Ava traced the weathered photograph-her mother and father, one a vampire, the other a wolf, grinning as if peace would last forever. Darkness fell. Then boots on stone. The king's hunters arrived before midnight. Their words were sharp: She was not welcome. At least not alive.
Far off, the moon watched through the window. Time to move. A bag was waiting by the door-money, fake names, something written by her mother and father. Words said: believe nobody, Bring the groups together.
Running fast down Khavar's uneven paths, she slipped between people who remained unaware of what dark hours bring. Not far behind, someone trained to kill vampires drew closer. Silver coated on each bullet he carried-its scent cut the air. This ends now, she thought. Her teeth changed shape, instinct rising like heat. Up on a roof, fur replaced skin while still moving-four paws hitting stone instead of feet. A gunshot cracked and she managed to avoid the bullets and move through a dark alley to escape through narrow lanes, she wove shadows, swallowing her whole.
Where next? Beside her stood Liam, a wolf who wanted calm instead of chaos. Toward his club, she moved, paws padding on pavement. The sign above read The Full Moon.