Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Cedara

I'm afraid. It's not a feeling I'm used to, but who could blame me? I've been on the run for days, ever since I broke free from the men who imprisoned my family and me.

I never found out who they were, but I recognize evil when I see it. And they were the purest form.

My mind is a fog, my thoughts scattered and wild. In my rare moments of clarity, I circle the facility where we were held, desperate to find a way back in to save them. But it's impossible. I can't risk being captured again. Not by them. No matter how desperately I want to get to the others.

But as the days drag by, things start to trouble me. Quiet footsteps. A hint of unfamiliar scent. The sense that I'm not alone out here.

Someone is watching me.

And it doesn't take long before we encounter each other.

I almost walk into him in the forest. I sense him before I see him. It's like a prickling sensation that washes over my skin, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I freeze, my heart beating like a jackhammer as I slowly turn around.

There, standing at the edge of the clearing, is a man…looking straight at me. He's tall and broad-shouldered. A wave of dark hair falls over his forehead, chocolate streaked with silver. But it's his eyes that capture me. Dark. Deep. Looking straight into my soul.

For a moment, we just stare at each other, neither of us moving. It's like time has stopped. Everything else fades away except him and me. Those eyes…the strange tingling on my skin.

Who…? What…?

Without realizing it, I've taken a step toward him. It's like there's an invisible thread drawing me closer. His hands curl at his sides, a thigh muscle flexes as if he's poised to stride forward.

I should be turning…running. But I don't. Instead, I take another step, lost in those impossibly compelling eyes. Lost in the promise they're making that I can't quite understand.

It's you…

The thought comes to me out of the blue. And with it comes a sense of…rightness. As if the world just slipped into its natural order.

It's you…

I'm another step closer when a rustle nearby has me pivoting with a snarl. A sudden movement in the undergrowth breaks the spell as a small deer bursts into the clearing and stops short. It stares in terror at the man and then at me…a wolf on the hunt. Except, I'm not hunting anymore.

I'm running.

I spin around, my heart leaping into my throat as I bolt back into the forest. I don't know who he is or what he wants, but I can't take any chances. Not now, not when I'm so close to finding a way to save my family.

I have to save them. Have to!

I can't leave them to whatever fate those bastards had planned for us.

But right now, I have to save myself. I run for what feels like hours, my lungs burning and my legs aching. But no matter how far I go, I can't shake the feeling that he's still out there, following me. It's like he's a shadow, always just out of sight but never far behind.

As night falls, I burrow into a cluster of thick brush and collapse, my chest heaving as I struggle to catch my breath. I close my eyes, trying to calm the racing of my pulse. But even in the darkness, I can feel his presence, just on the edge of my awareness.

Go to him.

Why?!

Why are all my instincts screaming such madness? Everything out here is trying to kill me. Or lock me up.

That's what he wants to do, too. I'm sure of it.

At least, I think I am.

And yet, I want to turn around and close the distance between us. Be near him.

As the darkness takes hold and my body finally recovers from my flight, I creep out of my hiding place. Snout lifted, I let the thread pull me. I pick up his scent and follow it.

It's not long before I spot him. Sitting with his back braced against a tall tree. One heavily muscled thigh is raised, his forearm resting casually across his knee. He leans his head back against the heavy trunk, lashes dark against his cheeks.

Just sitting. Silent.

I sink to the floor out of sight, rest my chin on my paws, and keep my eyes fixed on him. I stay that way until the sun starts to rise. He barely moves. Neither do I.

I can't say why I do it, just that I'm compelled to.

I have to watch him.

I don't know what he wants or why he's following me. But one thing is certain – he won't give up easily.

And I don't want him to.

???

Barrett

I knew I'd find her, eventually. Although I never expected that she'd be the one to come to me. That was a surprise. She's been…skittish.

It's been a couple of days since I first traced the wolf's spoor, and it didn't take me long to figure out that she's shifter…and female.

Very female.

Something tightens in the pit of my gut as I pick up her lingering scent. It's one that's grown familiar now. And it's drawn me since the first moment I encountered it. She's been circling the wolf sanctuary – at least, that's what the fuckers want to call it. I know better. It's hell. Hell for those they've locked up in there.

