Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(16)

“Nah, she can’t come on the run,” Aeric said. “Sorry, Pip.”

“I’m used to it,” I comfortably said.

I was allowed to see more of the werewolves than the humans attached to the Pack—including their own kids—but there were some hard boundaries they held, that kept me on the outside.

It was something I’d made my peace with ages ago, and it helped me with my own boundaries. A lot of my life was spent saying goodbye—first to my parents, then Mama Dulce and Papa Santos, then finally with Alpha Hudson and Lynn, who had been a second family to me. Alpha Hudson and Lynn were still alive. They’d just moved away thanks to Greyson and his future career in politics.

The distance between the Pack and me makes it safer. There’s so much less heartache for me.

I was better off with relationships that were fun, but didn’t go so painfully deep—like my friendship with Wyatt and Aeric.

Aeric straightened a pleat of his skort. “I remember! We came here because we’re supposed to go get ice cream with Shania in an hour, and we wanted to invite her.”

Wyatt snapped his fingers. “That was it! You want ice cream? I’ll pay!”

“Yeah, sounds fun. I have to clean my gear first, though.” I held my rifle up and scrutinized it, barely noticing when I felt another werewolf pop into range of my hunter senses—it happened all the time on Pack land.

“Sounds great,” Aeric said. “We’ll go find Shania and meet you—” Aeric froze, and Wyatt tensed up.

That has to mean the werewolf is—

A huge white wolf appeared—Greyson.





Chapter 5





Pip





As a wolf, Greyson was the largest in the Pack, nearly reaching my chest when he was just standing. He was a pristine shade of white—yes, his name is Greyson, but he’s solid white, I think it’s hilarious—and he had giant paws, long legs, and golden eyes hooded with a rim of black to make them extra bright in the starkness of his white fur.

As he did in his human body, Greyson oozed power, and was able to influence his packmates whatever his shape. As he sauntered through the forest undergrowth, Aeric and Wyatt bowed to him.

“Alpha Greyson,” they said.

Greyson’s gold eyes lingered on them for a moment, before he shifted his attention to me.

“Hey,” I said. I have such a flair for drama!

Greyson sat down and stared at his two minions.

“Yes, Alpha,” Wyatt said after a moment. “We will.”

I licked my finger and tried to buff out a smudge on the barrel of my rifle, used to hearing the awkward half-conversations.

Packmates could talk to one another in wolf, without the use of spoken words. Papa Santos had tried explaining to me that it wasn’t mind speaking to one another—words weren’t exchanged. He described it as an understanding of each other’s spirits.

Sounded spooky.

I didn’t know that I really wanted everyone “understanding” my spirit, so I was glad to chalk it up to another werewolf skill hunters didn’t have.

“We’ll meet you outside Howl-In Café, okay, Pip?” Wyatt said.

I tuned back into the conversation. “Yeah, okay, sounds great. It’ll take me about half an hour.”

“That’s fine, we’ll wait. See you then!” Wyatt waved before he and Aeric bowed to their Alpha, then trotted barefoot through the forest.

“You think we should transform back into our wolf forms?” Wyatt asked.

“Sure, but we have to stop by my house, then, to pick up clothes. Last time we stopped at the clothes drop off point, the only thing left there were those gaudy Hawaiian shirts Original Jack loves to wear, and I have a thing against flamingos.”

“Got it.”

I would have laughed at Aeric’s comment, but I was too busy wrinkling my forehead at Greyson.

He stayed near me—though he was standing now—and made no move to leave me.

I awkwardly twitched my gun. “Have a good night, Greyson.”

Greyson stared at me with his overwhelming, golden eyes, and I saw his tail twitch slightly from side to side.

It was just slightly back and forth, but for a werewolf of his status, it was the equivalent of a dog wildly wagging his tail.

Oh. Oh no. I know what that means.

“Nope!” I bolted, skittering a trail through the woods, heading for my cottage—where I could slam the door on his whiskered face.

I didn’t hear Greyson behind me—but all that meant was that he was taking precious time to transform into a human body. I had about a thirty second head start if that was the case—thirty seconds, because of course Greyson had to be the fastest at shifting from human to wolf and back that I’d ever seen!

I went for speed rather than stealth or any attempt at covering my trail. With this little of a head start speed was all I had, and there was no point in trying to climb a tree because Greyson would be human—

Greyson stepped out in front of me in his human form, shirtless and wearing black pants courtesy of the extra expensive fae bracelet clasped around his wrist.

“Running away? Careful, Pip. I’ll think you don’t like me much.” His voice was throaty with a slight rasp to it that made me twitch my shoulders back.