Chapter 1

Kiera Lunatier was on the hunt. Against the strict orders of her Pack's Leader and Alpha, she was stalking her prey through the night. Her dark hair danced in the light breeze, tickling her cheek as she crouched at the base of a large oak. The fury within her was struggling for release, but she fought the change. Intense emotion fueled the inner beast, demanding she give it free rein. Not yet though. For now she needed the calm intelligence of her human form. There would be time for the beast to sate its bloodlust later. She only hoped she would be able to make her own kill before death came to her.

Three days prior

The first warning of danger was the gunshot. It was unnaturally loud to Kiera and she was surprised that anyone would have been able to get a weapon that large into the Pack's regular territory without a confrontation. She rushed through the woods, seeking not only the weapon and hunter, but the target of the shot. Cursing the idiocy of poachers hunting on private land, she swore to wrap the barrel of the gun around the hunter's neck before sending him on his way.

Bursting through the trees she entered a small clearing, the coppery scent of blood heavy in her nose. The heavy weight of the scent was cloying and hampering her natural ability to hunt the violator by scent alone. Then she saw him. Her own brother. The light of her life and her only immediate family member. Kiera reeled, overwhelmed by the incredible amount of blood pooling around his body as she rushed to his side with a scream of anguish.

His chest was a mess. The bullet had somehow been modified to deal with her kind, and the silver mercury hollow point had done its' job well. The tendrils of silver webbing were spread throughout his open chest cavity inhibiting Adric's own ability to regenerate the damage. He had been shot while in human form, but his body had shifted almost of its' own accord to the stronger Lycan shape, in a futile attempt to force itself to reject this horrible injury and to heal. Yet he was too weak to hold the form for long and slid into a hybrid mixture of half man, half wolf.

Even as he lay in her arms dying, Adric struggled for life. But the struggle was in vain and they both knew it. She didn't know what she was saying to him; she could barely hear his voice talking to her. But somewhere through the haze of her tears and the sound of the blood pounding in her ears, she gained his intent. 'Be strong, Kiera ... I love you...' Her tear-filled howl at the moon, as he died in her arms, was filled with rage and regret. Responding to the howl, other members of Pack Lunatier found her there, clutching his dead body to her as she rocked and raged hysterically. She fought any who tried to approach her and eventually two large males had to subdue her so Adric's body could be removed from the site.

Adric had told her nothing of his plans, other than he was going to a meeting. A secret meeting, he had said, that would assure their safe future. When she had pressed him on it, he had smiled that smile of his, and told her that in the morning, everything would be different. And Adric had been right, because now everything had changed.

In her mind's eye she could see the body of her beloved brother. Adric had been several years younger than Kiera, innocent and carefree. Although he was much bigger than her physically, Kiera always thought of him as her little brother. His love for fun and his zest for life had brought balance to her bleak existence. She had been his parent, sister, protector and motivator since the death of their parents when he was just a pup. Now he was gone. The brightness of him snuffed forever by a killer's bullet, leaving her with no anchor, no balance in the world of violence they lived in.

For her actions tonight she would be banned from the Pack. Banned, hunted and made an example of. It was a fate she accepted readily as the fire of vengeance burned in her blood and called to her soul. Her skills and temper had qualified her as a Hunter for her Pack. Before tonight those who thought themselves outside Pack Law had faced her unique form of justice. Few who had ever faced her, considered violating their Leader's word, again. After tonight it would be she who was now hunted as rogue, and the irony of the situation was not lost on her.

A cloud slipped over the moon, blocking the natural light. Taking advantage of the momentary darkness, she crept closer to her prey. She did not think he was aware of her presence yet. So far, he had made no move to attack or defend himself, and the element of surprise was still on her side. She doubted he would understand the danger he was in, even if he had spotted her. She wasn't one to take chances on that though. Stealthily she closed the distance between them being careful to remain downwind of him. Simply because he was not a Lycan did not mean she needed to throw aside her decades of training. He had his back to her, which made her nervous. She would have preferred knowing if he was armed or had a weapon within reach. Throwing caution to the wind, she continued her advance. She was looking at a dead man; he just didn't know it yet.

