Hunter's Attraction

Revelations

Jean-Pierre arrived at his watch on time, but it felt suffocating to be under the watchful eyes of his pack. It seemed everyone knew his history, subjecting him to constant glares and jeers. Just one mistake—that's all it took for him to ruin his family's reputation and, in turn, the pack’s standing. To them, he was no longer in line to become Alpha. But they were all wrong. Not that he wanted the position, he thought with a huff. Sure, being Alpha came with great perks, but the responsibility of overseeing so many lives weighed heavily on him. He could barely manage his own life; he couldn’t be responsible for the well-being of so many others.

“JP,” a voice called out, interrupting his self-deprecating thoughts. He looked up to see Daniel, Beta Mateo’s second, scanning the volunteers. “I need a partner for JP.” Daniel repeated the request, glancing around the group. No hands went up. Well, not entirely true. Isabel raised her hand, but Diego whispered something in her ear, and she begrudgingly lowered it, and JP released a grateful sigh.

Julian would have raised his hand, but since he was Hector’s first cousin, he couldn’t count on his best friend’s presence, as Julian was attending the funeral. “O-kay, then,” Daniel said after several moments of silence. “Jean-Pierre, you’ll take the southwest. It’s the smallest area and can easily be covered by one werewolf. If you need to, contact the group; remember to howl.”

“Um, are we sure he’s sober enough?” a random packmate asked, prompting snickers from others.

“Would you like to be partners with JP?” Daniel growled ferociously. The teen shook his head, his body quaking in fear. “Then shut up.” The teen nodded, and Daniel addressed the patrollers again. “All right. Tonight is a double, so I hope you all drank your energy drinks. No sleeping on the job.”

“Yes, sir!” they all replied.

“We’ll do a perimeter check every 15 minutes. Dismissed.”

***

Lily quickly texted her brother, letting him know she had made it to work just fine. They went through this routine every time she worked a night shift. This time… this time was different. It was her first time working overnight at Sirena’s shelter.

Sirena’s animal shelter operated differently than most. To begin with, the facility was privately owned and funded by Sirena, and it remained open 24/7. They got little business at two in the morning, but Sirena didn’t enjoy leaving the dogs and a few cats alone. Lily was inclined to agree. Aiden thought it was a ridiculous waste of electricity and gas. Sirena had told him where he could shove that opinion.

Lily smiled as she remembered that particular day, but she’d have time to reminisce later. Now… now she needed to restock the shelves and take out the trash. But first, she couldn’t resist greeting every single dog—and maybe the cats, too. After that, she’d think about the chores.

***

Jean-Pierre shifted back into his human form. It was quiet—maybe too quiet. Either that, or he was just tired. He had passed the tree he’d been leaning against at least ten times in the last five hours. What time is it? Leaning over to where his clothes were hidden, he glanced at the time on his phone. 1:00 a.m.? It’s only 1:00 a.m.? He still had five hours left! Crap! He wanted to cry. He was so bored!

Crack! Jean-Pierre's body immediately stiffened as his senses went on high alert. He sniffed the air—another scent. He swiftly and silently shifted back into his wolf form. Am I being… hunted? Sniffing again, JP recognized the scent. It was the kid who had made the joke about him being sober. Was his name Joey? José? Juan? Jean-Pierre settled on Juan.

Juan’s wolf, a light brown creature, emerged from the tree JP had just been leaning against. Jean-Pierre let out a warning bark, but the other wolf kept approaching, foaming at the mouth as he did. Jean-Pierre tilted his head, sensing that something was wrong. He tried to communicate with Juan again, but his bark went unheeded. Slowly, JP backed away. What’s wrong with him?

As Juan grew closer, JP could see his eyes. His pupils were fully dilated, flecked with silver and violet, and JP froze. He recognized those symptoms: Juan had been drugged with wolfsbane.

Jean-Pierre tilted his head to the sky, ready to release a howl, but Juan lunged at him. The only sound JP managed to make was a whimper.

The two wolves rolled on the ground. Juan was trying to bite JP’s throat, while JP focused on containing Juan. Unfortunately, neither was aware of their surroundings, and before JP knew it, both wolves went tumbling over a hill.

***

Lily whistled a merry tune as she carried two garbage bags to the dumpster. She glanced at the moon and paused. Something—or someone—was tumbling down the hill. She knew she should turn around and walk away, but she felt oddly drawn to the sight. It wasn’t until she was about 70 yards away that Lily’s wolf-vision activated. Her heart raced. Those were two wolves—and not just any wolves. Werewolves.

