CHAPTER 1

Why, of all the desolate locations in the United States, had Freya, her loving sister, ended up dead? Perhaps that was the reason: it was remote, surrounded by forest, a haven from the harsh reality of the forced marriage, and secure from Bruin's retribution should he have ever discovered her. She hadn't been secure, though. She has since passed away.

Ravena Wildhaven must have been wrong when she thought she saw her cousin Ural slink into the woods in his wolf form out of the corner of her eye. In order to avoid alerting the gray lupus garou pack that a pair of reds had trespassed into their area, he wouldn't be furious enough with her to shapeshift thus near to Silver Town.

She pushed through the Silver Town Tavern's hefty door, disregarding her gut feeling that this was a very terrible idea. The rusted hinges' screeching jarred her tense nerves.

She was suddenly terrified that the five bearded men at the table, who had turned to look at her, had seen right through her disguise.

Hating the way the fake spectacles kept slipping down the bridge of her nose, she pushed them back into position. Her head was partially engulfed by the worn-out cowboy hat she had purchased at a thrift store, giving the impression that she was a young child donning her father's Stetson.

Dark wood tables and a tall, polished bar were softly lit by amber glass lamps suspended from brass rods far above. The air was circulated by slowly rotating wooden fan blades that were permeated by the fragrance of gray lupus garou. Fresh awareness pricked her nerve ends. She believed that the worn-out antique mirrors on the rear wall behind the bar had been silent witnesses to the events there for a very long time. What a tale those mirrors might tell if they had recorded every photo taken during the bar's operation.

A second bearded guy who had been hiding behind the bar's lip suddenly sprang up to his full six-foot-four height. He almost dropped the glass and dish towel he was holding as his admiring gaze surveyed every square inch of her. His lips slightly raised at the corners. His tanned complexion bore deep laugh lines, and his shaggy black hair reached his shoulders, giving him the look of a hardy mountain man unaccustomed to modern trappings. The fact that he was gray, like the others who were drinking at the table, really troubled her. Like the pub back home, she had assumed it would be a human-run place frequented by lupus garous.

He greeted her warmly and said, "What'll you have, miss?"

She hesitated because she anticipated a cold reception from their kind—their species didn't want outsiders entering their midst, especially if they were human—and here was a place that was just for gray lupus garou.

“Miss?”

Please, bottled water. She had intended to sound tough in order to fit in with the setting. With her red hair colored black and the high-heeled boots giving the appearance that she stood taller, more like them, she had planned to be someone different. Her green eyes were sufficiently hidden by the blue contacts she was wearing, but she continued to have the same sense of identity as Ravena, Freya's triplet sister, despite the fact that she had greener eyes and more red and less golden hair. Had she been duped by her voice?

The bartender's little smirk was more likely caused by the fact that the woman was a stranger who had unprotected into a wolf's lair than by the fact that she had made herself obvious. She berated herself for not masking her voice more, but the bartender's kind approach gave her a false sense of security that, if she wasn't cautious, might have been fatal.

She was given a large green glass and a cold bottle of water by the bartender. The question "New in town?"

She paid for the water and added, "Just passing through."

"The name is Sam, miss. Just shout if you need anything.

“Thanks.” It was not her style to holler for a drink.

She picked a table that was partially concealed by shadows in the room's furthest corner. Even if any of them could see in the dark just as well as she could, being here would keep her away from the busy street. She wished to come across as unremarkable, unworthy of anyone's inspection, and most importantly, human.

Ravena gave the door a quick peek. Her research indicated that Freya's widower partner Lucian Silver should arrive shortly.

Sam received some cash from one of the men when he got up from his seat. He gave Ravena a little grin before sitting back down. He was little for a gray, stocky, with dull brown hair, amber eyes, and dust-covered garments. He also had a baby-like face. Had a cute, beta-wolf-like appearance. His cheeks were stained with dirt smudges, which he removed with the back of his denim shirtsleeve. He combed up his unkempt hair while keeping his gaze fixed on her and drank more beer.

Sam walked over to Ravena and gave her the money. "Miss, Joe Kelly bought your drink. He looks a little bit scruffy because he works in the silver mine. But he keeps up well. Sam smiled at her and went back to the bar.

Should she decline Joe's invitation? On the other hand, perhaps she could learn the truth more quickly if he had feelings for her.

She mouthed, "Thank you," to Joe Kelly, who felt his chest expand.

The other guys began making low-pitched jokes about him. Joe's ears' tips darkened in color.

The idea that Freya had the gall to mate with a gray, especially considering that she already had a mate, made her gut tighten. She had stated a desire to discover herself, and she succeeded. six feet below. Ravena couldn't help but believe that it was her own fault since if she had gone in Freya's place or even fled with her, she could have managed to keep her safe. What about their parents, though? With her father being so ill, she couldn't have abandoned them, but by golly, she hadn't been able to shield them either. In any case, they had been killed.

She forced back a shudder as she resented not having stopped any of it. Ravena was going to track down her brother and their uncle and curse both of them for abandoning the family after learning what had happened to Freya and burying the killer.