PROLOGUE
There arethree classes of people in my world:
Humans.
Non-humans.
Hunters.
We’ve always existed,non-humans, that is. But in recent years we’ve come out of our hiding places, shown our faces, whereas before, we clung to the shadows. Acceptance is as I’d expected it would be. Most humans don’t give a fuck, happy to live alongside us without incident for the most part. There are exceptions, of course, but then, there always are.
RYS
Watchingthe sunset by the water’s edge had become something of a habit in recent weeks. The rich colours of the fading daylight never failed to soothe my soul.
Tonight’s was a beauty. The sky a deep rich red, shot through with orange and gold, making it seem like the whole sky was alight, reflecting off the still water like a perfect mirror.
Soft footfalls sounded behind me, the scent of pack floating on the air and tugging a smile from me. I wasn’t the only one who liked to escape the wonderful but chaotic pack nights at the house.
“Thought I’d find you here.” Talis lowered himself to the grass beside me. “How come you get to leave early when the rest of us have to put up with Sasha’s singing?”
I turned, flashing him a grin full of teeth. “Because I’m the alpha.”
Talis rolled his eyes and nudged his shoulder against mine. “Well, you had the right idea. Pretty sure my ears will take a week to recover.” He glanced quickly over his shoulder. “But don’t tell her I said that.”
I scoffed. “As if.” I turned, grinning at him. “I need both my betas in one piece.”
He opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was abruptly cut off by my phone. The ringtone for Falon’s pack cut through the silence around us.
I answered on the second ring, putting it on speaker. “Calder.”
“Rys.” Falon Salter’s desperate voice had me sitting up straight and shooting a worried glance at Talis. “Can you get to the public car park at Sherwood Pines as quick as fucking possible?”
We were on our feet before he’d finished speaking, running back to the main house. “What’s happened?”
Shouting sounded in the distance, followed by Falon’s cursing. “Something’s wrong with Callum. He went fucking feral and ran off into the forest.”
“What triggered it?”
“No idea. One minute he was fine. The next… it was like a switch flipped.”
“Shit.”
“Rys, I had to report it.” Regret laced his words, and I felt for him. But not reporting a feral could jeopardise his whole pack. It was a shit choice to have to make.
“They called in the hunters?”
“Yeah.”
“Fuck.”
“We need to get to him before those bastards do,” Falon muttered.
Callum was as good as dead if that happened.
“We’re on our way.”
Talis ran to grab the car keys while I put Sasha in charge.
