Chapter 2 Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks: Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… The Unexpected!

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PRESENT DAY…

Alpha Jeremy Stanton was in a very bad mood. The fact that it was a full moon that night was making his mood even darker. The Stanwood Pack, which was the biggest pack in the country, was getting ready for a run and that never ceased to bring a feeling of excitement and anxiety amongst the pack. The air was charged. It was usually the most important event that occurred every month because newly turned wolves got to take their first run to the joy and pride of the grown-ups.

Just as Alpha Jeremy always insisted on, the warriors had scanned the parameters to ensure that the pack would be safe during their run. These checks were important as rogues or hunters could be waiting to attack. Rogues werewolves with no packs. They were usually broken from customary behavior and killed indiscriminately and heedlessly. Hunters on the other hand were that group of people who had made it their life’s mission to destroy supernatural beings such as werewolves from existence. When Jeremy heard word, mere hours before their run, that some hunters were lying in wait for them, he’d growled with fury. And when he was told that the hunters had managed to escape, leaving just one man behind, he’d gotten even angrier. He’d ordered his warriors to bring the hunter back to the camp. Jeremy wanted to personally kill the hunter to placate his furious wolf.

As Jeremy paced impatiently waiting for his warriors, the pack got ready to move. Jeremy’s house was a modern-day castle. It was huge and breathtakingly beautiful. A lot had gone into the magnificent structure. To some, the house was a five-star hotel as it could easily house about three hundred people. There were hundreds of acres of land around Alpha Jeremy’s house, all belonging to the Alpha. Though the werewolves lived anywhere they wished… amongst regular human folk, they always converged in Jeremy’s mansion once every month to run as a pack. Wolves from other packs who owed allegiance to Jeremy usually joined the Stanwood pack for their runs. For the wolves, it was the best place to be on a night of a full moon because they got to run to their hearts' content in the forest surrounding the property. Jeremy was therefore particular about security as he was responsible for not only his pack members but non-pack members too.

‘We’re here Alpha.’ Jeremy heard his lead warrior say through their mind link and instantly felt his fangs drop. He couldn’t wait to see the hunter who dared come that far to hunt his pack on such a night.

‘I’m out here,’ Jeremy responded and turned to face his five betas. They were the most important people after the Alpha and his mate if he had one. Their job was to take over command and enforce the law whenever the Alpha wasn’t present. The betas were so important and respected that their position couldn’t be challenged without the alpha’s approval. “They’re here.” He informed the anxious betas.

Jeremy turned to face the direction he knew his warriors were going to emerge from and promptly gasped when a strong wind blew. Fuck! He groaned silently as his eyes widened in shock and confusion. Where the fuck had that scent come from, Jeremy asked himself as he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. His mouth watered and he felt his cock go instantly hard. No fucking way! From what he’d been taught, only one thing could cause his current reaction. His mate was close. But who, Jeremy asked himself as he opened his eyes and looked around, hoping to see a strange female standing close.

It could be someone from the visiting packs. But Jeremy noticed that there were no women around where they stood waiting for the warriors. They were all at the southern part of the property, getting ready for their run. He turned to face his approaching warriors and felt his knees weaken when the scent got even more intense and delicious. Jeremy swallowed as he felt his eyes shift. His wolf was dying to get out and go to his mate and Jeremy had to do everything in his power not to let that happen as he didn’t even know who the said mate was. By the time the warriors got to their alpha and his betas, Jeremy’s skin had broken out in sweat despite the chilly nature of the weather.

“Are you alright Jer?” His best friend and head beta, Philip asked quietly beside him with concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Jeremy rasped curtly. “Let’s just get this over and done with.” He said as he turned to fully face the warriors.

Behind the warriors, with his head covered in a sack and his hands in cuffs was the caught hunter.

“Here he is, Alpha,” Stan, the head of the warriors said as he pushed the apprehended hunter forward. “We haven’t questioned him at all but he keeps saying he means no harm,” he reported as he yanked the sack off the head of the hunter. “Those who escaped left their weapons behind.” He said pointing at the guns in the possession of one of the warriors. “They’re filled with silver bullets. I think the ones who escaped are kids. This one was probably training them.”

“I told you I’m…” The hunter began but shut up when the alpha turned his angry eyes on him.

Jeremy had to suppress his groan as he stared into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They were glassy green with flecks of amber. The man looked to be in his early twenties, around five ’nine in height, lean and had the whitest blond hair Jeremy had ever seen. It was cropped short on the sides and slightly longer on top. The hunter was drop-dead gorgeous. And he was his mate.

“Fuck!” Jeremy swore as he stared into the frightened eyes of the hunter.

There was one thing everyone knew about Alpha Jeremy Stanton. He hated hunters with a passion because hunters had killed his father and kid brother. He always told his pack that it was sick to simply kill someone when you had no proof that that person was causing harm to other people. Since he and his pack always made it a point never to cause anyone any harm, hunters were to Jeremy, foolish murderers who needed to be taken out when caught. He never killed them though. He rather made his resident witch work on hunters who got caught. And by the time his witch was through with the hunters, their thirst for the hunt was no more.

It was also a known fact that Alpha Jeremy had never understood the concept of same-sex relationships. He would accept it if anyone felt they had to be gay, but had never understood what could possibly be nice about that whole orientation when the couple could not even make babies. He thought it was a waste of time and sperm. So for Jeremy, the universe had dealt him the nastiest blow by giving him a mate who was not only a hunter but was also a man.

Jeremy got so mad he didn’t just see red, his eyes turned red.