Chapter 1

It’s finally here!

The day I’ve been waiting for, for as long as I can remember.

I’ve trained everyday for years to be here, and now I’m standing at the starting line.

Unlike in the human world where football and baseball are the main event, in the wolf packs, we have three.

Moonlit Boxing, where they battle in both forms, shifting back and forth easily finding a way to take down their opponents.

Then there’s Apex hunting, where they work in teams to find the biggest game and bring it back. They spend a week in the wild and whoever comes back with the most wins. It’s not all about size though, there was one year a team brought back so many squirrels and rabbits that they ended up beating the team that had brought back ten bears.

Then there’s my contest, the Savage Speed Race. The goal is to be the first one through the finish line, but the catch is short of murder… You can do whatever you want to your opponents to ensure your victory. There are rules, like no weapons, no outside help. It’s just the list of what you can’t do, isn’t very long.

Which poses a problem for me because I never received my wolf. So, what I can do to them, and what they can do to me are two very different things.

No matter though, I have worked like hell to anticipate and prepare for anything they might throw at me.

I can do this.

Strength, speed and stealth, three traits wolves live by.

We’re all competing for the chance to compete at the Lupa Elite Shadow pack competition. The competition is held every five years, I was too young for the last one, but now I’m twenty- one and more than ready to make a name for myself.

Anything other than wolf-less freak will do.

Honestly, it hasn’t all been bad. My boyfriend, Sam, has a lot to do with that though. As future Alpha of the pack, he keeps most of the snide comments and hatred at bay.

My foster father helps a lot too. After losing my foster mother when I was ten, he’s made his entire life about me. Making sure I keep up with training, and that I have everything I need to make a name for myself.

He’s my biggest supporter and the closest thing I’ll ever have to family.

They’ve told me I descended from wolves, but my lack thereof makes me believe differently. They won’t tell me more though, I just know I’m not from this pack and my parents were wolves. They have no idea why my wolf has yet to emerge.

I choose to believe I’m okay with all of that. It’s not something I want to concern myself with, when things could have ended a lot worse for someone like me. I was lucky, getting placed with a family that actually cares about me and has done nothing short of taking care of me most of my life.

“You got this, Thea! Show them your wild side!” My head swings to the side, looking over at my best friend. Kiera, she left the pack when we turned eighteen, traveling to different packs, different species, and human lands to explore more of the world. I’ve missed her like crazy, and I’m so excited that she’s back, it’s like things haven’t changed between us at all.

I smile at her, then look next to her at Sam as they both stand there with a smile on their face watching me get ready for the race. Something inside me shivers, my gaze momentarily scans the crowd, but I come up short at what the feeling is.

I turn away from them, needing to focus. I can’t let anyone distract me. I refuse to let anyone distract me from my goal. ‘You got this, Love.’ The voice in my head whispers.

I face forward, getting into position, then the gun shoots into the sky.

The race is on.