Chapter One

August 2038

She was so beautiful, even from a distance. Her siren call beckoned to him. Hills and valleys created shadows and highlights that drew the eyes. He could not tear his gaze from her magnificence. His mistress hung low in the sky and he tilted his head back to sing her praises. The mountains echoed with his song as it traveled across the streams. Nearby friends and relatives joined in with the chorus. His mistress' silvery reflection teased him on the mirror-like surface of the lake, daring him to reach out and touch. The lush grass beneath him blanketed the earth. The scents of soil, lingering summer flowers and nearby animals wafted on the air.

It was times such as these when he allowed his wolf freedom that Jaryn could forget about the stress of everyday life. The simplicity of the grass beneath his paws and the scent of the night mountain air calmed him as no herbal tea his mother thrust into his hands ever could. Lately, that stress had been getting to him more than ever before. He was constantly tired. And when Jaryn wasn't depressed, he was irritable to the point that even his best friend, who was known for his temper, raised an eyebrow. His life was a constant juggling act of duties to his pack, business, and a task force the American Shifter Council—the ASC— had ‘volunteered' him for.

Jaryn lapped water from the lake, then lay in the grass, staring up at the moon as if it held all the answers. He heard a sound off to the left, near the tree line, and instantly rose to his feet. His head swiveled and his ears perked. He glued his eyes to the spot, ready for anything, but then a familiar scent reached him and his muscles relaxed as the tension drained away. He immediately recognized it as Charlie, his little brother. Seconds later, Charlie came loping out of the trees with a rabbit in his mouth. Charlie was only fifteen, so he was quite a bit smaller than Jaryn, even in wolf form. Having undergone his first change a little less than a year ago, Charlie was still an eager young pup. His prance gave away how satisfied he was with himself for the catch. When Charlie reached the edge of the lake, he tossed his prize towards Jaryn and prostrated himself a few feet away.

The scent from the fresh kill tantalized Jaryn's senses. He took the first bite of the treat, then welcomed his little brother to join in the snack. With the demands of his stomach temporarily appeased, he decided it was time for a good run. He looked over and saw Charlie rolling around in the grass. He snuffed and let out a little whine, then took off across the meadow. His legs stretched with each stride, running full out across the clearing. His hell-bent run forced the air to part as his powerful body ripped through the atmosphere. He turned his head and saw Charlie trying to catch up, and slowed his pace to lure him in. Suddenly, a forceful weight catapulted onto his back. Jaryn threw Charlie off his back with a twist and rolled. He quickly regained his legs, preparing for another assault. Charlie was down on his front paws with his rear flank up in the air.

Oh, so the little runt wants to play, does he?

Jaryn lunged and head-butted Charlie in the side, tipping him over, but Charlie's smaller size allowed him to squirm out of the pin. He circled around to nip at Jaryn's back leg. They took off running again, then, a couple of hundred feet away, Jaryn's back legs lost traction as Charlie dug his head underneath his rear and lifted him up as if they were doing a wheelbarrow race. Jaryn collapsed his front paws and Charlie flew over him. As he did so, Jaryn nipped his tail. A sharp yip escaped Charlie before he landed in a pile of mud.

Serves the little snot right!

To finish the challenge, Jaryn took Charlie's muzzle between his jaws and exerted just enough pressure to demand his submission.

When Charlie capitulated, Jaryn gave his little brother a lick. He liked to encourage Charlie to build his dominant nature. One day he could be Alpha of their pack and it was important he learn those skills. They lay next to each other in the meadow for a while, occasionally rolling around in play, each trying to topple the other. A breeze had picked up as the sun set and his fur rippled as if it were waves on the ocean. They eventually made their way back to the house. After trotting up the steps to the back porch, they shifted and dressed in the jeans laid out for their return.

"Hey, next time, watch the teeth on the tail, man. I swear I felt some fur strip off."

He captured Charlie in a headlock. "You started it, runt. If you don't wanna pay the dime, don't do the crime."

Charlie twisted and looked up at Jaryn, rolling his eyes. "Save me from the antiquated puns. You old farts need to learn some new material. I realize that back when you were born, dinosaurs still walked the earth, but we have moved on, my good man. Welcome to the future! If you don't want to show your age, I suggest you get with the times."

He released Charlie from the headlock and backed him up against the timber siding of the house. The kid eventually would rival him in size, but his fifteen-year-old frame was still all arms and legs. "Watch it, kiddo. You may be family, but I'm still Alpha around here."

"Yeah, yeah. You almighty powerful Alpha. I bow before your magnificence."

"Good, you're learning." He turned towards the back door—pausing for the facial recognition system to identify him before it unlocked the door. A couple of seconds later, the door opened and the warm light from their parents' kitchen spilled out onto the back porch. "Oh, and by the way—have you heard of this thing, a new program, where you can type in words and it'll find you information on just about anything in the world? I found some really cool stuff the other day. Did you know that there are drivers that allow an adult to download every transmission sent to and from a secondary comm-unit on their account? I'm pretty sure that I saw it downloaded on Dad's E-sphere the other day."

