Chapter 17

17

I have no idea how Luna managed to get the fucking window open when it was painted shut, nor how she was able to climb up and squeeze her body through the small gap to escape through it, but that's not what's important right now. Right now, I just need to focus on finding her- because if I don't, I'll have to report her escape, and someone else will hunt her down. Someone who doesn't abhor senseless violence and wouldn't think twice about bloodying her up to teach her a lesson.

If I was thinking clearly, I would've followed protocol the moment I discovered she'd fled. I'd have gathered a team, armed up, and gone out with ample backup and a strategy for the hunt. I'm not thinking clearly, though. Not even close. Whether out of a sense of self-preservation or some twisted impulse to shield the object of my obsession from the brutality of my comrades, I immediately set out to track her down on my own, without any weapons or real plan for bringing her back in.

It's easy to pick up her trail from the basement window on the east side of the cabin to the edge of the forest beyond it. She was clearly in such a rush to escape that she hasn't made any attempt to cover her tracks, which bodes well for me in finding her. As unprepared as I am for this chase, the obvious trail she's left behind indicates that this wasn't some coordinated escape attempt. She must've found a window of opportunity and seized it. Literally.

She can't have more than a five-minute head start, and despite how wound up I am, I snap into hunter mode as soon as I step into the forest to track her path. She's been dosed with wolfsbane, so she won't make it far on foot. I just need to take my time, follow her trail, and secure my prey. Then I can bring her back in before anyone else gets wind of this. Before my father does and makes both of us pay for her lapse in judgment.

Fuck. If I don't get her back in that cell soon, he'll have my head for this. Whether or not her escape was my fault, that's how he'll see it. Because I didn't break her down with my fists and make her too scared to run. He'll say I'm weak and take matters into his own hands.

My heart thumps against my ribcage at a steady cadence, adrenaline flooding my veins as I pick my way through the forest. Though the scent of nature is thick around me, I swear I can smell her , too. My beastie has a distinctive scent, like pears and wildflowers, sweet and delicate. A total contradiction to the woman herself.

Tracking is part and parcel of hunting, and I take note of every broken branch and area of disturbed ground as I follow Luna's path away from the cabin, my body practically vibrating with excitement. The thrill of the hunt is intoxicating, especially considering the prey I'm after. There's something primal in the desire to capture her; to bring this wild creature back under my control. I guess I wasn't lying when I said hunting her would make my dick hard.

The heady feeling of exhilaration steadily builds as I follow her trail through the woods, sensing that I'm closing in on her with every step. Time ceases to exist while my mind's completely in the zone, focused solely on my objective to track and trap my prey. It's a painstaking process to slowly and methodically trace her path, but eventually, I'm rewarded when I see a flash of blonde hair up ahead.

I creep closer on silent feet, then slink into the brush for cover as I watch Luna pause to catch her breath, looking around like she's trying to get her bearings. I could be impulsive and rush in while she's distracted, but I've been on enough hunts to know that patience is key. There's still too much distance between us. I need to close in on her before I strike, then take her down cleanly and efficiently.

I could really use a tranq gun right about now. With one accurate shot, this all could be over. Even so, some part of me relishes in the thrill of the chase. Higher stakes make for a sweeter victory.

Luna's head snaps from side to side, like she's trying to figure out which way to go. Then she glances behind her, right at the thicket of brush where I'm concealed, and my pulse takes off at a gallop. I don't move. I don't breathe. I remain frozen until she swings her head back around, then slowly exhale in relief.

My foot shifts, and the snap of a twig beneath my boot spooks her. Damnit. She takes off like a shot, sprinting ahead, and base instinct has me surging from the brush to give chase. Without even looking back, she knows I'm on her tail. She runs faster, pushing herself harder in an effort to maintain the distance between us, but when she trips and almost goes down, it allows me to gain on her. She's fast, but so am I. She doesn't make it far before I start closing in.

Another stumble puts me right on her heels, and I seize the opportunity to pounce, grabbing ahold of her and taking us both down to the dirt. I angle my body sideways so I'll take the brunt of the fall, but the momentum still sends us rolling together in a mess of sprawling limbs. When we finally skid to a stop, I've got her pinned beneath my weight, my arms and legs bracketing her body and caging her in.

