Page 75 of Half Wolf Mate
“What happens when shifters lose their mates again?” he paused. “They go crazy, don’t they? Maybe I’ll torture you and the entire pack by killing your mate, so they can watch you slowly go insane.”
I stared at the arrow pointed at me with sheer terror. Cole and Damian were absolutely still. This was bad. No matter what move they made, one of us would likely end up dead.
“I’m the one you came for.” I pulled in a deep breath. “You know you can’t win this war. I saw it on your face. You’re worried.”
The hunter scowled, confirming my guess. “I was supposed to kill you months ago. You know my intentions, and you still offer yourself up?”
A tinge of satisfaction went through me. “If that’s what it takes to stop all this.”
“How noble,” he sneered. “But this is no longer just about you. I located you months ago but saw the opportunity to have you lead us to more shifters. And you led us to the entire pack.”
Nausea rolled through me. It was just as I thought. I’d been nothing but trouble for Cole since I got here.
Picking up on my guilt, Cole assured me, “It’s not your fault. I should have known we were being followed here. I let my guard down.”
My shoulders drooped. His trying to take the blame brought me no comfort. I caused this. The hunters wouldn’t back down even if I offered myself.
“There is another thing,” the hunter said.
My gaze jumped back to the horrid man.
“Say I pull my people back for a little while?”
“A little while?” Damian asked. “Make it forever, or I’ll hunt you down and kill you myself… if you make it out of here alive, that is.”
“What else do you want?” I quickly asked.
The hunter smirked. “If you come with us, I know your father will follow. You can help me draw him out.”
Despite the madness happening around me, I zoned out. My pulse thumped so hard I could hear it in my ears. As I gawked at the hunter, my mind raced. When Adam hinted that my father was still alive, I disregarded it because there was no way that was true. Now, this stranger who wanted me dead was saying the same things.
When the outside world came back into focus, I was shocked to find us surrounded by shifters and hunters. Both sides eyed the other warily. The head hunter’s friends must have seen that he was cornered and stopped fighting to come to his aid. The shifters did the same to protect their Alpha.
The good thing was the fighting had come to a standstill. The bad thing—one wrong move from anyone and the frenzy would start up again… this time with Cole, Damian, and me right in the middle of it.
Pulling myself together, I swallowed hard. “Okay, I’ll go with you. I don’t care if you kill me after that. Just leave the pack’s compound right now.”
The hunter’s gaze narrowed on me as if he contemplated.
“You leave with him over my dead body,” Cole declared.
“You know, that can easily be arranged.” The hunter’s lips lifted into a snarl as he pointed the arrow back at Cole’s chest.
I inhaled sharply. “Please, everyone, just stop. I’ll go in peace.” I glanced at Cole. “One life for an entire pack. You know it’s the best choice.”
His eyes came alive with anger, and I think I saw fear in them, too. He shook his head defiantly. “No.”
“Hell, no.”
The voice wasn’t Damian’s or one of the others who had befriended me. When I realized it was from one of the men who had openly expressed dissatisfaction with Cole claiming me, I was beyond shocked.
“You won’t take her. We’ll fight to the death if we must,” another said.
My jaw dropped, but I quickly snapped my mouth shut. Even Cole looked a little surprised.
The hunter sneered, and his team readied themselves to attack again. The violent tension crackled in the air with more intensity than before.
“If you all insist,” the hunter retorted. That menacing silver-tipped arrow swung back to me.