All Chapters of THE LAST SHIFT: A Werewolf without a Wolf : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Ish! Kaia, it's freezing out here, you'll turn to ice."I looked down from the rooftop, expecting to see Liam's usual scrawny frame with a cup of cocoa. But the voice wasn't his.Instead, there was a man standing at the edge of our backyard. Halfway covered by the porch light that had blown. He had broad shoulders and dressed in black. His hood was pulled back to show dark hair with silver streaks. His eyes shine bright as light.They looked... wrong. But familiar. God, why familiar?"You're not Liam," I said."No." His voice was low and calm. "But you looked like you were about to fall off that roof. I figured I should say something before you did."I narrowed my eyes. "Do you always sneak into people's yards at midnight?"He tilted his head. "Only when the moon forgets to rise."Something about the way he said it made me pause, quiet, almost poetic. I had been out there because of the exact same thought. No moon. Not a sliver only. The sky felt wrong for hours.I pulled my blanket

The morning light hurt my eyes. I stood by Miller's Creek, shaking like a leaf. Those silver eyes wouldn't leave me alone. They were burned into my brain like a brand.I couldn't stop thinking about him. Regarding that smile which was not to be on any human face. Nor a Wolves face, for that matterMy clothes were soaked with dew. My whole body ached from running through the woods all night. But none of that compared to the pain in my chest. The fear. The question is eating me alive.Who was he?What am I?A bird screamed overhead. I jumped, nearly falling into the creek. My hands shook as I stepped back from the water. Everything felt wrong. Heavy. As though I was choking from air.My head spun with that voice I'd heard. The unrealistic change. The person that I would turn into. My wolf was in this case awake. Not awake only, but alive. I could feel it moving under my skin.And I wasn't alone."You are not the only one," he'd said. "But you may be the last."I stumbled back toward the

The first blast cracked the air, and I didn't think I moved.My body shifted faster than I thought possible. The crack of my bones, the pull of my skin and the reforming of my muscles. It was all background noise. My vision sharpened. My hearing split the night into pieces. Silver fur bloomed across my skin.Heat shimmered behind me as something exploded against a tree trunk."Down!" Kieran's voice rang through the chaos.I ducked just in time to avoid a second blast. My new instincts steered me inches from death. In one fluid motion, I leaped forward, landing in a crouch, halfway between human and wolf.A hybrid.Something new.Three masked figures emerged from the brush. They wore black tactical suits that buzzed with faint energy. Their weapons pulsed with sickly green light rifles. But they are not humans. Council-grade tech.I didn't wait for them to fire again.I surged forward, claws slashing. The first man barely had time to raise his rifle before I tore through his reinforced

I couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those hunters' faces. Heard their screams. I felt my claws tearing through flesh.So I sat on this ledge they'd carved into the wall, knees pulled up to my chest, watching the others move around like ghosts. They had these crystal lanterns that glowed amber, making shadows dance on the stone walls. The whole place hummed like it was alive.Kieran had vanished after showing me to my room. He said he had something to handle. Of course he did. He'd show up, be all mysterious and protective, then disappear when I actually needed him.Now I was stuck here with a bunch of strangers who kept staring at me."She's the one who killed three hunters.""Thought she was supposed to be wolfless.""Something's different about her."I buried my face in my hands. What was I doing here? What was I becoming?"I brought you something."I looked up. Kieran stood at the bottom of the ledge, holding a plate of bread, dried meat, and some roots that looked

The world exploded around me.Sparks flew everywhere as metal clashed against claw. My body moved before I could think faster, sharper, and deadlier than anything I'd ever felt.Kieran had one Ghost unit pinned against a pillar. His massive black wolf form bit down hard, forcing the machine into the wall. Sparks burst as its joints twisted, trying to break free.Tyra slashed at another with glowing daggers, moving in a blur. Fast, but not fast enough.The third one turned to me.Its face was blank. Just black glass reflecting my silver eyes.I crouched low. It raised its arm and aimed something at me….an energy dart launcher built into its wrist.I moved.Not sideways. Not back. Forward.The dart launched but hit nothing. I was already beneath it.With everything I had, I threw myself upward, ramming into its torso with my shoulder. It stumbled.Claws out, I slashed across its midsection.Metal screamed.I landed in a crouch. The machine buckled."Go for the core!" Tyra yelled. "Right