Wild Instincts E-Book

S.E. Smith

• Herausgeber: Montana Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Primal instincts…

Jayden, one of the few surviving humans known to exist, grapples with the betrayal of her own clan, plunging her into a world of darkness and distrust. Determined to evade the clutches of the Others—shape shifters who now dominate the Earth—she finds herself entangled in an unexpected love triangle with two wolf shifters.

Van Timberwolf and Peterson Redfoot can’t believe they have found their destined mate among the dwindling human population. It doesn’t take long for them to discover that Jayden’s elusive nature and fierce resolve pose challenges unlike any they’ve faced before.

Despite the protection of the highest authority, the threesome finds themselves ensnared in a perilous game of cat-and-mouse where betrayal waits at every turn, and clandestine organizations lurk in the shadows.

None of them are safe when Jayden becomes a target. When poachers exploit the undeniable bond between herself and the two shifters who adore her, they set off a chain of events that imperils everything Van and Peterson hold dear.

With twists as unpredictable as Jayden herself, the poachers are about to realize they’ve underestimated the resilience of the human spirit. Can Jayden embrace her primal instincts to protect the ones she loves before it’s too late for them all?

A USA Today and NY Times bestselling author, the internationally acclaimed S.E. Smith presents a story with her signature humor and unpredictable twists! Exciting adventure, hot romance, and iconic characters have won her a legion of fans. Over TWO MILLION books sold!

Leseprobe

WILD INSTINCTS

MORE THAN HUMAN BOOK 3

S.E. SMITH

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my husband, Steve, for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also, to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!

And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, PJ Ochlan, Vincent Fallow, L. Sophie Helbig, and Hope Newhouse, Allison River, Jonathan Strait, and Bethanne Reid—the outstanding voices behind my audiobooks!

– S. E. Smith

Wild Instincts: More than Human Book 3

Copyright © 2024 by Susan E. Smith

First E-Book Published December 2024

Cover Design by Montana Publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author. No parts of the author’s work may be used for AI training without express written permission from the author.

All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.

Summary: A human will do anything to escape the two wolf shifters who believe she is their mate until she realizes that loving her has endangered them.

ISBN: 9781963823400 (Paperback)

ISBN: 9781963823394 (eBook)

ISBN: 9781963823417 (Hardback)

Romance (love, explicit sexual content) | Fantasy | Paranormal (Shifters) | Action/Adventure | Contemporary

Published by Montana Publishing, LLC

& SE Smith of Florida Inc. www.sesmithfl.com

SYNOPSIS

Primal instincts…

Jayden, one of the few surviving humans known to exist, grapples with the betrayal of her own clan, plunging her into a world of darkness and distrust. Determined to evade the clutches of the Others—shape shifters who now dominate the Earth—she finds herself entangled in an unexpected love triangle with two wolf shifters.

Van Timberwolf and Peterson Redfoot can’t believe they have found their destined mate among the dwindling human population. It doesn’t take long for them to discover that Jayden’s elusive nature and fierce resolve pose challenges unlike any they’ve faced before.

Despite the protection of the highest authority, the threesome finds themselves ensnared in a perilous game of cat-and-mouse where betrayal waits at every turn, and clandestine organizations lurk in the shadows.

None of them are safe when Jayden becomes a target. When poachers exploit the undeniable bond between herself and the two shifters who adore her, they set off a chain of events that imperils everything Van and Peterson hold dear.

With twists as unpredictable as Jayden herself, the poachers are about to realize they’ve underestimated the resilience of the human spirit. Can Jayden embrace her primal instincts to protect the ones she loves before it’s too late for them all?

PROLOGUE

Forest lands: Pacific Northwest

Seven years prior

Muffled giggles filtered through the forests, catching the attention of a young barred owl weaving its way through the dense canopy of old growth conifers that covered the area. The owl swooped down and landed on the branch of a magnificent spruce, its eyes following the two young girls who raced along an animal trail cut through the tall, thick ferns.

