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Chapter 1 - Matéo
The path leading up the mountain was as dark as I wanted it to be. That mess of a battle had to be left behind if I wanted to move forward. The Beaufort Pack could handle themselves for a while. They didn’t need help from a wolf like me who lived on the outskirts. But then again, theyhadneeded my help.
And they might need it again.
Still, my paws carried me forward. I sprinted up the familiar paths, doing my best tokeep moving.It was all I knew how to do.
Am I running again?
I huffed while bowing forward, pushing through the exhaustion of spending the day with the alpha of the Beaufort pack. His name slipped my mind, but his personality sharpened the edges of his aura, spiking out in multiple places like a cornered animal. Who could blame the guy? He was facing off with a half-feral wolf from the mountains who just happened across a bloody vampire attack.
It’s not my burden to bear.
The way I dove into that fight without thinking made my head spin. It wasn’t my battle. It hadneverbeen my battle. While my cabin in the mountains was generally safe, I knew acting out of routine would draw attention to myself. Those vampires were ruthless, cold, and most importantlyhungryfor a way out of their miserable existence.
Giving them anything, even the tiniest bit of hope for relief, would only put a target on my back.
If it hadn’t already.
They’re not the same vampires, I assured myself as I scaled the last of the path to my cabin.But they’ll pay for the crimes of their elders.
I shifted into my human form in the yard, grabbed some clothes from the cab of my truck, and plopped onto the first step of my porch. The cool night air drifted in from the north, swirling with a chill that could only be found higher up. It could have been hours since I left Beaufort Pack Lands, but time didn’t seem particularly important right now.
My jeans were stiff from sitting in the truck too long. Too many cool nights had weathered the fabric, but where else was I supposed to keep my spare clothes?
Always prepare for the worst, my father would say.Don’t let them catch you with your tail between your legs. Sharpen your mind, Matéo.
While he was gone, his energy remained in my spirit. My left peck twitched with memory when I rested my hand on it. The buzz of a tattoo gun vibrated somewhere in the recesses of my mind as I touched the flesh long since healed. Notes of pain too distant now surfaced but then drifted back into the abyss, gone forever.
Or for now.
I stood up and shrugged it off, every last bit of that encounter. It didn’t belong to me. That pack wasn’t my problem, wasn’t my family. Why would I bother caring about something as silly as a medallion?
My lips tingled.It had tasted weird.
After solving the puzzle lock on my front door, I retrieved my keys and hopped inside my truck, smoothing my hand over the dash.
“Hi, Betty,” I whispered. “Ready to go for a ride, girl?”
The dash lit up when I inserted the key. Beeping erupted next and then the purr of the engine after I turned the key in the ignition. Smooth as ever. Nearly quiet enough to sneak up on a wolf—or a fang.
But that wasn’t the goal tonight. I needed food, as much garbage can diner crap as I could fit into my stomach. Nothing saidcomfortquite like a giant stack of pancakes with sausage and a steaming hot cup of coffee.
Once the mirrors were adjusted, I drove down the mountain, keeping my eyes peeled on the extra dark shadows along the way. Those vampires wouldn’t return tonight, not when they faced off with a creature like me.
But it never hurt to be alert.
City lights glared on my windshield. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, modern lamps infecting my vision and making it difficult to find what I wanted.Lowell’s Dinerwas only a few streets from the city limits. And when I found it, it beamed in the night like a holy mecca, the one place where supernatural creatures could stop for just about anything they wanted at any hour.
I parked in the first space available and sat in my car for a moment, observing the freshly scrubbed windows. Most of my visits here had been during the day or so late in the night that the approaching sun threatened day-sensitive beings to retreat to their dens.
Will I regret this?
My stomach growled as viciously as I had during that fight.
Possibly, but I need something to pick me up. I could practice being social.
I snorted while exiting the vehicle. The slap of the door sliced the night air as easily as my claws would my enemy.
