Prologue
Lacey had been feeling agitated all day—like her skin had been stretched too tightly over her body and was confining her every move. She couldn’t wait until her shift at the diner ended so she could get outside and run off all of the pent up tension that had been building for much too long. Even from indoors, she could feel the night calling to her. Her inner beast longed to explore all of the wondrous curiosities that were hiding beneath the pale light of the moon. It yearned to be free of its human hindrances and let loose in wild abandon.
As soon as the clock struck nine, she yanked off her apron, grabbed her purse and headed out into the quiet parking lot to where her lonely car awaited her return. She wasted no time whatsoever in putting the key in the ignition and giving it a good crank. The old engine roared to life, and she quickly pulled out of her designated parking spot and tore off down the road.
Having made it across town in record time, she arrived at one of her favorite places―Wychwood Forest. Not only was it a prime spot where she could roam and hunt without restrictions, but it was also dark and secluded, making it the perfect place for someone who needed a great deal of privacy.
Parking in the old, unpaved lot that was no longer used for forest visitors, Lacey switched off the headlights and silenced the idling engine. Reaching between the front seats, she grabbed a small duffel bag from the back then got out and locked the car doors. She took a minute to breathe in the cool night air, enjoying the vast array of interesting scents that the forest had to offer, before deciding on a heading for her excursion. Having made her choice of direction, she jogged off down one of the paths, using her superior night vision to guide her way.
About a quarter of a mile into the woods, she stopped to take a good look at her surroundings. Normally, she would hike a bit deeper into the forest before settling on a place to stash her stuff, but she just couldn’t wait any longer. Hastily stripping off all of her clothes, she then shoved them into her little duffel bag and hid the bundle inside of a hollow tree stump.
Although the thick tree canopy obscured most of the moonlight, Lacey could still feel it bathing her naked body. It felt indescribably good. Yet, she was only able to bask in the joy of the moment for a few seconds more before all that naked flesh began to be replaced by a coat of lustrous fur. Her slender, feminine form rapidly reshaped itself into something more canine, more dangerous, and in her opinion―more beautiful.
As she scanned the depths of the forest with her now glowing yellow eyes, her pointy ears perked up at the sound of an animal nearby. With her keen nose, she sniffed at the air until she caught its scent—a deer. How delightful. The skittish little thing cloaked itself well within the brush, but she was confident that she would soon find it.
The instant she fully locked onto her target, she took off through the trees toward it. Her graceful body seemingly floated over the ground as she ran. The deer sprinted and bound away from her―trying to escape with its life intact―and Lacey was thankful for it. She loved the chase more than anything. The adrenaline rush that she got from a fast-paced pursuit was intoxicating and caused a natural, euphoric high. It was an incredibly liberating experience.
Though she easily could, she would never actually catch the animal. Lacey could not bear to kill something so resplendent. That was actually one of the reasons why she insisted on running alone most nights. The rest of her pack mates never could quite understand her unwillingness to end a chase in the proper way. In their minds, the kill was the most thrilling part of the hunt, so they simply thought she was just too weak or sensitive to do it. She didn’t really care what they had to say about the matter, though, and no longer wished to dwell on such things. Lacey merely wanted to enjoy the precious time she had to herself.
Upon the heels of the deer, she kept her pace while it bound about ahead of her. In fact, she was so close to the animal that she could simply reach out and swipe its hind quarters with her dagger-like claws. Instead, she reveled in the feel of the wind upon her body and the scents of earth and pine all around as she listened to the fast, rhythmic pounding of the doe’s heart. Though the animal initially ran out of fear, Lacey could sense that it enjoyed the moment as much as she did. Exhilaration filled them both. No matter how much fun they were having, however, she could tell that the deer was becoming fatigued and would soon be too exhausted to continue.
Just as Lacey was about to give up the chase and go in search of new prey to play with, her ears picked up on the strangest sound of music. It was a hauntingly lovely tune that seemed to be quietly coming from everywhere. There was no source for it that she could discern. The song was something ethereal and timeless, drifting with the wind and penetrating the night.
Stopping in her tracks, she listened to the music as it steadily grew louder. It was simply enchanting, and it seemingly called out to her as if it were made for only her ears to hear. Greedily, she followed the tantalizing tune to wherever it chose to lead her. The sweet sound danced in her ears, and she desperately tried to memorize its melody in case it managed to escape her and disappear just as quickly and quietly as it had come.
Lacey was so enthralled by the captivating composition that she couldn’t possibly have known it would be the last thing she would hear that night. If she had only known what that music meant, perhaps she would have been like the deer―sprinting away from the danger, that surely came for her, rather than embracing it.
