THE FIRE WOLF SAGA BOOK 1

DEMON REJECTED
KITTY SIBERIA
 CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15

About the Author

 The Fire Wolf Saga

Book 1

Demon Rejected
by
Kitty Siberia
Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved
The Characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not
intended by the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Created with Vellum

 1

My dreams are made of flames that set my body and soul ablaze. I can set the World on fire with the
power of my mind! My mother calls me Demon. My dreams are made of heat and ash. My hatred and
fear turn everything into wisps of smoke and empty dreams. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I am a
Demon.”
The dreams I have turn into a flaming inferno.
My eyes opened to the darkness of the surroundings. This nap left me shaking, feeling weak and
hungry. Long hours passed since I nibbled on the stale bread that I found in the cupboard. My mother
never kept food around, just booze, and not even that lasted long.
The trailer I called home stank of alcohol and vomit, a sign that my beloved mother found her way
back home from the bar in her usual style, someone dumped her at the entrance of the trailer park and
she stumbled back. She was famous at the bar where she drank and found a new volunteer to drive her
home each night.
Was there someone else with her?
Holding my breath, I tried to listen. It was silent, which meant she was too drunk to bring back
company. Male company turned into wild tumbles on the floor, moaning and yelling. Sometimes her
voice was joined by one or two male voices. Hearing the concert of fucking made me close my eyes
and push my palms over my ears while humming a tune. At least tonight, there was just one reason to
be afraid in the form of my mother and not some stranger too.
My seven-year-old self opened her eyes, adjusting to the darkness. I blinked. The darkness in the
closet was feeling safe and warm—a cocoon that gave me the illusion of something I never had,
safety. I’ll be fine as long as she can’t see me. When she’s drunk, she’s angry, and when she’s angry,
I’ll get hurt. She didn’t have enough to drink in the house this afternoon and started slapping me
around and calling me Demon.
It was too late to run to Miss Nichols from across the lot. She would take pity on me and allow
me to sleep at her place. I tried to become a small ball and let my mother hit me repeatedly, hoping
that my lack of response would make her stop. There was nothing I could do. It was not as if I had a
choice. I was over pleading with her to let me be. My cries and screams worked like fuel for her
anger. When she became like this, and her eyes lit up with furry, her fingers turned into claws and her
mouth would foam, then there was no escape for me anymore.
My left eye hurt. I touched it with the tip of my dirty finger. It stung and burned, tears running from
it in its attempt to heal itself. The blood on my temple dried and was a crust that stuck to the eyebrow.
With my short, chewed nails, I started scratching it off. My left eye feels swollen from her slaps, the
same as my belly and back. Only the eye hurts the most.
I passed out after her last demonstration of motherly love and didn’t make it to the bathroom to
check the results in the mirror. After she beat me and I woke up, I crawled inside the closet. I know
the drill. When she’s like that, it’s best to hide. Now I wished that I would have woken up earlier and
had a glass of water. My throat and mouth felt parched.
A loud noise scared me again and made me flinch. Pressing both of my dirty hands over my mouth,
I tried to stop myself from crying. It’s just a chair. She stumbled. Mom started an entire line of curse
words that would make a sailor blush.
She’s moving around the trailer, pulling random things out of drawers and throwing them down
while calling out my name.
“Scarlet, you little bitch, where are you?"
I am shaking and holding a sob back that is making my small, skinny body shake. The kids in
school call me bones, but I don’t mind. Their words don’t hurt the way her hands and feet do.
She’s going to feel guilty in the morning or whenever she wakeup.
A moan reaches me inside my hiding spot. The moan turns into a scream. I hear her frustration as
she roars through the room. Why isn’t she passed out the way she should be?
“Demon, come out, come out, wherever you are!"
My feet shuffle. I push towards the wall, wishing that I could be invisible. Wishing that she would
go away, pass out, and let me be. And I am so hungry. My stomach is churning and burning, a stab of
pain going through me.
The back of our crowded closet is my bedroom, my safe space, old winter jackets that smell
rancid serve as my mattress and a soft sweater that I picked up from Goodwill once is my pillow.
Sometimes I smell the sweater and imagine that it belongs to my real mom and that this woman who
beats me daily is not my mother. It’s just a dream that makes room for reality as soon as I hear the few
pots in the kitchen corner falling and crashing against the sink.
I close my eyes again, ignoring the drunken slur that floats from my mother to me. I can’t deal with
this now. I’m too afraid.
“Demon. Where are you?"
She calls me Demon when she hits me. I looked that word up online, and it doesn’t make sense to
me. Why would my mother call me a Demon? I’m only a little girl.
My heart is inside my throat. I cower when I hear her scraping footsteps on the dirty old linoleum.
I can picture it. She’s wearing one of her sexy dresses and her heels. She lost a shoe somewhere, and
now she’s stumbling. Her other foot got stuck where the linoleum has a hole from a fire she said I
made. I never played with matches.
“Hey, don’t be scared."
That voice is calm and suiting in a way nothing else ever was or will be. She is not an imaginary
friend. I know it. Warmth and love surround me.
“Sparky, is that you?"
I inhale deeply and try to stop myself from shaking. My mom will hear me and, when she’s like
this, she will hit me again and again. I want to love her. She’s my mother, but each time she hits me,
and I feel the hatred flowing from her, a piece of myself breaks. In school, I watched other moms.
None of them behaved like mine. Even the kids being beaten in the trailer park are being abused by
their fathers. My mother is the only one calling me a Demon. She’s the one making sure bruises and
scars always cover my body.
As I close my eyes, I call on Sparky. I know she’ll be here when I need her. I feel a soft nudge
against my arm.
Warmth.
Safety.
Sparky is a puppy, only my puppy is made of flames. She’s shaped like a wolf but made of fire.
Her eyes are like rubies and they sparkle in the night. Did she introduce herself as Sparky, or did I
give her the name? As I sat there and she shielded my body, I didn’t care about anything at all. I put
my arms around her neck and allowed myself to melt into my puppy. I don’t know where Sparky
comes from. I know that she’s here now. Then she talks to me. Not always, but often.
Tears stream down from my eyes, making my hurt left eye burn and sting even more. Tears feel
like acid when the skin is broken and cut. My teeth press so hard against my lower lip I draw blood. I
push my face into Sparky. She whimpers as if my pain and fear are hers.
I could not confide in anyone. Only Sparky stands with me.
“Don’t be scared."
Sparky whispers to me in the dark. She looks at me with love. My arms find purchase in her thick
flaming fur as I fall asleep, curled up close to her, afraid my mother will find me again.
I hoped the night would end when the sound of breaking glass woke me again. I am tired, sleepy,
hungry, and thirsty.
A bottle shatters against one of the thin walls of the trailer park home. She ripped the door open
wide.
“Demon, show yourself. It’s time for us to end it."
My mother stands in front of the open door of the closet. She was not a large woman. She had
short dark hair. I assume that one time she used to be pretty before all the booze and cigarettes. The
small TV played a teleshopping show, painting the trailer in eerie shades of darkness by its light. It
flickered and made the pretty woman in the picture look distorted. It’s fascinating what you remember
when you try. The image of the cute blonde is still crystal clear in my mind after so many years.
My mother stood there, moving like a willow in the wind. The light outlined her body. She looked
like a creature of evil and darkness. The shadows painted her face in a way that made me cringe. It
was as if I saw her soul, her real self, for the first time. Sparky stood in front of me, her body
engulfed in flickering fire.
“Demon, I’m going to bathe in your blood."
Mom held the bottle, her knuckles white with rage, her teeth bared, and her gums exposed.
Sparky’s flaming fur changed colors. It turned from a deep orange to red and purple.
The broken bottle shook in her pale fingers. My mother always painted her fingernails red, only
tonight, they looked as if she scratched the dirt with them. It was a scary image.
She called out again.
As much as I tried, I couldn’t understand what she said. Her drunken slur was terrible. Or maybe
it was me, shaking, holding my hands pressed over my mouth. If she saw me crying, she would
become even more furious.
“You’re a Demon, a mistake. You’re darkness, the plague of my life. I should have never kept you.
I’m going to kill you. I’m going to end you now.”
Just as she said that, she launched herself against me, holding on to the thick neck of the broken
whisky bottle. All I could focus on was the broken glass, sharp as a knife, the edges catching the light
and making it shine like amber in the darkness.
I slipped to the side, or Sparky pushed me. I can’t remember. I can’t remember much of that night
after my mother attacked me.
 I woke up in the arms of a fireman. He was tall and strong with a kind smile. He smelled like
smoke and something else, something that promised and peace.
“Hey, little one. How about you tell me your name?" he asked me. The smell of burned rubber
made it hard to breathe.
A cough racked my chest. Sparky was gone. As I looked back, the trailer I had grown up in until
the age of seven was consumed by flames. I nodded, and he smiled again.
“What’s your name?” His smile made me want to press my head against his chest and allow
myself to be taken to safety.
“S… Scr… Sca….” A new series of coughs shook my body and made me grip the fireman’s
jacket.
He kept walking until we reached the back of an ambulance. He sat me on a bench.
“Try again. Let’s hear your voice."
“My name is Scarlet. What’s your name?"
“I’m Roby. I’m an EMT and a fireman. I’m going to listen to your chest with this.” Roby showed
me a stethoscope. “Do you know what that is?"
“A stethoscope."
“Very good. You’re not only brave and pretty, you’re also smart."
Roby was the nicest person I ever met. He examined me and saw my bruises. He kept talking, but
my mind was blank. What happened to my mom? One moment she was about to attack me with the
broken bottle. The next, Sparky defended me by turning itself into a huge wolf of fire and flames.
“Did you find my mom?" My eyes burned and tears streaked my dirty cheeks. The power of
sadness cleansed my clouded vision.
“Was your mom inside the trailer?"
“I… I don’t know. I’m not sure."
That was a lie. I knew she was in there. Did she leave after I passed out?
Roby turned away and gave me a plastic oxygen mask that he asked me to put on my nose and
breathe through slowly.
“Breathe through this. I’ll ask about your mom. I’ll be right back. Sit tight and wait for me, okay?"
I nodded. Just when his large frame disappeared and stopped shielding me, I saw the chaos that
had broken loose in the trailer park. There was a police car, two ambulances, a fire truck. It was all
madness, chaos, and destruction.
Roby returned.
“There was no one else in the trailer. Your mom is safe. Do you know her phone number?"
I shook my head. I had no idea what her number was or if she even carried a phone.
“Don’t you worry, Scarlett. My colleagues will find your mom.”
Everything else happened so fast. As I look back, I feel it was all a weird dream to help me forget
about my mother.
After that day, I landed in foster care. My story is the same sob story many other kids left in the
care of the system share. The care system attracts a specific type of people. Not all were bad. Some
of my so-called foster parents were merely indifferent. I knew the drill. Don’t attract attention. Make
yourself useful. Keep your head down. Don’t get into fights. It would work most of the time if the
people who cared for us were not evil. Other times I had accidents, incidents that brought me to the
place I am now.
Now, at the age of seventeen, I’m still unsure if it was a crazy dream or real. During the years,
after some of my foster parents abused me, there were incidents involving fire. My dreams are always
about fire.
I flick a Zippo lighter out of my pocket and start to play with it. Most people get freaked out by
fire, and my new therapist is no exception. As I sat on the couch and listened to another therapist, I
knew what they expected to hear.
“Scarlett, who gave you the lighter? You should not have it, not in your condition."
They believe I’m a pyromaniac. Little do they know.
As a little girl, I talked about Sparky. The doctors called Sparky a projection of my fears, and I
just went with it. How could I tell them that Sparky was as real as they and I, even though she stopped
visiting me? She comes to me only in my dreams when I’m on the edge of despair. When she’s near
me, things burn down. I’m not bothered by fire or heat. I don’t get burned. Not even a blister forms on
my skin, no matter how long I touch the flame with my open hand.
They searched for my mother. She didn’t die that night, not in the fire, but she disappeared. My
mother could not be bothered to claim me or get in touch with me.
I’m at the point where I can’t remember the number of foster families who have kept me for a
while then pushed me away. I wasn’t an adoptable candidate. From day one, they stuck the label
pyromaniac to my file. As I grew, I developed faster than other girls my age. A look at me was enough
to convince future moms that they didn’t want me as a potential daughter in their family. I kept going,
moved from one foster home to the next. Head down, hoodie pulled over my hair, eyes averted.
The last one was the worst.
“Daddy” had a taste for young girls. Me and Cara, my foster sister, tried our best to protect the
little ones from him, but he would have his way, sneaking in at night, throwing Cara and me out of the
bedroom, then hurting the little girls. His wife was usually drunk and too lost in her stupor to want to
notice anything. One night, I had Cara take the girls and hide them at her boyfriend’s house. I knew if I
opened my mind and called on Sparky, she’d help me.
And I dreamed of fire again.
This time, he died. It was the first time when my fire was strong enough to kill someone. I wanted
to kill him. It made me happy. He was a horrible creature that preyed on the small and helpless. He
twisted their minds and broke them for life, making them distorted reflections of himself. I saw the
flames eating his flesh and bones. I stood there, in the middle of the burning house, with flames all
around me. A small wolf of fire that attacked at my command, cleaning the world from scum like
“Daddy.” I laughed as my clothes burned and the flames moved on my skin, creating a faint tickle, the
way you get tickled by the tongue of a puppy who likes your hands.
The firemen found me passed out in the middle of the house. No one could come up with a logical
explanation for how I could have survived a fire, so they decided to assume that I snuck in in search
of thrills after the house had burned down. They couldn’t be more wrong even if they tried. People
can’t accept there are things in this world that are what they seem, like Sparky and me, for example.
I’ll always be a teenager that likes to play with matches. When I am awake, even I have a problem
believing what happens when I see her, Sparky. She’s like my guardian angel, a guardian angel wolf
that can make things burn.
After the fire, no one could pin it on me. I was painted as a victim, a kid disturbed and maybe
who smoked in bed. It’s what I said.
“Scarlett, after analysing your file, the judge institutionalized you." His voice was velvety soft.
I was lost in my reflection and wasn’t listening to the therapist. The police could not prove that I
set the fire because there were no traces of gasoline or any other burning material. They saw me as a
kid who liked to play with matches. They went with the classic. A cable melted and burned in the
walls, setting fire to the house. As much as they wanted to keep me out of it, there were too many
incidents that connected me to the fires. A fire once during class, a few accidents in the houses I lived
before, and last but not least, the trailer I grew up in that burned. I would have been sent to the sixth
family, only I was already seventeen and had been labeled a pyromaniac. No one wanted me.
“Cool,” I said defiantly. That’s my default setting.
I pushed myself up on an elbow, leaning to the side, allowing my large breasts to spill over. I
watched the psychiatrist sitting on the chair and scribbling notes. His eyes popped out of the sockets.
It was fun playing the seductress. It was the best weapon. Most guys got scared and intimidated by my
behavior and would just leave me alone. No one believes that a young woman that talks so freely is a
Virgin. Sadly, I am. After the Mika incident, I stayed away from guys. Sure, now and then I’ll sneak to
a party and get into a make-out session, but each time a guy wanted to fuck, I panicked and left. What
if I lose control? What if a little bit of fun dicking turns into a flaming inferno, and I roast the poor
schmuck like a potato?
Focusing again on my shrink, I noticed he was not old, maybe in his mid-thirties. His hands shook.
He was uncomfortable being in the same room with an arsonist and murderer who looked as hot as
me.
“What’s up, doc? Can’t decide if you want to lock me up or fuck me?"
A laugh followed the affirmation. The sentence was already pronounced, I’ll be locked up in an
asylum for crazy girls, so what difference did this make?
The doctor looked at me. His Adam’s apple moved up and down. A thin film of sweat formed on
top of his eyebrows.
“I’m trying to help you, Scarlet!"
He was telling the truth, maybe. Who the fuck knows nowadays? Each person had many ulterior
reasons, and I wasn’t in the mood to find out his. Dr. Langley wasn’t bad looking. He had crystal
green eyes and full lips, was clean-shaven, and smelled nice like mint and coffee. I was tempted to sit
on his lap and smell him. Damn, it was forever since I fooled around with that guy in school. A girl
has needs that can’t always be satisfied by your fingers.
“How long?"
“Two years at the Hyperfysikos Institute. Scarlet, you’ll turn eighteen in two weeks. You should
be grateful they don’t throw you in jail.”
“Oooh, sounds like club med." I licked my lips.
“You could have been judged as an adult and sentenced for worse. I did everything I could to get
an easy sentence for you. The Hyperfysikos Institute is concerned about helping young people who are
troubled to find their way in the world. You will see it’s not that bad. If you are behaving well, you
can even take a few college classes in town.”
I pumped my fist in the air and snarled. “Oh, I’m so glad nothing is standing in the way of my
academic career.”
His eyes moved from my ankle to my hips, then up to the shirt, which did little to hide my
generous breasts. Men drool over me, but this one was not a predator.
Yay, my eighteenth birthday was coming up in a few weeks. What better way to celebrate than
being in a restraint jacket inside a mental institution for girls, correction, for young women?
“Scarlett, you’re a smart woman. I have read your essays. You have a way with words and are
creative. You get top grades when you bother to go to school and take the tests. I believe in you. I
think you can turn your entire life around if you are willing to."
His shoulders sank. Did he really care about me? Meh, I seriously doubt it. He was looking for
some way to make me feel grateful and fall on my knees in front of his cock.
“Did you really read my essays?" Why did I allow that tone of hope to sneak into my voice? What
did I care if this shrink read my silly stories I wrote to keep my English teacher happy?
“Yes. I believe that you could take some of the ideas from there and expand them into something
wonderful. I love the way you look at the supernatural. I’m sorry I won’t get to read more stories of
the Ice Queen."
I felt a light blush creeping from my stomach to my chest and face. The curse of being a redhead.
I’m incredibly pale and blush easy.
“Are they going to keep me locked up all day, drugged out of my mind?”
He leaned over as if he was trying to melt the distance between us. “No. I’ll make sure they will
treat you right."
He leaned closer to the table. I could feel that he was honest. Why was this handsome man so
interested in the crazy girl? Well, probably because he wanted to bone me. It’s because of how I look
that this happens a lot, from foster brothers to foster fathers to mothers, teachers, and colleagues. My
friend Cara, who is as flat as a board, used to say I had the body of a stripper.
My body was all sexy, dangerous curves. I have long dark red hair and gemstone-sparkling, deep
blue eyes. My skin is pale like milk and soft like velvet. My waist is tiny and my hips are feminine. I
am this almost six-foot-tall girl trapped in the body of a stripper, and it’s hard to miss me.
I smiled.
“What’s your name?" I used an attempt of my sweet feminine voice for Dr. Langley.
“Dr. Langley. You know that, Scarlett."
I moved the tip of my fingers on my jaw. As he watched me touching my skin, moving the tips of
my fingers over my throat and chest, he swallowed hard.
“Not your last name, your first name. We’ve talked three times a week for more than eight months
already. I know this is our last session. I’d like to know your name."
I sat and I allowed my hand to slip to my chest and press my heart.
“Kevin.”
“Kevin." I allowed the name to slip from my throat to my lips.
“I’ll do what I can to make sure you’ll be fine. You’re innocent. I can see through your act. You
never had someone who took care of you and who you could trust full-hearted. This institution is
hosting other girls that have similar issues. I hope you’re going to make friends there, have fun, learn
something and emerge as a strong woman that will find her way in life and create her own happiness."
I wanted to hug him, and he allowed me to do so. Was he not scared of me anymore? Kevin pulled
me close to his chest for a few seconds. I could feel his heart beating loud as if it was inside my
chest.
Our eyes met, my deep blue eyes and his cool green ones. He had the most beautiful eyes with
long dark lashes.
The next morning, I found myself inside a bus with a small bag of my belongings. A bored
policeman sat a few chairs behind me. I felt like a big shot because I had an armed escort, court
order, and shit.
As I closed my eyes, I allowed myself to slip away from this life.
That day was a day I’ll never forget. Kevin desired me but didn’t act on his impulse even though
he could. He was one of the few who considered what was best for me. That won him a place in my
heart.
Sparky appeared in my dreams. Her color was different from the last time I saw her. She was pink
and violet and felt more grown-up now. She looked at me. In my dream, I sat on a log in the forest,
and she put her head on my lap.
“Hi, girl. I’ve missed you.
A soft whimper escaped her mouth.
“Are you well?"
Her ruby eyes locked on mine. I knew it. She was always with me. This was a promise that she
always will keep. As I am part of her, she was a part of me. My hand was the color of the flames
now, and I could feel that my body was changing, just as I allowed my own heart to sync with
Sparky’s. Her heart of fire consumed me, gave me a sense of belonging and unity.
 2

The asylum for crazy girls.

The bus drove through a forest, and I admired the foliage. They moved me from the city to this
special ass place located somewhere in Washington State. I never left the city before, and woodlands
so thick and lush looked like a creation of my overactive imagination.
As I woke up from my dream, my first reflex was to look down at my hands and see if my fingers
were on fire, too. The policeman sat in the front of the bus now. He must have moved. This bus was
too much for one prisoner. I felt so much more badass than I was.
“Are we there yet?"
The guard turned towards me. “Yeah, soon."
“Hey, why do I get the VIP treatment? It’s not as if I am such a threat to humanity?"
“It’s regulations."
I shrugged. He was a middle-aged chubby man. I could have attacked him and escaped, but where
could I go? I could try this mental asylum. Living on the street didn’t appeal to me at all. I considered
running away before, only without friends or money life didn’t look so appealing. Oh, well. Mental
loony bin it was in that case.
An elegant fence made of stone appeared on the right side of the bus. This was the fence of a
mansion, not a mental place. The natural stone looked as if it just appeared from the ground. Ivy and
vines grew over the walls. The green was in harmony with the grey of the stone walls. I can’t
remember when I saw such a lush deep green, the leaves saturated with moisture ready to burst at the
slightest touch.
“Is this it?" My mouth was hanging slack as I looked towards the impressive mansion hidden
behind the large door.
That gate costs probably more than most of the foster homes I lived in. It had a beautiful, wrought
iron gate with leaves. On each part of the gate, a stone lion stood vigil. The gatehouse had a red roof
and a smoking chimney. Colorful plants surrounded it. Vines climbed close to the round painted
window.
A woman who looked not much older than me and wore green nurse scrubs and a jacket on her
shoulders waited for us at the gate.
“Wait here until I call you," said the guard as he took a clipboard and walked out of the bus
towards the young woman.
She had warm auburn-colored eyes, short hair, and a warm smile. She grabbed the clipboard and
signed. The entire exchange took less than thirty seconds. Guard guy didn’t seem happy as he returned
to the bus.
“You can go now."
As I walked past him, I could feel his eyes moving over my curves and staring at my ass. Yeah,
this one was an ass man.
I had my long red hair pulled back in a sloppy bun, strands of it hung out, and the gust of wind
made them rise like flames in the air. I didn’t realize how chilly it was and felt the need to shrug back
inside my thin hand-me-down jean jacket.
“Hi, you must be Scarlett, welcome, I am nurse Annie Smith, but you can just say nurse Annie."
Her smile reached from her mouth up to her eyes and lit up her entire face. She was one of those
people you end up liking right away, warm people that would embrace you without reservation.
Nurse Annie... What’s behind your act?
“Let’s get you installed, shall we?"
“How old is this place?"
“This house belonged to the Yassy family. They turned it into a sanatorium for girls after their
youngest daughter committed suicide. The family wanted to create a safe place for young women who
had a difficult time fitting into society."
I threw my head back and used my six-foot frame. Why not make sure that I look intimidating?
Nurse Annie smiled again. “Are you cold? We have a uniform, and a thick jacket is part of it. It
looks as if you could use it. You come from a warmer area. I wait for the standard question."
I looked around. “I don’t know what you mean. What’s the standard question?"
She stopped and looked around. “Most girls ask about vampires."
“Well, according to my record, I have problems with fire but no signs of delusion. Why would
you want me to add that to my record?"
“All girls here like fantasy novels. We have a large library."
We walked up to the gravel path. It crunched under the soles of my boots.
As I looked around, I did my best to take everything in. The air tasted different. The building was
beautiful, covered with vines that crawled up to the second level.
“There are no bars at the window.
“No, this isn’t a prison. It’s an all-girl institution. We are here to help, not to keep you girls
captive."
“Do you have restraining jackets?"
She smiled. “You’ve watched too many movies. Sometimes we have to restrain a girl for her
wellbeing to assure that she isn’t hurting herself. We’re here at H House."
“What’s H House?"
“Hyperfysikos Institution sounds a bit long and old fashion. We all say H House."
I shrugged. I didn’t care much to like it here. “Why is no one outside?"
“Some of the girls are at school. Others learn here until they are stable enough to be out there."
“Are they just allowed to leave?"
“Yes, why not?"
“Because I am here by court order, that’s why!"
“If the doctor decides you are stable enough to leave H House and go to school, we can override
court order."
“Hm."
I shrugged again. As a “guest” of several mental institutions, I expected the familiar smell of
bleach, fear, and urine to hit me as soon as Nurse Annie opened the door.
 Damn, this place looked more like an upscale boarding school than a mental institution.
“The girls don’t like to be called mental patients. We consider you all guests here."
Not only was the entrance door beautiful, made of solid oak, but it didn’t squeak. One more point
for them.
Nurse Annie kept talking while I craned my head around to see everything better.
“Let me get you settled. You get your own room. We value privacy. You don’t have to tell other
patients things if you don’t want to, only please don’t ask them questions either."
I nodded. I was always poor, grew up poor, and didn’t get new stuff as a foster child. The schools
I went to were located in poor areas. We barely scraped by. This was something else. I lowered my
guard, a mistake I should not have made.
Nurse Annie walked me towards a large corridor with rooms on each side. The carpet was thick
and muffled the footsteps. She opened the door for me. Room 17. It was like a dream come true.
Large windows and beautiful antique furniture decorated my room.
“Welcome to your room. I hope you like it. We can make changes according to your wishes. There
are clothes in the closet; you are welcome to use them as they are part of our school uniform."
I walked into the room. My heart was melting. I could like this place. This could become home in
a way. The only strange thing was that there were no other voices. My hearing was delicate. I could
pick up noises. This place succumbed to silence.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll bring you dinner and your schedule later. Okay? By the way, you
have a private bathroom right there."
I was in heaven. I didn’t wait for Annie to leave. I opened the door to the bathroom. She was
right. A gorgeous modern bath, all marble with golden faucets, awaited me.
“This must be a luxury hotel and not a mental house.”
I turned on the faucet at the tub, happy, dreaming about soaking in a long, hot bath. How could I be
so stupid? I should have jumped out of the window and run.
Just as I peeled the clothes off me, I noticed the silence that surrounded me again. There should be
others, teachers, doctors, nurses, students, someone. Growing up in orphanages and foster houses, I
know silence is a luxury that you never receive when sharing a home with others. I can even hear a
mouse crawling through the walls, only here the silence was all-encompassing and swallowed me
like a dark mouth.
“You crazy, girl, it’s all good. Your paranoia kicked in."
I did my best to convince myself there was nothing, that it would all be good while watching the
level of water rise in the tub. After stripping out of my undies, I slipped inside it. It was the lovely hot
bath that melted me and dropped my guard. I closed my eyes and slipped under the surface of the
warm water. Maybe I should just stay there and drown.
The scars on the inside of my wrists reminded me that it was not my first try.
I was fourteen when I did it. I believed myself in love with this boy. He was smart and funny, and
damn, he was nice to me. He would put a new book every day inside my locker, and I would read it. I
devoured the books. And then, one day, he wanted us to hang out. I jumped on the opportunity to be
with him. Mika, so cute, blonde, short curly hair and dimples, the most beautiful boy I ever saw in my
life. He picked me up after school and we went for a ride. We talked and laughed. He took me to a
spot where I knew couples went to make out. I should have said no, but I couldn’t. I wanted to make
out with him, kiss him, feel his hands on me. When we arrived there, he was not sweet anymore. He
groped me hard, pushed me down, and he tried to rape me. I bit a piece of his lip. He bled and
screamed and called me names. His blood was all over my pretty floral sundress. I panicked and
swallowed the piece of lip I held in my mouth.
I ran. My feet pounded against the ground, and my eyes got blurry because of the tears that
streaked down.
That evening the police were at my foster parents’ door. They saw me, saw how hard I had been
hit in the face. The police asked me if I wanted to press charges. I didn’t care.
The next day the entire school called me a cannibal. The asshole Mika told his parents and friends
I wanted more than kissing, and he said no. That made me bite him. No one should have believed it,
but they all started calling me the cannibal. At some point, someone filled my locker with raw meat.
That night I went home, sat on the bathroom floor, and took a pair of scissors. I started to cut
myself and watch the blood build-u slow. The blood was so beautiful, deep red. It bubbled to the
surface, like tiny red rubies decorating my pale skin. And then the wounds closed again. Dizziness
took over me and I was so furious. I stuck the scissors again and again into my flesh, deeper and more
savage this time. The weird zig-zag criss-cross scars on my wrist are proof that I will never allow me
to forget what happened. People are trash. This was a lesson to teach me not to trust, my first rule
ever. Don’t trust anyone. Ever. They are all out there to get you.
Why did I ignore my own rules? The water in the tub felt so good, and I even had music humming
from the speakers. As I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.
The next thing I remember, I was strapped to a bed, a large number of tubes and hoses attached to
me. All I could think of was I looked like damn Alice in Resident Evil. Beeping machines had been
hooked to me. A strap stretched across my mouth. I tried to fight the restraints, I did my best to
escape, and there was nothing to do. Absolutely nothing.
Sleep would sneak up on me and pull me down in a world of pain and nightmare.
I found myself in different situations. The most common was that I would be running. My feet hit
the ground hard and fast, a group of creatures following me.
In my soul, I knew the creatures were not human. If I allowed them to catch me, I'd be lost. They
were after my flesh, my essence.
A voice talked to me from the other side of the sea of nightmares. “Scarlett, shift. Show us what
you are."
What was that nonsense? What did they want from me? I was in mental clinics before, and yes,
they would give me light sleeping pills that would make me drowsy but nothing like this.
Was I dead?
I would open my eyes and find myself inside the trailer, only this time my mother caught me. She’s
strapped me to a table and cut me with the empty, broken whisky bottle. As I watch her do it, she
smiles and cuts me again. My eyes flipped open and I saw them. They’re cutting me. Only it’s not my
mom. It’s a team of people dressed like on the set of an alien movie. As I tried to ask what they do to
me, my mouth doesn’t move. I can’t speak and drift away, still knowing they’re taking samples of my
skin, blood, and organs. I can feel their hands on my lungs, it hurts, and I can’t breathe.
Is that it?
I never expected anything from life, but I admit I’m sad and disappointed. With my last resources,
I try to call Sparky. She is real. I know it. She has to be. If I die, they’re going to go with me. We’re
all going to float away on a sea of fire.
Each time I call for Sparky, my world is becoming blurry. I think I am lost. I can feel her. She’s
winning for me, and still I can’t reach her. She’s everything that I have in the world. I can’t lose her.
As much as I try to push through the haze, invisible tentacles are pulling me down deeper, making it
hard to breathe.
 3

