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ChapterOne
Vanya
Alcohol buzzed through my veins as I swayed in time with the music pulsing in the club. Bar really, this town wasn’t big enough to call it a real club, but tonight it was definitely filled to capacity. Bodies grinded against me but I didn’t let anyone pull me closer. I was content waiting for my sister to get back with drinks. She was hell bent on buying the first several rounds with it being my twenty-fifth birthday.
She shoved her way through the crowd, her eyes flashing in annoyance when hands reached out to grope her as she passed. Somehow she managed to keep both shots from spilling, grinning in triumph as she reached me.
“Happy Birthday, little sister,” Meira sang out as she handed over a double shot, then clinking hers to mine before we both threw them back. Her red-painted lips twisted into a grimace at the taste, tossing her long wavy blonde hair over her shoulder and shaking it off. She looked a bit like a baby bird trying to take flight, but I definitely wasn’t going to point that out.
Our shifter blood would have it purged within minutes, but we’d enjoy it while we could. I tossed our cups on a nearby table, not caring whose it was at the moment.
Before I could turn around, someone was sliding up to her, but she shoved them away and continued dancing. My sister may be petite and cute on the outside but she was as fierce as her wolf form and wasn’t afraid to lash out if you pissed her off. I was the opposite; my regular setting was resting bitch face and if anyone was brave enough to approach, my bite honestly matched my appearance. I survived on caffeine and sarcasm most days and after growing up far too early, I didn’t have much of a filter. Our pack wasn’t as cutthroat as most packs, hell, Torryn was a downright pleasant alpha when he wanted to be, but we were still bound by pack laws… and well, I wasn’t the best at taking orders. After my first few punishments, I learned that no matter what I did, I’d lose, so I might as well live unapologetically.
“Hey there, need a dance partner?” a gravelly voice asked as he put his hands on my waist and tried to pull me back into him.
“Not today,” I shouted over my shoulder, shimmying away and grabbing a hold of my sister again. The guy gave us a lecherous look before shrugging it off and moving onto his next target. I wasn’t opposed to finding a quickie in the club, but tonight wasn’t the night. I wasn’t going to abandon Meira to do it. This was our night to let go and have fun and I’d be damned if I let some bad sex ruin it. Because any sex in the back room of a club wasn’t worth your time.
“You could have, he was cute.” Meira laughed. “Treat yourself.”
“Nah, he’s not my type, too scrawny,” I said with a grin. “I prefer a man with a bit more muscle.”
“A bit?” she teased. “Don’t act like you don’t pine for those big ole’ mountain men.”
“Guilty,” I snorted before closing my eyes and losing myself in the harsh beats of the music again. Before long, another man was pushing into my back, at least this one had rhythm. His hands rested on my hips, large enough that he was guiding me to the beat. I let him get away with it for a few minutes before glancing around for my sister. My smile fell when she was nowhere in sight, not at the bar or near me, and she would never leave me without a word. “Sorry,” I threw back at the stranger before running the best I could through the crowd.
Just as I burst through the door, I heard muffled screams from the alley. My wolf senses were on high alert now, sharpening and homing in on the words as I took off. The scent of wolves was easy to detect, and they weren’t familiar which was not a good sign. As I rounded the corner, five men were surrounding Meira, all large and their eyes glowing as their wolves waited to be unleashed. They glared back at me but I didn’t hesitate to keep moving. If they wanted a fucking fight, I’d give it to them.
“Call Torryn!” she screamed as she managed to shove the hand away from her mouth. She caught me right before I shifted, so I pulled out my phone and called. One of the wolves threw her over their shoulder and started running, thinking I’d be distracted, but I didn’t lose my pace at all. There was already too much distance between us, and I refused to lose sight of her.
How the hell is this happening here? This town was notoriously sleepy and crime free, partly thanks to pack presence. This can’t be fucking real.
“Another pack has Meira, get to the bar!” I screamed into the phone the moment Torryn’s tired voice answered.
“Whatever you do, don’t follow her!” The alpha commanded, his voice panicked, but menacing. It was obvious he knew something but it wasn’t the time for questions and this was one order I wouldn’t obey. He let out a growl as I panted into the phone, still running as fast as my human legs would allow me. “Dammit, Vanya! We have trained trackers to find her. Stop following before you get hurt, too.” The order was a direct command from my alpha, everything in me trying to obey, but her scream tore my focus away and I picked up speed again.
“Sorry,” I said before hanging up, his barked orders cutting off abruptly. “Let her go!” Panic rose as they neared a dark SUV and started trying to shove her inside. She was putting up a hell of a fight and if I weren’t so desperate, I’d have been proud.
The sound of a gunshot booming through the night startled me, but it took several long seconds before I realized I’d been hit. Warm blood trickled down my chest and my head spun, knees hitting the ground with a painful thud as I collapsed. Now that I was aware, the pain bloomed from the wound, white hot and angry as it spread through my entire chest and shoulder.Fuck. How did I let them win?!
A haunting scream echoed in the night; my sister heartbroken as she watched me fall. I couldn’t save her now. I was losing blood far too quickly, hell, I couldn’t even manage to shift.
“Fight,” I begged into the darkness enveloping me, but it was barely more than a whisper. “I’m so sorry, Meira.”
The car doors slammed shut and the engine roared as they flew off into the night. Even through the fog of pain, I watched as they drove off with the only person I cared about.
The bullet spread poison into my blood, silver—one of the few things that could easily stop our kind—which meant they came for a purpose and were willing to do it by any means necessary.
Torryn’s face flashed into view just as darkness overtook me. The last words I processed were, “You stupid girl.” I’d have been angry if I wasn’t dying. I just prayed to the gods that they saved my sister, she was all that mattered.
ChapterTwo
Vanya
When I came to, I was more than a little surprised that I was alive. But the rafters of my cabin were familiar and the bed comfy and warm. But then the memories hit me and the pain came right along with it. She was taken and I couldn’t help her. My only hope was that our trackers were as relentless as they seemed. A tracker was loyal to his pack and once they had an order, they wouldn’t stop until it was completed.
“You disobeyed a direct order.” I hadn’t bothered to look away from the rafters yet, his voice startling me from my circling thoughts, pulling my attention to him. There were dark circles under his steely eyes and his clothes were crumpled like he sat in that exact chair, watching over me, all night. Even his dirty-blond hair was sticking out in crazy directions like he’d been tugging at it.
The last thing I wanted was another fucking lecture and another fucking punishment, which had to be why he was here. But he was also my best chance at real, genuine answers. Torryn didn’t sugarcoat things, he was honest and blunt, and right now that was exactly what I needed.
