Hunted (Pack of Dawn and Destiny, #1)(60)

Greyson had his lips peeled back, showing his teeth, but when he turned around and peered up at me, he perked his ears and his tail gave the tiniest of twitches as he wagged it back and forth once.

“I don’t speak wolf,” I reminded him.

Greyson huffed, then briefly pushed his head against my stomach and rubbed his face, getting white hairs all over my already dirty shirt.

It was a soothing gesture, one that took the hot, stinging sensation out of my eyes.

I smoothed the fur on the top of his head, then dug my fingers into the neck of his thick white coat, past his coarse outer layer and to the downy soft fur of his undercoat.

I debated for a moment or two—because it was Greyson. On principal, I didn’t like the guy. But my desire for comfort outweighed my slight grudge—particularly when he was in his wolf form—so I crouched down and leaned into the giant wolf, taking comfort in the softness of his undercoat and his faint, musky wolf scent that was heavily spiked with the smell of pine needles from his run through the forest.

Wyatt whined, and Greyson turned his head away from me so he could snarl in a tone that sounded like he was prepared to eat the other wolf. He then huffed, licked his chops, and pushed his nose into the messy tangle of my hair.

“Thanks, Greyson,” I said. I briefly considered resting my head on his shoulder, but I wasn’t that hurt, so I ran my fingers down his back instead. “But I’m serious. I’m done with this stupid ambush stuff.”

Greyson huffed into my hair, then smeared his wet nose against my ear.

I squealed and pulled back, but I was pretty sure he was telling me that he agreed.

He pulled away and backed up, and the other wolves were halfway between standing and sitting, their ears still down and their tails tucked.

“Never again,” I told them. “I mean it. Do you understand?”

Off to the side, Greyson growled at them.

The wolves gave me soft little awoo’s and sadly peered up at me.

“Fine.” I kneeled so I’d be stabilized. “If you understand, then group hug—oof.”

The wolves were on me before I could get all my words out.

Ember rubbed her furry cheek against mine, giving me a nose full of wolf fur, while Aeric pushed his face into my shoulder.

Wyatt nudged my hand until I rubbed that itchy spot just in front of his right ear, and even Rio crowded in, leaning into my back.

I grinned as another wolf presented her belly for me to rub, and when I scratched her belly she happily wriggled on the ground, wagging her tail despite the uncomfortable angle.

The wolves panted happily, and a few of them romped around the clearing, playing with each other now that the shouting from their Alpha was over.

Aeric left me when Ember body slammed him out of the way, and he and Wyatt cracked skulls and then play bit each other for “fun”. But Rio and Ember both practically wormed their way under me so my arms were thrown around Ember’s shoulders for balance while Rio tipped me over and inspected one of my bare legs.

“They won’t do this again.” Greyson stepped out of the trees, wearing his silver fae-bracelet and the magic designed, fitted black pants. He shrugged on a black t-shirt—he must have disappeared to go find one of the clothing drops—as he approached me.

“Because you told them not to?” I wryly guessed.

It doesn’t matter that I was upset and angry, the Pack only listens to their precious Alpha.

“No.” Greyson stopped just short of my jumbled pile with the wolves and stared down Rio. “Out.”

Rio flattened his ears to his skull and rapidly backed up, then slunk off to join the other wolves in their impromptu snuggle session, wagging his tail when Aspen licked his ear.

Greyson stepped into the space Rio had left and crouched down next to me. “They won’t do it because you told them you were done.”

I flung my arms around Ember’s neck and clung to her—I didn’t want the wolves running off and leaving me with Greyson. She panted in my face and nosed my cheek, but seemed to understand what I wanted because she settled in and watched her packmates play.

“I don’t believe that,” I said. “They only listen to you like that.”

Greyson shrugged and watched as Aeric hopped at Wyatt and wagged his tail before the two tore their way around the clearing, knocking into Aspen who snarled at the pair. “You underestimate your power.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “You guys constantly trash me in training.”

Greyson glanced at me, and there was a gleam in his gold eyes that said if we’d been alone there would have been a lot of scoffing on his end. But since we were in front of the Pack, he was polite and stoic. “I wasn’t referring to your physical strength.”

He shifted his attention back to his Pack. “Hunters move as a family and fight as a unit, so they can fight using pure strength and sheer force. They have the numbers for it. You don’t. But as a result, your hunter powers—your base magic—seems to be much more active.” He paused. “It’s stronger than you think.”

“You mean with my special pheromones and being close to tears they realized they hurt the puppy and they shouldn’t do that?” I adjusted my hold on Ember’s neck. “I guess I hadn’t thought of weaponizing my pheromones like that.”

“Pheromones can only do so much,” Greyson said. His words were careful and measured, and his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night as he stared at me. “Perhaps you inherited more magic from your parents than you thought.”