Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Callisto

"Samuel Magnus, alpha of Greenacre, I challenge you in combat. Come out and meet your destiny."

Callisto winced at how overly dramatic the words sounded. She'd signed them and Sophia had shouted them verbatim, but they sounded so much worse than they had in her mind. In her head, they were somehow fitting.

Both of them stood rooted to the grass that spread all the way to the foot of the steps.

They'd found Samuel's cabin easily enough. Unbelievably, they were allowed to pass unfettered through open gates and into the town, drive down the main street and locate the right structure. She'd learned that the people of Greenacre thought it best to hide in plain sight and it was the beginning of the tourist season. When the weather warmed, people flocked to the mountains in some parody of all those stupid sayings. It happened in Wyoming too, which made the more barren winter months a boon.

In the case of Greenacre, hiding was akin to stupidity. They'd allowed an enemy to walk right up to their cherished alpha's home.

Raven, who literally was a raven, had a sick and twisted sense of humor. Maybe that came in the territory of all spies who liked to be called PIs.

When questioned as to what Samuel's cabin looked like exactly, Raven had lifted a shoulder, brushed back her long curtain of jet-black hair and let loose some of that dry sarcasm. Follow the scent of unmistakable arrogance. If your nose fails you, look for the biggest cabin with the wrap around porch a few roads off from the main street. You literally can't miss it.

The front door whipped open and there he was in the flesh. Callisto had everything in a file. She'd asked for more than just intel on Pinefall. Once she'd learned there was a neighboring clan, she had to know everything about them as well.

Samuel was said to be a good, kind man and a wise alpha. She'd read that he and his clan had taken in countless shifter children who needed homes over the years. They'd opened up and allowed human mates. They'd become a haven for grown and half-grown shifters of all varieties.

How very fucking quaint.

No good act could make up for the fact that they'd sold their adjoining land and allied themselves with a clan of murderers. They were shielding and protecting those in Pinefall, and that made them as good as accomplices to the many children left to the elements, or in a fit of kindness, given over to someone in the city and never spoken of again.

She'd been one such shameful, dirty secret, banished from her clan, exiled to history. She was here for justice, but they wouldn't know it until it was too late.

Step one sounded easy. Become alpha. Step two—ruin the clan slowly, from the inside out. Spare the innocent, punish the guilty. Step three—burn it all down.

She stood with her feet planted far apart, ready to launch herself into battle. She'd prepared her whole life for this moment. She'd been a fighter since she was born. It didn't matter that she was in her early twenties before she'd learned the truth of who she was. It was forty-one years in the making. After exhaustive planning and a fortune spent on eyes and information, she was finally here.

Samuel Magnus was a big man. Even in the face of an out-and-out challenge yelled out by two strangers who'd breached the gates and brought war to his doorstep, he was ridiculously, utterly calm. He strolled forward, casual in jeans and a black t-shirt, hands up and open in a gesture of peace.

Sophia didn't let him get to the railing before she repeated Callisto's manifest. Her own hands flew while her interpreter spoke the words. "Samuel Magnus, alpha of Greenacre, I challenge you in combat."

Samuel frowned, his liquid amber gaze sweeping over them both. "Why have you come here?"

Sophia continued to interpret. "You have something we want. Land. Prosperity. Safety. I intend to beat you so my own clan can live."

In the old days, in older countries, that would have been legit. Greed was still a powerful motivator, and that was the story they'd decided on.

Samuel made it to the railing. His huge hands curled around the top wooden rail. The cabin was an immaculate building, logs on logs. The wraparound porch gave the place that storybook look. The lace curtains that fluttered in the open window made Callisto's hands clench into fists, more fuel for her rage.

"I think we need to sit down and talk. If you're seeking sanctuary, you're welcome here—"

"Do you not accept the challenge? Are you a coward of the highest order?" Sophia goaded the alpha bear all on her own. She might be petite and sweet straight down to her core, but in the moment, she had to channel someone else.

Callisto's hands were still balled into fists she was unable to unclench. She trembled with the force and depth of her emotion. She had to calm down. Revenge couldn't be served at any temperature if she lost her head. To win this fight, she had to use her head, especially against an opponent who was three times her size. Samuel might be fifty now, with streaks of gray shot through his dark hair, but he was still in his physical prime. He would make a powerful adversary.

"It's not cowardly not to fight. Fighting is the lowest order. We aren't just animals. We are people and we can be rational. If you come inside, my mate would offer you something to drink and we could discuss what is exactly that's brought you here in this state of desperation."

Callisto opened her mouth and let out a silent scream. Enough! In her mind, the word rang out, but in reality, there was only a gasp of air.

They'd brought extra clothing and left it in their car down the road. If she lost, she'd very likely be killed—although Greenacre's alpha was famed for his mercy. Samuel's big, stupid heart led them to decide on a challenge in Greenacre and not Pinefall. Clarence was an old man, but that clan was notoriously closed off and loyal and if she killed him as an outsider, she'd be set on by countless members eager to exact what they saw as justice.