"What'd I tell you about running?" I snarl, her wide brown eyes finally meeting mine.

With a cry of frustration, she brandishes something metallic and tries to slash at me with it. I'm so caught off guard that I flinch back to avoid the edge of what appears to be a knife, and the element of surprise plays in her favor. In the blink of an eye, she manages to roll away and pop back up to her feet, taking off again in a flurry of movement. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so goddamn annoyed that she just tried to stab me.

Where the hell did she get a knife?

That's a question I'll have to sort out the answer to later, because right now, she's getting away. I can't let her do that. Grunting in irritation, I push up from the ground and run after her, my primal side relishing in the thrill of extending the chase. I've been a hunter for so long that it's practically woven into my DNA at this point, and I can't deny the exhilaration I feel as I sprint to catch up, quickly gaining ground until I'm right on her heels once more.

When I take her down for a second time, the impact knocks the air out of us both. We struggle in the dirt, both fighting for the upper hand, while I remain keenly focused on getting ahold of her wrists so she can't stab me. My size and weight definitely work to my advantage in our scuffle. I manage to get on top of her and wrench her arms above her head, pinning her wrists securely to the ground and finally getting a good look at the weapon in her grasp. A goddamn butterknife .

"Drop it," I command.

"No," she grits out, her knuckles whitening as she does the opposite, tightening her grip around the handle and fighting to yank her hands free.

I drag her wrists closer together, shifting my grip so I can pin them both with one hand. Then I use the other to pry her fist open until the knife drops. As soon as it hits the ground, I pick up the damn thing and chuck it as far as I can into the forest, satisfied when I hear it land somewhere in the distance.

"Didn't I tell you not to run, Luna?" I ask again, shifting my weight atop her body to keep her trapped firmly beneath me.

"Fuck you!" she seethes, glaring daggers up at me.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" I taunt. "If I fucked you in the dirt like the animal you are?"

She huffs in agitation as she writhes against me, but there's no mistaking the way the sound trails off into what sounds suspiciously like a moan as I sink more of my weight onto her, the hard ridge of my cock settling at the apex of her thighs.

"That's what you want, isn't it?" I murmur, the tension in my body wound tighter than a bow string.

She makes a scoffing sound in her throat, scowling up at me. "Don't act like you don't."

"I don't."

"Then why are you so hard right now?" she mocks, shifting her hips upwards to prove her point by grinding on me.

"Why are you rubbing up against me like a bitch in heat?" I snap, flinching back from the contact.

Her lips curve into a devious smirk as she parts her thighs, hooking a leg around my waist to draw me back to her center. "You mean like this?" she purrs, gyrating her hips.

"Stop it," I snarl through gritted teeth.

By some miracle, she actually listens for once. As soon as the words leave my mouth, she suddenly stills, staring up into my eyes earnestly. "Then let me go."

I clench my jaw, shaking my head. " Never ."

She huffs out a breath, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Fine, then let me up and at least make it a fair fight," she implores.

I shake my head again. "I'm not fighting you. "

"You think I'll just go back to that tiny cell willingly?" she scoffs.

"If you value your life."

She narrows her eyes on me, lips twisting in a scowl. "Then clearly you don't value yours."

The two of us stare each other down for a long moment, entangled in a silent battle of wills. I'm acutely aware of every place our bodies are touching, the way our panted breaths are mingling, the tension in my muscles winding tighter with the effort of my restraint. I can feel the heat of her core right against my shaft, achingly hard and dying to sink into her. I can't recall ever wanting anything or anyone more than I want this and her right now. But I can't .

Some evidence of my internal struggle must show in my expression, because Luna suddenly gets a wicked gleam in her eye, licking her plush lips before parting them to speak. "Well, what's it gonna be?" she asks mockingly, angling her hips up to rub against me. "Man up, warden. Either free me, fight me, or fuck me."

That ultimatum slices through the last thread of my self-control, and there's only one option.

