Prologue
Snow fell mercilessly from the grey sky. Snowflakes melted on her overheated skin as she ran for her life. She knew he was close, toying with her, with his prey.
It was a hopeless chase. Even though she knew the outcome, she had to try. She didn’t want to die. Not yet.
Her lungs were burning, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins drove her further into the frosty night. Her legs pushed harder. Faster. It was fear that kept her from giving up, even though she knew it was only a matter of time.
He could smell the blood dripping from her wounds, leaving an easy trail for him to follow. Her scent differed from the average human he hunted. Delicious even. Unlike anything he’d ever sensed before.
She could feel the strength leaving her, and everything moved in slow motion. She could feel each snowflake stinging her burning skin, feel each quick breath leaving her lungs. Funny how her brain already knew it was over, but her body refused to acknowledge it.
Her head turned in panic, searching frantically for her pursuers. The vibrant red color of her bloody footsteps against the pure snow created a glowing red path that marked her end.
She saw the dark shadow moving on all fours. Chasing her. A dangerous predator. Born to kill. She knew the stories about their kind, yet she never thought she would be unfortunate enough to be killed by one of them.
Regret flooded through her. Regret that she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She knew it was dangerous to walk the streets alone. Especially at night. But she didn’t want to wait. Home wasn’t that far from the bar she worked at. Besides, nothing ever happened. Until tonight.
The wolves caught her scent, and she was stupid enough to run. She dared them to chase her. Triggered their prey instinct. But what was she supposed to do? Stand there and let them slaughter her?
She remembered her grandmother telling her to stay calm. Always stay calm, even when you’re fearing for your life. When danger is growling in your ear. Stay calm, Elarina!
She’d never been good at that. She’d always followed her instincts first and lived to regret it. Not tonight, though. Tonight would be the last time she made that mistake.
She heard the growl coming closer. It froze her blood, making her trip over her feet. As she hit the ground, the air left her lungs, and pain washed over her like a tidal wave.
Slow-motion again.
Her hair flared around her face, her eyes closed, and her lips parted in shock. She heard the pounding of paws on the frozen ground. They were closing in on her.
Snow fell from the blackened sky. Tiny white dots made it seem like she was still moving. But she was lying still in the snow. No longer cold. No longer in pain as she slowly inhaled the frozen air. Each breath counted until she would finally draw her last.
The snow crunched softly under his paws as he slowed down. Circling her. His prey. He sniffed the air. Cold, crystal-clear air. The only scent besides the cold was hers. Blood and fear, mixed into an intoxicating cocktail.
Quick sniffing noises stemmed from the black shadow close to her. That’s all he was to her now. A shadow behind the wall of snow. She saw the wolf shake his large head as if he caught an unpleasant scent. He snapped at the air.
The sound of his teeth clacking made her sick, so her eyes shifted to find something else to concentrate on. Something to calm her racing heart.
She settled on the bare treetops winding their branches together like bony fingers. It was an eerie view. The last thing she’d see, and she decided it was beautiful in its own, gruesome way.
The wolf howled triumphantly, but to her ears, it sounded like the cry of a newborn baby. Her brain made little sense anymore. Maybe this was what people called the afterlife. A glimpse of her past. A glimpse of the life lost to Death.
She was born on a night like this. Snow fell relentlessly that night, trapping her mother inside the house. A fire crackled as her screams echoed through her own mother’s cottage at the edge of the forest. Elarina remembered the sound of a heartbeat as her mother held her. She could feel her lips kissing her forehead as she tried to make sense of all those new sensations. And then her grandmother whispered her name. Loud and clear.
It was the first and the last thing she’d ever hear.
“Elarina.”
The voice carried through the woods, and she could sense the smile on the woman’s lips before a dark shadow blocked her view. Claws dug into her flesh as he pressed her deeper into the snow. Violating its purity with more blood.
The fear in her eyes reflected in his black pupils. She didn’t want to be afraid. It was worse than death. It made her wish for it. For it all to end. It made her beg for her life, even though all hope was gone.
She caught the scent of the beast’s fleshy, blood-soaked breath as he loomed over her—potent, commanding, and devoid of mercy, much like the plague his kind had become. They were ruthless hunters of the night, creatures of the moon. Oh, the beautiful, innocent moon, witnessing the unfolding tragedy.
Her eyes flew shut as pain shot through her body, making it jolt up against the furry body pressing her down. Sharp teeth ripped through her skin, poisoning her with its disease. Marking her for death to collect her soul. Suppose there would be a soul left.
It was too late now. She was bitten, and she wouldn’t survive. The female body couldn’t change, couldn’t bend to this monster’s demands. It would perish. All she could hope for was for the beast to kill her before her body tried to transform. Before agony would tear her apart. Limb by limb.
Death in its cruelest way was there to take what would be left of her body. Her soul. There to take her to her mother. Her Grandmother and maybe even the father she never knew. Would they all be united in death? Finally, together again?
The howl that sounded so far away would be the last thing she would hear. Or would it?
She could tell as the weight was lifted off of her that the wolves were fighting—a whimper, as bones broke, teeth snapping at each other and another life lost.
Hot pain shot through her before the darkest of blacks swallowed her. The girl bleeding in the snow. Red marking her hopeless flight. Darkness that marked the end.
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