I had become a wolf without a pack—or rather, a shadow wolf without a pack. I was also kind of… homeless… and dead. Well, maybe not in an unalive-dead way, but in the dead-to-the-world kind of sense.This was frustrating. I thought that living in a pack where everyone thought I was a nuisance had been difficult, but this? This was like building my life back from scratch. Of course, I had enough common sense to know I couldn't have survived another day in my old pack, even if Ellaria hadn't proclaimed me dead. Here in the mountains, at least I could live and be free. Unfortunately, I had yet to figure out what this new life and freedom could mean…“Think about it as a unique opportunity.” Riona smiled warmly as we sat in her hut, drinking herbal tea. “You can start over. You can be who you always wanted to be.”My lips twitched into a wry smile as I turned my head to the window overlooking the narrow path leading down the mountain and toward Eastern Valley Pack's territory. Ellaria and
Three Years LaterI stared at the two all-muscled guys in front of me and smirked. The audience had already gathered around us, forming a large circle in the middle of the training grounds. Since it hadn't rained in more than a week, the ground beneath my feet turned dry, forming a fine layer of loose sand—yet another weapon within my reach.The two men before me sneered, their eyes running up and down through the length of my body. “Are you sure you want to do this, princess?” One of them, Efrain, chuckled. He ran his hand over his bald head and then rolled back his broad shoulders.“Scream if you want us to stop.” Efrain's friend, one with curly brown hair, Demir, gave me a wicked grin, and a wave of laughs and snorts spread around the circle—a short and faint wave. Unluckily for Demir, he hadn't noticed that the majority didn't find his words funny. He gaped at my tight leather jacket, enforced with a tailor-made bustier, and dragged his tongue over his bottom lip. “I'll free your
The wolf slowly stepped forward, his red eyes fixed on mine. Another low growl rumbled in his chest, and my palms began to sweat. Why was this wolf here? He couldn't have—My breath caught as I noticed the thick drops of blood staining his onyx fur. I stepped back, corrected my stance, and swallowed. “You… You killed them,” I croaked as tears fell down my cheek.The wolf's lips peeled back, exposing a row of sharp, still-bloodied teeth. A cold-blooded killer—that was who he was. He raised one paw and stepped toward me as if ignoring the fact that I was aiming at him with a wolfsbane arrow. Still, he didn't attack.I sucked in a breath and shifted my fingers around the bowstring. I knew that I had to kill him. He was one of those who murdered the villagers. “Attack me,” I strained through my teeth. “What are you waiting for?!”The wolf snarled but didn't move. Why the hell didn't he attack?! He had no problems with killing the innocent, so why hesitate now?! “Attack me!” I yelled hoars
I shifted in my bed, lying on the side. Drawing deep breaths, I hoped to relax my muscles. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. I repeated it once… twice… Citruses. I smelled citruses. I had no idea where this scent was coming from, but I found it oddly soothing. Someone's strong hand slid through my side under my resting arm and stopped on my stomach. Fingers splayed on the thin fabric of my nightgown in a sensual caress. The stranger's touch should have terrified me, but it didn't, although I couldn't explain why. Then the hand on my stomach moved to the other side of my waist, and I was pressed against the body lying behind me—the definitely male and definitely firm body.I bit my lip at the feel of the stranger's chest against my back and a certain bulge rubbing against my buttocks. I could feel his body shift, and I shivered as his lips kissed the crook of my neck. I gasped as more kisses followed on his way up my neck. Goddess… I wanted those lips on mine.I s
Three hours later, our forces crossed the Moonshine River Pack's borders. No one stopped us. Those who survived were either severely wounded or too terrified to leave their shelters. Another massacre. I had seen the villages or even bigger towns burned to the ground within those three years, but this seemed different. It looked like the gods of death laid their fury upon this land…Many of the wolves living in this pack were scumbags and Kylar-type bastards, but there had to be innocents living here as well. Now those jerks and innocents shared the same fate...“Are you OK?” Aeron asked when I let out a slow, ragged breath.I shook my head. “I'm not. Actually, I'm terrified. If the same happens to Eastern Valley Pack, I—”“Your sister will live,” he said, and my eyes widened.“How can you say that? You don't know—”“She and you have this all-badassness running in your veins.” He looked at me and winked. “She'll find a way to survive this.”I wanted to believe him, even if it was highl
I had been trying to convince Aeron of my plan for over an hour. I almost pulled the authority card and told him that was an order. Luckily, he finally agreed that I had a better chance not to be seen and to do this quietly if I went alone. Let's face it, compared to me, he was a red-haired giant. That pretty much disqualified him from sneaking in anywhere. I found him a different, equally important task. I needed him to lead those terrified people out through the tunnels. They would have better chances of surviving outside the Eastern Valley Pack's territory than here, where the General's soldiers could kill them at will. “I'm not OK with us separating, Asena,” Aeron grunted, shaking his head as I put more daggers into the sheaths of my leather jacket. “I'm a badass, remember?” I winked at him. “I can take care of a few guards.” “These aren't some regular shifters,” he argued. “Most of them have been training their entire lives.” I drew a deep breath and locked my eyes on him. “I
I was going to die. Without an ounce of doubt, the General was going to kill me. I should have shuddered with fear, cried, and begged for mercy, instead… I felt aroused. There definitely was something seriously wrong with me because I couldn't force myself to stop looking at him, at his gloriously naked body. Normal people shouldn't feel excitement when they're about to be ripped apart by a deadly predator!The curve of General's lips stretched, forming a sultry smile. “I usually am not against women on top of me, but I prefer them naked by the time it happens.” Then his head dipped, and those fiery eyes locked on mine. “I also prefer when they are not trying to put a blade to my throat.”I gasped. “I wasn't trying to—"“Liar,” he purred, and a wave of shivers rushed through me.A part of me was still oddly aroused, but the other was in absolute panic. “Please,” I breathed out, but then realized he didn't even restrain my hands. Instinctively, I reached for the dagger in the sheath of
Chills ran down my spine, and everything inside me froze. “That's... that's your offer?” I choked out.Alpha Kaan nodded. “You must know that they can either join my army or die. I doubt that they'll choose to join so…”My whole body began to rattle. All my life, I wanted to be free. I thought that I had regained that freedom three years ago, and now I was going to lose it again? I looked at my cuffed hand and suddenly felt as if I were underwater, drowning. Was I bound to live my life in chains? As this man's PET? I fisted my hands and shook my head. “That's not enough,” I said, locking my eyes on his.He held my stare for several heartbeats, then chuckled. “Not enough?”I sucked in a sharp breath. “You have to release at least a dozen people for me to stay.”He laughed hard and loud, and I flinched. I knew that I was playing with fire. I had no value for him. He wanted me because of a whim. But if I was about to lose my freedom, I had to try.There was a beat of silence before his m