As a member of the secret society the Venandi, Alex grew up hunting all manner of supernatural creatures since she and her twin brother Adam could walk. A routine assignment to destroy a couple of rogue werewolves ends up turning her life upside down when the alpha of a nearby pack thinks he has some weird, creepy claim on her. Cut off from all family and resources, Alex must use her cunning to escape before she gets trapped under the powerful Alpha's spell. After the death of his first mate Vanessa, Alpha Luke was content with his small pack in Nothern Montana where he could mourn with some peace, but when a mishap hunting a few rogues in his territory leaves him with a beautiful and dangerous last-chance mate that would sooner slit his throat as kiss him, he is left with an impossible choice. Reject her and die or keep her trapped and hope that the mate effect would have some pull on her too.
Chapter 1 Prologue
I've never been afraid of dying. My lifestyle has never afforded me that particular phobia. Death is natural, and frequent for people like me. When I stepped onto that dais at eighteen, I knew the consequences, made that choice. I would protect the world from creatures that would rather watch it burn.
And I'm burning for it now.
I thought my ascension ceremony was going to be the most painful thing I would live through. That still might be true. I don't know if I can live through this. Faces flash before my closed eyes, the light behind my lids giving them a warm glow.
I see my mother, with lively blue eyes and smile lines. Her blonde hair hanging around her face. My father with this stern, concerned look. Adam, whose features I had memorized as well as my own. Poppy with her bright eyes and dazzling smile that lights up a room. Luke...
I feel my chest shutter and my eyes fight against me to open. Every breath hurts. My throat feels like it's never had a drop of water and my eyes burn. Lifting my head takes all my effort and I look down. My clothes are shredded, blood turning them to a sickly black.
My hand closes around something solid. The metal in my hand is so cold compared to the heat of the flames around me. I realize I'm shaking when I lift the loaded crossbow up to the hulking shape that comes out of the flames to me. With fur as black as night, and seeming unbothered by the heat, it moved slowly as if it had all the time in the world. Eyes the color of amber seemed to collect the light from the flames and reflect it with an intensity that I had never seen before. Its mouth pulled back into a snarl, its sharp teeth stained with blood. The blood of my friends. His blood.
I can feel anger boiling up in my chest, ripping through the pain. "If I die now, I'm taking you with me you overgrown mutt."
He snarls and lunges.
I pull the trigger.