Page 1 of A Wolf's Heart

PROLOGUE

WEYLIN

The chaos around us dwindled, bodies of wolf shifters and human collateral alike lying along the forest floor like the war zone it had been. It shouldn’t have gotten this far, but this was what being part of the Cridhe pack was like. These were the consequences of messing with an ally of the Cridhe pack.

Now in human form, I walked towards the back of the truck to get my clothes while some of my men, already dressed, began collecting the bodies. The loss was on the opposing side, and it always would be.

Slipping on my cargo pants, socks, and boots, I quickly grabbed my shirt and walked towards my alpha.

Kage stood talking to the alpha of the allying pack. A full foot and a half taller than him, Kage was the tallest alpha I had ever met, and it just added to the air of intimidation he carried.

The other alpha was shaking, his voice filled with shock. “They came unprovoked. Children slaughtered. Had they come and talked to me, I’m sure we could have worked something out.”

“They went after them because the children carry the bloodline. This wasn’t a matter of territory, Armon. Theywouldn’t have stopped. They had no intention of stopping. You were right to call us.”

Kage didn’t look at me as I walked up; he didn’t have to. The link between him, his beta, and I had been established since childhood.

“This is my commanding beta, Weylin,” he said, introducing us.

I slipped my shirt on and shook Alpha Armon’s hand, nodding my head to him.

“What do we do now?” he asked as I dropped his hand. “If they’re not after our territory, if they are after ending our pack, what do we do? Relocate?”

“We don’t run,” I told him. “We strike first, strike fast enough that they won’t have time to prepare.”

Kage dipped his head, the smallest of inclines, agreeing with me. “Gather your pack, reassure them they will be safe, attend to the wounded and grieving. Leave the rest up to us. We will contact you when your land is yours again.” Kage held out his hand.

Armon paused as he glanced at it. “This comes with a price,” Armon whispered.

“Everything comes with a price.” Kage looked around, his eyes lingering on the dead being dragged away. “You have to ask yourself if the price is worth paying. For us, it only dictates which pack’s blood we are cleaning off the ground.”

The alpha’s eyes widened. He deliberated a moment before reaching out and shaking Kage’s hand. “Why do I feel like I’m making a pact with the devil?” he whispered, letting go of Kage’s hand, as if it burned him.

Kage said nothing, only smirked. “Be with your people. You will get a call when it is safe.” He turned, striding towards the truck. Armon’s face became ghostly white as he stared at hishand a moment, then he walked back to the safety of the rest of his pack to remain hidden.

I jogged off, following Kage while he began prepping weapons and pulling out bags from the back hatch. “Weylin, everyone will be going out tonight, all hands on deck.”

“And we know that this was Crimson pack?” I asked. It was a young pack, only a few decades old. This was the trouble with young packs—they thought they could move in, claiming land and dominating smaller packs.

“Yes, their beta met his end by my hand. And now I will have their alpha’s heart. I want not a member of their pack left alive. Their bloodline ends tonight. This will be a message for others in the area.”

Screams came from within the forest, branches breaking, bushes moving as something big came hurtling towards us.

Kage froze. “Did no one secure Rainor?”

Shit. He’d been so far from me during the fight, I had lost track of him. I prepared myself to transition into wolf form, but it was too late. The massive, midnight black wolf with red glowing eyes stepped out from the tree line. Blood dripped from his fangs as he snarled and snapped at the air. And then his eyes locked on me.

I reached for a gun, knowing it was loaded with silver bullets. My hand barely gripped it while the beast lunged and knocked me down. His claws embedded into my chest, followed by his teeth sinking into my shoulder.

I couldn’t hold back my cries as the hot, searing pain of my flesh being stripped away took over my senses.

“Shoot him!” someone shouted, no one brave enough to interrupt the beast during his meal. “Shoot him!”

I held the gun, pointed directly at his heart, despite the weight of the giant wolf pressing into me. The silver bullet was sure to kill the vital organ.

“Shoot him!”

And I should. I should pull the trigger. This was the choice I was left with—allow the beast to consume my heart as he dug his way through my flesh to get to it, or take the life of the man within the beast with one. Pull. Of. A. Trigger.

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