Hunter's Attraction

The Beginning of a Long Night

Aiden and Sirena stepped out of the car, senses sharp to every sound and movement. “I’m calling Alpha Tenoch,” Aiden said, pulling out his phone as Sirena sniffed the air.

“I don’t smell anything,” she frowned. “Just mountain air.”

Aiden held out his keys, dialing a number with his other hand. “Can you drive down and check on Lily?”

“I’m not leaving you out here alone,” she said firmly, stepping closer to him. “We don’t know who or what did this. You’ve got a blanket in the trunk, right?” Aiden nodded, lowering the phone from his ear. Sirena quickly grabbed the blanket and covered the changeling’s body.

“What now?” she asked.

“Alpha Tenoch isn’t answering.”

“You said the body of a young werewolf from the Cortez pack was found earlier. Maybe they’re in a meeting or something.”

“Makes sense,” Aiden said, glancing toward the mountain. “We’ll have to head up there tonight. But first, I want to check on Lily.” He lifted the body gently, placing it in the trunk with an ease that made Sirena subtly marvel at his strength. “Okay, let’s go.”

“I’m sending Chris to Lena,” Sirena said, quickly tapping out a text. “I don’t know what’s going on, but...” Her voice trailed off, concern flickering in her eyes.

Aiden nodded, sliding back into the car. It was going to be another long night.

***

Jean-Pierre returned Lily’s blank gaze, trying to ignore the way his pulse quickened. His hand was almost completely healed, but his thoughts were anything but calm. “Now what?” he asked, keeping his voice steady as the huntress continued to stare him down. She leaned casually against the front door, absently twirling a knife between her fingers, but there was nothing casual about the fire in her eyes. “Do you have to do that?” JP motioned toward the spinning knife, though that wasn’t what had his attention—it was everything else about her. Her nails, perfectly manicured and painted a soft pink, seemed out of place for someone so deadly. The contrast was magnetic, just like everything else about her—her smooth, dark hair pulled into that maddeningly perfect ponytail, the subtle curve of her neck exposed with every move, and the way her lips, even when pursed in irritation, had a glossy sheen that caught the light. It was infuriating. Why am I noticing these things now? Of all times? I have completely lost my mind. He tore his eyes away, growling under his breath. Damn hormones.

“Look,” he said, forcing himself to focus, “can’t we just talk?”

“That would be nice,” Lily said, her voice coolly. “Only, I wanted to talk with you the first day of class. But you were mean to me.” She pouted her lips, her eyes flashing with something that made JP’s stomach twist. The anger in her voice should’ve made him back off, but instead, he felt himself lean closer. She was upset, but there was still something captivating about the way she moved, the way her lips curled into that pout that sent his heart racing faster than it should. “I tried to start a civil conversation the next class,” she continued, her voice growing sharper, “but then you and your friends insulted me—in Spanish. Do you know how hard it was to sit there, pretending I had no idea what you were saying? To play dumb?”

Jean-Pierre blinked as guilt and confusion hit him at the same time. It was hard to concentrate – the scent of her perfume, the warmth of her body making it impossible to think straight. “Why did you?” he asked, more softly than he intended. His gaze flickered to her lips again. Focus, JP! “Pretend to be dumb? Why didn’t you speak up for yourself? Why let Isabel talk to you like that?”

“Why did you let her?” Lily shot back, her voice slicing through his thoughts. “She’s your friend. What are you guys? Werewolf bullies?”

“We are not bullies,” JP snapped, but even as the words left his mouth, he couldn’t stop his eyes from trailing down to her neck again. Seriously, what is wrong with me? The last thing he needed right now was to be distracted by her, but every irritated look she gave, every sarcastic comment, only heightened his attraction.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he heard her mutter.

“Maybe Isabel’s jealous of you,” JP mumbled, the words slipping out before he could stop them. And as soon as he said it, he knew it was true. Lily was his mate, but Isabella clearly had a thing for him. A thing he did not return.

Lily raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “What? You know what, I don’t care.” She broke the tense stare first, glancing towards the approaching headlights. “My brother will be here any minute.”

“That him?” JP asked, tearing his gaze away from her and back to the headlights in the distance.

“Yeah, he’s a hunter too,” she said, her voice flat.

“Great. Just great,” JP muttered. But even as he said it, his eyes slid back to her. Her brother being a hunter wasn’t the only problem he had right now.

***

Lena sat contentedly on the couch, swinging her feet and humming as she stared at the tablet in her hands. She was playing Words With Friends against Samson, Monte’s huge head resting in her lap. She had just played “bijoux,” and could practically feel Samson throwing a fit. She giggled to herself.

A sudden thump caught her attention. Monte immediately lifted his head, ears perked, and all of Lena’s senses switched to alert. “Monte,” she whispered with a frown. Monte jumped off the couch with a growl, taking a defensive stance. Someone was trying to break in.

Luckily, Uncle Aiden had wolf-proofed the house’s defenses with all the fancy wood and gadgets. Still, Lena focused, calling on her alpha senses—especially her alpha eyes. There was only one heat signature outside the house’s perimeter. An animal, too big to be a normal wolf but too small to be a bear, was prowling nearby. Werewolf.

