Hunt Me! (I Crave The Chase) - Page 203

My prince.

My fairy tale.

I’d wanted Jeffrey to save me. I’d wanted him to save me so bad—I just hadn’t let myself admit that. And maybe…that had been my folly the whole time. Because it was only after I accepted that truth that I realized the truth.

I’d gone feral.

I had.

And if the memory of him was enough to bring me back from the brink of insanity then that meant…fuck. That meant perhaps we could’ve bonded all along. Human or not.

For so long I’d agonized. I’d told myself it was impossible. Torn myself apart when the truth was right in front of my face.

Mom and Dad had always told me a mate was a person you chose.

I just…hadn’t realized I could choose Jeffrey.

He wasn’t a wolf and I’d thought…well…

I’d thought that it wasn’t a possibility.

This was my fault.

All along this had been my fault. Because while I’d chosen to stay with Jeffrey, there had always been a small, shriveled part of me that knew my days would end. And that part of me—the part that resented the moon—the part that knew I wouldn’t have a happy ending, was the reason our bond had never settled.

Until now.

The silvery threads of our souls twisted toward one another. My wolf stirred beneath the surface of my skin. Harry and Jules were quiet, solemn as they watched the sun sink low behind the trees.

Downy soft, pearly white snow covered the ground, sweeping in through the open garage door. Wispy and chill, it fluttered inside the garage. I was grateful for my fur then, and even more grateful to be a wolf—because we tended to run hot.

If Jeffrey had been here he would’ve been shivering.

As it was, however, all of us sat still, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When the hunters returned, they’d see me—in my alphaskin. They’d remember the way I’d torn at the bars. And Harry would only have a few moments to convince them that I was back—and that this was over. I wasn’t sure I had another shift in me.

My wolf surrounded me, keeping me safe, my shuddery, broken heart fluttering as weakly as the snow.

The moon rose high in the sky, not quite full, but close enough. I watched her, heart aching.

For so long I’d resented the cool blue of her caress. She’d made me a monster.

But now I…realized how wrong I’d been.

It wasn’t my moon mother who had betrayed me.

It was me.

With every negative thought, with my secret surety that things would end bloody and violent. I’d stolen my life away—blaming her for my own transgressions.

For the first time since I was sixteen and lost the moon, her light felt warm.

“Time’s almost up,” Harry said, voice hoarse. It was the first time he’d spoken in…hours maybe? I wasn’t sure. Based on the height of the moon I knew he was correct. “Where are they?”

“Where’s Dad?” Jules’s voice was small. I twisted to look at them for the first time since I’d fallen to the floor. Everything hurt, but the silvery threads of my bond to Jeffrey were still reaching—and I hoped…I hoped they didn’t chase in vain.

“He should’ve been here by now,” Harry chewed on his lip, a dark lock of his hair falling over his brow. He and Jules often looked like twins—though Harry was quite a bit taller than Jules was. They shared the same haunted eyes now, however, as they looked at me.