Feral Born (Viciously Yours #1)

Chapter Nine: The Fourth Note

Nothing in the forest seemed to move out of fear of being the next kill. All of the little critters that scurried around day and night were suddenly nowhere to be found. The birds in the trees had disappeared from their branches besides a few who looked down on me with glassy eyes. Even the wind sweeping down from the mountains was softer than the day before and for once it wasn't snowing.

Taking deep and even breaths I didn't move a muscle from my half lying position in the snow. A slight puddle caused by my body heat had begun to form around me signaling that I needed to get moving. Come, little food bags. I'd been out here for about two hours stocking up on meat, since I still didn't have any food in my cabin and I had also finally run out of oatmeal. I'd caught five rabbits so far but now I was looking for bigger game that would last me the next few weeks.

Listening carefully for the slightest movement or heartbeat around me, I almost groaned out loud when I heard the beat of a shifter's heart. I thought I'd get at least a few more hours before he tracked me down. With everything that had gone down between me and Ryan, I needed time to adjust to all the new changes. He was always around now asking these...these invading questions about me. Like what my favorite song was and how I liked to spend my free time. I had left my cabin early this morning in the hopes of getting a few Ryan free hours. Except it looked like that had just ended.

...Or maybe not. Keeping an eye on the direction the heart beat was coming from, I pressed myself deeper into the snow. If only my father could see me now. The mighty Feral Born hiding from an average Beta wolf. I'd huff if I wasn't so concerned about him finding out that I was actively hiding from him.

Heavy footsteps made their way closer to where I was hidden, thank moon I decided to wear all white to blend in better. Closing my eyes briefly in relief when I saw the person that the heartbeat belonged to. I stayed in place, observing as she pushed her way through a small bush. Candice cursed as her hot pink sweatpants snagged on a jagged edge. Yanking her leg away, she huffed and then searched her surroundings for something.

"I hate the fucking woods." She muttered, right before she screamed, "Kai! Where in the eclipse are you? I know you're hiding out here! You're a creature of habit!"

Choosing to stay silent, I watched her temper tantrum in amusement.

Shoving a chunk of blonde hair behind her ear, her blue eyes narrowed. "Ryan's been not so subtly looking for you all morning! I told him he was being a smothering stalker and bought you a couple of hours. The least you could do is show yourself after I came out into these moon forsaken woods to find your ungrateful ass."

I slowly stood up, "How can you be a shifter and hate the woods?"

Her head twisted quickly in my direction with a smirk of her own, "The same way you're part human and hate emotions."

Grabbing the long stick with my rabbits tied to the end, I rested it on my right shoulder while walking closer to her. "How's Ryan?"

Candice snorted, "Walking around with a scowl and snapping at everyone because he hasn't had his daily dose of Kai."

I raised a brow at her words but kept my curiosity to myself. Walking past her, she kept pace with me but didn't say anything more. Keeping quiet, I waited for her to bring up whatever it was that had brought her out here to find me. It was after we jumped over a large branch that she finally spoke up.

"So, I know you don't consider me a friend or anything but I was hoping you could do me a favor."

Side eyeing her, I asked, "What kind of favor?"

"You might not know but Devin's my little cousin and he's too 'cool' to ask but would you consider training him for-"

BOOM!