Chapter 1
The scent of snow on the wind raised the hairs on my skin
like distant lightning. I lifted my nose into the icy
breeze that rushed past me through the open window of the
bus. The moon was hidden behind a thin barrier of clouds,
but I felt it. Its weight pressed me with a sensuous,
almost sexual, insistence. It reached for the wolf beneath
my skin. I started at the realization that all sound had
stopped in the bus. Just moments ago it had been a party
on wheels with liquor flowing freely among the poker and
dice games. Now, as the bus reached the edge of the park
near Wolf Lake, the others began to snuffle and writhe. A
woman's high pitched whine made me shiver.
A deep voice like liquid velvet reached my ears. "Soon, my
wolves. Very soon I will let the moon take you."
I glanced to the front of the bus. Nikoli Molotov's eyes
glowed yellow, revealing the effort he was expending. He
had told me he would use the Sazi magic inside him to keep
the pack members from turning to their animal shapes until
we were well within the state park. But the thin shell of
magic could barely contain the power that welled up inside
of me. I felt like an overripe fruit, threatening to burst
through my own skin.
This was my first full moon since moving to Chicago. There
are few actual wooded areas here, and none that aren't
accessible to the public. Still, I was told that the lakes
and the parks can be sealed with magic so that no humans
would want to enter while the pack hunts the animals
native to the park. I'd never been hunting with a pack.
Until recently, I'd only known of one werewolf besides
myself - the one who'd turned me.
Who'd have believed that therewere real werewolves among
us in modern society? I certainly hadn't. I'd spent my
first Sazi year in partial denial. I sealed myself away
each month so I could turn into a wolf at will in the
privacy of a private hotel suite. I hadn't tried to find
others like me. I hadn't wanted to. Until I met Sue, I had
pretended - had hoped - that this disease would just go
away.
The hissing of the air brakes interrupted my thoughts. The
whines and whimpers around me brought a deep throated
growl from my throat. The magic roiling through the close
confines of the bus was stifling. You could walk on the
tension. The scent of musk and fur was overpoweringly
sweet. It was hard to breathe. My muscles were twitching
in earnest now. At the front of the bus, Nikoli smiled.
"Come, my wolves," he whispered. "It is time. Join the
hunt." He exited the bus. We followed in his wake. I
scanned the area with my vision pink-hazed from blood. I
fought not to howl. Shuddering, I pulled the clothes from
my body, reveling in the feel of the wind against my
overheated skin. My eyes moved constantly, watching the
others - my pack.
Some of the men had to turn their eyes away from the lithe
nude forms of the women in the group, but I felt nothing
for them. My mate was elsewhere. I glanced past the sign
identifying the William. W. Powers State Conservation
Area. In the distance, I smelled the sharp hot and sour
soup scent of abject fear. I quickly wiped a small line of
spittle from the side of my mouth. I tried to appear
composed but it was a lie.
"So, how does this wor . . .?" I began, when Nikoli
interrupted.
"Let the hunt begin!" he boomed and released the magical
shield protecting me. The moon's force struck me like a
sharp blade, shattering my control and sending me to my
knees. I screamed in pain as a thousand pinpoints of light
and magic erupted from my skin. Fur raced over my body and
twisted my limbs. A full-grown, hungry wolf leapt out from
inside me. I couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to.
I didn't want to.
The world suddenly shifted. Color disappeared, giving way
to a thousand shades of grey and black. I stood on four
feet, basking in the finger of moonlight that pried its
way through the cloud cover. Beside me were over a dozen
snarling wolves. I'd met one or two of them as humans. I
couldn't tell who they were as wolves by sight, but my
nose knew. Human or wolf, their scent was the same. I
scanned the group for the leader of the pack. He wasn't
hard to find. I felt my eyes go wide.
Nikoli had transformed into a huge black timber wolf. He
easily stood three foot high at the shoulder. The only
white on him was two spots on his knees. They glared like
headlights in the darkness beneath the amber lights in his
eyes. I realized that I didn't own a gun big enough to
defend myself had I met him in the woods as a human. Not a
comforting thought.
A single howl rent the night, quickly joined by other
voices. The sounds were deep and throaty, not at all the
high-pitched yelp of a coyote.