The spring chill had passed, and the early days of summer gripped the lush green landscape. The girls, dressed in simple handwoven clothing, stood out against the forest floor. Their brown and blonde hair flowed behind them as they ran, as wild as they were.

“Wait up, Jayden!”

Jayden laughed as she ran along the trunk of a fallen tree. She hopped down on the other side and crawled under it to hide. A moment later, Ella jumped down. Jayden reached out from her hiding spot under the massive trunk and grabbed Ella’s slender ankle, making her jump.

Ella squealed with surprise, turning toward Jayden as she fell to the forest floor in a heap of laughter. Jayden grinned back at her friend. Ella leaned forward and wiped a hand covered in dirt along Jayden’s cheek.

“You look like one of those forest creatures that the elders warn us about,” Ella teased.

“I am one of those forest creatures. We both are,” Jayden replied, crawling over to sit next to Ella.

Ella laid back against the soft, moss-covered ground and stretched out, placing her dirty, bare feet on the trunk of the dead tree. She folded her arms under her head to cushion it and stared up at the swaying treetops and blue sky dotted with dense fluffy white clouds. It was a beautiful summer day. A welcome relief from the cold rains of spring.

Jayden flopped over onto her back and did the same. She reached into the pocket of her beige tunic and pulled out a piece of bread left over from their meager breakfast. She ripped it in half and held a piece out to Ella. Ella sat up and reached for the paltry offering as if she were being offered a piece of cake—something neither of them had ever tasted.

“I’m glad winter is done,” Ella said as she picked a tidbit of the bread off.

“Me too.”

Ella looked at Jayden with a look of regret. “I’m sorry, Jayden.”

Jayden sat up and shrugged. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault.”

Jayden fingered the bread she was holding. She wasn’t hungry anymore. It wasn’t Ella’s fault. According to her parents, it wasn’t any of their faults.

No. If anyone is to blame it is the Others.

The Others had driven them out of their home in the middle of winter when they came too close. Jayden’s little brother, Robert, had always been sickly. It hadn’t mattered that she had added her best furs to cover him or tried to give him half of her meager meals, he had grown weaker and weaker. He hadn’t survived the move. They had lost six more people because of the Others over the harsh winter months.

There hadn’t been enough food, and there was never enough protection from the cold. Jayden lifted her face when the sun peeked through the canopy. The warmth felt good against her skin. She just needed it to reach her bones.

“Do you think we will have to move again soon?” Ella asked.

Jayden nodded. “Probably. I overheard the elders say that the Others are making it harder for us to hide from them. They are talking about moving to the mountains to the west.”

“The mountains! We’ve never gone that far before. There is always snow on them,” Ella groaned.

“Maybe the shifters won’t like the snow,” Jayden said.

Ella shook her head. “It didn’t stop them from coming into the woods this past winter,” she replied in a glum voice.

Jayden reached out and squeezed Ella’s arm. She knew that Ella was terrified of what the Others would do to them. Jayden was scared too, but she was also determined to be ready. That was why she spent most of her time scouring the forests, learning the best ways to hide and fight.

When the day comes that we meet the shifters again, I will be ready to fight them.

“Maybe we will be safe in the mountains, but I hope it isn’t for a while. My mom can’t move far right now. My little brother or sister is making her sick,” Ella said.

“My brother did that to my mom. I’m never going to have children,” Jayden declared, tucking the piece of bread back into her pocket and rising.

Ella gave her a startled look. “But… the elders say it’s necessary; otherwise there won’t be no more of us.”

Jayden pursed her lips and shook her head. Though her mom and dad said she often spoke before she thought, this time she didn’t say what she was really thinking—that humans were already a thing of the past. She and Ella might only be twelve winters old, but Jayden listened to the elders talk when they thought no one was listening. Late at night, she would eavesdrop on her parents’ conversations as they discussed the dire situation of their dwindling numbers and the slim chances of survival. After Robert’s untimely death last winter, the fleeting nature of life had sunk into Jayden’s bones. She understood. She accepted. But she was still going to fight to survive.

