Page 61 of Alpha Games

Hunting was never a sure thing, but this mountain range was teeming with game. It was overpopulated and under-regulated, likely due to the show’s influence. It made me furious to think of the predators running unchecked and destroying the prey’s habitat all to keep things interesting for viewers.

We passed an old bear den. A black bear might bring in bragging rights and score decentpoints. But if I was spending the day out here, I’d be coming back with a more worthy kill.

My wolf caught his breath and took a switchback trail to the boulders. He climbed slowly, ignoring his aching joints as his claws scrambled for purchase on the rocks. At the vantage point, the wind shifted again, putting his scent where we wanted it to go.

You ready?I lay watching through his eyes as he lowered himself to the ground, feeling the anticipation of the hunt coursing through us.

I was born ready.My wolf scoffed as we waited for the game to turn and our prey to catch a whiff of us now.

Slowly and steadily, we scanned the horizon.

There.

A flash of tan fur had my wolf snarling as he leapt off the boulder and raced through the woods.

The mountain lion’s banshee like shriek echoed down the valley as it slashed out with his claws still coated in the pregnant elk’s blood. My wolf dodged under the massive paws and swiped with his own claws at the underbelly.

The cat bolted, scrambling up the nearest tree.

That was easy.My wolf panted as he paced beside the evergreen trunk while the feral cat growled in warning overhead.

It’s not over yet.I took my human skin, stretching out my back as my spine cracked into place and turning my face to the sky as my jaw rearranged into that of a man.

The cat let out a panicked hiss, scared out of its wits to see a human in its midst.

I didn’t blame it. Humans were terrifying.

The lowest branch was a foot or two over my head and I jumped for it, catching the rough bark with both hands and pulling myself up.

The mountain lion bared its fangs.

I bared mine in return.

It inched backwards along the branch above my shoulder and swiped at my ear. I ducked, using my bare feet to balance on the branch below and testing my weight before I leapt to the higher branch.

The tree groaned under both of us, swaying to the side. The mountain lion’s eyes were wide as it screamed and lunged at me.

I grabbed the back of its neck in one hand and jumped to the ground, holding the wriggling beast like an errant pup. It hissed and scratched, catching its claws into my forearm and digging deep.

I grit my teeth through the pain, pinning the lion to the ground. “Nice try, kitty. But I’m no elk.”

Allow me.My wolf forced the partial shift and his jaws descended again. His teeth glinted in the sun before he clamped down on the thick hide of the mountain beast’s neck, ripping through leathered flesh.

It was a clean and quick kill. Humane.

A hell of a lot more than the mama elk got.

I slung the body over my shoulders. Warm blood dripped down my naked back and I whistled a little tune as I started jogging along the game trail.

I might have finished the hunt earlier if I wasn’t being picky about my predator, but this was one of many debts needing to be repaid. It wasn’t that I had a vendetta against all cats. There was one on my payroll now after all. But mountain lions were out of control in the Rockies without a natural predator and it just so happened one had hurt my mate’s grandfather. The debt was paid by extension.

This felt right in a way I couldn’t explain and it wasn’t only the gift of retribution. It called to my base instincts–the need to provide for my mate. The hunt was finished and today I’d know if all the work I’d done over the past few weeks would come to fruition or not. And if it didn’t?

I’d find another way.

But I had bigger things to focus on now. Aspen would need space carved into my home and pack. We’d have to get her grandfather set up. And I’d do whatever it took to make her life one she wouldn’t want to escape from.

My chest felt a little fuller and my stride a little longer as I carried the kill down the mountain. The fresh air from the forest filled my lungs. I was clearheaded and focused. Eager for what was to come. It was such a beautiful day.