Strong hands grabbed me. They freed me from the straps that held me captive and frozen. My mouth
was covered by a strong, warm, calloused palm, while a pillowcase covered my head. The arms
lifted me, and a stench that spread in the room filled my nose. Somehow, I detected the scent of fresh-
cut grass and forest on the man who held me in his arms. Whoever did that had serious strength
because I tried to wiggle. It was almost impossible for me to move.
“Shh, I’m here to help you."
A nauseating scent filled my nose and mouth. The world lost its shape and my body went limp
against the firm chest that offered me warmth and comfort. After so many days of being drugged, I lost
count of time. Whatever happened next, it could not feel worse than what they did to me.
Sparky whimpered. She tried to get to me, but I felt alone during my drug-induced stupor. I was
locked in a glass cube. Sparky tried to push through the cube and get to me, but it was impossible.
Even her flames that could burn woods were not strong enough to break my prison.
Cold.
Fear.
My body shook hard and my teeth chattered. Sometimes I hoped they would break and I would
choke on them and end this all. End a life of pain and misery. Deep darkness swallowed me. The
strong hands that took me out of my bed, that broke the restraints just to create new ones, felt like a
promise. Was there hope out there for me?
I whimpered again. My brain had a long series of words that it was dying to ask.
“Shh, you’re safe. Stay quiet."
That voice. Strong, male, and confident.
The air smelled like fire, only my dream was made of ice. I was cold. The man carrying me held
me close to his chest. It was warm, like a stove, like a wall of muscle heated by the sun. My fingers
grabbed his jacket.
“Shh, Little Flame, it’s all going to be good."
He ran and ran. Twigs broke. His large feet pounded against the ground. A few times, leaves and
small branches touched my face. Some scratched me, thin fingers of the forest stretching out for me. I
could smell it and was aware of the way he shook me in his arms. Forest surrounded us. At some
point, he stopped. I heard a car door opening with a horrible screeching that was fit for a haunted
house. He sat me into a car seat slowly and closed the safety belt over my chest, pushing my arms and
my hair out of the way. He leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead.
“You are safe now, Little Flame."
 Why was he calling me Little Flame? His voice sounded like gravel and honey at the same time.
The engine started with a deep rumble. My kidnapper had an old truck with a strong engine.
Sparky was there. She jumped into my arms and licked my face.
“Hi, girl. I missed you too."
She was warm and made of flames that flickered under the night stars. Sparky curled up around
me, allowing me to sink into oblivion close to her.
As I slept, I knew this must have been a crazy dream. My subconscious always brought Sparky to
me when I was afraid. Something shifted around me. The darkness felt calm and warm now.
The scent of coffee woke me up.
As I moved my hands slowly, I felt complete freedom. During the last few weeks, months, days-- I
don’t know how much time passed--time was of no consequence to me.
“Hey, Little Flame,"
A man that I never saw before but who felt in a strange way familiar stood next to me, looking at
me as if he awaited answers. I pulled back, the same reflex I had in my mom’s closet kicked in. My
feet felt weak, and I looked around me in the hope that there would be a weapon.
“I can offer coffee and breakfast and we can talk, Little Flame!"
I took the man in. He was sexy as hell, to be honest. That was my luck--to get myself an attractive
kidnapper. His hair was shoulder-length, wavy, and had a few silver streaks touching his temples. His
skin looked tanned, the perfect canvas for beautiful intense green eyes with golden flecks. That plaid
shirt hid a muscular body with large muscles. He sat on a chair in what looked like a mountain cabin.
I looked at myself for the first time.
My wrists held bruises from the straps they used on me and older, deep scars. I wore a soft long
flannel nightgown.
“Did you change my clothes?"
He smiled, holding his hands in sight all time. “Yes, but I kept my eyes closed the entire time. I am
not your enemy. They are." He pointed towards my wrists. “The clinic uses people like us and turns
them into brainwashed weapons." He kept going when he noticed I didn't say a word.
“What do you mean by people like us?"
“You’re a wolf shifter, like me, right?"
“No, I mean. What? You’re a what? A wolf? That’s not possible. I only have issues with fire."
“I know that. It’s the way your wolf is manifesting. Mine does other tricks. Hey, I’ll show you
mine if you show me yours."
He smiled again. This time his grin was sexy and damn wicked. I felt too weak to say anything
and sunk back into the pillow. Even the bedding was plaid flannel, but it smelled nice, like fresh soap
and sunshine.
“You kidnapped me. Why should I trust you at all?"
“That’s the right attitude. Have some breakfast and find me outside. We have work to do.”
The man stood up and left.
The warm steaming coffee mug was sitting on the nightstand on a small tray. Next to it was a plate
that made my mouth water. Scrambled eggs, toast, jam, butter, and bacon fried crispy. I had no idea
how hungry I was until my brain sent the message that there was available food next to me.
Standing up fast, I wanted to reach for the tray, but my entire body shook severely and I fell back
on the bed. Nice, at least he was already outside and couldn’t see me making a fool of myself. My
hands shook so bad, I had to steady the cup with both hands to bring it up to my lips. There is no
feeling in the world that compares with the first sip of hot coffee in the morning. I’m an addict, a
coffee junkie. A librarian I befriended in high school got me hooked. After the delightful Columbian
woke up my sleeping cells, my stomach was still grumbling.
Invigorated, I was tempted to keep going. Why was my captor so nice? He made a great breakfast
and kept the place here clean.
The next was the bread that I dunked in jam. I swallowed the bites of bread with jam so fast I
barely had a chance to taste it. Only after I inhaled the first slice of bread with jam, I recognized the
taste of sweet juicy strawberries.
Coffee first, thinking later.
As I looked around, I saw the cabin was made of logs, the rustic decor present. It was clean, and
it didn’t look like a place that belonged to a single guy. A vase was on the side table, filled with
beautiful wild flowers in all shades of blue and yellow.
My hands shook so hard even after I eat that slice of toast with jam. To ensure that the scrambled
eggs landed in my mouth and not all over the bed, I took the plate, placed it on my chest, and started to
load the food into my mouth. The more I ate, the more alive I felt. My stomach rumbled and hurt.
Thick blue bruises spread over my wrists. Needle marks that hurt littered my lower arm. I took
another sip of coffee. It was warm and tasted like this house, warm and sweet.
Where did he sleep? Who was this guy who seemed to know more about me than I did?
After spending so long time tied up and pumped with drugs, having breakfast in bed while the sun
sneaked in through the window felt like heaven. The house smelled nice, like forest and coffee.
I emptied the plate in a few minutes. I felt like a termite. After eating the last slice of bread with
jam, I grabbed the banana that lay on the tray and ate it, too.
My bladder let me know I needed to go, badly.
Mystery Man, which my addled brain decided to call Mountain Man, was gone. I could hear the
sound of splitting wood from outside. It was time to try to stand. I pushed the thick, warm blanket to
the side. My legs looked very much like my arms. What did those people do to me? Everything started
so well, just to teach me one thing again and again. You can never let your guard down. You can never
allow yourself to trust anyone, not even for a second.
Just as I sensed the fear rise back inside me, feeling like a caged animal, I wanted to run. It was
an illogical need that had me on my feet and made me want to run somewhere else and hide away
from the world.
The plate landed on the floor with a thud. The wooden floor was covered with a thick, old,
colorful, and very used-looking rug. Sadly, my legs betrayed me. As I tried to stand, they felt shaky,
and I landed back on my ass. The bed stopped my fall. The world spun fast, and my body hurt in a
way I never experienced before. A growl of frustration left my lips. In all my almost eighteen years, I
was sick and all my wounds healed fast. Was I eighteen already? Did I do the Sleeping Beauty thing
and missed my birthday?
What I did next was so not dignified at all. I pulled the chair Mountain Man sat on before close to
me and grabbed its back with both hands, the way an old lady would. “Great job, Scar,” I muttered to
myself. The chair would stop me from falling and crashing down on the floor. Breathe in, breathe out
or shit like that. Damn!
Leaning against the back of the chair, I stood up slowly, pushing one leg down, allowing it to get
familiar with my weight and then the next. Just as I stood up, I felt faint again and leaned over the
chair. It took me more than five minutes to stand upright and stop the room from spinning. Sure, I
could call Mountain Man and ask for help, but how could I escape this place if I can’t even walk
straight? My first issue was that fuck, I hadn’t the slightest idea where I was, except that I was in a
cabin, and the cabin is somewhere in the forest. Slapping me mentally for not joining Girl Scouts, I
kept trying to find clues about where the fuck I was.
Breathe, slowly.
Two doors opened on the left side of the cabin. One of them should be the bathroom. After
considering walking with the chair like a walker in front of me, I reconsidered and stood on my own.
Letting go was harder than I imagined. One step after the other, I shuffled to the first door. I turned the
knob, pulled the door, and sweat broke on my back and forehead.
“A closet, awesome. Let’s see what’s behind door number two.”
The second door rewarded my expectations. I found a tiny bathroom with a shower in a corner,
neat cleaning supplies lined up under the sink, and a toilet in the corner. If I ever took going to the
toilet for granted, I regretted that now.
Planting my behind on the toilet was not only difficult because my body felt broken. It hurt like
hell and had me shaking. A shower sounded tempting, but I wouldn’t risk it. All I need is to pee, find
some boots, and run away from here. Running is a relative concept, more like stumbling and crashing,
and hopefully I’ll land somewhere. The last time I relaxed, I was unwillingly turned into a guinea pig.
No more.
Squatting was hard. My joints ached and my legs sent jolts of pain up to my very soul. Just as I
was about to get up, I started to cry. I’m lost. I can barely get to the toilet. How will I run away from
here? Who knows where I landed? This guy appears rugged and somehow nice, but Nurse Annie was
all sugar and friendliness, too.
Damn people, I hate them all.
My face landed on my knees. I bit the inside of my cheek several times to stop my cry from being
heard by Mountain Man. I stood like that a long time until I decided that no matter what happens next,
it’s better to die on my feet, fighting, than crying on the toilet with my panties around my ankles. The
sink became my new crutch. I got up and, after washing my hands, splashed cold water over my face.
It was the first time when I saw my reflection after the nightmare I got pushed into. Deep dark
circles guarded my eyes, my cheeks looked hollow, and I was so pale, I could have passed as a ghost.
I think I lost at least ten pounds. How long was I out?
As I touched my wrists, they already looked better. With the cause of the injury removed, my body
was recovering fast. Again, I was losing the feeling for the passing of time. There was a new
toothbrush waiting, and I used it to brush my teeth. It was a man’s bathroom, but a comb helped me
make some sense of the tangled mess my hair became. I never had much, but I took pride in the beauty
of my wild, thick red hair. It was my natural color, and many girls in school envied me for it.
Brushed and with my hair looking a bit better, I walked out of the tiny bathroom. The cabin looked
neat even from this angle. On my left was a small kitchen nook that I had not noticed before. The hot
plate was clean, hosting a pot filled with coffee.
I didn’t trust myself to walk back to the bed and pick up the cup I used, so I turned towards the
cupboard and picked another cup. After pouring coffee, I found creamer in the fridge. I wasn’t in the
mood to look for sugar. Carbs are bad either way.
After sipping half of my second cup of coffee, I opened the door to the closet, found a pair of
jeans that were way too large for me but covered my legs. I used the belt to convince them to stay
around my waist. Socks and a shawl were next. I can use the nightgown as a shirt. As I looked through
his wardrobe, this was one of his shirts. An oversized sweatshirt should work as a jacket until I can
get away from here.
Damn. Theoretically, the court order damned me to two years of staying at the mental institution.
Did they know that it was a place where they did experiments on people? And if they knew, did they
care? I’ll be homeless because there was no place I could go to get help.
I bent down to look at the shoes, a pair of sneakers felt like boats around my feet, but it was better
than walking barefoot. Fuck. I wouldn’t be able to run in those. In my state, I wouldn’t be able to run.
Period. Stumbling would be in my near future.
Ugh.
Weapon.
My mind worked frantically. I called out for Sparky, but she was gone. The same question that I
asked myself before reappeared. Was Sparky real, or was she just a figment of my imagination?
Maybe I was what they said, a troubled kid who enjoyed playing with matches a bit too much. I
pulled a drawer on the kitchen cupboard and found a large knife. Was Mountain Man stupid to leave
all these weapons here?
Armed with the long bread knife, I was about to do something stupid. I’ll escape. I won’t allow
him to take me prisoner.
The sunlight blinded me as soon as I opened the door. I had to lift my hand to shield my eyes from
the sun. The air was fresh and crisp, typical for an autumn day out there, in the mountains. All around
me, snowy peaks glistened in the sunlight. The beauty that surrounded me made me almost forget what
I was about to do. Right, kill Mountain Man, get his car keys, and run away.
He was splitting wood, his back towards me.
“You decided to join me," he said with his thick, strong voice without turning towards me.
My right hand started to shake. It took all my willpower and my left hand to steady it.
“I didn’t. Give me your car keys." My voice sounded weak.
Mountain Man put his axe down and turned to face me. I noticed his short beard and the smile that
tugged at the corner of his lips.
“How about you tell me your name before you try to stab me?"
Why was he not scared? Oh well, maybe because even though I am 6 feet tall, he was still
towering over me. His strong shoulders and muscular chest showed that he was not a stranger to
exercise. This man ran with me in his arms without breaking a sweat.
“I don’t want to slash you. All I want are the keys."
“If I give you the keys, do you know where the car is?"
I bit my lip and looked at the way he shifted his weight from one foot to another. “I’ll find it. How
fucking hard can it be?"
“I should put you over my knee and spank you for swearing!"
All the blood in my system invaded my cheeks, and they burned. Why was I feeling so
embarrassed? I didn’t even know his name. What do I care what this man thought?
He started to unbutton his shirt. “I want to show you something. Maybe then you’ll want to talk."
I held on to the knife, moving it in front of me.
One moment Mountain Man stood there, the next moment, the air started to shiver and he shifted
into a large grey wolf that looked at me.
“I’m going mad?" I cried out. I was about to slash my throat. My mind was the last thing I had. If
I’m crazy, if my mind started conjuring these images, I didn’t want to live anymore just to be tortured
by them. My skin kissed the steel of the knife. My eyes closed, and I hoped I made it now. I should
have asked what date we had because, damn, I wanted to know if I made it to my 18th birthday.
 4

Mountain Man

I knew this girl was trouble from the moment I saw her for the first time.
My people and I kept these mental institutions under close surveillance. They used them as cover
to find and use people like us. When my men sent me her file, I was sure she was one of the last fire
wolves that still lived. Maybe even the last. I checked her file. The fire was like a burning trace from
her childhood to this day. Nothing about her indicated she was mean or evil—just a young girl, scared
and alone with abilities she didn’t understand.
Only my treacherous body reacted to her the moment I saw her picture. She was everything I
found attractive and considered beautiful in a woman. Brave, strong, a redhead, and damn, she was
crazy. I always had a soft spot for the crazy chicks.
I gave up on women long ago, especially on crazy redheads that sneaked nights into my dreams
and made my body burn with need and desire in a way it should not, not for my protégé, not for a
young wolf that was confused and had lived a life that left deep painful scars on her soul. I told
myself I would get over it, that as soon as I met her, my stupid infatuation with her would come to an
end. I was wrong, damn, so wrong. The moment I saw her in that hospital bed, strapped down, hurting
and bleeding, I knew something in my heart broke. I was ready to burn down heaven and hell to keep
her safe. When all these feelings swim close to the surface, I pushed them down again. She looks cute,
even wearing my clothes that are way too big on her. No, Matt, stop, don’t be an idiot. Whatever my
crazy mind painted for a few minutes, this was impossible.
She holds the knife wrong. I can smell her fear and adrenaline all the way. Her eyes sparkle, blue
in blue like the sky on a clear summer day.
She’s just another girl I saved and will train. Another girl is going to get a chance to make her
own choices. I never had a problem staying away emotionally from my protégé.
My job is to teach them how to fight and how to understand their wolf beast. Then they get to
choose if they want a so-called normal life or join us in our efforts of defeating them, the bad guys.
She’ll soon be strong enough, but letting her go in her present condition is suicide.
She isn’t even sure that she is a wolf. From what I read in her file, she talked about a wolf made
of flames during her childhood, but she stopped when she turned twelve. It’s understandable no one
believed her, and she was smart enough to adapt and change her story to something that worked and
gave her the smallest amount of grief.
 Her hands shiver, and her skin is clammy. If I show her what I mean, maybe then she will
understand how special she is.
One by one, I opened the buttons on my flannel shirt and, just for a second, I had the feeling that
there was a spark of interest in her eyes. No, no, no, this is just a teacher-student thing. I need to show
her who I am, what I am. Shifting comes easy for me. It always was. All I have to do is take a deep
breath and allow my body to melt into the right shape, the shape of an enormous grey wolf with green
eyes.
Everything happened so fast in just one heartbeat.
I shifted, and she put the knife to her throat and pushed down on that soft white skin of hers. Just a
second before, her eyes looked lost, glazed over and scared as if everything was too much for the
Little Flame.
No, no, no!
Instinct took over. I had to save her. It was what I had to do right that second. I jumped toward her
and landed on top of her. Then, in a blur of motion, the knife flew away from her throat. The cut was
not deep. It was only superficial. I nudged her and licked the blood away to allow her healing process
to kick in. Because she’s a wolf, the tissue started to knit together right then and there, under my own
eyes. It was incredible to watch.
My dear silly girl, she was so scared, so broken. She fainted as my wolf licked her clean of the
blood. Her breathing was calm and regular. Good.
I shifted back, a bit self-conscious about being naked next to her, but the ground in the mountains
is not the best place to lay down. The last thing she needed was to get cold.
Scarlett was light as a feather. Her body felt as if it belonged in my arms, my muscles coiled and
my cock stood up. No, please, no. My wolf started howling inside me.
Mate, mate, mate!
I never believed the legend that said that there is just one wolf out there for each of us. One other
wolf that is perfect, that you are perfect for in all aspects and that this wolf is your mate. What I felt
now for her was the mating bond. I was ready to do everything it took to make sure she was happy.
My sweet girl pressed her forehead against my naked chest. The things she did to me just by
existing made me dizzy with desire.
No, Matt, you must help her, not seduce her
My wolf was anxious to do something. The best thing that I could do for her was be here and try
to give her time. Unfortunately, there is no therapy for wolf shifters. Scarlett is strong. I feel her fire.
As I walk her back into the cabin, I tuck her into bed and lay my sleeping bag next to her on the
floor. I have another cabin down the stream. I left the other students alone here and went to sleep
there, but I can’t leave Little Flame. She is so fragile and scared.
Before laying down to relax, I put on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. There is no need to put
boxers on. I’ll just go commando. I’m a shifter, and most of us are warm most of the time. Little Flame
should also be warm but, as I touch her hand, she is freezing.
What did they do to her in those labs?
I hate waking her, but she needs to drink and eat to recover. Our wolf does the work, but the wolf
needs fuel, and food is fuel. Before waking her, I heated a spaghetti and meatballs dish I made for
today and put some in a bowl. Her hands shook so hard, she couldn’t handle a normal plate.
My fingers touch her shoulder, and I shake her softly. “Little Flame, wake up."
Her eyebrows cringe in a cute gesture. She tries to hide her face into the pillow. Darkness took
over the sky. The fire burned inside the fireplace.
 “Uuu.” She moans and goes back to sleep.
“Little Flame, Scarlett?"

Scarlett

As I opened my eyes, he stood there with a bowl of food in his hand. Why was I not dead?
“Why didn’t you let me die?"
Mountain Man sits on the side of the bed, his eyes carry a deep sadness. “If you do something like
that again, I’ll put you over my knee and spank you with my belt."
The serious way he said it made me giggle.
“Yeah, sure."
“Scarlett, you have to start understanding and accepting reality. I don’t want to harm you, but I
won’t allow you to harm yourself either. You are not mad or crazy. We’re wolf shifters. I’m a
different kind of shifter than you. I’m not your enemy. I’m part of an organization run by shifters who
free young shifters like you from places that abuse them. I will teach you how to control your fire and
your wolf. I’ll teach you how to fight and how to use guns and, at the end of the training, you can
choose your own path. Until then, you are going to do as I say."
Mountain Man was bossy. Even though he was bossy, I felt he cared about me, and there was
another thing that I wasn’t about to tell. Listening to him made my core melt. That was crazy. Have I
already developed Stockholm Syndrome?
I pushed my hair back from my forehead and touched my throat. The scar should be there, gushing
and thick.
“Where’s the scar?"
“I helped you heal. Wolves are pack creatures. We thrive when we are not alone. Your wolf is
stronger now that she’s close to mine."
I had to wrap my mind around what this man, this very good-looking man, was telling me.
“You’re saying I’m not crazy? You shifted into a wolf out there. The real deal, a fur and fangs type
wolf."
“Yes, I did, and you should be able to do the same. Unfortunately, there’s not much information
about the Fire Wolves, but I’ll help you as much as possible. All I know is that you have the control of
fire."
“Do you turn with the full moon, like in the old movies?"
Mountain Man laughed. His hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, and his shoulders looked so
strong and covered in muscles. I wanted to become a vine and surround them.
“The full moon has a strong pull, but I don’t have to shift if I don’t want to. I like to shift and run
through the forest because a wolf feels closer to nature during the full moon. But, unfortunately,
Hollywood had many things connected to the shifter nation wrong."
“Wait. There are more like you?"
“Yes, and I will teach you how to identify them. You have an accurate sense of smell. Also, your
gut feeling is warning you when you are in danger. Am I right?"
“Yes.” I looked down. He put a bowl on a tray in front of me.
 “Eat. You need your strength." He took his bowl and started to eat the pasta dish. To be honest, it
smelled delicious.
“The food is delicious,” I said after stuffing a fork into my mouth. “Is your wife cooking?" What
was wrong with me? This man was probably in his 40s, he could be my dad, but my heart shrank at
the idea that this hunk had a wife.
He smiled.
“No." And he took another bite.
“Girlfriend?"
“I cook. I can make a few dishes. I’m glad you like it."
“Uhu. Are we alone here, and, hm, where is here exactly?"
“Mount Rainier. No worries, we are shielded by magic. No one can find us. And it’s just you and
me, for safety reasons."
“But I’m not free to go?"
“Technically, you are, but I just can’t let you. Little Flame, you can barely stand on your feet. Let
me help you understand yourself better."
“Are you going to Miyagi me?"
Mountain Man laughed. “What does a young wolf like you know about Mr. Miyagi?"
“Oh, please. I love old movies from the 80s and the 90s," I said old before I had a chance to think.
I realize that I put my foot in my mouth and that now, he believes I think he’s old. So why do I care
about what he thinks? Fuck, Scar, just shut the fuck up. “I mean, they’re not old, I mean, like, they’re
classic."
“It’s okay, Little Flame. I know you’re a millennial and I’m an old fart!"
Damn, if all old farts looked like him. Yummy. I felt all the blood rising into my cheeks.
“I need a time frame. I can’t stay longer than one week."
He started to massage his chin, I noticed that he had a few silver hairs on his temples, and my
hands ached to touch it.
Stop it, are you crazy, woman?
“How about we make a deal? You put your heart and your back into it and train with me. Then,
when you can shift into a wolf and back, you’re free to go. I’ll even drive you wherever you want."
He stretched his hand toward me, and I took it, having no idea what I got myself into? His skin
was warm. His calloused hand showed me he was used to physical labor.
“I don’t even know your name."
“I’m Matt, but you can keep calling me Mountain Man if you like."
I blushed deeply.
“How did you know? I mean, sorry. I’m Scarlett."
“Scarlett, I knew your name. I have your file from the organization I work with. So I know about
your time in the system and your proclivity toward fire. Me and your Fire Wolf are going to be good
friends."
“This is why you call me Little Flame?"
“Sorry, that was not appropriate. I don’t want to upset you. I gave you the nickname when I saw
you strapped down in the bed. Your hair looked like a flame."
“Yeah, what’s the deal with those guys? That institution looked great until it wasn’t." I bit my lip,
flashes of memories returned to me.
“I’ll tell you the details that I am allowed to share with you. From the Dark Ages, the church
financed different orders to deal with supernatural activities. But, as time went by, some high-ranking
human found out about our existence. Some of the youngest shifters, especially those who have no
clue what they are, are caught and experimented on. The people I work with disagree. We believe that
life is holy and that each creature has a right to live. Your file, the fires made them think that you are
more. They probably pushed you through extreme pain to make you shift."
Fear gripped me in its icy claws. “Are they going to follow me?"
“No, they think that you and the others we saved are dead. I burned down the building. You’re free
to live a normal life if you choose to, or you can find out more about Shifter Nation and join our
ranks.”
I yawned. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop myself.
“Can I decide tomorrow?"
“Yes, you need rest. I’ll be here, on the floor. If you need something, call me, okay?"
“Matt?"
“Yes, Little Flame?"
“Do you snore?"
He laughed, loud and warm, the kind of laughter that real amusement brings to the surface. “I don’t
know. It’s been a long time since I slept with someone who could tell me."
Matt stood up and turned off the light. The cabin was dipped into the warm glow of the fire.
As I lay in bed, I snuggled into the covers. Then, everything started to make sense in a twisted
way. I always felt like I didn’t belong, my fears, anger, and dreams of fire. I never remembered that I
used matches on any of the places I burned, but I remembered Sparky doing what I wanted to do.
Matt had a warmth about him that I could feel radiating. Shifter Nation, the organization, the
church, wolves, and the full moon floated through my mind aimlessly.
My eyes closed and I drifted away. I had the weirdest dream about running fast. I sat on Matt’s
back, holding on to him as he covered a significant distance rapidly. Then I joined him, shifting into a
golden wolf, a wolf that was smaller than him but could keep up without breaking a sweat. As we ran,
we jumped between cliffs. I had this feeling of being entirely free.
I woke up, and the night was still mistress of the sky. I sat up in bed and looked toward Matt, who
slept on the floor. The blanket covering him was pushed aside. That man was so drop dead gorgeous.
His face looked calm and serene, and he had the most perfect abs that created that V. I never saw a
young guy my age who looked like that. The hair on the chest was inviting me to touch, but I couldn’t.
It would not be right. Feeling restless, I needed to stretch a bit. My mind finally calmed down, but
now my body was aching for activity.
I shimmied to the other side of the bed and stepped onto the carpet. The cabin was simple.
Everything was made of wood and covered in old blankets and rugs, but it had an incredible warmth.
Worried that I could wake Matt, I didn’t take a jacket and just walked outside. The half-moon
greeted me. I should have found out what date it was. I was curious if I missed my birthday or not.
The air was cool and smelled like forest and fresh-cut grass. A small bench made of a split log
invited me to sit and lean against the cabin wall. Sounds reached me from the forest. An owl, crickets,
a small coyote was crying out for his pack, birds that I could not name shrieked and announced their
presence. This was the most beautiful night I ever experienced. The moon made me feel as if I was a
part of the darkness itself.
“Hey, are you planning another escape?" Matt’s voice sounded sleepy. He wore just his
sweatpants and was barefoot.
“No, warden. I’m just enjoying the night. It’s the first time that I spent the night in the forest. It’s so
beautiful."
 I’m not sure if it was a snort-laugh or a giggle that escaped his lips.
“Did you just giggle?"
“No, how about we try something. May I?" Matt gestured towards the bench that I was sitting on.
“Sure." A small smile touched my face. He smelled warm, like sleep and freshly washed linen.
He sat next to me and became very aware of the heat radiating from his muscular body.
“Tell me about the fires. If you can."
I closed my eyes. “I think they start when I sleep. At least they feel like dreams to me. In my
dreams, Sparky comes. She’s a wolf made of flames with red eyes. She is my protector. She burns
everything down that I fear."
“Can you summon her?"
I bit my lip. “I don’t think I can. The last time she came to me in my dream because I was so
afraid. Not for me, I was scared because that dirt bag of foster dad was touching the little girls. I tried
to attract his attention so that he would let them alone, but he didn’t. That night my friend Cara took
the girls away, his wife was at work, and he was drunk. Before you ask, yes, I wanted him dead, and I
was happy he died. If you believe that I am a monster and don’t want to have me here, I understand
that, too."
Matt did something that surprised me. He put his arm around me and pressed me hard against him.
Tears escaped my eyes. I didn’t want to feel weak, I hated to appear weak, but I just bared my soul in
front of a stranger.
“I don’t think that you’re a monster, Little Flame. I think you found yourself cornered. Wolf’s
attack when they feel cornered. I knew about it from your files."
I sniffed and whipped my eyes in my sleeve. “Don’t look. I’m an ugly crier."
“It’s all good, Little Flame. You must allow yourself to feel before you can be strong. And you are
strong. You survived all alone and lived. You are a fighter."
I sniffed again and he released me from his embrace.
“Are you okay on your own for a bit? I think I’ll go for a morning run. The car keys are in the
drawer of the kitchen cupboard on the left if you want to run away."
“No, I’ll stay here a while longer and then go back to bed."
I watched Mountain Man shift, leaving his sweatpants behind. The large grey wolf crashed
through the forest, through the bushes and twigs, and disappeared in a few minutes.
I closed my eyes and tried to find Sparky. Was she still with me?

