Chapter 1

I should have turned around when I stopped hearing birds. That was the part I kept thinking about later. Not the strange markings carved into the trees. Not the fact that my phone had lost signal nearly forty minutes earlier.

Not even the ridiculous decision to leave the marked trail because I had spotted what I was almost certain were chanterelles growing beneath a cluster of birch trees.

No.

It was the silence.

I should have noticed the silence. I crouched beside a fallen log, pushing damp leaves aside with the tip of my boot.

“Definitely chanterelles,” I murmured.

They probably weren’t.

My knowledge of mushrooms came primarily from an app I had downloaded that morning and an elderly woman at the market who had spent ten minutes explaining which mushrooms would kill me. Still, I was twenty-three years old.

I had a basket.

I had hiking boots.

I felt qualified.

I reached toward one. A branch snapped behind me.

I froze.

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder. Two men stood between the trees. For one absurd second, I wondered if they were forest rangers. Then I noticed the swords.

Not decorative swords.

Actual swords.

Both men were enormous, dressed in dark clothing that looked like some bizarre combination of military uniform and medieval armor. Black leather crossed their chests, metal gleamed at their shoulders, and each wore a long blade strapped at his hip.

One had dark hair. The other was blond. Neither looked particularly pleased to see me. I stood slowly.

“Hi.” They stared.

I lifted my mushroom basket slightly.

“I’m just picking mushrooms.” Nothing.

I glanced between them.

“Is that illegal here?”

The blond man looked at the dark-haired one.The dark-haired man looked at my basket. Then at me.His eyes narrowed.

“What house?” I blinked.

“What?” “Your house.” “My house?” He stepped closer.

“Pack.” I stared at him.

“I don’t have a pack.” The blond man inhaled sharply.

Something changed in his expression. He looked at the other man.

“She’s human.” The way he said it made my stomach drop.

Not she is lost. Not she doesn’t belong here. Human.

I laughed nervously.

“Yes. Obviously.” Neither laughed.

The dark-haired man muttered something under his breath. Then he looked behind me, toward the deeper forest.

“The boundary should have stopped her.”

“Apparently it didn’t.” “I can hear you,” I said.

They ignored me.

The blond one rubbed a hand across his jaw.“We can’t release her now.

My fingers tightened around the basket. “Release me?”

“It has already begun.” “She crossed voluntarily.”

“I got lost.” Both men looked at me.

“I did not voluntarily cross anything.

I was looking for mushrooms.” The dark-haired man glanced at the basket again. Apparently my mushrooms were not a convincing legal defense.

“You entered the ceremonial grounds of your own will.”

“I entered a forest.”

“The law does not distinguish.” “What law?” Neither answered.

I took one step backward.

Immediately, both men moved.

Not aggressively.

That somehow made it worse.

They simply repositioned themselves.

Perfectly.

Blocking every possible route.

My heart began beating faster.

“I’m leaving.” “You cannot.” “Watch me.” I turned.

I made it three steps. A hand closed around my upper arm.

I spun around.

“Let go of me!” The blond soldier released me instantly, but stepped between me and the path.

His expression almost looked apologetic.

“Once a female enters the grounds after the ceremonial boundary has been sealed, she must participate.” I stared at him.

“In what?” Neither answered.

That was when I heard it.

A horn.

Low.

Deep.

It rolled through the forest like thunder.

Both men straightened.

The dark-haired soldier swore.

Then he looked directly at me.

“We’re late.” “For what?” He gestured ahead.

“Move.” “I am absolutely not—” “Move.” Something in his voice made the argument die in my throat.

Not because he shouted.

He didn’t.

But suddenly every instinct I possessed told me that standing still was a very bad idea.

So I moved.

They walked behind me.

I considered running approximately fourteen times. Unfortunately, both men looked capable of catching a deer.....Barefoot.

Eventually the trees began thinning.

Light appeared ahead.

Then we stepped into a clearing.

And I stopped.

There were hundreds of people.

Maybe more.

Torches burned around an enormous circular clearing bordered by ancient trees. Stone pillars rose from the ground, each carved with symbols I didn’t recognize. Women stood in long rows along one side. Men gathered on the opposite side.

Not casually.

Waiting.

Watching.

My mouth went dry.

“What the hell…” Every woman looked young.

Some wore dresses. Some wore leather. Some wore clothing that looked almost ceremonial. Many were barefoot.

And every single one of them looked excited.

Terrified.

Or both.

The men were worse.There were dozens of them.Tall and broad. Dangerously still. Some talked quietly, others watched the women.

I turned immediately.

“No.” The soldiers blocked me.

“No, no, absolutely not.”

“You must join the line.”

“I don’t even know what this is.”

“That does not matter.”

“It matters considerably to me.”

The dark-haired soldier pointed toward the women. “Go.”