Without hesitation, Lily dashed into the shelter, grabbing for her simple bow stashed next to the back door. (She no longer left home without at least one.) Should I go inside? The thought of retreating to safety crossed her mind, but she couldn’t shake the pull toward the creatures. Now there was only one wolf, a light brown one, just 25 yards away. Its gaze was locked onto her. Lily gulped.

Notching a silver arrow, she angled her body in a way that hid the simple bow from the wolf’s view. So much for a boring night.

***

The last thing JP remembered was being slammed back against a tree. As he slowly stood up, he shook off the dizziness and caught a new floral scent wafting past his nostrils. Oh no. He recognized that scent. Lily!

Jean-Pierre forced himself onto his paws and peered into the dim light of a dark alley. There stood Lily, unaware of the danger creeping toward her. Juan was stalking in her direction, his eyes locked onto her with a predatory intensity.

***

Lily had killed a werewolf once, but this werewolf—something was wrong. It moved with a frantic energy, its eyes wild and foaming at the mouth. Is this werewolf rabid? She wondered, her heart racing. Could werewolves even go rabid?

Before she could ponder the thought further, a rustle behind the creature drew her attention. She barely had time to register it when the wolf lunged at her with terrifying speed. “Aah!” she screeched, instinctively raising her bow just in time to create a barrier between herself and its snapping jaws.

The impact sent her crashing hard onto her back, tiny pebbles from the asphalt dug painfully into her skin. The wolf clawed at her bow, its teeth snapping just inches from her face. Thank goodness I upgraded to stronger wood, she thought, her mind racing as she struggled to hold the weapon steady.

With her arm trembling from the strain, Lily desperately grasped at the ground with her free hand, searching for anything that could help her. The scattered arrows lay just beyond her reach, each second feeling like an eternity. She turned her head to the side, hoping to find a pointy object, but instead, she gagged as the wolf's hot breath washed over her, heavy with the stench of aggression.

Her arm felt like it might buckle under the pressure when, suddenly, the weight pressing down on her vanished. Heart racing, she scrambled to her elbows, clumsily pushing herself to her feet. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a second wolf—a darker one—standing protectively between her and the rabid werewolf.

Before she could process her relief, the two wolves clashed, snarling and biting, their movements a flurry of fur and teeth.

Desperately scanning her surroundings, Lily spotted one of her arrows lying on the ground nearby. She lunged for it, but as she reached to load it, she realized her bowstring had come loose in the chaos. Panic surged through her. Looking back at the fierce struggle unfolding before her, she could see the darker wolf—her savior—was losing ground.

With urgency fueling her movements, Lily tied and reattached her bowstring in a flash. It didn’t have the tautness she needed, but it would have to suffice. Finally, she notched her arrow, taking a deep breath as she aimed, waiting for the perfect opening to strike.

***

Jean-Pierre’s vision turned crimson. No. This couldn't be happening. Juan killed Lily! He killed Lily! Rage ignited within him like a wildfire. I’m going to kill him! With a strength he didn’t know he possessed, JP lunged forward, his teeth sinking into Juan’s shoulder. He threw the other werewolf off Lily, fueled by desperation and fury. As soon as Juan hit the ground, JP was on him, a whirlwind of fury and vengeance. How dare he kill my soulmate? Sure, they hadn’t shared many civil conversations beyond apologies, and JP still grappled with the idea of accepting the mate bond, but none of that mattered now. Juan had crossed a line, and he would pay!

The two wolves tumbled in a fierce struggle, claws and teeth clashing as they fought for dominance. Rage coursed through Jean-Pierre, filling him with a surge of adrenaline that dulled the pain of his own wounds. For a moment, he felt invincible, driven by the need to protect Lily and avenge her. But soon enough, the drug-fueled strength of Juan began to overpower him.

In a sudden shift, JP found himself on his back, disoriented and unsure of how he had been flipped. A searing pain shot through his side; he felt something c***k—a rib. He gasped, the fire in his ribcage consuming him, and then Juan’s jaws closed around his throat, poised to bite down.

This is the end, JP thought bitterly, despair flooding through him.

But then, something miraculous happened. Juan went still, his entire body going limp, collapsing onto JP’s injured ribs. A whimper escaped JP’s mouth as confusion swept over him. What just happened?

Slowly, he worked his wolf-body out from beneath Juan’s weight, his heart racing with uncertainty. He froze when he spotted a bright silver arrow protruding from Juan’s back. From this angle, JP realized with a sickening jolt that the arrow had somehow pierced Juan’s heart. Who shot the arrow?

As he looked around, his heartbeat quickened. There, standing like a goddess amid the chaos, was Lily. She was not dead; she was very much alive—and she was holding a bow.

What. The. f**k.