Matt

I could barely sleep. My body was tense like a coiled spring with her next to me. It was madness. My
wolf kept calling mate, mate, mate and howling inside my mind. Only my discipline and the years of
training stopped me from climbing up in bed next to her and pushing her down into the pillows. I bit
the inside of my cheeks until my mouth was flooded with blood and the pain helped me focus.
As soon as she left the cabin, my first impulse was to run after her and wrap her in my arms, but
that would have scared her. Instead, she had to start feeling as if she was at home, and she was free to
move around.
 Then she started to cry and I just lost it. My wolf bared its teeth. He wanted to hunt, kill, and
shred to pieces all the humans who ever hurt her. But the fact that she opened her heart to me meant
the world. I needed her trust to work. The only problem was that I didn’t trust myself when I was so
close to her.
In wolf form, things are simpler. My body crashed through the familiar forest scaring all the tiny
creatures that found themselves along my path. I need to stop my wolf from calling out her name,
calling her mate and wanting her.
Focus, damn it.
I ran as fast as the strong body I called mine allowed me to and arrived at the familiar waterfall.
The waterfall was not high. I kept running and jumped down—fast, hard, without hesitation. My body
splashed into the cold water of the small pond that it formed in the middle of the forest. The silence
was perfect, disturbed only by the splashing sounds my body made when it crashed into the cool
wetness.
I shifted back to human form as I swam in the cold water and moved towards the shore.
Laying on the cool grass, I allowed the moon to shine on my skin and body.
No matter how hard I tried to push the image of her in the back of my mind, my cock was hard as a
rock. Not even the cold water calmed me down. This woman will be the death of me. She’s going to
keep me hard for the entire time she’s going to stay here. I am feeling and acting like a raging
hormonal teenager. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to drown in her scent, feel her soft skin
touching mine. My fingers moved up and down, touching my hard cock. I didn’t even give myself the
chance to dream much more. I exploded in a painful, hard way.
“Great, I’ll just go hump her leg the next time I see her. Damn, I’m such a pathetic idiot."
Making myself cum helped me calm some. Then, I jumped back into the pond and swam laps until
dawn.
Will I be able to focus on what has to be done? This was one of the situations when I didn’t have
a choice in the matter. Scarlett needs someone to train her, and I’m the best trainer they have. This is
what I do. This is why I retired from the hunting parties and decided to help the victims, the young
ones, the weakest of us.
As satisfying as it was to crush the windpipe of my enemies in battle, spilling blood left me with a
sense of being uneasy and hollow. I trained more than twenty young ones, and they all joined the ranks
of the fighter. Once a young wolf understood the dangers lurking in the shadows for our species, they
can’t return to blissful ignorance.
My Little Flame had the spark. It was my job to start the fire.
 5

Scarlett

After Matt left, I sat a bit longer on the bench. I was way too awake to go back to sleep. I got back in
the cabin and started to make breakfast, maybe I should have asked first, but he said that I should
make myself at home.
My scrambled eggs were not as good as his omelettes, but they had to make do for a bit. Cooking
was not my strength. On the other hand, the coffee was extraordinary. After cleaning up my plate and
the pan, I took the second cup of coffee with me to the bathroom. I needed a shower, and my hair
needed a good wash and brushing.
If yesterday my body was so broken and beaten that I could barely move, today bending and
stretching worked fine. I just had a feeling that my muscles were sore and knotted, but I didn’t feel any
pain. A good, long massage would work wonders. Oh, well. I never had a massage, but the idea of
one felt lovely.
After stepping out from under the shower that offered only lukewarm water, I was feeling better. I
had to talk to Mountain Man, see if there was a way to fix the lack of hot water. With a grey towel
wrapped around my long hair, I stepped outside, naked, looking for clothes. Just as I opened the door,
I stumbled right into Matt’s arms. He was naked, too. Damn, yum, I mean. My brain shut down for a
few minutes and my hands moved on his chest while I bit my lower lip, looking into his eyes. My
body was flush against his, and I felt his hard cock pressed against my belly. Need and lust filled me.
I wanted to drop there, in front of him, and taste him right after coffee.
He was the grown-up and pushed me gently away.
“There are some clothes that should fit better in the drawer. We can go into town tomorrow.” It
was all he said before disappearing into the shower.
Why was I acting like that and drooling all over my savior? He was probably seeing someone
already and saw me as a kid that had a lot of issues. I walked away from the door, shamed, and found
the clothes he talked about. I should start taking this seriously, my training and fitness. Matt was the
right teacher for me, or wasn’t he?
I had crushes before. Every girl has them, but not like this. This is a crazy, all-consuming,
creaming my lower lips and wanting to hump him kind of crush. Damn, why can’t he be ugly or have a
nasty personality? But no, he looks hot as fuck, is nice and warm and sweet. Ugh.
The cabin felt horrible, small and constricting. I ran outside as fast as I could. The sun was up. It
was still early. A thick layer of fog still covered the top of the trees. The scent of the morning was
different from the one I experienced last night. It was fresh, more alive. Or maybe I just experienced
the forest differently. My mind was drifting toward Matt, who was naked. So naked, his skin smelled
so delicious, like something I could not explain. I wanted to taste him, bite that sweet skin between
my teeth and suck on it.
Damn.
I stood up and started walking until I reached the edge of the forest. I looked inside. It was dark,
but even the darkness was not consuming me. It made me curious.
“Scarlett?"
Matt stepped out of the door and looked good enough to eat. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a
simple white t-shirt. My body tensed. I looked down at myself and hated the grey sweats I was
wearing. Why the fuck did I care if he thinks I was pretty?
“Here.” Matt covered the distance between us in a few steps.
“Hey, how are you feeling? I was worried. I should not have left you alone."
“It’s okay. I feel safe here."
Matt put his hand on my upper arm. Warmth reached me. “Good. How about we start with a
simple exercise? We are going to walk around a bit."
“I’m not that fragile. I’m good."
“Believe me. It won’t be easy."
“I’m ready."
Matt started walking. He showed me a path that I could not see from outside of the forest.
“Would you tell me more about Shifter Nation?"
Matt cleared his throat. “Little Flame, I won’t be able to tell you much. Not yet. I’m bound to
secrecy. How about we try something else? Think of your wolf. You call her Sparky?"
I smiled. “Yes, I call her Sparky. She was this sparkle of light that lay next to me in the back of the
closet."
“Why were you in the back of the closet?"
“I was afraid, my mom, she was drunk often and when she was like that she would beat me. I was
terrified of her."
“That’s horrible. I’m so sorry."
“It’s okay. I believed in her, in Sparky. Then, after I entered the system and started therapy, I
started to believe I just imagined her."
“She is real."
“I know. I understand now. I didn’t have the chance to tell you, but your wolf form is incredible,
absolutely amazing. How does it feel when you turn? Or is it shift?"
Matt smiled. He touched his beard. I wished I could feel his sexy beard.
“We call it shifting, not turning. And thank you. Shifting feels easy to me, but other shifters
struggle with the process. Some of us experience pain."
“What do you have to do to shift?
“Shifting is magic. I allow myself to melt away, and there I am, a wolf. It’s easy."
“Hm. When did you shift the first time?"
“I was twelve. I shifted with my parents and the pack. The kids used to be part of the pack, we
saw our parents shift, and I was not scared. I was the youngest kid who shifted."
“Hey, by the way, what’s the date?"
“It’s 22 September."
 I did a little jump of joy.
“What?"
“I was afraid that I missed my 18 th birthday. I am glad that I didn’t."
“When Is your birthday?"
“Today."
“Happy birthday, Little Flame. We have to do something special for your eighteenth.”
“What are you thinking about? Will I get a kiss?"
“I can offer you something so much better. Did you ever ride a wolf?"
“No.”
“The day’s not over yet. Let’s drive to town and buy you some fitting clothes. I have to pick up
some supplies too."
“Can I go?"
“Please, otherwise, you will run around wearing my clothes all the time."
“Drive, where’s your car?"
“We have to walk a bit."
Matt was already walking, and I did my best to catch up with him. If there were a path, I’d be
damned if I saw it, but he looked as comfortable walking there as if it was some city sidewalk.
“Are we there yet?
“Does it look as if we are there?"
“Who knows with these surroundings. Everything here looks like a damn forest."
Matt was silent. He floated over branches and roots while I did my best to keep up, lost a shoe,
had to stop and find it, lost it again, fun times. My frustration level reached a maximum when we
finally got to the car. It was covered with a brown tarp. I almost walked straight into it.
“Good job, Scarlett,” I muttered to myself.
“We arrived." Matt’s voice was barely holding back a laugh as he pulled the tarp away from the
truck. This must have been the truck in which he brought me here. It was an older, robust piece of
machinery. “I suggest you buckle up and hold on."
I barely had time to do so when he started driving. It felt as if I was a lost pair of keys inside a
washing machine. We drove off-road, inside the forest. The truck turned into a tin can that shook me
good. The road was my salvation. I couldn’t believe how scrambled my brain felt when the tires
finally met the smooth blacktop.
“You okay? You look a bit green around the gills.”
Matt smiled. His face was covered by this fucking serene expression that I would have loved to
beat away with a hammer, a sledgehammer if possible. No way would I offer him the satisfaction of
telling him that a few more minutes of shaking and I would have lost my breakfast.
A road sign showed the small town of Squirm was right ahead of us.
“They have a Walmart. Not the nicest place, but no one will care about us there. How do you feel
about having lunch in town?"
“Sure.”
My stomach calmed down.
We stopped in front of the Walmart.
“Here." Matt gave me a small bundle of cash. “Go, buy yourself what you like. We’ll meet at the
diner at the end of the street. I have some stuff to do.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run off?"
“I am. I would hate for you to do so, but I have to show you some trust if I want you to trust me. I
hope you will meet me at the diner."
I took the money and got out of the car.
What the fuck. What was wrong with him? Counting, I saw that he gave me two hundred and forty
dollars. It was enough for me to get away, maybe stay at a cheap, sleazy motel for a while. And then
what? Then I could get a job as a waitress somewhere. If I go west, maybe California, I could get
somewhere, do some modelling.
Pipe dreams.
And what about the wolf? What about what Matt showed me and my feelings? My body was
healing at a speed that was not normal for a regular human. I was always a little bit stronger, a little
bit faster than all the other girls in my class. Physical exercise came easy to me.
I reached the clothing aisle. I pushed a cart and snacked on chips from an open bag. The salty,
greasy food calmed my stomach.
What if this guy is the real deal? What if he can help me learn more about myself and find a way
to control whatever was inside me?
I picked a set of panties and sports bras, socks, sneakers, two pairs of grey sweatpants, two sets
of t-shirts, and jeans. A thick jacket for the night and two hoodies, a beanie, and a pair of gloves. The
PJs were all too pink and girly, so I decided a t-shirt and a pair of sweats had to make do for the
night. It was cold up there in the cabin.
I filled my cart with clothes, new stuff that was my size, and I’ll be the first person to wear it. A
tingle of excitement made me smile.
Just as I walked through the toy section, I saw a bear wearing a flannel shirt, the same colors as
Matt’s. He even had that expression. A bit grumpy and with a hidden smile. I couldn’t stop myself
from getting that too.
I left the store with two full bags and strolled towards the diner. I could see it at the end of the
street. The diner was there, but the truck was not in the parking lot. I entered and found my way
towards one of the boots right next to the window. The bags landed on the floor under the table.
A rather plump waitress walked to me. “What can I bring you, honey?"
“Do you have pie?"
“We have apple and blueberry. I think the blueberry is delicious.”
“Then. I’ll take a slice of blueberry pie and a coffee, please."
“Right away.”
She smiled and left.
I still have enough money to jump on the next bus and leave.
The door opened with the sound of a bell. Matt stood there, looking handsome as fuck. The air
was rippling around him in a way that made me feel as if he was the only man in the universe. He saw
me and smiled, a big warm smile that melted my bones to the marrow.
“Hey, you stayed.” He sat.
I nodded.
“Got you something.”
I leaned toward the bags and took the bear. I kept it hidden under the table.
“I know I paid it with your money, so it’s technically not a present, but here, for you."
I gave him the small bear.
Matt smiled. “Thank you. He’s so cute."
“Reminds me of someone."
“Me? No. You can’t say that my model looks are bear-like.”
 “Do you actually have a sense of humor?"
“Guilty as charged.”
The waitress returned with my pie, and we ordered lunch. Matt had burgers with fries. He told me
that our kind doesn’t gain weight, which made me smile.
“What you say is that I can eat as much as I like and I won’t get fat?"
Matt leaned closer over the table.
“Not as long as you shift. No."
“But I didn’t shift, ever."
“Hm, we will have to work on that too."
He stuck another fry in his mouth and I took a bite from my burger. “I’m glad you stayed."
“We’ll see. What kind of training are we speaking of?"
“To have control of your beast, you have to have control over your body. I will teach you some
martial arts, meditation, and the most important thing: discipline. Once you have that, your physical
and mental strength will bloom. I have faith in you."
I felt the heat creeping up and burning on my face.
“You’re the first."
“The first to what?"
“Have faith. Every person I meet always thinks the worst. You know I’m crazy, that I can’t be
trusted, that I’m worthless.”
“You’re not, none of those. Never believe them. There will always be people who will do their
best to bring you down. You do you, okay?"
I nodded. The knot in my throat made it difficult to speak. I took another sip of my soda and
looked outside the window.
“If you're done, let’s go. I just have to use the restroom."
Matt stood up and walked towards the counter to pay the bill. As he walked, I watched his sexy
ass in those tight jeans of his. Everything about this guy said hot steamy dicking. Damn.
Matt was gone for a few minutes and returned. “Little Flame, we’re in trouble. I hope I’m wrong
but be ready to run when I tell you."
“Wait, what?"
We walked towards his truck. Two black cars were parked on each side of it. I threw my bags on
the loading surface and backed against the truck. Matt stood protectively in front of me.
I wanted to ask about the four burly guys who walked toward us, but their eyes betrayed them.
“Get in the truck,” Matt grumbled towards me.
“The fuck I will.”
I stepped next to him. Ready. This was not my first fight. Okay, usually my fights were with high
school bullies, but I am not the woman who would back away just like that.
“We don’t have beef with you. We want her," one of the guys said.
They smelled wrong. I couldn’t point it out, but there was something about them that bothered me.
The guys could have been mechanics or something judging their overalls. Two circled us. The first, a
guy with a huge gut and a clean shaved head feigned right and wanted to hit left, but Matt was faster.
He used the guy’s momentum to push his head towards the truck. A thud and a groan marked the
impact.
A sleazy tall guy used the moment and wanted to grab my hand. I kicked him hard against the
groin.
I’m a girl. I fight dirty. As he bent over and held his balls with a pained expression, I used my fist
and hammered it against his left eye.
The other two jumped in. Mountain Man and I were both kicking and pushing. The euphoria of the
fight connected us. Two were down and the others ran away.
“Let’s go!"
We both jumped in the truck, and Matt drove away.
“Are they following us?"
“No, I don’t think so. Are we going to the police?"
“No. I can’t risk that. Sorry Little Flame, we live in another world after new laws."
I did my best to catch my breath.
“You did great, Scarlett. I’m impressed. Are you hurt?"
I did a small assessment of my body. Slight scratches, maybe a few bruises. Nothing lethal. Matt
was hurt. His left eyelid was bleeding.
“Do you need me to drive?"
“I’m fine. That will heal fast. I need to take another route back."
“Matt, who were those people, and what the fuck did they want from me?"
“Scarlett, Shifter Nation isn’t the only one who has access to information. There are others. I am
afraid the others found out about you."
He hit the steering wheel hard. “Fuck! I was hoping to be able to keep you safe longer. You don’t
freeze in the face of danger, that’s a plus, but we have to work on your technique...."
“Sure. Fighting technique. Yay."
I was suddenly upset. It was weird. The feeling just drowned me and made me silent.
Matt was right. We took a longer way. The drive back to the cabin took two hours. When we
finally arrived, the adrenaline left my system. I was exhausted and shaking. Matt opened the door for
me and took my hand.
“I can walk. I’ll be okay."
“Scarlett, don’t get defensive. I’m already your admirer. I know the feeling after a fight. We’re
both depleted of adrenaline. Here. Eat. Chocolate helps."
Matt offered me a Snickers bar. I took it without saying a word. I opened the wrapper. The sweet
scent wafted to my nose. The first bite made me moan, and the second one was heaven.
“I always keep them in my pocket. They help with low blood sugar after the adrenaline rush."
“It’s yummy. Thanks."
His hand on mine felt so good. I could lean on him. He was there. We walked the short way up to
the cabin and entered.
“Do they know where you live?"
“No, I have wards around the cabin. If they’re not invited, they can’t see it."
“Wow, like vampires!"
Matt threw his head back and pushed his hair up with both hands. “There’s no such thing as
vampires."
“Yeah, sure, because you don’t turn into a huge wolf at will."
“You make a point, Little Flame.”
“Let me see your eye."
I bent towards him. He sat on the side of the bed. My fingers touched the spot that hurt, but there
was only dried blood. Heat floated from me to him. I saw his eyes locked on mine. His green-emerald
gaze floated inside me, burning me deeply. My body shivered, and I felt the urge to lean toward him
and kiss him.
 Matt broke the moment. “I don’t know about you, but I could eat. If you want to take a shower, I’ll
cook us something good."
“Yeah, sure."
I felt like a teenager with a crush. As soon as I closed the bathroom door, I leaned against it,
exhaling hard. Damn, damn, damn! A cold shower will help me stop obsessing about the way Matt
looks. I mean, I turned eighteen today, so I’m fully legal. Looking at myself in the mirror, I tried to
imagine what he saw. My long hair, full lips, round breasts.
I can do this.
 6

Scarlett

Dressed and showered, I stepped into the cabin again. Matt was outside. I saw him through the open
window.
“Hey, I fixed dinner. Join me!"
The scent of homemade food filled my nose and made my mouth water. Yum.
“Here, I made some pork chops with mashed potatoes. I hope you like them!"
“Looks yummy."
Happy birthday, Little Flame." He lifted a glass filled with champagne.
I smelled it, and it smelled good.
“Thank you, Mountain Man."
We ate in silence, each one of us lost in our thoughts. Now and then, when I lifted my eyes from
my plate, I could feel the mark of his deep green eyes on me. They burned me.
“I promised you something special for your birthday. Are you up to it?"
I took a sip of champagne. The bubbles tickled my nostrils and made me smile.
“You’ll get to ride a wolf!"
I imagined all kinds of things, hot things, when Matt stood up and started to unbutton his shirt.
Matt stripped and shifted in a few seconds. I could not stop myself from watching him. He stood in
front of me in his beautiful grey wolf shape. The wolf smiled and nodded towards me to jump on his
back.
I did. His fur was so much softer than I imagined. I wrapped my legs around his midsection and
put my arms around his neck, allowing myself to lay my face into his soft fur. He didn’t smell like an
animal. He smelled like forest and sunshine and coffee.
Matt started walking, and I adjusted my position on his back. When he felt comfortable, he started
running. He ran so fast, my head spun.
The rush of wrapping myself around his body made me feel warm and fuzzy.

Matt
`What was going on with me when I was so close to Scarlett? A day had barely passed since she
lived with me. This was already the craziest carousel of emotions. She turned eighteen today. I
wanted to kiss her on the spot, and her body betrayed her. She would have enjoyed it. I’m a good
kisser. I know how to touch a woman to make her moan and shiver, and I cannot think about anything
else except my lips.
This can’t be. I shifted into my wolf and offered her a ride, another type of ride. Now that the
wolf took over, he kept calling out for her--mate, mate, mate. Being closer to me in wolf form will
make her feel better.
She felt so good on my back. I felt her heartbeat inside my chest as if it were mine. She laughed
and giggled on my back and moved with me as I moved faster, rubbing her sex against me driving me
crazy with her scent.
My feet took me toward my favorite place, the waterfall. Just like that, I jumped. The air around
us felt warm and filled with magic, and she held on to me, allowing a scream to leave her lips. I took
the brunt of the impact, but as soon as we hit the surface of the water, Scarlett started to laugh. She
filled my heart with joy. I hid under a thick wall I was sure would protect me for so long. Then this
young woman came by, with her laugh and smile, smashing all my protection. My heart jumped when I
saw her move in the cool water. She swam, not very well, but she held herself on the surface of the
water.
I lay on the bank and watched her swimming. It made my wolf happy.
She stepped out of the water, her clothes drenched. “Let me show you something.”
She closed her eyes. I noticed steam rising from her clothes. What was she doing? Just as I was
smelling the changes in her body, one of her sleeves caught fire. I wanted to do something, but all I
could think of was jump and push her into the water.
“Why did you do that?" she asked, her hair wet and hanging down on her shoulders.
I half growled.
“I had everything under control, you know."
She appeared in front of me with the wet clothes sticking to her wonderful body. My wolf and I
both had a hard time tempering our desire. Scarlett walked toward me. She took off her shirt and
sweatpants. She stood there, naked in front of me.
“You made me wet, so you have to take me back before I get pneumonia."
She played with me, teased me, such a bad, bad girl. I barely kept it together when she straddled
me again, knowing that she was naked, her wonderful full breasts rubbing against my back.
Damn.
This crazy redhead will be the death of me.
Just as she straddled me, her strong long legs wrapped around me, she leaned close to my ear and
said, “Do you enjoy knowing how wet I am?"
I lost it. I started running as fast as I could towards the cabin. I want her. I need to allow myself to
bury my cock deep into her soft wet folds. Her scent, her skin, the way her voice slipped into my
bloodstream like a snake and coiled from the inside around my cock threatened to make me burst now
and here. This will be a double challenge for me. I have to make sure she learns how to shift and how
to control her wolf, and that I keep my hands away from her milky, creamy soft skin and that small
galaxy of freckles that tempted me to kiss them. One by one, just before I would use my tongue to unite
them with a line.
Damn. No, think dead puppies and kittens. Horrible things.
Who can think horrible things when her hips are moving as if she was fucking me?
I arrived in record time in front of the cabin. She took her sweet time to get off my back and
sauntered inside as if inviting me to follow. There was no way in heaven or hell I would follow her
and be so close to her in that small cabin. I need wood. Work will help me.
Shifting back, I put a set of spare clothes on and started splitting wood. One log, then the next. It
was monotonous work that helped calm my mind.
Split, crack.
Crack, split.
Again.
Again.
Until my hands blistered and bled.
Until my back burned and felt as if it had cracked.
Until I can’t take it anymore and stopped thinking about kneeling between Scarlett’s sweet,
creamy tights.
The axe started to move on its own.
Crack.
Split.
Again.
I kept splitting wood until I was sure that she was asleep.
I couldn’t clear my mind and returned to splitting wood. Again and again....
Her voice broke my concentration.
“Hey, Matt. I was joking. Sorry. Just a few days before I was sure that I would die. Don’t be upset
with me."
She was so close to me, damn, not again.
“This is serious. If you can’t take it seriously and are going to act like a child, please let me know.
I’ll find you another instructor." Just as I said the words, I felt like shit. Her eyes darkened like a
mood ring. Her long lashes touched her cheeks.
“You know something, fuck you! I don’t need you. I want to leave either way!"
She turned and was about to slap me. My fingers made contact with her skin, my hand wrapped
around her wrist.
“Don’t." My lips were so close to her skin. I could almost taste her, have her scent roll on my
tongue.
“I changed my mind. I want to leave."
As I released her hand, she took three steps back. The force I needed to calm myself probably
made me look upset.
“I can bring you to town next week. I’ll meet with a colleague from Shifter Nation. If you want,
you can keep training with him. I will sleep in the other cabin starting tonight."
I turned my back to her and walked away. My blood was boiling. We had no chance to work well
together.
Scarlett

“Damn man, damn ass, who does he think he is?"

Matt stormed away and just left me there. The spot where he touched me still burned. He could
not accept that I was joking. But was I joking? For a second, as I remembered how I moved my hips
on his back, there was something about him. That got me all dizzy.
I walked inside to lay down. The bed and the room smelled like Matt. My flirting was rude. I
should stop, probably, but damn, it was so hard.
As the hours passed, I started to feel miserable. For the first time, I felt this was a good place for
me, and I blew it. I fucked it up. Fuck. I should do something that wasn’t making me happy, but it felt
right.
I tied my hair tied back into a bun and wore a hoodie over sweats. Matt had many hoodies and
sweats around the house. I assume if you’re a shifter, you go for comfy stuff.
The door creaked, and the night already took control over the sky. This night was dark, and all I
could see was the fire burning inside the other cabin.
Matt probably heard my footsteps because he opened the door before I had a chance to knock.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Well, that started great. Matt’s heart was open, and he looked as sad as I felt.
“I want to apologize, and I’ll take things seriously. I want to train with you." He nodded so slowly
that the moment felt like hours. “Let’s try it and see how it goes. If you are serious about it."
“Yes, dead serious."
“Good. I’ll see you in the morning. I’m tired. You should sleep too."
“You’re right. It’s late. Good night, Matt."
I turned and walked back to the cabin. The cold air cleared my head. The moon showed itself in
the night sky as my heart started to feel lighter. I couldn’t bear the idea that Matt thought poorly of me,
no matter how much he annoyed me. He is the first shifter I met, and he risked his life to save me. I
can be serious and train hard. I’ll turn in serious Scarlett and ignore the heat that floated between us
even though it was crazy and amazing. Maybe it’s a wolf thing. He’s one, and I assume I’m a wolf,
too, and our shifter sides feel the attraction. Will it be the same with all the guys that are wolves?
As soon as I knew he was giving me another chance to teach me and control the fire and my inner
wolf, I hit the pillow and fell asleep.
The scent of coffee woke me before the break of dawn. My eyes popped open and my hand
reached toward the cup of coffee. The delightful dark liquid hit my taste buds and helped me get up. I
slipped into the sweats that I prepared the evening before and walked outside. The cracking sound of
Matt splitting wood attracted my attention.
“Hi, thanks for the coffee."
He dropped the axe and turned toward me. Damn, he wore only a pair of distressed jeans and no
shirt. His muscles were so ripped. My mind was slipping again. No, no, no.
Matt only nodded. “Let’s start. Run a few laps around the house. Let’s see what shape you’re in.”
“Run, ugh."
“Scarlett?" His look froze me.
“Okay, okay. How many laps?"
 “Let’s see how many laps you can do. Just take it slow until you warm up.”
After half a lap, my lungs started to burn. I had that stabbing feeling in my side. Now I remember
why I always skipped physical education in school. Only makes you sweaty and tired. I like physical
stuff like kicking ass, not running around. The air that tasted sweet before was feeling like inhaling
sharp blades that cut into my throat and chest. My feet turned to lumps of lead that made the movement
difficult. My eyes burned from the sweat that was dripping into my eyes.
Fuck.
I didn’t even complete the lap and was huffing and puffing.
Matt stood there next to the pile of split wood, looking like a damn Greek God and wearing a
cocky smile.
“Want some company?"
I was too exhausted to try to reply, my breath creating small clouds of fog. A groan escaped my
lips.
“That bad, huh?"
The asshole was in the mood to gloat. Damn.
“Little Flame, just focus on your breathing. Take it slow. Your body gets into panic mode and your
breath is shallow. Inhale, hold it, run two steps and exhale. Try it."
Another groan was directed toward the hot wolf shifter. Damn him and his impeccable damn
shape!
Matt stopped, and I stopped with him.
“May I?"
My body burned severely and my feet hurt. I just grunted again. Matt stepped behind me, put one
palm on my belly and another one on my shoulder. He was so warm. Again my damn self was tempted
to lean into him and search for whatever it was that attracted me so much to him.
“Good. Breathe in."
I did as he said.
“Hold your breath, count to fifteen and exhale slowly. Try to do that as you jog."
My grunting sounded redundant. Damn. Even after he took his hands away, the heat that floated
from his skin burned my blood and made me feel so alive. In for a penny in for a buck, I started
running again and did what he said. He was right. The second lap felt easier.
Matt stopped and watched me.
After three laps, Matt asked me to stop.
“Am I done for today?"
“Oh no. See those two buckets?" Matt smiled a cocky smile, and I wanted to kick him into the
sheens. “Take those buckets, walk down to the pond, fill them and bring them back.
“Why? We have running water?"
“Because I said so. Try to spill as little as possible."
The buckets looked old, like two centuries-old rusty metallic buckets with handles that cut into my
palm as they were empty.
“Get moving. See that barrel there? You can stop when it’s full."
“What?"
“Little Flame, now, you can’t have breakfast until you get this done!"
“Yeah, boss. Will go now, boss."
Grabbing the two buckets, I was about to walk towards the forest.
“I was in the forest once. How do you expect me to find the pond?"
 “You’re a wolf. You’ll find a way." Matt turned his back towards me and walked away.
Okay, that is going to be so much not fun. Ugh.
The forest smells like green, I always associated smells with colors, and this one was fresh and
beautiful. My feet hurt and my hips ached. Where was that damn path? Twigs and leaves hit my face. I
held both buckets in one hand and did my best not to slip or trip over my own feet. My knees felt
weak, and my stomach burned with hunger, cramps, and nausea made their way inside me.
“Great."
Another twig smacked me right over my left eye, leaving a red mark that burned. Awesome.
The more I walked, and the deeper I adventured inside the forest, the more pissed off I got. All I
could see around me were damn trees. I had that feeling that I couldn’t see the forest because of the
wood that was all around me anymore. Tired, hungry, hurting, and thirsty, I threw the buckets down to
the side.
“Fuck this, fuck Matt, and fuck him Miyagi-ing me."
Anger bubbled up inside me about everything, not being able to shift, not having the power to
control my wolf, and the way I felt around Matt, like a love-struck teenager.
“Come on, girl, you can do this shit."
With one bucket between my legs, I started hitting it like a drum. We Will Rock You is always a
good idea if you need to blow off some steam.
My eyes closed and I started to think of Sparky. Was she here, with me? I forced myself to believe
in her, in her power. Sparky appeared next to me. She was beautiful and ablaze. A desperate scream
left my throat. I couldn’t believe it. She’s here and I’m awake.
“Sparky, I’m so happy that you are real!"
She nodded and leaned her flaming wolf shape against me. The flames felt warm but didn’t burn
me at all.
Matt came crashing through the undergrowth.
“What happened? I was going crazy thinking something attacked you."
He looked at Sparky, his eyes ablaze. “Is she?"
“Yes, she’s my fire. She’s Sparky."
Sparky lay calm in front of me, and Matt touched her. That was a bad idea. Her flames touched his
skin and a huge blister formed.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Let me see." I took his hand and blew cool air on it. Sparky
whimpered. “We’re both sorry. Neither of us wanted to hurt you, okay?"
Matt smiled. “I learned my lesson. I won’t touch the flaming beauty. Don’t worry. My wolf is
going to fix this."
And he did.
Matt shifted into his wolf. Sparky was still calm, moving her head from left to right, curious. This
was the first wolf shifter she ever saw, same as me.
After I accepted that Sparky was real, I could communicate with her again. My soul stopped
feeling empty. I had no idea what I missed all these years. Now I knew. I missed her.
Being able to control my wolf felt amazing. With each day, I felt more confident.
Matt was there with me. He was calm and strong and super-fast with a fire extinguisher if needed.
Fire didn’t do anything to me. I learned that during the last few weeks, Matt was not fireproof. The
few red blisters on his upper arms showed that. His wolf was healing him fast.
Still, I felt terrible because I burned him.
Sparky had to learn that he couldn’t touch her. Ever.
 The full moon was floating above the top of the mountains, its cold rays breaking through the thick
layer of clouds that powdered the sky over the last few days. Each ray that touched me felt like a cold
kiss. Matt and I stood away from each other. We avoided touches and spent too much time together.
It was hard for me to stay away from him, to only see him as a teacher but, when I had the choice,
I picked him. Staying with him was the best choice for me. My body called out to him, but he was
stronger than that. Tonight, under the full moon, Matt said that I should try to shift into a wolf. The
moon was helping shifters, well... shift.
If this was just work-related, why was my heart beating inside my chest like a small bird going
crazy inside a cage?
Matt spent his time in the smaller cabin that was a few yards away, so close to me and still so far.
That evening I did my best to look nice. Stepping out of the shower, I looked at myself in the
mirror. My long legs are strong and toned now, capable of running and sprinting, strong pistons that
propel my body. My arms have lost that softness they had. The muscles look defined and, damn, if that
isn’t the outline of a pale six-pack. My hips are still round and feminine, and my breasts look round
and full. My hair grew like crazy as a result of this healthy life. It was always thick and shiny, floating
around my shoulders. During the last few weeks, my hair grew to the middle of my back, turning into
a thick blanket of cherry red hair. It was the same shade as fire when it’s about to fade, or as the sky
when the sun melts behind the horizon.
I was weak before. Now I am strong and capable. My fitness is so much better, but Matt taught me
all these dirty fight moves I’m ready to use if needed. A few weeks ago, I would have been unable to
throw a punch. Now, not only can I throw a decent punch, but I can follow through with a nice kick
and make sure to smash my enemy’s nose. A man with a bleeding nose will be a man that chokes on
his blood and can’t breathe, and that’s fucking distracting. Matt made me break his nose a few times
to prove his point. I know it hurt him, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. He took it like a champ. He
would grumble something about knowing how it feels and how it sounds when you break someone’s
nose.
Matt purchased some girl stuff for my bathroom. I had a brush now and the possibility to fix my
hair. Sweats became my new favorite outfit. I still refused to think about what the next step will be
after my training is over.
Matt kept talking about how easy it would be for me to shift now that I had a firm grip on my fire
magic. The Fire Wolves are the stuff of legend and myths. We are a mix of magic and beast, while
most shifters mix between beast and human.
He was waiting for me, holding on to a blanket and a bottle of wine.
“You did so great. It’s the moment for us to celebrate your birthday. What do you think?"
“I’m nervous. What if I can’t shift?"
“Don’t you feel the moon caressing your skin?"
“Hm." I’ll be damned, I felt horny as hell, but I’m almost sure it was the wrong thing to feel.
“Do you feel any change at all?"
“I’m stronger, faster. I feel as if I can take on whatever is out there."
“Just enjoy the night. Allow the moon and the elements to talk to you."
“I didn’t suspect that you were a Hippie man type."
Matt’s green eyes threw daggers towards me. I smiled, and the look softened into a warm glow.
“We’re shifters. Our beast is part of nature. This is why the human part is closer to nature too."
I bit my lower lip.
Matt

The last few weeks were crazy for me. I can’t count the number of times I jumped into the freezing
pond to cool myself off. Knowing that my Little Flame was so close to me made me incredibly horny,
and the fact that my wolf called out that she is our mate wasn’t helping. She was not experiencing the
call the way I did because she never shifted. As a Fire Wolf, she had three different parts--human,
magic, and beast. The moment when the beast wakes, it's going to be overwhelming for her too.
Then we will have a problem.
A hard problem.
Each time Scarlett bit her lower lip that way, I wanted to throw her on the ground and pound that
attitude out of her. My Little Flame had a damn attitude, and that would bring lots of trouble to this
sweet girl, and for me, because I would fight heaven and hell to make sure that she’d be safe. She’s
angry, she’s stubborn, and she’s so much more fragile than she looks. I did everything I could to offer
her the tools she needed to deal with her fears, but I couldn’t erase eighteen years old fears in a few
weeks.
As she walked next to me, her arm brushed against mine, and it sent wild shivers like a strong
current through my entire body. We walked toward a small clearing filled with the pale light of the
Mother Moon. Chills would freeze an average human, but we’re shifters and we can deal with the
cold. I love autumn, the dry leaves, the steam covering the mountain, the earth that prepared itself for
the cold season, everything agreed with me.
Scarlett sat next to me on the blanket. She laid back and watched the moon and the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as I opened the wine. I am not a big drinker, but a good drop of
wine can warm my soul now and then.
Damn, man, she’s eighteen, only eighteen. I had to remind myself that again and again.
If I had asked, Scarlett probably would tell me about former boyfriends, but just the thought that
another man touched her made my hackles stand up.
Seeing her, smelling her, I couldn’t accept the thought that another was being allowed to touch her
the way I did, even if it was just for sparring. Each time she moved, her scent wafted up into my nose
and it melted my brain, turning me into this hormonal mess. If I would feel that she doesn’t want me,
then it would be easy. I never forced myself on a female who didn’t desire me, but I had to refuse my
need and her desire with her.
The red drops of wine filled the glasses. It looked like rubies under the light of the moon.
“Here.” I offered her the glass and she took it. “Sante."
“What does it mean?"
“For your health. Have you ever had wine before?"
“All my foster moms had a thing for the cheap wine from the box. I didn’t. I drank a beer at a
party once. Alcohol scared me. I wasn’t sure what will happen if I drink and lose control."
“You’re safe with me. I promise."
She took the cup from my hand. Our fingers met. I saw when she lowered her eyes. I wanted her
eyes to look deep into mine when we’re one. My wolf howled and clawed at my flesh prison to let it
out, let it touch its mate. Her scent was intoxicating, making the hard-on I tried to hide in my jeans
almost painful. One day I’ll claim her, push her down on the ground and fuck her senseless until the
only thing she’ll be able to say will be my name again and again. This was beyond lust. The mating is
deep. It’s above what humans call love. A wolf would be ready to set the world on fire for his mate.
My question was if a Fire Wolf had mates.
During the last weeks, I tried to research Fire Wolves, but they are so rare, our people believe
them extinct. Telling even my people about Scarlett scares the shit out of me.
“Matt, are you listening?"
“Yes. The moon is beautiful. Did you know that our ancestors would consider her a Goddess?"
“No. This is fascinating."
Scarlett was so close to my lips, again, it made it so difficult for me not to fist her hair and pull
her lips over mine. Last night I dreamed of her lips wrapped around my cock, moving excruciatingly
slow up and down. It was madness. I woke up in physical pain.
A drop of wine, red like a pearl of blood, clung to the corner of her mouth. My index finger shot
to it, touched it, and wiped it away.
“Oh, what was it?
“You had some."
“Oh, silly me. How are we going to do this? How should I try to shift?"
Why was she asking me such questions when all I could think about was me pounding her into
oblivion just before my face would slide between her open thighs? My teeth bit the inside of my
cheek again, so hard this time it drew blood. The pain helped me focus on what she asked and not on
the way her round soft breasts moved when she talked or the way her long red hair spilled over her
shoulders.
“Imagine your soul opens for the Moon Goddess. She’s offering you a present. She gives you
love, strength, speed, and a long life. When you feel your heart so filled with love and joy it could
burst, at that moment, your body will burst into flames and you’ll shift."
She bit her lip again. I have to find a way to stop her from doing that. Not even the wide
sweatshirt could take away her beauty. The soft round feminine shape was showing through.
“Okay. Hm, yeah, I can try."
She closed her eyes. I felt her arousal again. Her scent betrayed her. I shook from the need to get
my scent all over her, to mark her as mine. The way she sat and started focusing, everything made me
want her more.

