Prologue

PROLOGUE

R owan Blackwood

“Do you know what they’re doing in there?” Trevor asked me, and I scoffed at him, shaking my head and turning away.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re here to do a job and that’s to make sure no one gets in. They don’t pay us to ask questions. You know that, Trev,” I answered with a long, slightly exasperated breath.

“But don’t you just wonder—” he started, but I cut him off.

“No. I don’t,” I said with a twinge of annoyance. I cleared my throat and scanned what I could see of the forest. I had a feeling in my gut that something was off. I narrowed my eyes, searching, but I didn’t see anything.

Trevor sighed beside me. He and I went way back. We were ex-Marines and we’d seen the worst of it together through two tours in the desert. Back then, there was no room for doubt, just pure instinct so we could survive each day and each terrible night.

Now, though, the uniforms were gone. We’d traded them in for a paycheck years ago. To make ends meet, we worked as private security operatives. Instead of lurking about the desert, we stood in lobbies, doorways, outside the perimeter of important buildings, guarding whatever secrets our clients were willing to pay to keep hidden.

For a price, of course.

And this job paid more than anything we’d ever done before.

For some reason, Trevor never took to it as easily as I did, still searching for some sense of honor or maybe even a purpose that we left behind with our uniforms and our dog tags. Maybe that’s why he kept asking questions. But me? I’d learned to shut it all out—whatever they were doing behind those doors didn’t matter. Not to me. I was here to do a job.

I knew how to follow orders and I did it well.

Standing up straight, I scanned my surrounding for something unusual and sighed when I didn’t see anything. This had been a relatively quiet job thus far and I didn’t expect it to change any time soon, not even if something was making me feel restless.

I glanced through one of the building’s windows and saw a woman in a white coat walking by in the hallway. She was holding a rack of test tubes in one hand as she slipped through one of the doors inside and out of sight. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that they were doing some sort of scientific testing inside. Of what, I didn’t know, and I didn’t really care to find out.

In retrospect though, I probably should have.

Trevor opened his mouth to ask another question, but before he could speak, a short, muffled scream cut through the still night air, followed by the sound of something heavy crashing to the floor inside the building. My whole body tensed, instinct kicking in as my hand moved to my sidearm.

“What the hell was that?” Trevor asked, eyes wide, his voice lower now, but tinged with concern. I shook my head.

“Doesn’t matter,” I snapped, keeping my tone calm despite the adrenaline that had begun to flood my veins. “We stick to the job. No one gets in, and we don’t go in. That’s what we’re being paid for.” But even as I said it, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that something was very wrong here.

More noise erupted from inside—metal clattering, a woman’s voice shouting, then silence. Trevor took a step toward the door, but I grabbed his arm and shook my head, squeezing it tight.

“Don’t,” I warned. “They’ll handle it.”

“They?” Trevor scoffed, his voice trembling. “They’re just scientists. They’re not soldiers like us!”

And then, before I could respond, a deafening crash echoed from above us. I looked up just in time to see shards of glass raining down, and something large, dark, and fast come barreling out of one of the second-story windows. It hit the ground with a heavy thud. My brain took a second to process what I was seeing, but there was no mistaking it.

It was a wolf .

But this wasn’t like any wolf I’d ever seen. It was massive, its muscles rippling under a coat of dark, matted fur. Its eyes gleamed an unnatural shade of yellow as it turned its head toward us, lips curling back to reveal long, sharp teeth. A low, rumbling growl escaped its throat, and I could feel it vibrating in my own chest.

Immediately, the feeling I’d had went from bad to worse.

“Holy shit,” Trevor breathed.

“Get ready,” I said, drawing my gun.

The wolf lunged. Without wasting a second, I fired—once, twice, three times. Each shot found its mark, hitting the creature square in the chest, but it barely flinched. The bullets didn’t stop it; they hardly even slowed it down. Trevor stumbled backward, cursing, and I grabbed him by the collar, dragging him away as we turned and sprinted toward the tree line.

“Move!” I shouted, but my heart hammered in my ears, drowning out everything else. I could hear the creature behind us, the heavy thud of its paws hitting the ground as it gave chase, and it pushed me to run even faster.

“Jesus Christ, what the hell is that thing?” Trevor gasped, stumbling as he glanced back over his shoulder.

“Don’t look back! Just keep moving!” I shouted. Branches whipped across my face as we tore through the woods, and my mind raced for what to do next.

Fight or flight.

I risked a glance back, and for a split second, I caught a glimpse of the massive creature—those glowing eyes, closer now, closing the distance faster than any creature had any right to. The bullets hadn’t done a damn thing to it, and that fact settled in my gut like a stone.

What the fuck was wrong with that thing? It should have gone down with three shots. I hadn’t missed. I’d seen every bullet hit its mark. Fuck, each shot was almost point blank. It should be dead.

We stumbled into a small clearing, panting and gasping for breath, and I spun around, raising my gun once more, the barrel steady despite the fear coiling in my stomach. Trevor was right beside me, drawing his own weapon with trembling hands.

We were used to fighting people, not being hunted by wild beasts.

“Any bright ideas?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “We make sure we don’t die here.”

The wolf burst into the clearing, its yellow eyes blazing like eerie glowing lanterns in the darkness. It moved so fast I barely had time to react before it was on top of Trevor, pinning him to the ground.

