The wrench slipped from Kaya Reed's oil-slick fingers and clanged against the concrete floor of the garage. Midnight shifts were supposed to be quiet in Edgewood, a nowhere town buried in pine forests and forgotten highways. But tonight, the full moon hung low and bloated in the sky, pressing against her skull like a migraine she couldn't shake.
Her wolf stirred beneath her skin — restless, hungry, clawing for release.
"Not now," Kaya muttered, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm. She hadn't shifted in three years. Not since the night her parents' pack turned on her, branded her a rogue, and drove her out with teeth and threats. Shifting meant being found. Being found meant death.
The growl came again — low, guttural, from just beyond the open bay door.
Kaya froze.
A massive wolf stepped into the floodlights, silver-tipped black fur rippling over muscle. Its eyes glowed amber, fixed on her with predatory focus. Pack scout. She recognized the markings on its shoulder — the crescent brand of the Silverfang Pack, the most ruthless territory holders for five hundred miles.
The wolf shifted in a blur of cracking bone and stretching sinew. A man stood in its place — tall, bare-chested, wearing only torn jeans that hung low on his hips. Mid-thirties, scarred, with dark hair and a jaw sharp enough to cut glass.
"Rogue," he snarled, voice like gravel. "You're on Silverfang land. Come quietly."
Kaya's heart slammed against her ribs. She backed up slowly, hands raised. "I didn't know. I stay off pack radar. I don't hunt in your territory, I don't—"
He lunged.
Pure instinct took over. Kaya swung the wrench with everything she had. It connected with his shoulder — crack — and he roared. Claws extended mid-air as he tackled her to the ground. They rolled across the concrete, tools scattering, oil cans bursting.
She fought dirty — knee to the groin, fingers raking his face, teeth sinking into his forearm when he pinned her throat. Blood flooded her mouth, metallic and hot. He howled, grip loosening for a split second.
That was all she needed.
Kaya twisted, grabbed the heavy crowbar from under the workbench, and brought it down with both hands. The impact echoed like a gunshot. The scout's body went limp, neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Dead.
"Oh goddess," she whispered, dropping the crowbar. It clattered beside his lifeless form. "Oh goddess, no…"
Howls rose in the distance — answering calls. They were coming.
Kaya ran.
She burst out the back door into the rain-soaked forest, boots slipping on wet pine needles. Branches whipped her face, tearing skin. Her lungs burned. Behind her, the howls grew closer, multiplying.
She didn't see the trap until it snapped shut.
A weighted net launched from the underbrush, tangling her legs and yanking her off her feet. She hit the ground hard, air whooshing from her lungs. Before she could scream, a shadow loomed over her — larger than the scout, broader, radiating power that made her wolf whine and cower inside her chest.
The alpha.
Thorne Blackwood.
Even in human form, he was unmistakable — six-foot-five of raw muscle and menace, black hair plastered to his forehead by rain, eyes burning with a gold so dark it looked almost red. Scars crisscrossed his bare chest like a map of old wars. He crouched beside her, one massive hand closing around her throat — not squeezing, just holding her still.
"You killed one of mine," he said quietly. Too quietly.
Kaya's wolf surged forward despite her terror, pressing against her skin with a desperate, aching need.
Mate.
The word slammed into her mind like a thunderclap. Her body responded before her brain could — heat flooding her veins, skin prickling, heart racing for an entirely different reason.
Thorne's nostrils flared. His grip tightened fractionally, then loosened as something flickered across his face — shock, hunger, pain.
"You," he breathed, voice rough. "It's you."
Kaya bared her teeth, fighting the bond with everything she had. "Let me go."
His thumb brushed the pulse point at her throat — almost gentle. "Not a chance, little rogue. You're coming home with me."
Darkness swallowed her as something heavy struck the back of her head.
The last thing she felt was the rain on her face… and the terrifying pull of the mate bond wrapping around her heart like iron chains.