Page 2

Vince

As they drove past the Moonlight skyscraper, Vince could feel her presence.

Once they’d cleansed the house of all the silver, they’d taken on the drive to Brighton.

With every mile they’d sped closer to Scarlett, his nerves had eased a little more.

Now that she was so close, his entire body felt relaxed.

It was… odd . Vince had never experienced anything like it.

Mateo indicated an empty spot on a side road with a view of the luxurious main entrance to the tower. The skyscraper was one of Brighton’s highest buildings, with a modern glass facade and tight security in place.

They hoped that if she felt them, she would seek them out. But they were also well aware that it could—and would—probably take days if not weeks for her to do so. For all they knew, Scarlett was under strict commands not to leave the building, let alone stroll the streets of Brighton alone.

Alpha Joseph was a well-known businessman in Brighton, and had built his wealth with many established businesses around the city.

Unlike most packs, he didn’t hide his in the woods far away from civilisation.

Though they had some land east of the city, the main pack residence was hidden in plain sight.

Mateo handed him his breakfast that they’d picked up on the way, but all he could do was pick at it.

Wolves from the pack came and went, but Scarlett was nowhere to be seen.

Though Ezra quickly became frustrated and edgy, he stayed put.

Unwilling to blow their cover, the three of them had agreed to remain hidden.

Ezra hated sitting still. He preferred the chase over the hunt—most of the time at least. He was the most impatient and impulsive man Vince had ever met.

Sometime in the late afternoon, the alpha and his heir arrived, both in their finest suits and guarded by their warriors. The car was driven into the garage, and they disappeared.

“Fucking show off,” Ezra mumbled from the back seat. “Why make a show of your life if you can just get out of the car in the safety of the garage?”

“Maybe she’ll come out to greet them some day,” Mateo countered, always trying to see the glass half full.

Vince rested his head back and closed his eyes, soaking up the feeling of Scarlett’s presence. He only opened them again when Ezra’s door opened, Mateo poised to stop him.

“I’m going to take a piss, that’s all!”

“You’re going to ruin this for us,” Mateo hissed. “Remember, they’re surveying this block.”

“You sound like my mother.” Then Ezra was gone.

Vince watched his every move in the mirror as he walked down the street away from the Moonlight building and disappeared on a side street. They were surprised when he returned just a few moments later.

“Fuck the both of you,” he growled, feeling their disbelief.

It had taken a while to get used to the bond. Especially Ezra’s, who did nothing to hide his erratic, unorganised thoughts. He was all over the place, ready to fuck someone up one second, then calmly waiting like an alligator in the water for his opportunity to strike.

Mateo was calmer and much more reserved. He respected the boundaries given to him and just like Vince, Mateo rather enjoyed a quiet bond. Vince rubbed the scar on his wrist from their blood vow, lifting his eyes to the sky and wondering what she was doing up there.

Did she feel them too? Was she pacing her bedroom, trying to figure out what they wanted? Maybe she was just too scared to come down to meet them. After all, Ezra wasn’t the prettiest to look at, let alone someone that gave the idea that he could be trusted.

“Do you think she bonded with all three of us because we have the blood vow?” Mateo asked, his eyes on his wrist.

Vince shrugged. Who could know for sure, but Mateo was probably onto something.

The streetlights flicked on, and Vince watched as the building before him lit up one window at a time. Ezra grew more frustrated by the minute, hating being confined to a small space and condemned to wait it out. They decided to stay at a nearby motel for the night, grabbing dinner along the way.

With the twin beds claimed, Vince took the couch. They wouldn’t get much sleep anyway, so there was no point in having their own rooms. The TV played all night, some true crime series that Ezra enjoyed—most likely for inspiration.

Once the sun came up, they prepared their stakeout with plenty of food and drinks. This day was a repeat to the last and other than seeing the alpha and his heir parade in and out, there was nothing more to see.

By the time the street was only lit by artificial light once more, even Vince was ready to give up. Then Ezra jumped and squealed like a fucking schoolgirl.

“Suck my dick!”

“I’d rather not, thanks,” Mateo deadpanned.

“That’s her!”

Vince and Mateo squinted in the direction of Ezra’s finger, but they didn’t have night vision like he did, so all they could see were dark shadows.

“Bet you wish you would’ve let me hex your eyes now, huh?”

“Fuck you.” But in the same breath Mateo asked, “What is she doing?”

