Chapter one
The full moon hung low in the ink-black sky, its silver glow slicing through the dense forest canopy. Shadows flickered, restless and alive, while the crisp scent of pine and earth sharpened Alexa Thorncrest’s senses. She crouched low, her breath steady, her wolf stirring just beneath her skin. Tonight wasn’t about running. Tonight, she was hunting.
A flicker of movement caught her sharp green eyes—a deer weaving through the trees. Her nostrils flared, but she ignored the prey. Her focus was locked on the predator watching her from the shadows.
“Show yourself,” she growled, her voice low and commanding.
From the darkness stepped Alpha Ezekiel Thorncrest, his golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Tall and commanding, he radiated raw power, his presence igniting a tension Alexa hated to acknowledge. The mate bond thrummed between them, a cruel tether she couldn’t escape.
“You’re far from the pack’s borders,” Ezekiel said, his voice sharp.
“I didn’t realize I needed permission to breathe,” she snapped, straightening to her full height. She wouldn’t cower, no matter how much he loomed over her.
His jaw tightened. “Don’t test me, Alexa. You know the rules.”
“Rules only matter if they’re applied to everyone,” she shot back. “Or do your sisters get another pass?”
His growl reverberated through the clearing, but she stood her ground. She had faced worse than his temper.
“They’re family,” he said, voice clipped.
“And I’m what? A stain on your pack?” The bitterness in her words surprised even her. “Your mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess, and still just an outsider.”
For a moment, his golden eyes softened, but the vulnerability vanished as quickly as it came. “This isn’t the time or place,” he said, stepping closer.
Alexa’s retort died on her lips as distant howls split the night—dark, feral, and wrong. Rogues.
Ezekiel’s head snapped toward the sound. “We’ll talk later.”
“I’m not running.”
“I didn’t ask you to.” He shifted into his wolf form—a massive, gray-furred beast with piercing golden eyes—and sprinted toward the threat. Alexa shifted mid-stride, her sleek black wolf bounding after him.
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They emerged into chaos. Three rogue wolves circled a young boy, his first shift barely complete. Patchy fur and clumsy movements marked him as vulnerable. Desperation burned in his eyes.
Ezekiel tore into the first rogue with brutal precision, blood splattering the forest floor. Alexa lunged at the second, her claws slicing deep into its side. She caught the third rogue out of the corner of her eye, slinking toward the boy.
A snarl erupted from her throat as she charged, intercepting him mid-leap. They crashed to the ground, her jaws clamping around his throat in a single, decisive motion. The rogue went limp beneath her.
The forest stilled, save for the boy’s ragged breaths. Alexa shifted back, crouching beside him. “You’re safe now,” she murmured, her voice softer than the scene demanded.
The boy nodded, wide-eyed, glancing between her and Ezekiel, who had also shifted back.
“Go,” Ezekiel said, his tone firm but calm. “Head to the packhouse. Warn the others.”
The boy hesitated before running, leaving Alexa and Ezekiel alone.
“You didn’t have to stay,” Ezekiel said, his tone unreadable.
“You didn’t have to follow me,” Alexa countered, rising to her feet.
Ezekiel’s golden gaze locked onto hers. “Why do you always make everything so difficult?”
“Why do you always assume it’s my fault?”
The tension between them crackled, heavy with unspoken truths, but another howl cut through the night. This one was Katrina’s—urgent, sharp, and laced with dread.
Without a word, Ezekiel turned, shifting once more and taking off toward the sound. Alexa followed, unease curling in her stomach.
Katrina’s howl wasn’t just a call for help. It carried something darker. And Alexa knew the night’s battles were far from over.
