Red

Chapter 3: Send Off

I high tailed it out of there, jumping like a lemur from tree to tree as fast as I could, but I could hear them shuffling beneath me. In my haste, I missed a branch and felt myself falling the twleve feet to the ground. My hand grazed another branch but didn't grasp it quick enough.

I might have landed on my feet, but I wasn't there long. Just as I began to run strong arms took hold of me, lifting me from the ground. His head nuzzled my neck. "Mine." He whispered and I sighed. It was all over. I knew what mates were to werewolves and what the Alpha's was to his pack. Even I couldn't likely get out of this one.

"Put. Me. Down." I demaned but he bluntly refused. "Do you even know why I was here?" I questioned.

"Don't care." He muttered, raising his head to look at me.

I felt an smirk cover my face as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm a hunter." At the word hunter he stiffened and pulled me closesr. Damn. I thought he'd drop me.

"No you're not." He growled. His voice was deep when he was angry and I kind of liked it. Whoa so not the time to be thinking like this.

I looked over at the conflicted blond dude. "Ask your Beta." The Beta shrank back from his Alpha as he nodded. Still he held me tightly. "You don't plan on letting me go do you?" I asked in a calm voice.

Rage flashed in his eyes before being replaced by a smirk. "Not a chance. I will set you down though." My feet hit the ground, but his arm was locked around my waist. "I'm Alpha Ryder." He added.

I didn't voulenteer my name and he frowned. "Do I at least get a phone call?" A few of his men chuckled quietly and he seemed to consider this a moment.

"If you tell me your name." He bartered and I sighed, tugging my hood tighter.

"Fine." I muttered pulling out my cell.

He snatched it from my hand, waving a finger at me. "Ah ah. Name first." Wow. Seriously? It must have shown on my face because he rose an eyebrow at me questioningly. Slowly I took a breath and mumbled it to myself. "What?" He asked with a frown not catching it. I said it the same as before. "Speak up." I didn't want to.

"Red."

They all just stared at me. "A hunter named Red? THE RED?" The Beta whispered not so discretly.

Ryder's face darkened. "That's not funny." Why don't people believe me? This is why I never associated with anyone.

"You're right. It's not." His arm fell from my waist as he came to stand in front of me. Slowly his hands rose before me, and I watched as he slowly pulled my hood back to see my bright red maine of curls. His fingers twirled one of my curls softly.

A moment of silence passed. "I don't believe such a small girl is capeable of such violence." His voice was soft and so where his eyes.

Stepping back made him stand tall and firm again. "That's a matter of perception." I turned to the Beta. "You guys have found my kills on your boarders before." I reached up and snatched my phone back, dialing Carter.

Sudden guilt for the fight that came flooding back into my memory as the phone rang. I hope the guys pick up. What if they're still mad at me? Just then they answered. "Hello? Red?" Hearing Carter's voice flooded me with relief despite Ryder's sudden anger. "Where are you? You need to come home right now." I scoffed at him.

"That's my home smartie." The Beta cleared his throat and I remembered where I was. "Carter, I need you and the boys to go out west." It was dead silent.

"Red tell me what happend right now. Where are you? I'll come get you." He begged and my heart broke.

"I broke the rule Carter. I got caught. This isn't something even I could fight my way out of."