Chapter 12: Alpha Rising

Before packing up his life into the back of his truck—and after accepting the Council's offer—Dimitri did a quick search of Bull Creek on the Internet. A man named Hopkins had originally purchased the land and built a small railroad to move timber to his sawmill in Melbourne to the east. For about a decade, he heavily logged the area, mostly for the land's cypress. Today, Bull Creek makes up about 23,000 acres, having suffered from corrupt politicians until the Paranormal Council made them a deal they couldn't refuse. Mostly a sanctuary and agricultural area, the waters of the area feed the Saint Johns River. The environment was perfect for shifters and a little rugged for those without an edge to them. The humans who lived out there had to be ready to do without a lot of life's amenities and to stock up on the necessities. The closest grocer was over thirty minutes away. The only thing convenient about the area was the protection the isolation offered from the rest of the world, the s