Bought by the Beast King (Katerina and hunter) novel Chapter 86

**Leaves Falling Like Promises**
**By Amara Grant**
**Chapter 86**

**HUNTER**

As I shoved my uncle’s man aside outside the motel, a surge of primal energy coursed through me. My beast was awakening, driven by an instinctive need to rescue Kitty and whisk her away from this chaotic kingdom of ours. The asphalt beneath my feet blurred as I raced down the streets, no longer burdened by the necessity to conceal my true nature from the unsuspecting humans around me. The bond between us tugged insistently, guiding me toward the embrace of the forest.

With every step, I could feel Kitty’s distress intensifying. It was a palpable ache, a sharp reminder that something was dreadfully wrong.

And then, like a beacon, I sensed it. Her need—raw and unfiltered, an insatiable hunger that always beckoned me closer.

The earth shifted beneath my paws as I pushed myself to run even faster. My beast was a force of nature, quicker than anything else in the land, larger and more powerful. I barreled through the underbrush, my instincts stripped down to their most primal form: follow the pull, reach her, save her.

But what was this strange amalgamation of agony and desire that enveloped me? This wasn’t the torment inflicted by an enemy; it felt far more intimate, more personal.

My stride faltered, confusion flooding my senses.

A wave washed over me—satisfaction. Pleasure. Almost as if she were—

I skidded to a halt, my paws carving deep grooves into the earth.

Someone was touching her.

The thought struck me like a lightning bolt. I had known it was a possibility, given our one-sided bond, but had she truly betrayed me so soon? My heart felt as if it had been cleaved open, pain radiating through me like a thousand daggers piercing my flesh.

In a moment of desperation, I shifted mid-fall, collapsing onto my knees, the sharp stones biting into my skin. My beast howled in anguish, a primal scream that echoed through my very being. Agony surged through every nerve, burning and locking my muscles in place. I gritted my teeth, battling the scream clawing its way up my throat.

And through the haze of my torment, Kitty’s pleasure pulsed through the bond.

My mate was with someone else.

Sweat trickled down my brow as a different kind of pain enveloped me—deeper, more insidious. I had chosen her, yet she… After everything we had shared, after my heartfelt confession, she had chosen another. Rivers? Had that bastard kept me away for this very reason? My heart fractured, splintering into irreparable pieces.

My vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges until it consumed me entirely. When I finally forced my eyes open, sunlight filtered through the canopy above, illuminating the forest in a gentle glow. Morning had arrived.

I had passed out.

Damn it.

With great effort, I pulled myself upright against a sturdy tree trunk, ignoring the relentless pounding in my skull. The forest around me was less dense than the ancient boundary I was accustomed to, yet I had no clue where I was. The usual sounds of wildlife were absent, leaving an unsettling silence. A strange scent lingered in the air, reminiscent of decay, mingled with a hint of magic.

But I was too numb to decipher it. Even my beast had retreated, hiding deep within me, unreachable. All because of a fragile, little human.

“Tell me the truth if you want to live.”

Would he realize that my beast was silent? That I was unable to command him? That I had been weakened? My uncle would exploit that vulnerability without hesitation. And if he discovered Kitty… I couldn’t bear to think about it. Marking her had painted a massive target on her back, and she remained blissfully unaware.

The man spat blood but remained down, not daring to move until I commanded it.

“It’s the wolf king’s birthday banquet,” he finally admitted, his voice trembling. “Your uncle accepted the invitation in your place; he’s already in Lordswood territory.”

I stepped back, my fists clenching at my sides. No one from my pack was permitted near that cursed land, let alone feasting with our enemies. The last time I had set foot in that castle was out of sheer necessity, to gather intel on a serial killer case.

Uncle Jasper was luring me into his twisted games, relying on alliances with my enemies to fortify his position. I had never bothered to appoint a gamma, which left me vulnerable, and now my uncle assumed my position was shaky.

The urge to prove him wrong nearly overwhelmed me, but the knowledge that the princess would be present at that banquet extinguished any fire of rebellion within me. I wouldn’t go. He could play his mind games all he wanted; I would deal with him after I found Kitty.

Leaving the man bleeding on the forest floor, I forced myself to move forward, determined not to stumble. My head throbbed, and I had exhausted what little energy I possessed incapacitating that traitor.

It was only when I stumbled into a small clearing that I realized how close Kitty was.

Laughter, a man’s laughter, drifted from somewhere ahead, and my head snapped toward a cabin nestled among the trees.