Hunt Me! (I Crave The Chase) - Page 190

They were hurt.

And it was my fault.

I was supposed to be their alpha. I was supposed to take care of them. And I hadn’t done shit for months.

“I’m sorry.” I shifted, bones cracking, fur morphing to skin. Curled into a naked ball in the corner of my cage, my ears flattened to my head.

“I fucking knew it!” Harry gasped out in outrage. “You liar. You fucking liar. I asked and the hunter on the phone said you couldn’t shift—and you—you were faking it?!” He keened, low and sad, distressed. Jules leaned into his side, nuzzling at his shoulder as Harry trembled. “Why—why would you do this?”

“I…” Miserable, I sucked in a breath. There were no cameras in here. I’d looked for them when I first arrived.

“Why the fuck would you do this to us?” Harry’s voice cracked. “You know I’d fix it—I fix everyone’s shit. All you had to do was ask me.”

“There’s no fixing this,” I said softly, feeling small and hurt—and brittle.

“I know there’s not a lot of time, but one of us could’ve turned Jeff?—”

“No,” I bit out, voice low and waspish. Turned wolves were shunned. It wasn’t something that was done unless in extreme duress. It was the reason omegas were looked down on. They were the only wolves that could turn humans, and if they did, they were immediately banished from their pack in retribution.

It was taboo.

Wrong.

I couldn’t do that to Jeffrey.

And I couldn’t ask that of my brothers—it wasn’t right.

That had never even occurred to me as an option.

But apparently it had occurred to Harry.

Apparently he loved me enough to be willing to lose his home.

“Well, now I fucking can’t,” Harry huffed out. “Because I’m in here. With you.”

“Why are you here?” I bit out, voice quaking. I knew my scent betrayed me. Told them exactly how needy and frightened I was. Exactly how desperately relieved I was that I wouldn’t have to spend my last moments alone.

The truth was, they were chained up like I was—but at the end of the twelve hours, they’d be set free either way. Whether or not a Pack Alpha showed up to claim me. Neither of them had attacked the hunters, or they’d be dead right now. And if SAC sought justice for the lost lives of two innocent wolves—there would be no survivors.

They’d be sent home.

“We’re here to rescue you.”

“From yourself, apparently,” Jules added, shaking his head. “Because you’re stupid.”

“The stupidest,” Harry agreed.

“I don’t want to be rescued.”

“Liar,” Harry accused, voice low. “You’re a fucking liar.” His entire body was pulled tight. “You think I can’t fucking hear it? That I can’t smell it? You’re scared.”

“Yeah,” I admitted, voice breaking. “Yeah, I am.” Harry obviously hadn’t expected that, because his mouth clicked shut and his eyes went wide. “Every day for five fucking years I’ve woken up terrified.” My breath hitched. “You don’t get it. None of you fucking do.” My eyes burned. “You’ve never been a monster.”

Jeffrey had.

Jeffrey knew what this was like.

To carry power in his body—to be able to hurt and hunt and maim.