The Hunt // Natasha & Graham
Yes, the intensity of what she felt around Graham that first day had lessened until she barely felt it when he wasn’t within sight. However, getting any close to him was a mistake she’d only made once after that night, and it had been by mistake. The shock that’d passed through her had been as difficult to resist as it had been to hide. Ever since that night, Natasha had kept her distance. In fact, she’d done everything in her power to send Graham as far away as possible, as often as normalcy would allow her. After all, it’d seem suspicious if she sent him off on missions that didn’t apply to his… specific skillset.
It hadn’t taken long for Natasha to fully grasp the depth of Graham’s depravity. More than simply enjoy violence and death, Graham was a visionary in his field, always seeking to take another step in directions most people would never think to go. But he was careful, she could tell as much, not wishing to go further than she would allow, and he didn’t yet know exactly how dark she was. So when she’d caught his scent in the forest, she’d followed it, as much as she did the magnetic pull she’d been denying for over half a century. The moon was growing ever rounder in the sky, and the Alpha craved the feeling of blood dripping from her claws.
As such, when Graham spoke, Natasha simply shook her head, perfectly quiet as she perked her ears. Eyes slowly travelled from green to gold, and she sent her mate the curved, deliberate smile of a true predator. “Quick, for an omega, though not very clever,” she observed, clearly speaking of the trespasser; her nose could always tell. This one had to be a runaway from her former pack, Natasha figured. That wouldn’t save her though. At this point, nothing short of the ability to spin gold would grant her pardon. “Don’t be silly, Graham. If we warn people so obviously, who will be left for us to hunt?” This, most of the pack had never seen; the indulgent wolf. Normally, Natasha had an iron will and enviable restraint, but she wasn’t in the mood for restraint today.
With that, she took a step past him and allowed her nose to register everything from the squirrel hiding in the trees to the moss beneath the stone at her side.. She crouched down, letting the tips of her fingers sink into the soft dirt beneath her. Then she closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly. “I assume you have no objections to my joining you.” She mused before letting her eyes flutter open once more.
The wolf that had worked his way up in her ranks had a skill set that was unique; he was well aware how deep his own darkness went. It had been far too long since he had been able to fully explore it, and it probably showed when he took out his anger on the things he was sent to hunt. Yes, he was still rather violent with his prey, but had he been given a chance to do what he truly wished the deaths would be strung out for weeks and the screams of his victims would be engraved into his skull so he could sample them any time he wished.
No, he wasn’t ready to show her how deep the rabbit hole of the madness that consumed him went. It had after all been the reason he was no longer with his original pack, with those whom he shared blood with. It was horrible having to start over from scratch, but if one thing came from all of his suffering was that she was here. She made it all worth it. Even with her avoiding him, purposefully making their interactions short and sending him on missions that required his hand but were farther away than he would have liked. It made sense; she wasn’t as accepting of their connection with one another. How could she be? She was born to Alphas where his parents were in a line of Betas.
When he saw her he was reminded of that red string of fate that forever linked them. Though it was faint the pull was there. As she spoke he was reaching into the pouch by his hip. He only nodded slowly when she devised that their intruder was a wolf and an omega no less. It had been a while since they got one of those into their hands, even more so one from the outside. He pulled out a stone marking the base of the tree he stood by. He was making sure to mark the Omega’s normal trail. It would make it easier next time if they were here longer than either expected. However, he doubted that would happen.
When he back was to her he felt that smirk from to his lips as she spoke about hunting those who dared to enter their territory. He finally looked back to her, “I would hate to take away our packs ability to hunt. Then perhaps we can play with this prey a little.” His words held promise of what was in store for them both. They could always chase the omega down, corral it, let it think it escaped before they descended upon it.
When she came closer he could feel himself growing ridged, his muscled coiled and he stood straighter. He took a deep breath, indulging in the scent of his Alpha and the forest that surrounded them. It would be ideal if the Omega’s scent hadn’t been there too, but they would soon fix that. At her question he gave a shake of his head. “I would never deny you, your pleasures.”
He spoke softly, knowing that no one was around them but those words were meant only for her. His eyes finally ripped from her before looking out into the forest. “Shall we play a game with our guest? We can corral the Omega towards the basin and downstream from the pack.. let it think it has escaped before you.. err.. we have our fun.”