9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Locke

I followed my mate through town. She went in and out through several shops until she made her way to a small park with a playground. Emm continued to pay attention to her surroundings without making it painfully obvious.

Children ran past her, screaming happily. She watched while they headed toward the swings as mothers and fathers went along and played with them. She gazed after them, with a sad look in her eye. A twitch of jealousy sparked inside me.

She didn't have a male, did she? Or a child she has left behind? The child would become mine, but the male would have to be dealt with swiftly. Any male that let their female wander away from them was, of course, an idiot.

Emm could handle herself, it appeared, but with a mate by her side she would be unstoppable. A male like me would fill that role.

Because I was fucking Locke—who was better than me?

My mate strode to a park bench which sat back toward a thicket of trees. It was cloudy today, and the air was crisp, carrying a faint scent of rain. I sat hidden behind her in the brush, my eyes scanning the playground as children laughed and played. Emm leaned against the wooden bench, her loose hair cascaded behind the wood backing and gave me the perfect spot to nuzzle my snout into it. The warmth of her body sent a wave of contentment through me, while she had no idea of the predator that was just inches from her pretty little throat.

My mate wasn't one to sit idle. I've noticed that about her in the days leading up to this. My wolf felt conflicted as she sat here. Why was she sitting? We continued to scan our surroundings, our senses were coming in stronger. Our hearing and sight strengthened as long as we stayed near her.

Emm ruffled through the plastic bags from her purchases and pulled out a phone. She ripped the packaging away swiftly, pulled out a portable charger and hooked it up to the block. She tapped on it several times, her leg bouncing up and down as she waited.

A child screamed in excitement in the distance. My mate looked up and smiled when she saw the little boy jump off the swing and land into the mulch. She shook her head and when the phone turned on, she took a heaving breath and quickly began dialing.

Standing tall I pushed my face through the leaves of the brush and watched as the numbers filled the screen. I committed them to memory as she dialed and when she pressed send, I fell back into my hiding spot.

"Hello?" a tired voice came from the other side.

"Elena? Are you alright?" My mate's voice said, laced with concern.

"I'm fine, just exhausted. Luis finally fell asleep after a marathon tantrum. How are you holding up?"

My mate's head turned to so I could see her features softened, and a hint of relief flashed across her face. "I'm doing okay, just needed to hear your voice. It's been a strange few days."

Elena chuckled lightly over the phone. "Strange, for the great Emmie? Do tell."

Emm glanced around the park once more before leaning in closer to the phone. "I think I'm being followed, maybe even hunted," she whispered, her eyes darting to a squirrel skittering across a nearby branch.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Elena spoke again, her tone shifting to one of concern. "Followed? By who?"

Emm hesitated. Her lips rolled in and out of her mouth. "I... I'm not entirely sure. But I can feel eyes on me, Elena. It's like someone is watching my every move." Her hand subconsciously moved to her hip. I could smell the powder of the gun that was concealed beneath her jacket.

Elena's voice lowered to a serious tone. "Get out of there, Emm, it isn't worth it. We are fine down here. I don't know why you keep doing these jobs. We haven't been bothered in years."

Emm grunted and shook her head. "No, I need to do this. Besides, I can't go anywhere for at least two weeks. Someone slashed my RV tires and I'm not about to abandon the thing."

Elena gasped on the other side. "Is it another bounty hunter?"

My eyes widened in surprise. A bounty hunter? This was getting more and more interesting.

"Maybe, but, what if it isn't? Maybe it is you know who? There is something else, Elena, and I need you to ask Abuela about a name." Emm reached into her pocket and pulled out the ID of the male I'd ripped to shreds. She fiddled with it for a moment before Elena answered.

"Anything, what is it?"

"I need you to ask her if she has heard of the name Reyes Claudio." She tapped the card several times on her thigh. "See if it rings a bell."

"You don't think they found you, do you? I would have thought they'd have given up. It's been years. I think you are just being paranoid."

Emm put the ID back in her pocket. "It's either them or another hunter trying to get rid of the competition. This isn't a closed service. It's whoever can get this guy first."

Elena groaned on the other side. "Emmie, you said you wouldn't take those. There is too much at stake. We are fine here. Get a normal job, get a life. We are fine where we are. Abuela has friends, and Luis is in a good school. I do not need this nurse, we are fine—"

"No," my mate snapped. "I will take care of mi familia. I'm bringing you up here to get you better care. Abuela will not live forever and then what? What if you have a bad day?" Emm argued.

Elena growled on the other side of the line. "I take care of myself just fine. Luis is growing like a weed. My online business has taken off. I don't need your money!" she screamed.

Emm pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Elena, listen to me, please. Listen," Emm pleaded.

Elena huffed on the other end.

"I cannot call again until this is over. I will not risk the family," Emm said softly. "No matter how nice these people seem to be."

Elena hummed. "This place is different, where you are at, this Forest Falls? The little town?"

Emm nodded, knowing well enough that Elena couldn't see. "The people are nice. I just hope the people I'm talking to have nothing to do with this Locke guy."

I grinned wildly inside my wolf. Ahh, so we are both hunters. The question is, who will eventually become the prey?