If anything, she wondered why he had been so easy to find. Adric's body was in the ground less than two days, but for his murderer to have stayed in the area spoke of an ego and a confidence that Kiera could not comprehend. No, upon reflection, the man's ego was a shroud for his stupidity. You should have run further, little man, she thought as she approached him. You should have made the hunt longer, so that I could begin to hurt you as you have hurt me. So that your death would have even greater meaning. Because with your death, I surely kill myself.

24 hours ago

"Adric gave to our Pack as few others have done." Fenris, the Lunatier Pack Leader, spoke with a heavy heart. "But his gifts were not of strength or power. His gifts were simpler. They were the gifts of speech and art. Our loss is felt by all of us here, but we cannot allow that loss to make us react blindly."

"Whoever did this deed was prepared, and acted from a position of strength. Though some may see this as an attack against the Pack, I know of no one who would gain by such an attack. This killing was personal, and I'll lose no more of this Pack in a hunt against a prepared and well armed adversary." He turned to Kiera and shook his head. "I am sorry Kiera. There will be no Hunt of Vengeance for your brother. His killer has taken one of us. I won't allow him to take another."

The Pack was stunned to hear there would be no Hunt. Was it not their right? Certainly it was Kiera's right of vengeance. But the Leader had already spoken. He saw their mood, and knew what they demanded, but it was not in his plan that there be a Hunt, and he was still their Leader. He raised his voice and spoke with the assured tone of command.

"I tell you all, my Pack, this is my ruling. There will be no hunt!."

And with those words, the Pack submitted to his will and Kiera's death sentence was made final.

Sliding closer she waited a moment for the wind to shift direction more out of habit than anything. The human would not be able to detect her, even on his best day. A low growl built in her throat as she sprang, her hands shifting into claws and her jaws open. The man jumped with a start and turned to face her, presenting her with a more open target. She hit him in the chest and they went to the ground with a grunt, her teeth buried in his shoulder.

"What the...?" The question was cut off by a scream of pain as her teeth snapped the bone in his arm. He saw his blood fly up and across her muzzle and his face went white from fear and shock.

Lifting her head, Kiera gave him a blood smeared smile. "This is for my brother." She said with the heat of the hunt still in her blood. She brought her claws along his cheek, leaving ragged gashes in her wake. Her free hand clamped around his throat, closing it off to keep him from screaming a second time.

28 days ago

"She's the one, Khefris. I know it." Master Amris Grey said to his second in command, his eyes never leaving Kiera's face or form as she moved through the crowd. As a high-ranking guest, he was given a place of honor which afforded him a prime seat to overlook the entire feast. Leader Fenris seemed to find a reason for introducing each of the eligible bachelorettes to the Master of the Grey Pack. An alliance of marriage between his own small Pack and the Master's larger, more powerful one, would be nothing but beneficial to Fenris.

"Her?" Khefris raised an eyebrow in surprise. "She's a competent Huntress, sure. You've heard the stories. But, I mean ... look at that redhead. Nicer chest."

Amris laughed, barely sparing the woman a glance. "Bigger doesn't always mean nicer. And anyway, I think Kiera's chest is fine." Then he became thoughtful. "Yes, I have heard the stories and find them fascinating. From what I've seen since we got here, they are all true, too. She's courageous, strong and beautiful. Everything a Mistress should be. Life with her will never be boring."

"Perhaps, and you haven't even noticed her chest." Khefris chuckled. "Your eyes haven't left her face all night." He bit into the haunch of meat and spoke around it as he chewed. "So talk to her. Then tell that idiot uncle of hers that you'll be taking her back to Grey Rock with you. Simple. You're a Master, he's just a Leader. He can't deny you."

