Chapter One

Seline

"I'm done with this conversation, Seline," my father says from behind his large mahogany desk. "You have been nothing but a fucking disappointment for this clan since the moment you were born. You will be part of the hunt, or I will have you thrown out of this fucking house."

"You're my father!" I exclaim. "You are supposed to take care of me, do what is best for your only child."

I stand in his office, a place I rarely venture but today I have been summoned. I have had a bad feeling about this day since the moment I opened my eyes, a foreboding hanging over me, and now I know why. My father is going to force me to be part of the annual hunt. Each female that takes part is supposed to be a tribute, but everyone knows the truth. The Alphas are too violent and no sane woman would offer to be hunted and violated.

"I never wanted a child," he says. His words are like knives hitting their marks perfectly. "Especially not some mewling, useless girl."

I stare at him in disbelief, praying to wake up from the nightmare I find myself caught in. I knew the man wasn't overly fond of me, but I never thought he hated me. It seems I may have been wrong.

His blond hair and green eyes have women fawning over him daily. Hell, my mother was the same before she died. It never mattered what he did, she loved him unequivocally and without falter. He abused he r— physically, mentally, and verball y— fucked other women without ever trying to hide it, and used her however he saw fit.

I once asked why she stayed, and all she said was that she loved him. It didn't make any sense then and it still doesn't. If he wasn't one of the ten most powerful dragons in the realm, I would have killed him in his sleep years ago. But the repercussions that would follow have stayed my hand. Now I wish I had done it the first time the thought crossed my mind. I would have spared myself all kinds of unnecessary heartache.

"You are eighteen now, an adult. You will take part in the hunt and allow the strongest Alpha to claim you," he explains with a glare. "If we are lucky the dumb bastard will breed you. That is all you are worth. You will bind our clan to another in repayment for the fact I didn't kill you the moment your whore mother pushed you out of her womb."

"But…"

"And make sure he claims you. I don't need you coming back here carrying someone's bastard either."

Rage swims through my veins. I don't consider the repercussions of my actions this time, I simply draw my hand back and slap him as hard as possible. My father's head doesn't move an inch but he does lower his brows in an angry frown. A deathly silence envelops us before he is on me, his hand wrapped around my throat as he pushes me against the wall.

A framed certificate for some or other overblown achievement rattles beside my head before crashing to the floor. Glass shatters in the silence and I wish I would shatter along with it. At least then this nightmare would end.

My mistake finally hits me.

This man, my father, doesn't care whether I live or die, I am simply an obstacle in his way, a means to an end. Just like my mother was. I should probably be grateful he hasn't tried to use me to his advantage before now.

My feet dangle inches above the floor as I fight against his hold, struggling to breathe. My nails claw at his forearms but he doesn't seem to care, his anger in control of his actions. My vision starts to waver and I feel like I'm looking at him from underwater.

"You know what?" he growls in my face, his dragon already pushing to the forefront. I watch the orange scales shimmer just beneath the surface. "I don't care. I hope the Alpha hunters rip you limb from limb. After all, no one wants a damaged female."

It's only then that I feel the scorching heat, the blinding pain that radiates up my left side, as my blood boils and my skin starts to cook. I need to fight back, to defend myself, but already darkness is creeping in. The agony and lack of air rob me of my ability to think or act.

Panic sets in as the world around me fades to black.

****

Coldness seeps into my bones as I wake up. Clearly, I'm not dead, simply because I'm in too much fucking pain. Sitting upright, I look around and assess my surroundings. My heart rate accelerates as the truth hits me.

I'm in the fucking forest, the one place I don't want to be, not now or ever, but especially not tonight. This is where the annual hunt happens.

Pushing to my feet, I pray I won't pass out again as I fight to breathe through the pain. Looking down, I see the melted material of my red t-shirt fused into my skin, become part of the jagged edge of the burn that runs from beneath my left breast to my hip. I consider trying to remove it but I know I have bigger issues to deal with first.

I wish I was able to shift, draw on my inner magic, and find the dragon that is supposed to reside deep within us all, but I can't. There hasn't been a female dragon shifter in more than a thousand years. I would also need to find my fated mate. And that is something that hasn't happened in the last five hundred years.

Fated mates have become nothing more than a fairy tale our mothers tell us to make us feel better about our roles in the world. We are here to satisfy the Alphas and provide them with heirs. The moment we can't do those two simple tasks, we are either discarded or killed. As simple as that.

Shaking the dark thoughts from my mind, I do my best to focus past the terror gripping me in its vice. I need to make my way out of here as quickly as possible. Taking into account that I'm already hurt isn't going to help matters. The fact that I can barely walk isn't going to help me stay out of the hands of the Alpha hunters when they come for me, for us, for all the females in this forest tonight.

Darkness surrounds me, the trees blocking out even the stars. Every shadow has me jumping in fear that it could be an approaching Alpha. My nerves are frayed and I fear my heart might burst out of my chest like a cartoon, it is beating so hard. Panic threatens to overwhelm me between one breath and the next but I fight to remain in control.

I don't know how long I was unconscious or how much time I have before the official hunt starts, but I need to keep moving. A loud alarm sounds, and the last bit of hope I have falls away. My feet are frozen, unwilling to carry me any further as the fear finally wins out and drowns all logical thought.

The hunt has begun.

I force myself to move, not that I have any idea where I am headed. All I know is, I can't sit around and wait for some entitled Alpha asshole to catch me. Fire burns the sky as roars sound around me, the Alphas already rampaging through the forest, seeking out a female to slake their lust. I choose a direction blindly and set off running, fighting through the underbrush and the blinding pain, praying I can stay out of reach until morning. It's a beautiful fantasy that is bound to turn into a horror story before long.

