A Shadow In The Wmber Novels & Stories

If a human shows up to check on the property, that’ll be easier to deal with than the shadows, at least. Not to mention, Frost didn’t exactly leave a single shadow alive to report back to their tyrannical handler. Chances are Quinton doesn’t actually know where we are. At least not yet, thanks to Rambo the Shadow Wolf who broke his chains and laid waste to all of Quinton’s little pets who found us. The remnants of our makeshift dinner are still spread across the coffee table in the dark living room. Turning on lights wouldn’t be smart, but that’s the nice thing about being a shifter. Seeing in the dark is like a sixth sense.

I know that I can't do this. “This is for you to put in the water pipes. It's lethal for werewolves and will kill even an Alpha wolf. Make sure to do it tonight, make no mistakes this time. The conversation we had with the Shadow replayed at the back of my mind. I started this with him and didn't think he'd turn this dark.

The guards finally arrived and whisked him away doing a fast job of clearing out the dead werewolves from the mansion entrance. Damien shifted back, standing tall, eyes shifting to me, “You’ve done well,” he said, voice low. “But this is only the beginning.” I shivered, adrenaline still coursing. “What do you mean?” Before he could answer, my eyes fell on a large shadow moving in the forest faster than anything I had seen. The shadow hovered like a tree and I could see two whirlpools of black sea ice in the shadow, it looked like the hands were covered in a combination of nutella, and bright red ketchup.

Liam is quick to pull me flush against the wall of the cinema building, shielding me from the hysteria with his body. “It’s a Shadow attack!” Someone shouts, their words causing my body to freeze and blood to run cold. Peering over Liam’s shoulder, I spot two shadows, their tall frames standing at nearly seven feet towering over a she-wolf whose body sported deep, bleeding gashes. The Shadow with long flowing black hair and crimson eyes sneers, licking the blood of the she-wolf from his claws with a forked tongue. “Who would have thought Ottawa would be easy to enter once all the snow began to melt?” His companion chuckles out, his voice distorted with a gurgling.

Then why didn't you? The shadow was quiet for a long moment. The fire crackled. The pack watched. Mira was clutching Vera's hand. Holt had his axe across his knees. Wren was in her grey wolf form, her hackles raised but her tail still. Because you weren't afraid of me, the shadow finally said. You walked toward me. You offered me food. You looked at me like I was something other than a monster. Luan stepped closer. One step. Two. She was at the tree line now. Ten feet from the shadow. Close enough to see the individual strands of darkness that made up its form. Close enough to feel the cold radiating from its body.

"Then we will figure it out. Together." I look at the moon outside the window. Full. Silver. And yet, there is a shadow at its edge. The Dark Wolf is not gone. It is waiting. And so am I. The hunt for the shadow is just beginning.

One moment she was powerless, the bond being stripped away piece by piece. The next, her wolf rose up inside her like a tidal wave. Like a dam breaking. Stronger than ever before. Wild. Ancient. For three heartbeats, Lyra felt power she'd never experienced. Power she'd never even imagined. Power that made the air around her shimmer and ripple. Power that made shadows dance at her feet like living things. Power that made the pack members step back in fear. Helena's face went white. Snow white. Her green eyes widened in recognition and something else.

"Let Grandmaster Vane send every shadow, every poisoner, every killer in the South. I will tear their limbs from their bodies and stack their bones at the southern border as a warning." ​"You can't fight a shadow guild with armies, Joss," I rasped, my throat tight under his hold, though my pulse raced with an electric, intoxicating heat. "They don't field regiments. They use poison in your wine, silver pins in your sleeves, betrayal from the servants you've known for twenty years." ​"Then show me where they're hiding," Joss demanded, his thumb rubbing the side of my jaw with dark affection. "You know their safehouses. You know their ciphers. You know their dead-drops."

She doesn't leave the pack, and he would be killed if he were found anywhere near the borders. Well, even if he got kicked out, he had enough money and connections. He could secure a place to live, and even a job for Trishelle first, and then he could get her out. In fact, he remembered that there was a hacker on the dark web called 'Shadow'. From what he learned, they were suspected of being a werewolf and were the best in the field. From finding old text messages to surveillance, they did it all, for a price. Sammy wiggled himself, trying to get comfortable and get some sleep. If push came to shove, he'd give 'Shadow' a try.

"He was a predictable, short-sighted obstacle driven by vanity and fear. You can bargain with fear, Liam. You can manipulate vanity. The Shadow is different. It doesn't operate on political logic, territorial ambition or economic leverage. It is an apex hunter tracking a specific frequency." With a swift swipe of her thumb, she activated the sync-pad. A translucent blue holographic map of the high northern ridges bloomed into life above the scarred oak table, casting a cool azure glow over their faces. Several tracking nodes along the outer perimeter were blinking with erratic fading gray signals. Liam leaned over the map, his massive frame effectively blocking the ambient chill of the room