The Alpha King's Hunt

Chapter 27

Gabriel

The sun was just beginning to set, tinging everything gold and orange.

The gathering felt intimate and I was thankful for that. My first Hunt had been a crowded mess, the wolf in me shuddering with anxiety. I would rather transform in the quiet and solitude of the forest than in front of a few hundred people judging my coat, posture, movements.

But four Hunts had taken that anxiety out of me. Or so I'd thought.

My skin shivered with a restless anticipation and I glanced around, confused. Since when was I dying to chase down a mate? This was a new feeling for me, one my father and mother had described on a few occasions, one that angry women insisted I would feel someday. But I'd never thought it would happen.

"Are you ready?" my mother murmured, shifting next to me. Charles stood slightly behind us, ready to take my shirt when the time came. It wouldn't be much longer now. Shadows were gathering at the bases of the trees.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I murmured back, eyes scanning the crowd.

The six remaining alpha princesses stood or paced before us in a small clearing of lush grass. We were out at the edge of the southern forest, the same one I'd run with Valarie the night before, and just the thought made me uneasy.

The Queen stepped forward and although we weren't on a dais the small crowd of betas quieted.

"In a few moments the transformations will begin," she said, voice smooth and quiet. "My son will run with his potential mates in wolf form and will choose his match in this forest. If my husband, his father, were here to see this," she turned and looked back at me as she said it, "he would be proud."

But there was something missing from her gaze as she said it. No emotion; just the cool voice of an Alpha. I fought back a frown, feeling the wolf inside stretching at my skin once more.

With a glance up at the sky I saw the moon growing brighter in the gathering darkness.

"I ask only that you give them space to run. If you would transform tonight, run with the pack, but let nature take it's course. By sunrise you will have a new Queen – one to rule by Gabriel's side. And I will be honored to call her my daughter."

She nodded at the small knot of women as she said the last bit. Caroline, Edith, and Sophia managed small smiles. Daniele just looked bored and Morgan's expression was stony.

She glanced at me and I could see the hatred in her eyes. I didn't need to run by her side to know that we'd never make a pair.

The small pack gathered around us shifted with restlessness. Already features were changing just slightly; the sound of bones cracking resonating in the night. A female nearby panted and my own wolf began to surface more at the sound.

I turned and moved back behind Charles and a few betas who had gathered there, pacing. Tonight. Tonight would be the night I took a mate. And all I could think about was Valarie, the night before, her wine-red eyes in the moonlight.

Chapter 28

Valarie

I hadn't wanted to come to the Hunt but Sophia insisted, saying that we didn't have enough of our own pack in attendance. It looked bad; neither of us knew how so few Autumn betas had ended up at the edge of the forest, but it was just her, me, and a handful of others.

Morgan's supporters were out in full force. They were shifting first, before anyone else, feet elongating, ankles pushing up their legs. They'd have to fight to keep the shift from happening before the Alpha transformed fully.