1

AMIRA

A bolt of lightning split the sky as I looked out the window. For one brief second, the flash lit up the darkness and revealed six figures standing only a few feet from the hut.

Then everything went black again.

Before the next flash could come, they were already inside.

My father reacted instantly.

His hand closed around my arm, and he threw me straight at them like I was a weapon. Before my body even hit the ground, he was shifting. Bones cracked. Fur burst through skin. A massive gray wolf exploded through the back door and disappeared into the storm.

Two people crashed beneath me.

Pain shot through my side.

Shock froze me.

Then fear took over.

A rough hand grabbed my arm and hauled me upright.

"Hold her."

Only two words.

Yet something about that voice made my heart stumble.

Confused, I twisted around, trying to see who had spoken.

Too late.

He had already shifted.

The black wolf was only a blur moving through the darkness as he chased after my father.

I was dragged outside.

Rain poured from the sky in thick sheets. Mud sucked at my boots. Cold water soaked through my clothes almost instantly.

My foot slipped.

It wasn't an attempt to run.

The wolf beside me didn't care.

A heavy weight slammed me onto my back.

Pain exploded through my shoulder as claws raked through flesh.

A growl rumbled above me.

Sharp claws rested against my throat.

Staring into those dark wolf eyes, understanding settled over me.

This was it.

After everything, this was how it would end.

Strangely, the fear began to fade.

These wolves weren't rescuers.

They weren't friends.

They were enemies.

And maybe that was enough.

Maybe it was finally over.

Maybe I wouldn't have to keep surviving anymore.

The killing blow never came.

Instead, someone yanked me back to my feet.

Around us, wolves began shifting into human form.

Then movement burst from the trees.

Two wolves tumbled into the clearing.

One was large and gray.

Blood covered his fur.

My father.

The other was black.

Smaller, but somehow far more terrifying.

Power rolled off him in waves.

For the first time in years, my wolf stirred.

Interest flickered through her.

Slowly, cautiously, she raised her head.

My jaw clenched.

Not now.

Forcing her back down took everything I had.

Now was not the time.

A circle formed around the two wolves.

Without a single doubt, I knew what I was about to witness.

The last moments of Rowan Kingsley's life.

He was dangerous.

Strong.

Smart.

Cruel.

Those qualities had kept him alive for years.

He always found a way to survive.

But this time was different.

The black wolf was an Alpha.

A true Alpha.

He possessed the natural strength my father had spent years chasing through blood and murder.

And unlike Rowan, he had something even more dangerous.

Rage.

The fight ended in less than ten minutes.

A victorious howl rose above the thunder.

My father collapsed.

Dead.

The storm seemed to grow louder.

Thunder shook the clearing.

The Alpha shifted back into human form and dragged Rowan's body across the mud until it stopped directly in front of me.

My gaze dropped immediately.

Not because I couldn't look at my father.

Because I couldn't look at the Alpha.

"I am Derrick Nightfang, Alpha of the Obsidian Wolves. Confirm that the dead wolf is Rowan Kingsley."

My eyes stayed on the ground.

"It is."

No sadness touched my voice.

There should have been.

He was my father.

But there wasn't.

There was no relief either.

No happiness.

No satisfaction.

Those feelings had disappeared years ago.

His death changed nothing.

It couldn't erase the pain.

It couldn't erase the nightmares.

It couldn't erase what he had turned me into.

Or the things I had done for him.

"You're not his mate."

It wasn't a question.

I stayed silent.

His anger seemed to sharpen.

"Who are you?"

"Amira."

The name felt strange leaving my mouth.

"I am... I was his daughter."

A low sound escaped him.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"The only wolves I see here belong to me. Who else is at this Wayfarer's Camp?"

Cold water ran down my face.

My soaked clothes clung to my skin.

The chill in the air settled deep into my bones.

"There is a wooden container buried behind the hut. About fifteen feet back. Between two poles."

My voice barely shook.

"A trap door is hidden beneath branches and leaves."

Silence.

Then I forced out the rest.

"There are three young girls inside."

The wolf holding me stiffened.

Pain shot through my injured shoulder.

I swallowed it down.

"Find them!" Derrick roared.

Several wolves immediately ran.

His attention snapped back to me.

"Anyone else?"

"No."

"Look at me."

The command carried enough force to make several wolves flinch.

"Your father kidnapped and murdered countless wolves. Did you help him?"

The effort nearly broke me.

Every instinct screamed at me to keep my eyes lowered.

My wolf fought me every step of the way.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

Lightning flashed overhead.

For one heartbeat, the entire clearing turned silver.

Derrick froze.

Shock crossed his face.

He took a step backward.

Inside me, my wolf exploded with joy.

Something snapped into place.

Something ancient.

Something impossible to ignore.

No.

No.

Not now.

Warmth spread through every part of my body.

My thoughts scattered.

Nothing existed except him.

Tall.

Broad.

Dark hair hanging around his shoulders.

Dark eyes locked onto mine.

Heroes belonged in stories.

Not in real life.

As a child, I used to imagine someone coming for me.

Someone strong enough to save me.

Someone brave enough to stop Rowan Kingsley.

Eventually, those dreams died.

Hope became dangerous.

Hope only made the disappointment worse.

It gave pain somewhere to grow.

Yet here he was.

The man who had finally done what nobody else could.

The man my wolf already knew belonged to us.

My mate.

For the first time in years, something stirred inside my chest.

Hope.

Tiny.

Fragile.

Painfully bright.

And before I could stop myself, I smiled.

Actually smiled.

A curse sounded from the wolf holding me.

Only then did I realize what had happened.

Everyone had felt it.

Every wolf in the clearing knew their Alpha had found his mate.

Several stepped back.

Horror filled their faces.

Not happiness.

Not excitement.

Horror.

"Answer the question."

Derrick's voice sounded rough.

Reality crashed back into place.

Inside me, my wolf cried.

She had never done anything wrong.

Never.

Everything I had suffered had been to protect her.

Tears burned behind my eyes.

Furiously, I prayed the rain would hide them.

Just as I prayed nobody could hear my heart breaking.

"Yes."

The truth tasted bitter.

"I've killed."

The wolf behind me shoved me to my knees.

Pain shot through my body.

Still, my eyes never left Derrick's.

Needed to know.

Needed to see if there was any understanding in him.

Any mercy.

Any chance.

There wasn't.

Only disgust.

Cold.

Absolute.

Unforgiving.

"I would rather kill my wolf than accept this mating bond."

The words hit harder than any blow.

My breath caught.

Something inside me cracked.

"You will get nothing from me except a promise."

His voice was ice.

"If those children are dead, you will join them."

Thunder shook the sky.

Rain hammered against the earth.

The tiny spark of hope inside me shattered completely.

"Tonight."

His eyes never left mine.

"I, Derrick Nightfang, Alpha of the Obsidian Wolves, reject you."