Page 98 of Midnight Hunt
Immediately recognizing the dark-haired male, I froze, barely daring to breathe.
“Step aside, Alpha,” Ivan growled, hyped up on his recent kill. “She’s mine to claim.”
“She’s too alpha for you, Ivan,” Atticus growled back, his voice nearly as feral as his second’s. “I need a strong alpha female like her to carry my heirs.”
Eww, gross. No way was I having babies with that old creep.
“Ivan,” I called, saying his name like a plea. Like I wantedhimto claim me.
That one word might as well have been a kill switch. Just like that, their brains switched off and they became mindless animals. The two males let out bellowing roars and charged each other, clashing in a powerful display of brute force. Snow and blood sprayed as they attacked each other like rabid beasts, their intentions crystal clear.
Only one of them was walking away from this fight alive.
I watched their every move, shielding Desirae any time they got too close. Bones cracked. Clothing ripped. I watched and watched. Waiting. Hoping. One move. One little move would change everything. So close.So close.
When the fight dragged on and on, both males equally matched, my patience thinned. I had to end this. Females everywhere were crying out for help as they began to lose their fight against the males. There were too many of them, and even though half of them were fighting each other, the winners would move on to claim their chosen females next.
Unable to wait another second, I wailed, “Ivan!”
Just as I’d hoped, he paused to look at me. One move. One little move.
Atticus immediately took advantage and punched a hole straight through Ivan’s chest. Ivan’s eyes were on mine as they filled with stunned disbelief. Atticus ripped his hand back out, removing Ivan’s heart in the process. The life in Ivan’s eyes instantly vanished, and he toppled over sideways, hitting the snow with a muffled thud.
Before I could feel guilty for what I’d done, Atticus dropped Ivan’s heart and turned to face me. His blue eyes were impossibly bright, glittering with victory. Covered in Ivan’s blood and breathing heavily, he slowly stalked toward me. Dread skated down my spine, but I held my ground, refusing to run.
Desirae whimpered out my name, but I waved her back. This was between him and me. The only way I was going to save these females was to let him get close.Reallyclose. And close he came, striding right up to me to yank me against him.
“I won,” he said in a guttural voice, still juiced up from the fight. “You’re mine to claim now.”
Ignoring the nausea swirling in my gut, I lowered my eyes in submission and whispered, “Then claim me.”
A growl of satisfaction rumbled from him, and he gripped my nape to force my head back. Squeezing my eyes shut so I couldn’t see his face, I went pliant in his arms, fully submitting to him. Excited that I was willingly giving myself up to him, his arousal saturated the air. I almost gagged but managed not to react. A second later, his mouth was on my neck, nuzzling and nipping me.
Then he struck.
His canines sank deeply into my flesh, marking me in the exact same spot where Griff had. A howl of dismay rose up inside me, doubling in volume as Sable joined in. She didn’t try to stop it from happening, though, because she knew. She knew that this was the only way.
The only way tostophim.
As he pulled me even closer, groaning as he sank his canines deeper, I made my move. Quick as a snake, I grabbed the chain around his neck and yanked.
“Desirae!” I shouted and tossed her the chain containing the remote.
Atticus jerked his canines from my neck with a growl, but it was too late.
My collar unlocked with a click, and I yanked it off, throwing it to the ground.
As I did, an earth-shattering roar cleaved the air. Atticus’s eyes widened, and we both looked up just as something fell from the sky. Like a shooting star, it hit the ground with a resoundingboom. As the impact trembled through me, I started to laugh, realizing that it wasn’t a star at all. It was a man—awerewolf—with spiky blond hair.
My laughter turned to sobs, tears of relief rolling down my cheeks.
My best friend. Mymatehad arrived.
34
GRIFF
I hit the ground hard, the thin layer of snow absorbing some of the impact. Seconds later, four more booms shook the earth.