I folded my arms.“No.”

His eyebrow lifted.I lifted mine back.For several seconds we stared at each other. Then he took one step toward me.

I went.

“Psychopath,” I muttered.

“I heard that.”

“Good.”

A few women turned as I approached. Their conversations stopped.They looked at my clothes.My basket.My face.

Then they sniffed.

Actually sniffed.

One woman frowned. Another whispered something.

Wonderful.

Apparently I had wandered into a cult with excellent cheekbones. I stepped into the end of one of the rows. The girl beside me immediately looked over.

She was beautiful.

Not normal beautiful.

Annoyingly beautiful.

Long dark hair fell down her back, her skin glowing golden beneath the torchlight. She looked about my age. Her eyes moved over me. Then stopped on my basket.

“Are those mushrooms?”

I looked down.“I think so.” She stared at me.

“I’m not completely sure.” Her mouth twitched.

I leaned closer.

“Please tell me what is happening.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean why are there armed men stopping me from leaving, why are hundreds of people standing in a forest, and why does everyone look like they’re waiting for someone to be sacrificed?” She stared at me.

Then her nostrils flared slightly.

Her eyes widened. “Oh.”

“What?” She leaned closer. “You’re human.”

There it was again. I looked at her. “Yes.”

A slow smile spread across her face. Not cruel. Delighted.

“You really are.”

“What else would I be?” She laughed.

Actually laughed.

I stared at her.

“What is so funny?”

“You have no idea where you are.”

“No.”

“Or what tonight is.”

“No.”

Her smile widened. “Oh, this is going to be interesting.”

I grabbed her wrist.

“Explain.” She looked down at my hand.Then back at me.

“The Hunt.”

“The what?”

“The Hunt.”

“That explains nothing.”

She turned slightly toward me.“It’s tradition.Older than any pack here. Once a year, unmated females gather here.” My stomach sank.

“Unmated?” She nodded toward the men.

“And unmated males.” I followed her gaze.

Several men were already watching us.I immediately looked away.

“No.”

She laughed softly. "You haven’t even heard the rest.”

“I don’t need to.”

"Yes, you do.” She pointed toward the forest.

“When the first horn sounds, we run.”

“Run?”

“We get a head start.”

“A head start from what?”

She nodded toward the men.“Them.”

I stared.

“They hunt us.” I stared harder.

She grinned.“And before you ask, yes.Literally.”

“You’re joking.”

“No.” “This is insane.”

“It’s tradition.”

“That doesn’t make it less insane.”

She shrugged. “The males hunt.The females choose whether to be caught.”

“Choose?”

“Mostly.”

Mostly.I did not like that word.

“What happens when someone gets caught?”

Her smile became mischievous. “That depends entirely on who catches her.” I opened my mouth. Closed it.She laughed again.

“The Hunt helps unmated wolves find potential mates. Sometimes a wolf recognizes his mate immediately. Sometimes two wolves simply choose each other for the night. Sometimes nothing happens at all.” I barely heard the last part. Because one word had lodged itself inside my brain.

“Wolves?” She looked at me.

“Yes.”

“What do you mean wolves?” Her smile disappeared.

“Oh.”

“What?”

“You really don’t know.”

“Know what?” Before she could answer, the clearing changed.

It happened instantly.

Every conversation stopped.

Every head turned.

Silence rolled through the crowd.

I followed their gaze.

Three men had entered the clearing. The first had blond hair and a smile that suggested he had never taken anything seriously in his entire life. The second was dark-haired, broader, his expression calm and unreadable.

Then came the third.

And something inside me went strangely still. He was taller than the others.

Dark hair.

Black clothing.

No ceremonial armor.

No elaborate decorations.

He didn’t need them.

Everyone else had moved aside before he even reached them. He walked with the lazy confidence of someone who had never once wondered whether he belonged somewhere. Because wherever he stood became his. I leaned toward the girl.

“Who is that?” She looked at me like I had asked who the sun was.

“The High Alpha.” “The what?” “Alpha over the Alphas.” I almost laughed.

I genuinely thought she was joking.

Then I looked around.

Nobody else was laughing.

Men twice my size lowered their heads when he passed.

The soldiers straightened.

Even the women became quieter. He reached the center of the clearing. The blond man beside him said something.

The High Alpha laughed.

The sound carried easily.

Deep.

Warm.

Completely at odds with the terrifying reaction everyone seemed to have toward him. Then he looked across the women.

Slowly.

My strange new friend straightened beside me.

“Oh, Goddess.”

“What?”

“He’s looking.”

“At what?”

“At us.”

I looked. Bad decision. His gaze moved down the rows.

Then stopped.

On me.

I forgot what I had been about to say. There were probably fifty women between us. It didn’t matter.I knew exactly where he was looking.

His head tilted slightly. His expression changed. Not dramatically. Just enough.

