into the bowels of their military base, which to me is no different than one of our clan dens, and then set upon you like a ravenous pack! Then they placed you under the command of a full-blooded human who knows nothing of our ways or those of the paranormal community’s! They have done what they have always done—broken a treaty, a covenant that would keep the peace between the nations . . . and, yes, Sasha, this is like having a human diplomat that was well-liked and well-respected get replaced by a fool. You do realize that if the humans do a pre-emptive strike on the paranormal community, this is undoubtedly going to be war?”
“I know,” she said quietly and then closed her eyes as she let out a slow breath.
“This time, they will not be able to just exterminate what they find. Genocide will not be allowed.”
“I know,” she repeated, now staring at him.
“As Alpha clan leaders, we have to make the packs aware of the situation, as well as alert our allies.”
Sasha just nodded, too weary at the prospect of what this could all mean to even speak.
“I’ll alert my grandfather. Silver Hawk can carry the message throughout the region. I can also contact my brother, Shogun. However, we should both speak directly to Sir Rodney.”
“I can’t leave the area, remember,” Sasha said flatly, and then turned to begin to walk deeper into the mist.
“Then where are you going?” Hunter jogged to catch up to her.
“To the bar to throw back a fifth of Jack Daniels with my very dejected squad.”
Hunter grabbed Sasha’s arm and stayed her leave. “I’ve never seen you like this,” he said quietly.
“Like what?” she said, blowing out a hard breath and blinking back tears.
“So angry that you’ve lost your drive to fight. You’re letting them win.”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but they have won, Hunter.” She released a sad chuckle and then looked away from him. “I’ve been put out of my human pack, okay? One botched mission and they turned on me.”
“It wasn’t a botched mission,” he said, not letting go of her arm and forcing her to look at him with his voice. “It wasn’t,” he added more gently.
“But that doesn’t matter, now does it?”
“Yes, it does.” Hunter’s gaze searched her face. “It matters to the countless paranormal nationals that got saved. The humans aren’t the only ones that exist. Sasha . . . you are a head of state.”
“In a secret world,” she said more quietly than intended. “An unrecognized, secret world—but to them, I’m just a grunt.”
“Never, ever say that in front of me again,” he said in a low, firm murmur. “You are not a word I refuse to dignify by repeating. You are not a lab mistake. You are a North American Clan alpha she-Shadow.” Hunter lifted his chin and cupped her cheek with his palm. “You are majestic, Sasha Trudeau. You are a warrior and it is time for the wolf within to decide which pack she wants to belong to—theirs or ours . . . but that is always going to be your decision. I will wait, no matter what.”
Deep conflict tore at her insides. The time was fast approaching when she would have to decide if she was going to fulfill her duties or leave it all behind and go AWOL. And if she did . . . the hunter would become the hunted.
Cursed To DeathCover
Title
Copyright
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
