The Scarlet Hunter

Chapter 1-1

Two formidable figures stood in the yellow glow of her aging headlights. She knew that even in her truck, they could get to her if they wanted to. She's an unidentified driver in an unknown vehicle. The onus is on her to prove that she shouldn't be killed on this night.

Darkness engulfed them as she turned off her lights and shut down her engine. Any human would be blind under these conditions, but everyone there could see just fine.

With a silent command, the wolves watching from the ridge surrounded her. A thump from behind caused her to take her eyes off the two menacing-looking males in front of her. A glance in her rearview mirror confirmed that her bags were being nuzzled and inspected.

She would have to explain the weapons if they gave her the opportunity.

Wavy brown hair was pushed back to leave the stare from a pair of seafoam green eyes unobstructed. Only an idiot would underestimate what his indurate physique is capable of. He was competent and responsible for protecting what lay at the end of this jerkwater road. The unwavering gaze assessed her and her passenger, but mostly her. His shoulders were tilted forward with his arms at his sides, ready to react aggressively should she do anything to justify it.

She flared out her fingers from the top of the steering wheel in an attempt to show that she was harmless. Her passenger could be in no way considered a threat to them, right?

With the movement of her digits, the second set of violet eyes jumped over to her. Not even a human ignorant of magic would think that he was an everyday gray wolf. This canine's back stood at over four feet. Moonlight glinted off his silver coat and enhanced teeth currently barred at her.

None of these wolves looked familiar to Isla.

This might be her home, but this wasn't her pack anymore. Isla's birth pack, Winter Moon, was now gone. It had been subjugated by Alpha Alec during her four-year absence.

The two sets of intense eyes currently performing the threat assessment on her and her grandmother belonged to Dark Moon warriors under the command of Alpha Alec.

Although she was dedicated and intense with her training since she left, she would not be able to defend herself against these new warriors should they choose to harass her. The plan is to avoid any attention, slip in under the radar unnoticed, and then slip out at the end of the summer. In her continued exile, she would finish her last year of school, earn her degree, and then decide what she wanted to do from there. Probably join Red Moon, the pack local to her college. The alpha there seemed warm to the idea of accepting her. This summer would give her the chance to say goodbye, if she survived.

The six-foot-four human-shaped aggressor approached her door. His gait was controlled and paced, and his strong shoulders swayed slightly as he walked. Loose gray sweatpants, white t-shirt, and bare feet gave away that he had recently transformed into his current form. They would keep spare clothes near this checkpoint to shift and engage in human form without being naked.

Isla watched the unmated male take a deep breath through the open window, checking her and her grandma's scents. His eyes relaxed, but his body did not, no doubt when he determined they were kindred in species and part of this pack. They were still unknown to him, and by now he knew they were carrying weapons in the bed.

She dropped her gaze when his aura engulfed her. He held a position of power in the pack. Not alpha and probably not beta.

"Having a nice drive this evening." It was not a question. No signs of amusement escaped his demeanor as his forearms comprised entirely of skin stretched tight over sinew and veins rested on the crumbly weatherstrip of her window. His shoulders blocked any potential escape route on the driver's side of the cab.