Kade’s hand fisted in my ponytail, and he groaned, licking up the side of my neck. “Your scent is already making me hard.”

The blindfold came off, and for a second it felt like there wasn’t any difference. The woods were nearly pitch black.

“Run, baby.”

Footsteps retreating, and the door slamming again. The car left me, and I didn’t move until I could no longer hear it. I didn’t look to see where it went. I stayed frozen as a statue, committing to what we’d agreed until I was entirely alone.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, picking out the faint glow of the moon that let me distinguish between the black trees and navy sky. There was nothing else I could do to get ready.

I took a deep breath, and ran.

Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

________

KADE

Esme’s scent was heavy in my nose. I could already taste her on my tongue and all my senses were sharpening.

“You have a boundary?” Luke asked.

I nodded as we got further away from where I’d left her. “River on one side, seven-foot fence on two other sides. There’s plenty of room, woods and fields.”

As soon as she’d given the indication, it was something she wanted, I started looking. This wasn’t precisely where she ran when she left the city, but it was close enough she wouldn’t be out of her element. The watch on her wrist would let us find her anytime we needed to.

I’d also checked to make sure this section of land wasn’t frequented by anyone in particular. The couple of times I’d come to evaluate it, I also removed some of the bigger, more dangerous obstacles. A big bush covered in thorns, a sudden, brief ditch she could fall into in the dark. Some low-hanging branches.

Luke pulled the car to the spot I told him and killed the engine. He pulled out his phone, and I saw the dot on the screen showing where Esme was, and tried not to mark the location. “She’s moving?”

“She is.”

I pushed out of the car, pocketing my own phone. One of us needed to have one.

“Happy hunting,” Luke called.

Walking away from the car, it didn’t take long for me to be absorbed in the darkness. The sounds of night creatures, and the scent of earthy, fresh air. No sign of my Omega’s scent yet, but it didn’t matter. I would find her.

The thrill of the chase had always been something I was attracted to. The idea of letting your feral side free to act on these instincts we held inside of us? Beautiful. But it wasn’t for everyone, which was why I hadn’t truly done this until now.