Scarlett

Imagining love was the hardest part. There was no love in my life. No one ever loved me.
My mother used to call me Demon and yell at me that I was not her child just before she hit me
and threw me out in the cold. I was never close to anyone. I never felt safe or at home. Except....
Except here, with Matt and his scent.
He was the closest thing to love that I could imagine. Since I was with him, I stopped wanting to
end myself. I stopped cutting.
Looking at the moon, I allowed the love I felt for this cabin, this place, and this man to invade my
heart and body. How would it feel to find out I had a mother that loved me, and that crazy drunken
woman was not my mother? To feel the warmth of that love all inside me, so strong that it would
radiate bright light into all the dark, broken corners of my twisted soul. Just as I pictured how this
would feel, I opened my eyes.
The moon was so much closer. Sparky stood in front of me, wearing a sarcastic Fire Wolf smile.
My soul opened. It split and reunited into itself. I felt me, the human, the girl that was scared and
broken. I could see myself, hidden inside the closet, too scared to go out and get myself something to
eat, holding on to Sparky. I started that fire. I also started the fire later when the caretaker at the
orphanage beat us. It was a way to free us all. The blades I used over the years to cut myself, all the
harm I inflicted on myself just because I was too scared of what was inside me, made sense now. I
looked for Sparky under my skin.
As a small Pyro, I saw myself as broken and wrong, a damaged kid and a teen broken beyond
repair and ready to end myself. I felt the last cut I inflicted on myself.
Right next to my human self was Sparky, beautiful and strong, made of flames. She started running
around my human self until she wrapped herself around her. The human accepted the fire magic.
Sparky bared her neck to me in a gesture of submission. A growl filled my mind, but I wasn’t scared.
I knew who it was—the beast. She was more afraid of us than we were of her. A beautiful red with
white streaks walked from the forest towards me. Magic surrounded her and Sparky walked toward
the beast. It was the first time I noticed that the two of them had the same size and appeared similar.
Just like that, they merged into one.
A new wolf stood on the spot, my Fire Wolf and the White Wolf, with red streaks. Her fur was the
color of a sunset, same as mine, and her eyes threw flames around her. She was mine, the embodiment
of power. Just like that, I melted into her. I wanted this to happen. It was time. She waited for me for
so long. My body stood and I jumped. Flames engulfed my body. I was the wolf with fur in the colors
of sunset and fire.
I stood there, calm, watching Matt, who watched me in awe.
“I always knew that you have it in you. You are beautiful, my Little Flame."
Matt shifted. The grey wolf with green eyes I came to love stood in front of me. Our wolves
moved around each other, sniffing their aura, but neither one submitting. It was as if two Alphas met
and respected each other.
Just as Matt’s wolf stepped closer, a deep horrible sound like a wild screeching erupted inside
my head. A call:
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
I was unable to resist it. It was something older than time that started like a fire boiling me on a
cellular level.
Mate.
Matt’s Green eyes started into my red ones. He barked, a short joyful bark that invited me to play,
and he ran, with me chasing him. Matt was right all the time. The forest and the mountains felt so
different in wolf form. Not only that, I was aware of each sound and movement. I could smell and
hear so much more than I did as a human. I was still me, but this was a new version of me, a side I
still had to get to know.
Matt led me towards the waterfall. He jumped down with me on his back, only this time I jumped
right next to him as an equal, as a partner, strong and confident in my abilities. The wolves swam
inside the lake, but we both emerged as humans. The night in late October was cold and the water
was freezing. However, the heat from our bodies created small clouds of steam.
I landed on my back, laughing.
“You did it, Little Flame." Matt lay next to me, his warmth radiating and pulsing in waves of deep
green and emerald blue, with his cheek resting on his palm and his muscular body pushing on his
elbow.
As I was about to answer, looking down at myself, I saw what he meant. My body was in human
shape again. “That was so incredible."
“Yes, nothing beats being a wolf."
“You should have told me..." I stopped mid-sentence because my wolf was clawing at me again.
She called, Mate, mate.
My core melted under Matt’s gaze. Suddenly, the cold October night was feeling so incredibly
hot. Water dripped from his long hair. One strand hung over his forehead. My body moved closer to
his. Our noses touched and my lips got close to his ear, as close as possible without touching him.
“Matt, my wolf keeps calling out ‘Mate.’ What does it mean?"
“There’s a legend, a wolf legend that says that each one of us has a perfect mate. Someone that is
everything we need and want."
“That sounds like magic. And do you have to be with your mate?"
“It’s magic, but we still have free will. Of course, you don’t have to, but why would someone
choose not to be with the person that is perfect for you?"
He was shivering. I became aware of his body and each of his breaths. Raw hunger clawed at my
insides, calling out his name.
“Mate, is your wolf doing the same thing?"
The moon spun a net of silver. The light felt brighter as it reflected from the surface of the lake.
“Yes. My wolf thinks that you are my mate."

Matt

How was it possible for Scarlett to look even more beautiful under the moonlight?
Her pale skin glowed from the inside. She was the beacon of light my soul searched for all my
life, my harbor in the madness. My fingers trailed over her jaw. Her beautiful eyes looked down.
Long dark lashes covered her cheeks. This woman was perfection. If the Moon Goddess descended to
Earth, she would bow in front of Scarlett’s beauty. Every curve of her body was made for my hunger
and desires. The birds and crickets of the night sang a dark song made just for us. My heart was
beating twice, once inside my chest and then even harder inside my throbbing cock. There was no
blood left inside my brain. It was as if my wolf and my primitive urges still controlled me. Her scent,
the way she looked at me with the deep blue eyes that changed color depending on her moods, her
naked body pressed against me.
Damn.
I’m lost, and I don’t want to be found.
A small voice inside my head kept telling me that I’m too old for her, that it’s all wrong, but I
choose to ignore it. This was my Little Flame. We had the blessing of Mother Moon, with only the
cool autumn night witnessing our connection.
Her lips brushed against mine, allowing a deep guttural moan to escape my mouth.
One heartbeat later, I pinned her to the ground, feeling her soft, warm body shivering under me.
“I’ll kiss you in a way that will melt the darkest corners of your soul," I whispered to her. She
moved under me.
“Stop talking and kiss me already."
That was all I wanted to hear. My fingers got lost inside her silky long flaming hair. My Little
Flame was tempting like a nymph, an Earth Goddess, as she lay on the ground with only grass and
leaves serving as sheets.
Just watching her move and reading the wonderful kaleidoscope of emotions on her face was
making me moan. My lips found her. I imagined kissing her slowly, taking my time to warm her. She
had another opinion. Her lips pressed against mine, invading my mouth and melting my last
opposition. She was sweet and hot at the same time. Kissing her naked was not only an act of wild
desire. It also became an act of restraint because her wet lips rubbed against my hardness. My cock
slipped between her folds, rubbing her clit. It was like playing with fire. I had my flame in my arms.
We kissed each other into a frenzy, her fingers inside my hair pulling me closer and my cock
burning and throbbing to fill her.
“I’m going to drive you over the edge, make you lose control, and, when you think you can’t resist
anymore, then I’ll fill you up to the brink."
Scarlett opened her eyes as I whispered to her and looked at me. “I’m glad that my first time is
happening with you."
The world started to spin again. My Little Flame was a virgin? That information changed so
much. She was so flirty, so sensual. I assumed a young woman as beautiful as her had prior
experiences. Knowing she wanted me to be her first changed everything. I’m not good enough for her.
My past is dark and twisted, and it can catch up with me any day now. She looked at me with so much
love and desire. I was breaking. It hurt.
The mating bond meant that she would be connected to me forever if I made love to her. Scarlett
deserved better than being tied down with a shifter that was old and broken. There was an entire
world that she should explore and enjoy.
My body didn’t stop reacting to her, but I couldn’t do this. This was a gift that should be shared
with someone worthy. Instead, the amount of blood that had touched me made me unworthy of such a
goddess.
“Scarlett, I didn’t know that it’s your first time."
She pressed her lips against mine, wanting to kiss me. Her desire floated toward me, setting me
on fire like a pile of dry wood struck by lightning.
“Do you mind?"
Her eyes opened, fear and sadness written all over her face. She didn’t need me anymore. If I
choose to make her stay, she will, but for how long until she will resent me for taking her freedom of
choice. What I was about to do hurt me more than it will hurt her, my Little Flame will have other
chances to happiness, but for me, she was probably my only, my last.
“I’m used to women that have more experience. Don’t get me wrong, but I have no intention to
teach you how to fuck, too."
I watched myself being this colossal asshole. I watched her expression changing from sweet and
trusting to an image of frozen pain.
 “Don’t say this, Matt, please."
“I just did. Do you think that I plan on becoming your daddy or something? Do you think I’m
interested in becoming the mate of an inexperienced batshit crazy wolf like you? Please."
Scar was sitting now, kneeling. She watched me pushing her away. Each word hurt her deeper.
Each word ensured she won’t ever talk to me.
“You’re not a real wolf. Your mama was right. You’re a Demon, and I reject the mating bond.
Scarlett, I reject you!"
 7

Scarlett

I stood there. The cold found a way to my soul, as the most beautiful night of my life turned into a
nightmare.
Everything hurt.
My body.
My soul.
My mind was breaking, and I could feel the fire burning under my skin. Matt rejected me. I didn’t
want much from him, but he was special. He pushed me into a pit of eternal darkness and cold. My
breaths hurt from the cold that turned my nipples to hard pebbles. The arousal that I felt just a few
minutes ago was gone, replaced with a bitter and hard feeling of loneliness.
No one is ever going to love me.
My wolf hurt. She cried out inside my chest. The moment Matt rejected the mating bond with me,
my wolf called out in agony and despair. It felt as if he used a whip to hit her, ripping away pieces of
her burning heart.
Never trust anyone. I’m all alone in the world. There is no happy ending for someone as broken as
me.
I was shattered and broken. My future crumbled and crashed.
Matt stood and walked away. As he did, I allowed my tears to start running down my cheeks.
They felt hot and sticky, like boiling sadness.
“You know something, fuck off. I don’t ever want to see you again. I hate you!"
This was all so not true. As I called out the words out into the darkness, my heart burst even more,
and a piece of it broke forever.
Being naked on an October night in a clearing was not the best idea, not even for a shifter. My
mind focused on how cold I was, ignoring the rest. It was too much. The feeling of isolation and
loneliness was a bitter pill to swallow. Never would I have imagined things would be that wrong
between Matt and I. My body craved him for weeks. I felt instantly attracted to him on that night when
he saved me from the lab where they experimented on me. There was nothing to dislike, except what
he did now. Fucking Jerk.
Standing up, I used the back of my hand to wipe away my tears. As much as I hated it, I’ll have to
go to the cabin and at least get dressed. This night was meant to be a celebration of life and the night
of my first shift. Great, it was a three-in-one package. I shifted for the first time. I found out there are
fated mates. I found mine, and my mate rejected me.
Fucking great.
I kicked a rock with my bare foot.
“Ouch. God damn, fucking shit."
It was a miracle that I found my way back to the cabin. My sadness turned into white-hot rage
when I got there. A bike stood in front of Matt’s cabin. As far as I knew, it was not his.
I don’t care. He can die for as much as it concerned me. Fucking dickless prick.
In my rage, I kicked the bike. Damn, that hurt.
“You know it didn’t do anything to you?" A deep velvet-smooth voice sounded from the shadow.
Who was that, and how did I not notice that someone was there? Yeah, I was too preoccupied
feeling sorry for myself to mind my surroundings. I didn’t care that I was butt naked and my hair
probably looked like an explosion. I took a fighting stance, ready to defend myself, no matter what.
This night could not get worse.
“What the fuck? Who’s there?"
Footsteps sounded on the gravel. A male figure, dark and handsome, stepped out from the
shadows of the cabin.
“Not that I wouldn’t enjoy wrestling with a naked beauty like you, but I’m here on business. Is
Matt around?"
My hands still formed fists and my feet created a perfect triangle that helped me maximize my
force. “Who’s looking for him?"
“Sorry, your beauty clouded my mind and made me forget my manners. I’m Ziggy, a friend of
Matt."
Even though I was ready to fight, I had to appreciate the gorgeous male that revealed himself to
me. He was taller than Matt, with long hair that hung around his shoulders like a curtain of darkness.
Soft curls gave it that distinct unruly biker look. Ziggy wore a pair of jeans, boots, and a shirt with a
band logo that I never heard of. It was cold, and his body was steaming hot. The fact he was a wolf
was obvious now. I could smell his wolf right underneath his perfect skin. Ziggy smiled and revealed
a beautiful collection of pearly white teeth.
“You must be Scarlett, his new student." He looked at me from head to toe. Why was it that his
gaze melted my sadness and made my skin prickle?
Damn hot guy.
“I don’t think Matt had friends. Must I?"
“Yeah, you must, because otherwise I don’t see how a beautiful she-wolf like you spends time
with that old grizzly loner."
That observation made me giggle, but my wolf was furious. How dare he make fun of our mate.
Matt was still the mate to my wolf, and she was ready to move Heaven and Hell for him and kill him
at the same time. Over the past hour, my relationship with Matt changed so much I couldn’t explain it.
Ziggy leaned closer, close enough to make me blush and become very aware of the fact that I was
fully naked, but far enough that it wasn’t an intrusion into my space. He looked like a seasoned fighter.
I didn’t feel like getting my fur handed to me by this wolf, even though a nice, wild rumble would be
just what the doctor ordered.
“Are you working with him?"
The question was thrown out. I had no idea if he would reply, still curious as fuck.
Ziggy moved his hand to his back pocket and produced a wallet. He opened it slowly and offered
me a calling card.
“Here, if you ever want to work with Shifter Nation, we pay well and take care of our own. Or if
you ever just want to talk."
My wolf bared her teeth toward him. I took the card and left without a word. His eyes studied my
backside as I walked toward the cabin. Matt was not here yet, and I wanted to leave as soon as
possible. I stuck my head out of the door just to see Ziggy turn towards me with a smile tugging at his
sexy lips and a glistening in his eyes.
“I could use a ride. Can you take me down the mountain?"
“Sure."
“Good."
I returned to the cabin, put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, as well as an oversized hoodie that had
a wolf logo would have to do as a jacket. My hair was wild and unruly, but I wanted to leave before
Matt returned. The red locks had to be happy with a few brush strokes and a ponytail that I
improvised.
As I walked around the cabin, I knew this was the end, the same destiny I feared a few weeks ago
when I was about to turn eighteen. I had no money, no friends, and no family. There was no one I
could call that could offer me at least a couch for a few days.
I’m so fucked.
Fucked.
Fucked.
I didn’t possess anything of value. All I had was my mind, my body, and my strength. I turned the
card between my fingers, but I didn’t feel like working for the same organization as Matt. Fuck them
all, Shifter Nation guys. My few belongings landed inside a backpack, and I made my way towards
Ziggy, standing next to his bike.
Matt was there too, talking to him. The moment he saw me, his face looked as pale as the moon.
“Scarlett, wait. Let’s talk. You don’t have to go." His voice sounded sincere but broken. Ziggy did
not say a word. His arms crossed over his chest.
“There’s nothing more to be said. You made your choice." I turned my attention towards Ziggy.
“Can you give me that ride, please? There are too many things here that ruin my vibe."
“Sure, princess. Hop on."
With my backpack on my shoulders, I sat on the back of the bike. Ziggy nodded toward Matt. I had
the feeling that whatever there was between them, there was not much of a friendship to talk of.
Because I had nothing else to hold on to, I wrapped my arms around Ziggy and leaned my head against
his back.
After a few minutes of driving off-road, he reached a small path large enough for a motorcycle to
navigate.
Ziggy’s hair smelled like forest, mint, and motor oil. Now it smelled of tears. Holding on to him, I
allowed my sadness to leave me. I would close the door on the Matt chapter. I wasn’t paying attention
to the road. Ziggy drove fast and reckless, but I wasn’t concerned with dying. Whatever will happen
will happen. All I wanted was to put as much distance as possible between myself and the place I
once called home.
We stopped at a diner in the middle of nowhere. Ziggy got off the bike. My body instantly missed
the warmth that came from him.
“Hey, I don’t know about you, but I have to pee and could use a coffee and breakfast."
I nodded. My body hurt from the long bike ride, and I could barely put my feet on the ground
without planting myself fully on the face. Ziggy offered me his hand, but I pushed it aside. It was damn
time for me to learn to handle myself on my own.
The first steps hurt like hell, and damn, I wish I could say that climbing the few stairs to the diner
was easy, only my body was groaning and protesting.
After the long ride in the drizzle, the warmth and sweet scent of coffee and eggs hit my nose and
made my mouth water. Ziggy walked me over to a booth and excused himself to go to the bathroom.
When he returned, an overweight, friendly-looking waitress brought us the menu and filled my coffee
cup.
“I don’t have any money." I looked at him.
“No worries, this is on me. The SN pays well."
For a second, I wasn’t sure what SN was. Then it dawned on me—Shifter Nation.
“Okay, in that case, I want the big breakfast with everything. Can you order for me too, please? I
need to go to the restroom.”
“Sure thing “
This was the kind of place filled with truckers and bikers, people traveling from A to B, all too
tired and hungry to care about anyone else's business. I got a few looks that told me even though I
looked like a wet kitten caught in the rain, my face and body still attracted attention. But that was it.
After smiling at me, the men returned to their plates and coffee cups, getting ready for a new day on
the road.
The image that saluted me from the mirror in the restroom wasn’t even as bad as I imagined it
would be. My face looked just a bit puffy, my blue eyes dark-rimmed from crying and from the
sleepless night. The tip of my nose was red, and my face was pale. My hair was a wild mess after
riding on a bike the entire night without a helmet. Ziggy didn’t have one either. Each twig, insect, and
piece of wood decided to stick to my hair. Oh well. Taking my brush out of the backpack, I did my
best to work my hair into a braid. After splashing water on my face, I felt almost presentable again.
My stomach didn’t care and grumbled, asking me to hurry the fuck up and get some food.
Ziggy waited for me. Two full plates sat on the table. He sipped his coffee, and I had the first
chance to look at his face in daylight. His hair was not as dark as I believed. It was chestnut-colored
with warm reddish accents to it. Two warm, intelligent brown eyes completed his appearance. He
sported a three-day beard that still showed off his dimples. What surprised me the most was the warm
smile he had for me.
“Scarlett, I’ll make this short. I won’t ask about whatever happened between you and Matt cause
that’s none of my business. I won’t try to get into your panties either." He made a break here and did
his best to hide his smile. “But I’ll try to convince you to work for us. SN is a strong organization that
devotes itself to helping people like us. You have no idea how many times young shifters get
kidnapped for use in criminal endeavors against their will. It’s where we step in and give them a
hand."
“That sounds dangerous."
“I won’t lie, it is, but shifters are almost impossible to kill. Did you know that? If someone fired
into us with an AK-47, we would have big gaping holes in our belly and chest, it would hurt like a
mofo, but we heal."
“What about head shots?"
Ziggy hit his skull with his knuckles. “Too hard for a bullet. They’d need a rocket launcher. Listen,
you would receive more training."
As I heard the word training, my hackles started to rise.
 “Not with Matt if you don’t want to."
I nodded.
“Scarlett, I need to ask you something. Was he rough to you? We don’t accept trainers that mistreat
the students."
“No, no, he is a good teacher. This was personal. Hey, what do you know about mates?"
Ziggy threw me a look “Many of us believe in the fated mate thing, that there’s another person out
there who is perfect for us in every way. I don’t know. If you decide to work with us, HQ has a huge
library and a few guys who live skulking there."
“So what your saying is that you believe it’s crap.”
“Scarlett, I believe in making my own choices as a man and as a shifter. The Goddess is not going
to choose in my place. That’s all. I saw good people ruined and broken because their so-called mates
rejected them. I won’t get myself in such a position. Fuck ’em! Why have one mate when you can have
many? By the way, did Matt tell you about the aging thing?”
I stuck a fork loaded with pancakes, sausage, and eggs in my mouth and could only shrug my
shoulders.
“After your first shift, your aging will slow down significantly. The more often you shift, the
slower you age. The average age for us is about 250 years, but I know a wolf up in Nevada who says
he is four hundred and twenty. I don’t know if I believe him or not."
I almost choked on my food.
“How old are you?" It was a rude question, but I had to ask. Ziggy looked as if he was in his early
thirties.
He laughed. “I was born in 1940, so I’m technically eighty-two. Matt, the old fart, is one hundred
and twenty. Imagine being born in 1899. I mean, yeah.”
“You’re shitting me. I don’t believe you."
“It’s always the same with you young pups. I give you good news, and you guys don’t believe me.
If I was be a bloodsucker, would you be more inclined to believe me?"
Ziggy opened his pocket and pulled out a phone. He tapped on an album and gave me the phone.
He was right.
“This could be Photoshopped or a guy who looks like you."
A smile tugged at his lips. “Pup, believe me if you like. If not, then don’t. You will meet others,
and they’ll confirm what I said."
“What would I have to do?"
“We work a lot undercover. The secret of SN must be kept at any cost. We infiltrate people from
our organization into the system and follow leads. Now and then, we have to stop a werewolf who
decides he’s the law and goes on killing rampages. When people live as long as we do, some of us
don’t fare that well. Some lose their shit, and then it can turn ugly."
“And then are you guys, what, killing them?" I leaned closer to my plate. My eyes opened wide as
if that would make me hear better.
“Listen, it’s not as if we have shifter prisons. We have places for the ones that need only some
help, but some, sadly, need to be put to peace.”
I stuffed some more food into my mouth. Damn, I killed a human. Who was I to judge? I killed him
because I knew I couldn’t get help. I tried talking to my social worker. She ignored the signs because
the little girls didn’t have bruises and would not say a word. They ignored everything because he was
an intelligent monster who knew how to cover his tracks.
Ziggy looked at me. His eyes had a strange intensity to them.
 “I understand."
He nodded. Did he know that I killed a man?
“Scarlett, you will have all expenses covered and a generous income. And let’s be real, we are
different, we can’t be with a human, not long term at least."
I nodded.
“Is there a trial time, or are you guys like the mob? Once you're in, you only leave in a casket?"
“No, the only condition is to keep quiet about us after you leave. No one outside of shifters is
allowed to know about SN.”
“I understand. Sounds fair. How about benefits? And do I have to ride a bike?"
He laughed again.
“You get benefits and a six-figure payment, but as a shifter, you don’t get sick, so there’s that. The
bike is an upgrade reserved for cool cats like myself."
It was my turn to giggle. “I believe you now."
“What do you mean?"
“I believe you’re eighty-two because no man that is the age you look would say ‘cool cat.’"
“Fair enough. Deal?"
“Deal. I’m a badass, and I want to give this badass shit a shot."
 8

Scarlett

One week later

Shifter Nation, and the Seattle headquarters, was so different from what I imagined. In my mind, a
place run by shifters should be more like a dirty biker bar or something, but this was so not that. A
modern fifteen-story building housed offices, classrooms, and apartments for what I learned later was
the Shifter Nation Pack. Wolves will always end up defining themselves by being a pack.
The first day I stepped inside, my nose was overwhelmed. It was my first time inside a building
packed with shifters. Ziggy stopped to greet the door guy and asked about Gladys.
Gladys was so not what I expected, same as the building. When I thought, ‘Gladys,’ I imagined a
plump, middle-aged, frumpy woman with thick glasses. The Gladys I got to meet looked like Sharon
Stone in her damn prime. She was tall, gorgeous, and with a cute short haircut that made her blonde
hair shine. Gladys wore a business suit that hugged all her curves in the right places.
“Ziggy, what a surprise."
She smiled at me. Suddenly I felt so frumpy and out of place. Everything about this woman was
elegant and classy, and I looked like some trailer park hobo.
“Hi, Gladys. Gorgeous as always. I have a recruit for you. Scarlett, meet Gladys. She practically
runs this thing here."
Gladys smiled a full smile. It was hard for me not to run away. She was not another Nurse Annie.
“Hi, Scarlett. Nice meeting you. Are you one of Matt’s pupils?"
I think my face darkened at the mention of Matt’s name. “Let’s walk into my office and talk."
I was about to ask Ziggy to stay, but he did. He held himself in the background but was still
present and emanating a strength and confidence that put me at ease. We sat down on comfy chairs
inside a beautiful office. Everything was grey and beige, but it felt calming in a way.
“So, you’ll have to go through a series of tests just to see at what level you are as a fighter.
According to that, we can offer you two years or one year. You’ll be paid for your time and receive a
room here. I’m sure that you will love it. We have martial arts classes, advanced espionage, fire
weapon classes, philosophy, history, driving. Would you like me to show you around first?"
“What if I don’t fit in?”
“Scarlett, you’re quite the superstar around the people who read your files. We want you to be
here. We believe that you will fit in great. In case you hate something, you come to me. We can have a
coffee and solve your problem. How does that sound?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. It’s not as if I had such many alternatives.
“Stay with us, learn new skills, and, with the diploma you get, you can get yourself hired by a top
security company. We work with a few and will recommend you if you decide that it’s the way you
want to go."
This was my life and it was time I started making my choices.
“I’ll stay."
Ziggy stood up from his chair. “Gladys, before you show Scarlett around, can I get a few
minutes?"
“Sure." Gladys stood up and left.
“You have huge lady balls, kid. I like that. Listen, if you don’t like it here, don’t go away, okay?
Give me a call. You have my number."
“Thanks, Ziggy, I appreciate it. Do you live here in the building?"
“Neh, it’s too much of a glass and steel spot for my taste. Old cats have to run wild and free. But
hey, if you like, I can stop by now and then and check on you. That way, you already have a friend. If
you think you can find a place on your dance card for me.”
Ziggy smiled fully.
“Do you try to convince me that you’re as old as you say?"
“Actually, yeah. And I like to see you smile, princess. Text me. I’ll even answer you. They’ll
supply you with everything here. You will see. Pack life is cool."
I hugged Ziggy. I don’t know why, but in my heart, I felt he would play an essential role in my life.
Ziggy left. I felt good here.
Gladys returned with a sweet smile on her face.
“Hey, so, would you like to see your room?"
“Sure."
We walked and she gave me a credit card. “Here. There’s a laptop in your room for you. Order
yourself whatever you need. This is your clothing allowance for the quarter. You have 5G there. It
should be enough. Don’t forget to buy a lot of exercise clothes and such. You’ll need it.”
“Are there specific rules I have to obey?”
“No. We’re all shifters. We don’t have an issue with nudity or sex. You’re eighteen, right?"
I nodded.
“The ratio of male to female is like seven to three, so get ready for a ton of attention. But don’t be
scared. The males respect a clear no. Again, if you have problems, just come see me."
“Thanks, Gladys.”
The elevator opened and we left it. The corridor looked like it belonged to an exquisite hotel.
“Nice."
Gladys took out a key card and offered it to me. “Here you go."
I swiped it. A simple but elegant room opened for me.
“Okay. This is your room. Let’s get you introduced to a few people."
Gladys took me to another level. This time, I felt the small hairs on my neck stand up.
Shifters, a whole bunch of them. Younger and older. This place was like a hive full of life.
 “I talked to your fight instructor, and she wants to test you now. She believes in the cold test. You
don’t have to worry. Just try not to get killed."
Gladys opened the door, and I could feel the energy shift. The room was a training room. People
around my age would fight in pairs of two. I expected to see them wearing kimonos and such, but the
class wore street or exercise clothes.
Okay, I can do that.
The males stopped and turned their heads towards me, and I did my best not to blush. Relax,
Scarlett, you got this. I had one-on-one combat experience with Matt, and he was a skilled fighter.
A beautiful woman with blonde hair and dark eyes gave me an ugly look. I sensed she disliked me
and made no secret of it. I assumed it was because she was used to being the center of attention, and I
now stole her spotlight. The guy she was fighting with--a good-looking wolf with a damn sexy ass in
those shorts and a tank top that showed off his strong muscles, broad shoulders, and tiny waist—
shifted his attention to me.
Gladys talked to a tall, muscular woman who was the teacher.
“Scarlett, it’s mandatory you take a combat test to see where you stand. First blood wins. No
weapons, hand to hand. And someone from the class is allowed to challenge you. Are you okay with
that?" she asked me curtly and directly.
“Yes."
“Class, I need a challenger for Scarlett. Volunteers?"
The guys smiled, but I knew that neither one of them was taking me seriously.
The blonde girl stepped forward. I expected a deeper, sexy voice, but her bubble-gum voice
busted my bubble.
“I challenge her!"
“Okay. Scarlett, your challenger is Mia. First blood wins. Everything is allowed. No shifting."
The class formed a circle around us. I swallowed hard. Okay.
Mia smiled an evil smile. I must beat her up, and I have to do it well, otherwise this girl won’t
give me a moment of peace. I know a bully when I see one. She kept shifting her weight from left to
right and again. I was tired from this game. I didn’t sleep last night, and all I wanted was to get some
shut eye. A chubby brunette shot me a friendly smile and a signal toward the blonde's feet. The sign
came in time to avoid being swept by her.
She likes to play dirty? Very well.
I moved fast and hit her with a fist in her kidney. It was a lucky hit, or I was damn good. She
called out in pain.
The instructor yelled blood.
The blonde tried to nail me with a hit against my head, but it didn’t faze me. With a short foot and
arm combo hit, I had her on her knees. Still, there was no blood. She was about to run toward me,
fuming. I turned, grabbed her arm, and twisted it behind her, pressing her against the floor. There was
no blood. I used my fingernails and scratched her hand. She yelled like a wild beast.
“She cheated, she cheated. She isn’t that good."
The instructor stepped over. “Scarlett beat you, now shut up, Mia."
Mia stood up slowly and threw me the most venom-filled look ever. Oh, joy. Day one and I made
an enemy.
“Scarlett, I think your place is in the advanced class. See you tomorrow."
Gladys picked me up and walked me back to my room. I found a schedule on my laptop and
crashed on the bed. My mind was empty, numb, and unable to process shit.
 9

