118

118

WRITER

Roseline sat at her table, going through the files her boss had sent for her to check, when she received a message on her phone.

She picked it up, she had been expecting one from Loras, he was supposed to come see her but he hadn't. She wondered why and was eager to ask.

‘Come to the central hunting grounds. I'll meet you there, pack business in the evening’ it read. It had come from Loras so she trusted him well enough.

It wasn't evening, so she continued with her work; she would get ready when the time came closer.

Though she couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to meet there, he was usually secretive. They could be caught but she would trust him.

Celeste smiled at her phone. She had done her work well, beautifully so. The message had been sent from Loras' number because Harper had hacked her way into it.

So Loras would never find evidence of the text and Roseline would trust it. Everything was going just as she had planned, her body buzzed with excitement at that.

Diana had been waiting for Bradley all day, and she couldn't follow him to see Jay Cross, and he hadn't spoken to her since he had been back.

So she decided she would go look for him herself. She had thought the kiss would be enough for him to know that she was accepting him, but it seemed it didn't do anything.

She found him in his office, sitting with Elias as they both spoke in hushed whispers.

She cleared her throat, both of them looking up at her.

“You're here," Bradley said when he saw her.

He indicated for Elias to leave them both. As he was walking out, he reminded him, “Don't forget what you're supposed to do in the hunt, make sure you get something out of him"

Elias nodded and walked out.

“Why haven't you come to see me?" Diana asked him as soon as the door was closed.

He rubbed his temples, “I had been busy, sorry. Trying to put all the information together"

He pointed at the chair for her to sit down. “Tell me" she was eager to hear whatever new information he had found.

He gave her a small smile. Then he began to explain all that Jay Cross had spoken about.

Elias walked out to the wolves that would fight with him. He was ready for the hunt in a few hours.

He still found it strange, the suddenness of the invite, and he wondered why.

Was he trying to for information as well?

He wanted to go see Marian before they went off but stopped himself. He couldn't do that, not yet. Not until he was ready to give her what she wanted.

“We're ready, boss," a wolf said, walking up to him.

He nodded and walked away to Bradley's office to inform him that they were on their way.

He met Diana just as she stood up from the chair, her eyes teary.

“We're on our way, alpha," he told Bradley.

Bradley didn't look up from his phone. "Alright. Stick to the plan"

Elias nodded and left the room. This was the first bit of action he had gotten in months. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“Alright, it's time to go," he told his men.

They all cheered happily, they all had missed the hunting as well.

Although the humans would call it sick, it satisfied their urges. They were predators, and hunting prey was usually something they enjoyed, since they couldn't do it randomly.

They ran out of the compound, each wolf using their speed to get to the general hunting grounds.

Elias could feel the wind blow past him as he raced ahead of the pack, most of the wolves behind him.

They arrived soon to meet some of the Whitemore wolves stationed already.

They stood at the end of the field. Elias left his pack at the other end to go introduce himself, to tell them his alpha wouldn't be here.

One of the men came forward, he was a tall and broad man. He had the familiar aura and scent, Elias sensed he was the beta immediately.

“Alpha Bradley couldn't make it, we're here to represent him," he told him as they both had a stand-off.

He nodded, “Alpha Loras is on his way, the subject will be here soon," he said.

Elias began to walk back to the side of the field where his wolves were. He could smell the eagerness coming off them. He couldn't help that he felt the same either.

Roseline wore her best dress, she wanted to be presentable for Loras. She felt this satisfaction when he looked happy to see her and what she wore.

When she had finished, she sprayed her perfume, jewelry, and then she was done.

She got into her car driving off to the central hunting grounds.

She parked a distance away, walking to the field, and she had been absent-minded and on her phone when she walked closer.

The wolves had sensed her from afar. Their sense of smell caught onto her.

This had to be the prey, everyone stood at alert as she walked into the gathering.

Roseline looked up from her phone. She had been texting Loras, asking where she was. She was waiting for him when she saw them.

They all had their noses up in the air, taking in the scent of the fear.

This was what made it enjoyable, the fear and slow realization as they found out what they were doing here.

Roseline could smell it on them, the neediness and she knew what was happening.

She turned around, sprinting into the nearest woods. She knew they would catch her too easily if she ran into the road.

The woods were harder for wolves. Why had Loras called her?

Her heart was racing as she ran deeper. She could hear their boots pounding on the ground as they raced towards her.

They were getting closer, but where was Loras when she needed him?

She put more force into her sprint, she couldn't die, not like this. She would do anything to go back to when she didn't know Loras. She wouldn't have ended here if she hadn't met him.

She closed her eyes, the boots were closer now, just behind her.

There was nothing she could do other than fight.

Elias sprang on her from behind, she fell to the ground, her nose hitting the ground with a sickening crunch, and she was going to die here.

She swung around, trying to fight him off but he had caught her.

There was nothing she could do, not with both men holding her down.

Loras walked into the empty field. It seemed they all had gone to hunt, which meant the subject had come already.

He felt the thrill of the chase, but he had missed it. Ever since he had left Diana, he had missed the fear of someone running away from him.

He raced into the woods where he could hear them.

He found them a few paces ahead and he raced to meet them. He had missed the hunting but he could still see the body of the subject, lifeless but reeking of fear.

“Have you all finished?" He asked from behind.

They all turned to him; he could smell it on them, the blood and the scent; they were blackwood men.

A man walked forward, tall but lean, he looked like the beta.

“You missed the fun," he said, a small smirk on his face. He felt pleased.

Loras walked from between all of them to the front, where a few of his soldiers stood around a body.

There was a familiar scent to it, and when he recognized it, his heart almost stopped.

It couldn't be. He pushed them aside, rushing to the torn body on the floor, their pulse fading even as he strained his ears to hear it.

He turned the body around and the face that met his made him release a howl of agony.

Roseline. She was dead.

Her heartbeat was fading, the pulse deadening, she was dying right in his arms.

He tried to heal her, seeping his power into her but nothing happened. She was dying.

“Please no," he pleaded, pulling her to me.

The wolves stood around in amazement at the scene in front of them, their stoic alpha was crying over the body of the subject that was dying.

Elias noticed the change in the atmosphere, from the adrenaline and joy it was now air charged with nervousness.

He wouldn't wait to realize whatever mistake they made.

“Let's go," he told his pack members.

All of them, sensing the change in atmosphere, zoomed away with him.

“What have you fools done?" Loras screamed at his pack members.

They all stared at him sheepishly.

Loras could feel anger coursing through him. Who did this? Who brought the subjects?

His beta walked forward from the group, “The Blackwoods, sir," he said.

They didn't know why he was so angry about this.

Loras' fist clenched, he stormed away from the group to confront the blackwoods but they had left.

He let out another howl, full of pain and betrayal. They had killed his mate, his only mate. The only one that kept him sane.

He could feel his heart aching, almost physically.

He walked back to her body, carrying her in his arms and walking to his car.

They would regret it, this mistake of theirs that had cost his mate’s
Life. Every single one of them would die.

First, he would slaughter Diana right in front of Bradley before he took his beating out of his rib cage.

He wouldn't be Loras if he didn't.