I loved the feeling of the wind through my fur, four paws steady on the ground, ears catching the pre-dawn chirping of birds awakening for the day.

Valorie sat next to me, her beautiful dark brown coat making her nearly invisible except for the white stripe down her nose. Asa had been extremely disappointed she couldn’t be a part of this; her cream coat stood out too much amongst the foliage. Reassuring her that in winter she’d be invaluable hadn’t appeased her, but she had understood.

Connor, fur of pitch black, stood to her other side. I was relieved that Maddock had agreed that both he and Valorie were the best suited in the pack for this, as both were my recommendations. They were the smallest and least conspicuous of the wolves.

Valorie gave me another grateful look. She’d been so excited this morning that by the time she reached my room, she had accidentally shifted to her wolf, her clothes hanging in tatters. She’d had to paw at my door to get me to open it, and I had burst into laughter upon seeing the disappointment in her eyes at letting her emotions get the best of her.

All three us us were early like overeager puppies. While I wanted to think it would make us look punctual and prepared, I worried about the impression I would give to my future pack.

I liked Tobias, I realized. So far, at least, he was what I thought an alpha should be. I wanted to give him no reason to doubt me becoming a part of his family in the near future.

My early breakfast turned in my stomach, and I swallowed. I was nervous and excited, the adrenaline pouring through my veins.

The back door opened, the other wolves for the mission stepping out. All but Maddock and Tobias were in their four-legged form.

I recognized all of Maddock’s wolves and was able to figure out which was Henry—he was the smallest of the wolves I didn’t recognize, a neutral tan color—and I wondered who was who of the other three.

One was absolutely massive, rivaling Maddock in size, coat a reddish-brown with a chocolate muzzle. The next was still huge, dark gray with lighter legs that faded into white paws. And the last had almost a traditional wolf coloring but reverse, with darker legs and paws and a light saddle on his back.

I nudged my nose at Valorie in a wolf version of a kiss on the cheek and trotted over to Henry, plopping my butt down beside him. He looked me over, taking in my mottled gray coat and small form, and nodded his head once in greeting, which I returned.

“Good morning,” Tobias greeted everyone, noticing me next to Henry. “Eliza?” he asked me. I yipped once in confirmation, my tail thumping the ground twice without thinking. Great. Now I probably got a bunch of leaves and dirt in it.

He looked toward the other two. “Connor?” Connor dipped his head. “And Valorie.” Her ears perked up, and she gave a doggy grin. “Excellent. Maddock?”

I was surprised for a moment that Tobias was giving the floor to Maddock; then again, this was Maddock’s mission that he had requested the help for, no matter that Tobias had all but overruled him last night in the change of plans. The meeting had gone on late into the night, essentially having to start over, but Tobias had been efficient. We had all been out of there before midnight.

Maddock clapped his hands once as he began, “Just like we discussed last night. No unnecessary risks, a quick in and out, stay with your partner. Tobias and I will stay on two legs to be able to communicate between our two packs, so you’ll have to trust each other to have your back if needed, understood?”

All of us nodded.

“Don’t be a hero,” he added. “This isn’t a fight. If you see trouble, get out. Pay attention to your surroundings at all times.” He paused, glancing at each of us intently. “Let’s go.”

I saw Connor and Valorie dart away to the right, the biggest, reddish wolf—Noah, assuming the plans hadn’t changed from last night—trailing behind as bodyguard. The dark gray wolf with the white paws followed Henry and I, marking that wolf as Jonah as our bodyguard.

Other wolves split off, also in pairs, trailing behind. They’d be the backup in case of any emergencies. But as the sun started to peak over the horizon, the risk of running into any vampires out and about shrunk. We had planned to arrive at the suspected lair in a matter of an hour and a half to two hours; they’d be deep in their “daydreams” by then.

