Page 10 of Hunting for her Heart
My eyes widen as my heart feels like it literally lurches in my chest.
A distraught-looking woman kneels on the ground, looking as if she’s just fallen. Her blonde hair is a mess of tangles as if it hasn’t been brushed in weeks. She tilts her head up as her wide, hazel eyes meet ours.
Time seems to stand still as she takes in the three of us, giving me a chance to take in her fallen form. Even behind the tangle of hair and the dirt on her skin, I can see her beauty.
Ronan takes a single step toward her.
“Willow!” someone yells, as three men run up behind her, making her whip her head around to them in surprise.
“Are you crazy? Come on,” another one of them says as he grabs her by the arm and yanks her to her feet.
“Ow!” she cries out, making the three of us instantly step toward them.
“Let go of her!” Ronan seethes.
The man, who I think might be her brother based on similar appearance, shoves her behind him and stands up tall as he faces Ronan. “You touch my sister, or me, and I’ll have you arrested.”
We stop moving as Ronan glances down at the tiny female and tells her, “Say the word and I’ll kill him.”
She looks surprised, but shakes her head. Before I can say anything, a gong sounds in the distance and the man curses. “Shit, Willow, you’re late for the hunt! Come on!” He grabs her hand and drags her away.
Just before she’s out of sight, she glances over her shoulder at Ronan, who nods at her and slams his fist against his chest. I should be surprised that he’d offer the ultimate sign of devotion to a woman he doesn’t even know, but instead, I’m still reeling at what just happened.
I’ve never had such a strong physical reaction to another person before. Even now, I can still feel her, as if she’s tethered to me somehow. And I suddenly realize why.
“Holy shit,” I whisper as Ronan and Hawk turn to face me. “She’s my fated mate.”
“Mine too,” they both say in unison.
We all stare at each other in shock. Fated mates are extremely rare. So much so that I’ve never even met anyone who has found theirs. Many think it’s a myth. But in Redmere, we have never forgotten the old days, when almost everyone was graced with a fated mate. Stories of them have been passed down for generations.
And that’s why it’s a shock that three lonelings would feel the mate bond with the same woman. In all the stories we’ve heard, one commonality was that it was always brothers who shared the same fated mate.
But the tug in my chest and the sudden urge to protect her and hold her are undeniable. There is no question about it. She is mine.
Ronan’s face turns dark as he turns in the direction she disappeared. “The man said she was late for the hunt,” he says, his jaw clenching tightly.
“Oh… fuck,” I say as worry fills me. I already knew the Mating Hunt was a barbaric ritual, but to think our fated mate is about to be thrown into it, along with hundreds of men, fighting for the right to claim her. My fists clench at the thought of anyone else touching her.
“I guess that decides it then,” Hawk says with a nod. “We’re signing up for the Mating Hunt.”
Chapter Four
Willow
Mybrotherreleases my hand and places his palm on my back, pushing me toward the path. I stumble before regaining my footing as I peer around the clearing.
Both sides of the path are packed with dozens and dozens of men. At first, they’re all looking forward, but slowly they start to realize I’m there and turn toward me with varying looks of interest.
“Go!” my brother hisses, nudging me again. I step forward, my hands clenched tightly together in front of my chest as my gaze darts around the clearing. Everyone is dressed in similar attire to my brothers in medieval-style clothing. Many wear tunics, and some look as if they have some sort of armored plates on their chests. Swords and knives hang from many of their belts, with the occasional bow and arrow.
They aren’t going to try to hurt us,are they?
My knees throb from the hard fall, and I can feel pain shooting up my side. Unsure what else to do, I follow thepath through the crowd as all the men turn to look at me. A handful turn their noses up before looking away, but many grin when they see me. I notice how some of their eyes glint with excitement, and one man even squeezes himself between the legs when I look at him.
That has me moving faster until finally the crowd ends and I spot Larissa and the other two women standing on small platforms at the very front.
An older man stands in the center of the space, and when he sees me, he smiles and gestures toward the empty platform beside him. Silently, I move to it, knowing there is nowhere left for me to run but the forest behind him and the women, and I have a feeling they are about to send me in there, anyway.
