Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
My body bounced, causing my restrained wrists to move and burn.
What the...
I attempted to open my eyes, but my head lolled to the side as my body jarred again. Heat surrounded me with the faint stench of exhaust, making my head swim even more. If I didn't know any better, I would think I was drunk or had lost a lot of blood, but that couldn't have happened. I'd been in the coffee shop just a few minutes ago…
Griffin, my fated mate, linked, Sterlyn. Please tell me you're awake.
Wow, he’d called me by my real name. I like you saying my name. He’d always called me Dove before we’d become mates.
Oh, thank God. Griffin sounded relieved. Where are you?
The question nudged me to focus a little more. I pried my eyes open and took in the dimness around me. At first, I saw double, but slowly, my brain filtered the picture into one. Gray upholstery was smashed against my face and silver metal outlined the ceiling, which was about a foot above me.
Holy shit. This was the kind of nightmare I’d had as a child. I'm in the trunk of a car.
What? he growled. I'm going to kill whoever did this to you.
Not if I got to them first. I took a deep breath, trying to get my head on straight. The first task I needed to address was getting my wrists unbound. Luckily, Griffin had gotten some guards to run to the store and purchase me some shirts and a few pairs of jeans, so I had my security measure strapped to my ankle.
I turned on my side, bending my legs as far back as they could go. While I was growing up, part of my alpha training regimen had included daily stretching, so I was more flexible than most wolves. Something my father had drilled into me from birth.
In the eyes of male alphas, I already had one disadvantage just by being a woman, so I had to be stronger, better, and faster than all of them.
Sexism was real—especially in the supernatural world. Unfortunately, I had no pack to lead because they’d all been slaughtered, not even a month ago.
But that didn't mean I'd give up. My mother had taught me better than that.
My fingers fumbled on the handle of my knife, and at this odd angle, the rope dug into my wrists even more.
At least, the pain helped clear my head. I inhaled, enduring the sting of the rope, and managed to pull the knife from the sheath. My best friend growing up, Zoe, had always teased me about carrying the knife everywhere—but the habit had served me well, especially during the past few weeks.
Are you hurt? Griffin asked, as misery laced his words.
Getting the knife’s sharp edge onto the rope proved difficult, between the jarring from the road and the awkward placement of my hands. No, not really. They drugged me with something that's still affecting me. How long have I been gone?
About an hour. You linked me with "Help," and when I got to the coffee shop, Carter was frantic and told me that someone took you. Whoever it was drug you out the back door, and then your scent disappeared.
At his words, something tickled the back of my mind, but I was at a loss as to what. Either way, the car had to have been waiting for me. After we’d been attacked yesterday by the men who’d murdered my pack, and we’d killed everyone, I hadn't expected them to strike again so soon. But someone had come back to capture me.
My skin rubbed against the rope, and blood dripped down my hands, making it difficult to keep a good grip on the knife. If I didn't get out of here, I'd be rolling up to God knew where, and my chance of escaping would be greatly reduced. Carter asked me to grab some coffee beans, and that's the last thing I remember. I felt like there was more to recall…but I couldn’t access the memory.
Someone had gotten the drop on me—which shouldn't have been possible—and the encounter was a blur. That had to be due to whatever had knocked my ass out.
Gritting my teeth, I continued to saw at the rope and, after what felt like an eternity, it began to loosen. My hands are almost free.
Do you have any clue where you're going? Griffin sighed. Rosemary is looking for you, but we don’t know where to search. Killian went north, and I'm heading south.
I'll get you some sort of location in a second. I was getting my ass out of here. I wasn't going to wait for one of them to find me—they might not be able to. From the rhythm of the car, whoever was driving was going the speed limit and not driving wildly, which meant there probably weren’t any visible signs that he’d kidnapped someone.
When I cut through the last bit of rope, I came damn near close to crying. I placed the knife beside me and flexed my wrists, trying to get some circulation back. They were raw but would heal quickly on their own.
After wiping the blood onto my pants, I searched for the emergency release. My gaze landed on a white handle that had arrows pointing to pull right to open.
Griffin linked, What do you mean, you're going to get a location?
I'm jumping out. The closer I got to wherever they were taking me, the less chance I'd have to get free.
Are you insane? Griffin growled. You're going to get hurt.
If I don't, I'll wind up wherever they want me, which could be worse. He wasn't trying to be an asshole; we were newly mated. On top of that, he wasn't trained in battle strategy. But dammit, that was something he'd need to rectify, and soon, now that he was with me. Unfortunately, people had found out my kind—the silver wolves—still existed, and they had come after me. We had to find out who "they" were and neutralize them, because the thought of living my entire life on the run didn't sit well with me.
Not wasting another second, I placed my knife back in its sheath and grabbed the release. I gathered my wits because, as soon as this trunk opened, the driver and whoever else might be in the car would know. At least the driver would be in human form and not animal; I only prayed they didn’t have any guns.
The only way to know what I was up against was to go through with the plan, so I yanked the release, and the trunk cracked open. Wind blew inside, whipping my long silver hair into my face. I pulled it to one side and looked out of the trunk.
There wasn't a car right behind me, so at least there was that. If I had to jump out, I wouldn't be playing Frogger, trying not to get hurt. The area was thick with trees, and we were driving on a two-lane road. My captors were either avoiding the interstate or taking me to some backwoods area. Or both. There's a county road sign. I read off the numbers to him.
You're going south, but more important—how the hell do you know that? Griffin growled. Please, don't do anything stupid.
I decided to stop overthinking and go for it. I pushed the trunk all the way open, and the car swerved. I'm jumping out now.
No—don't, he said, sounding frantic. Just wait for one of us to catch up with you. A whirlwind of emotions slammed into me. He was scared and felt helpless.
