Chapter 0274
Shifting back himself, Noah stared at me, his eyes wide with what looked like awe. Slowly, he approached, dropping to a crouch in front of me and pulling a handkerchief from his pocket.
“There, killer,” he whispered, gently wiping the blood from my mouth. His touch was tender, a stark contrast to the primal energy still thrumming through both of us. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
I grinned, still feeling the thrill of the hunt coursing through my veins—mixed with the lingering sensation of primal, animalistic yearning that hadn’t left me since our night together. The ache between my thighs was almost unbearable, especially with him so close.
Without thinking, I darted my tongue out, licking a drop of blood from his finger. Noah froze, his breath catching in his throat.
“I’ve always had it in me,” I murmured, my voice husky. “I just never set it free.”
Noah growled softly, the sound sending shivers down my spine. I didn’t move away as his eyes roamed over my body, dark with desire. In that moment, I think our wolves were still in control of our desires, of our actions. Gently, he gripped my wrists and pushed me down onto the bed of leaves beside my kill, looming over me.
The air between us crackled with tension. I could feel the heat of his body, see the rapid rise and fall of his chest. My wolf whined, urging me to close the distance between us. The forest seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us in our own little world.
We could do it, I thought. Maybe there wasn’t time, but my wolf was telling me it didn’t matter much if our pack accidentally found us rutting right there on the forest floor. The taste of the doe’s blood must have clouded my logic, returning me to a more base level of instinct.
But then, just as Noah began to lean in, the sound of approaching footsteps restored that logic—for both of us. Realizing we were about to make another mistake, and right in front of our pack this time, I sprang away. I scrambled to my feet, leaves clinging to my clothes, as the rest of the hunting party burst into the clearing.
As I brushed myself off, I caught a glimpse of movement behind a particularly large tree. Zoe was sliding off Drake’s wolf form, her feet touching the ground just as they came into full view. She made a show of smoothing down her clothes and sighing contentedly, as if she had just shifted back herself. But I knew better.
Interesting, I thought. My eyes narrowed as I watched her meander into the clearing, filing away this information for later.
“Nice. Clean kill,” Drake said, leaning close to observe the deer—two perfect puncture wounds right at the base of her skull.
I followed his gaze. She had likely only felt a singular flash of pain before it was lights out, and the rest that happened afterward had just been her muscles taking over. Now that the primal fog was clearing from my mind, I did feel a little bad for harming another creature, and wiped my bloody mouth with the back of my hand.
“You killed her?” Drake asked, noticing my movement.
Noah’s chest puffed out before I could answer. “She outran my wolf. I’ve never seen anything like it.” My eyes widened slightly at the fact that he conveniently left out how he let me win. But before I could say anything, a cheer went up from the gathered pack members who had overheard, and suddenly I was being lifted onto strong shoulders.
“Luna! Luna! Luna!” The chant echoed through the forest, making my cheeks flush a shade of red more crimson than the blood still coating the inside of my lips.
As I was paraded around, my eyes landed on Zoe. Her face was red, her lips pressed into a thin line. She couldn’t shift, could she? The idea gave me a petty sense of satisfaction. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking, seeing me celebrated like this.
When I was finally set back on my feet, Noah’s arm snaked around my shoulders.
“Time for the feast!”