Luna cursed as she sprinted through the forest undergrowth, her boots pounding against the damp earth. The sun was already high in the sky—the Alpha's Hunt was scheduled to begin at noon, and her watch showed 11:55. Again, she'd been excluded from the pack announcement, forcing her to rely on rumors and whispers.
She slowed her pace as she approached the Gathering Meadow, attempting to smooth her wild dark hair and catch her breath. Just beyond the tree line, she could hear the excited chatter of her packmates.
"Can you believe Darius chose a chimera for the Hunt?" a female voice gushed. "It's so dangerous. He's making sure only the strongest can claim him."
"As if any of us stand a chance against Selene and her hunting skills," another replied. "Did you see his face when she brought down that dire wolf last moon? He practically undressed her with his eyes."
Luna recognized Kira's voice and stepped into the clearing just as the redhead continued, "I wouldn't mind if he undressed me with more than his eyes. Those shoulders should be illegal."
A chorus of giggles erupted from the cluster of female shifters, all dressed in hunting leathers similar to Luna's, though theirs looked considerably less worn.
"Speaking of illegal," Selene drawled, noticing Luna first. Her golden eyes narrowed. "Look who decided to grace us with her presence."
Conversations died. Dozens of eyes turned toward her, some filled with contempt, others with poorly disguised fear. At the center of the gathering stood Alpha Darius, his powerful frame tensing upon seeing her. Luna had to admit what the others saw in him physically—his rugged features and imposing build were undeniably attractive. But the coldness behind his eyes had always made her skin crawl.
"Luna," he said, her name hanging in the air like an accusation. "How... unexpected."
"I'm here for the Hunt," she announced, chin raised. The right to compete for becoming the Alpha's mate was pack law—a law even Darius couldn't deny her.
Selene sidled closer to Darius, placing a possessive hand on his arm. "She doesn't even have proper hunting gear. And her hair—" she snickered, "—looks like she's been dragged through a thornbush backward."
Kira and the others joined in the laughter.
"Some of us were busy training rather than primping," Luna replied evenly.
A low murmur rippled through the crowd.
"She'll slaughter the quarry before anyone gets a chance," someone muttered.
"Unnatural strength..." Selene's voice carried intentionally.
"Not proper mate material..." Kira added, loud enough for all to hear.
"Enough." A male voice cut through the whispers. Luna turned to see Archer step forward, his tall frame moving with easy grace as he positioned himself subtly between Luna and her critics. "Luna has every right to participate. Or are we suddenly afraid of fair competition?"
His eyes met hers for just a moment, and he slipped something into her hand—a leather cord to tie back her hair. The small gesture of kindness made her throat tighten unexpectedly.
Darius's jaw tightened. "Of course. All unmated pack members may join today's Hunt." His eyes locked with Luna's, something calculating in their amber depths. "The first to capture the silver chimera wins the honor of becoming my mate. The creature was spotted in the northern ravine at dawn."
Luna felt her blood surge. A chimera—part lion, part goat, part serpent—was rare and dangerous prey. Perfect for proving her worth.
"The Hunt begins now," Darius announced, and immediately began to shift.
Around her, packmates dropped to all fours as bones cracked and reformed. Luna closed her eyes, surrendering to her own transformation. It came faster for her than the others—another oddity that made her an outsider. As her wolf form emerged, larger and more silver-tinted than any other in the pack, she caught Archer's eye. His russet-colored wolf gave her a brief nod before darting into the trees.
Luna followed the hunting party, keeping pace easily despite their head start. Her senses stretched outward, catching scents and sounds the others missed. The chimera's trail was distinctive—a mixture of feline musk and something sulfurous.
She broke away from the main group, cutting across a shallow stream and up a rocky incline. The other wolves would follow the ravine's floor, but Luna knew better. Prey this intelligent would take the high ground.
An hour into the Hunt, she caught sight of it—the chimera's lion head swiveled atop a rocky outcrop, its goat body tense and ready to flee. The serpent tail flicked warily, scanning for threats.
Luna crouched, calculating the distance. Her muscles bunched, supercharged with a strength that had always set her apart. The leap she made was impossible for an ordinary wolf, clearing thirty feet of open space to land squarely on the chimera's back.
The creature bucked and screamed, its lion head roaring while its snake tail struck at her. Luna's jaws clamped down on the base of its neck, her weight pinning it against the rocks. The struggle was brief but violent. When it ended, the chimera lay still beneath her.
Victory surged through her veins. She'd won. Fair and necessary, as pack law demanded.
Luna shifted back to human form, her naked body gleaming with sweat and the chimera's silvery blood. She should feel triumphant, but something felt wrong. The Hunt had been too easy. Where were the other competitors?
A slow clapping sound echoed from the trees. Darius emerged, already in human form, fully clothed.
"Impressive, Luna. Truly." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "You've always been... exceptional."
Movement in the periphery caught her attention. Pack members appeared from hiding places, circling her. None had been hunting the chimera—they'd been hunting her.
"What is this?" she demanded, suddenly aware of her vulnerability.
"Insurance," Darius said simply. "The Hunt was a test, and you performed exactly as expected. Too strong. Too fast." He gestured to the chimera's body. "Too deadly."
Luna's heart hammered against her ribs. "This was my right—"
"Your right?" Darius laughed. "You have no rights here anymore."
Selene stepped forward, now dressed in a tracking uniform, a silver chain dangling from her hands. "We've all seen what you can do, Luna. The way you heal too quickly. The way you're stronger than Alphas twice your size." Her eyes gleamed with triumph. "Did you really think Darius would take someone like you as a mate? Someone who could challenge him?"
Ice formed in Luna's stomach. How long had they been planning this?
"You're a threat to the natural order," Darius continued. "A threat I can't allow to remain unchecked." He nodded to his enforcers. "Or to taint our bloodline."
The circle tightened around her. Silver chains appeared—the only metal that could bind a shifter.
"Hold!"
Archer pushed through the circle, placing himself between Luna and Darius. "This is against pack law. She won the Hunt fairly."
Kira gasped. "Archer, what are you doing?"
"Stand aside," Darius warned. "This doesn't concern you."
"It concerns all of us when our Alpha betrays pack tradition out of fear." Archer's voice carried across the clearing. "Luna won. She deserves recognition, not treachery."
Darius's face darkened. "Then you can share her fate."
Luna felt something snap inside her—not just anger, but something hotter, more primal. Her body tensed, ready for another shift, ready to fight.
"Run," Archer whispered to her, his eyes determined but unafraid. "I'll hold them back. Find the exiled Elder in the eastern mountains—.she can help you!"
"I won't leave you—"
"You must." Archer's shift was explosive, his wolf form launching itself at the nearest enforcer.
Chaos erupted. Luna's body responded to the danger with another transformation—this one faster, more powerful than any shift she'd experienced before. Her wolf form emerged with a silver-white coat that seemed to shimmer with an inner light.
She was stronger than ever, frightening even herself.
With a snarl that sent several pack members scrambling backward, Luna leapt over the closing circle. Selene tried to intercept her, but Luna batted her aside with terrifying ease.
"After her!" Darius roared, his own massive black wolf form emerging.
Luna ran, hearing Archer's fighting behind her, buying her time. The forest blurred around her as she pushed her body to its limits, moving faster than she'd ever moved before.
What was happening to her? Why did Darius truly fear her? And why was Archer the only one who hadn't turned against her?
The questions would have to wait. For now, survival was all that mattered—survival, and the promise of answers in the eastern mountains.