It's too late. The tires squealed as the driver slowed down. They already know I'm escaping.
I wanted to shut down the bond between us, but I couldn't do that to him. If I'd been in his shoes, I wouldn't have been much better off, and it wouldn't be right to worry him more than he already was. But I had to ignore his emotions and focus on escape.
The car was almost at a complete stop, so I jumped out and rolled to prevent injury. I jumped up and ran to the tree line, hoping to hide and see what I was up against.
Pushing my legs as hard as they would go, I raced toward a tree with a large enough trunk and vibrant new spring leaves to keep me hidden for a moment. I welcomed the adrenaline pumping through me, partially clearing my head of whatever they’d injected me with. I flung myself behind the tree trunk then peeked my head around toward the road.
Lurching, the car came to a stop, leaving gray smoke rising from beneath the tires. The driver’s side door opened, and a tall, muscular man jumped out. He was almost as large as my dad with dark, cinnamon-colored hair.
He had to be a bear shifter, which didn't sit well with me. All of the attackers in the group we’d recently faced down had been wolves, except for one crow, and now this guy. Unless the bear who’d attacked me in a bar in town not long ago was connected with them too.
So many races being involved in this scheme complicated matters. That meant that multiple races that usually were divided were working together, which happened only when the enemy of their enemy was their friend. Did that mean they were working together to eliminate or control the last remaining silver wolf? I didn’t like the implications.
"You aren't going to get away," the guy bellowed, his bear growl bleeding through his words. "So why don't you come out now and make it easier on the both of us?"
I rolled my eyes. Did he think that would actually work?
He sniffed, catching my scent. His eyes focused right where I was hiding.
That hadn't taken long, but I hadn't expected it to. At least I knew that he was alone, which struck me as odd.
"How did you wake up so fast?" He sneered as he strolled toward me, placing his hands in his pockets as if he didn't have a care in the world.
But he wasn't fooling me. I could feel the tension rolling off his body. He wanted to appear confident to try to make me nervous. Maybe I should play the game right back at him. "Not sure." I stepped out from behind the tree and forced a smile. "Maybe you didn't use enough."
My casual demeanor must have hit the mark because he paused. Instead of him throwing me off guard, I'd managed to do it to him.
"Well, it doesn't matter now." He gestured to the car. "Let's get going, and you won't have to be hurt again."
"Can I sit in front?" I smiled, but my body was coiled, ready to fight.
We both knew how this would end. Right now, we were playing some stupid game of who was the most dominant.
"No, but I'll let you choose the music."
"Going to have to say no." I took a few steps toward him, wanting to get this done. I was so damn tired of fighting.
"Then I'm going to have to insist." He marched forward but stopped about ten feet from me. "Now."
"Good luck with that." I spread my legs and got into a fighter’s stance.
"You think you can take me?" He chuckled, but there was an edge to it. "I'm not some weak wolf shifter like the ones you fought yesterday."
So, he knew what had happened, and he was nervous. The vileness of his soul rolled off him and into me. "Good. They were easy." Needing to intimidate him as much as possible, I charged first and punched his jaw.
His neck snapped back, and his eyes widened with rage. "Fine. Let's do this." He lunged toward me, using his weight as his weapon.
Good, that was what I wanted him to do. That was what all men did—tried to use their strength against me. But I was faster and more agile than they were.
I spun out of the way, and the bear ran into the tree I'd been standing in front of. I twisted around and kicked his back, making his head slam hard into the trunk.
A loud growl shook his body as he pushed off and pivoted toward me. A large cut had opened on his forehead, and the blood dripped down his face and into his eye.
Not bothering with threats, he leaped at me and wrapped his hands around my waist, tipping me over. I landed on my back with his full weight on top of me.
"You won't win against me," he spat as he grabbed my arms, pulling them up on both sides of my head.
Yes. Irrational rage. That was what I wanted.
I forced myself to ignore the pain in my shoulders and kneed him in the balls. His face blanched as agony radiated through his body, and his hold on my wrists slackened.
Tapping into my wolf strength, I rolled him off me and kicked him in the stomach. He groaned as he curled into the fetal position, one hand wrapping around his belly and the other going to his family jewels.
As if he wasn't sure which one needed protecting more.
My biggest problem was that I had a decision to make, and one that I couldn't take lightly. I pulled the knife from my ankle and lifted it as I approached him.
Should I kill him or let him live? He wasn't a great person, but could I kill someone in cold blood?
"Do it!" he yelled. "Kill me."
And that answered my question. He was desperate for death. "No, you're coming with me." But I had no clue how to take him. I didn't have handcuffs or rope. How the hell would I restrain him?
My mind ran over possible scenarios as the guy reached for his belt buckle. My body coiled, ready for another round of fighting. I'm on the side of the road. I took down a bear shifter who’s getting ready to attack again.
I’ll be there shortly, Griffin said. Just stay alive.
Easier said than done. I held my knife, ready for battle, but the guy didn't remove his belt—rather, he pulled something out. It looked like a pill.
No! Surely that couldn't be what I thought it was.
I rushed toward him as he put the pill in his mouth.
"What are you doing?" I screamed, as I reached him.
I squeezed his cheeks, trying to make him open his mouth, but he clamped it closed. His eyes widened as his body jerked.
"Spit it out." I smacked his face like that was going to make him listen to me. " Now ."
His mouth finally opened, but spit bubbled out as he choked. His eyes bulged, and his body convulsed.
Tears dripped down my face as I watched the life fade from his eyes. I didn't know the guy, and he obviously wasn't a nice person, but that didn't mean he had to die. Not like this.
Who the hell was after me? They had to be bad if this guy was willing to kill himself instead of facing their wrath.