The Hunt

17. Rhett

17

Rhett

I leaned against a tree at the edge of the clearing, far enough to stay hidden in the shadows but close enough to see the cabin. My pulse was pounding, but it wasn’t from exertion. It was the thrill. The anticipation.

I’d missed Everly again. Just by a minute this time.

On purpose, of course.

I sucked in a deep breath, tilting my head back to let the cool air settle over my overheated skin. Every part of me was buzzing, the kind of rush I hadn’t felt in years. The thrill of the hunt was addictive enough… but this? This was something else entirely.

I could’ve caught Everly already. Twice today, I’d had her in my sights, close enough to call out, to make her look back and see me standing there. I could still picture her wide, frightened eyes, that delicious blend of defiance and fear flickering in them. But I’d let her go both times, holding back when I could’ve acted, because this wasn’t just a hunt for me. It was a game I wanted to savor.

I crouched, pretending to adjust the laces on my boots as my eyes swept the clearing beyond the safe zone border. The girls’ trail was obvious, even from here. They’d been careless as they rushed for the safety of the cabin, leaving broken branches and disturbed leaves behind.

I ran a gloved hand over the dirt near the safe zone border, erasing the imprints with a casual sweep. Then I stood, glancing over my shoulder to ensure no one else was watching me.

I’d already checked this spot for one of the countless cameras rigged up in trees and other various places, and I knew I was standing in one of many ‘dead zones’ where nothing was visible on the monitors. But still… I had to be sure.

Once I was certain no one was watching me, I crouched and wiped away another sneaker print on the edge of the safe zone. I’d been doing this all day, covering the girls’ tracks whenever I came across them.

Earlier, one of the other hunters had stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing as they studied the disturbed ground near a cluster of trees. I’d stepped in, feigning disinterest, and kicked a patch of leaves over the evidence.

“Nothing here,” I’d said, my tone clipped as I pointed westward. “It was just a deer. Saw it run away a second ago, right through there.”

The guy had grunted, shrugged, and moved on, not suspecting for a second that I was sabotaging him. Not suspecting that Everly and her little friend were lying flat on their bellies behind a shrub only ten yards away. But it was a close call. Too close.

Not as close as the incident with the fucking beach snipers, though. I was next to those four guys, pretending to partake, when in reality I was watching them carefully to ensure none of them aimed at Everly. One of them tried, and I ‘accidentally’ jostled him, blaming a fictitious gust of wind that had blown into my face. His bullet went wide, and Everly dashed into the forest with the other girl, safe for the time being. My fellow hunter was pissed, but he knew this was my first year in the Hunt, so he begrudgingly accepted my bullshit apology.

I flexed my fingers, my gaze narrowing as I scanned the cabin’s interior through the closest window. I could see Everly tipping her head back to down a bottle of water. She looked exhausted, scared… and goddamn gorgeous.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched her, one hand rubbing at my jawline. I knew I couldn’t keep protecting her forever. Not without raising suspicion. But the thought of someone else catching her, of someone else claiming what was mine…

My jaw clenched. Not happening.

She had no idea yet, but this entire game had shifted from its original premise the second I discovered she was in it. Every move she made, every decision, every step she took—I’d be there, just out of sight, watching her. Guiding her too, in my own way.

The thought brought a smirk to my lips as I stepped back into the shadows of the tree line. The others would probably kill me if they knew what I was doing, but they weren’t going to find out. I would stay one step ahead for as long as it remained possible, letting them waste their time chasing Everly—along with every other contestant—while I knew all along that they could never have her.

She was mine.

I glanced at my watch, the digital screen flickering to life with a faint blue glow. A quick tap pulled up the rankings. I was in first place, tied with an older society member named James Parker. Three kills each.

My jaw tightened as I mentally cataloged my kills, their faces and crimes flashing through my mind like a twisted slideshow.

The first had been a pedophile—some disgusting bastard who ran a site trafficking explicit images of kids. I’d taken the shot without a second thought, the rush of satisfaction lasting far longer than it probably should have.