She was about to suggest they search for some wild blueberries when a thunderous crash caused them to drop to the ground. The ground trembled. When it happened again, she scrambled under the tree trunk, pulling Ella behind her.

Their intertwined fingers grew clammy and cold, each heartbeat a drumbeat against their ears as they huddled in fear. The air was thick with the buzz of insects as they remained frozen under the log, their bodies tensed in readiness to flee, before she finally released Ella’s hand and began to crawl out. With a trembling hand, Ella grabbed her arm, her eyes filled with terror as she silently shook her head.

“We have to know if it is the Others, so we can warn the clan,” Jayden said in a low voice.

“No! What if they see us?” Ella whispered.

“They won’t. We’ll be extra careful,” Jayden promised before she paused and bit her lip. “You can stay here. If I don’t come back, then you can go warn the others.”

“No. We go together,” Ella said, reaching for her hand.

Jayden helped Ella up. “We’ll be quiet as a mouse.”

Ella gave her a shaky smile and nodded. “Quiet as a mouse,” she repeated.

Jayden picked up a sharp stick that lay on the ground, its wood rough and dry under her fingers, and motioned for Ella to follow. They moved silently through the ferns, their footsteps muffled by the soft earth and the rustling leaves. A quarter mile from where they had been playing, they bent and crept closer to the edge of the woods. On the other side was a rocky section that led to a large river.

They squatted and peered through the branches of a spindly bush, and then jolted with intense alarm when the sound of wings flapping caught their attention. With a fearsome scowl, Jayden glared up at the juvenile owl perched on a branch, its soft hooting echoing through the air.

“Shh!” she mouthed, placing a dirty finger to her lips.

The owl tilted its head at her, its piercing eyes locked onto hers. With a quick hop along the branch, it propelled itself into the air, gracefully soaring across the river to the other side. Jayden’s eyes traced the owl’s graceful flight as it vanished into the dense woods where the mysterious noise had originated. Her eyes widened when a massive, leathery-skinned gray creature with a horn in the center of its snout appeared. A second later, two more creatures came into view. There was one similar to the first, only a shade darker, while the second was twice the size of the other two and had a long snout and large ears.

The creature with the long snout braced his shoulder against a young tree and pushed. The tree toppled with a loud crash, the top landing at the edge of the river. The other two creatures snickered and charged the toppled tree, lifting it as if it was no heavier than a pebble before they tossed it along the bank.

“Jayden, we have to go. We have to warn the clan,” Ella whispered in a frantic tone, pulling on Jayden’s arm.

Jayden nodded. The Others had once again come to their part of the woods. The elders were right. They would have to head for the mountains and into the great unknown forest to the west. It was their only hope of remaining undiscovered.

She stared at the three creatures for a second longer. They were tearing the young tree apart as if it were only a twig. Tears burned her eyes.

They care nothing for life.

With a heavy heart, she turned away and silently followed Ella. She stayed silent the whole trip back, grappling with the realization that her warrior skills would always fall short against the shape shifters who dominated the world.

CHAPTER1

Olympic National Park: Pacific Northwest

Eight-and-a-half-years later:

Large flakes fell from fluffy dark gray clouds, coating the landscape in a blanket of white. The scenery would have been picturesque if not for the constant threat of the Others. Jayden thought she had hardened her heart to everything they could do to her people—until now.

This is all my fault, she thought with growing sorrow.

Ella would have never met the grizzly shifter if Jayden hadn’t talked her into going too close to a structure that belonged to the Others. She had only been looking for discarded items that would help their clan. Instead, her carelessness had led them into a trap—and discovery.

There was no one else to blame, and the weight of responsibility settled heavily on Jayden’s shoulders. She had disregarded the first law of her people, which strictly forbade approaching the dwellings of the Others, which had led to the grizzly-shifter suddenly appearing in their village. Jayden had been shocked and dismayed by Ella’s protective response.

While the other villagers, including herself, had recoiled with fear and hatred, Ella had thrown herself over the Other to protect him from harm. The clan had banished Ella. Jayden’s best friend was an outcast now, cast adrift from her only family.

