He Bet I’d Never Leave Him

After the hunt, I had just said goodbye to the other Alphas when Elias and Camille blocked my path. The three of us were supposed to hunt as a team, yet they had vanished the moment the hunt began. With the Suppressant still coursing through my veins, I had been forced to stay hidden until its effects finally wore off. Then I threw myself at the nearest prey, sinking my teeth into it with every ounce of strength I had left. I barely managed to bring down one. It was just enough to get me through the full moon. Camille pointed at my only kill and burst out laughing, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "See, Elias? I told you. Without you, she can barely catch a thing. Looks like someone will be going hungry tonight." Elias took the prey straight from my hands and passed it to Camille, his expression indulgent. "Fine, you win. Every kill is yours." Then he glanced at me with a teasing smile. "Chloe, you really can't hunt without me, can you?" If it hadn't been for them, I never would have been so weak that I could barely sink my fangs into my prey. Elias reached for my hand, but I quietly pulled away. His hand froze in midair, and a faint crease appeared between his brows. "Stop being difficult, Chloe. So you didn't catch anything. It's not a big deal. I'll stay with you at the full moon ball, all right? There's no need to sulk." I looked at the two of them and almost laughed at how absurd it all was. "I'm not going to the full moon ball." Camille hid the prey behind her back and stepped closer, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "Chloe, we were only teasing you. It's just one kill. You're not seriously going to hold a grudge over that, are you?" I snatched the prey back from her and shoved her aside. "You drugged me with Suppressant. You nearly got me killed." My voice shook with fury. "You both knew that if I failed to feed before the full moon, I could lose control and turn feral. Yet you still stole my kill, and now you have the nerve to call me petty?" Camille stumbled, but Elias caught her before she fell. When he looked at me again, his expression had turned cold. "I already told you I'd stay with you that night, didn't I? I wasn't going to leave you alone. Besides, a bet is a bet. Every kill belongs to Camille." Camille nodded quickly. "We'll all be together during the full moon, so you won't be in any danger. And honestly, I don't even need another kill. If you don't want to play along, then forget it." Her smile faded into feigned disappointment. "You never used to be like this." I ignored her and looked past her shoulder. Behind her lay a neatly arranged pile of more than a dozen kills. Every one of them bore the unmistakable marks of Elias's fangs around its throat. It was obvious Camille had spent the entire night sitting around and drinking coffee while Elias hunted everything for her. Under pack law, all prey caught by a hunting team was supposed to be divided equally. But I had stopped expecting fairness from them a long time ago. Camille noticed where I was looking and deliberately stepped in front of the pile, blocking it from view. "Oh, by the way, we prepared a little surprise for you for the full moon." Her smile brightened again. "We were going to let you find out on your own, but I suppose I'll have to tell you now if that's what it takes to cheer you up."