by Lane, Soraya
Ouch! Riley felt a stab of pain in her side. It slowed her, just for a second, as she dodged around a tree stump, pausing to leap over a fallen branch. And then it happened again. Something sharp sliced into her, at the same time as Hunter started to close in on her.
Her nose lifted, her body weakened.
Blood. The strong, sickly scent of blood.
Then a paw swiped at her, narrowly missing her head, and she fell.
A huge black leopard hit her, knocked the wind from her and toppled her to the ground. She hissed and growled, fighting the pain, but the beast was unrelenting. The anger, the intensity of the eyes made her question whether it was Hunter, but as his weight lessened, as the pupils took hold and softened, she knew it was him.
And he was hurting her. Bad.
The growls in her own throat faded. She could hardly breathe. What was he doing? Did he want to hurt her?
“Hunter.” She urged him in her mind. “Please. I can’t breathe.”
He kept his eyes on hers, a low, unidentified noise still emitting from his mouth.
“Please.”
He sprung back, body heaving, before shifting.
Hunter was human again. Just like that, he was human and naked before her.
Riley took a moment, stayed on her back, stilled her breathing, and thought about changing too. She quickly refocused her thoughts before it happened. She didn’t have any clothes and she wasn’t walking back naked, even if he was.
Her eyes stayed away from him. What the hell had gone on there? They’d been physically a lot more intimate in human form, and he was always so in control, the one to pull away. So what was going on today?
Riley stretched, turning to lick the sticky blood from her fur, then got up to walk. Hunter followed, she could sense it. But she didn’t turn, because she didn’t want to see him. And it wasn’t like they could talk unless she changed too, and that wasn’t going to happen, not yet.
Until they reached her clothes, this would have to do.
She could tell he was hurting, but she was fine. And she’d tell him so when they got back.
Where his claws had sliced her it hurt like hell, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
Riley changed. Hunter stalked around the trees while she slipped into her clothes. She could hear him breathing. Kicking things. Stomping.
She was annoyed with him, but she wasn’t angry. More annoyed that he was acting like such an idiot when nothing had happened. At the end of the day, he’d been able to pull away before anything really bad had gone down. Her wounds would heal, but a little part of her, a part that trusted him, was worried. Only a little, but it was a niggle like a tiny prickle in her skin that was in danger of not going away without some help.
Today had been the first time that she’d seen him lose control with her. She was partly to blame, she’d provoked him, but the way he reacted had been kind of explosive. Not what she’d expected. Kind of like the way he’d tried to kill his competition, if you could even call them that.
She listened as he cleared his throat. Announced himself, like he’d been gone and had just arrived back.
“I’m decent,” she called out, knowing what he was wanting to know.
He appeared.
Hunter stood before her. It was the first time he hadn’t looked strong, as if nothing could beat him. There was something almost dejected about the way he looked. Something sad about the way he watched her. But at least he’d found his jeans.
“I’m sorry, Riley.” He walked toward her, but his eyes were downcast. That fiery, blazing green gaze that usually haunted her when he watched her was nowhere to be seen. “I am so, so sorry.”
Riley shrugged. She shifted her sandal in the earth and made an indent. What did she say to that? She’d never had a guy apologize to her before. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
He moved closer, touched her face so he could tilt her cheek and inspect the damage at her neck. Then he lifted her arm and turned it over.
Riley didn’t bother looking at herself. The wounds were burning, partly bleeding still, but she’d get Sophia to look at them later. It wasn’t like they were life threatening. If she was going to join this pack for real, she was going to have to get used to wounds. And pain.
She grimaced, then wished she hadn’t. Hunter had probably taken that look the wrong way.
“Riley,” his voice sounded pained.
She held up her hand, forced a smile. “Seriously, Hunter, I’m fine. Can we just get going?”
Hunter’s face, his voice, his emotions were pained. She wasn’t enjoying seeing him like this.
“You couldn’t even shift, Riley. You had to wait until we got back here. I’m meant to be protecting you and I’ve made you take a step back.”
“You haven’t put me back,” she muttered. “Put me down, maybe, but not back.”
He put his hand on her good arm, his fingers digging into her bones. Like he didn’t know what else to do but touch her and make sure she was still whole.
“Riley…”
“I didn’t change because I didn’t want you to see me naked, all right?” Did she have to spell everything out to him?
His hands dropped. She watched as the line of his jaw hardened, but she sensed an inch of relief too.
“It doesn’t matter why.” But she could see it did. “I’m supposed to guide you and help you, and I couldn’t control myself. I lost it back there.”
Riley didn’t know what to say to him. She started to walk, for something to do. And to get away from him being so close to her. He had controlled himself in the end, and wasn’t that what mattered? Seriously, could he not see that she was okay? He was a hot-blooded male leopard, she could forgive him the odd sin. She pressed one hand to her side, grimacing again as her fingers connected with sticky blood beneath her T-shirt.
“Riley.”
He grabbed her elbow to turn her. It hurt.
“Let me go, Hunter.”