The second was a junkie who’d sold his own underage daughters for drugs. That one I’d handled up close with a knife. No room for error, no chance for him to slip away. The memory of his frantic pleas briefly clawed at the edges of my mind, but I shoved it back down. He’d never felt an ounce of guilt for what he’d done, which he’d made very clear during his court proceedings. So why the fuck should I feel bad?

The third… he was a child killer. A guy who’d spent years beating his own kid before finally taking it too far. I’d made it quick, but only because the sight of him turned my stomach. The world didn’t need scum like him walking around.

Three kills, all fresh out of prison. Three people who deserved it.

I took a deep breath as fury flared inside me all over again. My anger was always there, simmering under the surface, like a fire that never fully burned out.

I knew when it all started. Didn’t like to think about it, though; just knew I needed to channel it somewhere. Somehow. In the past, I’d tried to control it, bury it, but it never worked. Never went away. Not entirely.

Here, in The Wild Hunt, I’d finally been given a way to use it. The rage that had always clawed at my insides had a purpose now. Each target I took down today—each monster—made me feel like I was striking a balance in the universe, evening out a scale that was tipped too far in the wrong direction. It was the closest thing to peace I’d ever known.

I tapped my watch again, scrolling through the contestant list. My gaze caught on the Group 2 players. I had an easy shot at one of them earlier, could’ve climbed to the top of the leaderboard without breaking a sweat. But I hadn’t taken it. Those people were a hard no for me, even if it meant the difference between winning and losing.

For me, it was simple. If I was going to kill, it had to mean something.

Monsters. People who truly deserved it. That was where I drew the line. Always had.

I glanced up at the sky. The sun was dipping lower now, painting the sky in streaks of orange and red, a warning of the darkness to come.

I smiled thinly, satisfied at the sight. Night was my favorite time to hunt. It was when things got interesting, because people lost their sense of direction in the dark. They panicked, stumbled, and made mistakes. Turned into easy targets who couldn’t see it coming until it was right in their fucking face.

I checked my watch again. Four hours until the safe zones shut down at midnight. That meant I had four hours to hunt Group 1 and 3 prey under the cover of darkness before returning to this cabin to keep an eye on Everly and track her next movements.

I pulled a protein bar out of my pack and washed it down with a thermos of strong black coffee, sitting on a fallen log at the edge of the safe zone clearing. The caffeine would keep me sharp, awake, and ready for what was coming.

Some of the other hunters were still out here, like me, braving the cold and the elements to stay in the action. Others, though… they played it differently. They’d already gone back through the tunnels, retreating to their luxurious rooms in the Lodge, where they could enjoy hot meals, warm beds, and a full night’s rest. They’d be back at it in the morning, refreshed and recharged, ready to hunt in the daylight.

Surprisingly, it actually worked for some of them. Last year’s winner was one of those guys. He didn’t bother with the night hunts at all—just picked his targets carefully during the day and took them down with ruthless efficiency. It didn’t matter that he skipped half the game. He played to his strengths, and it paid off.

That wasn’t my style, though. I wanted the rawness of it. The grit. The rush of stalking prey under the cover of darkness, where every shadow could be a threat and every sound could be a clue. The kind of hunting that made my blood pump harder, my instincts sharper.

I finished the last sip of my coffee and stood, stretching out my muscles as stars began to prick the sky. It was time to go.

Before I left, I couldn’t resist turning back for one last glimpse of Everly. Through the cabin window, she sat by a small, flickering lantern that someone had lit inside when the sun dipped. Her hair caught the soft glow of the light as she talked to the girl next to her, her expression a mixture of fear and determination.

I was wrong the first time I met her. Those guts she’d shown when she stepped into that tunnel with the Taser… they were real after all. Not just a show she put on to protect herself. Deep down, she had a strength that burned quietly, waiting for the right moment to ignite. She just didn’t seem to know it yet.

I let the moment linger, burning the image of her into my mind. Then I took a step backward, a slow smirk tugging at the corner of my lips.

Not much longer, baby.