“Peace?” she scoffed. She pointed to the pile of flesh. “Something butchered that man like an animal. In case you haven’t noticed, they areallhunted and torn apart. Fuck the ridiculous agreement between the Bureau and your kind. Those humans don’t get due process. They get sacrificed. And that sure as hell isn’t peace.”
From her tone, I could tell arguing would get me nowhere. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try. Like those disgusting vampires raiding blood banks, the governent’s decision to allow werewolves to prey on the scum of the city was a move in the right direction—no matter what some audacious hunter thought.
Before I could defend my kin, she stepped closer, her eyes narrowing as she studied me.
“You’re Blackwood, right?” She crossed her arms. “I’ve heard about you… and about the bodies piling up on your doorstep.” Her words were a challenge, a gauntlet thrown down at my feet.
I felt my wolf rising to the surface, my eyes burning gold as I met her gaze. “Those bodies aremyresponsibility,” I growled. “But I will gladly divert my attention to deal with an arrogant hunter.”
She smirked, nodding with a slow, deliberate movement that set my nerves on edge.
“Good,” she said. “How about you use that testosterone and help me hunt the werewolf that did this?” Her gaze darted to Maya before locking onto my face. “Help me bring the monster down.”
Chapter Two
Joanna
The rain stopped on my side of town, leaving the city streets slick under the dim glow of the streetlights. I walked briskly, my shoes echoing against the wet pavement, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts.
Meeting Marcus Blackwood had been… interesting. He was a werewolf, sure—a monster, just like the rest of them.
But the sorrow in his eyes was real.
I pushed open the heavy door to my loft, the familiar creak a welcome reminder that I was far from the werewolf-infested slums. Safe in the solitude of mysanctuary, where modern tech mixed with old industrial charm.
I stripped off my wet clothes, leaving them in a heap by the door, and padded across the cold concrete floor to the bathroom. The hot spray of a much-needed shower stung my skin, washing away the grime.
Wrapping a towel around myself, I sat on the edge of my bed, my eyes drifting to the framed picture on the nightstand. Latoya stared back at me, her smirk both annoying and painfully familiar. I had taken that photo just weeks before she was killed… before my world crumbled.
I closed my eyes, images of the past flooding back like a war movie… with no happy ending. The training. The countless nights spent hunting. The burning desire for revenge.
I’d been so damn proud the day I earned my tattoo—the mark of a hunter, its ink laced with magic that drew our aura to the surface. It made us fearless. It made us strong.
I’d become a hunter to avenge Toya, to rid the world of the creatures that took her from me. But tonight, seeing Marcus and hearing the pain in his voiceas he talked about the victims stirred something inside me… Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Doubt.
I opened my eyes, my gaze dropping to the silver locket hanging around my neck. Inside it was another picture of Toya. I clutched it tight, the metal biting into my palm.
“I won’t let you down.”
My phone chimed from my desk, pulling me from my thoughts. I walked over, the screen glowing with an incoming message from James.
Joey, you dead?
I smiled, typing out a quick response.Forever the optimist.
His next message came through seconds after.Update.
James Cooper was my mentor, the closest thing I had to a father since mine passed away. He was a no-nonsense man who’d taken me under his wing after Toya’s death, teaching me everything he knew about hunting werewolves. We built our relationship on mutual respect and a shareddesire for vengeance.
I typed out a response, my fingers hovering over the keys for a moment before I hit send.Met the alpha. He’s agreed to help. More details soon.
I could almost hear James’s disapproving grunt through the phone. He was old-school, distrustful of werewolves. But he also knew that sometimes, the enemy of my enemy… could be used to my advantage.
I set the phone down and walked over to the large map of the slums pinned to the wall. Marked on it were the locations of the recent killings, each one a red dot urging me to get my shit together. Working with Marcus might’ve been the key to stopping these murders, but it also meant walking a thin line between duty and degradation.
Especially since my mind kept wandering to the way he looked standing in the rain.