His eyes flashed at her and his grip lapsed. She was here of her own free will, he didn’t have to force her. And she might have let him off before but she didn’t need another bruise. Not when she had no intention of walking away from him.
“Riley, I think it’s best if I step down.” His voice was empty, soulless. “What I did today was unforgivable. I could have seriously hurt you.”
She fixed her gaze on him, but she wasn’t angry. Annoyed perhaps. Especially with the analysis. “Hunter, get over it. You lost control, big deal.”
“I lost complete control, Riley. It is a big fucking deal.”
Riley jumped. She’d never even heard him swear, the entire time she’d been here. Not once. “Hunter, you’re making a fuss over nothing. What’s the worst that could have happened?”
She could tell he was serious, that he believed he could have hurt her. Deadly serious, in fact. The clench of his jaw, the tick in the side of his face. The way he was holding his fists like he was crushing something in the center of them.
“Hunter, please.”
“I could have killed you, Riley. I couldn’t control myself and it’s unforgivable. If I can’t keep my instincts in check then I have no right being here.”
She knew what he really meant. That he had no right being here as her future mate. That he no longer thought he was worthy. Strong enough. Good enough.
Her eyes questioned him. She didn’t know what to say back to that. It was him who was supposed to be convincing her, not the other way around.
“The urge to claim you, to have you, was too much for me.” It was like he had to choke on the words before he spat them out. “I’m sorry.”
“But I’m fine. You did pull back, when it counted,” she told him.
He just frowned and she hated the sight of it. She sucked up her courage. “Let’s forget it, okay? If I don’t see someone about these cuts I’m probably going to get an infection, so can we please just go?”
His eyes softened, but she could see that the anger didn
’t disappear. It went too deep for that. He was able to hide it because he wasn’t angry with her, he was angry with himself.
“I’ll get you back to the house.”
“And then?”
He clamped his jaw again. “And then I need to get the hell out of here for a while.”
“Hunter, don’t.” She reached out to him, to connect with him.
He pulled away. Like she’d flashed a snap of fire in his direction.
“Don’t touch me, Riley. Just don’t.”
Now she was hurt. Angry. Seriously bloody angry! He’d hunted her, hurt her and she’d forgiven him, but now he was really starting to annoy her. “Hunter, that’s enough.”
He just stared straight ahead. “Come on, let’s get you back.”
“What? And then you’re going to disappear on your Harley and leave me here?” She stared at him, unbelieving. Tears pricked hard at her eyes but she fought them. Made them stay hidden. “Just when I’m starting to think that maybe, just maybe, I could give everything up for a life with you, that I could take you as my mate, you behave like a, a…”
“A what?” It was like he spat the words at her.
An animal. A monster, she thought silently.
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get you back to the house,” he said.
Riley wiped at her eyes as she turned, back straight, game face on. She didn’t want her voice to sound bitter but it was impossible. “So you’re still the hero, are you? Until we get to the house? Have to walk me back one last time to prove yourself?”
“I’ve never been the hero, Riley.” His voice was hollow, almost patronizing.
She starred at him as they walked. “Yeah? Well you could have fooled me.”
Riley stormed along beside Hunter, fighting to keep pace with his long stride. When the house was in sight she kept walking, focused on where she was going. She felt him stop, knew he’d fallen back, but she didn’t look. Wouldn’t let herself.
She’d told him how she felt, tried to tell him, and he’d just ignored her.
And now he was gone. She just knew it.
Part of her said he wasn’t coming back, the other half said he’d be waiting for her in the morning. Leaning against the tree like he always was. Ready to say sorry and hold her. Tell her he’d been stupid. That he still wanted her.
The tears began to fall then, plopping with urgency down her cheeks. Choking her.
He wasn’t coming back.
She could feel it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Riley didn’t want to look. But she had to. She pulled the blinds and looked at the tree, her fingers hovering.
The tree was alone.
No strong body braced it. No hard muscles peeked back at her. No lazy smile. No haunting green eyes.
Riley dragged herself from her room and made herself breakfast. She ate slowly. Smiled at Sophia.
Then went back outside again. Checked the tree.
He still wasn’t there.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Hunter ran like he was possessed. His paws felt raw, torn from hours of running. Racing through the forest as if to slow would be to sacrifice his life.
He couldn’t stop. His body screamed at him to head home. To go back to where he belonged. To go home.
But his mind told him otherwise. Home wasn’t an option any more. Home was no longer a word that could have meaning to him. For the second time in his life, home was gone.
He was a soldier. A warrior. A leader. But he’d failed at the one thing that he could have done in his life that would have made a difference. The one thing that would have helped fulfil the destiny of his pack.
He had failed.
Riley.
Just her name sent him hurtling faster, the trees a blur streaking in his peripheral as he moved. Hunter gritted his teeth, chomped down hard to fix his jaw. Riley was the reason he was running. Riley was the reason he couldn’t go back. Riley had been his destiny. And he’d managed to stuff it up.
He remembered his words to her after dinner at the diner. After he’d gotten rid of the guys threatening them.
