The Wild Hunt Read online

  There was a crack of feet racing behind him. He pivoted on his back paws and turned right. One of the frozen lakes was near. He ran toward it.

  None of the fae had caught him by the time he broke through the trees surrounding the lake. He didn't hesitate as he slid onto the ice and across it. This lake had been one of the first to freeze, so he was confident the ice would hold under his weight. He skidded out to the middle of it and took a moment to catch his breath. He turned his golden eyes back to the trees he'd come from.

  A group of about five fae stood at the shore of the frozen lake, watching him. Like the stories Eadric had been told ever since he was a child, the creatures looked nothing like what he was used to seeing. They were tall, the shortest just around the same height as Eadric's father. They had no hair on their bodies except what was on their heads and that hair was grown longer than any wolfshifter would be able to produce. Their eyes, though, were the strangest things about them.

  Every wolfshifter had golden eyes, though they ranged in shades. Eadric's own were one of the lighter shades of gold, so much so that his mother often said they looked like sunbursts. The fae, however, had eyes like gemstones. Some were the color of the clear blue sky and others like fresh blood. The fae in the center of this group, though, had the rarest color. His eyes were the deepest of purple, sparkling like violet stars.

  Eadric began to inch backward. The fae, seeing his movement, started to circle the lake. Eadric didn't let them get far. He dashed across the ice, letting the slipperiness work to his advantage. He nearly stumbled as his paws hit solid ground, but he ran into the fall. Flattening himself to the ground, he sprinted away.

  The moon began to rise in the sky. Tomorrow would be a full moon and therefore a strong Yule. Eadric was looking forward to it, but now he had to concentrate on running.

  The fae ran on two legs, but they had the kind of speed that Eadric couldn't produce in his manskin. They carried no weapons, but supposedly they didn't need to for the friendly hunt. Eadric remembered his brother's tale about being wrestled to the ground by one of the fae during last year's Wild Hunt. If any of them caught Eadric, he would have a hard time getting free of their grasp.

  They were catching up. Eadric jumped over a boulder and took a left to head back in the direction of the pack clearing. He heard a fae attempt to cut him off and he swerved right to avoid him.

  A figure came flying toward him from the right. Eadric skidded to a stop and fae went tumbling over him. He didn't stop to look, but started running again. He'd lost momentum. It wasn't long before he felt himself being grabbed by the scruff. He rolled, the fae rolling with him.

  The fae's body was much larger than him in wolfskin. Eadric tried to use that to his advantage. He curled into a ball. It loosened the fae's grip and he pushed with his back legs to propel himself away.

  Surprisingly, he was able to break free, but before he could sprint away he realized he was surrounded. He darted his gaze around, but the four fae were equally spread out. The fifth, who'd grabbed him, stood and joined the circle--making it even tighter as they all adjusted.

  Eadric turned his gaze on that fae. He was the purple-eyed one from earlier. He had long blond hair that was braided into a sort of tail that ran down his back. As Eadric watched, the fae pushed the braid over one shoulder such that the end of it brushed his bare nipple. Like the other fae, this one wore animal skin over his own skin. Clothes, Eadric remembered they were called. The brown clothes, likely made of deerskin, covered his legs, but not his torso. His feet were bare as well, as were his arms and hands.

  This fae had multiple black tattoos etched into his right arm. They swirled in dark patterns that Eadric didn't understand, though he knew enough to know that tattoos like that meant power and rank in the fae clan. This fae would be an alpha, if such a distinction existed among the fae. His dark purple eyes spoke of calm authority. Eadric felt his hackles settling without much conscious thought on his part.

  The fae let loose a small smile. "Will you shift, pup?"

  Eadric shifted, not to obey that soft voice but to be able to tell the fae off. He settled into his manskin and stood. "I am not a pup."

  The fae chuckled. "My apologies. I do not remember seeing you in the Hunt before."

  Eadric considered the pale creature. "This is my first year, but my mere presence here says I am of-age."

  "Of course." The fae nodded. His gaze traveled down Eadric's body, to where Eadric's cock hung, with brown curls covering his balls. Eadric tilted his head to the side, like he would do in wolfskin if he were asking an unspoken question.

  The fae's gaze flicked back up to his face. "What is your name?"

  "Eadric."

