Chapter 34 The game was beginning;
On the trail road just below Eva's house, dozens of armored jeeps were parked. All the hunters had slowly regrouped by now. The hunters' deputy leader sat with his massive frame on the hood of one of the jeeps. What distinguished him from the others was a red arrow emblem on his armor.
One of the men approached him anxiously. "Sir, we followed Caleb. He's still within the town," he said.
"Alright, you can go," he said, nodding his head.
As the man walked away, the hunter leader's eyes narrowed. His weathered face was lit by the dim glow of the moon, casting harsh shadows across his scarred features. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag, exhaling smoke into the cold night air.
"He can't stop the ritual alone," he muttered to himself, "When the pack awakens, they'll be filled with rage. They could wipe him and his bloodline out in a single night."
He flicked ash onto the snow, watching it sizzle and melt.
"So what is that conniving snake doing instead of running?"
It seemed that everyone in this town had just discovered their identity, and the game was beginning...
Kael tore through the forest rapidly, and from the foot of the steep cliffs, he finally saw that ominous castle. Kicking up the dirt beneath his claws, he leaped to find his mate.
When he reached the stone bridge, he could clearly smell those inside, Eva was there. With impatient excitement, he leaped inside. When his massive frame stepped on the stones, he had activated many traps. Dozens of arrows flying toward him shattered the moment they touched his reddish-brown fur. The rune that descended like a long tattoo from Kael's neck had awakened. Because Christmas night was today, he was now at the peak of his power, just like Eva...
Inside, Eva understood from the warmth in the midnight seal over her heart that Kael had arrived. Joe twitched his nose. "He's here!" he growled.
"Who? The ancient alpha?" Elly asked, then looked in that direction, tossing her crimson hair. "Or the hunters?"
At that exact moment, Kael entered, his fur covered with the dust of the rain of arrows. His eyes were blazing, saliva dripping from his teeth. And his gaze was locked directly on Joe.
Elly shielded Joe with a momentary fear. Joe immediately stepped in front of her and moved to protect Elly.
Eva was laughing at this new state of theirs. The last time she had left them, they had been quite hostile toward each other. But now something had changed, they were behaving more connected.
Eva stepped forward and directed her hands toward Kael. Purple halos were burning in her eyes. Kael suddenly transformed forcibly, taking human form.
Eva smiled. "You're making my lover look like quite the evil monster. He didn't come to harm anyone," she said, approaching him.
Her hands wandered over Kael's muscular, hard chest and moved up toward his neck. She rose on her tiptoes to reach his neck and placed a warm kiss on his lips.
Kael had softened at her touch. He pressed his forehead to hers. "You scared me, Eva Rose!" he murmured. His voice was both passionate and anxious.
Eva smiled and nuzzled his nose. "It was an unplanned trip, I apologize, my love."
Kael understood that Eva was now almost one body with him. Just moments ago, she had pulled him out of wolf form against his will, masterfully directing his emotions...
It seemed the seal was now ready to become one body...
Joe's face wrinkled as he watched these scenes. "Are they always like this?" he asked, leaning toward Elly.
Elly was giggling. "Yes, there's a mystical eroticism hanging in the air. I think it's the seal's effect," she said.
"To me, it felt more like mating season had arrived," Joe said, giving Elly a suggestive look.
Elly immediately turned her head away in embarrassment. As if wanting to change the subject, she called out, "So... if everything's been settled nicely, shall we discuss what we're going to do now?"
Eva and Kael had turned their gazes to them.
Soon after, Eva told Kael everything that had happened.
Kael had his arms crossed over his rune-covered, naked, muscular body. When he heard what was explained, he let out a deep laugh.
"This is the light wolf? Homay chose this scrawny one out of all choices? You must be joking," he said.
Elly and Eva were also surprised by this reaction.
"Yes, it's surprising, but he bears the Light Mark," Eva said. "I checked," she added.
Kael narrowed his eyes and looked at Joe with piercing gazes. Then in a few steps, he was right in Joe's face. Joe also bared his teeth as if feeling threatened and looked at Kael with a growling voice.
Kael suddenly snarled at him with his amber eyes, as if to crush him. Then he slowly checked his chest. Indeed, the light mark, a rune in the shape of an inverted moon, was glowing on his chest.
He stepped back but was angry. "This fool can't even be a cheap copy of my old friend Rai! How can this skinny one represent his lineage! When my pack awakens tonight, Rai should make the decision," he said.
Eva was tired of the testosterone smell rising around. She hadn't expected Kael to just accept him like that, but this was a childish attitude. She put her hands on the stone table and pulled herself up. She sat there, watching them.
Elly slowly snuggled up beside her.
"Is he seriously jealous of him?" she said.
"Yes, the idea of me having a guardian was bad enough. On top of that, him being a chosen alpha made things even worse," she murmured.
Finally, she called out to the two wolves snarling at each other nose to nose with a mocking voice.
"Let's do this, I have a ceremony tonight where I'll bond with my lover. Rather than wasting time here with these ridiculous ideas, why don't we leave the decision to the person who will give approval?"
With Eva's words, Kael had turned his eyes to her. Eva raised her index finger and pointed to the large rune on the ceiling.
Kael turned his eyes and saw the glowing rune circle. At that moment, his teeth were clenched, his jaw grinding.
"I hate you and your lineage that becomes trouble for me every century, cursed blood!" he said, fixing his gaze on Joe.
(Ahh, Kael, my grumpy darling, forget it. Nobody really gets along with their mate's brother anyway!)