Chapter 1

Chapter

One

T anglewood Castle

London, England

2048

Alistair Howard, Alpha of London, felt urine trickling down his leg and was ashamed. He was about to die, and the fear had made him lose control of his bladder.

"I guess when a wolf gets too long in the tooth, he needs to start wearing diapers again," sniggered the thug who dared to call himself a Hunter.

"My pack will pay a tidy ransom for my return," Alistair said, cringing as he heard the fear in his own voice. He had known this man since he was a boy, and now he had turned on the entire pack. His fear began to turn to hate.

"That won't be necessary. The Master will have what he wants from you. Maybe he'll even give you some backbone. If he chooses you to serve him, we'll be able to destroy your kind from within your own ranks. Perhaps then we'll be rid of the abomination that is your species."

The Hunter thinks he has me dead to rights. I may not be as young as I used to be, but I am still a wolf to be contended with. I'll teach him and his sort what it is to confront an alpha wolf- shifter. But the lesson will be short-lived, for he will not survive the encounter.

"I can't believe my family has served yours for hundreds of years. How could they? You and your kind are an abomination," said the Hunter.

"My kind have been the best warriors and statesmen all through history," Alistair said. "Your people have served mine because it's the way it has always been. The way it will always be." He was no longer sure who he was trying to convince.

"We will lead..."

Summoning what courage and honor he had left, Alistair interrupted the Hunter. "You will lead nothing. In fact, I shall stand at your grave and console your father in his grief."

Before the young man could recognize what was happening, Alistair called forward his great wolf. The Hunters' organization had been broken up thirty years ago, but now a new generation was trying to raise its ugly head. Alistair was a little grayer in the muzzle these days, but he still could be a deadly adversary.

The air shimmered around him and when it cleared, he was wolf. He charged the young man he'd watched run and play with his own children years before. The boy—for that was the way Alistair still thought of him—tried to raise his gun to shoot, but Alistair leapt at him, knocking him to the ground, making firing the weapon impossible. As the Hunter went down, he flailed at the wolf. Alistair grabbed the wrist of the Hunter's hand in his jaws and shook until the gun went flying. He backed off, snapping and snarling.

"Please, Sir Alistair, don't kill me," said the young man.

Alistair's wolf retreated and wolf became man once more. "Why should I let you live? You brought me out here at gunpoint to kill me."

He considered letting the man live, but did that mean he was only affording him the opportunity to try again? Alistair sniffed the air. The Hunter had peed on himself.

"It would seem, my young friend, that you have pissed yourself. I am old and my bladder is not what it used to be. What's your excuse?"

He watched him trying to crawl away, and a dark cloud-like mass poured out of the would-be killer's nose and mouth. It twisted and twirled, gathering itself, flying at Alistair as the Hunter turned to flee.

The air shimmered again as his wolf sprang forward only to find itself surrounded and enveloped in the cloying, thick vapor. He tried not to breathe and to break away from its grasp, but he was held fast within the thing's icy grip. His wolfen body was lifted from the ground and squeezed, forcing the air from his lungs so he had to inhale. The mist rushed into his body via his nose and mouth, making him cough and gag. The darkness invaded his body, and he was overwhelmed by its need to feed—not just on the flesh of the Hunter but on his fear and lifeforce as well.

As the miasma cleared, his great wolf came forward, causing man to shift to wolf, to do its new master's bidding. Alistair could feel the presence of the entity within his mind, body, and soul. He felt more alive than he had in a very long time. It was intoxicating.

Feed me. Feed me. Feed me.

His wolf spotted the young man still trying to get away. His victim would be no match for this new wolf. Howling once, he sprang forward and closed the distance between them. At one point he might have let the Hunter live, but now he needed what only the young man's death could provide.

He ran past the man and nipped at his heel, ripping through flesh to sever the Achilles tendon. The Hunter stumbled forward and fell on his face. He pleaded with Alistair as the wolf circled, growling and biting at him. The young man's fear grew, and the Darkness fed on it before moving in for the kill, cutting off the Hunter's blood-curdling scream just as it began to echo into the night.

