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He’s the villain in my story, I see that right away.
But when his teeth sink into my skin…something happens.
Something that isn’t supposed to.
Instead of draining me like all the others…
He changes me.
Makes me like him.
Now I’m trapped in his kingdom of monsters.
Completely unrecognizable from the girl I once was.
He and his lost boys have changed the rules of the game.
But the more time that passes, the more I realize…I still want to play.
Prologue
GWENDOLYN
I’d woken to my parents arguing again, and this time it wasn’t just a disagreement. This was a full-on screaming match filled with slamming doors and harsh, cutting words. It left me shaking in bed, convinced they were finally done for good.
My father lost his job at the local fishery port several days ago, and ever since, there’d been no peace in the house. The hushed, worried whispers had grown louder every day, to the point their arguments could be heard clearly through the walls. My mother would try to hide her tears, but I’d walked in on her more than once to find them streaming down her face. It was clear we were in trouble, and I could barely sleep.
Especially when I’d overheard them this morning, discussing how we were close to losing our home…
I’d been slipping out of bed in the early hours, trekking up the hill to hunt with my bow and arrow. My father had fashioned it out of oak for me, and he’d worked on it for days before giving it to me on my birthday.
If I caught enough rabbits, I could sell their fur at the markets. And I’d hunt every day if I needed to until Father got another job. Anything to stop the arguing and keep our home.
I spotted a grey-furred rabbit hopping through the field of blue and white flowers and sprinted forward on silent feet behind it. This wasn’t my first time hunting. My father always liked to brag that he’d been hunting deer when he was my age. No time like the present to brush up on my skills before I moved on to bigger game.
I glided quickly through the meadow, my hands tightening around the bow and arrow, when the animal paused.
I followed suit, my heart drumming in my chest, imagining the smile on my parents’ faces when I showed them what I’d managed.
The animal lifted its nose in the air, sniffing.
Had it caught my scent?
As a wolf shifter, I could easily hunt it in animal form, but then I’d risk losing control and devouring it. I hadn’t exactly gained strong dominance over her yet, even if she was an omega, but Father was always telling me that I needed to build my skills both with and without my wolf. To be adaptable, because life was never steady. It could change in a heartbeat.
I understood, and now it was time to make him proud.
I lifted my weapon, straightened my spine, and pointed the bow down as I notched the arrow to the string. Aiming for the rabbit, I tried to steady my breath and arms.
A smoky breeze suddenly got caught in my throat as I inhaled through my nose.
I turned my head toward the village down in the valley, and the sight sank deep inside me, freezing me to my bones.
Fire was engulfing the village.
The sky grew darker with black smoke, brutal amber flames blazing across the huts. It hungrily licked the sky, and people were madly running around to put out the fire with buckets of water.
I gasped out loud, causing the rabbit to scramble madly away from me. But I didn’t bother trying to go after it again, not with the sight in front of me.