Scarlett

Three months later

The night when Matt rejected me felt so far away, like a bad dream that made my chest hurt and left
the bitter taste of ashes inside my mouth. It was a whole other life that kept me way too busy to be
sad. My alarm clock rang at five in the morning. I rushed through showering and a hasty breakfast to
get down to weapons training. Even though my wolf pined for Matt, my mind pushed him as far away
as possible. I was way too busy to feel sad.
Ziggy took me to HG right after we left that dinner where, to my surprise, I received a room to
myself. I expected it to look more like a prison but was delighted that it was, in fact, close to a five-
star hotel, not that I have been in a five-star hotel before. After the first three months there, I became
an expert in weapons, close combat, and fast shifting. During training, I kept my purpose in front of
me. Each difficulty and setback made me push harder.
As much as I enjoyed the new people, I mainly kept to myself, even going on long runs in wolf
form alone. The only exception was Cello. Still, I hid Sparky from others and from her, too. There
was no need for them to know I’m a Fire Wolf. Matt rejected me, and he knew I was a Fire Wolf.
Still, in my heart, I wanted to believe he’d keep my secret.
I didn’t see Ziggy often. He was an active operative but would stop now and then at the cafeteria
and have lunch with me.
My weapons instructor was a woman who looked like a tank. She was funny as fuck, and I loved
to learn how to use the guns.
My back hurt from fight training. My abilities made me slip through the ranks fast and landed me
into the advanced class during the first two weeks of my stay in HQ. After exercising with a sword
and sticks and training to escape more than five attackers at once, lunch break was welcome.
A part of me enjoyed the noise in the cafeteria. I could have had my lunch in my room, but it made
me feel good to be close to other shifters.
Our teacher in shifter psychology talked about the metanatural bond and the feeling of being close
to your people.
I picked a steak and some butter potatoes and put them on a tray. Eyeing the espresso machine, I
left the tray on my table in the corner and walked towards the machine to get myself a cup of hot
Italian. The dessert table tempted me, but my body needed clean food, proteins and carbs.
The upside of being a shifter is that you can damn eat whatever you want without gaining weight. I
never noticed that before because weight was never an issue for me. I learned it here. Most of us had
incredible model-type bodies. Other tall, slim, and muscular-looking shifters eat the same thing as I
did. I will always skip a piece of lean turkey for a slice of juicy, bloody cow. I had this image in my
mind of a wolf running on the field and hunting down a cow and then biting into her flesh, allowing
the blood to run down her face.
Cello made her way toward me. She always had that cheerful smile on her face. Cello was a
genuinely happy person and, in a weird way, her good nature balanced out my darkness. We became
friends when she fell during meditation class and I helped her up on her feet. Cello is the only wolf I
know that isn’t slim but rather curvy.
After that meditation class, she walked up to me to thank me and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m
Violin, but everyone calls me Cello."
My eyebrows pulled together in a frown. It didn’t make sense at first until it did. Then she pointed
toward her round, curvy hips. I didn’t see anything wrong with her, but it seems she did.
“You know, 'cause I look more like a cello rather than a violin. Violin sounds too pretentious
either way, right?" She finished her intro with a giggle.
Her hand hung in front of me, and I took it. That was the end of my loner life. Silence and
darkness sounded less horrible with Cello by my side.
“Scarlett.” I watched her walk towards me, her tray loaded with cookies, chocolate cake, and a
large milkshake. “Hi, Scarlett, how are you, girl?"
Cello sat on her chair. We had a habit of sitting at this side table that allowed us to view the entire
cafeteria. Cello grew up with SN, both her parents being high ranking, and as such, she knew
everyone. After meeting her, I started to feel a little bit less lost in the maze of a complex
organization.
“I had combat training. Everything hurts. How about you?"
Cello bit her lower lip and started nibbling on a cookie.
“Weapons. The Tank cleaned the floor with me."
Cello looked so sad, with her huge, warm brown eyes and her short curly hair. I liked Tank. She
was a great teacher that could push you beyond your breaking point, but I hated her for the way she
behaved with Cello.
“That bad, honey?"
“Yes. You know that I try. It’s just when she stays there and stares at me I feel as if I have to puke
and cry at the same time, my hands get clammy, my breathing is all wrong, and I can barely hold the
gun steady. And the worst thing,” she said and took another bite from her chocolate cookie, “is that the
damn cow laid down next to me and started firing herself. Fuck. You know that I do okay with pistols
and knives, but I damn suck with the rifle. I can’t hit that target. I just can’t find a position that works
for me."
A tear stuck in the corner of her eyes. Her voice sounded shaky and broke under pressure.
Cello often came over to my room to cry. She needed someone she could trust to talk to so her
parents wouldn’t find out about her weakness.
It looks like parents are parents, no matter if they are shifters or not. Cello’s parents were both
pack betas. She had to rise to their level, no matter how.
I put my hand on hers and squeezed. “You know something. I’ll get us some rifles. We wolf out
tonight and shoot outside. Sounds good?"
Cello took another bite from her cookie and nodded. “I’m still going to suck, you know it?"
“You don’t. We’re wolves, wild women, predators. We can do this. Hey, I’ll go get myself
another espresso."
I got into this habit of drinking espresso before my lunch. It helped me with the speed of the
regeneration of my body. As I stepped toward the machine, I saw that Cello dropped her cookie and
was staring. There was only one person who could get her away from her cookie--Kyle Dawson, the
son of the Alpha, a total pretty boy, and one hundred percent not into Cello.
Kyle is hot, and if there wouldn’t be implications, I would go for a tumble in the sheets with him.
But as Cello likes him and she considers herself my best friend, I can’t.
During the first weeks here, every guy tried to get in my pants. I got it. I’m the shiny new toy and
they all tried to play. Most of them calmed down and understood the message, especially after
breaking a few noses and kicking a few groins. It’s no big deal. We’re shifters and heal fast. I’m not
fucking interested in a booty call, a boyfriend, or whatever else they could offer me. I’m good. I want
to learn, train, and go on my first mission.
Kyle was stubborn, used to getting what he wanted. He had no intention of giving up easily.
As I waited in line at the espresso machine, I saw my reflection in the mirror. My long red hair
was braided into two braids, but it still looked wild and fierce. My lips looked pouty and pink, and
my eyes glimmered. Dressed in black leather, my body looked better than ever, my waist small, and
my hips round and curvy. I have a cute ass if I can say that about myself.
A small smile touched my lips right before I saw Kyle’s reflection. He is a sight for sore eyes.
Tall, broad shoulders, narrow hips, and fabulous muscles underneath that t-shirt of his. I know. He
makes a point of taking his t-shirt off in fight class, and all the other female shifters drool over him.
The ratio of males to females here is about three to one, and still, Kyle could have any other
female he wanted. He seems dead set on having me. We always want what we can’t have, only to
want something else right after getting it. I think it’s a quote from Game of Thrones. I binged it lately
and enjoyed it.
My wolf gets in fight mode when Kyle is near, maybe because my human gets weak knees and
wants to push him against the wall and do bad things to him. I’m only a woman, and I have needs.
His blue eyes are different from mine. My eyes are darker blue and sometimes can turn grey or
green. His are a pure baby blue, like the sky on a spring day. Long, thick lashes throw shadows over
his lightly tanned skin and sharp cheekbones. He could be an underwear model as well as a beauty
model. He could be perfect if he weren’t so damn arrogant.
“Hi, Scarlett. Your form today in fight class was almost perfect."
I know exactly what he was doing. He was baiting me with a compliment. “It was okay, I think."
His eyes meet mine, and I felt heat rising inside me. I’ll have to swipe my V card with someone,
and it should happen as fast as possible.
“A wolf like you should go for perfection. You’re so much above, okay."
My inside self blushed. Why the fuck do I care about what he says? Oh, yeah, because I think he’s
hot as fuck, and the fact that he gives me the time of day makes me feel good.
Damn. I catch Cello’s look. She’s in love with him. They grew up together and used to be best
friends until tenth grade when he decided he was way too cool to hang out with her. He gave her the
first kiss, and my poor girl can’t get over the arrogant bastard. Cello is such a good person. She
wouldn’t even mind if I were with him. She loves him, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing
anything with the asshat prince.
“Can I walk you to your table?"
“Sure, it’s a free cafeteria."
“So, Scarlett, do you have plans for tonight? A few of us are meeting down by the creek and shift
then party. Nothing like a run in wolf shape and a good dance after to celebrate spring."
I bit my lip and watched Kyle’s reaction. I could smell his pheromones.
“Can I bring Cello? I’m sure she would like to come."
“Sure, sure, any friends of yours, Scarlett, are my friends, too."
I almost told him that she was his friend first and that he’s an ass for ignoring her, but oh well, it’s
a bad idea to have a fallout with the Alpha’s son. We turned towards my table, and I was aware all
eyes were on us. Male attention was nothing new to me, female attention either.
Ziggy sat at my table. He said something to Cello, and she laughed so hard she almost snorted. I
pressed my tray with the espresso and the slice of chocolate cake into Kyle’s hands and crossed the
distance to Ziggy in a few large steps. He stood up, caught me, and lifted me into his arms.
“How are you, princess?" he said with his thick velvet voice that made me cream my panties just
listening to it.
During the first week at HQ, Ziggy called me every night. He became my best friend even though I
wouldn’t admit to it. My wolf whimpered when she saw him, and I felt that pleasant heat in the
stomach.
Being in Ziggy’s arms was nice and safe. It felt like home.
We sat down, but he kept holding my hand. It was his way to say mine, and she’s under my
protection. Not even Kyle dared to mess with Ziggy. He moved to the side and twisted his neck in a
sign of submission, then left.
“Princess, guess what? I have news for you.”
“What?"
Ziggy promised me that as soon as my training evolved enough, I’ll get a chance to work in the
field.
“Eat up first. Then we go for a ride and talk."
I did as he told me, then whispered to Cello that I’d stop by later tonight at her place and have
something to tell her. Ziggy and I left HQ on his bike. My body stopped protesting. I even learned to
ride that damn thing all by myself. It still was not my favorite mode of transportation, but who was I
to complain. My friendship with Ziggy put me high up in the food chain. We left the city and arrived at
a lovely, somewhat secluded property--Ziggy’s place. I was there before, and I started to feel at
home.
Ziggy led the way, took two beers out of the fridge, and sat on the back porch.
Kicking my feet up, I took a swig from the bottle. I don’t particularly like beer, but Ziggy has only
filtered coffee, and I hate that shit.
“Scarlett, I was able to get you on a mission with my team, if you want to. I want to brief you first.
If you think it’s a bit too close for comfort, let me know, I won’t hold it against you if you back
down."
“You’re killing me. Talk already."
Ziggy frowned, his eyebrows creased. He was still handsome, a bear of a man, all muscles with
the sexiest laugh.
“You need to work as a stripper."
 “What?" The beer almost left through my nostrils. I choked and started to cough. “A stripper? You
do know what that is, right?"
He hit me softly on my back. I wiped my mouth in my sleeve and looked at him with crazy eyes.
His green eyes sparkled with delight.
“I’m hunting a dangerous guy. He’s not only involved in human trafficking, he’s also into shifter
trafficking. I think he was part of the H clinic before Matt burned it down."
Hearing the name Matt made my stomach hurt. My poor wolf started to howl in pain after her lost
mate. I could feel the burn, the liquid lava that filled my scars each time I thought of Matt.
“They got Matt. I was at his place. He’s gone, and the young guy he was training was dead. Matt
would have never left the kid to fare for itself."
I had to take a long deep breath. “Is Matt dead, too?"
“No, I don’t think so. I searched the entire area. I think they want information from Matt."
“What can Matt tell them? He’s just a trainer for young shifters?”
“You don’t know, huh?"
“Know what, that he can be an ass, yeah, I know that."
Ziggy pushed his hair back from his forehead, the locks of dark chocolate brown and auburn
shining under the soft spring sun. “Scarlett, I hate asking you this because it’s none of my business, but
the situation changed. Is Matt your fated mate?"
I bit my lips. Hot tears started to stream out, and I felt that I couldn’t control my pain. As if I was
relieving that horrible day when Matt rejected me again and again. I nodded. Ziggy wrapped his
strong arms around me, and I lost myself in his scent. His hair smelled like mint. I unlocked the secret
of his herbal shampoo a while ago. My breath hitched and my soul felt like cracking.
“I hate making you suffer. You know that."
I mumbled something that I couldn’t understand.
His hands moved on my back and he pushed me gently away. Ziggy pulled an elegant handkerchief
out of his pocket. It was silk and soft and smelled like him. I started wiping away my tears.
“I’d gladly beat the fuck out of Matt myself for making you suffer, but I can’t let his old ass get
tortured and killed. Did he reject you?"
I nodded.
“Oh dear. Stupid fuck."
“Tell me about the mission," I said, trying to push my heartache away with another swig from the
bottle.
“The guy who runs things owns a strip club hangs out there most of the time. He’s human, so he
can’t feel you. You’re a new face, and I know that he has a weak spot for redheads. I need you to get
close to him and find out whatever you can. Do you think that you are up to it?"
I nodded.
“Is he the guy who has Matt?"
“Scarlett, Matt is one of the original five Alphas who created SN. If anyone cracks him, they’ll
get to the source of our power. It’s not simple."
“Why five Alphas?"
“Initially, shifters had three parts--human, beast, and magic. The tribes were Fire Wolf, Earth
Wolf, Water Wolf, Wind Wolf, and Spirit Wolf. Sadly, the tribes lost their magic power over time, and
we can’t rule over elements anymore.”
“Why is Matt so important?"
“He killed the last Fire Alpha and took his place, but he was never able to unleash the power of
fire himself. All the Fire Wolves lost their magic. We searched for an heir but never found one. For a
bit, Matt and I thought that you were a Fire Wolf, but we were damn wrong.”
Everything fell into place. Matt was plagued by guilt. This made sense now. “What you’re saying
is that Matt is responsible for the end of the Fire Wolf tribe?"
“More or less. The other tribes lost their magic soon after, and we all ended as regular wolf
shifters."
“Hm. I see."
“Scarlett, this is all classified. You’re not allowed to know all this, but I had to tell you. You can’t
talk about it, not to anyone."
“I understand. I’m in. When are we going?"
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. You will get a fake ID and everything you need to work in
the guy’s club as a stripper. It’s on you to convince them to hire you. I know you don’t have time to
prepare, but I’m sure you can bust some moves."
I nodded. “What will I wear? I don’t think that I have stripper clothes."
“I have a stylist putting everything together for you, no worries. All you have to do is show up.”
I bit my lip from the inside. I couldn’t tell Ziggy that I still had my V card, who had heard of a
virgin stripper. Even Cello had hers swiped. Wolves don’t think it’s a big deal when it comes to sex.
“Good to hear. I need you on my team. I am sure that you are going to gain access to Grayson."
Is Grayson the guy we hunt?"
“Yes, he’s dirty. His entire business is mixed into weapons and drugs and dealing with
prostitution. I also think shifters. There are people out there who know about Shifter Nation and feel
rather offended because they don’t have a slice of the pie. By trapping one of the original Alphas,
Grayson is in a position of power."
I nodded. Could I ask Ziggy to help me scratch my itch? No, that would be way too weird,
especially as we’ll work together and I have to pose as a sex worker. I sneaked a look toward the
way his shirt clung to his strong muscles and had to swallow hard.
I get it why shifters are having lots of sex. They all look so damn good.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you. I suspected it that night we met, but even now, it feels
wrong talking about it. For what’s worth, you’re awesome and Matt is an idiot."
I felt the need to smile, it was a bitter-sweet smile, not really from my heart, but it was all I could
muster.
“Do you have an idea for your stripper name?"
“Red Flame?"
“I like it. I should have come up with it myself. Your name will be Autumn Summers. I hope you
like the sound of it."
“Yeah, sounds good."
The forest was stretching out in front of me, miles and miles of pine-scented freedom. Normally
I’ll like the view, but today it reminds me of Matt, of his soft lips and the way his body felt pressed
against mine. Memories of that first day when he saved me resurfaced, the way he held me close to
his chest and I listened to his heartbeat, convinced that everything would be fine.
Our fights, me being stubborn as a mule, him teasing me and pushing me above and beyond my
limits. Our banter and that feeling of home and safety that I only had with him.
Other images resurfaced, my first glass of wine and the way I felt that night, how glorious and
freeing it was to finally shift and how proud he was of me. My silly confession that my wolf thinks
that he is my mate. It was true, and he acted as if he was disgusted by my lack of experience when, in
fact, he felt guilty for probably killing someone I was related to. Damn, life is complicated and
awkward sometimes. This did make anything any better. I still wanted to kick Matt in the balls, hard
and repeatedly, but the thought that someone else was doing it infuriated me.
 10

Matt

I woke up in silence.
My arms and back hurt like hell. The last few months passed in a blur. Still, I was more than
happy to know that Scarlett found a new home at the SN HQ. It was entirely her choice whether she
wanted to share the fact she’s a Fire Wolf. I was hoping she wouldn't, knowing that she can use the
magic of fire would make her desirable as an Alpha mate. I had to correct myself, more desirable.
Even now, trapped and beaten, my first concern was her safety, her happiness. My Little Flame.
My lips were cracked, I could taste blood in my mouth, it dripped down my throat. As I hung
there, I started to assess my injuries. My first reflex was to shift and get out of here, but I couldn’t.
Great, the cuffs that held my hands and feet were silver and probably dipped in wolfsbane.
“You can’t shift, Matt, don’t waste your time attempting it."
I didn’t know that voice, but I felt a deep need, a wild desire to rip out his damn throat.
He chuckled.
My nose let me know that I found myself inside a damp cold basement. Water dripped on my head
and slipped into my eyes. My legs are broken. I can feel it. Those guys stormed my cabin, which
meant there was a traitor inside the ranks of the SN. There was no other way someone could know the
location of my training center and what wards I had up.
Another fact, they had a witch who deactivated my wards to pass through, who destroyed my safe
haven. And poor Tim--he was only fifteen years old. Those assholes killed him, and he was just a kid
who had some trouble shifting and controlling his aggression.
“Why are you hidden? Step in the light, let me see you."
Another laugh.
“No, you’re not privy to see my face. Not yet. My associates will help you talk a bit more."
“I won’t say a damned word. You killed that kid. What’s your problem?"
“That was an unfortunate accident. He wasn’t important. Casualties happen in a war."
“I was not aware that we were at war." I spit the words out.
“But we are at war, my dear friend."
“Damn, is this the way you treat all your friends, or am I super special?"
That damn asshole laughed again. There was no paper trail around my house leading up to my
Little Flame. She should be safe. I hoped. If they kill me now, the only thing that I regret is. And it hit
me like a crowbar into my solar plexus. If I don’t escape this place, I’ll never see my Little Flame
again.
My wolf whimpered inside me. Even though I rejected her, my wolf wanted her, ached for her. My
mind rejected her. My heart was hers. She’s crazy, the type of crazy that makes it worth getting up
from bed in the morning. Who cares if I am one hundred and twenty and she’s eighteen. But will she
care that I killed the last fire Alphas? Will she accept that I’m her enemy, that I wanted that power
and, even when I’m close to her, I still crave her power?
I didn’t see the hit. My eyes swelled and made it hard for me to see anything except a weak sliver
of light that came from behind me. I said her name inside my mind, like a prayer. Scarlett, my Little
Flame. I wasn’t calling out for mother Moon, but for her. My mate, my one and only.

Scarlett

Ziggy drove me back to HQ. I may or may not have shed a few tears on the way back. I hid my face in
his back, my hands wrapped around him. He’ll send a driver in the morning for me. The plan was
straightforward. Fly to Las Vegas, go to the Dark Crystal Club, and try to get a job as a dancer.
Sounds easy.
I had a simple, small flat, and my name was Autumn Summers. It sounded like a good idea. There
was no more time for me to prepare. When he left me at HQ, Ziggy hugged me hard and kissed me
right on my lips. It was a sweet soft kiss. He had never kissed me on my lips before.
“Promise to be careful, princess. Don’t do anything stupid or crazy. All you have to do is keep
your eyes and ears open. Me and the boys will be doing the heavy lifting."
I rolled my eyes, and Ziggy saw it.
“Promise me?"
“You know I can’t. I’m good at combat and weapons, have some faith, okay?"
“Don’t go all Rambo in there, please."
“Who is Rambo?"
Ziggy smiled and ruffled my hair. “I’m an old man with a weak heart. I can’t stand strong
emotions. Please think about that." Ziggy started pressing on his chest and faking a heart attack.
“You’re not an old man. I’ll be on my best behavior."
“It’s your first mission, and I care about you."
“You know I’m good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t want me on your team."
“I trust you, Scarlett, but I’m still allowed to worry about you."
“I need rest, old man."
I hugged Ziggy and slipped upstairs. I wanted to get to my girl Cello. She and I both needed to
party, and Kyle--that cute ass son of the alpha son--invited us, or rather me, to the old mill.
Cello lay on her bed and translated an old text. She was great with ancient languages and such.
“Why aren’t you ready yet?"
Cello looked up, confused.
“Move your ass, woman. We have a party to attend."
“What party?"
 “Kyle invited us to a party at the mill. I don’t know about you, but I need to get drunk and laid
badly."
Cello snickered. “I don’t have anything to wear.” She stood up from the bed and was wearing a
pair of jeans that didn’t do much for her figure and an old, ratty t-shirt.
“Let’s see." I opened her closet and picked around until I found what I wanted. “Here,” I said and
threw a sexy, black, low-cut shirt and ink-black jeans.
“No, it’s too revealing. They’ll look at me."
“By they, you mean Kyle?"
Cello blushed. “He doesn’t see me."
“Because you look too hard in his direction. Flirt with other guys. There are a few who have a
soft spot for you. Kyle will see that you are not after him and will want you more."
Cello just sat there.
“Chop, chop. I have to brush my hair. Do you have any makeup?"
I walked toward the bathroom and looked at my reflection. Matt is a prisoner somewhere and
maybe even dead. No, he is not dead. There is a string that connects my heart and his. Even though it’s
stretched out and frail, it’s not broken. He lives. My heart broke and bled. Still, I knew deep down he
was alive. My wolf knew it. I knew it. There was nothing I could do tonight except get drunk. I stood
there, looking into the mirror and watching the wolf inside me. My fingers moved without me
noticing, and I grabbed a pair of scissors that lay around. It hurts so badly. I had to get that pain out of
me.
Pushing the black leather jacket away, I traced my veins with the tip of the scissor. Blood is life,
and my life was nothing to me.
The pain.
Pain.
That noise, the way my wolf was crying inside me, clawing at me, hurting me, throwing herself
against the walls of the prison that I built for her. Sparky appeared for the first time in weeks. She
stood there, sad, watching me. It was not pleasant and felt like a step back, but it was what I needed at
that moment.
I cut into my skin, just below the elbow on the inside of my arm. Blood, pearly red like the wine I
drank with Matt on the night I shifted, first started to garter close to the surface of my pale skin. The
pain was a rush. It made my heart beat fast and my hands clammy, like before a kiss. Watching it, the
cut closed as fast as I opened it, leaving a small white line instead of a scar. I’ve shifted often, and my
healing is accelerated. Another slow motion with the tip of the scissor opened another cut.
“Scarlett, I called. Are you...." Cello stood there, watching me. “Are you okay?"
I wiped the blood away fast, making sure she didn’t see a thing before I turned. With a big smile, I
turned to her.
“Yes, just a few loose threads I had to cut. You do look good. Let’s fix your hair."
Dipping my fingers in the product, I started messing with Cello’s hair until she started looking like
a rock star.
“Scarlett, I know that you don’t trust anyone, not really, but you can talk to me."
I smiled at her into the mirror.
“I know. Some things are hard. I'm okay."
“My sister, I’m not allowed to talk about her, but she did the same thing. She couldn’t bear the
life, the pressure. The wolf she loved was a fated mate to another. She started cutting herself. Just a
bit. I saw her a few times, but I was young. We heal fast, I tried to tell my parents, but they dismissed
me. Until one day.”
Cello’s eyes became sad and changed shape, turning into round manga doll eyes.
She turned towards me and hugged my midsection, pressing her face into my tummy area.
“I don’t want the same thing to happen to you. I’m old enough now. I can help you if you let me."
“Cello, I promise. I’m fine."
“One day, the cutting was not enough for her. She hit the bathroom mirror with her fist, took a
shard, and pushed it into her throat. I found her, her blood sticking to the bathroom tiles. It was bad."
“Oh, God. How old were you?"
“I was nine. It still hurts badly."
“Oh, Cello. I’m so sorry."
She nodded. There was nothing left to say.
We walked out of her room looking good and ran toward the forest and the old mill. As soon as
we stepped inside the confinement of the forest, we heard music calling out to us. All the sadness was
forgotten. I wanted to run to the mill and party.
The night was dark. Luckily, we had damn good night vision. A few of the people standing around
the keg looked familiar. I never took the time to learn their names. Someone pumped beer for Cello
and me. A young wolf that Cello friend-zoned walked towards her. I nudged her softly.
“Cello, you’re here, so glad you could make it."
Cello looked toward me, asking me for permission to walk away with the cute guy, and I nodded
softly.
I was aware that the guys around looked at me. My red mane was still wild from the bike ride,
and my body looked perfect encased in the biker leather. The front of my jacket was open, revealing
my generous cleavage.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Kyle’s lips were close to the back of my neck, whispering, awaking
desire and lust. “Dance?" His voice sounded like honey running over my skin.
Kyle smelled like beer and male, making my nipples hard and my skin hot. My V card was about
to go down.
I threw one last look towards Cello. She laughed with the other wolf and showed me a thumbs-up
sign. What I did was wrong. But tonight, as the moon appeared and we all danced and howled under
its silver light, I allowed the beast to be free and wild. Kyle’s hands moved on my body, and I moved
with the music. It was wild and free.
“Scarlett,” Kyle whispered.
“This is just tonight, a one-time thing. Okay?"
Kyle whispered a yes. He was so hard and pressed his cock against my ass. He would have said
yes to anything I asked. We kept dancing, entranced by the music. The moon and alcohol flowed.
Couples formed, but as I looked around. I saw that the notion of couples was rather loosely based.
Some females had two, even three males, rubbing against them. Cello had two guys sandwich her in,
and she looked as if she enjoyed every moment of it.
I danced with Kyle, the Alpha’s son, and no one would dare challenge him, not here and now.
My face was so close to him I could taste his lips, his blue eyes that smiled toward me and sent
messages of lust and desire. Kyle was everything I could wish for to swipe my V card. Tall,
handsome, sexy, and a good catch, not that I had any intention of keeping him. His chest pressed
against mine, and he nuzzled my neck, sending shivers up and down my spine. His fingers played with
my hips and his palm landed on my ass.
I pulled his face toward my lips and we kissed, wild and deep, full of desire. He explored my
mouth with a hunger that was without equal, making my legs turn to jelly. His body was a hard plane
full of muscles that made it easy for my softness to melt against him.
“You have no idea how long i’ve been was for this, Scarlett," Kyle whispered, his voice hitched
and a bit breathless.
The night was wonderful. I could hear the rustling of the trees and, at the same time, was aware
and detached from everything around me. My heart beat loudly. I compared the kiss with the one I
shared with Matt. My eyes opened and I saw the magic on Kyle’s face. He melted in the moment.
“Kyle, how about we go somewhere more private?" I whispered and took a deep breath. It was
time. I won’t wait for Matt anymore. He rejected me. I don’t owe him a thing. Nothing. Not even an
explanation for what is going on here.
“I have a spot.” Sure he does, I’m not the first girl he brings to the mill, and I won’t be the last,
but did I care. No, all I cared about was having fun with Kyle and getting rid of this problem. There
were way worse candidates than the sexy guy that was drooling over me.
He took my hand. We walked up a small, narrow winding stair and arrived in an attic. Crystals
and twigs hang from the ceiling. A few small windows allowed the moon to shine and shed light over
the attic.
“So, this is your seduction spot?" I asked with a smile on my face. “I have to admit, it’s not bad."
“You’re the first girl I’ve brought up here. I come here to read.” Kyle pointed toward a huge pile
of books.
“Hey, it’s fine. I don’t care."
A double sleeping bag and a few random pillows were on the floor. The attic smelled like forest
and Kyle. The breeze from the lake tickled my senses. I lay down on the sleeping bag. It was soft and
smelled lovely, like grass and open fields and coffee. Kyle enjoyed espresso, same as me.
His fingers slipped into my wild red hair, and Kyle kissed me. He laid on top of me, his hard
arousal pressing against my leather pants. My hips moved to get the maximum of friction from his
hard cock pressing through his jeans. Kyle pushed my t-shirt up, his palm rubbing my nipple with his
open palm. A moan escaped my lips. Kyle took it as encouragement, his lips tracing my collar bone,
kissing and nibbling. My skin melted under his touch. We ended up glorious and naked soon. Sweet
kisses made us forget time and space. Kyle sat there, looking at me in the moonlight. Even the way he
looked at me made my soft, tender parts mushy.
It was time for me to be strong and take the reins in my own heart. My wolf was crying, upset with
me for trying to forget Matt, but my body wanted it, melting under his fingers and hands, allowing the
alcohol and lust to take over me. I sat on Kyle’s lap, straddling him, rubbing my wet pussy against his
length. His cock was perfect for my needs, not too big but thick and hard as a rock.
I opened and guided him inside me. Kyle’s mouth claimed mine. It hurt, but only for a second. His
light blue eyes looked into mine, and his hands grabbed my ass. He moved, and I moved with him.
Kyle stood up with me wrapped around his cock and his hands on my ass. He put me on something
that felt like a ledge and started fucking me deep and hard, so fast, that my whole universe contracted
and dilated at the same time.
The pain that should have been associated with swiping my V card was more like a silent hurt.
The wolf inside me calmed down with each push of Kyle’s cock. The wolf was silent and my world
was loud. My nails dug deep into his back and Kyle roared.
“Hurt me, deeper!"
I wasn’t sure what I should say, but I knew he wanted pain and gave it to him. The tips of my
fingers felt moist from his blood, my mouth landed on his neck, and I bit it hard. Kyle’s hand wrapped
itself into my hair and pulled, hard, painfully. My neck was exposed. Kyle wanted to bite me, but
Sparky wasn’t having it. I pushed hard against him and he landed on the floor. Pinning his hands
above his head, I enjoyed a good dicking. Pleasure melted me, making my nipples hard again. It was
an orgasm, not a big one. I had way better ones in my bed or the shower. Overall, Kyle’s performance
wasn’t awful. He came right after I did, and his cum creamed my pussy.
Kyle moaned hard, wanting to kiss me. I pushed him away.
“Hm, thank you. I have to get up early."
I gave Kyle a small peck on his cheek and stood up, pulling my pants and my undies up at the
same time. It’s practical that way. I couldn’t find my t-shirt. If I close my jacket, it’ll cover my tits.
Kind of. They have a habit of peeking on top of the V of the jacket.
Cello was probably having fun. I saw her dancing and kissing the guy--Trevor, I think was his
name--when I walked down the stairs.
Kyle said something, but I was too busy getting away from him as fast as possible. This was
dicking only, swiping my V card. This prepared me for the next mission. You can’t become a stripper
when you’re a virgin. That’s like fucking contradictory.

Kyle

What the fuck was that?