I felt the lips pull back from my fangs in a smile. Until
I'd mated, my nights as a wolf had been lost to me. My
thoughts inhuman, memories nonexistent. The difference is
phenomenal. Now wolf or man - I'm me. That's thanks to
Sue. I could feel fragments of her warmth and anticipation
in the back of my mind. I knew she would be enjoying every
minute of this new experience. The thought of the hunt was
getting my mate turned on.
I like that in a woman.
She had believed in and accepted the mating bond even
before I did. The sex had been incredible from the start.
Not surprising since we can feel each other's pleasure
through the bond. Still, I had struggled and fought the
tie between us. I hadn't wanted to give up what I believed
was my identity. But when she was dying of a gunshot
wound, I made my choice. I accepted the bond, accepted the
fact that we are truly a part of one another - just in
time to have them cut me off from her for weeks while
she's been healing in Colorado. It's a struggle now to
share our thoughts, and I can't sense what she's doing at
all. I hate it. I miss her. I want her home with me.
One of the wolves spoke. It's still weird hearing human
speech coming from a furred muzzle. "Where's dragon lady
tonight, Nikoli?"
A decidedly evil chuckle erupted from the black wolf. His
eyes turned and locked on mine. "Our lovely Asri did not
trust herself to ride on the bus and attend the pack
meeting around our newest acquisition."
Now, what the hell did that mean?
"Which brings me to business," he continued. "Let us all
please welcome our newest member of the pack. Anton,
please step forward."
I sighed. I had tried repeatedly to get my new pack
leader, a former member of Czar Nicholas II's court, to
call me Tony. That's me, Tony Giodone, former high-end
assassin, catering to both the paying public and the mob.
I'm good enough to have never been caught. But a stupid
mistake on my last job caused me to go underground and
assume a new - or more precisely - a former identity. Here
in Chicago, I'm Joe Giambrocco. But Nikoli keeps Russian-
izing everything. I'd finally decided that Anton was
better than Yosef, if I was going to be stuck with a
Russian name.
I stepped forward and the other wolves parted like water
to let me pass, reforming in a circle around me and
Nikoli. I stopped a few inches short of his muzzle and
looked up into his face. He towered over me. His yellow
eyes narrowed, as he watched me coldly. I stood steady,
giving no sign of fear, despite the muscles rippling under
his sleek black fur.
"You are Sazi," he said. "Blood of my blood. But to be of
my pack, you must swear fealty to me and mine. You must
give of yourself so that the others will recognize you as
brother."
This was starting to make me nervous. It's one thing to be
part of a club, but another thing entirely to swear some
sort of blood oath.
I felt my eyes narrow, "Just what are you asking me to do?"
Nikoli smiled, baring fangs. His scent changed, but I
couldn't pinpoint what he was feeling. I'd have to go by
his words alone.
"I rule here. You will accept my authority over you. Yes?"
I had no problem with that. "I accept your authority as
the pack leader. Yes."
"Excellent." I had just turned to leave when I froze
completely. I literally couldn't move. I felt a flash of
panic in the back of my mind that wasn't mine. Sue knew
something I didn't, but it was a struggle to keep
connected with her. The magic that flooded my body and
mind was overwhelming. It was a pounding ache with sharp
edges.
Nikoli stalked toward me. His lips had pulled back even
further to reveal pink gums.
"Then know my power, whelp." He came at me in a rush of
fangs and fur. I could do nothing to defend myself. He
bowled me over and his teeth found my neck. A flash of
pain seared my mind as his fangs broke through skin and I
was thrown bodily to the ground. But the pain washed away
as quickly as it began. My mind was floating suddenly as a
wave of magic filled me. Suddenly, I could hear his voice
in my mind. It was as thick and sweet as honey.
"You are pack of my pack, young one," said the voice. I
knew I was bleeding, but I couldn't seem to feel it. I
could hear Sue trying to call to me. It was a struggle to
hear her.
The liquid baritone continued. "You will live for me,
through me, and we all will live for you. We will protect
you and you will always be fed. Be now one with the Sazi,
Anton."
I came to myself with a dozen noses sniffing my head. I
abruptly remembered part of my training on Carmine and
Linda's island after Sue's near-death. One of the Sazi
psychiatrists explained that the packs only functioned in
the modern world because one person can control the
individual wolves.
"If individual wolves were autonomous," Dr. Betty had
said, "The world would quickly learn of us. Close to the
moon, most lesser wolves can't control themselves when
prey is near. Humans were once prey to our kind. Now if we
were to attack them, it would be war. The humans would
slaughter us. People always destroy that which they fear.