It’s all because of me and my recklessness, Jayden thought with remorse.

Jayden pulled the long white fur coat protecting her from the elements tighter around her slender form. She had been following Ella’s tracks for the past half-hour. She was going to bring her supplies, even though such help was forbidden. If the elders wanted to banish Jayden too, they could. It was no less than what she deserved.

She glided effortlessly along the snow-covered ground, her movements as graceful as a dancer. In their quest for concealment, her dwindling clan had sought refuge in the remote mountains, venturing further into their secluded heights. It was the last place to hide.

Because of me…

She paused before the river Ella had crossed. The bark of one of the trees was rough beneath her fingertips and her heart raced with fear as she looked on, seeing her best friend wrap her arms tightly around the neck of a towering grizzly.

Instead of tearing Ella apart, the beast emitted a series of contented grunts and affectionately nuzzled its massive head against her, nearly knocking her off balance.

Ella’s grizzly shifter had found her.

Pain and disillusionment coursed through Jayden. Her fingers tightened on the lance in her hand. She should have killed Ty Bearclaw when she had the chance, then none of this would be happening.

What did the beast do to enchant my friend?

Jayden shifted her attention to the two wolves maintaining a protective stance nearby. She had come across their tracks while on her reconnaissance missions earlier in the week, but this was the first time she actually saw them.

The wolf to the right was the color of midnight. The second wolf was the color of the burnt fall leaves. The black wolf released a sneeze, as if pleased with Ella’s embrace of the grizzly. Alow, rumbling growl pulled Jayden’s attention back to the red wolf, who was staring in her direction.

Jayden remained still. She knew that any movement would draw the wolves’ attention to her position. Her white coat, the thickly falling snow, and the massive tree trunk she was standing behind would conceal her—as long as she didn’t bolt. Her breath caught when the black wolf suddenly shifted into his two-legged form.

The red wolf’s body shimmered as well and then a second man stood next to the first. Neither wore clothes. The grizzly snarled at the men and blocked Ella’s view of them with its massive body.

Oh mercy, but they are beautiful!

She recoiled internally from the surprising thought. Yet, even more disturbing, was the sudden desire to reveal herself. Had the creatures cast a spell on her? Did they have some strange pheromone that captivated human women?

A shudder of fear coursed through Jayden at the thought of losing control to a shifter, even as she drank in the sight before her. She was so absorbed in their beauty and strength that she didn’t realize at first that Ella and the grizzly had moved further into the forest on the far side of the river. The two shifters conversed for another minute by the shore, scanning the forest in her direction, before they shifted again and followed her friend and the beast.

It wasn’t until they too were hidden by the trees that she released a shuddering breath. Fear and the instinct for survival was so engrained in her that she lifted her hand without thinking to hide the fog of her breath. She waited for another five minutes before finally mustering the strength to move her heavy limbs.

“I will use your hide as my winter coat if you try to enchant me,” she vowed in a low voice, staring at the empty shoreline across from her. “I will wrap it around my body and show you that you have no hold on me.”

Bolstered by the threat, she turned and retraced the path through the forest back to her clan’s encampment. She would have to tell the elders what she had seen. They would be forced to move deeper into the mountains.

Grief filled her. They were dying. Her clan, the last humans she was aware of, were a dying species. The Others were about to win the battle they had started centuries before.

One they thought they had already won, she bitterly thought.

* * *

Van grabbed the clothes out of his pack and pulled them on. Despite being unfazed by the weather as a wolf, it could be a little uncomfortable when he changed back. It wasn’t the weather that was bothering him, though.

“You sensed something, too, didn’t you?”

Van grunted in response to his friend’s astute observation as he pulled on his pants. He had been wondering if Peterson had felt the same thing as well.

They hadn’t been alone. Someone or something had been watching them. It could have been another shifter, which worried him, but his wolf hadn’t reacted as though whoever had been there was a threat.

