Page 36 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

35

VIOLET

It was thrilling running with so many hybrids.

The second Atticus was out of sight, the clearing lit up with the sound of breaking bones. Within seconds, massive wolves of varying color dotted the snow. Even Burgundy, Desirae’s dark brown wolf, had shifted and was clearly eager to pursue Atticus. There were fifteen of us in all, and it was a glorious sight. None of the wolves had opted to shift into their true forms, but we didn’t need them to.

There was no way that Atticus could outrun us. The hunter had become the hunted, and the irony of the situation made me howl with glee.

Sable released my howl, and as it echoed through the trees while we ran, the wolves behind her excitedly answered the call. It was a terrifying sound, and Atticus was no doubt wetting himself right now.

In no time, we caught up with him, but the pack decided to fan out and bring him down slowly. He needed to feel the fear that we had felt. To experience how terrifying it felt to be hunted. We chased him for miles, ever-so-slowly tightening the circle. He ran and ran, helpless against so much power.

A power he never should have messed with.

A loud snap suddenly cleaved the air, and Atticus fell with a cry.

Sable slowed to a trot, approaching him cautiously. When I saw a flash of silver in the snow, I barked a laugh. He fell into one of his own traps! Ah, poetic justice . The other wolves closed in, watching Atticus writhe on the ground in agony. After several long moments, I said, Guess we should help him .

Just a little bit longer , Sable softly whined.

We’re not evil, remember? I chastised.

Fine , she said with a sigh.

She stepped forward, but Whiskey brushed against her, clearly wanting to help. Together, they approached the fallen male, pausing to shift their front paws into clawed hands so they could pry the trap open. As Whiskey grabbed the male’s injured leg, Atticus reared up, a syringe tightly gripped in his hand.

The needle was headed directly for Whiskey’s neck, and Sable immediately reacted.

Faster than I could blink, she lunged forward and bit Atticus’s head clean off. As blood spurted into her mouth, I wailed, Gross! Drop it, Sable. Drop it!

She spat it out into the snow with a sheepish whine. Oops .

OOPS? That’s all you have to say for yourself?

As I continued to scold her, Whiskey made a noise that sounded a lot like a laugh.

Ugh! You two are impossible , I groaned.

Sable didn’t respond, too busy making googly eyes at her mate. The more he laughed, the more she preened, clearly delighted with his approval.

Okay, you two are officially in timeout , I firmly said, nudging her to shift back.

Whiskey leaned over to lick her muzzle clean, but as soon as he was finished, both wolves relinquished control. Shadow and Onyx did the same, and soon, Griff, Kolton, Jagger, and I were staring down at Atticus’s decapitated body and head.

“He looks much better this way,” Griff observed after a silent beat. He let out an “ Oof!” as I elbowed his ribs.

“Efficient,” was all Jagger said.

“Well, one less bad guy for the SCA to lock up,” my brother said, clearly not at all upset by the outcome.

Neither was I, but I could still taste Atticus’s blood in the back of my throat.

“I need to do something,” I abruptly said, turning to face Griff. “Something I should have done a long time ago.” Then, before I could lose my nerve, I said, “Griffin Hayes O’Neal, I want to claim you as my mate.”

Griff gaped at me like he’d heard wrong. “Claim me? What, like right now?”

“Yes.”

His brows practically disappeared into his hairline. “Here? Next to a dead body and in front of everyone?”

“Yes.”

So romantic , Sable sighed.

Griff suddenly grinned a mile wide. “Hell, yes , you can claim me. And if there’s anything else you wanna do while you’re at it, I’m totally down with it. We’re naked, after all. It would be a shame to waste this golden opportun—”

“Griff!” Kolton and Jagger barked at the same time.

Several of the wolves still surrounding us snorted and shook their heads, making Griff laugh.

I watched him with a little smile, beyond grateful that he’d chosen me of all people to spend his life with. Not just for now, but forever. And I couldn’t wait even one more second to choose him in return.

Standing on tiptoe, I wrapped my arms around his neck before whispering, “Griff?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and let me claim you.”

His expression softened, and the amount of love I saw shining back at me took my breath away. Without a word, he tilted his head to the side, exposing his vulnerable throat to me. Submitting. Allowing me to take what was mine.

And so I did.