Page 1 of Fate Awakened

Prologue

Bri

It’sthecoldthatbreaks you down first. The kind of piercing frost that burrows deep into your core and latches on with no intention of release. It covers me like a blanket, hell-bent on numbing every feeling until I turn to stone. My teeth chatter in the darkness, their cadence echoing off the barren, empty floor on which I lay upon a tattered, dust-filled sheet that does little to pad my body from the firmness underneath.

It’s a small room, hardly more spacious than a closet, with barely enough capacity to lay out flat. It consists of a single light bulb overhead which I imagine once contained a long chain used as a switch for illuminating the space. Now however, its only control lies beyond the bolt-locked door. The faintest sliver of light sneaks through the gap at the bottom of that solitary exit.

I have to get out of here.

I let out a shaky breath, my body trembling, and I adjust my position, tucking in my legs and wrapping myself in my arms to maintain some body heat. I avoid breathing through my nose as the black spots, barely visible along the corners and the crack in the ceiling, scream of mold and stink of mildew.

Outside the door, a television drones on with the latest news propaganda warning citizens to protect their money, their houses, their rights. Occasionally, I hear him. Moving to the bathroom or opening another cheap beer can before settling back into his oversized, deteriorating recliner. Every time he gets up, my pulse accelerates in anticipation that he’s coming for me.

And I wait.

Time drags on as I struggle to formulate a plan, my brain foggy from the lack of food and biting cold. By now, I assume his wife has passed out, a needle in her arm drifting her away to another world. So, unfortunately, she won’t be any help.

Part of me holds onto the hope that he, too, will overindulge and end up drunk and asleep the rest of the night. The other part of me worries that he won't. My fear races through my body, forcing my hands to grip tighter and push away the cold. To keep me alert and ready, counting the minutes until the sun comes out again.

It’s then I hear the footsteps, slowly plodding closer. The floor creaks involuntarily as he nears, and I freeze, temper my breathing, and close my eyes. My heartbeat pounds so loudly against my ribs that I’m sure he can hear it. The sharp creak from the top step announces his arrival as the hinges groan with the opening of the door.

I haven’t been here long, but I already know this is the most dangerous predicament I’ve been in yet. Nothing before could’ve prepared me for the darkness that exists here.

Chapter 1

Cain

She’sgone.

It’s already been half an hour, and my heart rate hasn’t come back down. My skin itches with the strain of holding back my shift, and my brain keeps spinning in circles over how I could’ve missed it, how all the pieces fell perfectly into place for me to lose her. But, worst of all, it’s entirely my fault. I should’ve protected her. She should’ve been with me.

The only thing keeping my wolf from fully taking over at this point is the fact that he can’t drive. I’m on my motorcycle, speeding faster than I should be while heading to the address Presley sent. I have no idea if anything I’m doing will help find Bri, but I know time isn’t on my side.

Hudson took my Mate. Hudson is the mole. Hudson is a dead man.

I turn sharply into an older neighborhood on the edge of Las Vegas just before Henderson. The suburban homes built in the ‘90s looked almost identical, save for some variations in paint hues. These cookie-cutter homes were probably great thirty years ago, but a lack of upkeep has turned the neighborhood into a less desirable location for families to raise their kids.

Pres messaged to inform me that Keith lived in a two-story at the end of a cul de sac, a property he had acquired last year using funds he earned working for a shell corporation run by Deacon Marlo.

I approached the neighborhood without caring about the noise I was making and had to briefly think about the late hour. Most residents in the area would be long asleep, and a loud Ducati revving through the streets would likely draw attention I didn’t need, especially if I needed to take him in. I came here for answers; if I know Keith like I think I do, he won’t just hand them over. That suited me fine. I’m looking for a fight—anything to stop feeling the distance growing between my Mate and me.

I lost her.

A growl escapes my lips as I slow my engine, turning down a street just before the one I intend to visit. I pull off next to a small community park and remove my helmet, shaking the sweat-drenched hair from beneath. After orienting myself, I pull out my phone.

Cain: ETA?

Jake: 2 min

Jake had circled back to the compound to grab one of the SUVs to transport Keith for interrogation. My only hope was to hold myself together long enough to get him there because I was seeing red right now. The tension was coiling in my muscles, and my jaw ached from grinding my teeth together in an effort to stay human long enough to find my Firefly.

I’ll take out everything and everyone in my way.

Deep inside, my wolf salivates at the thought of punishing those who took her from us. A sadistic grin pulls at the corner of my mouth, and I have something to look forward to for the first time tonight.

Instead of waiting for backup, I round the corner and pull myself over Keith’s back wall. His yard is small, no more than ten feet across, and filled with desert landscaping that looks well-maintained and recently renovated. A fire pit sits in one corner, surrounded by bench seats, cushions, and small tables. Under different circumstances, I could see myself here relaxing with Bri at my side. Keith and Liv would entertain guests of their own. In another life, it would’ve been a typical Saturday night get-together between friends. But it’s not another night; right now, Keith’s the only conscious link I have to Marlo’s operation.

Careful to stay in the shadows, I slide along the house wall, checking the windows as I pass. Surprisingly, they tend to be the most straightforward entry into homes as most people forget about them in their nightly lock-up routine. The first, located in the kitchen over the sink, stays firmly in place when I tug on it.

---