Peterson sat down on the log near the firepit in their camp. In the background, Tracy was fussing over Ella while Ty got dressed. Tracy Bearclaw was an anthropologist who happened to be the niece of Michaela Bearclaw-Kodiak, President of the United Species of North America. Van and Peterson often worked with Tracy when she needed exceptional trackers. Ty was her brother. He was the curator of the Washington State Animal Sanctuary, Research, and Observation Center. Ella was Ty’s human mate. Van glanced over his shoulder. Through the gap in the tent, he could see the human woman.

“It’s hard to believe that a human still exists. Do you think there are more?” Peterson continued.

Van scowled. He didn’t really know if he was scowling at Peterson, at the cold, at his wolf, or just at everything. He felt… a nameless, urgent something. He pulled a forest green sweater over his head and tugged it down. He sat down next to Peterson, focusing on drying his feet so he could put his socks and boots on. What was it that Peterson had even asked him? Did he think there were more humans?

“Yeah, I think there are more. Ella had to come from somewhere and there is no way she could have survived this long on her own. The million-dollar question is: how many more humans are there, and where in the world have they been hiding?” he replied.

“That’s two questions. And the ‘where’ is obvious. The question I have is how? I mean, how could they stay hidden? It’s been centuries since the last one was seen.”

“I know. I took the same classes as you in school, remember?” Van said with a wry grin, elbowing Peterson and almost knocking him off the log.

“Classes? You mean the ones you talked me into skipping more than attending?” Peterson retorted with a chuckle.

“We attended the important ones.” He shook his head and pulled on his boots. “Yes, I think there are more humans, and⁠—”

His voice died and he stared into the flickering firelight. Yes, there are more. The certainty replayed in his mind like a broken record, accompanied by the realization that the remaining humans would be in peril once the news of their presence got out. He jerked back to the present when Peterson nudged him.

“And—?”

Van blinked as he tried to remember what he had been about to say. Releasing a long sigh, he shook his head. Peterson had sensed something, but was it the same thing as what he had experienced?

“And I think one of them was watching us,” he replied.

Peterson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands together. Van studied the tense expression on Peterson’s face. He always knew when Peterson wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to phrase it. It had been like that since they met when they were ten-years-old. Peterson’s parents had just perished in a car accident while on their way to a pack summit. Van’s parents, as leaders of the pack, had taken Peterson in, and there had been an instant connection between the two of them. Stronger than normal. Even stronger than Van’s bond with his brothers.

“My wolf—” Peterson shook his head before he clenched his fists and continued. “My wolf sensed it—our—mate.”

Van stiffened. Was that what the unusual feeling had been? His wolf had been confused, almost desperate. That was why he had shifted back into his two-legged form. At first, he wondered if it was because of Ella. After all, shifters and humans had fought. Wolves were guided by the instincts of their ancestors. He was afraid there may have been a latent instinct to attack and kill her held deep within his wolf DNA. Now he understood.

“I thought it was because of Ella,” he murmured.

Peterson gripped his arm. “You felt it, too. Your wolf… it wanted to hunt?”

He nodded. “I only caught the scent for a second and whoever was there knew to stay still. The scent was too faint for me to lock on because of the snow. But, yeah, I felt it, too.”

“Goddess, you don’t know how glad I am that you said that. I thought I was going crazy,” Peterson replied with a strained laugh.

Van glanced at the tent. Ty was inside with Ella. They were talking quietly. His focus shifted to Tracy. She was staring out at the forest with a thoughtful expression.

That usually means trouble.

“Van… Van…”

He returned his attention to Peterson, who had a dark scowl on his face. He frowned. What had he missed now?

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? I just told you that we found our mate and all you can say is ‘I felt it’? What are we going to do about it?” Peterson demanded.

Van stared out at the snow-covered forest with grim determination. Their mate was out there—somewhere. Their current priority was to make sure that Tracy, Ty, and Ella were safe, but after that, they would come back.

“We are going to find her,” he vowed.

CHAPTER2

Olympic National Park: Washington State

United Species of North America

Six months later

“Where ya going?”

