A light knock sounded on the door and Kate looked at Susanna in concern. They both walked to the door and cracked open the door, peeking out into the hall beyond.
Amelia stood in the hallway. She leaned close and whispered to the girls, “I have a map and hiding places. Come to my room, Cliff is gone. I will show you some things. It will help. Please, let me help.”
Kate looked at Susanna then glanced back at Izzy, still sleeping on the bed. Kate nodded and opened the door wide seeing Thomas still standing ijn the hall beyond.
“I’d be happy to guard the door,” he said softly, smiling at Kate.
She nodded in return and smiled back. “Thank you, Thomas.”
The girls slipped out and followed Amelia through the castle toward the Kreil wing. Kate noticed there was a bruise forming around Amelia’s neck. She frowned as she assessed Amelia’s arms and saw arm prints along her upper arms as well.
Amelia turned and gestured for the girls to walk into t
Izzy was almost feeling like a watered-down version of herself by the time they reached the ballroom, her arm wrapped around Thomas'. She noted several familiar faces and made effort to offer them a smile. It wasn't her normal cheerful smile and she could tell she was getting many confused, concerned glances. She supposed she wouldn't have to work too hard to feign sickness. Thomas smiled down at her, "I don't suppose you'd save me your first dance?" Izzy smiled back at him, "I'd be honored, Thomas." She allowed him to lead her toward the dance floor as Kate and Susanna watched with hawk eyes. "Do you think we will have to stay long?" Kate asked Susanna. "An hour maybe? Long enough to see the ambassador from Ellisvale so he can confirm we attended if it comes up later," Susanna responded. "That is a good idea. We will need to make sure he sees Izzy, too," Kate said. “Do you see him?” Susanna asked, glancing around the ballroom.
Izzy walked through the ballroom, her hand wrapped around the arm of her mate, Nate. She glanced up at him and felt her heart beating erratically. She saw the hungry look in his eyes and she looked away uncomfortably, not ready to explore that facet of the mate bond yet. He wasn't allowed to claim her, not until The Hunt started, but she was feeling more at ease with him. He might be willing to wait, she thought, if she asked. She looked ahead and saw Amelia walking into the ballroom on the arm of her mate, Cliff. His eyes found her almost immediately. He gazed at her hungrily and Izzy cringed in fear. His eyes gleamed in triumph as he surveyed her from top to bottom, his eyes stopping at her chest. She stepped back slightly, hiding partially behind Nate as she tried to escape from Cliff's gaze. Nate looked down at her in question. "I'm not feeling the best, maybe I should find Kate?" she said softly. Nate nodded and they worked their way around the room, looking fo
The race was on. As soon as the first shot was fired, thousands of girls burst across the starting line running toward the forest and mountains in the distance. The air was pulsing with fear, anticipation, anxiety, panic, and excitement. Adrenaline filled the air and endorphins pulsed through the blood of the first group of runners. The scents were so mixed, it would have been a miracle to pinpoint one specific person at the starting line. The participants were grouped into two starts, the hunters and the prey. The prey had been let loose with the first shot. The prey had naturally split into three distinct groups once the first shot had been fired. The front group had taken off at a sprint, desperate to reach the trees as quickly as possible. They were hoping for a hiding place, anywhere they could wait out this year’s game. They were the panicked participants. They were desperate to go home alone another year, their optimism pushing them onward as their legs pumped as fas
“We’re going to catch them,” Seth said with confidence. Nate grunted his agreement. They were both looking at the place in the forest where the sisters had disappeared 15 minutes prior. Seth adjusted his pants to make himself more comfortable. The thought of having Kate in his arms was causing his cock to harden in response. There would be plenty of time for that later. “Want to make a bet on how long it will take you?” Logan said cheerfully, clapping Seth on the back. “Longer than you, that much is certain,” Seth grumbled as he watched Susanna slowly walk through the trees, shooting glances back at Logan as she went. She threw him a wink and took off at a jog, giving a feeble attempt at offering a chase. "I told you she didn't seem as invested in Izzy and Kate's plan," Logan smirked as he clapped Nate on the back cheerfully. He stood between the two Kreil and watched Susanna meander through the woods. Seth grunted his acknowledgment, noting h
119:30:00 A loud beep rent through the air and the bewitched time blinked several times in the afternoon sky. It was a universal signal to all participants that the second shot had been fired. Izzy jumped in startled panic and swung around to look behind them, convinced the hunters were going to show up any second to claim them. Kate still had a hold on her hand, leading her upriver. Kate squeezed her hand tight and pulled her arm upriver. “It’s ok, Iz. They’ll follow our initial scent trail first. Susanna had our clothes, remember? She will go the same way we did and lead them toward the cliffs where she’ll be able to hide. She took our clothes too so she can drop them along the way. She’s good, Iz. And she’s really fast, the best sprinter we have in Ellisvale, remember? She can buy us at least a day, maybe more,” Kate said softly. She ran her thumb along the back of Izzy’s hand as they walked through the knee-deep water. Izzy nodded as she looked at Kate, r
As soon as the second shot rang out, Seth, Nate, and Logan took off after the raven-haired shifter who had taunted them not more than 10 minutes before. Logan was cursing under his breath the entire time. What he thought was going to be a quick catch was turning into quite the chase. His deflated dick was none too happy about the change of events in his hunt. The hunters were naturally separating into three groups, much like the prey. The front group took off quickly, they knew exactly what they wanted. They had found their mate in the days leading up to this hunt and were determined to bring back their mates today. If luck held out, they would be ready to mark their prize and carry them back to the castle before nightfall. What followed would be the inevitable days of sex and closing feasts before they took their mates home for their tribes to welcome. The second group of hunters was searching more slowly for a scent that would knock them over. They needed to find t
Susanna was running faster than she ever had in her entire life. The look on Izzy's face when she heard her mate talking with Cliff would be etched in Susanna's mind for decades. It drove Susanna to sprint longer and harder than she ever had before. She weaved in the forest, following the path Amelia recommended. The path led out of the forest and along a rocky cliff. It descended slowly toward the easternmost part of the river before the river flowed out of sight into the neighboring territory. It was easier to run along this trail because the ground sloped downhill, gravity pulled her along. Susanna mentally checked the map she had seen, remembering the spot where Amelia had suggested leaving a fake trail. It would buy several hours at the very least while Susanna made better progress into the canyons to the secret tunnel across the canyon. That's what they needed most, more time. With a jolt, she heard the second shot, the men were off. She didn't have much time,
Izzy and Kate were still crouching behind the vines against the stone ledge several hours later. Unbeknownst to them, Susanna was running along the canyon and the men were hiking down into the canyon below, following the scent Susanna had placed as a decoy. Kate was assessing their situation on the ledge, wondering if they would see any other wolves coming their way. The time in the sky said they had evaded capture for over two hours. Every second that passed was one less second they had to hide, and Kate gratefully watched as the numbers counted down. 117:48:41 Kate heard a rustling in the leaves along the river and saw two men walking along the path, taking their time to sniff the area around the river. One of the men crouched down to look at the ground before standing up to look at the river. "She jumped in the river here. Damn it. I'm never going to pick up her scent again," he said, his frustration evident. He shook his head and rubbed his face. He look