Chapter One
Present Day
Adalyn Erickson spun on her heels to face her mother. “I don’t understand what the big deal is. My home is here. It always has been. Why are you suddenly so eager to get rid of me?”
Adalyn knew her mother’s game, but kept her mouth shut to see if her mother would, for once in her life, be honest with her.
“You are the rightful heir, and you must take your place in life. It is your destiny, my child. Besides, you must consider your wolf and her needs. She needs her pack. She’s been without one for far too long. Imagine how she would feel, having a pack of her own to lead.”
Her wolf whined in her mind at the mere thought of being around other wolves, a thing that had never happened in her entire life. Adalyn knew how much it meant to her beast. How lonely the animal she shared a body with—a soul with was without a pack of her own. But her mother was wrong, she had no interest in leading anyone, let alone a pack of shifters whom she knew nothing about.
She simply wanted to fit in. To be welcomed by those around her, despite her differences. What would it be like not to have her most unique and powerful traits pointed out and used against her the second she entered a room or dared to open her mouth? She’d had enough of the ridicule and bullying to last her a lifetime.
Thank you very much.
Did her mother really think life would be any different for her if she showed up, out of the blue, at a pack that knew nothing about her—other than the fact that she was different from all those around her?
Was her mother trying to get her killed? Was that the end game?
“It’s got to be better than sitting around with these bitches,”her wolf said.
“Be nice,”she reminded her animal.
Her wolf may not like anyone in her coven, but Adalyn did. Well, some of them.
She had grown accustomed to being the oddball out. From the very second she’d been born, she was different from the other witches.
Very different.
Some in her coven were okay with the fact that she was part wolf, part witch. Others, yeah…not so much, and they had no problem voicing their displeasure and doing everything in their power to make her life a living hell.
She’d caught on to their games and petty tricks early in life and did her best to stop each fucking one dead in their tracks. They may have been able to get away with the bullshit when she was younger, but once she came of age, she had learned how to stand up for herself and fight back.
Those in her coven who had despised her were the purists. They believed a witch’s blood should be pure. Never tainted by human blood or blood from another paranormal species. Let alone by the dark majik of the berserkers.
Their mission was simple—her destruction, and the destruction of those with tainted blood. Adalyn had heard the whispers every day. Caught the deadly glances aimed in her direction each passing moment. The ones where her enemies called for her death on a regular basis.
Learning to ignore them had taken years, but once she’d learned the subtle art necessary to succeed, she held her head high and ignored the naysayers. All the while, her wolf had wanted nothing more than to divest them of their esophagi.
Just because her mother was the queen, or high priestess, of the coven didn’t mean Adalyn had been exempt from the nastiness and plots on her life. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Her mother’s enemies had become her own, and they had painted a bold target on her back. It didn’t matter that she was a mere infant, too small to care for herself or inflict harm on others. They saw her as an abomination. Nothing more than an evil that must be destroyed, no matter who they hurt trying to get to her.
Her mother’s words broke through her inner thoughts.
“As much as I would love for you to stay here with me, your life was meant for something more, something great. You have a destiny you must fulfill, daughter.”
Adalyn leaned against the tall frame of the window, staring out at the small village below. The snow-covered landscape was one of her favorites. As a child, she’d wanted nothing more than to run around and play with the other kids in the village.
She’d snuck out once to find other kids to play with. They’d hated her the second they caught the scent of her wolf. Running home in tears, back to her mother’s scolding, Adalyn swore never to make that mistake again.
“If I were meant to lead the wolves, as you say, why did I train every day of my life to take over for you? To one day become high priestess? Was that all a lie, Mother?”
The thought formed in Adalyn’s head as she spoke the words. Her stomach churned with disgust.
She’d been lied to her whole life, about several things, but this…this was different. Her mother had never intended for her to ascend to the throne. The truth of her own words hit her hard as they sprang from her mouth.
“Because you’ve known all along that I can’t be high priestess, because I’m not a pure witch? Isn’t that right?”
She’d heard whispers many times during her youth that because of her impure blood, her mother was a fool for training her in ways of witchcraft. Yet her mother never said a word in response to the whispers, or to Adalyn. They proceeded as if nothing were amiss. Day after day, learning spells and chants. Hours upon hours, testing and growing her majik.
