Bought by the Beast King (Katerina and hunter) novel Chapter 64

**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 64**

**HUNTER**

The pursuit led me deep into the heart of the mountains, far removed from the clamor of human settlements and their incessant chatter. Here, in this secluded realm, the only sound was the whisper of the wind as it danced through the ancient trees. Towering evergreens stood sentinel, their gnarled roots weaving through the forest floor like serpents slithering in the shadows. The thick underbrush brushed against my bare legs, concealing creatures that possessed the wisdom to keep their distance from me.

Yet, despite the stillness surrounding me, Elijah left no trace of his passage. No crushed foliage, no snapped branches, no lingering scent. All that remained was the pulse of our bond, a faint echo of his heartbeat resonating within me.

A bitter laugh threatened to escape my lips. I was the Lycan King, a title my father had bestowed upon me, burdening me with the lives of so many. Yet here I stood, outwitted for years by my own beta. Memories flooded my mind—those countless moments when he had aided me, only to realize he might have been leading me astray, providing misleading counsel, or obscuring trails to keep his secrets hidden.

The bond between us thrummed with tension, and I turned my gaze to the left. A rustle in the canopy confirmed my suspicions. That treacherous bastard was close. Elijah was more adept at evasion than my Shadow guards, but he was not invulnerable. If he believed his gifts rendered him a phantom, then it was high time I reminded him of my true nature.

I glided through the forest like a wisp of smoke, careful to navigate the decaying plant matter littering the ground. No scent, no sound—my presence was undetectable, even to the creatures that called this forest home. As I reached the summit, the trees parted to reveal jagged rocks and the biting wind that whipped against my face. The cliff’s edge loomed just ahead, its sharp outcrop waiting ominously below.

So this had been his scheme. A trap laid out with meticulous precision.

Still, my inner beast remained calm, assured of our prowess as we approached the man who brazenly chose not to conceal himself.

Elijah sat there, bare upon one of the smooth stones, gazing out over the sprawling forest below. My eyes quickly caught the pale scars etched across his back. He didn’t even flinch when he sensed my presence.

“It’s been quite a night, Your Majesty,” he remarked, his voice dripping with a mocking ease that I had once mistaken for camaraderie. “I must admit, I’m relieved that I no longer have to maintain this façade. It took you long enough to figure it out.”

My fists clenched tightly at my sides. His back to me felt like the ultimate affront.

“How did you come to this conclusion?” he continued, his tone condescending. “Was it something I let slip?”

He was fishing for information, but I refused to take the bait, especially since my discovery of his treachery had been largely serendipitous. If April hadn’t pieced it together, I would still be oblivious to the fact that my beta was nothing more than a backstabbing traitor.

Rather than feigning innocence, he sat there, brazenly admitting his betrayal. I could feel his pride radiating from him as he rolled his shoulders and turned to face me, a smile gracing his lips as if this were merely a casual conversation between brothers.

“Let me guess. The girl you kept hidden from me? April, right?” he said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Where is that bitch, anyway? When I find her—”

The growl that erupted from my throat was primal and thunderous. The air thickened with my aura, a palpable force that filled the space between us. I had never experienced emotions quite like this before—the rage intertwined with guilt, mingling with a pain in my chest that felt achingly close to heartbreak.

Elijah was my brother. He had been my brother. He had known everything about me since the day my parents were taken from us.

Finally, he turned fully to face me, tilting his head as if to gauge my reaction.

“Aren’t you curious?” he taunted. “Don’t you want to know why I did it?”

I had encountered many psychopaths during my tenure as the director of the Bureau.

“I don’t really give a shit,” I replied, my voice low and dangerous.

The words struck him like a physical blow, even though I hadn’t unleashed my full power. His body crumpled to the ground, knees buckling as they collided with the unforgiving stone.

Before I could stop myself, my fist connected with his face. I didn’t want to stop. The sound of crunching bones filled the air, and blood splattered across the rock. Still, I wasn’t satisfied. As another thread broke, deepening his suffering, I bent his arm back, listening intently to the sickening snap.

“This isn’t just for her,” I growled, my voice low and menacing. “It’s for every life you’ve tarnished.”

I wasn’t naive; there had to be more to his betrayal than mere jealousy, but I craved his suffering. I spent hours watching him heal slowly before I shattered him once more. The forest around us had grown silent; even the predators had retreated in the face of our confrontation.

As the sun began to crest the horizon, I finally pulled back, observing his labored breaths and the pained moans escaping his lips. The last thread of our bond severed, but this time, Elijah barely emitted a sound. His eyes were vacant, and the rise and fall of his chest had become shallow. There was nothing left—no bond, no connection. Without it, Elijah would not survive.

“You fucked up, Hunter,” he whispered, a cruel smile forming on his swollen, bloodied lips.

Was this the trap he had set? The reason he hadn’t fled? Perhaps now I would finally extract the truth from him.

Before I could react, he rolled over the edge. The thud and crack that followed shattered the silence around us. I focused on the fading heartbeat, which slowed to a near halt. Weakened by the severed bond, he stood no chance of healing.

This mountain would serve as his final resting place.

My beast paced restlessly within me, still unsatisfied, but I couldn’t bring him back to life just to end him again. This chapter was finally closed. Elijah was finished. No longer of my blood. He would never harm anyone again.

As the heartbeat faded and the stench of his spilled blood filled the air, I turned and walked back into the forest.

Now, at long last, I could publicly claim Kitty as my queen.