I tried to get close to Scarlett for weeks. Actually, since she arrived at Shifter Nation HQ. I would
have done everything for her to give me the time of day. She was assigned to my advanced fight class,
and I was over the moon to train with her, only to see that she was immune to my charms. My full
attention was on her. The more she rejected me, the more I wanted her. No matter who else I was
fucking, it was like trying to extinguish a refinery fire with one single glass of water.
Scarlett is just…. I can’t even find the right words to say what she is. She is so different from all
the others. Even our best female fighter stepped away when she entered a room, and she became
friends with Cello. Cello, the girl who is more or less an outcast because the other bitches think she’s
fat. Cello has a crush on me, I know it. My only problem is that I never felt the hots for her, she’s like
my baby sister, only even I am not as much of a stubborn male to not realize that telling her, ‘hey, girl
you’re like my baby sister’ would make her feel bad and unworthy. Ignore it and it may pass. This
evening when Scarlett appeared, I felt my knees getting weak, and I had a feeling that she was going
to open up.
I never had a problem getting girls. I prefer shifters because they’re okay with playing rough.
Hard and wild. And now, we just had this hot fucking session, and this hot girl I wanted to eat out
stood up and left.
A knock on the door made me smile and gets my hopes up.
“Did you come back for more, beautiful?” I’m using my best sexy voice.
The door cracks open and I see Mia, beautiful Mia, daughter of my father’s beta and my future
mate if I can’t avoid it. Only I refuse to give her the time of day. Mia is perfect. Her blond hair shines
under the pale moonlight like silver. Her eyes are dark, and I feel as if they hide something, a fear and
need to control everything.
 “Are you waiting for me?" Mia purred in her most sensual voice. As soon as her scent hit me, I
covered myself with the sleeping bag.
“No, Mia. What are you doing here?"
“I saw that slut leaving...." She trailed off, walking toward the window. Mia wanted me to see
and admire her body in that tight red dress she was wearing. Mia knew how to showcase herself. Her
personality put me off. Mia had been hitting on me since forever. We hooked up once when we both
were sixteen, and she kept trying to make me her official boyfriend since. Not that it stopped her from
fucking everything that was moving.
“Don’t talk that way about her."
My voice was deep and menacing. I sounded as if I was ready to rip her to pieces.
“Is that your hot button? We all see you drooling over the mutt since she joined the Shifter Nation
pack. You’re an embarrassment. We all hope now that you fucked her, you’re going to snap out of your
funk."
“Mia, if you were a male, I’d rip you apart. The only thing that is saving you is that you’re a
female and that there are so few of you."
Mia turned toward me, snarling.
“What do you want, Mia?"
“What do I want? What do I want? I want you to understand that it’s time to see that I’m your
future mate and that you should stop running after this crazy bitch. She’s different. She’s not like us.
Snap out of it."
Before I had the chance to reply, Mia walked out of the attic and hit the door in her wake. She just
assumed that she would be my mate. She wasn’t. We were together in wolf form, and our wolves
didn’t recognize the mating bond because there wasn’t any mating bond between us.
My stomach grumbled. I was sick of this party.
The balcony stretched over the small creek. I walked out, allowing the moon to shine on me and
warm my soul. The moonlight has a way of calming my crazy heart. I was still naked and jumped into
the lake. A few strokes later, I found myself in the middle of the lake. My mind was troubled. Scarlett
turned my world upside down. When I reached the other side of the lake, I shifted and became the
dark wolf. The forest was wide open in front of me. I ran. The way the beast took over me was
wonderful. It was just me and the forest, the scents, the moon, the trees, nature.
Each time I shift into my wolf, I understand nature differently. Life is simple for a wolf. The wolf
is hungry, horny, and tired, that’s all. When he is tired, he sleeps. When horny, he fucks. When hungry,
he eats. My stomach growled the moment I picked up the trace of a rabbit. The scent of the tiny
creature made my mouth water. My tongue hung out, and I sniffed the ground. My body took over. It
was easy to lose myself in the beast and forget about everything.
The next thing I remember was that I chewed on the poor bunny.
Each time I hunt and eat my prey, I allow my beast to take over and forget all about it. The beast
needed the hunt, the thrill, the meat, and the spilling of blood and crunch of bones and tendons.
Scarlett flashed in front of me. She was so much of a loner, free and independent. She would
always run alone, never with us. Not that I blamed her. The girls in the pack would throw her nasty
looks, and all the guys wanted to nail her sweet ass. Still, if she would never run with the pack, she
would never bond with us. I didn’t even know when the beauty was running alone. I never felt her
around.
Weird.
 11

Scarlett

I didn’t expect to sleep at all last night, but as soon as I showered and hit the pillow, I fell asleep. My
body was exhausted. The alarm clock woke me up. I wanted five more minutes. It was one of those
mornings when my mind was blank, like there was nothing... nothing.... Oh, damn. It was the day I
moved my sweet ass to Vegas and became a stripper.
My phone started to vibrate.
Ziggy.
“Uhm," I answered. Man, he was old-fashioned to call and not text.
“Scarlett, you’re awake, good. I hope you feel good about the mission."
“Uhum." What should I say, that I was almost pissing myself and was anxious to see Matt? Happy
and sad at the same time? The day I left Matt’s place, I promised myself never to see him again.
Never to talk to him after he broke my heart. Never to see him and his beautiful warm eyes.
Never.
And still, today I was ready to risk my life to get him.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. I found myself in Las Vegas in a cute apartment, a way
nicer place than I imagined that they would put me in. I had everything, and an interview at Grayson’s
club. As I left the building, I jumped into my cute Ford Jeep. It was relatively new, non-flashy, and
nice enough for a young beginner stripper.
The Club was private, in a massive property outside of town. It felt wrong. My wolf had her
hackles up. Damn. The house was guarded. I could smell the guards as soon as I opened my window
to ring at the door.
“Hi, it’s Autumn Summers for the interview."
The guard guy called in and confirmed my appointment. This place is like Fort Knox. Hm. If Matt
is here, we’re fucked. All I could hope was that they kept the shifters elsewhere.
“You can drive up there and park on the right. A colleague of mine will wait for you."
“Thanks, bye-bye."
He smiled, and I drove up the driveway. Another guy wearing a suit and sporting an earpiece was
waiting for me. Okay, they were careful. I didn’t have anything bad or suspicious on me. He stood
next to my door, signalling me to let down the window.
“Hi, can I see your ID please?"
 “Hm, yeah. One sec, please."
I wore a pair of jeans that were looking as if someone spray-painted them on me. My top was
tight, pushing my boobs up. It was stripper day wear. As he asked me to give him ID, I got up, turned
around, stuck my ass up in his nose, and leaned towards the backseat to pick up my purse. It was all
intentional. I didn’t want to look as if I prepared too hard. As I retrieved my purse, I took out my
wallet and offered him my driver’s license.
“I hate this pic. It makes me look blah."
I was twenty-one on the ID. We shifters fully mature before our first shift so that I could have been
twenty-two, twenty-five, or thirty. I’ll still look the same. This is why some of us are fourteen and
look twenty-five. My makeup was already done. I could smell the guy’s pheromones. He was human
and one hundred percent into me. It was crazy.
“It’s okay. I hope you’ll get the job, and I’ll see you more often." He handed me the ID back and
smiled. “You have to enter that door. Amy will show you towards the dressing room.”
I got out of the car and took my bag. Was it weird that he didn’t check my bag? Will this Amy
check it? Amy was, to my surprise, an older lady in her sixties, but she looked stunning, like a movie
star. Pure beauty with her long, thick, white hair and a pair of sparkly green eyes. She was wearing an
elegant day dress in a deep shade of mauve that made her white hair shine
“Autumn, welcome.” Her voice was warm and friendly.
“Hi. Amy, right?" I asked with a silly smile spread all over my lips. I don’t think that acting is my
strong suit.
We shook hands.
“Let me show you to the dressing room. You can change and freshen up before your dance. There
are a few girls there already." She walked me down a marble hallway.
“This is an exclusive and elegant club. We only admit members and create a safe and fun
environment for our dancers. Our members are top politicians, athletes, and famous personalities. If
you choose to work with us, there’ll be a non-disclosure agreement to ensure all parties are
protected."
“I’m used to high-caliber clients."
“Yes? You danced in LA, right. Who did you meet?"
“I danced in LA, but I’ll keep my clients confidential."
She smiled. “I see. You are an intelligent woman. I can only respect that."
“I have a mind for business and a body for sin.”
Amy smiled. “I loved that movie so much.”
“Me too."
“Autumn, fingers crossed, you have my vote. Now all you need to do is go up that stage and
perform well."
I nodded. Everything in life is a test, and this was a test as well.
Everything around this place was expensive and elegant, and there were no cameras; that struck
me as odd. Amy opened the door to a room full of mirrors and light. Three other girls: a dark-haired
beauty who looked Asian, a cute blonde, and a brunette. After a short greeting, I sat down in front of
my mirror and started to do my makeup and apply oil on my skin.
I realized I didn’t have a routine, only a good memory. All I could do was try to dance something
and hope they would like the way I looked. I opened my senses in the hope of detecting Matt. He
rejected me but was still my fated mate, the one my wolf cried out to. Swiping my V card didn’t help,
not as much as I hoped it would.
 I should have fucked Ziggy. Ugh.
Thinking about Ziggy, I could feel the heat creeping up my neck and warming my face. I ignored
him. He would have cured my broken heart. As much as I researched in the HQ library, all I could
come up with about Fire Wolves was that they stayed away from regular shifters. Maybe this is why I
didn’t ever feel the need to run with the SN pack. At the end of the day, as much as they wanted to be
cool and appear as an organization, they’re still a pack, and I don’t want to become a part of it.
“Autumn, your turn.”
The door opened and a bulky guy with short-cropped hair called me to dance. I hope that my
strong, athletic body will help me. During the flight, I did all I could to learn a few dance routines.
Good. I picked an old-school song that helped me move, Baby Boy by Beyonce. I wore a sparkly red
top and skirt.
Because the light shined toward me from the stage, I could not see the people in the room. I could
smell them. Matt’s scent covered one of them. Damn.
My wolf cried out. She wanted to jump the guy and kill him. She was up, her teeth bared and
ready to fight. I had to take a few deep breaths and start my number. Matt is here, and it is of the
utmost importance I find him and get him out of here.
My body moved with the music. With each new beat, my heart shattered, again and again. I closed
my eyes, trying to lose myself in the performance, and relived the night he rejected me without a good
explanation. Why didn’t he wanted to give me a try? Because he killed the Fire Alpha? I don’t even
know the Fire Alpha. What do I care about something that happened so long before my time?
I felt the same way I did in my dreams of fire. Sparky floated next to me. She was large and
enraged. She also felt Matt somewhere nearby and wanted to rip some heads off looking for him. It
was so easy to forget and plunge yourself into the freedom of fire. Breathing in and out, I forced
Sparky back. She laid down next to my red-coated wolf. They both looked like scorned puppies.
The music stopped, and so did I.
A slow clapping started in the back of the room.
“I have to say, I’m impressed." A thick male voice filled the room. “I was sure that I knew all the
Vegas talent, but you’re amazing."
My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, and I could see him. I was still wearing my bikini
bottoms while my breasts were uncovered. As a shifter, nudity is fine with me.
I smiled. “Thank you."
“That was an awesome performance, Miss Autumn."
I smiled, bowed, and grabbed my clothes from the stage, then returned to the dressing room. That
man, he smelled like Matt, he must be that Grayson guy Ziggy spoke of.

Ziggy

I opened my thermos and took another sip of lukewarm coffee. The heat of the desert wasn’t bothering
me as much as this endless waiting did. She was inside the house and I was here, watching the house
and hoping Scarlett would be okay. I should have never allowed her to become part of the mission.
Since the first day I met her, my base instinct was to protect her, but I knew that someone who went
through so many bad things like Scarlett would never allow me to take care of her, protect her, and
love her. She’s stubborn and challenges me badly each time we’re together, and still, I can’t wait to
spend more time with her.
Stupid old wolf.
Each time I meet her at SN, jealousy rises inside me. All those young guys moving around her and
trying to get a piece of her. Damn, how could Matt reject her? I asked him because I knew, and he
tried to kill me. It was the first fight Matt and I had in wolf form in over fifty years. He’s stronger than
me, and I gave in. The scar Scarlett created on his soul was fresh. But why give up on such a great
woman? She could work with him. She’s not a coward. If anything, this girl is too brave for her own
good.
Picking up my binoculars, I try to zoom in on the mansion. There’s movement in the back part of
the house. I’d bet my bike that Grayson is dirty. He’s involved in everything that moves in Vegas, from
arms traffic, gambling, and prostitution. Everything has his dirty fingers on it. He even built this club
to attract a specific clientele that he is blackmailing later. No matter what your heart desires, you can
find it here, from a BDSM dungeon to orgies like during Caesar’s time.
I’m going nuts. My wolf is itching to shift and storm the place, sniff Matt out, and get Scarlet out
of the line of fire. Her phone is in her car. She had to leave it there. I can trace it to the parking spot.
There’s no reason to think that she isn’t safe. She’s just a girl applying for a well-paid job. An
incredibly hot girl. A damn hot woman who makes it difficult to be around her without ripping her
clothes off and fucking her. Damn, I am going crazy. What was going through Matt’s head when he
rejected her? Fated mates are rare, so rare that when a couple finds each other, they stay together for
eternity. When one of them dies, well, the other mostly dies too of a broken heart. Fated mates have
entwined souls.
My body was numb from lying on the hard desert. A few snakes moved around me.
I undressed fast and shifted. All I want is to get closer to the house and have a look. I won’t do
anything stupid. Breaking loose into a run, I covered the ground so much faster than I would have in
human form. Being a wolf is amazing. It feels like freedom. My beast wanted to take over. I kept my
wolf in check and didn't allow it to jump over the fence. I sniff around, staying low, making sure the
guards don’t see me.
Something is off. Something smells like shifter, but not like Scarlett. It smells like something old,
foreign, and dangerous.

Scarlett

I returned to the changing room and slipped fast into my clothes. The jeans and shirt covered me up. It
was better to sneak around dressed than naked. After putting my car key in my jeans pocket, I slipped
out of the dressing room. I didn’t care about the stuff in my bag. There was nothing I’d keep after
today. It was a typical stripper bag, stuff that I had found already prepared for me by Ziggy’s team.
My stomach pulled together. Focus, Scarlett, focus, we must find Matt and yell at him.
Sparky made a giggling noise. She was on fire, ready to jump out and burn everything down.
The hallway was empty. The scent was not present here. It was attached to Grayson. That made it
clear to me that Matt was in Grayson’s presence not long ago.
The club was heavily guarded outside, but there was no one inside. Was it stupid or smart of
them? I looked in the opposite direction from where I came. There was no sound. My red wolf was
up, snarling. I was tempted to shift and allow her to sniff Matt out, but a red wolf would maybe attract
too much attention. It was silent, too silent. And still, I couldn’t stop myself from snooping around.
Keeping my footsteps light, I snuck around, looking for access to the basement. If he’s somewhere,
they’re keeping him in the basement. If someone is asking me what I’m doing, I’ll just say that I’m
looking for the toilet. That’s always a good excuse.
No one kidnaps my fated mate, even if the asshole rejected me. If someone keeps him captive and
beats him up, then it’s me.
I’m possessive and a bitch like that.
Ziggy was yelling at me in the back of my mind. I should not snoop around. There were no doors,
not on the left, not on the right. A narrow staircase opened in front of me. Oh well, it didn’t make
sense, but damn.
With each step I took up, I felt a cold chill setting over my spine. I don’t think I’d make a good
spy, but damn, I’d do everything to save that damn asshole. Matt, that stupid ass. Technically it wasn’t
his fault because he got captured, but I needed a target for my frustration. It was easier to be upset and
angry than to be afraid and shivering.
One single door awaited me at the end of the narrow staircase. Who the fuck designed this house?
I need answers, and I need them soon. The sooner, the better. As I tried the lock, it was closed. I
allowed Sparky to jump out. She pushed her flaming paw against the lock, and it started to melt. My
hand moved through her flaming coat as we stepped inside. She was next to me, and my inside wolf
cried to be let out too. I shushed her. There was no sense in shifting, not yet.
The room in front of me was a small office, looking rather non-descriptive, with a desk, a small
window, and a large file cabinet. Sparky walked towards the cabinet and started scratching against it.
She wanted to set it on fire and waited for my approval.
“No, girl. Leave it. I’ll try to push it to the side.”
The file cabinet was heavy, but my instinct told me there was something behind it. Something that
smelled like a shifter. In what hell was I launching myself? My stomach was knotty and my courage
was low, but fuck it. The file cabinet made space and, behind it, was what I expected, a door—a
metal safety door. As soon as I allowed Sparky to push herself against it, she melted a hole through
the door. The hole was big enough to squeeze my body through. Heat isn’t an issue, but the molten
metal stuck to my hair. Awesome, I love my hair.
As soon as I pushed my body through the hole in the door, a strange smell hit me. It was the smell
of shifters and cold, darkness, a mix that made my blood freeze. A long, dark, and narrow corridor
stretched in front of me. What’s with these people and small passages? There are no windows along
the corridor, just the feeling of light. I move as slowly and silently as I can with Sparky right next to
me. My other wolf cries for a chance. I try to feel for Matt, but something is blocking me.
Moving toward the door at the end of the corridor, I try it out, and it’s open. Signalling Sparky to
get behind me, I push the door slowly open. Darkness greets me on the other side. Awesome. My eyes
need a few heartbeats to get used to the darkness. I slip slowly inside. Sparky moves close and I
absorb her again. No one needs to know I’m a Fire Wolf, and I don’t need to advertise it by having a
wolf made of flames walking next to me. Sparky is awesome like that but, as awesome as she is, it’s
my responsibility to protect her.
The holes in the door could have been made with explosives or a torching device, or a meteor,
whatever shit.
After I get used to the dark, I see shapes and shadows. Not all darkness has the same quality. A
strong smell of copper, blood, and something else I never sensed before reaches me. Two steps and I
find myself in front of a small, spiral, metal stair. Walking down, I hope that I found the basement, a
very secure basement. Only as soon as I arrive at the bottom of the stairs, I see what I smelled. Both
left and right are huge cages, and in each of them are kids, teenagers mostly, that look beaten and
haggard. One boy stays close to the bars, careful not to touch them.
“They’re silver. Please, run, bring some help. Please."
Fire sprinklers on the ceiling release stinking steam. The steam hits the kids inside the cages.
They scream and try to move away from it. It touches me too, but all I sense is a slight sensation of
discomfort and anger. What are they doing to them? They’re shifters.
I allow Sparky to step out. Silver is a problem for most shifters, but not for me. I learned about it
but kept as secret the fact it doesn’t bother me at all. Sparky melted the bars, making a hole large
enough to allow the kids to leave.
Small voices mutter behind me. I signal them to shut up and follow me. I can’t just leave them
behind. They’re kids. How could they do that to them?
The boy who talked to me walked up to me. He was full of energy now that he was free “There,
they keep a few of the more hardcore prisoners over there. I’ll show you."
“No, you’re a kid. I can’t take you."
“Hey lady, you saved our asses. What you did was badass. If we have a chance to get out, then
you’re the chance. Let’s go.”
He walked in front of me, shifting into a small grey wolf. He looked hungry and ready for
whatever. I stayed human. Ready.
He stopped in front of another door, a sliding metal door. He looked at it. It was silver. I pushed it
to the side without breaking a sweat. New scents filled my nose. Shifters, more than one. Strange,
human blood. And the stinky stuff they sprayed on the kids. The young wolf followed me.
Matt was there, and my breath hitched in my chest. I could feel he was alive, but just barely.
He hung from a pole, his legs spread with shackles that fixed him to the ground and his hands
hanging. Blood dripped down his chest and rock-hard abs. His head dangled, and his hair looked
matted and dirty. I wasn’t used to seeing Matt like this. Who knows how long he had been hanging
there and what they did to him.
The young wolf hung back. He was scared, and I couldn’t blame him. I tried to get closer to Matt,
but I was afraid that I’d launch some sort of mechanism.
“Matt, Matt,” I called out in a low voice.
He lifted his head slowly and looked toward me. His eyes were half-closed.
“Hm, finally, the hallucinations kick in...." He barely spoke, his voice not much stronger than a
whisper, his beautiful green eyes filled with sadness and pain.
“You’re alive. Good. I’m damn real."
“It’s nice of my mind to offer me the image of beauty before my death."
Stepping closer, I saw that the pole was wrapped with a thick chain closed with a latch. The
chain, the pole, everything was silver. I turned toward the young wolf next to me.
“Go see if there are others who need help. Do not touch the silver. If you find anyone else, come
get me. I’ll try to free Matt."
The young wolf turned and started walking away. He was starving and beaten, but he kept up his
spirits, which is a good thing. I’ll see if I can bring him to Shifter Nation somehow.
 Matt kept talking. “Scarlett, you know I’m so sorry. I know this is just a vision, a way my brain
wants to make death easy on me. I’m so sorry I rejected you. You are so young and beautiful, and I am
just this old guy. And there was something else. I killed the last Fire Alpha we knew of. This makes
me an enemy. I killed someone that was maybe related to you. That night when our wolves found each
other, I felt full of happiness. All I wanted was to have you in my life. I wish you would be real, and I
could ask you for forgiveness and maybe, just maybe, a second chance."
While Matt talked, my heart hurt and burned. He rejected me, but the connection was never
severed between us, at least not entirely. I feel him and the threads that hang between us like I feel
Sparky. Matt is a part of me, my fated mate. The perfect wolf for my wolf. My wolf was crying, going
crazy over seeing our mate. She wanted out, but I had no idea how she would react to silver.
Pulling the latches that held the chain was difficult. Sparky stepped over and melted them. Matt
kept talking. Some words made sense, others sounded like distant cries. Sparky melted the latch that
held the chain in place. Good.
Grabbing the silver chain in both hands, I began lowering the chains and Matt. Slowly. It was
heavy and old, and I didn’t want to hurt Matt even more in the process. His hands were still tied to the
pole, but he was down on the dirty cement floor. I refused to allow my nose to analyse what stained
the cement; blood, feces, sweat.... God knows.
Matt rested on his knees, still not able to understand he was being saved. I knelt next to him, trying
to open his handcuffs. They had been locked with a key that I didn’t possess. Holding his face cupped
in my hands, I looked into his eyes.
“Matt, I need you to pay attention!"
His long thick lashes spring open, offering me a glimpse of his beautiful green eyes. Gods, this
man was gorgeous, even beaten up like this.
“You’re so beautiful, my Little Flame. Have I ever told you that?"
“Fucking shit, snap out of this, Mountain Man."
His glassy eyes tried to understand me. I could feel him trying to put the pieces of the puzzle
together. “Don’t be a fucking moron, Matt. I need you to be strong, just until we get out of here. After
that, you can rest."
He shook his head as if trying to push the confusion aside. I wasn’t upset with him for being
confused. I need him to be able to walk out of here. I had no idea where exactly I was and where I
could go.
“It is you?" He asked with a dry voice, half afraid, half hopeful.
“Who the fuck else would save your stupid ass?"
Matt smiled and started to focus. I felt it. The practical wolf I fell in love with pushed aside my
Dreamy Matt.
“Matt, Sparky will melt your cuffs, and this will hurt, okay? I need you to keep it together and
don’t scream."
The young wolf returned. He shifted back to the skinny young man. “I found an exit. It leads
outside, towards the desert.”
Sparky stepped closer to Matt and started to melt the locks on his cuffs. She could cut the leg
cuffs. However, only the hand cuffs had to open for him to escape. Sparky was like a sea of flames, an
impressive wolf made of fire.
“There’s another wolf trapped in the other room. And there’s a door," he added as I kept Matt’s
hands still while Sparky was chewing the cuffs with her licks of fire.
“You’re so badass," the boy added.
 “Do you think you could get the kids out?" I threw a look toward the other six teens who leaned
against the walls, eyes closed, smelling like despair. “My people should be right outside the walls. A
biker guy named Ziggy. Tell him Scarlett found Matt, and I’ll follow as fast as I can.”
“Okay."
The boy shifted back and walked towards the group of teens. Two of the girls shifted into small
brownish wolves. The other stayed in human form. I hoped they were going to get out. They had to.
Sparky worked fast. Matt clenched his teeth, the fire must be uncomfortable for him, but his
wounds will heal.
“I love you, Scarlett," he whispered as the handcuffs fell off with a click.
“No time for sloppy romance movie scenes now. Let’s get you out. Can you shift?" Shifting would
have helped him heal his wounds faster, but I saw on his face that he couldn’t shift. He was too weak
even to stand.
“I’ll try," he muttered, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Sparky was next to me, her teeth bared and ready to attack if anyone would have come my way.
“Matt, I can’t carry you. You have to stand."
He draped his arm over my shoulders. We needed two attempts, but I got him on his legs.
“Go slow on the pizza," I muttered as I tried to maneuver his muscular body toward the door.
The young wolf, whose name I didn’t know, ran back inside. He shifted and took Matt’s other arm.
Together we balanced the giant and walked with him towards the door. Light streamed from outside. I
hope everything will work out, but I didn’t want to risk jinxing it. As soon as we reached the door, I
saw it opened toward the desert. There were no guards, just a large wolf who I knew. Ziggy gave me
a look and Sparky hid behind me.
“Take it from here," I told the boy and leaned Matt against him.
Matt was about to say something, but if there was another tortured soul inside those walls. I had to
see him. I returned and asked Sparky what she felt. We walked close to the wall, avoiding everything
we could until I found another door. It was a sliding door slightly open on one side. I slipped through
it.
A gorgeous guy who smelled different from anyone I knew lay on an operation table. No, it was
an autopsy table because it had that little drain on its side. He was still breathing, but his chest and
abdomen were split open. I moved closer and saw his heart beating. Fuck. He was in bad shape. I
was standing there, in the door like an idiot, not knowing what to do. I was too weak to carry him and
was afraid that moving him from the table would do him more bad than good.
Sparky cried softly next to me.
“Do you think we can close the wound on his stomach?”
Only a shifter could stand such horrible pain and still live. The man was not much older than
maybe twenty-five. He had long, straight black hair and the most delicate features I ever saw, all well
balanced by a strong jawline. I leaned over and watched his heart. So beautiful and scary.
“You can touch my heart," he whispered, opening his eyes, his lashes fluttering like butterfly
wings.
His arms looked strong and muscular. Still, his pallor worried me. Unhooking him from the drip
as fast as I could, I looked toward Sparky again. She was strong today, her fur made of fire, and her
eyes burned with the intensity of two red gems. Touching his belly, I pushed the open flaps of meat
together and signalled to Sparky to jump up. I did my best to tell her not to burn him too severely, but
what did I know about pushing organs back in and cauterizing wounds? Sparky floated and started
licking his belly with her fire mouth. She burned his skin flaps back together slowly.
 “Good girl, just a bit longer." It was the only thing that crossed my mind. Try to make him whole
again.
When she finished, he opened his eyes. I never saw eyes like that--blue, a shade so pale they
almost looked like the pale illusion of blue that appears on top of fresh winter snow. The stranger
was strong enough to grab my wrist and look at Sparky in shock. During that moment, I saw something
was impossible--a wolf made of energy the same way as Sparky was made out of flames, only his
energy wolf was blue, the same shade as the eyes of the stranger with the long lashes.
Sparky cocked her head toward the wolf. I looked around, searching for a wheelchair or anything
that could help. Hopefully, Ziggy will return to look after me. Damn, I should have asked him for help.
Now it was too late. If I saved this guy, I had to get him out of here.
“You’re on fire." He said it slowly, with a thick accent that sounded Italian, but I couldn’t place it.
His eyes flapped open for a second before closing again.
A slow, familiar clap erupted from behind me.
“I knew that the right bait would bring you to me."
The guy that I auditioned for the stripper job was here. He wore an expensive Italian suit and had
an amused expression painted on his face.
“I watched you," he said, grinning. There was something wrong and alien about him. He was
handsome in a Wall Street shark kind of way, but also cold.
“Little Flame, is it? Your buddy Matt called out for you again and again. I was sure that you
would show up to save his furry ass."
“You can’t call me that."
Sparky was flashing her teeth next to me.
“You’re too late. I saved them all."
He laughed, a deep, comic book, evil genius kind of laugh.
“Who said I wanted those kids or your mate? No, dear. I wanted you all along. The last Fire Wolf
is in my power."
“Hm, I don’t think so." I grinned and allowed Sparky to attack him.
Sparky lunged in the air, aiming for his throat, and she would have ripped him to pieces if the
force field around him hadn’t pushed her back.
“Ha, ha, ha. I didn’t expect you to submit to me without a fight."
“I don’t submit to anyone!" I flashed my teeth, too. Whatever it was that was around him, Sparky
couldn’t not get through. She stood close to me, ready to protect me at the slightest sign of danger.
The man I knew as Grayson walked around. “Your mother stole you from me."
I cocked my head at that information. “My mother was a drunk woman who abandoned me into
foster care."
“Oh, Gina? No, Gina was not your mother. Gina was the woman who should have kept you hidden
away from the world. You don’t know anything, do you?"
I refused to give him the satisfaction of admitting that he was right. I don’t know shit about my
life. But the thought that that woman who beat me and tormented me was not my mother made me
happy for just a second.
“I can see it. I can smell the change. You’re curious, Little Flame. I don’t condemn you. They all
fear you. They fear your powers.”
“What are you?" He clearly was not human. His body smelled like rotten meat, and something
was off in the way he moved.
“That is a legitimate question. I am first and foremost a businessman."
 “Just cut the crap. Tell me what you want so that I can tell you no, we fight, you die, I get to eat
some pizza."
He smiled again. “I like you, Scarlett. You’re funny."
“I don’t like you, not at all."
“Oh, well. I assumed opposites attract. I want you to work for me. Not for free. Not only would
you be well compensated, but you’d also become a queen."
“I wouldn’t work for you, not even for lots of money. You stink like something died and it crawled
inside you."
“My interests are not that boring. But I have to look at the big picture, okay?"
My mind was churning, trying to find a way out of here. This Grayson gave me the creeps. Sparky
had a weird vibe, too. She was scared, and my Fire Wolf was never scared of anything or anyone. I
wanted to run, but this guy knew who I was and, more importantly, what I was.
A deep roar left my throat. This was probably a stupid move. But I never said I was smart. The
SN said a werewolf is one part human and one part beast. Sparky was magic, but what if his magic
was built only to shield magic?
In a fast move, I shifted into my red and white wolf. My beast roared to life. My wolf jumped
through the magic fence made to keep magic at bay. Did he believe I wasn’t capable of shifting? What
was he thinking? No one shifts as fast I do, not even the Alpha of SN. A second barely passed before
my jaws locked on Grayson’s neck. I pressed hard.
Thick, dark blood was running inside my mouth, poisoning my gums whit whatever he was. I
wanted to spit, but I pushed harder, ignoring his strong hands that fought back. I called Sparky, and she
set him on fire, making the annoying hand moves stop. I released his throat only after I was certain he
was dead. Or not functioning. Whatever. His body burned. My instinct was to leave. Still, I couldn’t
leave the man who lay on the operating table.
I allowed my body to shift back into human form. It wasn’t hard. For me, shifts are more about
magic and less about breaking bones and pain.
The man was awake. I let Sparky loose with the desire to set this dirty place on fire, no matter
what this place was. Fire was clean and pure.
“Hey, you have to stand up. I’ll help you, but we have to get out of here as fast as possible!"
He nodded. We were both but naked, and damn, he had a cute butt. I wasn’t worried about the fire;
fire doesn’t do anything to me, but fire can kill him if he is a normal shifter. The man leaned against
me. His skin was cold as ice. It felt almost as if I touched a frozen surface, except his skin was soft
like velvet-covered frozen rocks or something.
As soon as I reached the door, Sparky melted back into me. She shared with me the feeling of the
flames consuming everything around us. As I walked out of the building, a man I didn’t know headed
toward me. I was ready to attack, but then he raised his hands. The wind sent a whiff of his scent.
“I’m on Ziggy’s team here to help.”
I wouldn’t have trusted his words, but I trusted his scent. He moved closer and took the guy
leaning against me. I walked behind them, naked. The desert is a weird place to admire in the evening
sun when you are fully naked.
I wasn’t registering the sounds of a battle in the background. Instead, all I felt was the clean force
of the fire and the way it nourished me from the inside.
Ziggy showed up. I have no idea how or where he came from. A team surrounded him, and they
all held weapons strapped over their bare chests. They were shifters who had morphed earlier and
now pulled their jeans up. His arms closed around me, shielding me from everything.
 “Scarlett, you’re crazy and awesome." He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.
“Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"
“I’m good. Is Matt okay?"
“He’s at the SN center in Las Vegas. He will get well. I’m sure of that. He’s one stubborn mofo."
Ziggy laughed, but under that laugh was something else. Fear. “Who’s that?"
“I don’t know. He was in bad shape. I think he’s a shifter, but keep an eye on him. There’s
something off about him."
 12