Amris shook his head. "It's not that simple, Khef. She's been watching me as much as I've been watching her, and not in a good way. I get the feeling she's purposely avoiding me ... I don't think she likes me. And Fenris ... there's something off about him tonight. Something in his scent that is making me just want to get away from here."

"You're just making excuses." Khefris grunted. "You want her, tell her. She's just like any other bitch in heat; she wants to know she's worth something. Tell her you want her, and then bring her home."

"She might not want to leave here."

Now it was Khefris' turn to shake his head. "So what?"

It seemed to Amris as if he had been running all night.

When Khefris had told him yesterday what had happened to Kiera's brother, he had silently grieved with her, even across the distance that separated their Packs. He had promised himself then that he would go to her Pack, see Fenris, and claim her as his own. She was as alone now, as Amris himself. But as the Pack Master of his own clan, he could give her a home to protect her and give her family once more. And this time, he would not allow his own feelings, or his uncertainty, to sway him. If he had to demonstrate his will by fighting for her, he would do so.

Then he arrived at her Pack and learned that she had already left to seek her vengeance. As disappointing as the news was, it did not come as a surprise since she was, of course, one of the Pack's best Hunters. Amris had no doubts of her ability to track and take her prey down. Since it had been her brother who had been slain, the right of the kill was hers. But his disappointment at not finding her there turned to shock when he learned more.

Fenris, against all common wisdom and against all Pack instinct, had ordered that no Hunt Mark be placed on her brother's killer! He had even proclaimed that anyone who attempted to hunt the killer faced the Hunt Mark of the Pack, themselves! If anything could have justified Amris' earlier opinion of the Pack Leader that would have been it. As he looked about the Pack's gathering, he had noticed that several of the male Hunters, including the Pack Leader himself, were absent.

They had already left to hunt one of their own.

Fenris was hunting his own niece. To kill her for following an order he should never have made and seeking a vengeance they should all be seeking. It was absurd.

That had been five hours ago and Amris had been running ever since. He knew he needed to catch up to Kiera before she did anything against the slayer of her kin. But the gods, it seemed, were in a foul mood tonight.

He was lucky to be as skilled as he was in the hunt himself. Only two hours after leaving Kiera's Pack, he had come across the scent of Fenris and his Hunters. They were ahead of him following on Kiera's own scent, but they were taking their time. A part of him could understand it. After all, they needed to be sure that Kiera had actually broken the law before they took her down. But another part of him was outraged. Why didn't they catch her and stop her? Why didn't they just close in on the female, take her captive and prevent her from breaking the law? Fenris had never struck him as a stupid wolf. Brutish and bullying to be sure, but not stupid. So why was he so willing to allow Kiera to break The Code? Why did he seem so determined in killing his own niece?

All Amris knew for sure was that he would be delayed immensely if he stopped to debate the matter with Fenris. Kiera was his main objective right now and he needed to reach her first; ahead of the Hunters. So he looped around them, pressing himself further, and driving his body even harder. Now it was a race between himself, Fenris and time. He only hoped he would be the winner.

He was at most two hundred yards away when he heard the scream and knew he had not been fast enough. He forced his fatigue away and reached deep inside himself for even more reserves of strength. The miles he had already put behind him dropped from him like an unwanted burden, as he shifted even deeper into a purer wolfen form. Sprinting as fast as he could, Amris closed the distance like the wind hoping to stop her before it was too late. When he broke through the cover of the tree line she had just raised her hand, her claws extended, and he knew her target was the man's throat.

Even as he closed in on her, he couldn't help but admire her form. He had fallen for her beautiful face, her deep blue eyes and those full, lush lips, over a month ago. He had admired her figure, certainly but he had never fully appreciated her smooth, sinewy grace, and her muscular, powerful body before. Her leather pants were snug across her legs and ass, and his animal nature wanted nothing more than to feel those muscles move beneath him. The human aspect of his nature was more impressed with her skills. He wished he had been there to watch her hunt, to see the strike, and to bear witness as she had brought down her prey. But he dreaded the thought that she had caught this prey, because now there was no way out for her.

"Kiera! No!"