Interest.

Then his eyes dropped briefly to my mushroom basket. His mouth curved.

I frowned.

He looked back into my eyes. And winked.

I stared at him.

The girl beside me made a strangled sound.

“Did he just”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“He winked at you.”

“I noticed.”

“The High Alpha.”

“Yes, I understand the title.”

She grabbed my arm. “You don’t understand anything.”

“That has become increasingly obvious.” Across the clearing, he was still watching me.

I narrowed my eyes. His smile widened. Arrogant bastard.

A horn sounded.

I jumped.

The entire row of women shifted. My friend grabbed my hand.

“Ready?” “No.” “Good.” “What?” She laughed.

Then women began running.

Hundreds of them.

Straight into the forest.

I stumbled forward.

“What are we doing?” “Running!” “Why?” “Because they’re coming!” “Who?” She looked at me.

“The wolves.” Then she released my hand.

I watched in horror as her body changed.

There was no warning.

One second she was a woman.

The next— Bones shifted.

Her body dropped.

Dark fur erupted across her skin. And where the girl had been stood an enormous black wolf.

I screamed.

The wolf looked at me.

I screamed again.

“No.” She lowered herself.

I backed away.

“No.

Absolutely not.” She growled.

“Don’t growl at me!” She jerked her head toward her back.

I stared.

“You want me to…” Another growl.

Behind us, the clearing was nearly empty.

The wolf crouched lower.

“Oh my God.” A second horn sounded in the distance.

The wolf snapped her teeth.

“Fine!” I climbed onto her back.

The second my arms wrapped around her neck, she exploded forward. I screamed so loudly I probably frightened every animal within ten kilometers.

Trees blurred.

Branches whipped past.

I buried my face against her fur.

“This is insane!” She ran faster.

“I hate you!” Her body moved beneath me with impossible strength.

Behind us— Howling.

Not one wolf.

Dozens.

My blood turned cold.

The Hunt had begun.

She accelerated.

We tore deeper into the forest until suddenly she slowed. Then stopped beside an enormous tree.

I nearly slid off.

“What?” She lowered herself.

I climbed down.

“What are we doing?” The wolf looked upward.

At the tree.

Then at me.

“No.” She nudged me.

“No.” Another nudge.

“You want me to climb?” She nodded.

“You can understand me?” Another nod.

“Can you talk?” She stared.

“Right.

Stupid question.” The howling grew louder.

Much louder.

The wolf shoved her nose against my back.

“Okay!” I grabbed the lowest branch.

Climbing trees had not been part of my mushroom-picking plan. Somehow, adrenaline got me halfway up. I pulled myself onto a thick branch. Below me, the wolf looked up.

“Now what?” She glanced toward the forest.

Then back at me.

She lifted one paw against the trunk.

Stay.

At least, I assumed that meant stay.

“You’re leaving me?” She turned.

“Wait.” She ran.

“WAIT!” Gone.

I stared after her.

“You absolute traitor!” Silence.

Then something moved between the trees.

I froze.

Another howl echoed through the forest.

Closer.

My fingers tightened around the branch.

This was impossible.

Werewolves did not exist.

High Alphas did not exist. Women did not transform into enormous wolves. And I certainly had not accidentally entered some ancient supernatural mating ritual because I wanted mushrooms. A branch snapped below me.

I stopped breathing.

Something enormous moved through the darkness.

Then another.

Wolves.

They passed beneath the tree without looking up. I pressed myself against the trunk.

Good.

Fine.

Excellent.

Apparently hiding in a tree was actually working. Then the forest became silent again.

Minutes passed.

Maybe five.

Maybe twenty.

I had no idea.

Eventually, my breathing slowed.

I looked down.

Nothing.

I almost laughed.

I had survived.

Then a voice came from directly beneath me.

“You know…” My entire body froze.

A man stepped out from behind the tree.

Dark hair.

Black clothing.

He looked up.

The High Alpha.

My heart stopped.

He leaned one shoulder casually against the trunk.

Completely human.

Completely relaxed.

Not even breathing hard.

His eyes found mine through the branches.

That infuriating smile appeared. “…for someone who wandered into a Hunt carrying a basket of mushrooms, you’re surprisingly difficult to catch.” I stared down at him.

“How did you find me?” His smile deepened.

For some reason, that question seemed to amuse him. He lifted his face slightly.

Inhaled.

Then looked directly into my eyes.

“I could find you anywhere.” A chill moved down my spine.

Not entirely from fear.

That was the problem.

I tightened my grip on the branch.

“Well, you haven’t caught me.” One dark eyebrow lifted.

“No?” “No.” “You’re in a tree.” “And you’re on the ground.” He glanced at the trunk.

Then back at me.

“An obstacle.” “A very tall obstacle.” His mouth twitched.