1. Aurora

Chapter 1

Aurora

B eads of sweat form at my hairline, and I haven’t even made my way to the seven-foot bonfire spitting sparks into the full moon overhead. It’s not a particularly hot night. My white tank top and jeans are perfect for the full moon party. The heat of the fire will easily ward off the slight Oklahoma chill that might settle in later. I’ve gone out of my way not to be conspicuous with my attire, but I might be seriously underdressed, now that I look around.

A billion stars glow in the black velvet sky, creating extra magic among the shifters, dancing, laughing, and chattering as drinks flow freely and soulmates exchange heated embraces. Goosebumps erupt on my arms, my senses overloaded in the presence of such naked displays of power. None of it belongs to me. I don’t belong here at all, despite the fact that I’m required to be here.

Lingering back, I take in the party from a safe distance, collecting myself nervously before joining. The fusion of excitement and fear co-mingles inside me as my eyes dart over the Apex Alphas, hosting this bonfire extravaganza. Like the royalty they are, they lounge in identical wooden chairs in the hub of the activity, their scantily dressed mate sprawled between them, feeding one of them chocolate-covered strawberries. Her dress must cost a thousand dollars, and hardly befits a lakeside bash, but nothing is too good for an Apex Luna. Who cares if it gets ruined? Her Alphas will just buy her another seven to compensate for it tomorrow.

Triads of Apex Alphas didn’t always rule the world, but centuries ago, the most powerful shifter bloodlines discovered that three brothers sharing power created an unshakable foundation of authority. Now, shifters from each state bow to their own triumvirate of Apex Alphas. While ordinary packs maintain their own territories and alphas, none dare challenge the supreme might of these brotherly triads or their precious shared mate—the one female powerful enough to balance and bind their energies together.

Members of my own pack are here too—everyone’s invited—to be at the monthly lunar events. But the Alpha of my pack requires everyone’s attendance.

I’m no exception, no matter how tempted I am to flee. Oh, and tempted I am. Every fiber of my being is aching to shift and sprint away from Lake Thunderbird as fast as my hooves will carry me.

But really, would anyone notice if I was gone? Does anyone know that I’m here?

As if on cue to the thought, one of my pack members wanders by and grins at me. Brady? Grady? Something like that. I nervously smile back and dart my eyes downward as he passes with his group of friends.

Drawing in a breath, I step forward and grab the first drink I see sliding by on a silver tray carried by a livered server. My eyebrow raises curiously as I sniff her out, but she doesn’t pay any attention to me as she passes by.

It’s strange that the Apex Alphas employ human caterers for their events, like they know they’re untouchable. But I guess they are in so many ways. Even seeing them out at these full moon events is daunting to me.

But really, what’s a human going to do if they ever learn about us—or rather, a real shifter? I don’t really qualify.

Hoping for liquid courage, I swig back the entire glass in one fluid gulp—and immediately choke, realizing it’s ginger ale. The fizz burns down my throat, and my eyes water. Coughing and sputtering, I double over, tears streaming down my face. I bury my hands over my cheeks, praying that no one saw my faux pas. I could never be that lucky, of course.

“Woah, easy there!” a laughing voice tells me, enhancing my utter mortification. “Are you okay?”

No! No! No, I’m not okay! Please, ground, open up and take me whole.

A firm hand falls on the small of my back and instantly, a surge of electricity sparks through me, bolting up my spine and through my neck. My heart pounds furiously as I turn my head, clearing my vision as if the heavens had opened. I lock in my gaze with the clearest blue irises I’ve ever seen, and my mouth falls agape. His pupils constrict, full lips parting as he rights himself, the pound of his pulse audible in my ears, synching with mine as our gazes lock. Over the lake, someone releases a firecracker in perfect time to our mate bond snapping in place, the throb of my heart intensifying as I stand straighter, stepping closer. He sucks in a mouthful of air, pulling me closer toward him as I sputter, still half choking on my mis-sipped drink.

Tipping my head back, I take in his near-perfect features. Searching along the fine lines of his cheekbones, his still parted mouth and even ivory teeth.

A dragon! Look at those dragon fangs!

