Page 99 of The Reaper's Vow
I struggle against his grip, feeling my wolf surge closer to the surface as the moonlight bathes the clearing. She's so close now, clawing beneath my skin, demanding release. The zip ties dig into my wrists as I twist, searching for any weakness.
Damien?
The bond flares suddenly—a supernova of rage and relief flooding through me. I gasp, my eyes flying to the trees surrounding us.
“Your executioner is here,” I say, unable to contain the smile that spreads across my face despite the blood trickling from my split lip. I laugh, the sound wild and untethered.
A howl splits the night—deep, commanding, and unmistakably alpha. It's followed by another, then another, until the forest rings with them, the sound coming from all directions at once. The masked figures freeze, heads swiveling as they try to locate the source of the threat.
The Reaper has come for me and no one will be spared.
Damien
Istep from the shadows, my paws silent against the forest floor. Every muscle in my body tenses at the sight before me. Karina, her pale skin gleaming in the moonlight, Lockhart's filthy hands tangled in her hair. The harness she wore to lure him crosses her exposed skin is now torn and twisted from her struggles. Blood trickles from her split lip, and bruises bloom across her face where he's struck her.
My wolf howls for blood, for vengeance, for the head of the male who dared touch what's mine.
I will tear him apart slowly. I will make him beg for death before I grant it.
Lockhart freezes at the sight of me, shock flickering across his features as he drags Karina tighter against his body like a shield. Even for an alpha, the size of my wolf is daunting—midnight fur bristling, fangs gleaming under the moonlight. The Reaper in this form is the last thing most enemies ever see.
“Impossible,” he spits, panic cracking his authority. “You can’t be here already.”
Karina lifts her chin, battered but unbroken, her focus finding me instantly across the clearing. I feel the bond between us flare alive, her call threading through me.
Shift, kitten. Now.
I shove the command down that tether with every ounce of dominance I possess. The full moon sings above us, tugging at every wolf in earshot. Around the edges of the clearing, my father’s forces emerge from the shadows. Their presence is thick as smoke. For once, his obsession with control works in my favor. Tonight, we’re aligned.
Understanding sparks in her expression. She knows exactly what I’m demanding, even if the cost terrifies us both.
“Kill him!” Lockhart shrieks, his mask of composure splintering. “Kill them all!”
His followers hesitate. Some step backward, sensing the tide has turned. The wiser ones melt into the tree line.
I prowl forward, each step deliberate, a growl rolling from deep in my chest. Karina never wavers, her battered form alight with something fierce. My focus stays locked on her—not Lockhart, not the traitors—because she’s the only reason I came here.
Let your wolf free.
Karina’s body locks, every muscle straining as the moon claims her. Lockhart’s grip slips when she convulses, a scream ripping free—not agony, but release. Her bones crack and realign, her spine bowing as fur ripples in a silver wave across her skin.
“No!” Lockhart lunges, claws flashing. “I won’t let you?—”
I’m on him before the threat is finished. Two bounds, and my jaws snap around his wrist. Bone crunches, sinew tears. His roarshakes the night as I wrench him backward, dragging him away from her.
The restraints binding Karina fall in pieces as her body completes its transformation. She lands on four legs, smaller than me but radiant in silver-gray fur that gleams like moonlight.
Mine, my wolf thrums, a fierce satisfaction flooding us both.
Lockhart rips free, leaving shreds of flesh behind. His own shift overtakes him in a mess of snapping bone and ripping skin. When he steadies, he’s massive, dark-furred, scar-mapped from countless battles. Rage burns off him like heat from a forge as he charges, jaws wide for my throat. I pivot at the last moment, claws carving deep across his ribs. Blood sprays the ground in an arc as he crashes past.
Across the clearing, Karina turns. Saloma has backed herself against the altar, clutching the ceremonial knife with trembling hands.
She’s yours, kitten. Let your wolf free.
Karina’s wolf snarls, the sound fierce enough to raise the fur along my spine. She springs. Saloma flails with the blade, slashing empty air as her terror spills over.
“Stay back!” she shrieks, her grip shaking. “I am a Luna! You can’t touch me!”
