Hunter's Heart

Chapter 7

Christian looked out over the assembled pack and leveled a cold glare at all of them and Quinn could easily pick out who was ranked highest to lowest in the pack system. Those who cowed under his glare were children and omegas.

"As you're all aware," the Alpha began, his voice loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. "We have a new arrival here with us. I'll say all of this once. She is here as a guest of the Alpha Prime and as such, she is not to be harmed. If I learn that any of you have laid a finger on her, I will personally skin you alive and tan your hides."

His cold gaze swept over the assembled pack once more and when it looked like his words weren't sinking in, he let out a low growl.

"As you were!" Christian barked and it was as if a switch had been flipped. Suddenly, the death stares were no longer being leveled at her and the buzz of voices that had been going on before she and Liam had entered the dining hall started up again.

Quinn watched the Alpha take his seat and tensed as his cold gaze swept to meet hers. The strange tugging sensation she'd felt when she'd first seen him in the forest came back, a little stronger this time, and embarrassingly, she felt her cheeks begin to warm. She could still feel how his hand had closed around her neck back in the cells.

She quickly dropped her gaze back to her half eaten bowl of macaroni and cheese, but not before she saw the corners of his lips tilt up just a little bit in amusement.

What the hell? she thought. Since when do you go all gushy over a good looking guy? He's freaking Christian St. Clair, for crying out loud!

"So Hunters are all business all the time, huh?" Liam asked, resuming their conversation as if his brother wasn't sitting right behind him and forcing her out of her musings. "No wonder you left."

"It wasn't exactly out of choice," Quinn admitted before she could stop herself.

Liam stared at her and she could have sworn Christian seemed to be hanging on every word she was saying now.

"They made you leave?" Liam asked in disbelief. "Why on earth would Viktor Antanov allow that? He's the head of the Hunter Council, isn't he?"

Nicely done, Quinn scolded herself angrily. That isn't anyone's business, remember?

"Let's just say I didn't exactly 'gel' with the rules," Quinn told him, unable to keep the bitter edge from her voice. "I didn't quite live up to Antanov standards."

Liam continued to stare at her for a moment, as if trying to work out what her vague explanation might be hiding. She could almost see the gears in his head turning, but then he blinked and seemed to decide not to press the issue.

"Fine," he said instead. "Next question, then. Why do you call yourself 'Quinn'?"

"What?" she asked, struggling to keep up with Liam's random change in topic. It was like his mind ran a mile a minute. One minute they were talking about Hunters and why she was no longer one and then he was asking her something completely different.

"Why do you go by 'Quinn'?" Liam asked again, rephrasing the question as if he thought it would help her understand. "You don't like it when someone calls you Alexandra or any shortened version of that. But Quinn is not even remotely close to being a nickname for Alexandra. I was just wondering if it was some kind of inside joke or something."

"It's my middle name," she replied. "Alexandra was my old life. Quinn is me now. It's that simple."

By this time, people were starting to leave the hall and soon it was just a handful of them left. Quinn watched as Christian got up and left without so much as a word and a tiny part of her felt as if he had taken a little sliver of her with him. What the hell was happening to her?