I’m dizzy, weak, overwhelmed. I can’t believe it—my mate is from an Apex pack. He’s not one of the Apex Alphas, of course; they already have a mate. But he comes from the ruling pack—the pack that rules over all ordinary packs in our state.

Heat shoots through my body, dampening me between my thighs. I flush crimson, sure this god of a dragon shifter can read my every emotion, our hearts entwined already.

Something else tugs at me in the back of my mind, a memory I can’t easily identify, and it’s gone before I can capture it.

“You’re her,” he breathes, breaking the silence between us as I finally regain my composure and rest my gaze on his raven hair.

But as I return my stare to his brilliant eyes, a shadow falls over them and he releases me just as quickly as he caught me. Startled, I put a hand on my chest to slow my raging heart, the tug toward him almost unbearable. He turns away, but I can see it pains him to do it.

“Yes, that’s me,” I quip brightly, desperately trying to sound cute. “ Her .”

I cringe at myself.

“What’s your name?” he asks tersely, and I wish I could take back my stupidity.

“A-Aurora,” I sputter, partially from the ginger ale, but mostly from nerves. The desire to throw myself into his arms and let him claim me right here on the rocky shores of Lake Thunderbird is too much to bear.

“What’s yours?” I ask hopefully, willing him to look at me again.

He doesn’t.

“Lachlan.” He hesitates. “You’re not part of my pack.”

“No. I’m with the Quartz,” I mumble, sensing the change in his behavior. “We’re not Apexes. Just good old, regular shifter types. Just like every other pack here besides yours.”

I grin, shrugging lightly, but he’s not amused. I ache to have him touch me again and step closer, but he raises his hand.

“You’re a prey shifter?” he asks bluntly. The effects of our bond diminish with his cutting question, and I freeze where I stand.

“Yes,” I answer slowly. “You’re a dragon?”

“Yep.”

His eyes narrow into slits so small, I can barely see the blue. I see the problem from his end now.

Oh no… he can’t seriously be thinking…

I gulp, willing the horrible thought away before I manifest it into reality.

He grunts and folds his arms over his muscled but slender chest, scowling. “Seriously?” he demands, glowering at me. “How is this supposed to work?”

I smile weakly, again reaching for his hand. “It’ll work if you promise not to eat me,” I offer lightly, again trying to break through this awkward moment with humor.

He pulls back again, his scowl deepening as he takes a step back. A familiar sense of despair overrides the fleeting elation the bond had given me.

“There’s a mistake,” Lachlan grumbles. “There has to be a mistake. I’m an Apex shifter. The best of the best. You’re…”

He purses those impossibly full lips, the ones I’ve wanted to taste since first laying eyes on them. “I reject this. I reject you, Aurora. You are not my mate.”

The words burn a hole inside me worse than anything I’ve ever heard in my life.

And that’s saying a lot.

More fireworks explode over our heads and cheers erupt around us, as if all the local packs cheer on Lachlan’s decision to break his bond with me, taboo as it is.

My lips part, a thousand protests vying to spring from them in unison, but the contempt in his icy blue stare kills them and withers me in place. His eyes no longer seem pretty to me, but cold and distant. I want to hate him, but this bond is killing me.

“Please, Lachlan—” I try to say, but he’s made his choice.

“Don’t you tell anyone about this,” he hisses, backing away from me. “Do you hear me? If you’re smart, you’ll get the hell out of Oklahoma, so I don’t see you again.”

Without waiting for me to respond, he pivots and bolts toward the water’s edge, out of my purview. For a long moment, I merely stand there, unsure of what to do.

He has to come back. He can’t just reject me and banish me… can he?

Trembling with my stomach flipping wildly, I also back away the way I’d come.

“Aurora!”

Someone calls my name, but I don’t stop to look as I turn blindly and begin to run toward my car, waiting in the far parking lot. My head pounds with humiliation, cheeks burning as I back out of my spot. It’s a miracle I don’t get into an accident retreating to my little apartment, over the small convenience store on Lock Street in Oklahoma City.

At least the Full Moon Celebration was held close to my pack’s territory and not across the state—a small miracle.

