TANGLED DECEPTION

POV: Darrell Willams.

With deadly accuracy, the blade whistled past my ear, a metal haze cutting through the quiet of the night. Throwing myself into a forward roll, instinct took over and the knife's sharp edge found grip in the tree trunk inches from where my head had been.

I looked frantically around the treeline, chest heaving, for the would-be killer. But the woodland remained a spooky haven of darkness and quiet, the only sound coming through the emptiness was my labored breathing.

Pulling the knife carefully out of the bark, I looked at the workmanship with disinterested bewilderment. This wasn't just any steel; it was a ceremonial hunting sword made of silver bolstered with wolf's bane that could stop even an alpha's quick healing.

That could only indicate that my unidentified attacker came from among our species.

More than any weapon, the realization froze me to the bone. Though it seemed some of my reliable inner circle wanted those secrets forever buried, I had long felt th