Chapter 1 Chapter: 1

SAMMY

“Fuck, goddammit! What am I supposed to do now?” I yelled angrily at no one in particular.

I was alone. There were no vehicles, no houses, not even an animal in sight.

I thrust a hand into my blonde hair and tugged hard in frustration. Sitting behind the wheel, I shoved the key back into the ignition and turned it. The engine roared to life, only to sputter and die again.

I tried for the umpteenth time to restart my car after it had suddenly died in the middle of nowhere.

The old Wrangler was a gift from my brother on my seventeenth birthday. I'd relied on it for years, and it had never failed me until now.

I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to abandon my ride, but with no service, calling for a tow truck wasn't an option.

My choices were simple: stay here and hope someone drove by, or trek to the next town.

My eyes swept over the empty road until they landed on the road marker.

Luna Obscura — 20 MI.

Normally, I'm not afraid of the dark. I'm a big girl. More importantly, I'm a predator—a werewolf. Prey ran from me, not the other way around.

A twenty-mile trek would've been easy during the day. But after spending the past couple of months on the run, I'd become paranoid about everything.

Standing beside my broken-down car in the dead of night, stranded in the middle of nowhere, made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I narrowed my eyes, letting my wolf's vision sweep over our surroundings.

Something cold landed on my bangs, startling me. Then another. I tipped my head back.

Snow.

Great! As if I wasn't suffering enough already.

Whenever I saw snow, the deep, bone-chilling cold of the facility came rushing back. The memories were still too raw, too painful.

So I did what I always did. Distract my mind from the thought of that horrible place. And thought about my sister.

Nicole.

God, I missed her so much it physically hurt. I wished she were here so I could see her eyes light up. Nikki had always loved winter. She was probably staring up at the snow right now too.

I hoped this would be the winter she found her mate. Someone who would cherish her, protect her, and make her happier than she'd ever been.

She deserved that. Especially now. God knows I already failed her.

Finding your mate is supposed to be the most important day of every werewolf's life.

Even for a rogue like me.

But right now?

It's a death sentence.

So yeah...

I'll pass.

I might be the only wolf alive who dreaded meeting her mate. After everything I'd escaped, a mate was the last thing I needed.

The hairs on my nape rose again. That familiar feeling of being watched.

Someone was watching me.

My wolf's instincts screamed that something wasn't right. That we needed to get the hell out of here.

For once, we were in complete agreement.

I climbed back into the Jeep, rolled up the windows, grabbed my backpack.

Everything I owned fit inside it. I slung it over my shoulders, climbed back out, and locked the doors.

A gust of icy wind ruffled my blond bangs across my forehead. I bent down, pulled off my combat boots, stuffed them into my backpack, and straightened.

My fangs slid free. My claws lengthened. I was halfway through my shift. Sharpening my senses, I searched for anything unusual.

Pine.

Sandalwood.

Wolves.

Plural.

Every muscle in my body tensed. Three distinct wolf scents.

And another.

One, my wolf desperately wanted to investigate. Strong as she was, there was no fucking way I could take on one wolf. Much less three.

I wasn't an idiot. I didn't pick fights I couldn't win, especially when I had no idea who these wolves were.

And I sure as hell wasn't sticking around to find out. To them, I was nothing more than a rogue trespassing on their territory.

That alone was enough to earn me a death sentence. I wasn't going through that again.

I'd rather throw myself off a cliff than endure the torture waiting for me at the hands of another pack.

Never again.

If I wanted to survive, I had to run. For once, even my stubborn wolf agreed.

The moment the shift finished, shrinking my five-foot-four frame into my average-sized wolf with white fur and golden patches along my flank, head and hind legs, I bolted.

That's when my hunters revealed themselves. Three enormous wolves burst from the trees, their coats as dark as the surrounding night.

They dwarfed me. Fear shot through me, making my wolf pump her legs even harder.

That sandalwood scent drifted after us, sending a strange shiver through my wolf even as she fought to outrun them.

They chased me like the hounds of hell, snarling and howling. I threw back a howl of my own and pushed myself even harder. Because if they caught me, I was dead.

My backpack slapped against my side as I leaped over fallen logs and branches, skidded down a rock slick with ice, and dug my paws into wet earth already disappearing beneath fresh snow.

My tongue lolled from exhaustion. My wolf was fast. Very fast. But I was tired. And those fuckers were still gaining on us.

Without warning, one of them launched onto my back. We crashed into the ground together, rolling through the snow before scrambling to our feet.

We circled one another, lips peeled back, fangs bared.

He growled.

I growled right back.

Up close, I realized he wasn't black at all. He was dark gray. He was also obviously the fastest of the three.

The others weren't far behind. I snapped at his foreleg, trying to tear into it. He jerked back with a sharp yelp before growling again.

He was a dominant wolf. My wolf knew that,

she just didn't care when she felt cornered. To my surprise, he retreated. It took me a second too long to realize why.

The sneaky bastard had only been buying time while the others caught up. Now all three surrounded me, snarling and pacing in a slow circle.

Three massive wolves. Then I saw him. The only one standing in human form. Power radiated off him in crushing waves.

My gaze climbed over a wall of muscle and impossible height before locking onto the most arresting golden-yellow eyes I'd ever seen.

My wolf tilted her head, openly sizing him up. A flicker of curiosity slipped through our bond.

That alone told me just how powerful and dominant this bastard was. My wolf respected strength.

It took a hell of a lot to impress her. And Blondie. He was easily the strongest one here. Even the other wolves seemed wary of him.

“Shift,” the blond growled as he took a few deliberate steps toward me.

It wasn't a request. It was an order. One my wolf completely ignored.

She lifted her snout and stepped toward him instead, drawing in another deep breath of that maddening sandalwood scent.

“Don't,” I warned.