"Fine, you want this so bad, I'll fucking give it to you," I snap, abruptly rocking back onto my knees and reaching down to flip her over onto her belly. Then I grip her by the hips, lifting her to her knees and shoving her shorts down her thighs. She doesn't fight me or try to get away- not that I give her much of a chance to, with how quickly it all happens- and I swear I feel a shiver of excitement run through her as I pop the button on my jeans and touch the tip of my cock to her pretty pink cunt.

It's hard as steel, heavy in my hand as I drag the head through her slick folds, and a needy little whine escapes her lips that lets me know I'm not the only one who wants this. She's fucking drenched, her legs trembling and her back arching as I line myself up with her entrance and nudge the fat tip of my cock inside. At the same time, she rocks backwards to meet me, her greedy pussy swallowing me deeper as we both groan at the sensation.

Jesus fuck , she's tight. Sinking my fingertips into the flesh of her hips, I pull out halfway and surge in again, her inner walls strangling my girth as I work my way deeper with each shallow thrust. She meets every one with a backwards grind of her hips, then my pelvis smacks against her ass as I bottom out, seeing fucking stars while she falls forward onto her elbows with a low moan.

I rock back and punch my hips forward again, gritting my teeth against the urge to take her how I really want to. "Is this what you want, Luna?" I growl as I rut into her from behind, picking up the pace while still maintaining some semblance of control. Tracing a palm along the curve of her spine, I bury my fingers in the back of her hair, turning her face sideways and pressing her cheek into the dirt. "Huh?"

Her fingers scrabble against the ground as she glances up at me, her eyes clouded with lust. "Yes!" she pants, the word dissolving into a moan as I slam into her harder.

"Fucking desperate," I murmur, my balls tensing up with every drag through her tight heat. "Just begging to be used, taking my cock like a whore."

As if to prove my point, she starts pushing back into me harder with every thrust, like she can't get enough. "Is that all you've got?" she pants, fucking taunting me.

That's when I stop holding back. For the first time ever, I give into the baser urges that I'm constantly fighting against and fuck her how I want to; how I need to. With every harsh punch of my hips, I give her more, setting a punishing pace that has her screaming- not in terror, but in ecstasy. She fucking likes it hard. She likes it rough. I give her everything I've got, and she not only takes it, but begs me for more. I swear, if she wasn't a genetic freak, she'd be my perfect woman.

Yeah, I'm fully aware of how fucked up this is. But now I also know how fucking good it feels to be inside her, and there's no going back. This is a feeling I could get addicted to. Maybe I already am.

"Is this how you like it, beastie?" I rasp, reangling her hips as I continue hammering into her at a brutal rhythm.

"Yes, fuck !" she screams, arching into me. "Right there!"

She tightens around me, her body trembling, and within a minute, she starts to come undone. I grit my teeth against the sensation of her inner walls fluttering around me as she falls apart spectacularly, gushing all over my cock with her release. It takes every bit of self-control I have left not to fall over the edge with her.

Her muscles slacken as she rides out the last waves of her orgasm, and I reach forward to wrap a hand around her throat, tugging her up until her back is flush against my chest and banding my other arm around her waist. "You're in big trouble now, Luna," I growl into the shell of her ear, nipping at the lobe with my teeth as I thrust up into her. "From the way you just soaked my dick, now I know your weakness."

"And I know yours," she fires back, clenching her muscles tight until her pussy feels like it's suffocating me in a vise grip.

I curse under my breath, groaning in delirium as she starts bouncing on my lap, dropping a hand between her legs to unabashedly play with her clit. It's hot as fuck. She's just as wild and uninhibited in the sack as I imagined she'd be, and the reality far surpasses even my dirtiest fantasies.

Shoving my hands up under her shirt, I palm her full tits, pinching and twisting her nipples between my fingers until she starts to unravel once more. Right when I feel her second orgasm crest, I press a hand to her spine and bend her back over, shoving her cheek into the dirt. My other hand digs a bruising grip into her hip as I slam into her a few more times before joining her in the throes of bliss, nearly blacking out from the force of my climax.

When it's all over, we're both sweaty and panting, coated in dirt and grime from the forest floor. Luna's warm and pliant as I ease out of her, struggling to catch my breath as I tuck myself away and prepare for the guilt and self-loathing to set in.

She'll hate me even more after this, but that's something I'll just have to live with. Because she could never hate me more than I already hate myself.