Hunter's Heart

Chapter 7

"Let me go and take all these dishes up to the front," Liam announced, getting to his feet before he pushed a can of Coke towards her. "Then, I'll take you back upstairs."

He made an unstable pile of the used plates and cutlery and made his way to the buffet table, leaving Quinn on her own again.

"So this is the little Hunter who's caused such a commotion these last few days."

Quinn looked up to see a small group of women approaching. At its head was a tall blonde woman that looked as if she had stepped off the cover of a magazine, but for the slightly haughty expression she wore and the way she seemed to look down on everyone she passed.

"She doesn't look like much," she added, her cool blue eyes giving Quinn a once over as if sizing her up.

Her friends seemed to find the comment funny, but Quinn just rolled her eyes. Where the hell was Liam?

"You might be some slick shit queen bee to your Hunter friends," the blonde added. "But just so you know, around here you hold no rank. I am a Beta and as far as you're concerned, I make the rules. I have the Alpha's ear."

"Excuse me," Quinn replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm before she took a sip from the Coke Liam had given her. "Honestly, I don't really care who you are, but if you're as important as you seem to think you are you shouldn't need to feel threatened by a little ex-Hunter like myself."

"Listen, little girl," a dark haired one standing behind the blonde sneered. "Take care what you say to us. We can make things very difficult for you."

Quinn bristled. She had no idea why these women seemed to have a problem with her. Did it have something to do with the fact that she was a new female in a house that seemed slightly to a male majority? And what did she care if the blonde had the Alpha's ear or not?

"I'm just shaking all over," she said, looking over at the buffet table to where Liam seemed to be preoccupied with a small red haired young woman. If this continued, Quinn was certain she was about to get her ass kicked.

As if to confirm Quinn's suspicions, the blonde woman let out a growl and stepped close enough that she could feel her breathing on her.

"I would back up off me if I were you," Quinn almost growled, her irritation ratcheting up a notch or two as the bitch invaded her space. To make her point, she picked up one of the steak knives that Liam had forgotten to take with him and slammed it point down into the wood with a resounding thud, right between the first and middle fingers of the woman's hand resting on the table.

"You disrespectful little bitch!" the blonde screeched and before Quinn could react, her hand shot out and closed around her throat as the blonde lifted out of her seat.

"Silvia!" Liam's voice boomed across the dining hall. "Drop her!"

Quinn could feel her air supply being cut off and the woman looked absolutely furious, like she was about to rip her throat out.

"You will show a Beta respect," the blonde growled.

"I don't respect anyone who hasn't earned that from me," Quinn choked out before she swung her legs up and slammed her feet into the woman's chest, not enough to do any kind of damage, but it was enough to surprise her. She was released and dropped onto her still damaged leg, which protested sharply at the new abuse.

The woman aimed a kick at her ribs, but Quinn quickly rolled out of the way and forced herself into a crouch, ready to launch herself at the bitch if she had to.

"Silvia!" Liam shouted again, putting himself between the Quinn and the blonde before she could launch another attack. "You heard what the Alpha said. Back off!"

"She's disrespectful!" the woman snapped.

"She'll learn what's expected of her," Liam retorted. "Until then, I don't want you within ten feet of her. She's a guest here until the Alpha says otherwise."

The blonde looked like she was about to try and get through Liam to get to Quinn, but then her face became a calculating mask.

"Fine," she said, flashing a saccharine sweet smile. "I'll let it go. For now ..."

With that, she led her little group away and Liam turned to help Quinn to her feet.

"I would stay out of Silvia's way, Quinn," he advised, allowing her to lean on him while her leg twinged. "She leads the females in the pack."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "She can kiss my ass. Unless you or the Alpha tell me otherwise, I'll do whatever the hell I want."

Liam stared at her for a moment, taken aback at her response while he seemed to gauge her sanity, and then his easy smile spread across his lips.

"You have a death wish, little Hunter."