Tears slip down my cheeks as I pack, pulling clothes from hangers, jamming what I can fit into one of the two worn duffle bags I can find stuffed in the back of my tiny bedroom closet.

I’m grabbing, and I’m going. What other choice do I have? If I see Lachlan again, the bond will undoubtedly draw me back to him, and he’ll be furious.

No, I have to go.

Where, I don’t know. But I heard Lachlan clearly. He doesn’t want his pack to know about us. He’s embarrassed by me, and if I hang around, our bond will undoubtedly be seen by everyone. The best thing I can do right now is put space between us and hope he finds some peace, even if I can’t break the bond for him.

The zipper won’t slide closed on the faded red duffle, and I give up after the third attempt, slinging the bag over my shoulder. They both weigh a ton with the toiletries and books, clothes, and shoes I managed to jam inside. I’m leaving so much behind, but my little hatchback will only hold so much.

Biting on my lower lip, I stand in the doorway of my bedroom and stare at the little place I’ve called home for almost three years. It was the first real home I’ve ever had. All those human foster parents didn’t know what to do with a pre-shifting girl when they had no idea what a shifter was. All they ever saw in me was a weak, underachieving girl who wouldn’t amount to anything.

The witches I tried to bond with in my teens had all been laughing at me behind my back. They didn’t want me any more than my pack did. The Quartzes had taken me in out of obligation. They couldn’t have a rogue shifter running amok without a place.

I shrug off the dismal shadows of my past and swallow thickly.

No.

This will not be another terrible chapter in the already messy life of mine. I will leave Oklahoma, but not to slink off in the darkness and hide away. This will be a fresh start, a new beginning in…

Where? Where the hell am I going?

I press my lips together and think, pivoting away from the doorway to head out of the apartment before I can change my mind and hide under the covers of my futon bed.

Drive. I just need to start driving, and everything else will play out the way the gods intend.

It takes me three trips up and down the steep steps of the walk-up apartment to load the car with what I can carry, but I know I’m leaving so many pieces of myself behind. My heart still pulls for Lachlan, and I’m hoping the distance will curb the tugging between us.

Packing my meager belongings into the rusted yellow hatchback, I climb into the driver’s seat again and start my journey, heading directly toward I-35 southbound.

A cheery pop song plays on the radio, aggravating me. I flip it off, but the silence upsets me more, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I’m not sure which is worse at this point. All I can hear is the echo of Lachlan’s cruel words to me.

“There’s a mistake There has to be a mistake. I’m an Apex shifter. The best of the best. You’re… I reject this. I reject you, Aurora. You are not my mate. Don’t you tell anyone about this. Do you hear me? If you’re smart, you’ll get the hell out of Oklahoma, so I don’t see you again.”

At this time of the night, traffic is light, making my trek across the state pass in relatively short order as my mind runs wild.

I’m headed to Texas; this much is clear. There are plenty of small towns there where I can start over and lick my wounds, try to reclaim my pride—whatever’s left of it.

But was there ever a time when I had pride? Certainly not that I can remember.

The moon rises higher overhead, the fullness calling out to me to shift like always. Ever since my fifteenth birthday, the lunar cycle has dictated my moods and magic, just as it does all shifters. I should be on that beach, by the bonfire, with my true mate, not scurrying off into the night like some gutter rat.

But I won’t succumb to self-pity. I’ve wallowed enough over everything I’ve lost already. My parents, a warrior birthright, any sense of stability.

I can’t control any of those things, but this, this is in my control. Texas is my fresh start. I will live a happy life here.

The state line looms ahead, and I breathe slightly easier as my little vehicle putters over the mile marker, a relieved smile touching my lips. A road sign for the distances to major Texan cities appears on my right, but I miss how many miles away Dallas is from where I am.

I’m not going to Dallas, anyway. I’ll find a small town where I won’t encounter a big pack, somewhere where no one will know me or care to learn about a meek blonde.

And then, I’ll… make candles. Or weave baskets. Maybe a coven will take pity on a lonely prey shifter and let me work for them, running errands, or foraging. The witches and warlocks don’t always like to work with us, but I won’t be affiliated with a pack, so they might make an exception if I keep my head down.