  "I am Cadeyrn."

  Eadric nodded in greeting. He would not show his neck to the fae, even if the creature did seem to be whatever the fae called their alphas. The fae seemed to consider him for a moment. Eadric felt something burn low in his gut, like the desire to submit he so rarely felt. His hand twitched.

  There was something about this fae. Cadeyrn did not seem to demand respect so much as everyone around him seemed to instinctively want to give it to him. The other fae stayed silent and respectful. Eadric noticed that none of them looked directly at him, all staring at some point by Eadric's feet. He wondered why.

  Cadeyrn is attractive. He thought he should feel strange about finding an alpha-figure attractive. By all rights, as a beta, he should be attracted to omegas or gammas. He should want to be the dominant mate.

  Eadric never had followed the unwritten rules and he'd known for a while that when he thought of mating, his hidden desire was not to be the one biting, but the one being bitten.

  There was a sudden clatter of footsteps. Eadric stilled in wait as more fae joined the little circle, and, beside the fae, members of Eadric's pack. Eadric spotted his father and brother. He smiled at them. His brother wrinkled his nose in teasing.

  "The Hunt has been fulfilled," a female fae said. She stepped forward to stand near Cadeyrn. She wore clothes similar to his, though she had a cloth covering her chest as well. Eadric wondered if she found it restrictive. Her arms showed dark tattoos swirling like Cadeyrn's, but there seemed to be more of them.

  Cadeyrn bowed to the female and the rest of the fae followed. She turned to Eadric's father.

  "Your clan has grown faster, Lady Boudicca," his father said. "The moon is not yet even at its highest point."

  Boudicca, who Eadric now recognized as the chief of the Gwrtheyrn clan, smiled wide. "Perhaps it is your pack that grew slower." Her tone made it clear she was just teasing and Eadric's father took it well. She turned her dark red eyes in Eadric's direction. "It seems this young one was the fastest among you this year."

  "My son, Eadric," his father said proudly. Eadric lifted his chin just slightly, acknowledging the praise.

  "My lady," Cadeyrn said. "I wish to initiate a challenge."

  All the fae seemed to still in one collective movement of shock. Eadric turned his gaze to his father, wondering what the fae was talking about. His father's eyes were narrow, though his brother seemed just as confused as Eadric was.

  "Can this not wait until we are back in our dwelling, Cadeyrn?" Boudicca asked softly.

  "No, my lady," he said. "I wish to challenge Eadric."

  The fae seemed to grow even more frozen, if that were possible. Eadric blinked heavily for a moment. "I mean no ill-will toward your clan, my lady," he said, hoping to settle the tension. "I apologize if I offended Cadeyrn somehow."

  Boudicca was already shaking her head. "The challenge is not meant in ill-will," she assured him. "Cadeyrn, are you sure you wish to challenge this pup?"

  Eadric's father cleared his throat. "My son is not a pup. He is in his twentieth year of life." He paused, glancing at Eadric. "If Eadric wishes to partake in the challenge, I will not stop him. It is his choice."

  The words seemed to echo an earlier conversation, but Eadric wasn't sure how. He raised an eyebrow, but no one s
eemed to want to clarify anything.

  Eadric turned his gaze back to the purple-eyed fae. Cadeyrn smiled at him and stepped forward. "Will you accept my challenge?"

  "How do I win?" Eadric asked.

  Cadeyrn chuckled, and it was echoed by several fae. "The challenge ends when you submit, or when I forfeit."

  Submit or forfeit. They were two different things. It meant Cadeyrn wouldn't submit. Either Eadric would, or the fae would have to eventually give up.

  Eadric met his gaze strongly. He submitted only to his father, and only when his father demanded it. Cadeyrn would not find it easy to have Eadric bare his neck.

  "No blood," Boudicca called as Cadeyrn stepped into the circle. It was closed behind him by several fae and wolfshifters. "We have never had a challenge performed with a wolfshifter. It seems only fair he be allowed to use both forms, as they are both a part of him."

  Cadeyrn nodded in acceptance to that. Eadric squared his shoulders and widened his stance. They stared at each other in silence.

  "Begin," Boudicca said.

