ELENA’s POV The blazing sun is starting to dip below the horizon and it is a beautiful sight. It bathes everything it touches in a pale dusky pink glow, melting like molasses beneath the horizon of towering trees. Overhead, a flock of birds soar across the sky, all dashing back to their nests to settle in for the night. But it is far from over for us for we have now entered the final round of this trial.“Alright people, get your asses on the shooting range. Now!” Helios yells, waving for us to move faster. We all stand in a horizontal line but just as I step forward to take my spot, a spasm of pain shoots right up my wounded arm and I wince. Looking down, I see that the makeshift bandage is now soaked with blood. A trickle has somehow escaped the confines of Hunter’s shirt and it drips onto the ground.“Move it, Elena! We don’t have all night!” Helios yells in my ear and I cringe at his deafening

ELENA’s POV It took us hours to get here but the sky is still dark by the time our cars come to a halt at the edge town just by the mountains. Ezekiel’s pack stays further in land but every once in a while, they come to town to collect money from the villagers and this particular morning, the place looks rather empty.There is an almost serene feeling to the entrance of the town as a shroud of early morning mist envelopes the place. And as I stare out the heavily tinted window, I can see but a few villagers there, all getting their stalls of fruits, poultry and vegetables ready for the coming trade that the day will bring.I wonder how much Ezekiel robs them of their wages of hard work. Back in our village, we had to pay more than half of our earnings to the Blood Stone pack. I exhale, feeling anger coarse trough my veins. I hate it when the strong pry on the weak and bully them. Why can’t they work hard for their own foo

HUNTER’s POVMOMENTS BEFORE THE HOWL Ezekiel’ residence looms ahead of me. He lives in a pristine colonial-style mansion with an endless sea of trimmed lawn and fancy cars; a stark contrast to the muddly slums the villagers around him survive in. My lips curl downwards into a snarl and I shake my head in disgust. It is people like Ezekiel who give werewolves a bad name.Liam joins me, having combed parts of the village streets already. He shakes his head when he sees me looking at him.“No sign of Clyde,” he says.I frown and step forward onto his freshly mowed lawn. All around us, men suddenly pour out, all ready to shift. But one look at my face and they cower. They know very well who I am.One of them mouths, “Storm Rider’s Alpha….” and quickly runs back to the mansion, his arms flailing as he shouts to alert his own alpha. It doesn’t matter, I walk on

ELENA’s POV   I run to her and wrap my arms around her. We both start to cry. I am holding onto one of the most important persons in my life right now. My sister, my Freya is here. It feels so surreal, so much so I feel like pinching myself just to make sure that this is not merely a beautiful dream. I pull back to take a good look at her, my fingers caressing every inch of her face, taking in the structure of her cheekbones, the bridge of her nose, the fullness of her lips….and I let out a pent up exhalation. She is slightly thinner than the last time I saw her but otherwise, she appears to be fine. With a quivering hand, I brush back the strands of her golden blonde hair and smile through my tears. This is real, this is not a dream so it’s okay to cry. I can cry happy tears, tears of joy are allowed. Then my gaze trails down the rope burns on her wrists and a frown immediately skirts across my face. Is she hurt? As if r

ELENA'S POV I am brought into a dressing room, no….the term ‘dressing room’ does not do justice to this enormous chamber. A hall chock full of floor to ceiling wardrobes can be seen, filled with rows upon rows of dresses and suits. You name it, they’ve got it. I inhale deeply and take a step forward, feeling the silken fabric of one of the dresses in my hand. A hiss escapes my lips, I have never felt anything as luxurious as this before. Freya would love this. This place is a girl’s dream come true! “Come, my dear,” Katelyn calls out. She is already many steps ahead of me and stops in the middle of the room where a velvet semi-circle plush sofa lays. Letting go of the silken fabric, I move towards her ever cautiously. She smiles warmly at me and places a hand on my shoulder when I finally reach her and spins me around. A little chuckle escapes her soft moist lips. “I can see why he is so fond of you.” Her words take me by surprise and I am mom