Raven (Book One of the Dark Lycans Series)

They were right. The words keep playing in my head. I still can't figure out why I told him that, but at least he can't tell anyone else. I killed all of the men after telling them my secret.

After killing them, I ran. I found a small lake surrounded by trees and easy to defend. I decided to spend the night there, trusting that no Hunters should come looking for me for a while.

I ate the rabbit I caught after cooking it in a small fire and fill my canteen with water then shove it into my backpack.

I am lying on the ground near the lake when I hear a twig snap behind me. Using my elbows, I sit up and turn around. My eyes catch a small movement in one of the bushes. I creep over, silently notching an arrow in my bowstring, ready to shoot.

Just as I reach the bush, I feel a hand smother my mouth and a muscular arm around my waist.

I instantly panic but then sense it is a werewolf, and relax a little. I guess I was expecting more Hunters. Lucky for this one, my cloak is covering my silver armor made to burn werewolves.

"Make one sound and I will snap your neck." I can feel his hot breath tickling my ear, along with the cold metal of a knife, now held against my throat. He takes my bow from my hands and drags me back to my bag by the lake. He grabs my bag and slings it over his shoulder.

"Nick! Get your ass over here! Bring everyone else too." He yells into the trees, putting my hands behind my back in silver handcuffs.

Great, I am stuck with a lunatic who talks to trees, I think when no one appears for several minutes.

I suddenly see another werewolf leading a group of about seven more wolves and sigh a little. Well shit, I think when I realize they are all warriors.

"Well, well, what do we have here." He smirks in amusement. I still have the hood of my cloak on, so my face is shielded from them. He walks over to where I am being held in restraints.

From the power he is radiating, I am guessing he is a high level pack warrior, and the owner of the knife at my neck is most likely his Beta. It's better that they are in a pack rather than being Rouges. Those filthy creatures have no boundaries.

"Let's see who you are . . . " He pulls back my hood and growls. It is easy to see the lust in his eyes. The Beta suddenly grabs a handful of my hair, yanking my head back and gesturing to Nick, as he called him.

"She is a Hunter!" He snarls pointing to the tattoo-like birthmark around my neck.

"How? Only men can be Hunters?" They both look furious as well as confused. They are right, all Hunters are men, but what angers them is that the Hunters kill werewolves so, naturally, they hate me.

"Let's bring her back to the Alpha, I am sure he is going to want to see this," the Beta shoves me forward. One of the men take my bag from the Beta. The Beta and Nick each take one of my arms and start walking away from the lake.

I have met many Alphas, but I know I have not met this one. When meeting an Alpha, you also meet their Beta. I never forget a face or name and I definitely do not recognize this man.

We walk for almost an hour, with the Beta still holding a knife at my neck. It is difficult trying to climb over fallen trees and upturned roots with a knife so close to my throat, but I don't complain. I am not going to give them any more reason to hate me just yet. I am saving the trouble for when they took me to their pack. I know they would probably take me to their prison first but, this would not be the first time I have been put in a pack's prison.

When we reach the pack house, I realize how large this pack is. There are hundreds of wolves walking around, which means it must be huge considering all the wolves also on duty or in their houses.

The pack house is a huge, modern style mansion, no not mansion, castle. It is massive and the inside is absolutely beautiful. I realize I am just standing in the doorway with my mouth open, looking around like an idiot, so I quickly snap my jaw shut.

"I hope you aren't as nice as you look because I have some really pleasing forms of torture that are just calling your name," I heard the Beta say behind me. I shudder, but don't say anything, for fear of provoking them. Suddenly I feel something squeeze my butt, then hear a hiss of pain from behind me.

"Oh my god! What the hell!" I scream trying to move away from the pervert, but the knife at my throat just moves closer. I stop moving when I feel my own blood run down from my neck. I see him stare at his burned hand through a mirror on the wall. I smirk, and that is why I wear silver armor on my ass, thank you very much you dickhead!

"You are going to pay for that!" He screams dragging me down the stairs to the prison. I wince in pain at the impact of the concrete floor when he throws me into a cell. I can't catch myself because of the handcuffs restraining my hands behind my back.

"I will be back here in 24 hours. Let's see how defiant you are after sitting here with no food or water for that entire time." He growls at me. I don't really understand how he can call me defiant when he was the one who touched me and burned himself. He stalks out of the dungeon, leaving six wolves to guard me.

There is only one thing I don't understand about this situation. Why am I the only prisoner?