Chapter 3

Danielle waited at the edge of the forest, her entire body tense as she sensed the danger nearby. She could hardly hear anything over her loud, erratic heartbeat. It had been like this all week when she staked out the place. Patrols had increased, the vampires meaner-looking than the ones she had previously seen. Everyone in town, human or otherwise, knew something important was about to happen. 

It had been a risk coming here, but the choice had been taken from her hands. It was too late to travel to another town now.

The full moon peeked through the leaves of the large trees above, like it was mocking her. Her wolf paced inside her, restless and eager, but she firmly pushed her back. She couldn’t afford to give up her control, not now. In the distance, howls filled the air, the wolves feeling the moon’s call. But thankfully, they were too far away. It would be a death wish to be in vampire territory tonight, even for a strong pack such as hers. 

The danger passed as the patrol car rounded the corner, and she quickly emerged from the forest, keeping to the shadows and using all her senses. She had to take deep breaths to calm herself down. The sound of her heartbeat would be like a beacon to any bloodsuckers nearby.

‘You know this, but you’re still going.’

She ignored the wolf to concentrate on her surroundings.

It didn’t take long to get to the road, which was brightly lit as it served as the boundary to the city. Even on a good day, she would never have crossed this boundary or strayed so far from her pack’s territory. She sped across the road and started running up the brightly lit street adjacent to it, just as she had practised several times. Even though it was brightly lit for easier patrols, few people ventured this far out of town anyway. She would stand out if another patrol car turned onto the road. Her calculations suggested that it would be in another minute.

Scarlet City was vibrant and densely populated, but this side of town was mostly old warehouses and factories. In werewolf territories, it would be the other way round—the land near the forests would be bursting with people, as most wolves preferred to be closer to nature. But among the vampires, even with her speed, it would take her some time to reach the crowds of humans enjoying the nightlife so she could blend in.

When her senses prickled, she found a big dumpster to hide behind. Not many vampires ventured too far from the safety of their compound, so it could only be another patrol car. Kira, her wolf, wanted out, wanted to snap her teeth around her enemy’s throat as she had done too many times in the past. It saddened her that this was all her wolf knew. War and death. Unimaginable pain.   

‘Calm, girl. You know why we have to be here.’

Her wolf knew, but she still didn’t understand. This wasn’t a punishment, but the guilt she felt as the wolf retreated made her feel like it was.

‘Or we could turn around and rejoin the pack for the ceremony,’ the wolf suggested.

She ignored Kira and concentrated on sensing the guards. It sounded like they had stopped, but she wasn’t sure if they had come out of their vehicle. Had they smelled something? The witch had told her the potion would hide her scent as long as she used it every day. Though wolves and witches didn’t get along, they preferred each other to the arrogant vampires. Dani hoped this meant they could at least trust each other. 

When the vehicle drove on, she let out a breath but still waited until she was sure there wasn’t a vampire patrolling on foot before she left the cover of the dumpster and sped through the streets again. Eventually, she joined a small group of lively humans heading to the city centre and let out a breath of relief. She didn't know how their security worked inside the city, but hopefully, it would be as flawed as their weak patrol system. All she had to do was find a room and stay put for a few days. She had enough supplies in her bag to last a week if she had to.

‘We’re going to die.’

‘Don't be so dramatic, Kira. We're safer in here than out there tonight.’

At least for the next few days. Her pack wouldn’t dare to enter the city, even for her. Not even on a special night like this. There was a supermoon tonight; even the humans could feel the pull. They were always more of everything. More rowdy. More daring. More horny.

She almost laughed at that one. Why would the goddess be this cruel? Everything would be amplified, and Kira would hate being confined. 

A glowing sign caught her attention across the street. Vacancy. Perfect. The motel was not too close to all the bustling activity in town; it would be the perfect place to avoid any attention. All she had to do was break off from this group of humans and make it inside. 

As soon as she stepped off the curb, a chill prickled down her neck.

Someone was watching.

Vampire?

Humans didn't have strong enough senses to detect any other species around them, so the last thing she wanted was to look back and blow her cover. If she had to continue walking with these humans to find another motel or hotel, then she would. 

The sensation eased, and she breathed easily again. Maybe she was just being paranoid. With her scent blocker, no one would think she was anything but human anyway. She kept her pace as she crossed the road, but her heart didn’t stop beating erratically until she pushed through the motel doors. 

She was finally safe.

For now.