When we arrived at the marked location, it wasn’t anything like I had expected it to be. The driveway was cracked, weeds spilling out, some nearly up to my wolf’s shoulders. The building itself was large and in disrepair. A few windows on the second and third stories were broken, the sun reflecting off of sharp edges. Those were boarded up with plywood on the inside, while the intact windows had shut curtains beyond them. The white paint was peeling, and a number of shingles on the roof were missing. There was no evidence of life or even death here. No indication of any modern commodities, like an attached garage or

I could feel the other members of my pack shifting into position through the pack bond we shared, all bound by our alpha, their individual threads weaving in and out as they moved. A wolf could only be joined to one alpha at a time, which proved a disadvantage to me that I couldn’t communicate with Henry or Jonah since they weren’t part of mine. At least, I wasn’t a part of theirs. Not yet, anyways.

I turned to Henry and Jonah, taking point, and nodded my head toward the side of the house. I wasn’t going to be stupid and try to go through the front door.

Henry dipped his head once. Jonah stood like a statue.

Henry and I sidled up against the rotting wood, crouching low. Jonah stayed back a ways, playing lookout and bodyguard. He blended well into the shadow of a pine tree, his bright eyes the only truly visible part of him as he laid down on the ground.

One of the windows on this side of the big house lacked any curtains or coverings inside. I hopped up onto my hind legs and was barely tall enough to fully see inside.

It was a kitchen. Dust covered every surface, cobwebs hanging from the chandelier in the adjoining dining room. It must have once been beautiful; the sink was large, and there were two stoves and refrigerators. French doors on the far side were closed and boarded. But it made sense that no one had bothered to make the kitchen inhabitable. What need did vampires have to prepare actual food?

I huffed a bit with laughter as I imagined a vampire in a kitchen, wearing an apron and making food that couldn’t be eaten in the dead of night.

I dropped back down, continuing forward as Henry reared up and looked into the same window I had. So far, there was no solid evidence that this was in fact where any vampires resided. With everything boarded it seemed very likely, but…something felt off about this place. It could have been the presence of vampires making my hackles raise in the slightest but I couldn’t be sure.

Valorie met me at the corner, meeting my gaze. I focused on the thread I felt that reminded me of cedar and roses to initiate the communication between us. Every wolf had a distinct impression, appealing to different senses.

Find anything? I asked her.

Nothing yet, she answered, her voice gentler yet more commanding in her wolf form.

I’ll swing back around the front, I said. I’d rather not walk through the front door but we don’t have enough solid evidence here.

I’ll double back, too, she explained. Maybe there’s an unlocked window or door up a flight we can consider if all else fails.

Good idea, as long as we can do it silently. I paused for a moment before adding, If you and Connor don’t find anything, meet me back here.

She nodded, turned, and trotted back the way she came.

I put my nose to the ground and started sniffing as I made my way back towards the front of the house. Nothing had caught my attention earlier, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t missed something. Henry stepped aside as I approached where he waited for me.

There were a lot of scents that I could pick out having grown up using my nose in these forests. There’d been at least one rabbit, likely dozens of mice or equally small rodent, and…

There.

I froze where I stood, snuffling through the grass at this unfamiliar scent. It was spicy, not in a good way, while also giving off a faint trace of…what was it, compost, or…

Decay.

I had never smelled a vampire before, but was almost positive that’s what this was. My eyes roved over the brittle grass, looking for what my nose had found, but nothing was visible. I looked up, intending to get Henry’s confirmation of what I’d discovered, but he wasn’t there. Glancing towards the trees, I didn’t see Jonah either.

Where had they wandered off to?

I took two steps forward before vicious growling rent the air, shattering the relative silence we had been sleuthing in. My legs had me darting forward before my brain had fully caught up to what the growling must have meant. As I turned the corner to the front yard, those same legs locked at the scene in front of me and I almost ate dirt.

A vampire, clothes hanging off his sickly frame in drab colors, stood in the shade of the porch, a clawed hand wrapped around a wolf’s throat.

Valorie’s eyes met mine, and she sent two words my way as the vampire dragged her back.

I’m sorry.

Valorie!

My shout never made it to her as the vampire swung something blunt, cracking it into the back of her skull and knocking her unconscious. She crumpled, a dead weight to the vampire who then dragged her inside.