Scarlett

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I found myself later that night alone in a room in the SN HQ in
Las Vegas. My feet hurt, my head hurt, everything ached and felt broken. Blue Eyes and Matt were
both in Med Bay. Ziggy listened to me, and the new guy I called Blue Eyes was heavily guarded.
There was something off about all this.
Grayson was not an ordinary dealer. Even after brushing my teeth a few times, I still couldn’t
shake the taste his blood left on my tongue. I had tasted blood before, rabbit, dear, even the
occasional wild boar. But it tasted nothing like that thick, cold, disgusting thing that spilled in my
mouth as I killed Grayson. Did I kill him? I wasn’t sure about that either because it felt as if he was
something else, as if that body he was inhabiting was already dead.
Okay, I watched too many horror movies.
I looked at myself in the large mirror, allowing the day to move in front of me like a movie.
Grayson knew who and what I was. He said that Gina, the woman who raised me and I believed was
my mother, the woman who beat me and called me a Demon was not.
SN considered this mission a success. I wasn’t so sure. Was I the target?
As I watched my body in the mirror, bruises disappeared and more significant cuts started to
close. I stepped into the shower and allowed the hot water to wash away the fears and the grime.
Everything. My mind tried to process what Grayson said. Maybe others knew about me, too. Maybe I
am just putting all the people I care about in danger just by being around them.
My phone was on my nightstand. They brought it back from the apartment I initially had. There
were five messages from Cello. My eyes hurt. I couldn’t text, so I called her. At the first ring, she
picked up a clear sign she held her phone in her hand.
“Oh my God, Scarlett. I was so worried. Please tell me you’re okay. I asked about you, and then I
annoyed my dad until he told me that you’re on a classified mission. I almost died of worry. I ate two
ice cream containers. Are you okay?"
“Hi, Cello." My voice sounded tired and weak. “Slow down, girl. I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone
anything. Sorry."
“I understand. I’m just so worried, Scarlett. You’re my best friend, my sister. But, damn, I’ll die if
anything happens to you."
“I’m a big wolf. Woof.”
 This was a little inside joke I had with Cello. She laughed and woofed back.
“Tell me about the guys I saw you kissing last night.”
All Cello needed to be distracted was a good topic she could expand on. She started telling me
about the guys, and how hot it was to dance and kiss both, and that they landed in bed, all three of
them. Cello didn’t stop at giving me graphic details, and I giggled, imagining how it would feel to be
with Matt and Kyle and Ziggy all at the same time. And maybe Blue Eyes, too.
I’m greedy, so greedy.
I wrapped my long, red hair in a towel and kept giggling and listening to Cello. It moved me that I
meant so much to her. I never meant much to anyone before and knowing that she cared warmed my
heart.
I fell asleep only to wake up to a new dream of fire. In my dream, I was a little girl again. Afraid
someone was hunting me. But I wasn’t in the trailer. Instead, I was a forest, and a warm hand held
mine. The fire did not belong to me. It was hers. It belonged to my mother. The warmth surrounding us
was not scary. I knew the flames, and I knew the wolf that ran around us, killing enemies who wanted
to capture us. Her arms wrapped around me. She said something I didn’t understand or couldn’t hear
because the fighting around us was so loud. The faces that tried to get through the wall of fire were
unfamiliar to me. The only thing that I recognized was the scent, the stench. Not even the purity of the
fire could mask the weird, stinking, sweet nuance of the demonic smell.
It was demonic. Was my magic, my fire magic, demonic too?
I woke up startled, unable to accept my dream. Sparky was awake and watching me.
“Hey girl, we’re crazy, right?"
I wore a soft white bathrobe and nothing else. I got up and opened the small closet. My small bag
was in there, thank God. A pair of jeans and a skin-tight t-shirt did the trick. I kind of knew where
Med Bay was on the thirteenth floor. Halfway dressed, I found my way to the elevator and pressed the
calling button. The Las Vegas HQ feels like a fancy hotel. I hoped at 3 AM I wouldn't meet many
people.
As the door to the elevator opened, Ziggy stepped out. He looked tired. Deep dark rings appeared
under his eyes.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” His body was so close to mine. I could feel the heat radiating from him. “I… I wanted to
check on you." Ziggy whispered. His voice sounded as tired as his face looked.
“It’s 3 AM."
“And still you’re awake." His hand touched my forearm. His fingers felt feather-light.
“I’m not sure why I’m here. I was hoping that you wanted to have a drink."
“Bad habit. I try to give up on it."
I smiled, a soft smile tugged on his lips.
“Scarlett, I... I don’t know why I’m here. I was worried and wanted to talk."
Heat wrapped around me.
“I just have water in my room."
“My room is on the next floor. Would you like to have a nightcap with me?" He smiled again.
“Ziggy, are you trying to seduce me?" I smiled and threw my red locks back over my shoulder.
Ziggy moved even closer. Before it became clear, my body was pressed against the wall. Ziggy
was so close to me, his breath on my cheek, my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat through his
shirt. Ziggy wore a simple black t-shirt, the same as I did, and it clung to his muscles so perfectly it
melted my brain and excited my senses. I smelled his arousal, and he could smell mine. His warm
brown eyes looked deep into my soul. Ziggy touched my jaw with the top of his fingers. His touch felt
like liquid fire. My mind was agitated before, but with Ziggy, everything felt at peace, like home,
calm and beautiful. Ziggy always smelled like freedom, wind, sunshine, and open roads.
“Scarlett, it’s been a long time already, but a word from you will shut me up forever."
I smiled, and his pupils dilated. “You’re fighting what?" I pursed my lips and enticed him further.
“This, my need for you. My desire for you. You’re the one woman on my mind since we met. Matt
is my best friend, but you’re the flame that sets my soul on fire."
I bit my lip softly. “I’m not sure I can make any promises." Ziggy is so important to me, I don’t
want to hurt him, but he’s old enough to make his own decision.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. We both melted in the moment. He
lifted me into his arms, with his arms around my midsection and my legs wrapped around his waist.
We kissed with hunger, like feral animals starving. But kissing Ziggy was right. I refused to think
about the consequences or the fact that I lost my V card only two days before. Ziggy’s kisses felt so
good, on my neck, on my mouth, on my skin. Hot petals of fire landing on a frozen surface.

Ziggy

Seeing my best friend trapped between tubes and machines broke my heart. Matt broke down as soon
as Scarlett got him out and was unable to wake up. Although humans would call it a coma, for us
shifters, it was more complicated. A shifter can recover from serious injuries only by turning into our
wolf form.
Matt was unable to do so. Our doctors are shifters, they understand how our body works, and they
did what they could. I was standing outside the window, watching, wanting to sit next to my friend,
but my mind ran empty. After hours of debriefings, I had to make my way upstairs, all I could think of
was Scarlett. To be in her presence. I almost lost her today. That hurt and scared me. It was so long
since I felt anything, but this didn’t apply to Scarlett. I barely stopped myself from running inside the
mansion today and dragging her out. What I feel for her is a weird mix of admiration and desire. She’s
beautiful. A man has to be blind not to notice how drop-dead gorgeous this woman was.
They did notice—the guys in SN, her colleagues, Matt, and I. Since the first time I saw her, a rock
drops in the pit of my stomach each time I think of her. Even that boy, the Alpha’s son, was always
around her, like a bee to honey.
As I stepped closer to the elevator door, she was there. I sensed her, her delightful olfactory
signature and a touch of fire. Scarlett stood there as if waiting for me. As soon as she was in my arms,
her lips on mine, nothing else mattered anymore. A word from her and I would have let her go, but she
put her arms around my neck.
Her mouth melted into mine, her firm, sexy body perfect for my arms and wishes. Nuzzling her
neck, I inhaled the soft scent of her delicate velvet skin. So often I dreamed about touching her. Each
time she rode on the back of my bike, I had visions of taking her then and there, images that made my
cock hurt and throb.
Now the same thing happened, Scarlett’s softest touch put my world on fire. We moved fast and
landed in my room, her scent making me drunk with need. I was acting more like a wild beast, feeling
my wolf close to the surface, puffing, moaning, wanting her. Her fingernails scratched my back
through my shirt, and I loved every drop of blood that she spilled. Pinning her arms against the wall, I
stopped and looked deep into her eyes. She never lowered her lashes but kept her eyes locked on
mine, making me burn with the need to possess her, to press my cock deep inside her and make her
scream with delight and need for more.
She sat on the small desk, her back pushed against the wall and her legs wrapped around me. My
fingers fumbled with her jeans, opening and pulling them down. Kneeling in front of her, I watched
her face lighting up.
“Do you like oral?" I whispered close to her pussy with a deep rumbling voice designed to make
her wet.
She wore a pair of simple black cotton panties, but they’re the sexiest thing I ever saw in my life.
My hands move up and down her legs, and she allows me to touch her. Standing up, I kiss her, using
my hands to push her panties down, watching her delight in front of me.
“Fuck me, Ziggy. I don’t want foreplay. I want you to hammer me deep and hard until I forget my
name," Scarlett tells me.
There’s nothing sweet or shy about it. She's a Goddess of Fire, and she knows what she wants,
and I, her humble servant, am ready to satisfy her needs and wishes. Fisting myself twice, I push my
throbbing hard cock inside her. She is already wet and I slip inside her, so wonderfully tight, so hot
and tight, I can barely keep my mind clear. Scarlett pulls my hair and kisses me as I keep going.
“Harder,” she whispers. “Fuck me as if you mean it."
I don’t need to be challenged. Other females want me to be tender, but she’s as wild as I expected
her to be. Scarlett shivered in my arms as I kept ramming her harder and harder. Her climax was hard,
like the interaction between us. She pushed me to the side and pulled her jeans up again.
“I needed this, Ziggy. Thank you. I hope you don’t mind. I want to get to sickbay. Can you tell me
where exactly I can find it?"
My brain was still lacking blood as all of it was in my cock that still throbbed for her.
“Scarlett, did I do something?"
She looked at me with an absent look. “No, we had a fun fuck. It’s not as if we’re in love now.
Let’s not make a big deal of it."
“You’ll find it on the thirteenth floor in the left wing."
She left.

Scarlett

I left the room before starting to cry. I could feel the tears burning behind my eyeballs.
I’m irrational. Why am I acting like a silly little girl? I just had a good consensual fuck with a hot
guy I like. Only the fear that is rising inside me makes it hard to breathe. It feels as if a box is inside
my chest and is too large, pushing against the edges of my ribcage and making me want to squeeze it
together, make it stay inside me before my chest exploded.
Sparky and my wolf both cried inside me.
Because of Matt, of what he did, I trusted him, I allowed myself to like him, love him, see him as
someone who would never leave me, and then, just as we both discovered that we are fated, he
rejected me. My soul hurt.
Pieces of darkness stuck to my inner structure. The box inside my chest squeezed the air out of me.
I ran towards the elevator door and broke down on the floor, unable to hold back, to keep the
darkness at bay. The small box was so tight, the music so annoying Sparky was so close to the
surface, winning, calling out to me, wanting to run free and set something on fire. But she was me, she
felt me, my soul was hers, and rage and fear poisoned her.
I closed my eyes. Setting this place on fire was not an option. The shifters here didn’t do anything
to me. They didn’t deserve to die. I kill evil creatures, not innocent ones who sleep and must deal
with their problems.
I kill.
I don’t mind killing. It’s not an effort for me. I turn myself into flames and burn everything down.
Who hurt you?
What a cliche sentence I once read in Cello’s novels, she loved romance stuff, but they were right.
Someone breaks you. Someone hurts you, and only a person that is close enough to your soul can
damage it, tear it open, and crack it to pieces. Matt was sorry for what he did, or at least it was what
he said when he was sure he would die in a few minutes.
Do I owe him anything at all? Do we need to talk? In my almost nineteen years on this planet, my
experience with love was minimal and what I knew was confusing. Some people act as if they like
you only to drop you the moment you let your guard down. If I was to believe the Demon Grayson, my
mother wasn’t my mother and there are other creatures are out there hunting for me.
Great.
The elevator door opened with a ping sound. I stood up slowly, the space around me feeling
wobbly and surreal. I found myself on the thirteenth floor and walked to the left. Med Bay was there.
A shifter I didn’t know guarded the door.
“Hi, I want to go see my friend Matt."
He looked down at me, a behemoth of a guy that looked at home in a wrestling ring or Strong Man
competitions. “Name, please."
“Scarlett."
I couldn’t end my sentence and introduce myself fully when his entire demeanor changed. “I’m so
honored to meet you. What you did was so badass. Matt is in the first room on the right. I’ll buzz you
in. You’re a legend."
I smiled, too tired to say anything. I wasn’t feeling like a hero, not at all. My light slippers
touched the linoleum, and I stopped in front of the door on the right. Another guard stood there and
nodded, allowing me to get close to the window
“Can I go inside?"
“Yes.” He stood, scanned a card against a scanner, opened the door for me, and sat back down.
“There’s a button on the left you can press when you want to leave,” he whispered. The place was so
clean, the smell of Clorox burned my nostrils.
Matt lay in the hospital bed, naked, his groin covered with a light sheet. Deep cuts marked his
skin, his face pale, eyes sunken. I watched the machines for a while. It wasn't easy to see my
Mountain Man like that. All I knew was that he couldn’t shift and heal himself.
My fingers touched his skin. I was afraid to take his hand because there were too many cables and
tubes hooked to it, so I touched his shoulder.
“Hi, ugly," I whispered.
 My wolf cried so loud inside me. She missed Matt and was going crazy now that I was around
him. Her instinct was to shift and come to the surface and help Matt turn. I felt the heat between us, the
energy strings that connected us like fated mates were still there. Was it possible that the strings that
tied us together only stretched but never broke? My heart bled because he was gone for so long for
me.
The silence wrapped us in a warm cocoon. I pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.
“I missed you."
His long lashes touched his sharp cheekbones. My fingertips touched his beard. I remembered
how soft it was and how much I liked to kiss Matt. Heat built up inside me. It wasn’t a sexual feeling,
but it was desire and love burning slowly inside me, an energy that never left me — my flame.
My wolf pushed me to shift. I shifted without undressing. My reddish-golden wolf took over. She
was feeling Matt. I could see the threads of light that connected us. My wolf lay on Matt’s feet. I
allowed her to take over. She did everything she could to connect with his wolf. He was there,
sleeping. She licked his skin and whined softly. Her call was clear. Wake up, wake up, I miss you,
wake up.
Matt was too far gone. It felt as if not even my wolf was able to reach him and bring him back. My
wolf was lost. She left and I shifted back. Wherever Matt was, I was unable to reach him. My jeans
and my t-shirt covered me and I left the room barefoot. Cold.
The guard stood up and greeted me. I don’t know if he watched the scene unfolding or if he heard
my wolf cry for her mate, the mate who rejected me, the mate who killed the last Fire Alpha and who
still loved me. The mate who decided what’s best for me without even asking.
Exhausted and sad, I walked out of the medical area on the thirteenth floor. There was nothing left
for me to gaze at.
I took the elevator and pressed ground level. The ride was smooth, the clock inside the elevator
showing 4 in the morning. There was enough time left.
I walked out through the main entrance of SN in Las Vegas. The strip was animated, but I wasn’t
interested in parties or casinos. My wolf needs rest and freedom. I saw one of our security guys
parking a car. It was a small black jeep, nothing special, the type of car that isn’t staying in anyone’s
memory.
“Hey, I need the keys." I called over, looking probably like a crazy woman with my unruly red
hair spilled down to my waist, walking barefoot on the street. He felt my scent and knew I was a
shifter, too.
“Scarlett, right?" he asked with a huge grin.
I shrugged, way too tired to have a witty comeback.
“Listen, I can’t just give you the car, and I don’t think you are in any shape to drive, but what
about if I drive you?"
I jumped in the passenger seat. “Take me out to the desert. I need to wolf out, my good man."
He grinned at me fully. To his praise, he was silent, not feeling the need to push away the perfect
silence with endless chatter. The morning air brought calm to my heart. He drove out there until the
sky started to crack, looking like dark, bleeding skin. I started to undress, and he did the same.
“You mind?" he asked with a smile.
“Suit yourself."
I was out of my clothes, shifted as fast as possible, and started running, running so quickly that my
paws felt like floating over the desert sand. The silence of the morning filled my heart.
I found a small rabbit and hunted it, and then I ate it raw its tiny heart was still twitching when I
swallowed it whole. Cleaning my paws of blood, I closed my eyes and allowed everything to shift a
bit. No need to focus on anything, the beast had a way to take over.
The night air woke me up. I had slept all day in wolf form out there in the desert. There was no
trace of the other wolf that left with me. I hope he’s okay.
Since I learned to shift, it was what I did when life became too much. Matt always said, when
civilization makes it hard to breathe, allow the beast to take over. I did just that. The beast was awake
and hungry. All the years of self-harm could have been avoided if my parents didn’t leave me. I
would have grown up like other shifters, knowing my place, knowing who I was, and not being scared
of myself and my powers.
Sparky appeared next to me. She liked my wolf. There was no problem. I can touch fire in all my
forms.
I know, girl, a soft loving thought flew to her. I know you never wanted to scare me. All you did
was try to protect me, trying to make everything right for me. I know.
Sparky curled around me in the same protective way she did when I was a lost girl scared of her
mama. She tries to tell me something, and I opened up to her. We got up and hunted together, another
rabbit that ended up in my belly. The beast takes over. The moon looks so close. I throw my head
back and release a cry. I cry for my parents, for the girl at the clinic, for my clan, for Matt. I cry for
myself, understanding how lonely I was, lost, unable to find peace.
Grayson let me know that I’m prey. That’s all I am, and that many want me.
My cry fills the cool desert, scaring away potential game. I’m not hungry. There’s a deep hole
inside me that will never be filled. The emptiness of not knowing who I am, who I belong with, and
where my family is.
A large brown wolf jumps in front of me out of the blue. I know him, but I bare my teeth towards
him. If he wants a fight, he gets a fight.
 13

Ziggy

After the short sexual encounter, my girl left. I stood there, dumbfounded and incapable of grasping
what just happened. Scarlett was open with me. For a fraction of a second, I felt as if she allowed me
to look into her heart, then she closed up again. Damn, Scarlett is not just a lay for me. If I was after
ass, I could have gotten enough of that from other women.
Damn.
My fist hits the wall hard, and I can feel my hand melting with the wall. There’s no way I can go
to sleep now. I was awake all night sweating in the gym.
When she didn’t show up the next morning, I started to worry and gave the security crew a call.
They all knew me. I didn’t need any other clearance to get info. Ray, the guy that drove her to the
desert, was scared shitless because he lost her. I made him drive me to the spot where he left Scarlett
to run and then shifted.
My wolf came to life fast. There was a connection between me, my wolf and Scarlett, even if she
wasn’t my fated mate. I never believed in that stuff, and if it fucked with your head the way it did with
Matt’s, then I don’t ever want it. My wolf shifted and ran. I picked up her trace fast and found her. She
had killed and was in beast form. Her instincts took over, and her eyes looked beautifully blue.
Showing her teeth, Scarlett was ready to fight. Only my purpose wasn’t to fight. Instead, I wanted to
bring her back, to talk to her.
Her wolf stood there, red and golden with a few white touches, teeth bare and hackles showing.
She launched towards me, faster than I could react. I knew Scarlett had skills, but I never suspected
they were at this level. Her attack was direct, strong and feral, ready to rip my throat out. Only my
wolf’s swift reaction helped me to step out of her way, allowing her only to get purchase of my back.
Scarlett is the smaller wolf. If I were out for the kill, I’d try to use my mass against her. But
fighting her carefully, trying not to hurt her, is maddening. I yelp in pain when her teeth go through my
thick hide. Rolling to the side, I try to throw her off, but she’s fast and back on her feet. She fights
entirely as a wolf, I won’t stand a chance if I keep thinking as a human, but I will hurt her or even kill
her if I attack as a wolf.
The desert is all around us, sending me back to a simpler time, making it hard for me to ignore my
basic instinct to survive at any price. I manage to shake Scarlett off. Her wolf lands on its back with a
soft whimper and mine goes low, flashing its teeth. I don’t want to keep doing this, and I’m taking a
risk. Taking one deep breath, I allow myself to shift back.
Scarlett is still in wolf form, still looking at me as my fur recedes and my fangs turn into human
teeth. Still on all fours, I look at Scarlett. I’m making full-eye contact. If she’s there, I need her to see
me and leave her hiding spot.
“Scarlett, talk to me." My voice is calm and even. All the events of the last days pushed Scarlett a
bit too hard. Our beasts are strong. The more time we spend in wolf form, the harder it is to return to
our human self. Getting lost in the freedom of being a beast can feel addictive, like the purest drug
running through our veins.
“Scarlett, I know how you feel. Being a wolf is easy. Try to snap out of it. We have to talk."
And boy, do we have to talk. The other guy she saved asks for the Fire Wolf that rescued him, and
I think he is hiding many secrets.
Is Scarlett the Fire Wolf? All the signs show it. She has to be. There’s no other explanation for
what she could do and how fire appears in her life at different times.
“Scarlett, talk to me."
I see magic around her. It’s as if a curtain of liquid heat is building all around her. Her shift
happens so fast I barely have time to register what’s going on. Scarlett is in front of me, naked in all
her unveiled beauty. As much as I try not to think that she has the most gorgeous body created to
satisfy my hunger and the way we clashed together the night before, my cock is hard. My eyes move
up and down, from her elegant throat down to her full round bust, tiny waist, and full hips. And those
legs, long and muscular.
A deep roar slipped from my chest, a low rumble I can’t contain or control.
“Ziggy,” Scarlett whispered with the same intensity and heat. The night broke over the desert. I
can hear a coyote crying in the distance, but nothing matters now. Scarlett is still half trapped in her
wolf mindset. She moves slowly toward me. Her nose nuzzled my chest and my neck. Her tongue
darts out of her mouth, leaving traces of melted desire and creating new patterns of lust on my hot
skin. My hands move down her spine and on her back.
“Ziggy,” she whispers again, her voice hoarse and filled with desire.
“Scarlett, if you keep licking my neck and touching me, I don’t know how long I can keep it
together."
She didn’t say a word, but her cold fingers closed around my hard cock. An electric current
streamed through my entire body, making my nipples hard and each cell of my skin feel alive and
ready to be touched by her.
Scarlett slipped down, and she kneeled in front of me on the desert ground. This was the most
beautiful thing someone ever did for me. My knees felt weak and shaking. Her mouth touched the tip
of my curved cock, her soft lips closing around my tip. Her other hand cupped my balls, and I tensed.
I focused on the spot where her lips touched me, making me shiver and moan hard.
“Scarlett.” Her name slipped from my lips. It sounded like a prayer to mother moon under the
wide-open sky, feeling the cold light coating us.
Her mouth did wonderful things to me. It was wild, incredible. I moved my hips with her mouth,
allowing her mouth to fuck me hard.
“I’m going to explode in your mouth,” I whispered to her. Her eyes locked with mine.
Her long lashes threw beautiful tendrils of darkness over her tall cheekbones, turning her face into
a symphony of light and shadow. It reminded me so much of the way fire throws shadows in the night.
My mind was melting with each touch of her soft lips and delicate fingers.
Scarlett

Ziggy smelled like sex. My wolf was so horny for him. All I could think of was tasting him deeply
and allowing him to fill me.
I read about sex, and there are so many things I wanted to try. The idea of making his knees weak
and listening to his moans as he was standing tall in front of me in the open desert under the light of
the moon drove me crazy. My arousal made the inside of my naked thighs slippery and wet with the
spilled juices. When our eyes locked and my lips landed on his cock I felt it again, freedom
associated with fucking. There was something about being in the elements with a man you desire and
who desires you.
As I prepared myself to allow his semen to coat my throat, Ziggy pushed me on my back. He
replaced his cock with tongue, which licked and kissed me greedily.
“Don’t leave a corner of my soul untouched." Ziggy was a poet?
We didn’t care about the dirty ground, the dust, or the small plants we squashed in the process of
rolling around. I found myself fully impaled on his impressive, curved cock, filled to the brink and
loving the warmth that was surrounding me, body and spirit. Ziggy sat on the ground, making sure I
was comfortable. His hips matched my movements, thrusting and pushing. My lips landed on his neck
again while his fingers found my hair and pulled softly. Our sweaty bodies moved together faster with
an animal hunger. We both looked human, but there was nothing human about our fucking.
I called out when my release hit me hard, so loud the coyote that cries in the distance was reduced
to silence. Ziggy’s growl filled my ears and my body.
I lay on his chest, cuddled close to his heartbeat, feeling it inside me as if it was my own.
“Scarlett?”
“Hm?”
“I’d love to stay with you like this forever, but I have a cactus sticking in my ass."
A loud laugh filled the air around us as I got up and allowed him to stand up. He kissed me. Our
bodies entangled, dancing under the silver rays of the dark moon.
“Do you feel okay?"
I waited a bit. I wasn’t sure what to say. “Yes, I think I am."
He nodded. Ziggy won’t pry. He will give me time to tell him when I will be ready. “Scarlett, I
hate to ask….”
“There’s never anything good that starts this way." I watched him. His face looked stern. Ziggy is
a wall of muscle. I loved to admire him from my knees. It was a wonderful image that made me hot
and tingly, and that will land in my spank bank.
“I understand if you don’t want to tell me. Are you a Fire Wolf?"
I don’t trust anyone, or at least I no longer did. I trusted Matt and it broke my heart, but Ziggy….
Damn, Ziggy earned my trust. He always got my back and proved it time and time again.
Closing my eyes, I called Sparky. She asked me if I was sure, and I told her yes. She’s only met
Matt, but I trusted him and saw what happened. Sparky appeared next to me. Ziggy took a step back
before he realized that he had to hold his spot. She was gorgeous, a large wolf made of flames in
yellow, orange, and red shades. Her eyes sparkled like red flaming gems. Ziggy stood there looking at
her. Sparky sat in front of me, protective and calm, watching him with all her attention.
“This is my Fire Wolf, Sparky. Sparky, meet Ziggy.”
Ziggy knelt in front of Sparky in awe of her strength and beauty.
“Can I touch her?"
“No, she’ll burn you. Not out of bad intention, she’s just hot like that."
“What about you?"
“I’m hot too.”
“You know what I mean."
“I’m okay with fire. It doesn’t burn me at all." To show him, I started caressing Sparky’s back.
She leaned against my naked form.
“How?"
“I have no idea. Sparky was always here, always my protector. For a long time, I believed I
imagined her. My therapist made me believe I made up a Fire Wolf as a child to give my fears a form
and that it was me who started those fires. It was me, but with Sparky. I don’t slip anymore. I’m in
control of her. She doesn’t come to me in my dreams only.”
Sparky looked relaxed, at ease, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
“When the others find out..."
“I don’t want them to. Ziggy, I’m a target. It became obvious to me when I killed Grayson. They
wanted me, not you and not Matt."
“What do you mean, they wanted you?"
“What I said. That Grayson guy knew that I’d run to find Matt, and he kidnapped him to get to me.
There was something else."
Ziggy looked tense, never have I seen a man to look as ready for a fight and being naked at the
same time. His muscles bulged and tensed. I couldn’t get over how good he looked. Each of his hard
planes and dips made me want to stop whatever I was saying, stop and touch him.
“I bit off Grayson’s head. He tasted wrong, rancid, disgusting. I don’t know how to explain, but
what I tasted was not human or shifter. Damn. I’m not even sure that creature was alive, okay? His
blood coated my tongue. It was as if my mouth was filled with rancid old motor oil."
Ziggy looked at me. I didn’t see doubt or ridicule on his face. He believed me.
“I smelled something wrong around there. I just had no idea what I was sensing. The guy you
saved, he called you a Fire Wolf."
I looked into Ziggy’s eyes.
“His guts were hanging out. I couldn’t pick him up like that. I had Sparky close his wounds."
“Can she do that?"
“My girl here, she can do many things." I felt my chest swelling with pride.
“Ziggy, Grayson said they’re after me. They know who and what I am. That damn Grayson knew
more about me than anyone else. He said the woman who abandoned me as a kid wasn’t my mother.
And I have weird memories about a woman that could be my mom.”
I had to swallow the hard lump that was forming in my throat. Ziggy looked at me as if he saw me
for the first time.
“I’ll always protect you."
My inner snappy bitch wanted to jump at him and tell him to mind his business and that I’ll make
it on my own. But I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Ziggy, this smart, fun, and strong shifter, did not have
a lying bone in his body.
What I saw was what I got. Ziggy is the real thing.
 Long hair started to shine under the moonlight, a very cliché wolf tattoo on his chest, sexy hard
abs that dipped low towards his thick cock. Everything around him made me want to hold my breath
and run away with him. Stay here in the desert forever, go somewhere else, forget about everything
else, about Matt, about SN, about Grayson, about it all.
Ziggy put his arm around me. “We’ll figure this shit out you, me, and Firecracker here."
Sparky cocked her head when she heard the nickname Ziggy gave her.
“Don’t be upset. You ladies are both so amazing."
“I think Sparky likes it."
“I like her, too. Sadly, I can’t pet her."
Sparky had a hint of a smile.
“She likes you too."
“How about we shift and run back in wolf form to the car. Then go back, talk to the Alpha and see
if we can figure stuff out."
 14

Kyle

I was going stir-crazy.

