I fall through the shadows and feel the ground catch my feet before I roll forward and continue running. A thick fog covers everything, almost blinding, but I only need to smell him to know I'm getting close.
I leap over a dumpster and latch onto the walls, speed-climbing. The night air is cold and slaps my face in a refreshing haze, and I keep moving, ignoring the fact that I'm salivating from how good he smells. His scent is—
No. I'm not going to compliment the man I'm supposed to kill.
I skid to a halt, and my breath catches at the shadow that blurs by.
I watch him weave through the night, his form graceful and lethal at the same time. The way his abs flare under the moonlight when he vaults over a chimney—
A chuckle fills the night.
I'm already moving, my breathing sharp and heavy, faster as I near his tail.
What a madman. I can't wait to get my hands on him. He torments me every night. I can't sleep without seeing his grin—above me and pinning me down while his heat seeps into my flesh.
A wet heat pools between my legs. Not now, you damn she-wolf, I curse. The creature inside me calls for him. I will against it every time. I know getting involved with him in sexual ways spells death for both of us. Screw me and my flimsy desires. He is a criminal, responsible for the deaths and hard lives of my people. That's why I have to hunt him down so I can deal wolfkind a good hand.
I finally catch up to him. His scent is alive and powerful—blood, sweat, and something chocolate give him a distinct aroma. I want to subdue him, sink my fangs into his flesh, and have a taste. Is he as good as the other she-wolves say he is?
Almost—he evades. Right when I was close.
I let out a frustrated sigh. It's looking almost impossible to keep up. It seems I've lost him. I want to kick and rip something apart. I claw at my hair and scream out his name instead.
Where are you?
The night echoes back, and a chill laces up my spine. It is quiet for three beats before his laughter breaks it again.
Something dangerous surges in my chest. I won't let him get away with mocking me like this. He'll pay.
If only I can perceive him. He keeps laughing, and I remember I have supernatural hearing after pushing aside the feeling of what his laughter does to me.
I don't find him in the end.
He comes to me. Stalks over like I'm the prey instead of the predator, moonlight painting his naked flesh.
He stops an arm's length away. Eyes golden sharp, flickering with mockery and something else that causes my lungs to misfire. My wolf crawls under my skin, demanding I let her out so she can face him.
I tame her down.
"You should let her out, Huntress. My wolf is calling too. Last time… wasn't enough."
At the last two words, his voice strains, and his skin splits to sinew for half a second before closing back. His fingers twitch.
"We had a deal," I say. "Escaping prison and going on a rampage was never a part of it."
"The deal was you survive me and then do your job. You broke it the second you kept coming back for more." His voice drops. "You're a pawn in their game, Elsa. The big dogs don't actually want me dead—they want me contained. One rogue alpha doing their job is bad for business. But if I live… if I keep killing the bastards who murdered the only woman who ever cared about me… maybe you'll finally admit what your wolf already knows."
He reaches out to touch me but I smack his wrist away.
He continues, undeterred, "You don't want me dead. You want answers. And you want them while I'm still inside you."
My fist shakes. I should kill him. Right now.
But the selfish, shameful truth claws up my throat: I can't. Not until I understand the part of me that aches for the monster I must destroy.
I lunge.
He evades, and I might've overpushed, because now I'm about to tumble over the roof's edge. My eyes widen as I tip over, and the wind kisses my face and hair as my eyes shut. I wobble my arms to keep balance, but it's too late.
Until a strong hand catches my wrist.
I let out a gasp when I'm pulled back, and my back slams into something hard as his arms envelop me.
"Watch your step, Huntress." His breath tickles my ear.
I elbow him. He buckles and releases me.
I snap to face him, but he's clutching his side and chuckling, a twinkle in his eyes.
"I know how bad you want me," he says, "and frankly, I admire your restraint."
My wolf growls within me, and I can feel my skin tightening, telling me she's ready to burst out. Not yet.
This is what he wants. I can see it in his eyes.
"Come on," he purrs. "Let her come out to play."
His voice darkens.
"I promise you it'll be fun. You didn't hunt me all the way here just to talk to me. So do what you came for."