Only by having a leader strong enough not to be affected
by the moon can the natural instincts of the wolves be
restricted to proper prey. We insist that lesser wolves
remain with a pack so that the pack leader can maintain
control."
It made perfect sense. But I hate the others thinking that
I am a "lesser wolf." I knew I was going to have a hard
time going from being on the highest rung of the food
chain to just slightly above dirt. I also disliked that I
had to struggle even harder to reach Sue when Nikoli was
in my head. I promised myself that I wouldn't be a lesser
wolf for long.
I stood shakily. It was unnerving to see Nikoli's face
painted with my blood, and the other wolves tentatively
licking at it.
"Now, my pack, let us begin the hunt!" He turned,
launching himself into the woods in a blur of speed. I
found myself following behind him with the rest of the
pack before I even realized I was moving. It was like
being in a slipstream behind a semi. Where he moved we
followed.
We ran silently over the carefully tended grass toward the
trees of the park. My senses were sharper than I could
ever remember. I heard a small mouse scurry under the
leaves as we approached. Birds ducked their heads and
hunkered down in their nests. Even the great horned owl
flew higher into the trees. We were a force of nature to
be reckoned with as we moved through the woods. A panicked
pounding of hooves sounded to the left. Nikoli turned
fluidly toward it. I felt my body move left in a silent
command that required no words. An image flashed in my
head. The pack would split and cut off the prey. I was to
surge forward and overshoot the deer the pack herded
toward me.
My feet barely touched the leaves and fallen logs of the
deeper woods. I skirted rocks I couldn't see in the
darkness and followed unknown paths effortlessly. My body
seemed to know this place. Or perhaps it was Nikoli who
knew the way.
A small clearing appeared. This is where the feast would
take place. The pack would push the deer to me and I would
take the lead animal down. The rest of the pack would
attend to the other two. There were three deer. I could
smell them now and hear the breaking of branches in their
frantic flight for survival. But they would not escape. I
would see to that.
I waited patiently as the thundering hooves grew louder.
Just a few moments more. I crouched on a fire-blackened
log to spring from above as moonlight surged power through
my veins. The power fed my hunger. The hunger intensified
the power and then rolled back on itself, like a snake
swallowing its own tail.
"Tony!" The voice was a shout in my head. I struggled to
keep my mind on the prey. "Tony, Bobby's here with me.
We're back in Chicago. He has to see you right away. He
needs your help. It's urgent."
The words had no meaning to my animal mind. I knew Sue's
voice. I was glad. It was good that my mate would be here
for the kill. So close. Just a few moments more.
Sue seemed to understand that I couldn't think. She tried
to make it simpler. "It's Bobby, Tony. The snake from the
island."
An image came to my mind. A python. We'd hunted together
for birds. But there was no time to respond. With a crack
of breaking branches the first russet form bounded out of
cover. The scents of musk and fear were nearly
overpowering.
I leapt with all my might and grabbed the lead deer by the
throat. It turned and screamed as the other two animals
tried to get around our battle. But it was too late. The
pack had them. I rode the stag to the ground, twisting
quickly to avoid taking a head shot with its hooves. It
struggled to right itself but my teeth dug in deeper. Hot
salty wetness filled my mouth. It was the finest thing I'd
ever tasted in my life. I could feel Sue's pleasure in the
background as she too forgot where she was or what she
wanted to say. There was nothing beyond the moment. Time
slowed until everything had a crystalline sharpness and
didn't start again until the deer's eyes stared blankly
into space.
Blood lust took me. I gorged myself on the still warm
flesh and sweet metallic taste of blood. I was ravenous,
insatiable. Never before had my hunger been so great.
Snarls and growls erupted behind me. One of the others
tried to push me away from the kill, but I bared bloody
fangs before turning back to the feast.
I heard the soft pad of footsteps as my pack leader moved
behind me.
"No, Alena. Let him be. It is his first kill with the
pack. You enjoyed the same luxury." I felt Nikoli's hot
breath right next to my ear as I tore and swallowed as
fast as I could.
"But be very clear, young one. This will be the only time
you will ever feed above your station." He moved his face
so that our eyes were almost touching. His lips pulled
back in a toothy snarl. The magic he raked across my skin
made me gasp with pain.
"If you ever again attempt to feed before I have had my
fill, it will be my great pleasure to sate my hunger with
your flesh."