She quickly shot a message to Samson. Hopefully, he could reach his brother. As she grabbed her phone, Sirena’s voice echoed in her mind: For emergencies only. Lena hesitated, thumb hovering over the SOS button.

Then Lena heard it—galloping footsteps. Lena rolled her eyes. Chris.

The prowler froze, then bolted into the forest, Chris hot on its heels. Monte remained tense, growling softly. “It’s okay, Monte,” Lena reassured him, patting his head. “Chris is here.” Monte gave her a bewildered look. “I know,” Lena said, grinning. “It’s Chris, but Uncle Aiden said he’s fine, and we trust Uncle Aiden, right?” Monte huffed as if unconvinced, and Lena added thoughtfully, “Hopefully, Chris remembered to bring a change of clothes this time.”

He did not.

***

“Really, Lily? You befriended him?” Aiden frowned as he exited the car.

Sirena sniffed the air. “I’m guessing your friend is inside.”

“Yeah, I told him to stay put. I wouldn’t use the word ‘befriend,’ though. He’s just in one of my college classes.”

“I’ll go check on the werewolf in the back,” Sirena said.

“Sirena,” Aiden cautioned, “be careful.”

“I’ll be fine,” Sirena laughed before sprinting toward the shelter.

“Anyway,” Lily turned to her brother. “His name is JP—Jean-Pierre. He’s rude, mean, and obnoxious,” she rolled her eyes. “But he isn’t dangerous.”

“Well, I’ve got a dead changeling in the trunk.”

“Oh no!” Lily gasped, her eyes widening. “What happened? Do you think it’s the same one that attacked JP?”

“He’s gone,” Sirena said, emerging from behind the shelter. “There’s no body. But I found this.” She produced one of Lily’s arrows.

“You finally decided to carry the tranq-arrows,” Aiden said, nodding in approval.

“Thank you.” Lily took the arrow from Sirena, a grin creeping onto her face.

“The one in Aiden’s trunk isn’t the same one that attacked your friend,” Sirena continued. “The scent is wrong.”

“Well, JP is inside. Maybe he’ll know something,” Lily replied. “I’ll go get him.”

As Lily jogged away, Sirena turned to Aiden and began to quickly undress. “Lena sent me an SOS. I’m going to check on her.” Aiden nodded, but moments later, he found himself mesmerized by Sirena in wolf form. Her glossy black fur blended seamlessly into the darkness, making her white alpha eyes appear to float in the night.

“I’m going to have to stop by the Cortez pack,” Aiden said, his voice low and teasing. “When I get back, you and I can have some alone time.” He smirked, earning a playful eye roll from the wolf before she dashed off into the night.

“Be careful!” he called after her, a smile lingering on his face.

***

Jean-Pierre could see the family resemblance. Though Aiden was taller and had blonde hair with bright blue eyes, he shared the same shape of eye, nose, and mouth as Lily. However, Lily was cuter. “Where’s Sirena?” she asked her brother.

“Who is Sirena?” JP asked, noticing a lingering scent in the air.

“No one,” Aiden answered sharply, glaring at him. “Tell me if this is the one who attacked you.” He led JP and Lily to the open trunk and stepped aside. Jean-Pierre’s eyes widened at the sight, while Lily put a hand to her mouth, staring in horror.

Though everything below the changeling's neck had been covered by a blanket, it wasn’t hard to deduce the beating he had taken based on his face and broken neck. One side of his face was nearly clawed off, while the other showed signs of a broken nose and jaw. “I don’t recognize him. He isn’t the one who attacked me,” JP said, swallowing back his nausea. Aiden pursed his lips. “Did—did you do that?” JP gulped as he asked.

What! No!” Aiden and Lily exclaimed simultaneously. “My brother isn’t a cold-blooded killer,” Lily added, hands on her hips.

“Sorry, sorry.” JP held his hands up in surrender. “I had to ask. No, this werewolf isn’t the one who attacked me. I know who did.” Jean-Pierre’s face scrunched in thought.

“Why are you making that face?” Lily frowned.

“I’m not sure if I should tell you.”

“Tell us,” Aiden demanded.

“Okay,” JP sighed. “His name is Juan. We don’t exactly get along.”

“Another person you and your friends are rude to,” Lily remarked. Jean-Pierre sighed, realizing he needed to work on his apologetic skills.

“Why did he attack you?” Aiden asked. “Aren’t you guys in the same pack? Pack members don’t usually try to kill each other…unless that’s something your pack does.”

“No, no, it’s not like that,” JP said, running his fingers through his hair. He really didn’t want to have this conversation. “He didn’t know what he was doing. He’d been drugged.”

“Drugged?” Lily asked, her brow furrowing. “How?”

“It’s a drug that makes you more aggressive—a psychostimulant mixed with wolfsbane. It makes werewolves crazily aggressive. It’s called ‘silver bullet.’”

“Funny,” Lily replied dryly, adding, “You sure know a lot about this drug.”

“I have to agree.” Aiden crossed his arms, his expression serious. Drugs would not flood his jurisdiction, not on his watch.

“Well…” JP spoke slowly, hanging his head in shame, “…that’s because I used to deal.”

“What!” Lily exclaimed in shock.

“This is going to be a long night,” Aiden mumbled. “Come on. You can tell us more on the way.”

“On the way to where?” JP asked, confused.

“The Cortez Pack. Let’s go.”