He saw Charlie's complexion go white and his eyes go wide. The kid dashed around the side of the house so fast his pale skin was only a white blur. Jaryn fell against the door, laughing. Served his little brother right for mouthing off to him. Dinosaurs indeed. Jaryn was hardly that old. He walked inside, still chuckling. He wiped the tears away that had gathered in his eyes with the hilarity—the laughter helping to wash away the tension from an overall shit week. When his eyes refocused, he saw his mother standing in the archway leading from the dining room with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, what'd you do to him?" she said.

He walked up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mom."

"Don't you ‘Hi Mom' me, mister. What did you do to Charlie? He just dashed through the front door like the hounds of hell were after him, yelling something about his comm-unit as he ran up the stairs. I swear the two of you go out for a simple run and—"

This started another bout of laughter, and it was several seconds before he regained control of himself. "I told him Dad downloaded a driver that allows him to spy on his transmissions. He was probably dashing off to erase any evidence."

"Oh, Jaryn." She chuckled. "That was terrible of you. Funny, but terrible. Don't you remember what you were like at that age?"

"Of course I do. Why do you think I gave him a fair warning? I'd hate for him to be blindsided like you did to me."

"You deserved every little punishment you got. I still shudder to think about the things you did we never found out about."

"But that should make you proud. The fact that I didn't get caught means I was clever enough to escape your and Dad's eagle eyes. Points for ingenuity. It taught me problem-solving skills, which made me into the Alpha I am today."

"Wow… I don't think I've ever heard a better spin on the justification of teenage behavior. You are—"

"A bilious pile of pig puke! Jaryn, I'm going to…"

He heard Charlie screaming from the top of the stairs and gave his mom a huge smile. "Gotta run. Love you, Mom. Tell Dad the same. Don't forget—pack meeting on Tuesday at seven o'clock."

He jogged down the steps from the back porch and headed for his Jeep. Once again, he looked up at the moon, this time taking in his surroundings not only from the vantage of his six-foot-four inch height, but in all the colors his wolf's vision denied him. His mom had flowers planted all around the stone foundation of the large covered porch and the brightness of the full moon highlighted the light yellow color. He glanced back at the log and timber two-storey home with fondness. It was the project that had inspired him to become an architect. It was open and warm and filled with memories, some of which included the day they'd brought Charlie home from the hospital, and the insanely massive quantities of lights his dad had hung their first Christmas after they completed the construction. A more recent recollection was of the day he'd taken over the Alpha position from his father, and they'd celebrated with an enormous party that sprawled out onto the pasture surrounding the home.

He jumped in his Jeep, then took off down the dirt road. He loved this vehicle. It may have been almost thirty years old, but there was something about roaring down the road in a transport still powered by a combustion engine that really revved Jaryn's blood. He'd lived with his family until he'd taken over as Alpha and built his own home farther back on the pack's property, a few miles away from his parents. His pack owned two hundred and forty acres in the area known as Phantom River, in western Montana. Pack historians had traced their ancestral members to the region well before the Europeans claimed the country for their own. Legally, Phantom River had been in their possession since the late eighteen-hundreds. As a bonus, the surrounding land eventually became designated as state and national parks. This gave all the shifters in Jaryn's pack plenty of space to run. The closest town, Stonepass, was large enough to support their medium-sized pack and most chose to live in or near town, but any pack member could apply to build within the boundaries of the pack lands if they so chose. Jaryn didn't have any neighbors within sight of his home, and he liked it that way. Since he was the one who approved all new buildings on the pack lands, he intended to keep it that way, too. He knew some packs around the country which lived in one large dormitory-like home, but as much as Jaryn's wolf loved the community of the pack, his human side valued privacy and peace.

He pulled up to his house and smiled. The warm exterior lights welcomed him home to the log and timber single-storey Adirondack-style building. The exterior featured a glass wall that faced the mountains, a blocked stone chimney and foundation, and hand-hewn pine timbers supporting the eaves and logged walls. Jaryn strolled through the grass and stepped up onto the stone patio that surrounded the house. The biometric recognition system identified him and disengaged the home security. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Lights on. Level one."

Low-wattage lights glowed from the vaulted ceiling—enough light for Jaryn to make his way easily through the great room without being blindingly bright. Of course, with his enhanced vision, he really didn't need any lights, but they made the place a little homier and highlighted the efforts of all his hard work. He'd worked tirelessly on the floor plan to achieve a unique combination of intimacy and space. Several sets of French doors opened to the wrap-around stone patio, and timber accents inside showcased the details of the high ceilings. Jaryn had done his best to blend traditional styling with contemporary innovations for the furnishings and appliances.

He went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. It was a nice enough night to go sit on the patio for a little while. When he closed the refrigerator door, he noticed the data screen on the front that flashed the latest update of his food stores. It reminded him he needed milk, eggs and lunch meat—not to mention a reminder to pick up ingredients for this week's dinners. The system suggested that tomorrow he make steak with Boursin cheese and green beans. Jaryn shrugged—it sounded as good as anything at that moment. He knew he needed to eventually to program new suggestions into the system to rotate and introduce some variety to his diet, but at the moment, he was content with the three basic food groups. Meat, beer, and potatoes. He occasionally added something green for good measure. Well, that and so his mom didn't take a bite out of his fur for having such a poor diet.

