Kat stalked through the dense forest, anger simmering in her veins. Those useless idiots had failed to kill Natalia, again. Just how long would it take to wipe out a single wolf?A twig snapped, jerking Kat from her brooding. She whirled, a snarl on her lips, only to find herself seized from behind by multiple assailants. She thrashed and bit down hard, tasting blood, but their grip was like iron. Within moments they had dragged her past the border markers and dropped her roughly at the feet of a smirking figure leaning against a tree. Kat leaped up and shifted into an attack crouch, lips curled back to expose her fangs. But she faltered at the sight of the man casually cleaning blood from beneath his nails with a knife. Dr. Maddox."Now now, that's no way to greet an old friend," the rogue scientist purred, poisonous gaze locking onto hers. "But given how you've ignored my messages of late, I thought an...intervention...was required."Kat forced her wolf down, though her muscles rem

Natalia sank into the steaming water of the women's bath with a contented sigh, letting the heat relax her sore muscles. It had been an exhausting day of leading martial training for the pack's youth. As much as she loved passing on her skills, keeping up with the pups' boundless energy left her drained. She leaned back and closed her eyes, appreciating this chance to unwind in solitude.Her blissful soak was interrupted by the creak of the door and murmured voices. Natalia opened her eyes to see Olga entering with two other pack women, laughing brightly at something one said. Natalia suppressed a frown. Since the trial two weeks ago, Olga had been nothing but a nuisance, following Natalia around and ALWAYS showing up wherever she happened to be. Natalia did her best to remain civil, but Olga's overly familiar attitude grated on her.Oblivious to her irritation, Olga waved cheerfully. "Natalia! What a happy coincidence running into you here." The other women greeted Natalia politely

Pale dawn light filtered weakly through the dense forest surrounding the sprawling Krovavyy Krest pack grounds. Nestled deep within the remote Siberian wilderness, it was the largest and most formidable werewolf clan in Russia.In the training grounds, Alessio crouched across from Vincent, eyes narrowed in concentration. His muscles coiled tightly as he watched his mentor circle slowly. Vincent's scarred face gave nothing away, completely unreadable. They had been sparring since dawn, neither gaining advantage over the other for more than a moment. But Alessio could feel his strength starting to flag. The grueling daily training here at the Krovavyy Krest pack sanctuary was taking its toll.Vincent lunged without warning, aiming a vicious kick at Alessio's midsection. With reflexes honed over weeks of practice, Alessio spun away, using his opponent's momentum against him to flip Vincent over onto his back.Before he could press his counterattack, Vincent had rolled swiftly back to hi

Leo strode purposefully through the dense forest outside the Sanguinari wolf pack's borders, Vincent trailing at his back. The flickering leaves and branches prevent the rays from reaching the forest grounds . But Leo did not slow. He had tread this path enough times lately to know its twists and turns by heart.At the final iron-barred door, Leo cleared his throat. "Remind me again why we waste our time down here with this mad doctor and his monsters?"Vincent glanced back, lips quirking wryly. "Come now, Alpha. Where's your curiosity? Maddox is clearly on the brink of a breakthrough with his experiments on the wolves. One that could aid our pack greatly.""Or doom us all," Leo muttered under his breath. But he stood guard obediently as Vincent unlocked the door and entered the sprawling laboratory beyond. As always, the cavernous room unsettled Vincent on some primal level. Cages and glass cells lined the walls, housing Maddox's less than willing test subjects in various states of

Kat grinned as she looked over her shoulder at the line of omegas trailing behind her, their heads lowered submissively. Ten omegas to bring back to the pack, more than she had hoped for. She would have more than enough to pay Maddox and even request more drugs if the need arises. The forest was quiet as they made their way through the dense trees, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves under their feet and the occasional bird call overhead. Kat's ears swiveled, alert for any signs of danger, but all seemed peaceful.Too peaceful, she realized with a start. The woods were never this quiet unless..."Ambush!" Kat yelled, whirling around, but it was too late. The enemy warriors dropped down from the trees, landing lightly on their feet to surround Kat's small group. She counted at least twelve of them, all heavily armed and staring at her with hatred in their eyes."Well, well," one of them drawled, flipping a knife casually in his hand. "Look what we have here. Poaching our omegas