The idea inspires me slightly, and I press on the gas harder, straightening my spine. It’s not a solid plan, but it’s better than what I left home with.

I take the first exit and find myself on a smaller highway. The streetlights spread further apart here, the landscape eerie and stilted on both sides. I do a double take as I look at the weirdly shaped houses, their angles lopsided.

I’m tired.

Farmland scatters through spots of forested area, the combination slightly bizarre.

I have no idea where I am, but I’m determined to stop when I see a town. I’ve been driving for hours now. It’s time for a break, at least.

But as I coast down the lonely highway, I’m met with nothing but more land, and barns, several ranches, almost all of them dark. And they’re still weird.

Peering in the rearview mirror, there’s nothing behind me at all. Not a single headlight, not even in the far distance. A note of worry creeps into my chest.

When was the last time I saw another car? Suddenly I realize I haven’t seen one in a while.

As I’m thinking this, my own vehicle sputters and loses momentum, the gas light screaming in protest.

Dumbfounded, I gape at the glaring red button in dismay. “No!” I gasp aloud. “No! No! No!”

The dial was well below empty. In my haste to leave Oklahoma City, I’d neglected to fill up the tank. I’m lucky I’d gotten this far.

Or am I? Where the hell am I now?

I manage to steer the car off the road toward the shoulder, my hands curling around the wheel in frustration. “Why!” I moan, staring up at the roof. “Can’t you just cut me one break?”

I catch sight of my flushed cheeks in the rearview mirror, the mossy green of my eyes glinting in the haze of the moon. Sucking air between my teeth, I sit back and ponder my next move. There’s no gas can in the car. I’ll have to call for help or go looking.

Reaching for my charging cell phone, I exit the car and look around, glancing down at the phone. The screen is completely dead.

Frowning, I power it on. I swear it was working a minute ago. There’s no juice in it, despite the fact it was charging in the car.

Confused, I look down the highway and back up the way I was traveling before I ran out of gas. To my utter disbelief, I see lights ahead, a town. I’m sure I hadn’t seen it a minute ago.

“Oh my gods!” I breathe, relief overwhelming me. I’m not totally screwed!

Grabbing my purse, I slam the car door and hurry forward, my heart beating erratically. Anxiety overtakes me, and I pause as I approach the signage off the highway.

Oak Hollow

It offers nothing else. No population or welcome. Simply the name of the town.

Uneasily, I slow down hesitantly, looking toward the exit on my right. A bright diner sits open, attached to a gas station. It’s exactly what I need, but something is holding me back. Craning my neck, I look for people inside, but my angle isn’t the best.

It’s pre-dawn. I doubt there are many people in there right now.

I can’t shake the feeling that something is off.

I don’t belong here… do I?

Uncertainty plagues me as I look back at my yellow car, sitting alone a half mile down the road. I don’t have much of a choice at this point but to go get the gas. Whatever is unsettling me isn’t clear in the dim light.

Gulping, I trudge onward, my senses on the highest level of alert, my doe eyes darting back and forth, my nose sniffing for predators.

A bird caws directly overhead as I step onto the gas station platform. My head swivels upward, and my gaze takes in a majestic falcon, his black wings spread so wide, he overtakes both lights of the service station. I freeze in my tracks as a low growl emanates to my left.

Warning lights flash in my brain, but it’s too late now. I should have listened to my instincts two minutes ago.

Fear freezes me, my irises darting first to the left, but then my peripheral vision takes in the swish of movement.

A damn dragon’s tail!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what I’ve just stumbled into—the Golden brothers’ territory. I’m in the Texas Apex Alphas’ territory.

Faintness rocks me, and before I know what’s happening, I shift too, my clothes shredding off my body as my deer form breaks free.

Sturdy but trembling legs burst out of my blue jeans, my proud, tawny chest jutting through the white of my tank top. My hooves hit the ground as my mind screams at me to run. It’s my only line of defense.

The gray wolf releases another growl as I sprint away, the noise curdling my blood as the dragon spits fire directly in my path, and the falcon’s cry is directly in my ear now.

My legs give out as the world gives out to black around me. So much for a fresh new chapter in my life.

This is it. This is the end for me.