All I need is to keep moving for the next eight hours without being caught and this nightmare will be over. I don't have the slightest clue what I will do then because I clearly can't return to the place I once called my home and a father who hates me.

Breathe. One problem at a time.

Tonight, I need to survive.

If I'm caught by one of them, I'll probably end up dead or begging for death. Because my father's words were true. No Alpha wants a damaged female.

****

Liam

I have been waiting for this night for as long as I can remember. Anticipation burns through my veins as I stand on the edge of a cliff beside nine other Alpha Nobles, waiting for the alarm to sound and allow us to go forth into the woods below to claim what is ours.

Once a year, the Alpha Council selects ten random Alpha Nobles for the annual hunt. We are sent into the forest for eight hours. In those hours we hunt females that have offered themselves up for us. Tributes. This ritual is part of our lives, as it has been for hundreds of years.

Each female is hoping to catch the eye of an Alpha willing to claim her and give her a better life. We catch them, fuck them, breed them, and assure the continuation of our species. But not all females are claimed because not every Alpha wants to be bound to a woman.

I am not here to find a female to keep. I want to let loose and allow myself to enjoy the night before returning home to my perfectly organized life. Everything is exactly how I intend it to be. I don't have to worry about staying out late or what my partner thinks, because I prefer to be on my own. And sexual desires are easily taken care of in one of the many pleasure houses throughout the realm. I do not need, nor do I have the inclination, to put up with a fucking woman.

But I have always wanted to hunt a female. The idea of chasing her and then claiming the spoils is something I have always fantasized about. The hunt gives me the opportunity to do just that.

During the annual hunt the lower-class Alphas are not allowed to participate. The Alpha Council prefers to breed from the better lines, insuring that strong dragons are produced.

My father once told me it was necessary, that since we no longer had fated mates, we needed to find another way to do things. Yes, some Alphas find females and they fall in love, marry, and have families with them, but they are few and far between. In my opinion, Alpha dragons are not built for monogamy. We want to spread our seed and continue our lineage. And we love to hunt and fuck. In my mind, this is the perfect solution.

At thirty years old, this is only my first hunt. There are many Alphas, and some never get a chance to hunt. My heart beats wildly at the opportunity to do this, to allow myself free reign. I stare at the men around me, most are younger, but some are the same age I am.

The alarm sounds and a roar goes up between us. Some Alphas shift into their dragon forms, flames burn the night sky, and wings stir the air around us, while the rest of us choose to stalk our prey in our human form. In mere moments the hunt is fully underway. I hear females and animals scurry around, each searching for a safe space to hide.

The first scream rings through the night as I remain standing on the cliff, overlooking all that is happening below. My cock is hard as granite as I listen to the hunt take place. Already the screams and moans carry through the air, tempting my dragon to join in the festivities. But I wait.

There is something in the air tonight, a sense of foreboding, I think. Something unknown. I feel uncomfortable in my own skin, my dragon restless beneath the surface. I know we are both looking forward to finding a female to ravish, but even he can sense something else is going on. Scenting the air, I find something unexpected.

Lilies. Burnt lilies to be precise.

My dragon goes wild, bursting free and forcing me to shift. I fight him for dominance, but he is fully in control, raging as he seeks out the source of the lily scent. Trees are uprooted in his angry pursuit, thrown over his shoulder as he decimates anything and everything in his path. Never in my life since he first emerged have we been so at odds with each other. I don't understand what has my dragon this irate, but I do know he won't rest or allow me to shift back until he finds what he is looking for.

The lily scent grows stronger as we make our way into the darkest part of the forest. He slows his motions, breathing deeply, and stalking his intended prey. The closely packed trees block out any light the moon might have provided, but I have no problem seeing with my dragon's heightened eyesight.

Rounding another tree, I am finally able to see what my dragon is hunting. A woman. She has long, fiery red hair, with thick thighs that will be able to cradle my larger frame as I rut into her, and large tits for me to hold onto. She is dressed casually, in a red t-shirt and jean shorts with no shoes. And still, she is the most beautiful, captivating creature I have ever seen.

In front of her is Peter Blake, another Alpha Noble, already stalking her and backing her against a tree. Anger surges through me and my dragon. Before I know what is happening, my dragon takes the other Alpha Noble in hand and rips him apart, literally. Blood sprays everywhere, coating the pretty female as well.

I consider myself lucky. Peter was a lower-ranking Noble and because we are part of the hunt, any deaths that occur are seen as accidental. No crimes committed tonight are punishable.

Both my dragon and I focus on the female in front of us, waiting to hear her scream, for her to run, but nothing happens. She simply stares at us, emerald-green eyes assessing us and cutting straight through to our soul. Strange. Any other woman would be a sobbing mess on the forest floor but she is quietly assessing us, taking our measure.

Mine!

The word rattles around in my brain, shaking me to the core. My dragon has been a part of me since I can remember and has never communicated with me. I've never heard anyone talk of something like this.

Mine!

My dragon breathes harshly, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he stares at her, lust surging through both of us the longer we stand here watching her.

"Who are you?" she asks in a whisper, her voice soft but firm, wrapping around my heart and holding tight.

Around us, the sounds of the forest fade. I don't hear the roars from the other Alphas' dragons or the screams of the remaining females, they fade into nothing until all I can hear is the steady heartbeat of the female before me. For a moment neither of us move, hell, I don't even think we breathe, both of us waiting for the other to make the first move. And then my dragon does something he never has before.

He bows.