Page 127 of Locke

The chase was exhilarating, and I could feel the rush of adrenaline as I pursued my prey. The wolf inside me reveled in the hunt, and I knew Locke would be proud. I leapt over bushes and ravines, my nimble paws and sleek body making easy work of the pursuit.

As the men stumbled, trying to evade my powerful jaws. One male looked back, terror filling his eyes and I didn’t wait. I lunged for the softer part of his neck, heard a satisfying crunch and dropped his body to the ground. There was nothing quite like the feeling of being a predator in its natural element, and I knew that right now, I was exactly where I was meant to be.

The last human thought it would be smart to climb a tree to evade my hunt. I sniffed around the base and stared up into his fearful eyes. He smelled of fear and ammonia, and the wolf inside me only felt satisfied at the thought of bringing him down.

“No, please!” He cried out, holding onto the branch he was perched on.

Bones’ warning, to keep my lycan body inside and let it rest, was long gone. I was never one to listen anyway. I let my bones crack. It felt worse than shifting into a wolf, but I did it anyway. The pain felt good, as I let my back arch and howled into the darkness, only to see my mate dragging my father behind him in his own lycan form.

I snarled in satisfaction and gazed up the tree. My claws gripped hold and I took to climbing. The bark fell, and it wasn’t just the scream from the human I was hunting that I heard, but my bastard father who I wasn’t chasing at that moment.

Because he was next.

The human climbed onto the outer part of the limb, thinking I wouldn’t climb out so far. He was mistaken because I took thechallenge. I licked my lips for good effect until the limb broke and I leapt, gripping hold of his leg.

We both fell to the ground and he howled in pain when his arm fell out of its socket.

I didn’t let him suffer for long, because it was my father that I wanted to see suffer the most, so I snapped his neck. I felt his lifeless body go limp and turned to my father, who was upside down, held by my mate’s claws.

My father was reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Like he would go anywhere near heaven. I chuckled, coming closer to Locke, covered in the rest of my enemy's blood.

I thought it was damn sexy. Did that make me psychotic, too?

“Yes,” Locke breathed heavily. The cock between his legs bobbed in agreement and I tried to hold back a whimper, because I would not fuck him in front of my father.

Did I want to say something cliche’ before I ended his life? Or just get on with it?

I gripped my father by the neck, my claws sinking into his throat, and pulled him right side up.

“Bet you didn’t see this coming?” I breathed, my hot breath in his face. “Thought your little girl was weak, huh?”

I took my claw and let it run down his arm, touching the bone as I went.

He screamed and tried to push me away.

“Well, Daddy, allow me to show you how wrong you were.” With a swift motion, I plunged my claws into his chest, just missing his heart. I felt the warmth of his blood against my palms. His eyes widened in shock and fear, and for a moment, I saw the same expression I’d mirrored in his eyes when he tried to marry me off to a cold-blooded killer.

At that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d had so many ideas about how I wanted to make him suffer, but I just wantedto end it all, quickly and swiftly. So, I slit his throat with a swipe of my two claws.

He gargled, unable to form words. I watched the blood trail down his neck and onto the leaves of the forest floor.

It was done. No more running.

I was safe. Elena and Luis were safe.

My body, tired from running and shifting, cracked. I winced, feeling myself shifting from that of Lycan, back into my fleshed human form. Again, standing naked in the woods.

I felt Locke approach me from my periphery, in his human form. His cock still throbbed, and his eyes were filled with pride, and desire.

Without a word, we turned to each other, our bodies glistening in the moonlight, covered in blood and sweat. He licked the side of my face, tasting drops of blood, until our lips met.

Passionately, our tongues entwined as we savored the taste of our enemies and the thrill of a hunt, a kill and a fucking victory.

Chapter Forty-Four

Locke

Ifirmly struck the gavel on the polished wooden pulpit, its sharp thud reverberating through the room. The restless chatter persisted, and my impatience grew. No one knew when to shut the fuck up.