Callisto was willing to lay down her life, but not until she got what she wanted. It wasn't death for those who had rejected her. Death was obviously far too kind. She wanted suffering equal to the years of her own pain.

If she lost the challenge and was allowed to live, she wouldn't have to cower in shame and nakedness for long. Sophia would fetch their bags. She'd take care of her. With that assurance, Callisto threw herself into her bear. She was tall for a woman. Strong from years of training. Her bear was an impressive beast honed to a fine weapon.

Most importantly, her bear had that same kernel of bitter rage firing at her core as she did. Try growing up in the system. Try growing up in the system as a shifter with no guidance, assurances, or explanations.

She charged, letting out a feral roar that came out as nothing but a forceful burst of silent air as she rushed the man on the porch. Samuel had no choice but to shift in order to protect himself before she advanced far enough. He'd be mauled otherwise. More importantly, he had his mate in the house. He'd foolishly confessed as much. He'd be desperate to keep her away from his weak, defenseless human.

As she'd anticipated, Samuel's bear was massive. He was a beautiful grizzly, not old or slow in the least. His power was obvious in every rippling muscle and the gleam of his thick, healthy coat. He opened his mouth and his fangs shone white in the afternoon sun. He yelled a warning roar of his own and flew off the porch, meeting her halfway.

They met in a deathlike embrace. Samuel's bear wrapped his arms around her and drove her back. Away from the cabin. Away from his human and maybe even his children, though they were all old enough to be at Greenacre's school. She'd had good intel on the workings of the clan, and she'd planned accordingly. She was slightly surprised that Samuel hadn't called for any of his men, but for an alpha to refuse a direct challenge was unheard of in most clans. If a leader wanted to stay at the top, he couldn't be seen as weak and cowardly by anyone. Getting his men to detain or dispatch her would have been an act of the greatest irreverence to his position.

Once Samuel drove her away from the cabin, his arms locked around her in a feral animal hug, her back claws ripping wounds in the vibrant jewel toned lawn, he broke away and put distance between them.

She tried to circle, but he wouldn't let her between himself and the cabin. Such a stupid man to have such a stupid weakness. A human mate who couldn't defend herself. It was appalling.

Callisto knew that she'd defend anyone in her own makeshift clan with her life, but her disdainful thoughts rolled through the bear. She had an advantage that most other shifters didn't have. She was more herself in the bear, more than just animal senses. Her human brain took hold while in her animal form and thought more clearly than anyone else she'd ever known. When nature took away one sense, it often gave something else in return. Her ears and eyes were more sensitive, but it was her mind that was her greatest asset.

She got tired of trying to edge around Sam. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sophia holding her breath. All her muscles were tensed to jump in and help, even though Callisto would have scorned her and dressed her down for it later.

This was her battle alone. She was going to fight it and force Sam to fight back.

She readied herself, steadying her breath and waiting for the adrenaline to coil tightly inside of her before she allowed herself to unwind like a spring. She snapped towards him, rushing at him. She went low, in a place he wouldn't expect a blow, striking at his soft underbelly as he stood up to embrace her in a tackle. She moved like a human fought, not like an animal, and Sam didn't expect it. She raked his chest and stomach with her claws and immediately scented hot, salty blood.

He whirled around, desperate to keep her in front of him. She crouched and kicked with her back foot, sweeping him off his feet. He was already disoriented and injured.

Sam wasn't just fighting for his life. He was fighting for his mate, his family, clan and land. He regained his balance and dropped down, keeping his head low to the ground. She wouldn't take him by surprise with her unorthodox movements again.

She paced restlessly, getting ready for another attack, but he was the one on the offensive. There was one way that a heavy, larger opponent could beat her, and she knew that she was in trouble the second Sam charged. His nostrils flared, spittle sprayed from his mouth, and red droplets coated the grass as he ran.

He leapt at her, and he was fast for a huge bear. Faster than he should have been.

She nearly made it out of the way, but not quite. He landed on top of her, the momentum taking them both to the ground. She rolled and tried to kick, but he was on top of her. He had the advantage, and he wasn't going to lose it. He threw his whole weight on top of her, pinning her to the ground. His maw closed over her throat before she could get her legs up to kick him off. She felt his sharp teeth dig into her tender flesh.

Slowly, she tilted her head up, giving him more access.

After so much careful planning, she'd lost and lost appallingly quickly. She had no fear of death. It should have come for her when she was a baby, but life had other plans. If this was how she was meant to die, then so be it. Her only regret was that she hadn't done better, hadn't fought with more skill, hadn't won, and wouldn't be able to make those pay who had wronged her.

"Stop!" A female voice rang out, piercing the stillness. A new voice. An intruder. A shadow on the grass and then again, with softness but a strange steely conviction. "Sam. My love. That's enough."