Hunting Her Alpha

Caister

“Dude! What the hell happened to you?! Is that a silver dagger sticking out of your leg? Please don’t tell me you actually let a Vampyre get the better of you,” my Beta, Grayson—Gray for short—exclaims, wide-eyed as he stares at me in my current state.

I growl low, my massive Wolf form crouched awkwardly against the trees, blood dripping steadily from my leg. Not exactly my finest moment. I had mind-linked Gray to meet me out here, mostly because I couldn’t limp back to the packhouse looking like this.

“Just get this damn thing out of my leg,” Tyson, my Wolf, snap, his voice rough and edged with pain.

“Can you shift back into your human form?”

“I haven’t tried. I don’t want to risk it,” Tyson grunts. The silver still embedded in my leg makes my entire limb throb like it's on fire. I can feel the venom of the metal seeping into my bloodstream, slowing everything down.

Gray crosses his arms, staring at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Caister, as long as that dagger is in your leg, Tyson won’t heal. You need to shift back. Get *you* out here. Let Tyson rest.”

Tyson hesitates. “No side effects?”

Gray lifts a brow. “Seriously? You’re asking that now?”

Tyson huffs. “It’s my first time being stabbed with silver, alright? I wasn’t exactly taught Silver 101 back at pup school.”

“Cut the sass, genius.” He raises both palms in surrender. “Just bring Caister out so we can stop the bleeding before your leg falls off.”

With a huff of reluctant agreement, he shifts. My bones crack and rearrange themselves with agonizing slowness, the silver making everything worse. Tyson, my wolf, retreats, and I emerge in my human form—bleeding, naked, and pissed off.

A groan escapes my lips as I clutch the injury. The burning hasn’t dulled even a little.

“Here.” Gray tosses me some clothes without looking directly at me. “Try not to bleed all over them.”

“Appreciate the concern,” I mutter sarcastically, wrapping the shirt around the wound first to stop the blood flow. Then, slowly, I work on pulling my shorts on. “Remind me to personally murder whoever invented silver weapons.”

“Already on our list,” Gray says dryly. “Silver’s bad enough. But to be stabbed with it? You’ll be lucky if you can walk properly for the next few days.”

I ignore the jab and focus instead on the memory of the girl—the *human* girl—who threw the dagger. The only person ever to actually land a hit on me.

She was quick, calculated, and clearly trained. Masked and disguised, but I caught her scent before she disappeared. Peaches. With the faintest trace of sweet chocolate. Something about it haunts me, lingers in my senses like an addiction.

And the kicker?

She’s my mate.

Just thinking about her makes my blood run hotter than the silver poisoning me.

No one—no Vampyre, no Werewolf, no hybrid—has *ever* landed a blow on me. But she did. A *human*. That alone makes her dangerous. That alone makes her unforgettable.

And when I pinned her beneath me before she stabbed me? Let’s just say... if Tyson had given in to our carnal desires in that moment, she wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale. We’re not exactly gentle in our Wolf form.

“You still with me, lover boy?” Gray’s voice slices through my spiraling thoughts like a whip.

“Huh?”

“I asked *who* stabbed you. Where the hell was your mind just now?”

I shake my head and groan, dragging a hand down my face. “Didn’t Tyson tell you?”

“No. He doesn’t speak in complete sentences like you do.”

“We found our mate,” I mutter. “She’s the one who stabbed me.”

Gray jerks back as if I slapped him. “Wait... Your mate is a *Vampyre*?!”

“She’s human.”

“That’s worse!” he shouts, his eyes wide. “I hope you rejected her!”

“Relax.” I throw on my shirt and lean on him for support as we start walking toward the car. “I didn’t reject her... yet. I want answers. Why the hell is a human working with Vampyres? And more importantly—why is she so hellbent on killing every Werewolf in existence?”

Gray frowns deeply. “She *said* that?”

I nod. “Yup. With zero hesitation. Said it like she’d been rehearsing it in her sleep.”

“Damn... You get a good look at her?”

“She was masked. Voice-enhancer too.”

“So how do you *know* she’s female?”

