Tangled

178

178

178 Lucas: Hunt Him Down

LUCAS

Hundreds of wolves flood the forest in search of the elusive

vampire, filling my blood with the lust of the hunt and pride in my pack.

Ava's at the lodge and safe. I'm on my way. Kellan's mental voice is a welcome interruption.

Ryder scented him near the border of the human dairy farm. Take a team and move south, in case he's fucking with his trail.

Got it, Alpha.

Now that I don't have to worry about her safety, I can focus on this bastard who has the balls to come to our lands during this sacred time.

My wolf snarls, a vicious rumble deep in our shared chest as we race through the shadowed forest.

Moonlight weaves between the trees, illuminating the underbrush in random patterns, brushing against my dark fur as I weave

between ancient trunks.

All around me, howls rise into the night sky. It's an eerie symphony of bloodlust, feral and free, as we rush through the land in pursuit, ready to tear any vampire we catch from limb from limb. The pack's rage pulses through me, mingling with my own, until I can't distinguish where mine ends and theirs Begins.

Good. Let them feel the depth of my wrath, the seething

17:45

Hunt Hen

vengeance and blood in price for

the warm

the metallic tang of old blood.

Vampire.

throat. My blood surges as I lunge in the direction of that unholy scent. My paws devour the distance, powerful muscles

team northwest. Scent

way.

more beast than man, roughened by the intensity of my focus. I sense Kellan's acknowledgment, feel him gathering the wolves under his command to pursue the trail. Ryder, swing your

to invade my territory, dared to threaten and kill my people.

all to see. A warning to any bloodsucker who even

17:45

that

presence sharp with confusion. But it's... to the

winds through my gut. South should lead them

again, terse and grim. Miles from the original

with the same sickly sweet vampire stench in

in my chest. This isn't right. It's too spread out, too perfectly placed at the edges of

Fuck.

rips from my throat. I should have seen it immediately. Multiple trails,

a ploy. The leech is trying to lure us out, divide our

a leaden weight

by a cunning monster who knows exactly how to manipulate

all my senses. Straining for any sign of the vampire's actual location amid the chaos of false trails. But there's nothing. Only the maddening sweetnes pack-link like a whip. We're being loved with. Ryder, Kellan, take a group each

with ruthless efficiency. I understand. my wolves' frustration, feel it roiling