I’m the good guy, Riley. The sentence haunted him now. I only look like the bad guy.
He was supposed to protect her. His duty was to do anything in his power to keep her safe. And he’d managed to make a mess of it, stuff it up more than anything stupid he’d ever done in his life before.
Because he wanted her so bad. Because she was so tempting.
Because he loved her.
Hunter skidded to a stop, his paws thumping then sliding on the leaves below. He loved her. He’d already said the words to her, that day out on the cliff, but now they scared him. Like he hadn’t truly realized the meaning, of the depth of his feelings for her, until now.
This wasn’t just about fulfilling a destiny any more. It wasn’t about protecting her out of duty, or accepting that they would be equal partners who could form a strong, strategic alliance for their kind.
This was about him being in love with a girl. And that’s why he was beating himself up so hard. More than the fact that she was his leader’s granddaughter. That she was the future leader of his pack.
He was wild with himself because he’d hurt someone he loved. Hurt the girl he loved. Even though it could have been much, much worse.
Hunter couldn’t help the strangled cry, the yelp that escaped him, but he could control his speed. He started to run again, it was all he could do. And even then it didn’t stop the voice in his head telling him what a fool he’d been. It didn’t matter how fast he moved, it still haunted him.
He’d lost her.
Hunter felt the pull and release of his body as he flew across the land. Paws going so fast they seemed to vibrate against the earth. He would visit the training camp. See his brother. Look in on the new recruits and see if they were turning into the kind of soldiers the pack needed.
Perhaps while he was there he could figure out how else he could be useful. What else he could do to still be of assistance to the pack he’d spent so many years training to protect.
Because he wasn’t going back. Not ever.
He couldn’t. Not now.
He couldn’t ever see that hurt look on Riley’s face again. Couldn’t brave the disapproving, frowning gaze of Sophia for letting her down. Not when she’d done so much for him, how she’d helped him. Set him on the right path.
And he sure as hell didn’t want to see the guy who Riley decided to take as her mate. Because if he saw another male so much as touch her, look at her even, he would go for the kill. Sink his teeth into the neck of any other leopard, tear out his jugular for even wanting Riley that way. Or at least do his damn best at it, even if it meant being slaughtered himself in the process.
He snarled as he ran. Killing was the only thing he wanted to do right now.
Hunter was out for blood. He wanted to hurt something. Crush something.
His entire body was thrumming, but not with the adrenaline it usually filled with. Now, his skin was on fire, roaring as it tried to complain about the punishing pace he was keeping. His stomach was tight, twisted, angry. Muscles coiled. His mind was like a blazing inferno, playing over and over the mistakes he’d made. The things he should have said or done.
But it was over now. Riley was gone. And he didn’t deserve her anyway.
After what he’d done, he deserved nothing.
Except maybe an eternity in hell.
Hunter circled the training facility, staying high on the hill to watch the young men below.
He could pick out his brother, Archer. The one goofing around on the sidelines, then acing every task he set his hand to. Even from here he could see the assured way his brother moved, like he knew that he was better than the rest of them when it came to training. To making decisions.
Reminded Hunter of himself, except that he’d never goofed around. He’d been all business, focused on the goal. Never trying to show off, but wanting to prove himself to anyone who c
ared to watch. Aiming high and desperate to please Sophia and repay her kindness. Prove himself to her above all else.
He stifled a growl as he realized what a waste it had all been. He’d proven himself all right, been bestowed the greatest honor she could gift, and then he’d thrown away the privilege.
Hunter lifted his nose to the air then, detecting… Ooomph.
The wind was knocked from his lungs. He leaped to his feet, teeth fighting their way past his lips. Then he saw his assailant. Perched on a low branch already, showing all his teeth in a fierce smile. A showy grin.
Archer.
Hunter glared at him. “What the hell was that about?”
He’d moved fast. Archer sprang gracefully from the tree and started circling him.
“Why the face, brother? Get beaten up by a lion?”
Hunter snarled, but he needn’t have bothered. Archer was always trying to niggle him. Trying to jab him in the right spot to make him snap.
Hunter looked back at the field below.
“You look good out there. You’ve been training hard.”
Archer came to stand beside him, surveying his friends and comrades below. Seeing the field through his brother’s eyes.
“So what was she like?”
Hunter resisted the urge to sink his teeth into his brother for even bringing her up. But he forced down a lungful of air, then shifted. This wasn’t Archer’s fault. None of it.
Archer shifted too.
And then his brother started to laugh. A deep roar that made Hunter scowl. He should have stayed leopard. It would have made his face, his body language, so much harder to read. Then Archer couldn’t have goaded him, and he wouldn’t have had to contemplate fighting him buck-naked.
“She’s that good, huh? Don’t tell me she broke my big bro’s heart?” Archer was still laughing, but Hunter didn’t find it funny. He’d hit too close to the truth.
“Riley’s incredible,” Hunter told him, not looking at his brother as he spoke. He couldn’t be bothered with the mockery. “I stuffed up, okay. Big time.”