  Cadeyrn moved. There was no other word for it, except he moved like nothing Eadric had ever seen before. One moment he was standing in front of Eadric, and then next the fae had him pinned to the ground. Eadric's body reacted even as his mind scrambled to catch up. He shifted and rolled.

  In his wolfskin, he came at Cadeyrn with teeth and claws. Cadeyrn dodged both, strong fingers grasping the scruff of Eadric's neck. Eadric shifted again, such that the hand was now cupping his shoulder, and swept his leg out. He succeeded in kicking Cadeyrn in the shin and fae fell forward.

  Eadric danced out of the way, except Cadeyrn grabbed his ankle and brought him down. A small branch dug into Eadric's back. He arched backward and used the momentum to propel himself to his feet. Cadeyrn's grip slipped. Eadric jumped forward and grabbed Cadeyrn by his braid.

  The man flipped them over easily. His eyes were alight with purple flames. Eadric held back a gasp as the fae succeeded in planting a knee into Eadric's side. He bucked, but the fae was strong enough to push him back down.

  Eadric attempted to wiggle his way free of the fae's grip. He shifted and found himself as trapped in wolfskin as he'd been in manskin. Eadric attempted another rapid shift, hoping to dislodge the grasp. All he succeeded in doing was exhausting himself.

  Eadric stopped struggling. He was well and truly caught. Cadeyrn's hands were holding both his wrists. His legs were pinned together by Cadeyrn's knees and the fae used the weight of his whole body to settle Eadric against the ground.

  Glaring up at Cadeyrn, Eadric refused to give any outward sign of submission. He would lay pinned, but he would not show his neck. Strangely, his defiance only seemed to make the flames in Cadeyrn's eyes dance stronger. The fae leaned forward slightly.

  Eadric snapped his teeth in warning. Cadeyrn ignored it, resting his forehead against Eadric's. Eadric growled low in his throat. The sound might have been more effective coming from his wolfskin, for Cadeyrn ignored it, too.

  "Stop fighting," Cadeyrn whispered. His lips quirked upward in the ghost of a smile. "Let me."

  Let him do what? Eadric wanted to ask, but before he could speak his mouth was covered by another. Eadric's eyes flared wide and then closed. Cadeyrn pressed his lips gently against Eadric's, and then harder. They demanded his submission, demanded he open his mouth and accept Cadeyrn.

  Eadric bit Cadeyrn's bottom lip, but in doing so he opened his mouth enough for Cadeyrn to change the direction of the kiss. He wrapped his long tongue against Eadric's and Eadric stiffened.

  Cadeyrn massaged his mouth and slowly, ever so slowly, Eadric felt himself fall into it. He'd never been asked to give up control in this way, and yet he wanted to. Cadeyrn's body sang against his. He felt his cock harden in response.

  Cadeyrn moved his hand away from Eadric's right wrist and gently ran it down Eadric's arm to his shoulder. Eadric kept his arm where it had been left. Cadeyrn's hand moved to the base of Eadric's neck and pressed gently.

  It was a request. Eadric knew if it had been a demand, he would have snapped at the fae and resumed his struggle. But it was a request, a simple request, and with Cadeyrn's mouth on his he wanted so badly to grant it.

  Cadeyrn pulled back and Eadric let in a ragged breath. The fae didn't look unaffected. His chest was heaving. His braid hung down, brushing against Eadric's chest. Eadric looked up into those purple eyes.

  The request came again, just a gentle brush of Cadeyrn's hand against his neck. Eadric licked his lips, feeling how swollen they were. He liked that. He took in another unsteady breath.

  He bent his head back against the ground, baring his neck. Multiple gasps rang from the crowd. Eadric knew they would be from the wolfshifters. His pack wouldn't have expected him to submit, not like this, but at that moment he couldn't care for their opinion. All that mattered was what Cadeyrn would do.

  Cadeyrn gently brought his hand to cradle the nape of Eadric's neck. He kissed Eadric's jugular and then scraped his teeth against it. It wasn't a hard bite, there was nothing truly claiming about it, but it seemed to be a promise.

  The fae pulled back and got off Eadric completely. Eadric looked up and saw that Cadeyrn was offering him a hand. Eadric took it and was helped to his feet. Cadeyrn didn't let go of him then. He wrapped an arm around Eadric's waist and pulled him close. It felt natural. Eadric looked down at where the fae's pale skin contrasted with his own darker tan.

