LUCAS


    Hundreds of wolves flood the forest in search of the elusive vampire, filling my blood with the lust of the hunt and pride in my pack.


    Ava''s at the lodge and safe. I''m on my way. Kellan''s mental voice is a welcome interruption.


    Ryder scented him near the border of the human dairy farm. Take a team and move south, in case he''s fucking with his trail.


    Got it, Alpha.


    Now that I don''t have to worry about her safety, I can focus on this bastard who has the balls to come to our lands during this sacred time.


    My wolf snarls, a vicious rumble deep in our shared chest as we race through the shadowed forest.


    Moonlight weaves between the trees, illuminating the underbrush in random patterns, brushing against my dark fur as I weave between ancient trunks.@@@@


    All around me, howls rise into the night sky. It''s an eerie symphony of bloodlust, feral and free, as we rush through the land in pursuit, ready to tear any vampire we catch from limb from limb.


    The pack''s rage pulses through me, mingling with my own, until I can''t distinguish where mine ends and theirs begins.


    Good. Let them feel the depth of my wrath, the seething maelstrom that demands vengeance and blood in price for the eighteen wolves I''ve lost.


    I inhale deeply, seeking past the earth and trees, far past the past the warm musk of my wolves racing alongside me. There. A trace of sweetness, cloying and cold, shot through with the metallic tang of old blood. Death given form.


    Vampire.


    A vicious growl tears from my throat. My blood surges as I lunge in the direction of that unholy scent. My paws devour the distance, powerful muscles flexing as I give myself over to the pure instinct of the chase.


    I halt in a small clearing, my sides heaving as I cast out with all my senses. Straining for any sign of the vampire''s actual location amid the chaos of false trails. But there''s nothing. Only the maddening sweetness of his scent scattered to the four winds, taunting me.


    Fall back, I command, my mental voice cracking through the pack-link like a whip. We''re being toyed with. Ryder, Kellan, take a group each and sweep through the area.


    Snarls of protest and bloodthirsty rage batter against my mind, but I shut that connection down with ruthless efficiency. I understand my wolves'' frustration, feel it roiling inside me like a living thing. But charging blindly through the night while our enemy lurks in the shadows is exactly what he wants.


    I will not be goaded. I will not be ruled by base instinct when the lives of my pack are at risk. Grinding my fangs together, I turn sharply and begin loping back the way I came. Back to the lodge, to Ava.


    Hunt, my wolf snaps. Rend them. Don''t be a fool.


    Every inch of me rebels at running from this fight, at showing weakness to our foe. But this is a battle of wits, not claws and fangs. The vampire wants to throw us off balance, divide our focus so he can slip through our defenses.


    There''s only one thing he wants.


    Ava.


    I won''t allow it.


    As I race through the night-shrouded forest, the simmering unease crackles into a sense of foreboding so intense it borders on dread.


    A vampire openly taunting us, attacking my people on a sacred night of mourning... it speaks to a level of arrogance, of complete disregard for our strength, that sets my hackles on end.


    It''s been over a century since the last conflict between wolf and vampire. What does this vampire have behind him, to believe he can handle what this brings to his door?


    This creature is planning something. Something terrible and bloody and brutal. I can''t shake the sinking feeling that we''re already three steps behind.


    Dancing to a tune of death and madness composed by a mind that knows neither mercy nor fear.