Caught while sneaking out, Jayden grimaced and peered through the gloom toward the hushed voice. She huffed out a sigh when she saw small, thin, six-year-old Timmy near the central fire, sitting with a patchwork blanket wrapped around him. Her eyes softened, however, when she noticed the streak of dirt along his cheek that was still damp.

She walked over to the firepit and sat down next to him, pulling her bag around until it was resting in her lap.

“Did you have another nightmare?” she asked.

Timmy nodded and looked down. “Yes. I didn’t want LaTrisha to hear me. She gets worried.”

She nodded and wiped a fresh tear from his face. “Yeah. I know how that feels. I used to get them after Robert died.”

Timmy looked up. “Does it get any better? I miss Momma so much. LaTrisha says that the hurt will get easier, but I’m scared she just means I’ll forget about her.”

“You won’t. It does get easier—in a way. You won’t forget your momma,” she promised.

Timmy looked at the fire. “Sometimes I hear LaTrisha cry. I think she misses Momma, too.”

“Are you hungry?” she asked, hoping to take the little boy’s thoughts off of his sorrow.

“A little. I’m eating the cookies that Tracy gave me. Would you like one?” he said, pulling a bowl out from under his blanket.

Jayden smiled ruefully. Sweet treats from the Others. Things had certainly changed. “No, thank you.” She pulled a palm-sized bundle out of her bag and held it out to him. “Would you like some dried fruit to go with your cookies? I have more than I can eat.”

Timmy’s eyes lit up with delight. “I bet it would taste good with my cookies.”

“Yeah. I bet it would. Listen, I need to go check my traps. Can you…. Well, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone,” she confided.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know? You go out all the time.”

Jayden stared at the embers in the firepit uncomfortably.

“I don’t want anyone to worry about me. Mitchell and the elders have a lot going on now that the shifter is here,” she said.

Timmy looked over toward Mitchell and Tracy’s sleeping area. A shifter’s tent was set up along the wall. It stood out among the more familiar, human arrangements in the cavern.

“I won’t tell no one unless they ask. Momma said I wasn’t supposed to fib,” Timmy said.

Jayden ran her hand over his messy hair. “You don’t have to fib. I’ll probably be back before anyone notices I’m gone—well, except for you.”

“Are you sure you don’t want a cookie to take with you? They are really good.”

“No, but thank you for asking,” she said, rising.

Jayden did not want, and would never want, the shifters’ cookies,or their cages, or their friend-stealing magic spells, or their sexy dreams⁠—

She waved goodbye and silently headed for the entrance to the cave. Timmy’s offer of the shifter cookies had actually been sweet. A slight pang of guilt and shame made her angry all over again, this time at herself. She had met two shifters in person in her life so far, and neither had resembled those of the stories the elders told about them.

She pulled her white fur cap further down over her ears when a shaft of freezing air swirled around her. The snow had finally stopped, leaving the world encased in a glittering white wonderland. She paused to slip on her snowshoes, tying the leather straps over the top of her boots and pulling the slip knots tight on each heel before stepping out.

The path down from the cave was covered in two more feet of snow than what was there a few days ago when they arrived. The wide brims of her snowshoes kept her from sinking into it. Scanning her surroundings, she thought about Tracy, Mitchell’s shifter, the shifter Jayden had been studying for the last few days.

Tracy Bearclaw acted like she genuinely cared about humans, and as for how she was with Mitchell, she certainly seemed to be in love.

A pang of loneliness struck Jayden. First Ella and now Mitchell. How could life change so quickly?

The only thing that is constant is the mountains. That thought brought her some measure of comfort, and it was what she had been thinking about when she told her clan she would take her chances in the wild. Tracy had just offered the clan a compound designed for humans, explaining that the shifters’ plan was to bring humans out of hiding in a safe way so humans could eventually live alongside the Others, fully integrated into their society. Mitchell and the elders had decided to accept.

It left Jayden reeling with resentment, anger, and fear. It also caused memories of the two wolf shifters to rise to the surface of her mind, along with a sense of panic.

Would I see them again?

That thought flustered her. She was still haunted by dreams of the men, dreams where they would hold her and do things to her that she knew happened between a man and a woman. Even though she couldn’t remember the details, she remembered the feelings left behind when she woke.