  "Eadric." That was his father. Eadric glanced up at the alpha. His father's eyes glinted with a strange combination of sadness and happiness.

  "What is happening?" Eadric asked softly.

  It was Boudicca who answered. "The challenge is a courtship request among my kind," she explained. "When you submitted, you granted Cadeyrn permission to pursue you as his mate."

  Eadric looked at Cadeyrn. The fae's purple eyes glowed with pleasure. He turned back to Boudicca. "What now?"

  "With your chief's permission, you will come to live with us, and with Cadeyrn. The courtship is not final. It will last until you accept or leave. At any point, you will be free to break it and return to your pack."

  Eadric swallowed tightly. He looked to his family. "Father?"

  His father smiled. "I told you before, I will not interfere. If this is what you wish, Eadric, then you have my blessing."

  Eadric nodded. "Can I come visit?"

  "Of course," his father said.

  "Our homes are not so far that such a trip would be difficult," Boudicca added.

  It was different in alliance matings between different wolfshifter packs. There was always protocol to follow when a wolfshifter wished to travel between pack lands. But Eadric supposed with the fae it would just be easy to walk down the mountain to Eoforwine valley and run to the clearing. His father would not demand he follow protocol to come by, even if he would technically no longer be a member of the pack.

  Eadric felt tears prickle at the back of his eyes at the thought. He'd never expected he would want to leave his pack. He was a beta, a dominant wolfshifter. He would have never been expected to go to another pack for an alliance mating, his mate would have come to him. Except, he wasn't the dominant in this mating. That much had been made obvious and Eadric couldn't find it in himself to disagree with the ruling.

  He looked then to his brother. Oswald was stiff, but when he met Eadric's eyes he didn't seem angry. His brother gave him a small smile. It was approval, as much as he could expect. He didn't want to leave Oswald, but all his pack that was present had seen the challenge. They would all be able to smell how Eadric had become aroused, how he'd yearned to submit to the fae, and how he'd accepted something in himself when he finally did.

  Oswald understood--Eadric could see that in his golden eyes. Eadric bowed his head. "I will visit soon," he said. "To say a proper goodbye."

  Eadric's father nodded. He turned and with him the rest of the pack "Until next year, Boudicca."

  "I look forward to it."

 
His father shifted into his wolfskin. The rest of the pack followed as he leisurely jogged back in the direction of the clearing and den.

  Eadric's mother would be upset, he knew. She hadn't been there to see what had occurred. But Eadric's father would calm her, and Eadric himself would be able to explain when he came to visit.

  Eadric watched his pack until the last of them disappeared from sight. Cadeyrn's arm tightened around him, but instead of seeming constricting, it felt comforting. Eadric turned his gaze to his potential mate. The fae smiled at him and gently kissed the top of his head. Eadric frowned, not sure he liked the gesture, but then Boudicca was walking toward the mountain. Eadric followed as Cadeyrn tugged him along with the rest of the fae.

  * * * *

  He woke on a pile of furs. None were made from wolfshifters, or even their dumber wolf brethren. Eadric lay on them for a moment longer, relishing how soft it felt to be curled against them as if they were members of his pack surrounding him.

  The sun's light was already too bright, though, so Eadric forced himself to rise and look around. He hadn't truly been able to take in his surroundings the night before. He was in a sort of den, though the walls were of wood not stone. He stood and walked to the opening in the wood. He stared.

  It was so high up. The fae on the ground seemed the size of rabbits. Eadric stepped out onto the wooden ramp that gently slopped up to the den. It seemed there were multiple trees like this one. They were large and hallowed out to support several levels of individual dens. Cadeyrn's den was the second tallest in the entire fae dwelling. The wooden ramp sloped up above it to where Eadric remembered Boudicca retiring to the night before.

  He thought it strange that the fae did not sleep together in one large den like his pack did. There were many things about the fae he'd have to get used to if he wanted to live with them.

  "You have awakened, I see." Cadeyrn came up the ramp. He was wearing a different pair of pants from yesterday. These were lighter-colored. His hair hung loose, with only one small strand braided and kept at the front of his body while the rest cascaded down his back like a long blond waterfall. "I was just coming to wake you."