Chapter 1

Some people had it easy, get up, down some coffee, go to work, fend off the sexual harassment monster of the work place, pick up Chinese on the way home and crash in bed after watching movies. Well that was what my normal life had been like. Not exactly normal apparently seeing as I wanted no relationship but I didn't mind the odd date out at a club. Still, I was a pessimistic when it came to romance.

I had a boring pencil pushing job as a secretary in a office and my only friend was my four month Shiba Inu puppy, Pip. I worked out regularly at the gym and jogged every morning. I even practiced on the shooting range with my Uncle Manny who was an ex marine. I was perfectly normal, in my family, I knew how to handle myself in a fight, had the quick reactions to prevent myself getting drugged, I had been taught at a young age wilderness survival and I could probably out run a marine. I was surprised the military hadn't picked me up, but then again my brother was serving. I was just waiting to save up enough money and I was heading out of this small town called Pine Bluffs near the wilderness of Colorado.

I wanted to tour around, see the country visit the states and see the wonders before going on to other countries and seeing the world. All that changed though when I went to a club with my friend Miki. I had been dancing on the floor with a guy I had met, tall, dark, broad shoulders, smouldering brown eyes. And turned out deadly. He walked me out to my car, I was laughing and flirting, but I still refused to go home with him, I hadn't been drinking and I never jumped into bed with the first guy to offer.

He didn't seem to like that, so when I turned around and shook my head at him. "Sorry it was a nice night, but I need to get on home." I did not in a million years expect him to grab me and literally throw me against a tree at the end of the parking lot. I slid to the base and held my head blinking to clear my vision. I balled up my fists ready to smack the asshole in the face only to feel all the blood drain out of my face. A wolf was standing in front of me, shaking off the clothing of the man who had thrown me.

My mind froze for a second, refusing to process what I was seeing, then I mentally screamed at myself. It didn't matter at the moment how a wolf was in front of me, or why the man had somehow changed into a wolf, none of that mattered. All I was worried was about was that I needed to get the hell out of there cause the wolf was growling and was looking at me like I was its meal. And I realised, if I did nothing I would be its next meal.

I eyed my jeep that was behind the wolf and swore as I rolled to the side as the wolf leapt at me, slamming up against the tree I'd been slumped against. I kicked off my heels and got to my feet, running barefoot.

I heard the wolf give a howl and I started running as though my life depended on it, it probably did. And that was how I ended up in this situation. Up a tree and silently watching the shadows for a familiar canine shape. My wrist was twisted and swelling, my feet had welts on the bottom from where I'd been running on brush and bracken, my skin was muddied and wet and my long blonde hair was knotted with leave and twigs. Yet for some odd reason I was grinning. I was being hunted and it was some odd quirk of fate that my family was full of marines and soldiers who had trained me like a recruit.

I paused my breathing as I heard a annoyed huff somewhere below me. I shifted slightly to peer through a gap in the branches, the full moon shone brightly giving the blackness forms that I could define as nature. I could see a small hunched figure sniffing at the leaves where I had jumped up into the tree opposite me and then climbed across to the one I was now in.. I could him growling as he looked up into the branches for me, snarling in frustration.

I balanced myself with my hands so that I could keep an eye on the wolf but also keep my position on the branch I was perched on. But my wrist gave out at the slightest pressure, I gasped in pain and reached out with my other hand to grab something to stop me as my body tilted. A twig snapped in my palm and I felt a moment of weightlessness, then I smashed through the branches and thumped on the ground on my back.

I gasped trying to get the air in my lungs that had been ripped from my chest. All I could accomplish were feeble pants as my wide eyes gazed at the silvery moon above. And my mind whirled dazed. Hell…I didn't think that move through…wasn't I worried about something?

The moon got blocked out by two brown eyes and huge canines as a snout sniffed at my face. I realised then why I had wanted to stay off the ground, I couldn't move I felt terror shake my limbs and all I could do was star dumb eyed like a rabbit in the headlights of a car.

The wolf gave a soft howl then placed its paws on my shoulders and bent its head to lick my cheek and neck, running its tongue lower to the v of my dress. I knew that this wolf and the man at the club were somehow the same, which meant that bastard was licking me, and getting lower. Without thinking I gave a short outraged shout and slapped the wolf across the face with my good hand.

We looked at each other both stunned at my actions, then I saw the glint in his eyes and I knew, I was about to die. A vicious snarl echoed in my ears and I saw the glint of sharp bared feet, I could smell his foul breath and a flash of gums as his head darted to the side, missing my neck but clamping down hard on my shoulder.

I couldn't prevent the scream that tore out of my throat, I could feel sharp teeth digging into my flesh, hooking under bone, tugging and tearing like a blunt saw. I pulled at the wolfs fur, scratching at its face and pulling at its ears trying to pry it off of me. My legs kicked futilely and I felt a warm tongue lap up at the blood that flowed from my shoulder, he unclenched his jaws and snapped down tighter. My back arched and another scream ripped through the night.

I felt the shock and terror grip me and shake my mind, the breeze tumbled my hair over my face and I could see the pale moon, blurring as my vision seemed to get narrower. A full moon and a man that had changed into a wolf in his anger of me refusing him. I remembered when I was a teen and I had read horror books, numerous one involving creatures of the night. The wolf shook his head tearing more skin, I blinked numbly. No, not a wolf. A werewolf, just like the legends and this one was going to kill me. I was going to die in a stupid party dress and poor Pip would probably be sent to a animal shelter.

My head fell to the side, my blonde lashes falling heavy against my cheeks. Through the thin lines in my view I could see a darker shadow step out of the trees. Green eyes blazing, a growl rumbling in its throat as it used broad solid muscles to step into the wash of the moons glow. It was another wolf, pure black fur, shimmering like a ravens wing. I felt the grey wolf that was chewing on my shoulder slacken its grip and turn to growl at the black wolf. Probably doesn't want to share its meal…

My breath came out in a sigh and my lashes fell the last centimetre, darkness washing over me and robbing me of my senses. The last to go was hearing, and what I heard terrified me as I lost myself, probably never going to wake up. But the snarls and growls, the sound of snapping teeth and things tearing, that followed me into the blackness, leaving my soul quivering in fright and fear.

Just my luck, I was ready to fight off human monsters, rapists and muggers, even army's…what gets me instead are damn werewolves. Uncle Manny never mentioned anything like that in his training.