I heard him scream—a raw, desperate sound that sliced through the night—as the creature’s jaws clamped down on his throat. Blood sprayed, hot and dark, staining the forest floor, and Trevor’s screams turned into a wet, gurgling noise that I hated I knew so well.

“No!” I shouted, lifting my gun and firing again. Each shot echoed like thunder, the muzzle flash lighting up the night in quick bursts, and this time I could see the bullets tearing into the wolf’s body. It jerked and snarled, its blood mingling with Trevor’s, but it didn’t release him. I fired again, emptying the clip until the slide locked back, but it was too late. The light in Trevor’s eyes had already faded, leaving him staring blankly at the canopy above.

I knew that look. He was gone.

The wolf lifted its head from Trevor’s body, blood dripping from its jaws. It stared at me, lips curled back in a twisted, mocking snarl, as if daring me to make a move. My hands shook as I reloaded, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I could see Trevor’s chest still now, his blood pooling around him, and I knew there was nothing I could do.

I ran over to him and dropped to my knees beside him anyway, my hands trembling as I tried to press down on the wound, tried to staunch the blood that was already seeping into the dirt beneath him, but even I knew it was hopeless.

“Come on, Trevor,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Stay with me, damn it. Stay with me.” But there was nothing left to staunch—only blood, so much blood, and that empty, glassy stare that would never meet mine again.

Fuck.

I squeezed Trevor’s shoulder, letting my forehead rest against his for a moment, just a moment.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I’m so damn sorry, buddy.”

But there was no time to grieve.

I rose to my feet, my hands slick with Trevor’s blood, and faced the wolf. It was standing at the edge of the clearing now, watching me with those unnerving eyes. I could see its chest heaving, the wounds I’d inflicted finally taking their toll, blood matting its fur and dripping onto the ground. But it was still standing. And it wasn’t finished with me yet.

With practiced hurried hands, I loaded in another clip and steadied my aim, the weight of the gun a familiar comfort even with my heart hammering in my chest.

“You’re not going to win against me,” I growled, my voice low, steady, despite the tremble in my hands. “Not tonight.”

The wolf bared its teeth, and for a moment, we stood there, two soldiers locked in a silent standoff, and I could feel the rage boiling up inside me now, drowning out all of the things I was feeling, the grief, the fear, everything.

It was time to fucking fight .

“Come on then,” I whispered, my finger tightening on the trigger. “Let’s end this.”

The wolf sprang forward, a blur of muscle and fury, and I fired. The bullet struck its shoulder, jerking it off course, but it barely slowed down. I backpedaled, squeezing the trigger again and again, every shot echoing through the trees, but the wolf twisted and dodged with a speed that seemed impossible for something its size. I hit it twice more—one in the flank, the other grazing its ribs—but it kept coming, eyes locked on me, burning with a feral, unyielding rage.

Suddenly, the gun gave a sickening click, the slide jamming halfway back. I swore, trying to clear it, but there was no time. The wolf lunged, and I threw the weapon aside, reaching for the knife strapped to my belt. I drew it just in time to meet the wolf’s charge, slashing upward as it collided with me.

We hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of me, but I managed to drive the blade into the wolf’s side, feeling the familiar resistance as it sliced through flesh. The wolf snarled, its hot breath on my face, and snapped at me, teeth flashing in the moonlight. I rolled, trying to put some distance between us, but it was relentless, claws raking across my arm, sending a flare of pain shooting up to my shoulder.

I scrambled to my feet, blood dripping from my wounds, but the wolf was already on me again, faster than I could react. It barreled into me, knocking me up against a tree, my back slamming into the rough bark hard enough to blur my vision. I stabbed blindly, felt the knife sink into something solid, and twisted. The wolf yelped, momentarily stunned, and I shoved it back, gasping for air, my body screaming in protest.

But I couldn’t stop. Couldn’t think about the pain. Not yet. I had to survive.

The wolf shook itself, blood dripping from its wounds. It circled me, slower this time, its movements stiff. I kept my knife up, one arm hanging uselessly at my side, and forced myself to breathe, to focus.

We stood there for a heartbeat, two battered, bleeding warriors, each waiting for the other to make a move. Then, with a sudden snarl, the wolf charged, and I stepped forward to meet it.

It leaped, jaws snapping, and as I twisted my body, I felt its teeth sink into my side, just below my ribs. A white-hot pain exploded through me, but I didn’t let go. I grabbed its fur with my free hand, pulling it closer, even as it tried to tear me apart. And with a final, desperate surge of strength, I drove the knife upward, slashing across its throat in a single, vicious arc.

The wolf’s eyes went wide, its body spasming as blood sprayed across us both. It staggered back, its grip on me loosening, and I watched as it struggled, gasping for air that would never come. It tried to snarl one last time, but all that came out was a wet, choking sound.

Finally, it collapsed, its legs giving out, and it crumpled to the ground, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath it. I stood there, swaying on my feet, every inch of me screaming in agony, watching as the life faded from those glowing eyes.

It was over.

My legs buckled, and I sank to my knees, the knife slipping from my fingers, hitting the ground with a dull thud. I pressed a hand to my side, feeling the warmth of my own blood seeping through my fingers, but I forced myself to stay conscious, to stay awake.

Trevor was dead. The wolf was dead. And somehow, against all odds, I was still here. But fuck, the wolf’s bite hurt like hell.

Little did I know that a single bite would change my life.

And alter the world as we knew it.