Chapter 1 #3
Taking a mate—or joining a pack—isn’t a solution, but it shores up enough power that we can survive another day.
Veronica shifts in the distance, the quick crack of her bones preluding the thud of heavy footfalls as she flees. Another fast shift, like her friend. The three of them must have come from neighboring packs, yet Veronica left them behind without a second glance.
I make a mental note not to join her pack, no matter how desperate I become.
Taking a breath and trying not to gag at the stench of rotting flesh, I listen for any other nearby threats.
The black ooze bubbles as it devours its meal, but the only other sounds are the rustle of dry grass in the wind and chirping birds overhead.
My shoulders drop as I relax. So long as I’m careful, I should be able to avoid mistakes like theirs, the most damning of which being assuming that a target isn’t dangerous, even if outnumbered.
If they hadn’t been distracted by the fledgling vampire, they could have smelt the acidic slime before it got close enough to touch them.
Carelessness and overconfidence led to their deaths.
Two traits I don’t wish to inherit.
The wind shifts directions, and the heavy scent of blood washes over me. Shit. The vampire. He didn’t run away like I’d hoped. I listen for him, but without a heartbeat, they’re harder to track. Taking steady breaths, I remain calm and turn around.
He’s standing a few feet away from me.
If it weren’t for the blood smeared across his lips, I wouldn’t know that he’s the same vampire.
Taller now, with a fuller body and sharper bone structure.
Not a single shred of adolescence hangs from the lean muscle wrapped around his limbs.
Thick thighs fill the black slacks hanging from his hips, and his crisp white button-up shirt hugs his torso, its fabric remaining pristine despite his recent meal.
Silken hair flows over his shoulders and down his back, longer than mine but a similar dark shade .
. . and probably softer to the touch, I’ll admit.
Vampires are notorious for their vanity.
He studies me closely as well, his crimson eyes shimmering like rubies beneath the bright light above.
With the pad of his thumb, he wipes a streak of blood from the corner of his lips and offers me a confident smile.
“You smell different than the others.” His voice caresses my skin like the softest velvet, and a shiver rolls down my spine.
I shouldn’t meet his gaze, but his eyes glitter unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s hard to look away. “You were a boy moments ago.” The sudden change in his appearance is alarming.
The hairs on my arms rise as he tilts his head to the side. “A parlor trick.” His smile is frozen in place. “Shall I show you?”
“No thanks.” I draw a dagger from my boot and brandish it in front of me. The magic etched within the blade hums as the runes activate, giving its edges a soft orange glow. “I’m not fond of illusions.” Even the one we’re standing in makes my skin crawl.
“Pity.” The vampire clicks his tongue. “They can be so . . .” He ignores the weapon in my hand as his gaze travels down my body. “Diverting.”
Heat pulls at the base of my spine. There’s no mistaking the tantalizing gleam in his eye.
“You like to play with your food,” I guess, tamping down my accelerating heartbeat.
I cannot be seduced in the middle of the fucking trials—by a vampire, no less—or I’ll gladly invite the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
“Come at me, and it’ll be your last fucking meal,” I warn, baring my fangs.
He hums softly, amused. “A taste, then.” Lifting his arm, he taps the small of his wrist. “Here.” His chest expands as he takes a deep breath, drinking in my scent.
I do the same, taking a deep breath and instantly cursing myself for it. He tastes like shadow and smoke, dripping down my throat to fill my lungs. My next breath is shallow as I try to exhale more than I inhale.
His wicked smile curves like the tip of a knife. “Allow me a drop of your blood, and I’ll ensure that you pass the trial.”
Like I’d ever believe that.
Lifting my dagger, I ready myself for a fight.
“I’ll pass when I stab you in the heart.
” I spend precious seconds trying to evaluate his age and strength, but with his gift for illusion, I can’t trust anything I see.
If he’s older than he looks—which is fucking likely—then he may be able to manipulate my other senses.
Everything about him screams danger. My hackles rise as he takes a step forward. “Alright, Wildflower. I won’t bite. But I loathe to leave you alone to the wolves.” His eyes flash as a low growl rumbles to my right. “I have a feeling that he’s here for you instead of me.”
Shitshitshit. I can’t believe I let one target distract me after I chastised the other shifters for the same fucking thing. A rookie mistake. A deadly one. I can’t take my eyes off the vampire, but I focus all my other senses on the threat lurking nearby . . . and my body suddenly ignites.
Revyn.
My infuriatingly stubborn, lied-to-my-face, really fucking hot ex-boyfriend.
The largest wolf I’ve ever seen emerges from the grass, confident in his approach.
Ebony fur, longer than most other wolves’ coats, flows down his back, but nothing can hide the corded muscles shifting beneath his coat.
With teeth bared and a growl rumbling deep in his chest, he glares at the vampire while I desperately cling to my humanity.
Being threatened always tempts me to shift, but being this close to an alpha wolf I’m intimately familiar with strengthens that temptation until every inch of my body screams at me to join the fight .
. . but I can’t. Not here. Not without revealing that I’m not just wild—I’m not even supposed to exist.
Glowing silver eyes meet mine, and my heart stumbles as Revyn holds my gaze, conveying more in a single glance than he did with full use of his voice the night I left. My chest tightens, making it difficult to breathe.
He may love me, but he also betrayed my trust, and my forgiveness isn’t so easy to regain.
Once Revyn’s attention returns to the vampire, I fill my lungs to capacity and strain my senses to check that we’re alone.
To any judges curious enough to watch our interaction, both my behavior and Revyn’s are odd unless you understand who we are.
Unlike most shifters, we don’t run with a pack.
