Bought by the Beast King (Katerina and hunter) novel Chapter 34

**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 34**

**HUNTER**

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I waved Kitty off as she stepped through the Bureau gates, but she hardly glanced back, her cheeks already tinged with a rosy hue from the attention I had drawn to her. I had borrowed my contact’s car, an old clunker that looked like it belonged in a junkyard, but it was the only vehicle I could rely on at a moment’s notice.

The rusty metal contraption had sputtered to a halt just outside the gates. Only employees and cleared visitors were allowed to drive in, and I couldn’t risk using the car I had followed her with, so I had arranged for another one. After all, it was now my responsibility to pick up my girlfriend.

A grin threatened to break free, and despite my best efforts to suppress it, it blossomed across my face. Kitty was officially mine. My girlfriend. And this time, she hadn’t even slapped a hundred on me.

But as my mind replayed the events of the past few hours, my smile faltered. I had been too angry, too furious, dangerously close to hunting down Elijah. If Kitty hadn’t been so terrified on her own, I might have lost control completely.

Knotting her hadn’t been part of my plan.

Not yet.

But my beast had surged forth, claiming her in a way that mirrored its primal cravings. Or at least, it almost mirrored them. Kitty’s body wasn’t built to withstand a full claim. If I hadn’t pulled my beast back at the last moment, I would have marked her, binding her to me for all eternity. Kat wasn’t prepared for that. Hell, I wasn’t prepared for that.

When she had gone limp in my arms, my cock swollen and my knot locked firmly inside her, the haze of passion had shattered. I hadn’t torn her apart. She had taken me whole, but it could have ended so differently. I could have found myself sitting on the wrong side of an interrogation table at the Bureau.

I needed control. I needed to be more than just a beast. I had to hold myself back until we could both be honest with each other. I didn’t want to start this relationship mired in deception. Her fainting in my arms had been a blessing in disguise; how would I have explained being stuck inside her for so long? Even though she wasn’t a wolf, I shouldn’t have crossed that line without her consent.

And that realization made me an asshole. I had a lot to atone for.

“Sir.”

Elijah’s voice sliced through my thoughts, dragging my simmering fury back to the surface. My beast roared to life, snarling, still perceiving Elijah as the enemy. Claiming Kitty had awakened a protective instinct within me that I hadn’t anticipated.

‘What the hell were you doing there?’ I snapped through our mental link, my irritation palpable.

‘I followed your trail, Alpha,’ Elijah replied, his head bowed in submission. I was certain he could sense the beast within me, even though I had tried to dampen my aura.

Followed me? Since when did he care about who I chose to sleep with?

‘Did I ask you to do that?’ My growl reverberated through our bond, a warning.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on. I can’t do my job if you don’t let me,” he countered, his voice steady despite the tension.

That was true. Still, I couldn’t shake the way he had looked at Kitty. My gut told me this wasn’t just about me. But perhaps I was being biased. Maybe he always vetted the women I brought home, but I had just never cared enough to notice before.

‘Stay away from her,’ I commanded, releasing a sliver of my aura. He stumbled back, the weight of my presence pushing him away.

‘Yes, Alpha.’

I turned away and merged into the flow of employees walking through the gates. My jeans and T-shirt earned me a few curious glances. Some individuals stepped aside, bowing their heads slightly, while others walked past, oblivious, engaged in gossip. Malanie’s name drifted into my ears.

“Is she really gone? Who did she piss off?”

“A woman made a complaint. Went over everyone’s head.”

“Well, that was a bitch move. Couldn’t she have just handled it?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I exited the office, making my way to the basement parking lot. The car waiting for me would be a delightful surprise for Kitty. When I finally came clean, it would be hers. My woman wouldn’t have to rely on strangers for a ride home.

Sighing, I pressed the elevator button. As much as I craved the truth between us, a part of me couldn’t shake the worry of what might happen if my earlier suspicions were correct. What if she had been playing me all along?

The doors slid open, revealing the last person I wanted to see.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous.

Kostas stepped aside silently, allowing me to enter the elevator. I maintained a neutral expression, but every fiber of my being screamed to tear him apart. Keeping April and her family safe was paramount. I should have known better than to trust a Lordswood.

As the door closed, I caught sight of Elijah at the end of the hallway, watching me intently. His eyes flashed blue for a brief moment before he dropped his gaze, as if his wolf was close to the surface. Was that fury directed at me? Or was it for Kostas?

“You’re not answering my calls.”

“I told you not to interfere. Are you going back on your word?” My growl echoed in the confined space of the elevator.

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Then why are you here?” I demanded, the question hanging heavily in the air. Instead of with April. That past remained unspoken, but Kostas understood.

“I just needed to know,” Kostas whispered, his voice barely audible. “That night. The voice in the background—”

The elevator doors slid open on Kitty’s floor.