It was a good thing that the appliance also sent reminders to his comm-unit because Jaryn knew he'd forget to stop by the store on his way home tomorrow without them. Then he'd be stuck without breakfast or lunch food in a couple days. Of course he could always frequent the diner, and with all the late nights he'd spent at the office lately, Jaryn had wound up there more often than not in the last several months.

Jaryn stepped outside on his patio. "Lights off," he ordered the home system. He loved sitting outside and watching the night sky without interference from artificial light. The night temperatures were cooler now that they'd crossed into the latter part of August. He lit a fire in the stone fireplace that was built into the side of his house, then relaxed, listening to the sounds of the nearby creek. Some technology was great, but nothing could replace the peacefulness of the scents and sounds of a wood-burning fire and the great outdoors.

It was nights like this he wished he had a mate to share the quiet peace of nature with. One who would kick back and enjoy the warmth of the fire with him, maybe even get a little frisky under a flannel blanket on one of the large chaise lounges he had scattered around the patio.

He'd been with plenty of women over the years, but none had been ‘the one'. None of them had called to his wolf, telling him that this was the person with whom he would share his life. He was tiring of playing the game. He found temporary solace with the women he dated, but before long, his wolf would demand that Jaryn move on, always on the hunt for his mate. Jaryn found himself frequently lonely despite being constantly surrounded by friends, family and pack members. Only with his mate would Jaryn's life be complete, and he'd be able to experience a full mating bond. The legendary bond ensured that Jaryn's extended days would be filled with love and laughter and companionship. She'd be the only woman who could give him children, the only one with whom he'd share a mental link. The only woman who could know him completely, and still love him. Claws, fur, fangs, bossy Alpha attitude and all.

At the pack's annual independence feast this past summer, he'd confessed to his mom under a full moon that he was halfway convinced he'd never find the woman who was destined to be his. She'd told him to have patience, that she hadn't met his father until she was well into her forties. He was eternally glad that his mom had never revealed that moment of very unAlpha-like behavior to anyone else.

His mom had been forty-nine when Jaryn was born, and despite their desire for more pups, Jaryn's parents struggled with infertility in the years after his birth. Charlie had been a bit of a surprise twenty-two years later. Despite the age gap, excitement filled Jaryn with having a little brother. In some ways, he acted as a second father to Charlie, but he always tried to keep those tendencies in balance with good-natured sibling chaos.

Of course, because of the slower aging process of the shifters, the passing years didn't have near the consequences they did for humans. Despite being in their late eighties, Jaryn's parents were flourishing in their middle-age. Shifters didn't live forever—and frankly, Jaryn was glad of it—but their genetic mutation did award them with a long lifespan, immunity to disease, and a few other bonuses.

And when the time came that their parents passed on—which much to his sorrow would eventually happen—Jaryn knew that he'd be around to guide and support Charlie.

Great... now he felt depressed again. His second beer gone and the fire burning low, he extinguished the embers and headed inside.

"Seal all exits," he ordered the system.

Jaryn waited till he heard electronic locks slip in place on the patio doors, then he headed for his master bedroom and stripped. As he walked into the master bath, he called out, "Activate shower." He opened the glass door and stepped inside, knowing the temperature would be perfect based on his programmed settings.

The custom stone enclosure had a grotto feel to it. He'd been able to plumb-in multiple showerheads and a built-in seat he could relax on and enjoy the steam vents if he so desired. His last girlfriend had even placed ferns around the top ledge. She'd said it gave the space a sexy jungle feel. At first Jaryn had thought they'd be a pain in the ass to take care of, but it wasn't so bad. He would never admit to anyone that he now enjoyed them.

He scrubbed the run with Charlie off his body, luxuriating in the hot spray beating down on his back and shoulders. He could stand in here all day and never run out of hot water courtesy of the tankless system the house employed. Well, maybe all day was a bit of an exaggeration, but he loved his long, hot showers. The hotter the better, in his opinion. Gone were the days of his youth when the hot water heater would exhaust itself and a person would turn into a Popsicle while bathing.

Right before he was about to transform into a prune, he deactivated the spray, then stepped out to grab a towel off the heated rack next to the enclosure. He wrapped the towel around his waist and padded back into his bedroom. After he'd pulled on a pair of sleep pants, Jaryn slid between the cool sheets of his king-sized bed. Tomorrow, he'd have to talk to Shaun about the status of the investigation the ASC had tasked them with. There was something niggling in the back of his mind about the pattern of disappearances from within the shifter community over the last several years, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe he'd see if Shaun could pull up the files again. What he expected to find as he searched through the individual investigations for the hundredth time, he wasn't sure, but anything was worth a shot.

The ASC was breathing down his neck for some kind of progress. The problem was that whoever was behind the disappearances was good—very good—and the number of clues they had to go on was only a fraction of the number of lost shifters.

It was late and Jaryn knew he really needed to get some sleep if he had any hope of having a productive day come sunrise. So he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. Eventually his mind drifted and Jaryn let the day come to an end.