“I won’t let it happen. I won’t give into whatever magic they think they can cast over me,” she growled under her breath.

She was still locked in a fierce battle with her emotions after two-and-a-half hours of walking in the mountainous forest. She had spent the time imagining various scenarios, playing out different strategies to outsmart the men in case she ever crossed paths with them again. Her imaginings ranged from amusing to breathtaking, leaving her alternating between laughter and catching her breath as she trekked across the snow-covered landscape. She stooped down to pick up an empty snare.

“There are probably tons of shifters out there. Just because I saw them once with Ty and Ella doesn’t mean that I’ll see them again. They could be anywhere by now,” she muttered.

Feeling comforted by that thought, she carried on with her duties. When she reached her last trap, the sun was high in the sky, painting the surrounding landscape with a comforting warmth. She had checked every trap, but they were all empty of any catch. Perplexed, she scanned the snowy landscape, searching for any signs of disturbance in the pristine powder. The forest was devoid of its usual sounds, as if nature itself was holding its breath in anticipation. It was an eerie atmosphere.

She straightened and carefully stowed the twine she had used as a snare inside her bag, her eyes scanning the dense forest. There was a strange stillness that she’d failed to notice earlier. Unease built inside her, and the overwhelming desire to return to the cave pulled at her.

There are others searching for you.

The memory of Tracy’s warning swept through her mind. Fear propelled her back along the path she had taken hours earlier, moving much faster than she had in the early morning light, though she carefully studied the ground, searching for tracks other than her own. She kept her breathing even as she exited the forest and began the climb up the ridge. She didn’t let her guard down as she searched the landscape for anything out of the ordinary.

When unfamiliar tracks leading toward the cave appeared from the southwest side of the ridge, her breath caught. She stopped and crouched by a set of the footprints, running her fingers along the unusual grooves in the snow. They differed from anything her people would wear. They were more like the boots Tracy wore, only larger. There was no fresh snow in the tracks, meaning they had arrived after she had left this morning.

The Others!

She rose and slowly advanced, keeping a wary eye open for any movement. Her heart pounded when she saw unmistakable droplets of blood in the snow. Swallowing down bile, she prayed that none of the specks were from someone inside the cave. She continued forward, moving with caution and holding her spear out in front of her.

As she approached the outcroppings of rocks that helped conceal the entrance to the cave, horror threatened to choke her when she saw a large pool of frozen blood covering a section of compacted snow. She frantically scanned the path, trying to discern how many footprints there were and whether any of them belonged to her people. Confusingly, she only saw tracks from one shifter.

She expanded her search and found a duplicate scene on the other side of the trail, near another line of boulders. Whoever, or whatever, had been there had also met a grisly demise. Following the splattered trail of blood as far as she safely could to the edge of the drop-off, she discovered that whatever had attacked the shifters must have deposited them over the cliff.

“But how?”

There were no tracks of the perpetrator nor of a dragged body—only blood. The closest she could safely get to the edge was twenty feet. It was impossible to tell how stable the snow was.

“None of this makes any sense!” she mused, turning back to look toward the cave.

Whatever had happened, she needed to find out if everyone was safe. Retracing her steps, she climbed the last two hundred feet to the mouth of the cave, silently praying she wouldn’t find the same evidence of death inside it that she had discovered outside.

* * *

A short time earlier:

The team lead of Charley 1 crept forward, following the shallow impression of footprints in the snow. He held up his hand and motioned to the soldier across from him. The soldier nodded and crouched behind a snow-covered boulder.

A sneer curved his lips. “It looks like there’s a cave up ahead.”

The second soldier chuckled. “This is like herding lambs to the slaughter. We’ll be home before nightfall.”

Charley 1 nodded and spoke quietly into his mic. “Team 3 is moving up.”

He motioned for Charley 2 to follow him. He went first, detouring around the boulders, stopping several yards up the trail before taking cover behind another boulder two-hundred yards out from the entrance. Charley 2 fell into position across from him again. They both lifted a pair of binoculars to their eyes.

