ious guy with glowing eyes, calling her the last heir of some ancient werewolf dynasty? And then, he just hands her a box-like i

milia tried to ignore it, but her mind kept wandering back to the stranger. Lycaon. Even his name sounded... mysterious. Dark. Dangerous.

d her. How could a guy have s

hat had no business being there. She was a hunter, for crying out loud. Butterflies had no place in her

er thoughts. Ryker's name flashed on the s

, no-nonsense mentor who would probably tell her that weird glowin

ing to trust him, to believe him. She huffed in frustration, staring at the box like it held all the a

dea, her brain screamed. But then again, when had her life ever bee

o fancy, but something about it felt right, like it was calling to her. There was also a tiny scroll tied with a red

uth. Trust your instincts, Emilia

? A cryptic note and a key? Seriously? Couldn't the univer

What door?" she groaned, feeling like she'd stumbled into a badly

rt raced again, but this time with fear. Who could that be at this hour? Midnight visitors were never good news, especially in

ened the door, half-expecting to see t

ed in relief, but a

asked, raising an eyebrow, his

d, trying to gather her

d, pushing past her and stepping inside. He glanced ar

inside her screamed that Ryker wouldn't understand. He'd tell her to destroy the box, throw the ke

eepsake," she lied, hating

sure? You don't look like yo

ted, crossing her arms defen

is business a long time, kid. You think you can handle it, until you can't. Yo

her. He was like the father she never had. But something about this situation felt differ

ce barely above a whisper. "But I

adable. Finally, he shook his head and turned toward the door

ly. She watched as he walked out, the door clicking softly behin

energy. She didn't know what door it opened, but one thing was fo

lashes of moonlit forests, the sound of howling wolves, and-of course-Lycaon's intense, otherworldly eye

supernatural freak had crossed her path-every time she closed her eyes. Maybe

girl who took down Type-3 vampires without breaking a sweat. She could ha

trapped her gun to her hip. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Anoth

ng the weight of the key in her jacket pocket. It was as if it was callin

ed over her. The city felt different today. Darker. Quieter. Almos

a knew that somethin