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Prologue

Dr. Maya Sorin

It all happened so fast.

One minute Jerry was talking to me, his back to the door, and the next he was on the ground, bleeding.

Nobody should have been able to enter the lab, especially not Cassian, Leanna’s assistant on the task force investigating the kidnapped shifters. Only a select few had their handprint registered on the door’s lock.

But it opened. And there he was. And then there was so much blood.

I remember Jerry’s shocked cry as he went down. I remember Cassian grabbing me by my arm and digging his claws into my neck. Just the tips. But they must have been laced with something, because it only took a few seconds for my body to begin losing strength. I heard the crashing around me as I collapsed to the floor, unable to so much as twitch my fingers.

My lab! He was destroying my lab! But why?!

I can’t believe I ever thought that jerk was cute!

I don’t remember much of what happened next, but I recall being forced into this car, unable to fight back.

Leanna!

But my friend, the queen of the Northern Wolf Kingdom, didn’t respond to my silent cries. Nobody did.

It has been hours now. I’m teetering on the edge of consciousness, the effort to stay awake draining me. I can’t even move my arms. It’s as if all the life has been sucked out of me.

My head is spinning as I’m dragged out of the vehicle. When did it come to a stop? Whatever Cassian gave me, it has affected my entire nervous system. My muscles are trembling and feel like jelly. My vision is blurred.

But that doesn’t mean my brain has stopped working.

I can make out a stone hallway.

Ten steps. No, thirty steps.

A swift right.

Down a staircase. Fifty stairs. More than that. One hundred twenty.

The sound of a cage door opening, a metallic one.

I see something swinging in my field of vision, but I can’t quite make it out. I’m being tossed into the air, and I hit the ground hard. My shoulder hurts.

The amused voice of my captor says, “Stay away from him. He’s known for ripping off limbs.”

Who?

I hear a low growl, but I can’t move. The floor is cold, with an uneven surface. My brain is trying to remember the steps and the turns we took. I have to remember it all. I have to escape.

Just like I did once before.

The throaty growl reaches me once again. The menacing sound should have me trembling, but I can hardly think straight, exhaustion overtaking on me. My last thought is of my mother.

What will she do without me?

It’scold when I wake up.

My body shivers, and I wrap my arms around myself, legs curling up toward my stomach. For a few minutes, I don’t understand where I am. Then I hear loud footsteps and a voice yelling, “Wake up! Breakfast!”

There’s the sound of a latch opening, and then something hard is thrown at my face, causing me to flinch. Alarmed and panicked, I retreat till my back hits something warm and soft. My heart is pounding as I finally open my eyes and look around.