L ondon, England

Three Days Later

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she said, looking at her four best friends—Abriana Grainger, Piper Nichols, Skylar Nichols, and Katarina Steele. "Why do I have to get dressed up? I'm an artist. I use a blowtorch to make sculptures out of twisted iron. I'm supposed to be artsy and free-spirited. I'm bohemian!"

"Yes, and you're also doing this first look at your newest pieces as a charity event. There's a rumor that the King might be coming. You can't be introduced to his majesty in black leather leggings and a brocade corset," said Abriana.

"Why not?"

"Mariah, quit whining. If your mother can do this kind of thing for your father's business interests, you can do it to help fund school supplies for some godforsaken district in the Hebrides," scolded Kat.

"Kat even gave up fucking Jed to help find your dress," teased Piper. "I swear, Mariah, if you take an alpha male to mate, I may disown you. Those two were all about the sisterhood and freedom for she-wolves until they experienced that damn alpha knot. Now it's all about seeing how many times a week they can get it."

"I have news for you, sister dear," said Skylar, who was mate to Piper's oldest brother. "Until you've experienced the ecstasy of the knot and the intimacy of the tie, you have no idea what you're talking about."

"Gross, Sky. That's my butthead brother you're waxing rhapsodic about," returned Piper. "And I'll just have to take your word for it. I refuse to be bound by our culture's anachronistic traditions."

Skylar, Kat and Abriana groaned in unison.

"So, in the name of the sisterhood," said Mariah, wrapping her arm around Piper, "I'm wearing my black leathers and brocade corset."

"This is a formal gathering," said Abriana.

"Okay, I'll wear the first motorcycle jacket my father ever gave my mother over the corset."

This time the groan was from all four of the other women.

"No, Mariah, you won't," said Kat. "The car's outside. We're going shopping and you are going to find, buy and wear something appropriate."

"But I have to put the finishing touches on the installation," said Mariah, trying to find a way out of this situation. She loved her friends but hated shopping. At home, her Aunt Liza always did it for her.

"You finished it yesterday. Right now, you're just getting in the way of the caterer and the others who are trying to get everything set up. Come along, it'll be fun," cajoled Skylar.

Her four friends dragged her out to the waiting limo, and she protested the entire way to the store. When they got to the exclusive boutique, they were shown into a private salon so the staff could show the women the latest fashions suitable for a black-tie event. A long succession of gorgeous models came out in black dresses with various necklines and silhouettes. Each of Mariah's friends tried to get her interested in one of them. Nothing seemed to suit her, although she knew she should pick something. Tomorrow night was not a leggings and motorcycle jacket kind of thing.

Mariah was almost ready to tell them to pick whatever they thought was best, when a model walked out in a dress that finally made her sit up and take notice. It wasn't like anything else she'd ever seen. It was edgy and different, and the way it sparkled made her think of the shimmer that surrounded her when she called her wolf forward.

The botanical lace pattern looked as though it had been made of spun gold. Mariah got up and walked toward it to examine the glamorous, layered texture. The lace was actually a nude color. A nude lining lay beneath it, and glittering gold sequins had been sewn into the lace to create a brilliance and sheen that sparkled and glistened as it moved. The dress was full-length and had an off the shoulder neckline in front with a deep, cowled back that came to her waist. Close-fitting sleeves fell halfway down the forearms. The body wasn't fitted tight but clung to the model's body.

"I think we have a winner," said Abriana with a smile, as she watched Mariah's eyes go wide.

"But I'm wearing comfortable shoes with it," asserted Mariah. "Don't give me that look. It's full length, no one will know."

"I have the perfect shoes," said the boutique's manager. "Let's see how it fits."

Mariah followed her into the fitting room. They slipped the dress on, and she loved the feeling of the silk lining as it shimmied down her body.