I wetted my maw, mouthwatering with anticipation. I wouldn't object to my partner holding me down, a sharp blade grazing against my throat as their enticing curves hovered tantalizingly close to my dick. In fact, if it meant I could press them down onto my throbbing cock, I'd willingly surrender to the sensation of having her touch me anywhere.

Fuck, this is the ultimate turn on. Maybe I'll forgive the Goddess, after all.

"And what if he is? Maybe this Locke guy isn't some criminal, Emmie. That means you will let it go, right? You don't hurt innocent people, you said that from the very beginning."

Emm leaned her head back on the bench, her head mere centimeters from my snout. I took in a long, deep breath and inhaled her wonderful scent.

My cock stirred, and my tail wagged violently while she took a long breathless pause.

"I've gotta go, Elena. It might be a while before I can call again. I'm going to be using different burner phones, so always answer unknown calls."

"Emmie, you better not hurt a hair on that man's head, if he is innocent— ?O te juro, te patearé el trasero!"

Emm forcefully ended the call, emitting an exasperated groan. With a swift motion, she snapped the phone in half, with the sharp crack echoing in my ears. Her movements were jerky as she grabbed a nearby bottle of water and poured it over the broken device.

My wolf licked our maw while we watched Emm gather her things. There were so many interesting revelations that have appeared before me, I wasn't sure which one I was more excited about.

My mate was a hunter, a strong female who has strong roots and believes in protecting a family—a pack. If I had my doubts before, which I didn't, she certainly had solidified my approval of the Goddess.

Now, she wants to trap or kill me which is a fucking turn-on. I wonder if she would try to harm me. Strangle me? Tie me up? Would she do it if I tried to seduce her? Would she take the bait, bring me back to her RV and somehow tie me to the bed? Or better yet, would she use my body then fucking stab me when it was all over, like some black widow shit?

Oh, the possibilities.

My mate took another look at the playground before departing. She traveled back to her truck and the only other place she could go would be her campsite.

I felt confident that she would be safe and, with the bond helping me heal, I knew I needed to make my presence known to the Iron Fang. They would need to know things were about to change, and new protocols would need to take place.

I huffed and trotted toward the back alleys, taking the darkest corners I could find.

The shadows swallowed me whole as I darted through the forgotten streets, the smell of iron and decay clung to the damp air. I knew this place like the back of my paw, every crevice, every alleyway. It was my hunting ground, my sanctuary. But now, it was also the perfect place to plan my next move.

As I made my way deeper into the maze of buildings and abandoned lots, I reached the back of the Iron Fang bar. The rusted door was left ajar, where the metal of the old tavern that stood once before us still hung. It cast a grotesque shadow from the streetlamp that twisted and turned with the afternoon breeze.

My large body pushed through the door, and my hulking form swung it wide until it slammed it shut behind me. I took a slow and steady pace through the halls, my claws clicking on the clean cement floor as I took my steady steps to the main area of the bar.

I heard my club's laughter and the clinking of their glasses. Aromatic smells of meat, alcohol and cigarettes wafted toward my nose as I came closer.

When I stepped into the main dining hall, it was Grim and Hawke who first saw me. They lowered their forks, their eyes widening in surprise.

"Shit, Hammer and the guys were right," Hawke muttered and stood from the stool.

Ah, so they still didn't believe the mechanics. Of course they wouldn't. I could shift back into my human form.

My low growl reverberated through the room, causing a sudden silence to descend upon everyone present. The dimly lit space was filled with tension, as the men's hands instinctively gravitated towards their waists, gripping tightly onto their weapons. However, Grim's fierce command to stand down cut through the air like a bolt of lightning, quelling any further aggression.

"I told you!" Hammer ran through the crowd. "He's here. He's found his mate. Emm! Emm is his mate!"

Grim glanced at Journey, and her features brightened.

Why does everyone have to be cryptic and shit? Damn stupid Goddess and priestesses, and their fucking agendas.

"We need to bring her here, then, to have her protected." Surkash stood from the back. "More outsiders are infiltrating the town." Others nodded in agreement, and the room became a chaotic symphony of noise.

I bared my sharp fangs and let out a menacing snarl that echoed through the bar. The low rumble of a growl reverberated from deep within my throat, and I shook my head vigorously. With an air of darkness, Grim, my second, stood steadfastly by my side.

"We do nothing," Grim announced. "Locke is in charge of his own mate. He's done fine thus far. If he wants us to do something he will let us know. As for outsiders, watch them. Chase them out."

Damn, I hope he didn't scratch up his throat with that whole speech. I gazed up at my companion and gave him a wink. He shook his head with a grunt and pulled on his beard.

"We will make her feel welcome, just as we have," Journey said as she walked up to me. "Tajah was not as welcoming and still has her reservations. You should know that Emm does not have good intentions—"

I snarled in annoyance and nodded my head once in confirmation.

"Of course he already knows, it's Locke," Hawke said, pulling out his knife. "He's probably going to get off on it, too." He leaned against the bar, the blade going under his nails to scrape at the dirt.

Well, he wasn't wrong.