Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins
The neon glow of the city faded behind Lena Carter as she stepped into the derelict industrial zone, her boots crunching over broken glass. The air smelled of rust and damp concrete, a far cry from the sterile offices of The Metropolitan Times where she’d spent the day poring over police reports.
Marcus Hale, CEO of HaleTech—vanished without a trace.
The official statement claimed he’d boarded a flight to Zurich. But Lena’s source, a twitchy IT technician, had whispered about a midnight meeting at this warehouse—one that never made it into the records.
She adjusted the strap of her camera, its weight a familiar comfort. The lens cap clicked as she removed it, the red recording light blinking like a predator’s eye.
Got you.
A gust of wind howled through the broken windows, carrying a sound that made her freeze.
A growl.
Not from an animal.
Something worse.
Her pulse spiked. She’d heard rumors—whispers of disappearances tied to the lunar cycle, of men with glowing eyes in the financial district’s alleys. But she’d dismissed them as urban legends.
Until now.
Lena ducked behind a corroded steel beam, her breath shallow. The growl came again, closer this time, followed by the wet sound of claws scraping pavement.
Move. Now.
She bolted for the warehouse’s side door, her fingers fumbling for the knife in her pocket. The door creaked open—
—and a hand clamped over her mouth, yanking her into the shadows.
“One scream,” a voice murmured against her ear, deep and velvet-edged, “and you’re dead.”
Her back collided with a solid chest, the heat of him searing through her jacket. She knew that scent—sandalwood and something wild, something untamed.
Kael Vrostov.
The billionaire who owned half the city’s skyline. The recluse who never gave interviews.
And, if the rumors were true, a man with a body count.
Lena elbowed backward, but his grip tightened, his breath hot on her neck. “Stubborn,” he muttered, almost amused. “I’d admire that if it weren’t going to get you killed.”
A snarl ripped through the darkness.
Kael’s body tensed. His hand slid from her mouth to her waist, shoving her behind him. “Stay. Down.”
Then—
—the world shifted.
Bones cracked. Fur erupted. And where a man had stood, a monstrous black wolf now faced the thing slinking from the shadows.
Lena’s stomach dropped. *Werewolves. Real.*
The rogue wolf lunged. Kael met it midair, jaws snapping. Blood sprayed the concrete as they rolled, a tangle of teeth and fury. She should’ve run. But she couldn’t look away.
Kael pinned the beast, his fangs sinking into its throat. A sickening crunch—
—then silence.
The wolf’s body went limp.
Golden eyes locked onto hers.
Slowly, Kael shifted back, human again, naked and blood-streaked. His chest heaved, his gaze burning into her. “You saw.”
Not a question. An accusation.
Lena lifted her chin. “I did.”
He stepped closer, his voice a growl. “This stays between us.”
“Or what?” She forced a smirk, ignoring the way her body thrummed at his nearness. “You’ll eat me?”
A flash of fang. “Not the way you’re thinking.”
Her breath hitched.
Then, a noise—a distant howl.
Kael’s head snapped up. “They’re coming.” He grabbed her wrist, his grip bruising. “Run.”
And Lena ran—straight into a world she never knew existed.
Straight into him.