“Target sighted,” Charley 1 murmured.

“Confirmed. Target sighted,” Charley 2 concurred.

Static on his com made him grimace. He kept his eyes glued on the entrance to the cave. From the markings on the woman standing just inside the opening, it was the shifter. According to their Intel, there should only be the one.

“Team 3 report.”

“Confirmed visual on a cave entrance. One target is visible,” Charley 1 responded into his mic.

“Charley 1, do not engage until we are in position,” Alpha 1 ordered.

He held up his fist to show they were ordered to hold their position. The neck gaiter he wore concealed the fog from his breath as he breathed out a sigh. Charley 2 must have felt the same frustration.

“Don’t know why we needed eight men. We could take the humans with one hand tied behind our backs,” Charley 2 muttered.

“Don’t forget that grizzly shifter,” he replied.

Charley 2 lifted the gun in his hand and made an inaudible sound of gunfire. He shook his head and silently laughed before turning to look back at the mouth of the cave. Tracy Bearclaw was pacing just inside it, talking to someone. That could complicate the mission, if her people arrived before their team evacuated.

I always did love a challenge.

Just as he was about to lift the binoculars, Alpha 1’s voice came through the mic, causing him to pause. As soon as he heard the urgency in the team commander’s voice, a sense of impending danger washed over him. Lowering the binoculars, he pressed his hand against the mic to confirm the accuracy of what he was hearing.

“Charley 1, be advised there are hostiles in the area.”

He lifted his arm to alert Charley 2 that there was an issue. Intense pain, followed by a surreal sensation struck him. He watched in horror as the arm he had extended fell to the snow, detached from the rest of his body. His lips parted on a hoarse scream that remained frozen on his lips. He dropped the binoculars he was holding and lifted his hand to his throat. Warm blood pulsed like a spring fountain, coating his gloved hand and spilling onto his sleeve.

The world tilted as he fell onto his back in the snow. A shadow blocked the early morning light. The shadow grew larger as it came closer until all he could see was darkness. The brief thought that death had wings struck him as interesting, before his head lobbed to the side, his eyes already glazed in death.

“Charley 1, status report,” Alpha 1 requested again and again.

CHAPTER3

The noise of automatic gunfire caused Jayden to drop to her hands and knees less than a hundred feet from the entrance to the cave. She wildly looked around, turning and scrambling across the snow to a nearby boulder. The unusual sound had come from behind her… and sounded close.

She stiffened when the noise suddenly stopped. Visions of the blood-soaked area she had just left sent her heart racing. Had her people escaped only to be murdered in the woods?

“No. There aren’t any other tracks but mine,” she hissed under her breath, trying to quell her fears.

She pushed back to her feet, but crouched and kept a low profile as she focused on reaching the cave. Her eyes swept the ground, searching for more footprints. If there had been a mass exit, the snow would have been trampled.

It wasn’t until she rounded the large boulders partially blocking the entrance that she heard Mitchell and Tracy’s voices. She braced a gloved hand against the rock when relief made her knees weak. She breathed in calming breaths as she listened to make sure everything was alright before she entered.

“Is it possible it is your people?” Mitchell asked.

It was obvious they knew that something was going on, but not the full extent. She stopped just outside of the entrance and removed her snowshoes. She held them against her side; once more searching the terrain behind her before she entered the cave.

“I don’t know. Unless something bad happened, I can’t imagine them shooting. You don’t think Jayden—?” Tracy’s voice faltered on her question.

“I had nothing to do with what’s going on,” Jayden said, looking behind her again before scanning the interior of the cave.

Mitchell turned to face her with a scowl of disapproval on his face. “Where have you been? Did you see anything?”

Swallowing hard, she couldn’t help but replay the vivid images in her mind before finally giving him a quick nod. She shuddered as she related what she had discovered, unable to forget the sight of blood. Mitchell and Tracy’s concerned expressions mirrored each other as they kept exchanging apprehensive glances.

“My brother and the evac team should be here within the hour,” Tracy said.