Chapter 1

I murdered Beckett.

Each step I took away from his corpse equated to ripping my soul into shreds. But falling apart wasn’t an option, Osmodus could not get away. Zeroing in on the black streaks marring the pristine pale walls of the hotel hallway, I careened around the corner. A metal door smeared with black blood clung by the bottom hinges while the top bent backwards.

I pounded down the emergency exit staircase, my steps echoing off the narrow walls. Breaths sawed from my lungs from the emotion traveling through my system, but I didn’t let it hinder my chase. Osmodus’s heavy steps echoed with mine, blending together in the cylindric staircase. His horns flashed a couple flights below me. I picked up my pace, but as fast as I went, he matched it. At this rate, I wouldn’t catch up.

Fuck this.

Grabbing the rail, I catapulted myself over. Tingles spiked through my limbs, and not like the ones from when I shifted. No, these were one hundred percent attributed to the insanity of leaping the rail dozens of feet off the ground.

I kicked my feet out and scrambled to grab onto the next bar. My fingers slipped off, causing my wrist to hit the one below. Ignoring the wretched numbness of my hand, I grabbed the next rail and swung myself in front of Osmodus.

My unsteady landing gave him the advantage and he backhanded me into the wall, an explosion of pain rippling through me as my cheekbone fractured on impact. I grunted, clawing my fingers into the ground and hoisting myself to my feet. Running at him, I rammed my shoulder into his stomach, sending him flying up to the next landing. Climbing on top of him, I only managed to get one punch in. My knuckles shattered on contact, and his teeth sliced my hand. My pain was enough of a distraction that he slapped me off him again. A bloody arch splattered across the wall; the gash on my forehead leaked, dripping down my face.

No glib comment sat on the tip of my tongue. His end was the goal.

Launching myself at his midsection, I bowled him over and toppled us down the stairs. The sharp edges of the steps dug into every part of me, but I focused on slamming my fist into Osmodus chest.

He grunted with each meeting of flesh. It must have stunned him like when I’d cut him earlier because he didn’t retaliate until the seventh hit. When he brought his fist down on my spine, agony rippled through my bones. Another slam of his foot had me staggering to the side.

I hissed through my teeth. My shoulders moved in jagged bursts as we stared at each other, both bleeding profusely. Neither of our wounds had closed yet.

“Cease,” he said, his voice guttural.

I didn’t bother speaking. I had nothing to say to the thing that had ruined my life.

Stiffening my fingers so my claws were poised, I attacked. I sank them into his chest and dragged them down. Dark blood bubbled to the surface, the thick consistency oozing over the back of my hands.

He slammed his fist into my face. Again and again, but I didn’t release him. I reveled in the pain since his frantic beating told me how desperate he was.

Blood dripped into my eye making it difficult to see. I tightened my claws into his flesh. Even if he killed me, it was fine so long as I took him with me.

Blood trickled down my other eyebrow. Osmodus pounded both fists into my chest with such a force that it dislodged my grip. It felt like he had caved my chest in. Pieces of the wall ruptured and fell around me as all sense fled my body. My sight and mind swam. Gritting my teeth, I heaved in a breath and staggered to my feet.

Nothing could have hurt me as much as what I’d done to my wolf mate. The lone image flashing in my mind was of Beckett’s lifeless gaze. I used it as fuel to dash after Osmodus.

Only . . . he’d already sped to the bottom of the stairwell. Within another second, the heavy emergency exit door clanged shut.

I couldn’t let him get away.

Bursting through a different door, I stepped into an empty lobby and took another exit. A valet stood behind his stand, eyes wide. He flicked those eyes to the left, toward a dark pathway leading away from the Strip. I followed his gaze to the blood-dotted alley.

Bingo. I swiped the back of my hand across my forehead, matting my hair with congealing blood and took off.

I was on his tail. I just had to run faster.

A burn worked through my legs, but I couldn’t stop. He needed to die.

I struggled to see though my blurred sight. Shaking my head to rid myself of the cobwebs, I pushed my body to its limits, weaving around buildings and groups of humans. I didn’t bother worrying about them seeing me and shifted. After all, this was Vegas.

My lungs burned, but I kept at it until all sound behind me faded, following the blood until I couldn’t follow it anymore. Every sign of his location disappeared.

I shifted back into my human form. Stumbling, I leaned into the rough surface of the building, my eyes blurring with tears. My legs refused to move or hold me up.

Where did Osmodus go?

Any strength I had fizzled out, and I collapsed onto the jagged asphalt, rasping my skin. White dots spotted my vision. I blinked to clear them.

I’d been right on his ass one second, and the next he’d disappeared.

Wounds on my side tugged across my belly, causing my sight to wobble. I hadn’t been this injured since before I matured. I didn’t miss it.

A whimper crawled up my throat. Hugging my midsection, I leaned against the wall while a familiar discomfort balled in my stomach—a need to feed. Fuck.

Gritting my teeth, I attempted to push to my feet, but the gashes had me thudding back against the brick again. Even if I knew where he’d gone, I didn’t have the strength to catch up to the monster.

A scream burst free and bounced around the alleyway. He’d fucking escaped.

I slammed my fist into the cement. Pain ripped through my knuckles as bits of asphalt ruptured beneath them.

I’d failed to protect my mates from Osmodus, and he’d cut me open in the process. My stomach lurched again, shoulders shaking with each breath I took. Agony whirled and spread through my veins like poison.

Beckett.

Vomit crawled up my throat and made its escape. Black blood splattered on the ground like a macabre bucket of paint tipping over. That shit hurt my throat.

The creak of a door sounded over my cough, and I swiped the back of hand over my mouth.

“Hello?” a male voice murmured. “Are you okay?”

I remained still, my eyelids drooping. I couldn’t make sense of anything. My mind swirled, focusing on flashes of the last few days.

“Shit,” a rough voice cried next to me. A rustling of plastic echoed and then someone grazed my aching arm.

I groaned and dropped to my side, curling into the fetal position.

“Just h-hold on, girl, I’m calling an ambulance.”

“No!” I croaked, the world growing fuzzy around the edges of my vision. “Leave me alone.” I curled tighter into myself.

My mate . . . was gone. My best friend.

Every single atrocious act I’d committed slammed into me. My mates probably hated me after my cruelty. Except . . .

Beckett could no longer hate me.

Everything hurt too much. I whimpered and rolled to my feet, batting the human male away as he tried to help me balance. He couldn’t do anything that would help the searing agony.

I staggered away, ignoring his frantic shouts. My palm braced against the rough wall, and I forced myself forward by sheer will. Each step made the hunger in my stomach more evident.

The bright lights that marked Las Vegas were no longer visible, just silence and compact buildings.

Where was I?

I licked my chapped lips and narrowly avoided slamming into a reeking dumpster. Gritting my teeth, I continued down the smelly alleyway until it spit me out in front of a gas station. Big rigs lined large gas pumps. An Arizona license plate blared out at me.

Lucian.

The growl of engines hummed over my skin. One of the commercial trucks had to be headed in Lucian’s direction; I just needed to figure out which one.