Prologue
Her mother warned her about the wolves. Stay on the path. Never stray from it. And always, always, without fail, make it to where you need to be before nightfall. Tasked with the simple job of carrying a basket of bread, fruit, and wine to her grandmother's house, Lynx Charmer made her way through the forest from her own estate to her grandmother's cottage. The road was rocky and overgrown, but the teenager pressed on. Vines clutched at her feet as she walked the path. Briars ripped at her simple blue dress and tore her scarlet cape.
Night fell and Lynx was still miles from the house. Piercing howls thundered through the dusk, as she sought shelter in a cave. The cold dampness hung around her like a wet jacket. Though scared she kept silent huddled against the cave moss, drifting off from time to time. She dreamed of her grandmother being torn to bits by wolves, leaving behind only remnants of her nightgown. Shaken by the nightmare, Lynx started out at first light, moving faster to get to her grandmother's house.
Outside the house in which her grandmother lived, her hand shook on the doorknob. Flashes of the nightmare were vivid in her mind as she took a deep breath and twisted the knob. An overwhelming sense of dread filled her. She couldn't smell any fresh-baked muffins that usually greeted her when she visited. There were no soft hums radiating out of the door from her grandmother singing her favorite songs. There was stillness, an eerie silence that was louder than any noise. She exhaled and walked into the room. Moments later, her scream shattered the early morning air, as she took in the scene.
Her grandmother lay eviscerated by the bedside table, while pieces of her nightgown were scattered throughout the small cabin. Her reading glasses were still sitting on the table, on top of an open tale of Moby Dick, her grandmother's favorite book. Her coffee cup lay overturned, as a long-dried trail of coffee had steeped into the carpet. Blood was on the floor, the walls, with some droplets even marked on the ceiling.
Lynx surveyed the damage and silenced her screams. She breathed in deeply. She closed her eyes, seeing the nightmare replay again in slow motion. There, in her dreams, she fixated upon the wolf in question. When her eyes opened, she knew what she needed to do.
Chapter One: Rebuilding
Five years had passed since that fateful evening, and Lynx was the sole occupant of her grandmother's estate. The cabin had been cleaned and refurbished since then, but the wolves still lurked in the woods nearby. Night after night, Lynx waited patiently. She honed her skills, grew stronger and waited for the opportunity to avenge her grandmother's death. She waited to sense the wolf responsible for the carnage she witnessed at age 15. The wolf responsible for the loss of one of the most influential people in her life, the only one that understood her and her true self.
Lynx knew she wasn't quite like other girls her age. While her mother always brushed the topic under the rug, it was her grandmother that explained the reason that she was so restless at night. The reason behind her being tired during the day and had insomnia in the evenings. Lynx was a changeling, found far from her pack, and brought to the cabin to live and strengthen. Her mother never wanted her to find out, but Grandma Ann knew the child needed to know.
Over the years, as Lynx grew, her grandmother helped her understand her life was not like others. She was different. Her anger was far more dangerous than other girls, and her dreams were not just dreams but visions. It was also explained that while she wasn't interested in anyone yet, one day she'd seek out her mate and that when she found him, she'd know. She'd know it deep down into her core and that nothing would be able to separate them.
The woods surrounding their ancestor's property were a crossover of sorts; home to two rival
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G.P. Taylor
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