“Standing in the alley across from us.”

“Is she alone?”

“Yeah.” And with that, Ezra was out the door.

The other two men rushed after him, careful to stay hidden in the shadows as much as they could.

Once across the street and in the alley, Vince’s heart leapt at the sight of her.

She wore black sweatpants with fluffy pink house shoes and a tank top with her brown hair tossed up in a messy bun.

Scarlett rubbed her hands together, bouncing in place to stay warm.

“Shit, you must be freezing,” Mateo said, yanking his hoodie off. When he tried to cover her with it, she stepped out of his reach. “I just don’t want you to be cold.”

Scarlett bit her inner cheek, eyeing the sweater. But the chill must have won out in the end. She snatched the garment and pulled it over her head.

“Why don’t you come and sit with us in the car?” Mateo offered with his gentlest tone.

She shook her head and took another step towards the fire exit, which Vince noticed had been propped open with a piece of wood.

“Afraid we’ll take you away from your precious pack?” Ezra teased, stepping in a slow circle around her like a lion stalking his prey. “Don’t worry little princess, they won’t even know it’s us.”

“Not fucking helping,” Mateo growled, giving Ezra a firm shove. “We won’t take you against your will. We just want to talk without you being so cold.”

She shook her head again. “This is a blind spot.”

“Interesting. So they won’t be able to see us here, no matter what we do.” Ezra’s words sounded scarily close to a threat, so Mateo shoved him even farther away.

Vince on the other hand stayed at a distance and kept his eyes on their surroundings. Even if she thought this was a blind spot, they couldn’t take any chances. Besides, as hunters, they knew better.

“Nothing will happen to you, Scarlett,” Mateo assured. “You’re safe with us.”

Scarlett turned to the door, muttering to herself. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“Don’t leave. You haven’t even asked us our names.”

Scarlett pulled the door and kicked the wood aside. “It’s easier not to know.” And with that she was gone.

Ezra lunged for the door, but it slammed shut. There was no handle on the outside. He banged against the door, and Vince and Mateo shot forward to grab him away. The last thing they needed was for Ezra to alert the wolves to their presence.

“Bitch,” Ezra called, muffled by Mateo’s hand covering his mouth. “Mine!”

“If you keep bitching like that you will make sure her whole pack knows that too,” Mateo hissed. “Now. Shut. Up.”

The two dragged Ezra kicking and screaming to the truck. He fought them until they threw him into the back seat. Only then did he settle. They were all panting, their blood boiling with the pain from her rejection.

She hadn’t even wanted to know their names.

With one look, Vince and Mateo decided it was best to head home. As they sped through the dark city, Vince had trouble concealing how hurt he actually was. To add insult to injury, the ache from the physical distance only grew with each mile.

Looking in the mirror, he could see Mateo keeping a close eye on Ezra.

While Mateo was trying to keep his feelings to himself, Ezra had no such concerns, making it even worse for the two of them by stabbing his dagger into his thigh, twisting the knife to intensify the pain.

He’d always had self-harming tendencies but the more they were able to hunt, the less the urges struck.

They hadn’t gone away, but the hunts gave him the release he craved.

Ezra clearly struggled with his mate’s rejection.

He clearly didn’t want her—bonds were for life, after all—but watching her walk away was hurting him in a way he couldn’t cope with.

“Ezra,” Mateo softly started.

“Shut up,” he hissed, the physical pain increasing.

Vince focused back on the road ahead and listened as Mateo tried to find the right words, “I think she’s just resisting because so much is on the line for her.”

“She hates us.”

“You clearly aren’t happy to be chosen for her either.”

“I came for her .”

“Yes, we all did, but we aren’t losing anything, are we? Her family will reject her because of us, they might never speak to her again.”

“My family doesn’t either.”

“That’s true. But you chose that, didn’t you?”

A loaded silence fell between them, as Ezra pushed his intense pain through the bond.

“Look,” Mateo continued gently. “We are hunters, and she knows that. So if she chooses us, her whole life will change. She’ll lose her pack—her entire family —and be branded a traitor for something beyond her control.

I think she wants to get to know us, otherwise she wouldn’t have sought us out today. But she isn’t ready to give in.”

“Mine,” Ezra spat.

“Ours,” Vince corrected in a possessive growl, making Mateo grin at him through the mirror.

“Who would’ve thought we’d be chasing the same woman?” Mateo laughed and leaned back, smiling to himself.