The manager smiled. "Oh yes," she said as they began fitting the dress to Mariah's body. The woman left the room and returned a few moments later with a beautiful pair of over-the-top ballet shoes. "These would be perfect with the dress, and I promise they are almost as comfortable as slippers. Once we have completed the fitting, we can make the alterations and have everything delivered to you. You're at the Savoy?"

"Yes," said Mariah. "This is an absolutely gorgeous dress."

They were on their way back to their private dressing room when Mariah spotted another dress hanging from a rack. It was outrageous—purple satin with a black lace overlay made to look like a long line corset, with an attached skirt that was like an explosion of multi-colored tulle in shades of hot pink, cobalt blue, purple, and black.

The boutique manager smiled. "Not right for your black-tie event, but for a fancy date or cocktail party, it would be killer."

"I love it, but I just don't think I'd ever get a chance to wear it. I spend most of my life in overalls and tank tops. I'm a welder," said Mariah, touching the dress softly.

"Oh yes, you are Mariah Halsey, one of the premier up-and-coming sculptors. I've seen your work. It's stunning."

Mariah smiled. "Thanks. I love what I do, but my art is not for everyone."

"Perhaps, but your talent is undeniable. Taking bits of twisted and discarded metals and turning them into all kinds of beautiful sculptures is a gift. I think my favorite of your pieces is the abstract wolf. It's so recognizable, without having any mass. The elegant shape of outline gives it movement and grace. Stunning."

"That was a gift to my parents. It now sits center stage in their foyer."

"They must be proud."

"They are. They've always been very supportive."

The boutique manager escorted her the rest of the way to the private salon and then left them.

"I'm assuming you have something appropriate, or do we need to get them to bring things for you too?" Skylar asked Piper as Mariah joined them.

"I brought my fanciest cowboy boots, if that's what you're getting at," Piper replied, cheekily. The collective groan from her friends made Piper laugh. "I thought I'd wear the dark green dress I wore to the opening of Loup de Mer."

"Good choice," said Kat. "I thought it looked great on you."

"Is Travis flying in tonight?" Abriana asked Skylar. "I don't know that I can take another day of you wandering around the suite like an alley cat in heat."

Both Mariah and Kat laughed as Skylar said, "Yes, and Travis said he snagged us a river-view suite."

"And we're having dinner tonight with the London pack, aren't we?" asked Kat.

Abriana nodded. "Yes, at their townhouse here in the city. It's gorgeous. Be nice about the chef though. I mean he's really good, but he's not Grace, Riley or Travis."

"Is Micah all right with us having dinner with them? Weren't you and Simon an item at one point?" asked Piper.

Abriana smiled. "I don't know that I'd say item. We were more a very casual friends with benefits, and when Micah told him we were fated mates, Simon backed off. I will say if either of you has an itch that needs scratching, you might want to give him a call. I can attest to the man's skill."

Skylar laughed, "Micah is so much more civilized than Trav. He can be the most singularly possessive wolf I've ever known, and that includes my father."

Piper shook her head. "I'm not sure what I'm surprised by more—that Travis is jealous or that you put up with it."

"He isn't jealous; he's just your typical territorial alpha wolf. His displeasure is never, ever directed at me. Trust me, if it was, he'd find I have a far more creative way to use a paring knife than he does."

A natural lull in the conversation gave Mariah a chance to think about her upcoming show again. "Hey, don't we have a dinner to go to tonight?" she asked.

"Tonight's dinner isn't black tie, but it'll require something fairly dressy," said Abriana.

"But it's not black tie?" asked Mariah. Abriana nodded. "Oooh, I just saw something that might work." She darted back toward the fitting room, calling to the boutique manager.

"Yes, Ms. Halsey?"

"Mariah. please. And that dress I said I'd never have a chance to wear? I do now, so if you can have it ready in a couple of hours, I'll take it."

The boutique manager smiled. "Yes, of course. And I have a gorgeous pair of kitten heels to go with it… or some black lace-up boots for an even more bohemian look."

Mariah grinned. "That'll do just fine."