RYDER. The scent of fur, adrenaline and a stifling sense of authority hit me before I had even passed halfway through the manor gates. Three guards were stationed outside in their transformed forms. They had probably shifted a while ago and their eyes glowed in the dark, one of them howled at the moon when it sighted me. They were waiting for me. “Seriously?” I muttered to myself. I had just taken two steps into the courtyard, my sneakers crunching on the gravel when a cold hand grabbed the back of my collar and knocked me off balance. “Inside. . Now.” Aunt Helena hissed. I shouldn't be surprised, she had a way of showing up like a curse. She looked more like a vampire queen more than a wolf with blood-red gemstones at her throat and black silk draped over her. As if she were