I was a few times over at Scarlett’s room, but she wasn’t there. She was not in class either. Where
the fuck had she disappeared to? I wasn’t such an awful lay that a woman had to run away from me. I
hoped.
The gym was packed, and I could feel the looks of the females as I was about to bench three
hundred pounds. The weights were ready and my buddy Steve spotted me.
“Come on, man, who’s the wolf?" We used to push each other to get pumped and to break our
records.
“I’m the wolf."
“Who’s the wolf?" Steve yelled at me.
People paid attention to us. You receive attention being the Alpha’s son. I’m also top of our class.
“Kimora is here," Steve whispered. He had a thing for the hot she-wolf since he saw her the first
time. Kimora was gorgeous but not as gorgeous as Scarlett.
No one is like Scarlett.
Scarlett is beautiful, but it’s not just that. She’s strong and she’s... she’s.... Steve is saying
something. I can’t hear it because my mind is stuck with what happened between us—the hot sex, the
fact that I wasn’t done with her. Usually, I lose interest in women after we are together once or twice,
but with Scarlett, an endless number of possibilities opens in front of me.
Mate.
I had that conversation with my Dad. As the son of the Alpha, my duties are in front of the pack
first, but my father allowed me all liberties. My hands grabbed the cold, steel bar trying to push my
mind off Scarlett.
One rep. My muscles burned, and I could feel my chest tensing up.
Two reps. I was still able to do one more.
While pushing the bar for the third rep, my chest cavity hurt and felt tense as if about to explode.
Mia was close by. I could feel her. My body and wolf were not in the mood to deal with that woman.
She was fine as always. Mia’s problem was not her looks. She looked great. Her problem was her
horrible personality.
I watched her from my position on the weight lifting bench walking through the gym, having all
guys looking at her, drooling over her, wanting her. She bathed in their admiration and lived to churn
their desire for her hard-toned body.
“Hi, handsome,” she purred, ignoring my red face and the fact that I was pressing hard to get
another rep happening. The steel almost came crashing back on me. Luckily, Steve was there to help
me lift the heavy bar.
“Oh, it’s just lil ol’ me. You don’t have to be so scared," she said with a giggle that made the
hyenas who followed her laugh.
I refer to her so-called gang of friends hyenas because they would only get her leftovers.
After the weight was up and secured, I turned towards her. My face was red and sweaty, my veins
still swollen and pumping. Mia bit down on her lower lip, unable to contain her arousal. I know that
she likes me, but I don’t like her.
“What do you want, Mia?" I half growled, half spit, and grabbed my water bottle.
She moved closer but stopped mid-track as if thinking better of it. “Remember when you said
you’d be the first from our year to go on a mission?"
I could feel that she prepared a barb, but what type?
“Well...." She kept going while playing with her long blonde hair. “You aren’t the first. They
picked someone else for the mission. And she’s from our class. Isn’t that a shame? To be pushed aside
like this, being not only top of our class but also the Alpha’s son? Poor Kyle." She trailed off with an
evil grin, turning her back toward me.
Scarlett had beat the crap out of Mia, but only because Mia challenged her to an open fight. She
had no idea what a strong fighter she was.
Before beating her, Mia hated Scarlett because she was beautiful, and all the guys drooled over
her. Now injury was added to insult, even though Mia was the one who started it. She wanted so
badly to be the Alpha female, the mate of the Alpha. She was willing to step over dead bodies. In her
eyes, I’m not a man, a wolf, or a living creature. I’m only a means to an end, a ladder for her to use to
reach her aspiration and become Queen.
My heart shrunk when I understood Mia’s message. Weirdly not because I was affronted, but
because I was afraid Scarlett could get hurt or even worse. The prospect of not seeing Scarlett again
bruised my heart.
All eyes were on me, and I was aware of that fact. Of course, they all expected some reaction to
what Mia said, and I was not about to offer them that. I was here for a workout, and workout I will.
“You good, bro?" Steve, the gentle blonde giant, asked with a smile
“Sure, bro. Let’s bend some steel."
We moved over to the Smith machine and competed with one another. I let him win today. Steve
and I have been friends since we were pups. We shifted together for the first time, and I know that he
always has my back.
After finishing the weights, we decided to go for an outside run. Steve was the one to open the
subject.
“Hey, do you think Scarlett is doing well on her first mission?"
I tried to look calm as if nothing phased me. “Yeah, probably. That poisoning bitch, Mia, is only
envious. I regret the day I touched her."
“Man, Mia’s hot. I give her that, but she has an evil way around her. We all see it. I am glad you
two aren’t a thing anymore."
Cello ran her own laps. She was a chubby girl and would have probably passed unnoticed in a
normal environment, but here she stuck out like a sore thumb. Cello was the only overweight girl in
the Shifter Nation HQ. And it bothered her, I know. We used to be best friends, and then I kissed her.
On that day, she looked so pretty and sad. I wanted to do something to make her better. I had no idea
that my best friend was in love with me and that, by kissing her, I gave her hope. Hope that I had to
crush under my booth.
Fucking shit.
“Stevo, I’ll have a chat with Cello. Catch up with you, man." I hit him over his back, and he ran
faster. I fell into pace with Cello and was just beside her.
“Hey.”
I could feel her blush. She was still cute, and I knew of many guys who thought she was awesome.
But she had eyes only for me. Damn, I wish I could tell her how broken I am, how weak, how
insecure, how I want Scarlett because she’s not from the pack, and she doesn’t care for me much.
Somehow being with Scarlett is like being my true self.
“Hey,” she replied with a smile. Her forehead was covered in sweat. Her short, curly brown hair
stood up at weird angles. Still, this girl was such a good soul and so damn cute., any guy would be
lucky to have her.
“Cello, do you know anything about Scarlett?"
Cello stumbled. I saw the moment when her body started to plummet, her balance gone. I caught
her fast, in a way that made it look as if I changed direction. Her face was flush against my sweaty
chest, and I could feel the heat of her cheeks on my skin. She looked up, with her soft brown eyes,
embarrassed.
“Uhm. Oh, thanks. Kyle, I’m such a mess. You saved me from another round of public
humiliation."
“You’re not a mess. Are you okay?"
She pushed herself away from me. I could see a shadow of sadness on her cute, round face.
“Yeah, just peachy. What do you want, Kyle?”
“Why do you think I want something?"
She bit her lips and crossed her arms over her ample chest. “Because you don’t talk to me
otherwise."
“Cello, I’m so sorry. I’m a jerk."
“Yes, you are. She’s okay."
“Who, what?
“I talked to Scarlett. She had her first mission. She’s okay."
I released a breath that I didn’t know that I was holding back. Okay. “Am I so transparent?"
“I know you, Kyle. We used to be friends once. And Scarlett is awesome. I’d understand if you...
you know."
I put my arm around Cello’s shoulders. Her body was stiff, but then she relaxed a bit. “I want us
to be friends again. Do you think it’d be possible?"
Her head turned toward me, her mouth slightly open and her eyes huge. “Do you mean it?"
“Yes. Cello. This is BS, you and I acting like two idiotic, fucked up strangers. You mean a lot to
me. I want us to be cool and talk again."
And I hugged her. Somehow it felt as if everything fell into place. It was right.
“You and Trevor, I saw you, young lady. What would your dad say?"
“It was Trevor and Dean," she added with a smirk.
“Cello, you’re a hussy!" I used the high-pitched voice our kindergarten teacher used most of the
time.
 “I hope Scarlett returns soon. I miss her here." Cello was sincere. I miss Scarlett, too.
“Sure she will. I mean, why would she give up on all this, and for what? For an awesome life?"
Cello giggled.
“Scarlett is like you. You are both locked. Maybe you are each other’s key."
I pinched Cello and we both started running. Her words stayed with me until I finished my run and
later under the shower.
Was Scarlett my key? Was she the one that could gain free access to my heart?

Scarlett

I sat on the uncomfortable chair feeling like when I got myself in trouble and found myself in the
principal’s chair, only this time it was the office of the Alpha of Shifter Nation. Kyle’s dad. Everyone
knew the Alpha, but I’ve never been formally introduced to him. At the end of my training, I’ll be
asked if I wanted to leave the pack or stay, at which point I’d have to offer submission and loyalty to
the Alpha.
Matt was not part of the pack. I never asked him if he was a rogue Alpha or a free loner, same
with Ziggy.
The Alpha entered the office. I felt his energy before he entered the room.
Strength.
Power.
Calm.
I turned my head and was about to stand up as a sign of respect and submission. I wouldn’t fuck
with the Alpha.
“No need to stand up, Scarlett. I’m impressed with your work.”
He offered me his hand and looked deep into my eyes. The Alpha looked so much like an older
and stronger version of Kyle. I was shocked by how similar they looked.
“Hello. How do I address you? Sorry, I’ve never lived in a pack.”
The Alpha sat down and smiled. He was strong, had long dark hair with just a touch of silver, and
wore an expensive suit perfectly tailored on his strong muscles and broad shoulders. He made me
nervous.
“You can call me Jack. if you like. We are here to have an off-the-record conversation."
His voice was warm. I looked into his green eyes, like Kyle’s. They made me blush.
“Okay, Jack." I did my best to relax a bit. Worst case, he would throw me out of the pack or kill
me.
“The kids you rescued made some interesting statements about a golden wolf made of energy."
“Yes, that’s Sparky."
I allowed Sparky to step out and sit next to me. She was not submissive in the presence of the
Alpha. On the contrary, Sparky was in her largest form, her eyes blazing red, and her body was a
mass of flames. She looked ready for whatever. The Alpha lost it for a second. I could smell his spike
of adrenaline and a touch of fear.
“Why have you kept this a secret?"
 “Out of self-preservation."
“I’ve never seen a Fire Wolf before. You’re the golden trio--beast, human, and magic."
“Or is it demonic?"
“No Demons have walked the earth in the last eighty years,” said Jack. “I know."
“I think I killed a Demon. He tasted rancid."
Jack pushed his hands through his thick hair. I saw him tensing. “Who knows about this?”
“A lot of people, apparently. Grayson, the guy I killed, said he was targeting me. They were not
after Matt."
“You’re under the protection of Shifter Nation, under my protection."
“Thank you."
“This is why I want to ask you to swear loyalty to us."
“No,” said Scarlet. The no slipped out too loud and too fast. I was holding on to my freedom and
independence. The idea of being part of the pack was raising my hackles. It was not intentional. It
was what I felt.
Jack tensed, same as Sparky.
“I don’t know if I belong here. And if the Demons, or whoever it was after me, put everyone else
in danger…. I care about my friends here. I’ll rather leave than put them in harm’s way."
As soon as this was out, I exhaled.
“You have our protection either way, but if you’d be part of the pack. You would have a special
connection not only to me but also to all the other pack members. In case something happens, it would
be easier for us to find you.”
I bit the inner side of my cheek until blood started filling my mouth. Could I tell him, oh well, I
don’t want to? I already called out no one time. There was no need to antagonize the Alpha a second
time. His eyes locked on mine, and his jaw set. Sparky mirrored his actions. She was ready to attack
the damn Alpha if he did anything she considered threatening.
“Can I talk to the guy I rescued, if he’s is awake?"
“Yes, let’s go see him together. He refuses to talk to anyone else but you."
Jack stood and I absorbed Sparky again. There was no need for her to walk through SN HQ and
attract more attention.
The clean corridors reminded me of a smooth-running corporation. Jack walked one step ahead of
me in absolute silence. He called on the elevator. We both stepped in, the closeness uncomfortable
and stuffy.
“Off the record, I understand your reservation and your position. Rumors about your friendship
with my son Kyle reached me. Maybe you’ll become family one day.” He smiled.
Does he know? I felt myself blushing. The Alpha looked like the grown man his son will one day
be. What could I tell him? Hm, oh, yeah, me and your son. That was just an emergency dicking
because he’s hot, and I needed to get my V card swiped? Really? Fuck no.
“Kyle is a friend, but he doesn’t know. No one knows."
The Alpha looked me straight in the eyes. I could feel his power as if something tangible that
melded itself around my spine and took my breath away.
“I understand."
The other few seconds we spent together in the elevator were the longest of my life. Did I
understand this right? Was he implying that me and Kyle.... No, no way. The entire pack expected him
to be with Mia. I’m an outsider, a no-one. But now that I think about it, the pack does respect me.
They fear Mia because she’s mean and a total bitch.
 The doors of the elevator opened and the Alpha protectively stepped in front of me. I got used to
this behavior. I saw it in Matt, Ziggy, and partially in Kyle, too. They want to protect me. But I don’t
need to be protected.
We were on the thirteenth floor in Med Bay. The pungent smell of antiseptic substance burned my
nose. I had to hold my breath a bit until I got used to it.
“Matt?" I asked the Alpha, trying my best to sound calm and composed.
“He isn’t awake yet. Our people are doing what they can."
I nodded. Jack was not a bad guy. I saw it. His first concern was for his pack, he may have been
strong and in possession of power, but he used it wisely.
“What’s the guy’s name, the one from the strip club?"
“He refused to talk to any of us. He is a shifter, I can sense it, but he is also something else. And
he wanted to talk to the Fire Wolf only. I’ll be there with you. I won’t allow any harm to come to
you."
Jack said the words in a way that made me believe him. But would he risk his own life to protect
me?
The door was guarded. The two shifters I didn’t know stood up in front of the Alpha.
“Open the door."
One of the guards typed a code fast and the door opened with a click. The guy I kind of pulled out
by his hair looked way better than I expected. He sat up in bed and eating pudding.
His eyes were open and so blue, a light blue, I could have looked into those eyes all day long
without getting bored. His skin was still pale, but it looked normal now, as if that were the way he
should be, like a vampire from a teenage girl’s fantasy.
Just as I thought that, he smiled and flashed me a set of fangs. No way. Could he hear my thoughts?
“Finally,” he said with a deep, rich voice that had a distinct Italian accent and made me want to
cream my panties. This guy was a looker with beautiful, soft, pillow-like lips; a straight nose that
gave him a bit of a feral look, like a bird of prey; high cheeks that could cut steel; and strong muscles
covering his arms and chest.
I should remind myself not to drool.
A thick, ugly scar started right under his sternum and went down to his groin. I know because I
made that scar with Sparky. We pushed his organs back and Sparky cauterized the wound. I never
expected him to survive.
He smiled a wicked smile towards me while licking that damn spoon in a very suggestive way.
His long black hair was almost blue under the light of the neon. It’s so perfect and silky I almost want
to touch it.
“We’re here to talk. How about we start by you telling us your name?"
“You brought her, the Fire Wolf.” His eyes locked with mine. He thoroughly ignored the Alpha
and the upset frown he had. “I’ll talk to her alone."
“I won’t negotiate this." Jack used his strong Alpha command voice, the nuance making everything
stop and shiver.
“Alpha, your tricks don’t work on me. I mean no harm and I’m unarmed. You guys put me in a
room without windows. I can’t leave. I just want to talk to the Fire Wolf alone."
Silence lay over us, thick like a blanket.
“Alpha, if you don’t mind, it’s okay. I don’t mind talking to him alone."
Jack looked at me. He was half-concerned and half-amused. He put his hand on my shoulder and
looked deep into my eyes.
 “If there’s any problem, I’m in front of the door."
Sparky stood next to me as the Alpha turned and left the room.
“Wow, your Fire Wolf is impressive. I’m so glad we finally met." He smiled a full warm smile.
Sparky lay on the floor and looked relaxed and at ease. She wasn’t tense at all in his presence.
“I’m Alessandro Giovanni Antonio Carravagi, but you can call me whatever you like because I
would answer to you." He licked the spoon again.
“Scarlett,” I said curtly.
“Scarlett," he repeated with his beautiful accent. It sounded like my name turned into two
Scarrrrr Letta. I liked it. Everything that came from his mouth sounded like poetry. “Thank you so
much for saving my life."
“Yeah, sure thing. Sorry about that ugly scar."
He looked down and touched it gingerly with the tip of his fingers, his eyes connecting with mine.
I suddenly was aware that I looked like crap. My hair was a bird’s nest, and I had no makeup to
conceal the restless night that lay behind me. After returning with Ziggy from the desert, I took a
shower, put some fresh clothes on, and saw the Alpha as demanded.
“It’ll go away in time, and I’m sorry about that. I’ll keep it forever as a reminder of you saving
me." He took another deep breath. “Scarlett, I owe you my life. I will never forget what you did for
me. And your… what’s her name?"
Alessandro looked straight at Sparky. She whined softly.
“Sparky.”
“Thank you, Sparky. Let me introduce you to Azzuro."
Alessandro closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The wolf that looked as if he was made of
electricity and thunder appeared in front of him.
“I’m an Air Wolf. And this is Azzuro."
“Oh, wow." I sounded like a blabbing idiot, but what the fuck.
Sparky and Azzuro sniffed each other, and damn, that was funny to watch because they acted like
two pups in the dog park. Sparky sent me feelings of love, happiness, and warmth. They started
playing. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. How happy she was. It was the first time she interacted with
another wolf except for mine.
“They’re best friends now," Alessandro said with a smile. “Come, Scarlett. Sit next to me and
let’s talk. There’s a reason I’m here."
“I’m intrigued."
“I don’t know how much you know about our legends. We’re creatures with three sides--human,
beast, and magic. Our magic is of demonic origin. It is what it is. Having a demonic part doesn’t make
us evil. Each creature can choose its path, whether it’s good or evil or more of the grey variety. Our
kind. You know the five magic tribes, yes?"
I knew them, but it was lovely listening to Alessandro. “Can you give me a refresh?"
“Sure, Bella. I’m an Air Wolf, but that isn’t limited to the wind. I can control all elements of the
sky: wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning. The Water Wolf can control rivers, lakes, and the tide, but
they can call on rain, too. Earth Wolves control growth and earthquakes. Fire Wolves, like you, have
amazing power. You have the strength of destruction, too. And then, a special kind of wolves are
empaths, soul whisperers. They understand the emotions and can influence them accordingly. These
five were royalty until some of our leaders got greedy, intoxicated by power, and sided with demons
from Hell. It was all a mess up. It ended with the shifter having to hunt and kill most of our people
who entered the packet with the demons. They were wrong, I agree, but our kind was almost extinct.
 “There are a few of us living in a small chateau in France and learning to work with our abilities.
We are not like they are, he looked towards the door, and our sword duty is to protect the shifters and
humans from demons. We’re missing a Fire Wolf. You’re the only one known to us to be complete. I
was here, on the mission to find you and protect you before the demons got you, but I see that you are
doing a great job at taking care of yourself."
He smiled.
“What are you trying to say?"
“Straight to the chase, right?"
“Yup."
“Come with me. Meet the gang. Train with us. If you like it, you’re more than welcome to stay. If
not, we’ll all understand and hope that one day you’ll change your mind."
I looked at him.
“We have an Empathic Wolf, too. He could help you with your mate."
“How do you know about that?"
“Shifter, I have good hearing. I am sorry about it. As long as he’s alive, there’s hope. I wish I
could do more to help."
“How many of you are there?"
“Twelve."
“Wow, that many?"
“Yes. We’re the last of our kind. Most of us grew up orphaned, hidden. I am lucky, I have a twin
sister, and our grandmother raised us. She’s there, too, but she’s too old to fight. She became the
pack’s Granny. We all see her as family now."
“Can I bring a few friends? Would that be possible?"
“Sure thing, we want diplomatic relationships with other packs."
“Who’s Alpha?"
“No one. Each clan has an Alpha, but as a pack, we’re equal and work together. Our aware wolf
helps smooth things over when we fight. His name is Vladimir. You’ll like him."
“Can I think about this?"
“Sure."
Sparky lay her head on top of Azzuro. She would like to be in the company of other wolves like
herself. It would help her, and me probably. I need a change of scenery. I can’t stay here and watch
Matt die.
“What about the Demons?"
“We try to organize because the Demons returned to Earth. Demonic possessions happen more
often than I like to admit. We’re the good guys, but our Demon side helps us understand what’s going
on. Grayson was a Demon. You killed his human body, but he can return and hunt you again. You need
two wolves like us and a bit of a spell to send a Demon away forever. They land in a magic vault. My
Nana knows more about this than me. I just know the spell and that I need to hold the hand of the other
wolf while our energy wolves are sinking into the Demon. It’s complicated shit."
Alessandro had answers, and I had a long-ass list of questions.
“Uhm, I need to get some breakfast, too much information on an empty stomach."
Alessandro smiled.
“Do you need something?"
“A laptop would be nice. I want to check my email and let my pack know that I’m alive.”
“Will do."
 I stood and left the room. Alpha Jack watched me with a tense expression.
“He’s an Air Wolf. He wants a laptop." I walked away.
“Scarlett, I need to know what else he said."
“Jack, please. I need breakfast and coffee or I’ll fall on my feet. How about you walk with me,
and I’ll tell you everything?"
The Alpha fell into step with me. We ended up in the cafeteria sitting at a table. He nursed a cup
of espresso while I shovelled my second plate of eggs, bacon, and cheesy fries into my mouth. I told
him almost everything between bites and swallowing the delicious food. The cafeteria was empty,
and I felt comfortable talking about it.
“What do you want to do now?" His green eyes locked on my dark blue ones.
“Do I have a choice?"
“Scarlett, you always have a choice. We’re your pack. You don’t have to leave."
“I think I want to. You know? I want to meet those shifters, see if I can become a better fighter."
“Take Kyle with you."
“Huh?"
“He’s my son and burns for a mission. I’d like you to have him by your side. He’s connected to
me. That way, I can always find him. And you. Other than that, you have my permission to pick who
you want as part of your team."
“Ziggy." I said it without thinking too much.
“Okay." The Alpha nodded. “Ziggy is a sigma, a liner. I can’t make him go if he doesn’t want to,
but I don’t think he’ll refuse the chance to go."
It was my turn to nod. “And Cello... I mean Violin Hawthorne."
“If she’s your choice, then okay. If you want to pick more wolves, do so."
“Thank you."
The Alpha nodded, stood, and left. Was he one of the good guys? I couldn’t stop myself from
watching his tight ass move. Get a grip on yourself, woman.
My flight back to Seattle was booked for that night. My heart jumped with joy at the thought of
seeing Cello again. I asked Ziggy and he said yes before I could add anything else about what the
mission was. The burly hot biker was excited at the prospect of meeting a bunch of foreign shifters
with special powers. But what can I say? I’d lie if I said that I didn’t understand him. He did not ask
any stupid questions like what are we, where is this going. We fucked a few times and it was all
good.
My bag was packed. I had another hour to kill before catching my private plane back to Seattle.
Shifter Nation allowed me to travel in style. My status changed from some weird mutt with incredible
abilities to an ambassador. Who was I to complain? I only had a small backpack with my phone, ID,
and a few changes of clothes thrown over my shoulder. The elevator stopped on the thirteenth floor. I
won’t leave for Europe without seeing Matt, my Mountain Man, one more time.
The security guy granted me access right away, no questions asked.
Matt lay there the same way he did last time. Still breathing through tubes and connected to
several cables.
“Hey, Mountain Man," I whispered into his ear. His natural scent was mixed with that burning
scent of hospital and meds.
There was no reaction.
Matt was already three days in a coma. The Alpha and I tried to force his shift to make him heal
himself without success. I felt the tiny golden threads that connected me with Matt, only today, instead
of them looking golden and shiny, they appeared less vivid.
“Matt, don’t you die on me. If you die, I swear I’ll find a way to kick your stubborn old shifter
ass. I’ll bring you back just to kill you with my own two hands.”
I knew then that I loved him, no matter if he was my mate or not. I love him even though he
rejected me as a mate, which broke my heart and almost sent me over the edge.
He was the man I trusted. He kept my secret safe, and I could not do anything to help him.
I leaned closer and kissed his forehead, thinking about his warm eyes with golden flecks. My
heart broke again and again right there in the space between two heartbeats.
My lips moved close to his ear.
“Mountain Man, listen to me and listen good. If you dare to die, I will hunt you down to the pits of
hell, bring you back to life and fucking kill you again. That’s how much I love you."
A hot tear left my eye and dropped onto his cheek. I wiped it away, having the feeling that it
somehow reached him. I kissed his cheek again and had one more look at my wolf, my mate, my
savior, and the one who rejected me. Yeah, I have issues, but what can I say? If punishment comes in
the form of Matt, I’ll become a sucker for punishment.
It was hard to leave Matt. All the small tendrils that tied us together made me want to stay there
and look at him. My heart wanted to stay, but my brain kicked me. Matt was floating between life and
death, and it was on me to help him, bring him back.
A black Jeep waited for me in front of Las Vegas HQ. I sat in the backseat, tears spilling down on
my cheeks. The driver was silent and didn’t ask me any questions, and I was deeply grateful for it.
 15

Scarlett

The small private plane awaited me on a separate lane. I climbed in and smelled Ziggy before I saw
him.
“Hey, what are you doing here?"
He looked relaxed, holding a glass of whiskey with ice cubes in it. “Enjoying the good life. I have
some business back in Seattle before we leave for Europe.”
“You sure you’re okay to come?"
The small plane took off. I could feel it. It felt different than a take-off in a normal plane.
“I’ll come with you anywhere." He put the accent on come.
Ziggy is a handsome devil. He was freshly shaved and smelled clean, like soap and open roads.
There was something about his scent that made hunger coil inside my belly. His muscles moved on his
chest under the AC/DC t-shirt he wore. Sitting in front of him, and I had a hard time not thinking about
him naked.
“I owe you something," Ziggy said, leaning over from his seat.
“What? "
“A ride on my tongue."
I blushed deeply. “What about the stewardess?"
“She doesn’t get one."
Ziggy pulled me on his lap and kissed me fiercely.
“Ziggy, you know...."
“You see other guys. You’re young, princess. Enjoy life. I don’t mind as long as you have a spot
for me."
What could I say, and why refuse pleasure that had this gift of pushing away the darkness and fear
from my mind?
When I left the SH Las Vegas HQ, I felt dizzy. The reality was contracting and expanding around
me, and I felt that need to cut myself just to make sure that I was alive. The thought of flying alone
scared the shit out of me, and there was no time to shift and get my mind right. Ziggy was precisely
what the doctor ordered.
His kisses kept my darkness at bay. The way his tongue tasted me melted my core and made me
want to be one with him. Ziggy stopped kissing me and nuzzled my neck, finding that spot where I
loved to be kissed. He sucked, teased, and scratched me with his teeth.
“Bite me, hard!"
He obeyed. His bite made me shiver and caused me to sink my nails into his back, through his t-
shirt.
“Oh, so you’re a bad girl?"
“Yes. I’m very bad!"
Ziggy pushed me up and made my jeans land on the floor while having my legs on his shoulders,
all in one fluid motion. He had the most wicked smile tugging at his lips. I never felt that sexy or that
vulnerable as I felt with my sex open in front of him, and he looked at it, as if it was the Mona Lisa.
“You have the most gorgeous pussy,” Ziggy whispered right before his mouth landed on the inside
of my thigh, kissing and nibbling.
The first oral. I read about it. Okay, Scarlett, pretend you did it before. Breathe. I closed my eyes,
but he stopped.
“Don’t close your eyes. I want to know what’s going on. Look at me."
Ziggy locked his sparkling green eyes with mine and the beast that fed on heat and lived in my
belly coiled around my spine, turning my feet to jelly.
“Good girl. Shh.”
Just like that, his full sexy lips touched my lips and his tongue started to explore my soft silky wet
regions.
“You taste so good.”
My mind was empty. All I could feel was the way his tongue caressed my folds and made me
aware of everything in a way I never felt before. I could barely keep my eyes open, but each time I
broke eye contact with Ziggy, he would stop licking me, teaching me a lesson. He moved from my soft
lips to my clit. The moment his delightful tongue made contact with my hard, sensitive bud, I
screeched in delight.
It was so good.
My breath hitched and my heart beat like crazy. A wild release was building up and I was riding
its wave without thinking about anything in this world. All that I cared about was Ziggy and his
talented tongue that made me moan and shiver.
“Please,” I cried out.
Ziggy changed his technique and used his flat tongue to lap my open sex and send electric jolts
through my entire body. My hands moved to his hair, and I grabbed it, pushing his face deeper into my
open folds. A few more licks and my pussy were on fire. I called out to the Gods as a massive release
washed through my entire body.
It was so good I passed out.
Damn.
I woke up sitting on Ziggy’s lap, with a blanket draped over us.
“Hey, you okay?" he asked with a cocky smile.
“If I knew how good you are with your tongue, I’d have taken a ride on it sooner."
He laughed and kissed me. “The tongue carousel is always open for you," he said and wiggled his
eyebrows.
I put both my arms around his neck and kissed him. He tasted like me, but I didn’t care. The plane
landed a while ago, and it was time to face whatever was waiting for me in Seattle.
The first thing I had to face was rain. Glorious rain soaked the thick foliage and sent a green scent
to my core.
 Ziggy walked with me and watched me enjoy the rain.
“Shouldn’t you despise rain?"
“I asked that myself, but it’s quite the contrary. I love it. I love the feeling of the rain. Drops on my
face. I love how it makes the forest smell green. I can’t wait to shift in the rain again.”
“Want to go for a run now?"
“No, I’m good. I want to get to HQ and talk to Cello and Kyle."
I took the car SN HQ sent for me. I knew the guy and sat with him. We drove in silence, and the
few minutes of the drive allowed me to sort my thoughts.

Kyle

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Scarlett sit with Cello at the table in the cafeteria and have
breakfast. My heart skipped a few beats. Damn, she was so beautiful, but she looked tired. When did
she return? What did she do? My stomach knotted itself. I was about to run like a crazy wolf toward
her.
Chill, Kyle. Breathe. Fucking chill.
I can’t just run to her, scoop her up in my arms, kiss her and tell her I missed her.
Scarlett focused on her plate. Damn, I love a woman with a healthy appetite.
Steve waved to me from our table. I nodded, walked toward the espresso machine, and got two
cups of espresso.
Cello talked animatedly and Scar smiled.
I put the cups on the table. “May I?"
“You bring coffee, you’re welcome to sit," Cello said with a big smile.
Scarlett looked at Cello and me.
“We’re cool again,” Cello told her while taking a cup of espresso.
“Guys, I’m glad both of you are here. I want us to talk. I have something important to tell you."
“What, what?" Cello asked while nibbling on her toast.
“Too many ears. Tell me what you guys were up to."
I sat there, looking at Scarlett. Her leg touched mine, and it sent shivers through my spine. She
was so breathtakingly beautiful. Her lips touched the coffee cup. It made my world spin and it made it
difficult to breathe around her.
“You were missed,” I whispered loud enough for her to hear me and soft enough so that others
couldn't hear.
She blushed lightly. I watched the tiny freckles on the bridge of her nose come to life.
“All I can say is that if you two want, we can all go on a trip."
After breakfast, Scarlett, Cello, and I sat on the porch of the old mill. We just sat there, chatting.
“Guys, I missed you too. Badly, actually," Scarlett said.
I wanted to jump her again.
“I have to tell you something. I was invited to Europe to meet a new pack of wolves. Our Alpha
sanctifies the mission, so it’s all okay. If you want to go with me, you must be discreet. If you’re okay
with that, I can give you more details.”
 “Girl. I’m in," Cello jumped in
“I’m burning for a mission. Europe with you guys sounds great. I’m in."

Scarlett

I sat on the wooden floor of the old mill and told the two everything. Although maybe I kept the
information about Matt and me for myself. My broken heart was not part of the conversation. Talking
about Matt and the way he rejected me hurt so badly. I tried to compartmentalize, pushing Matt away
from my mind. If something happens, Jack promised he would let me know. My soul knew that Matt
was not awake yet.
I’ll feel it when he wakes up, no matter when it happens.
“Let me introduce you to someone.”
Sparky appeared next to me, glowing. Her mane of flames flickered with the extraordinary power
of the elements. She was a sight to behold, so beautiful that it would make you hold your breath for a
few seconds. She laid down next to me, looking at my two friends. Cello is my friend for sure, and
Kyle… that’s still open for debate, but somehow I want to trust him.
“This is Sparky. She’s a part of me. I’m a Fire Wolf."
Kyle looked as pale as a sheet and was about to take one step back. I had to suppress a giggle.
I’ve seen stronger men run away from Sparky, and his reaction was relatively calm.
One can count on Cello to break the silence. “She’s gorgeous! I love her. Hello, Sparky. I’m
Cello. Scarlett, you never told us that you’re a Fire Wolf. I understand. Wow, that’s so cool. The stuff
of legend."
“Wow. That’s awesome," Kyle whispered.
“It’s part of our mission. Our pack made contact with others like me, wolves who have the third
magic component to their being. They have a training camp in France and invited me to join and bring
some friends. The Alpha wants us to establish diplomatic relationships and become allies. That’s
your guys’ job as representatives of Shifter Nation. What do you think? Are you game?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. A part of me was afraid I’d get rejected by my two best friends,
which made me want to get my guard up.
Cello was on her knees watching Sparky and stretched her hand toward her.
“You can’t touch her. She burns. I don’t mind flames,” I added.
“Oh. I want to go. I’m all in."
“Count me in. I wouldn’t miss this for the world," Kyle said with that sexy sweet grin of his.
A smile split my lips, and a feeling of intense warmth washed over me. My friends accepted me,
and they were eager to go with me on this adventure.
My heart skipped a beat.

The next few days passed in a blur. I can’t even remember exactly what I did. I rested. I felt the need
to eat and sleep. It was as if my brain wanted to shut down. Kyle stopped by a few times, and we had
short and intense fucking sessions. He always wanted to stay and talk, and all I wanted was to turn
around and sleep.
The day all of us stood in front of the plane in Las Vegas felt surreal. I wore my usual black
leather attire, black t-shirt, black boots, and red hair floating around me like a flame that dared people
to touch it.
Cello stood close to me, shy and sweet with her curly brown hair. She went for black jeans and a
leather jacket too.
Kyle looked dashing as always. There was nothing about the sexy junior Alpha I didn’t like.
Ziggy walked straight to me, put his arms around me, and kissed me on the mouth. I could feel
Kyle’s looks, but he wasn’t my boyfriend. I made that more than clear on more than one occasion.
“Don’t hold your breath, pup," Ziggy told Kyle as he walked by him with his arm around my
shoulder. Yeah, he was a bit of a dick, but Ziggy has special Ziggy privileges that no one can take
away from him. We all climbed up the stairs that led us to the small private plane we used.
Alessandro was already inside. The moment he saw me, he stood up and walked toward me with
a huge smile.
“Wonderful seeing you, Scarlett. Cara." He hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks, a pleasant
warmth spreading through me.
I made the introductions, and everything happened the way I expected. The guys measured each
other, Ziggy and Kyle being suspicious about Alessandro and Alessandro acting a bit like a dick.
Cello blushed when Alessandro took her hand and pressed a kiss on it. She even introduced herself as
Violin, her real name. That made Kyle giggle and made me smack him in his ribs.
“I’m so glad you accepted to be my guests and are willing to visit Chateau La Mere. I’m sure we
will have a fascinating time together.” Alessandro concluded before we took off.
I could not be bothered to talk during the long flight, so I closed my eyes and allowed the world to
move by.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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