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PROLOGUE
“Look at me,” I order, using the blade’s edge to tilt the man’s tear-stained face up. Disgust fills me as I meet his watery eyes. He’s weak, so very fucking weak. “Do you know why we were sent to hunt you?”
“Because you found out we helped the vampyrs,” he blubbers.
“Very good,” I say. “You fool. You betrayed us all. You betrayed the cause, and worst of all, you worked with the monsters. How could you?”
“She offered us immortality, power, and money?—”
I slash across his face, the wound opening as he screams. The wooden dock creaks with approaching footsteps, and I don’t need to turn to know who it is—my brethren, my family, my fellow hunters.
The moon hangs high, and somewhere far off in the distance, I swear I hear a howl over the tethered boats and crashing waves. It’s empty at this time, just like we wanted.
“You betrayed everything we stand for. You broke your oath as a hunter.” I tower over the coward. “I hope it was worth it.” I kick the centre of his chest and watch as he screams in terror and falls backwards, hitting the cold, churning water with a splash.With a wicked grin, I watch the ropes tethered to him slip into the water until it tugs the cinder blocks in, dragging him down to the bottom.
If he wants to play with monsters, then he’ll die like one, alone, afraid, and drowning in his own regrets.
Turning away, I meet the eyes of the men who have hunted at my side since we were children. “Pack up, we have a meeting to attend.”
They fall into step beside me, our footsteps quiet.
“Do you know what it’s about?” The voice is soft, dangerous.
“We’ve been assigned a new hunt,” I respond, a sardonic smile curling my lips. “It’s time for us to take our place at the top. We’re hunting wolves, boys. We are hunting the beasts themselves.”
CHAPTER ONE
Six months later . . .
Blood sprays across me as I grin, my claws covered in gore as the wolf howls and falls away. Another takes its place. They surround me, fighting each other to get what they want—me.
It’s another claiming ceremony. I have survived six so far, five more than any other female in wolf history, and this will be my seventh. I will not be claimed this day or any. When I want to mate, I will chase who I want, when I want, but not until then. I have far too much to do before then—like becoming the Red Mountain Pack’s alpha, the strongest pack in all of history.
I will be the first and only female alpha.
Fuck those who stand in my way. It’s what I was destined for since birth, and that won’t change as long as I can defeat these pesky male wolves, otherwise they will share my power and take my throne via matehood.
I manage to push them back, and risking the seconds it takes me to turn, I throw myself backwards and land on my paws as I set off into the woods. I only have to survive unclaimeduntil sunup. I cannot kill. It’s gotten dicey in the past, but I’ve managed to survive on my wits and power. I take a familiar path, but a huge black wolf jumps out, waiting for me.
Tertrim, fuck, he’s hunted me since I was able to be mated, and it seems each time I’m thrust into this ceremony, he gets smarter. He watches and waits, learning my moves.
He plans to mate me this ceremony.
Over my dead body.
Spinning, I dive into the forest, my paws hitting fallen trunks and squashing grass and bushes. Prey squeals and hides as I tumble through the trees that make up the pack’s hunting grounds. I hear him howl and give chase, so I drop my muzzle and put on a burst of speed.
No one can catch me. I’m the fastest wolf in the pack for a reason.
He should have known better than to try to hunt me. After all, I’m the ultimate survivor.
As I skirt through our lands, my ears twitch, hearing him panting, but it seems far off. I splash through the stream, heading away from where he is, and it’s only when I reach the craggy cliff edge that I realise he has herded me here. I am trapped and cut off from every other route, so I won’t have anywhere to run since he knows he cannot catch me otherwise.
Smart wolf. I turn to face him as he slinks from the shadows, a victorious grin tugging at his wolf lips.
You know what they say about trapping a wild animal?
They fight twice as hard.