Without generational territory to protect, lone wolves create their own .
. . and Revyn’s only claim to territory isn’t a place, but a person.
The woman he considers his mate—me.
He snaps his jaw as the vampire takes another step in my direction.
They stare at each other for a long, silent moment until Revyn lunges.
His claws tear the earth as he spins around and suddenly hip-checks me, throwing me aside with ease.
I whip through the grass and slam into a wide oak at the edge of the meadow, knocking precious air from my lungs.
As I push myself to my feet, my gaze rakes across Revyn’s body.
Old habits die hard as I check him for injuries.
The silver streak trailing down his spine is the same as I remember, but a thick scar on the meatiest section of his thigh is new .
. . because I put it there the day I left.
Grabbing the dagger I used to scar my mate, I take an unsteady step forward.
Revyn’s scent chokes me, and a wave of heat crashes through my system.
I haven’t shifted since we broke up. My last run was by his side one misty morning, the fading summer sun warming our fur one final time before autumn swept across the valley.
The memory is bittersweet as I slice through the dry grass and approach the men.
I won’t let Revyn ruin my only chance at joining a pack. No matter what he thinks we are to each other, my mind is made up. I’m attending Heartsflame. He can’t stop me—and he definitely can’t force me to be his mate just because he thinks we’re perfect for each other.
As the vampire backsteps away from the silver-streaked alpha wolf, he glances at me with unbridled curiosity, his glittering eyes and sharpened fangs doing nothing to dampen his outrageous sex appeal.
His lips carry a sinful curve, and a delicate slip of his tongue over his teeth makes my heart flutter.
Revyn stomps his paw and whines, tossing me a look over his shoulder that lets me know he sensed that—my heart’s little skip.
Twirling my dagger between my fingers, I scoff.
“What? I’m not dead.” I brandish my blade high and leap for the vampire, but he disappears in a cloud of smoke.
It shimmers and swirls in the false sunlight, turning into an icy caress.
Fingertips brush my cheek, a gentle breath tickles my ear, dark laughter dances down my spine.
I hate illusions.
Jabbing the blade downwards, I stab blindly at my side only for the vampire to grab my wrist as he materializes against my back.
The blade cuts the bottom edge of his shirt.
He tuts. “Careful, darling.” Twisting my wrist at an unnatural angle, he presses the tip beneath my breast. “Death is a jealous lover.” His fanged smile grazes the pulse in my neck. “Like your wolf.”
Revyn’s heavy growl rumbles, the sound reverberating through my chest like it belongs to me.
I gasp as my body reacts, something inside my gut twisting as it attempts to shift.
No. I wrench my wrist free and slice my chest in the process, the pain barely registering over my panic.
If I shift, the elders, the alphas, the headmaster—they’ll never let me into the academy.
Alpha Dire would find a reason to kill me—citing any part of magical law he can twist to his benefit—and carry out his own sentence here and now while he has witnesses.
The only way to survive his unnaturally cruel death sentence is to fall under the academy’s jurisdiction before he can make a move. I have to get accepted by any means necessary.
Killing this vampire should weigh the scales in my favor.
Revyn swipes his claws and snaps his jaw, narrowly missing my thigh with the former and scraping me with the latter. I hiss as the vampire drags me against his chest and retreats, taking me with him into the forest.
The raspy breath spilling past his lips makes my head spin.
“Your blood,” he rumbles, shuddering violently.
“I’ve never smelt anything so—” He pries my dagger from my hand and drops it at our feet.
“—alluring. Like nature itself is running through your veins.” Tilting my head back, he stares in wonder at my eyes, my lips, my throat.
Our entwined fingers slide through the smear of blood along my ribs, and curiosity dances in his eyes.
Fucking freak.
With a snarl, I let go of as much restraint as I can safely risk and allow my body to complete the barest of shifts.
Panting, I stab him with my claws and dig my fingers into the flesh at his waist. He doesn’t flinch, but neither does Revyn as he body slams into us, sending all three of us tumbling into the dirt.
Shifters are known for their brute strength, and alphas are touted as unparalleled in sheer force.
Revyn is a master of using his size to his advantage.
He lunges at the vampire while I scramble for my dagger, both of us coming up short as our target grabs my knife and disappears in a cloud of smoke.
His laughter echoes through the trees. The wind shifts, and so does the scent in the air.
Our vampire is gone . . . but his blood clings to my fingers like he’s still holding on.
With a grimace, I wipe my hand on my pants and shove Revyn the moment he steps closer to sniff my wound.
“You—” I’m at a loss for words as heavy emotions tumble inside my chest. I swallow the lump in my throat and grab the loudest emotion within reach: outrage.
“You can’t just follow me, Revyn!” Taking deliberate steps back, I grab a rock and throw it at him. “We’re not together! Go away! Leave!”
He chuffs, and in the next breath, he shifts back into human form.
The world tilts as he comes into focus—all six foot five inches of brawny muscle and scruff for days—and casually sweeps me into his arms. His body radiates heat, the scent of sun-soaked earth and pine needles filling my lungs as quickly as his warmth penetrates my heart.
“I’m not going anywhere, Sienna.” Nuzzling his face in my hair, he inhales deeply. “Not without my mate.”
My words ring as hollow as they did the day I left him.
“We aren’t mates, Revyn.” I pull away from him and avoid his glowing silver eyes, a trademark of packless shifters who have spent too much time in the wilds.
“We aren’t anything anymore.” I brush my hand over the scar on my neck, the one that matches the shape of his teeth, and hold my breath as I turn away.
From the only man who’s ever wanted me exactly as I am . . . and the only one who would do anything to keep me that way.