I shrug. “The way she moved. Her body. Her energy. And well...”

Gray gives me a look.

“She’s got nice boobs,” Tyson chimes smugly in my head. “I copped a feel.”

I snort with laughter.

Gray shoots me a sideways glance. “What’s funny?”

“Nothing,” I reply, still chuckling.

We reach the car and Gray opens the door for me. I glare at him.

“I’m not crippled, Gray.”

“No, you’re just bleeding all over the place with a silver wound. Excuse me for caring.”

“I heal faster than normal Wolves, you know that.”

“Yeah, under *normal* circumstances. Not when you’re impaled by a goddamn silver dagger. This is new territory.”

I mutter something unintelligible and climb into the car, reclining in the backseat and folding my arms.

“You’re the Alpha of the Delta Shadows Pack, the strongest pack in the United States,” Gray says as he gets into the driver’s seat. “I *have* to treat you like you’re fragile.”

I roll my eyes. “My father’s going to throw a fit, isn’t he?”

Gray’s jaw tightens. “He’s not going to be thrilled. But he’ll blame me for not being there.”

“Don’t,” I cut him off firmly. “I got cocky. That’s on *me*. Don’t you dare take the blame.”

Gray glances at me through the rearview mirror, saying nothing.

“My father won’t say a word to you. And even if he tries, I’ve got your back. Always.”

Gray gives a slow nod and turns his eyes back to the road. “Alright. Let’s get you home before you pass out from blood loss.”

The drive is long and silent, apart from the occasional growl of my stomach. We finally reach the packhouse and I see several warriors already gathered outside, waiting for us.

Gray parks directly in front of the mansion. I force myself out of the car before he can play nurse again. I hate being doted on.

Our pack territory is hidden from human eyes thanks to a magical barrier, one constructed by a circle of powerful witches. To the outside world, this place looks like a desolate, crumbling ghost town. But behind the enchantment lies a thriving Werewolf community. Omegas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas—they all live here, in their own homes. The mansion houses the Alpha family, the higher ranks, and a few Omegas responsible for day-to-day affairs.

Once inside, I bypass my father’s office completely and head to my room. I need to clean up before he even *thinks* about dragging me into some lecture.

I head straight to the bathroom, Gray leaning against the doorway, smirking.

“If your mom finds out you got stabbed with silver, she’s going to lose her mind.”

“Then don’t tell her,” I mutter, wincing as I dab the wound with a cotton swab.

“She always knows, man. Like she’s got a built-in radar for your pain.”

“Pity our fathers don’t come equipped with that.”

“Yeah, well... screw ‘em.”

I grunt and toss the blood-soaked cotton into the trash. “Once I officially become Alpha, I’m changing everything.”

Gray watches me for a moment before his tone shifts. “Have you told him?”

“Told who what?”

“Your dad. About Tyson. About how your Wolf can talk. Think. Respond. Like a *person*.”

I shake my head.

“And... are you planning to?”

“No.”

Gray sighs. “You know it’s not normal, right?”

“I know.” My jaw tightens. “And he doesn’t deserve to know. That man has never given a damn about me. Why the hell should I start telling him my secrets now?”

Gray stares at me, and then nods. “Fair enough. Guess that’s one thing we’ve got in common—daddy issues.”

I smirk, settling back on the bed, pain still pulsing through my leg. “So... what now?”

He shrugs. “You tell me. You found your mate. What’s the plan?”

“I find her,” I reply without hesitation. “Her scent is burned into my memory. I track her down, figure out why she’s working with Vampyres, why she wants Werewolves dead, and *then* I decide if she’s worth keeping.”

“And if she’s not?”

I grin. “Then I reject her. But not before I make her pay for this damn scar.”

Tyson chuckles in my head. “Or maybe just let me take a few bites.”

“Calm down, Tyson,” I mutter aloud.

Gray gives me a strange look. “You talking to your Wolf again?”

“Always,” I say, smirking. “He’s more fun than most people I know.”

Gray shakes his head. “You’re insane.”

“Probably,” I agree. “But at least I’m interesting.”