And it's going to be hell for those so-called rangers, too, when their day of reckoning comes. I will not tolerate what they've been doing to our kind.

What I can't understand is why she's hanging around here. If she'd been inside and managed to get out – which I can only imagine is the case – why the hell didn't she take the gap and run?

My mind runs over the possible scenarios. The only one I can think of is that she's connected to the other wolves somehow.

A soft sound catches my attention. Rhythmic breathing. Sleeping. She'd been panting softly when she arrived. Fear coursing through her. And something else, too. I could smell it. But damn if I can't put my finger on the scent.

She's out there now. Just yards away. The shadows disguise the rich gold of her pelt. I could probably get to her in a couple of seconds if I rushed across there now. I won't. I'll spook her. If I know anything at all, it's that she needs my help.

Now I just have to convince her to take it.

If she's managed to sleep this close to me, that must be a sign that she's letting her guard down a little. Trusting me.

"Hello?" I keep my voice low. Soothing.

There's a pause in the breathing. A faint rustle of foliage.

Shit.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help. Trust me…I'm one of your kind."

The rustling stops. I get an overwhelming sense of watchfulness, but I'm guessing she's processing this. Considering her options. If she shifts, maybe I can convince her.

"Will you talk to me? Tell me—"

My sentence is cut off by the strident ringing of my phone.

Fuck!

The rustling turns into a crackle as the wolf turns tail and bolts.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

"What?" I bark as I answer the call, raking a hand through my hair. If it hadn't rung, I might have gotten through to her.

"Where are you?" Jagger's voice is equally curt.

"Still surveilling the place," I reply. It's partially true. I have an inkling of what's going on there.

I'm mainly here because of her.

"Alpen is on his way to meet with you."

"Sure. Where?" I grind my teeth because I know I won't get this information from Edirn Alpen himself. The bastard won't use a goddamn phone. Though, considering how much of a ball-ache it's been to keep mine charged and in reception, I'm starting to think he has a point.

"He said he'd meet you just outside of town where you first parted ways."

"Sure. I remember the place." I stretch my limbs as I recall the spot that's about five miles out of Sweetwater. I'm reluctant to move so far from Whispering Pines, but I know there's not much that will happen during the day. The only activity I've ever been aware of has been at night. The rest of the time, it simply seems like a regular sanctuary, with the occasional visitor dropping by to check out the wolves.

I clench my jaw.

Even though the visible ones are natural wolves…not shifters…it still burns my ass to think of those creatures on display like that. We may be very different in most ways, but there's still a kinship there.

"He'll be there at noon," Jagger is saying. He ends the call. He's not one for small talk, which suits me fine. Stretching my arms overhead, I feel muscles unknot and bones crack. I've learned how to stay still and silent for extended periods, but last night, there'd been an additional tension in me. Awareness of her. Listening for changes.

Still, I managed to catch enough sleep to get me through. Another thing I've learned to do. Make do. Run lean.

Though I'm going to need to eat soon. My stomach rumbles as I rise and twist at the hip in both directions to loosen my tight back. I could shift and track something down in the forest – it's what she's been doing. I've caught signs of the occasional kill since I've been here. Nothing major: a hare, a bird or two. She's doing enough to get by.

No time for me to do that now. I'll get something in Sweetwaters. I'll pass a truckstop on the way to meet Alpen. Which makes me wonder… Why hasn't the she-wolf shifted and gone into town?

She's scared.

I gnaw on the inside of my cheek as I imagine her out here, alone. Afraid. I find that I don't like the idea. It sets my teeth on edge. Moving to the outskirts of the clearing, my nostrils flare as my nose leads me to the spot she'd been lying in. Aside from one or two tiny branches that had been broken, there's barely a sign she'd even been there.

She's careful. Staying hidden, choosing a place she could get out of easily. She's scared of me, too. And yet not…

I stoop and run my fingertips over the indentation in the low brush where she'd lain last night. I can almost imagine there's still the warmth of her body here. It's a warmth that tingles over my skin and ripples into me. I feel that tightening in the pit of my belly again. Or maybe it's lower.

I rise.

I'm coming back.