Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
“That’s because we have to work together to survive.”
“And that’s why I am saying there is a plan, isn’t there? Do we know when nightfall will hit?”
“Calliope, we’re in a mystical land, and I didn’t stick around long to listen to how other people survived this.” He’d seen how happy they were, and in all honesty, he didn’t think he’d ever have to worry about being thrust into The Hunt.
He remembered bits and pieces of conversations, but he wasn’t about to scare Calliope. The truth was, it could turn to night with the click of fingers. It could be burning hot or freezing cold. They could be attacked without any warning whatsoever. Food could be found when they least expected it.
The fact was, the only guarantee with each other, was ... each other. They were their only hope.
“You’re right,” Calliope said. “I didn’t either. I was happy they lived, but I didn’t stick around for the details. I only know this place is scary.” She glanced around.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said.
“I hope so.” She turned to look at him. “Because I really don’t want to die.”
He couldn’t have agreed more. “At least we’re in agreement with that. Neither of us wants to die.” He saw the smile on her face, and it had been so long since she last smiled at him.
“What do we have to do?”
There was no way Calliope was just going to sit back and allow him to do all the work. She always had a hands-on approach to everything.
“We’ve got to keep moving and I guess we’ve got to start looking like we’re open to the idea of being mated.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath.
“That shouldn’t be hard, right? I mean, that should be quite easy.” She nibbled her lip and he loved when she did this.
Her lips were already plump, but in some odd way, they looked plumper when she nibbled her lip. He couldn’t describe what it did to him, but it did drive him crazy watching her.
“Yeah, it should be easy.” They started to walk, and he looked left and right. There was no discernable landscape. Everything either kept changing, or they were going around in circles, or ... it was a maze.
He just didn’t know. The scent hadn’t changed either. Jaxson tried to stay on alert, just in case they were attacked.
Calliope didn’t say a word. They kept walking in a straight line, a circle, or zigzagging, for all he knew. Randomly, he kept looking in her direction. Neither of them said a word. He had a feeling this was dangerous.
“What were you doing?” he asked. “I mean, before you woke up here?”
“I was sleeping. I had a long day, and I went to bed early.”
“Me too,” Jaxson said. He’d been training with all the other wolves, honing in on his connection with his wolf, so when it came to changing, it didn’t hurt. Sometimes, even after three years, and changing once a month, it still hurt like a son of a bitch. Not that he’d complain to anyone, and certainly not his dad, who also happened to be the alpha of the pack.
“It’s exhausting, right? Trying to figure out your place?” Calliope asked.
He agreed.
“I know a lot of the pack didn’t want me around because of ... well, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Some of the pack thought he was nuts in not trying to pursue Calliope. Trying to make a mating work was more important than ending up on The Hunt.
It was like the bogeyman for wolves. The Hunt.
He didn’t realize how real it could be until this moment, and at that precise second, he heard the snap of a twig and instantly reached out for Calliope. She had already tensed up.
“Did you hear that?” she asked, whispering.
He nodded his head and tried not to make a sound as he kept her close and moved in a circle, trying to figure out what it could have been.
A twig snap suggested something large, something ... hunter-y. He didn’t want them to be the prey. They were the predators.
“So, uh, I kind of heard that anything can attack? I mean, I think I might have heard, but I didn’t exactly hear it from anyone who has actually been here,” Calliope said.
“It’s a fight for survival. It’s why it’s named The Hunt.”
No one appeared. No threat.
Letting go of her arm, he watched, and then suddenly, a small bunny appeared.
“Aw, he’s so cute,” Calliope said.
The bunny didn’t stay long and started hopping away.
“Come on,” Jaxson said. “I think we need to keep moving.” And with that, she didn’t argue as he took her hand and they started walking again.
He didn’t have a clue which direction to head, but it was good to just keep walking, and if he was honest, it was also good to be holding her hand.